Bantamahene swears oath to Asantehene

THE new Bantamahene, Baffuor Asare Owusu Amankwatia V yesterday swore the oath of allegiance to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, at a colourful ceremony at the Manhyia Palace.

The palace was full to capacity with all present clad in black traditional clothes.

He succeeds the late Baffuor Awuah V who died early this year. The new Bantamahene, known in private life as Ben Kwadwo Owusu Asare, is the eldest son of a former Bantamahene, Baffuor Amankwatia the 1V.

Mr. S.K. Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, the Minister for Roads and Transport and MP for Bantama, Dr. Richard Anane, Mr. Osei Akwasi Adjei, Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry and Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive were among the dignitaries that witnessed the event. Others were Gyasi Baffuor, Assistant organiser of the Bantama Constituency of the NPP, Mr. Eric Twumasi Ankra, Constituency organiser and Mr. Kofi Agyei alias GEOKAD constituency chairman.

The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11 asked for unalloyed loyalty, dedication and honesty from the new Bantamahene. He reminded the new Bantamahene, who is also the head of the Krontire clan of the Kumasi traditional Council that Opemsuo Osei Tutu 1, created the Amankwatia Poduo stool specifically to serve as his war marshal in view of the loyalty and dedicated service to him by the first Amankwatia. He noted that when he Osei Tutu 1, was sent to the court of the Denkyirahene to study kingship some people plotted to eliminate him and its was the Amankwatia who revealed the plot to Osei Tutu. And facilitated his escape to Akwamu. Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11 stressed that later when an incident occurred at Kwaman, the original name of Kumasi and he was sent for the then Akwamuhene Nana Ansa Sasraku released some of his guards to escort him to Kwaman.

Later on when Dorma Kusi rose up against Asante it was Amankwatia he dispatched to quell the rebellion as his war marshal after which he created the Bantama stool for Amankwatia who he said came to Kwaman without any relative. He noted that the Bantama stool which is the head of Krontire clan, which means it was created because of war. Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11 said he gave Amankwatia seven communities to give him authority. He noted that only sons of past occupants occupy the stool and that he consented for him to ascend the stool because he is the son of a past occupant of the stool.

He said since the creation of the Amankwatia Poduo stool the occupants have served the Golden Stool and the Kumasi Traditional Council with dedication, honesty and did justice to all manner of people. After the Krontire and Gyase elders of Bantama had sought permission from the Asantehene's linguists for the new Bantamahene to swear the oath the Asantehene asked them to first advice the new chief.

The various clan heads of the Kumasi Traditional Council then took their turns followed by the Mamponghene, head of the Krontire clan of Asanteman and the heads of the Right wing guard, the Essumejahene, Odeneho Oduro Numapau, head of the left wing guard and head of the Akwamu clan of Asanteman. They all demanded from the new chief the courage to speak the truth, do justice to all manner of persons, dedicated and unalloyed loyalty to the Asantehene and the Golden Stool and Asanteman.

Immediately after Baffuor Asare Owusu Amankwatia had sworn the oath, there jubilation among his followers who started sprinkling powder on themselves as a sign of victory as fontonfrom drums throbbed in the background. The new chief was then led to exchange greetings with the Asantehemaa, Nana Afua Kobi Serwaa Ampem. He then changed into Batakari kese a war dress and was acarried in a palanquin and paraded through the streets from Manhyia through Ashanti New Town, Kejetia to Bantama, guarded by his warriors wielding traditional shot guns whilst traditional drums throbbed.