Minister, DCE slammed for inciting youth against traditional authority

The Paramount Chief of Kpone traditional area, Nii Tetteh Otu II, has criticised two state officials, the Greater Accra Regional Minister and the Kpone Katamanso District Chief Executive, for inciting the youth against traditional authorities leading to insubordination.

The former President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs minced no words when he stated that politicians come to power for a period and fade, but traditional authorities remain supreme in their various areas.

Nii Tetteh Otu II, known to be very calm departed, from his known composure and lambasted Honourable Nii Joseph Laryea Afotey Agbo, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for the area, for being behind lawlessness by the youth grouping in the traditional area.

He did not spare ageing former Ghana Private Road and Transport Union (GPRTU) boss, now the Chief Executive of KKDA, Alhaji Antea Tetteh, by blaming him and his regional boss for involving in chieftaincy matters in the district and cited an example of the gazetted traditional Chief Fisherman, whose authority is being undermined by the installation of a rival Chief Fisherman, a situation instigated by the two politicians.

At a press conference organised by the Kpone traditional council last Friday to set the record straight about development in the once peaceful traditional area, now infested with chieftaincy and land disputes.

He also accused the Regional Minister of hijacking the traditional areas seat on the Tema Development Corporation board thereby denying the citizens the opportunity to serve on it.

Government in 1952 under an acquisition claimed 63 square miles of land from the people of Tema, Kpone and Nungua for the construction of the port, industrial and city of Tema.

The Press Release

My attention has been draw to a press release by some youth of Kpone who claim to be “concern citizens”.

The activities of these youth in the township for some time now leave much to be desired. The traditional Council is NOT a political institution for anyone especially the youth to wake up and issue directives and instructions on its behalf. Every clan at Kpone is duly represented at the Traditional Council, therefore any youth of Kpone who do not understand anything should contact their clan representatives or the Traditional Council for explanations and not resort to violence/press conferences.

What is the root of these youth activities in the town? Sometimes ago, the Traditional Council together with the youth of Kpone stopped Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) from commercializing the Kpone cemetery, so that it will be added to the Traditional Council one.

KKDA graded the whole cemetery and part of it was being fenced by a Lebanese called Mohammed Fayyad. Some members of the Traditional Council confronted him and he said the land was Allocated to him by KKDA. When the Chief Executive was contacted, he confirmed but was quick to say that the man was only fencing the assembly and that the Lebanese man had even donated two double Decker pick-ups to the assembly.

Further investigations revealed that, the Regional Minster teamed up with the Chief Executive to sell the cemetery land covering an area of about thirty acres to the Lebanese.

These concerned youth on the 10th of March, 2015 during the demonstrations broke the fence wall, but as I speak, the land has not only been walled but has been sold to a company called “WAHOME” for millions of United States Dollars by the same Mohammed Fayad. The traditional council has initiated a legal action against him presently. Why are these concerned youth now silent about that land, have they been compromised?

Politicians are supposed to develop their areas of jurisdiction, but not these two politicians, the Regional Minister and the Chief Executive are rather involving themselves in chieftaincy as well as land issues at Kpone Traditional Area, Appolonia, Gbetsile and Kpone to be precise.

There is a substantive Chief Fisher who is duly registered in the national register of chiefs. He has not been distooled, or abdicated, yet the Minister and DCE teamed up with some fishermen to install another Chief Fisherman to create confusion in the town. There is enough evidence to prove it, so it is not an allegation.

Kpone used to be a very peaceful place but the activities of these concerned youth have rendered the township lawless: they do not respect anyone because they claim the Regional Minister and the DCE are their pillars.

The Honourable Council of State member Mr. Adjei Annang was threatened by these youth, when he reported them to the police, they were not arrested and they are moving about with impunity, claiming as long as the Regional Minister and the Chief Executives are behind them, they are untouchable.

The Registrar Mr. Harry Attipoe until he hands over the administration of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, will continue to supervise Kpone Traditional Council until I decide because we members of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs have petitioned the office of the President and until a final decision comes out, he will continue to supervise the Traditional council.

The traditional council is NOT for the youth but the chiefs and for that matter everyone should be in their lane and the youth should respect the chiefs. Issues about payments receipts are for traditional council and NOT Mr. Attipoe as a person. The youth do not own lands instead released to the traditional council for allocation to the public by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and NOT to Mr. Attipoe. The concerned youth should refrain from attacking him.

Our lands are acquisitioned and managed by TDC whereby indigenes of Kpone alongside Tema and Nungua serves on the their board, but for twelve years now Kpone has been ignored and denied this chance because the Regional Minister who is even not an indigene of Kpone has hijacked the position reserved for indigenes.

In my letter dated 11th November, 2015 to His Excellency the President of the Republic, John Dramani Mahama, I stated clearly the activities of the Regional Minister and the DCE in the traditional area, but as I speak nothing has been done about it.

I want to appeal to all the youth groups, Kpone Youth Association, Ga-Adamge Appolonia Youth Association and the concerned youth to unite and rather fight those who hide behind the compulsory acquisition to sell large acres of lands and also put the district assembly to check to enable it develop the town to benefit its financial status.

Finally, I call upon the Chieftaincy Minister, Dr. Henry Seidu Daannaa to humbly have a second look at the petitions written to his outfit by some youth from the area since he built the traditional council himself and not the youth and for that reason cannot control it. I make this humble appeal because if this trend is not controlled, the youth will not have any respect for the chiefs in the town.

The DCE

In an exclusive interview with the Enquirer newspaper, the KKDA Chief Executive Alhaji E.A. Tetteh denied the allegations levelled against him by Nii Otu II and explained that the traditional council, TMA and TDC already sold the land to the said Lebanese before KKDA was established and the his outfit was only contacted after June 2012 to endorse the documents.

He stated that the money which he collected from the Lebanese for the endorsement was issued in a form of a cheque and in the name of the assembly but not for his personal use so as the two double-decker pickup vehicles. The DCE however refused to disclose the amount.

The DCE in his ordeal challenged the traditional council to sue him for selling lands if their evidences are accurate and not the Lebanese who rather bought it. He added that the assembly does not own even a plot of land since some part of Kpone land which was acquired by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah is under TDC.

Hon. Alhaji Tetteh speaking on the fencing of the cemetery said he initiated the idea of fencing, hence the Lebanese suggested to do and it. He however explained that the land is lying fallow and so the traditional council can contact TMA and TDC respectively, for the necessary documents.

An early attempt made by the paper to contact the MP proved unsuccessful for he was said to be in a meeting.