New Pokuase Mantse Outdoored

Barely a week after he was elected by the Kingmakers and confined to go through the rudiments the customary rites, the new of Pokuase, Nii Oto Kwame V, has been outdoored to the public at a ceremony in Pokuase in the Ga West Municipality in the Greater Accra region. The event was witnessed by a very impressive crowd on Saturday.

The Pokuase Mantse, 58, who was outdoored exactly a week after he was elected and confined in the stool house, was taken through some rituals, as well as learning how to speak, sit and walk in public.

There was ecstasy and jubilation by the people of the traditional area, who sang various appellations and praises and commended the Kingmakers for making the right choice of a Chief who they are confident, would identify himself as part of the community and thereby help solve the myriad of problems that had confronted the community over the past years. Pokuase is a suburb of Accra, the prime city of Ghana and spans the area from Pokuase, leading off the Accra-Kumasi Motorway (or the old Nsawam Road) on the right coming from Accra Central; and leading off the Motorway at Pokuase Junction and rising to ‘Okai Kwei Hill’, on the left coming from town. It is a mixture of lively retail shopping areas, with local stores, bars or 'drinking spots', bus/taxi stations, and a market. It also has 'high-end' developing residential areas, as well as the long-established gated community of ACP Estates. Pokuase Junction is one of the busy bus stops for public transport, including buses (trotros) and shared-taxis, along the Accra-Kumasi motorway. The Mantse, who is an International businessman and resident in Japan for more than 30 year, said his major concern in the community was to ensure that there was absolute peace and stability that would attract investors in order to enhance development. He, however, stressed that unless the people are disciplined, all efforts to turn and development the community, would be a fiasco.

Nii Oto Kwame, known in Private life as Zachariah Dodoo, therefore, used the occasion to call on the people of Pokuase to unite and forge ahead to properly develop the area to attract investment. He called on the people to be discipline and abide by the laws of land and/or the country so as to push the development agenda of the town forward, which he said, would help create jobs for the youth. The Pokuase Mantse is the first African to bring African foods to Japan, to establish business in Japan, to go to a Japanese family to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage, as well as the first Ghanaian to bring rice milling machine to Ghana, and upgrade the local rice into international level. His Company, Otofio Food Limited, exports foodstuff to Japan on a regular basis. He noted that Pokuase’s problem needed the support of every citizen to address so that they could all put the town on a pedestal that could rub shoulders with other developed communities that will enable Pokuase play a lead role in the socio-economic development agenda of the country.

The Pokuase Mantse pleaded with the people to forget about the past, especially those who might have been hurt in one way or the other, so that they could live in peace and harmony, saying that he wants to rule the town in unity and love.

Nuumo Gbelemfo, Gua Wulomo, who offered prayers for the new chief and the community, expressed concern about the lack of some major infrastructural development such as senior high school, no market, Blessing for him. Every town needs development.

He mentioned that the streets of Pokuase are not motorable and this affected commercial activities, which also equally had a rippling effect on revenue generation, and for that matter, affected development of the area, saying that, with the election of the new Mantse from the other gate, which had a problem with the royal family, it goes to end the acrimony and power struggle, and this he noted, will let peace prevail.

Nii Ofei Nkwantabisa III, Dzasetse of Pokuase, pleaded with all and sundry to rally behind the new Pokuase Mantse so that his desire to turn the community into a safe haven could be achieved for younger generation, but was quick to warn those who go about parading themselves as chiefs in Pokuase and thereby try to sell the stool lands to innocent people should desist from such a practice or else they would laugh at the wrong side of their mouths.

“Today is one of the happiest days since got involved in the chieftaincy issues of Pokuase. There have been problems in the community but fortunately we have overcome all the problems paving the way to install a favourable chief acceptable by all the houses. The election of the new chief will solve all their problems. I want to assure him that he should count on my support and with that we will build a New Jerusalem,” he maintained.

The Dzasetse lamented that despite the fact that the town was endowed with a lot of resources, the behaviour of certain troublemakers holds back its progress, a situation he said if not addressed, would have a very negative impact on the younger generation, which according to him, could affect their future.

The Dzasetse who described such a situation as unhealthy and unwarranted, said Pokuase was one of the communities which have a good reputation and so there was the need to maintain that good image rather than creating chaos and anarchy which he said, can greatly undermine the development of the town

The Pokuase Manye, Naa Densua III called for the support of all and contribute their quota to the community, and that “When we all support the Chief and his Queen, everything can be achieved. Pokuase has become big and so everybody should come on board so that we can build a beautiful community.”

Present at the ceremony was Madam Grace Darkoaa Dodoo, Head for the Dodoo Clottey Family, together with her Kingmakers, as well as a host of dignitaries.