Essumeja youth want stool elders probed

A concerned youth of Essumeja has petitioned the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to restrain Essumeja Stool elders from sale of stool lands. The youth contend that the stool elders are wantonly dissipating resources belonging to the stool, which could be injected into the development of the community, but are being misused in the face of the absence of a chief for the community. As a result, they want the Elders to be probed against further exploitation of resources belonging to the community. Mr. Kwaku Owusu, a spokesman of the group said sale of lands and misappropriation of stool land revenue from a teak plantation, sand winning and small scale mining activities in the vicinity are the order of the day.

He said such practices tend to deprive the community of development and must be stopped hence the petition for Otumfuo’s royal intervention and halt the elders in their track from further squandering of revenue.

He said development of the community has retarded since the demise of the chief of the town in 2004 while the stool elders enrich themselves at the expense of the general development of the town.

The youth accused the sub chiefs and stool elders of taking advantage of the absence of a chief to fraudulently sell large hectares of stool lands to line their pockets at the expense of the development of the town.

The Acting President and Krontihene of Essumeja Traditional Council, Nana Ntim Banahene is alleged to have sold a16-acre piece of land belonging to the Traditional Council to the Santasi branch of the Baptist Church in Kumasi.

In spite of the denial by the Krontihene of any such sale, the head pastor of the Santasi Grace Baptist Annex, Rev. Obeng , has confirmed to The Chronicle that there has been a transaction between the Church and the Essumeja Traditional Council per Nana Banahene , of which the local Unit committee at Dominase, is fully aware. Pastor Obeng, said the church has acquired a 16-acre of land which is duly paid for.

According to Rev Obeng, unit committees of Dominase, where Nana Ntim Banahene doubles as chief, witnessed payments by the church by appending their signature to documents any time an installment was paid to the chief.

In view of this development among several others, the group has appealed to the Asantehene to help the situation by speeding up the process of installing a new chief for the town with the hope that the chief would take up the challenge to ensure the orderly development of the community.

The Concerned Youth of Essumeja noted that in spite of the directive by Otumfuo Osei Tutu II in 2012 for the Aduana Obaapanin, Madam Adwoa Aboraa and the Abusuapanin Kyei Baffuor of Essumeja to present a true royal for installation, they have not been able to do so over the years.

They appealed to Otumfuo to consider their (youth) choice of Kwabena Osei Bonsu for endorsement as Essumejahene to ensure lasting peace and development in the area.