Teshie to get a chief soon

Accra, August 1, GNA - The Teshie Community in Accra would soon get a chief after almost 20 years without any.

This follows a historic unification of the six feuding factions within the Lenshie Clan at a colourful ceremony in Teshie on Thursday. Earlier on Tuesday, the factions had signed a Memorandum of Understanding dubbed the La Scala Accord.

The re-unification was spearheaded by an 18-member Teshie Lenshie Re-Unification Council, (TELEREC) made up of all the six divisions - Ashikwei We, Ashiboi We, Ashitey We, Trebi Ashitey We, Lenshie and Okpong We. All these divisions have claim to the stool.

A spontaneous applause, throbbing of fontonfrom drums and ecstatic shouts of joy filled the air when Nii Adjei Kwanko II, Osabu and Ayiku Wulomo and Nii Akpor Adjei, Post Office Division, one of the two disputing Shikiteles (State Secretary), shook hands and embraced to mark the end of their differences.

Nii Akpor Adjei and his counterpart from the Ajarawe Gate, Nii Ashong Akporh Adjei, representing the leaders of the two Teshie Traditional Councils, gave words of assurance of unity and to put the past behind them for peace and progress in the town.

Addressing the ceremony, which was held on the theme: "Forging Unity Through Dialogue and Prayer", Mr Eddie Akita, MP of Ledzokuku, praised the chiefs and elders for smoking the peace pipe.

He urged them to keep the flame of peace and unity burning as a worthy example for other coastal towns in the Greater Accra Region, which were bedevilled with chieftaincy and land disputes.

He expressed regret that in spite of a number of prominent people in the town, the community had experienced a rather slow rate of development.

This he blamed on the absence of a chief and factionalism, and asked the reunited Lenshie Quarters not to delay in nominating and installing a chief.

Mr Akita, who is also the Minister of State for Fisheries, advised other feuding families in the town to be inspired by the unity of the divisions of the Lenshie Quarters and pursue unity to accelerate development.

He pledged to provide a cow to be slaughtered during the installation of the chief and appealed to the elders to waste no time to rehabilitate the chief's palace.

Nii Akporh Adjei recounted a similar re-unification event seven years ago, which became only a nine-day wonder because he refused to abide by the advice of some of the elders to seize the throne from the Lenshie Quarters.

He, therefore, advised that truth and respect for traditional order and arrangement in the succession should be the hallmarks in the nomination and installation of the chief.

Mr Daniel Nii Anum Ashitey, Secretary of TELERIC, recounted the tension that had plagued the Teshie Lenshie Quarter since a chieftaincy war in 1941 culminating in the fragmentation.

He said since the death of Nii Ashikwei Akomfra III in 1985, Lenshie had not been able to install a chief, who was acceptable to all parties. Mr Ashitey warned individuals and chieftaincy contractors in the town to put an end to their activities, saying Leshie citizens would in no way enstool a chief through war.

Mr Theophilus Amarh, Chairman of TELEREC, said the Council would make education a priority programme.

It would establish the Teshie Dzase Education Centre with the hope of boosting education as a tool to alleviate poverty. He appealed to the community to use most of their resources on the education of their children.

Among those who attended the ceremony were the Chief of Tema Nii Adjei Okraku and the Chief of Akumaje Nii Ayikai III.