President Mahama incures the wrath of Nchumuru Chiefs and people

The chiefs and people of Bejamse in the Nchumuru area are seething with anger over alleged attempts by government and President Mahama to undermine the authority of the chief of the area, Nana Obrimpong Kanya II. This follows veiled attempts by the government to elevate the Chief of Chunke, Nana Kwame Bonja, who happens to be a divisional chief over and above Obrimpong Kanya II, who is the paramount chief of the Bejamse Nchumuru Traditional Area. That was during the recent commissioning of the Nchumuru Senior High School (SHS) by President Mahama. In a statement issued under his hand, Obrimpong Kanya, who could not hide his anger and frustration, said “it’s with heaps of anger, disappointment and regret that I write in loud protest to the gross show of conscious disrespect, and intention to undermine my traditional sovereignty, authority and cultural competence by HE President Mahama, the Regional Minister, Hon Helen Ntoso, the MP, Hon John Majisi, the DCE, Solomon Kuyon and other government functionaries at the event to commission a new block for Nchumuru SHS which I struggled to establish in the late 1980s to early 1990s in collaboration with the Church of Pentecost.”

According to him, “The political insolence and scheme to front or portray the divisional Chief of Chunke (Borai No. 2), Nana Kwame Bonja as the Omanhene of Bejamse Nchumuru Traditional Area which occurred at the function to commission a new block for SHS where he presented the welcome address is traditionally unacceptable and abominable with irresistible temptation to heighten the feud and disunity among the Nchumurus.”

The speech, he said, was not representative of the Bejamse Traditional Area. “President John Mahama, Regional Minister, the MP, the District Chief Executive and others are aware of my status as the Omanhene of the area but consciously decided to disregard authority with impunity,” he noted.

He said “the DCE, who continually showed insolence to my land and traditional authority, honoured an invitation with the event planning committee upon summons to my palace last Saturday and explained that things went that way on the advice of the Regional Minister for the reason that I’m a long-standing loyalist of the NPP with the impetus to chastise or embarrass President Mahama and his government after probably a line or paragraph of praise as happened in some districts visited especially following the refusal to show my prepared welcome address and rejection of a suggested one which I found contaminated with factual inaccuracies, bad grammar, exaggerations and stated projects outside Nchumuru land.”

He described as unfortunate and unwarranted the reason given for the gaffe, insisting that “President John Mahama ought to be guided especially having known and visited here many times from his days as MP with his friend and university mate who is now the Gyaasehene, Nana Okoeseoko known in private life as Hon Francis Yaw Osei Sarfo, former MP for Krachi West who together with Nana Kwasi Omankomonte II, Nana Kwasi Dangnafogyi II, Nana Kwadjo Obuemang and Mr. Abraham Amoah, the Chairman of Nchumuru Youth Association visited and discussed developmental issues on creating the new district.

The same entourage again returned to show appreciation to the government and we were received by Professor Kofi Awoonor.”  Obrimpong Kanya further said that “the Regional Minister whose orientation is no different from that of Nana Mprah Besemuna III is henceforth by this statement and until further notice not to be seen in Nchumuru District for any purpose apart from passing through to her constituency/district which is unavoidable.”

 He, therefore, warned that “if this choice of political expediency and gross disregard for traditional sovereignty, authority and cohesion continues or repeated, the volcano could erupt as a consequence thereof.”