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General News of Tuesday, 19 February 2002

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Wassa Amenfi Chieftancy Impasse Broken After 2 Decades

THE ABRADE royal family of Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area in the Western Region, has in January, this year, finally settled a long protracted chieftaincy dispute after nearly two decades.

The cause of the hostility among the royalists was the installation of the present paramount chief of the area, Kasapreko Kwame Basahen III, who is also the newly-appointed President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs (WRHOC).

The squabbles were said to have been further intensified when a sister of the ex-paramount chief now deceased, named Adjoa Baduwaa, whose alleged attempt to put up a building at the site of a demolished old palace, received disapproval from Kasapreko Basahen.

According to the story, the present Omanhene, however, made her aware that the site was meant for the building of a community centre for the people and that if anything at all she should pass through the right channel.

Chronicle intelligence gathered that the matter was sent to court as it did not go down well with Adjoa Baduwaa, but it was later withdrawn and settled amongst the family members.

Furthermore, it was realised that the divisional chiefs still went on castigating one another as the Abrade family is divided into two and took turns of the paramountcy installation.

This memorable event would, therefore, be recorded in the archives of the Wassa Amenfi traditional area as all 53 divisional chiefs of both sides attended and became united once again by smoking the peace pipe in the presence of the Omanhene, Kasapreko Kwame Basahen.

The Omanhene of Nzaa, Nana Kwabena Nketia V, who presided over the reconciliation gathering delegated by the Western Regional Minister, Hon.

Joseph Boahen Aidoo, urged the Abusuapanyin of the belligerent side to give counsel to his people not to derail the progress of the meeting.

Nana Nketia stressed that "where there is conflict there is no peace" and emphasised on the need for unity among the people which must be heralded by the divisional chiefs.

The chief ranted that what the present government wanted was peace and unity for development and improvement of the lives of the people.

The event was finally climaxed with a ritual performance to seal the misunderstanding among the Abrades.