Wenchi is in tatters – Queen mother tells Akufo-Addo

Nana Toah Samangyeduah III, Queen Mother of Wenchi, has lamented about the deplorable conditions of living of the people of the town, especially over the last seven years.

The situation, she said has led to massive under-development, widespread poverty and extremely high levels of youth unemployment.

According to her, the predicament of her people is such that, the Chiefs and people of Wenchi would have no choice but to advice themselves in this year’s elections, and seek a party that would come and develop the town.

“The Constitution forbids us to engage in partisan politics. However, considering the circumstances and conditions of living we find ourselves in, no one will tell us how to act (in this year’s elections). We are living witnesses of the hardships. Wenchi is a famous, ancient town, which once saw Chief Justice delivering judgments here. Look at Wenchi now. Wenchi is in tatters. We can’t even tell our left from our right,” she lamented.

The Queen Mother made this known when the 2016 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, called on the Wenchi Traditional Council on Sunday, July 10, 2016.

Describing Wenchi as a “famous, ancient town, which is the birthplace of Ghana’s former Prime Minister, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia”, Nana Toah Samangyeduah III explained that her town is now a pale shadow of its former self.

“When you have a party that does not have Wenchi at heart, what can you do? We are sitting on tenterhooks. Our monies, which were used for the development of Wenchi, have fallen prey to scams. The people of Wenchi have all been scammed,” she added.

Also bemoaning the high levels of unemployment in Wenchi, and across the country, the Queen Mother told the NPP flagbearer that “my grandchild who completed the University of Ghana, Legon, is unemployed, and living in Accra. I am still fending for her. I send her money so she can eat. Such a situation, clearly, is not acceptable.”Nana Akufo-Addo, taking his turn to address the Wenchi Traditional Council, was grateful for the warm reception accorded him by the Queen Mother, the Chiefs and people.

Addressing the concerns of Nana Toah Samangyeduah III, he stated that “victory for the NPP is one that should be part and parcel of the thought process and daily activities of people of Wenchi. Therefore, everything that you must do to ensure that the party wins power must be done.”

His message to the people of Wenchi, and in every part of the country he has visited, “is that we can transform the circumstances of living for every Ghanaian so we bring progress, prosperity and jobs to every part of the country. We are going to implement policies which will create jobs for every Ghanaian, and thereby create wealth for all.”

The ‘1-District-1-Factory’ policy, which he has espoused, he noted is one “which is dear to my heart, as the industrialization of our country is the only way we can create jobs for the teeming masses of unemployed Ghanaian youth. This policy will create jobs so that, Nana Hemaa, your grandchild in Accra can get a job to do.”

Nana Akufo-Addo appealed to the Chiefs and people of Wenchi to repose their confidence in the NPP, as it is the only party with the proven track-record of developing both the infrastructural needs as well as the human capital of the nation.