The Gbese Dzaase has indicated their readiness to re-dedicate their collective leadership commitment to influence government and their royal leaderships to ensure the socioeconomic development needs of the Gbese people.
According to them, Ga Mashie is the heart beat of Accra, the capital city of Ghana, yet the Ga citizenry have not received any structured socioeconomic development policies to protect the indigenous people from the economic challenges of urbanization; indicating Housing, sanitation, education and health and safety challenges as major problems facing the people.
They said this at a press conference in Accra last Saturday when they addressed the state of Gbese chieftaincy affairs in the Ga Paramountcy.
Addressing the media, the Head of Nyan Abodiamo We Krashie We, Rojo Mettle-Nunooo indicated that, Accra which used to be the pride of Ghana is engulfed in choking filth on a daily basis.
“Our roads generate huge air pollution and pedestrians struggle to walk on non-existent walkways taken over by hawkers and truck pushers. That is the price we have to pay for attracting huge migrants and commercial activities into our urban space.”
According to him, these stark challenges have further undermined their traditional and royal culture and values as a people and that it is the prime objective and commitment of the Gbese Dzaase leadership working closely with the Ga Paramountcy and their spiritual leadership and youth groups to develop strategies to engage the youth especially for our cultural revival through job creation initiatives.
He said: “This can only be achieved when the critical values of our collective royal leadership are not compromised by opportunistic elements who only seek their personal gains at the expense of the collective will of the people. As a law abiding legitimate royal leadership of the Gbese state, we shall pursue all legal means to restore the dignity and integrity of our Gbese people in Ghana.”
GBESE CHIEFTAINCY MATTERS
On the Gbese Chieftaincy Matters, he averred that the Gbese Dzaase Leadership and mandate is based on the Gbese 1941 Agreement where the seven royal clans and their respective royal houses and families are duly recognised by their assenting to the 1941 Gbese Agreement.
That mandate, he said, recognises the leadership of the seven royal houses of Gbese which include Wekuyitso Plenshiaku We aka Shia Wulu, Wekuyitso Tetteh Ankama We, Wekuyitso Akote Krobo Saki We, Okai Odebae We (Shippi), Wekuyitso Afiye We (Stool Wulomo), Wekuyitso Nyan Abodiamo We/Kreshie We (Dzasetse), Wekuyitso Arde Akwa We (Akwashongtse).
He also indicated that there are three ruling clans recognised by the 1941 Gbese Agreement; Plenshiaku We or Shiã Wulu, Tetteh Ankama We and Akote Krobo Saki We.
These ruling clans by a principle of rotation provide prospective candidates for vetting and installation proceedings to the position of Gbese Mantse.
He stressed however that they, as Gbese Dzaase, have not participated in any installation of a Gbese Mantse after the demise of Nii Ayitey Abofu and according to the 1941 Agreement and rotating principle of installation proceedings, the ruling clan to present a candidate for installation was Akote Krobo Saki clan and not Naa Akua Onidin/Akwetey Krobo Saki We.
“There are also four royal clans of the Gbese Dzaase membership that constitute the kingmakers. These kingmaker clans are: Nyan Abodiamo We Kreshie We Principal Dzaase and Kingmakers, Okai Odebae, Arde Akwa We, Afiyea We. The Gbese Dzaase therefore comprises the collective of the three ruling clans/houses and the four kingmaker clans/houses. This body of seven royal clans constitutes the highest statutory royal court of the Gbese Stool.”
He noted that the Gbese Dzaase principally performs all the installation proceedings of the Gbese Stool with respect to the installation of a Gbese Mantse in accordance with the traditional protocols and principles of compliance, and that the totality of the installation proceedings is a process of several rites with the respective traditional and spiritual leadership of the Gbese Stool and the Ga Paramountcy.
Rojo Mettle-Nunooo said, “We have monitored several illegal law suit assertions by the late Tetteh Ahinakwah of Naa Akua Onidin Akwetey Krobo Saki We and one Thomas Okine to the effect that Tetteh Ahinakwah has installed Thomas Okine as Gbese Mantse. That purported installation is illegal and cannot be legitimate since this installation was not recognised as being from the ruling Akote Krobo Saki clan of Gbese. It is a known fact that Thomas Okine’s purported installation as Gbese Mantse failed to follow the laid down traditional norms and procedures as required by the 1941 Gbese Agreement.”
He mentioned that attempts by Nii Tetteh Ahinakwah to install Thomas Okine as Gbese Mantse are absolutely illegal and not in compliance with the 1941 Gbese Agreement, stating empathetically that there is legally no Gbese Mantse installed by the Gbese Dzaase.
“Additionally, per the judgement of the Supreme Court in the case NO. J4/20/2009 on 29TH APRIL, 2010 the judgement categorically declared that Nii Okaija Annan and Thomas Okine are not chiefs of the Gbese Stool. The legitimate collective of the Gbese Dzaase of the Gbese Stool never participated, nor recognises any successful candidate or has evidence of any installation of a legitimate prospective candidate as a Gbese Chief. Additionally, for the records, we are minded by a judgement of the Supreme Court in the case under reference NO. J4/20/2009 on 29TH APRIL, 2010 involving Thomas Okine which again reinforces the legal position that Thomas Okine has no legal justification to hold himself up as Gbese Mantse,” he said.
According to him, Thomas Okine went on contemptuously procure a gazette from the National House of Chiefs and for well over a decade, Thomas Okine has undermined the Gbese Stool and the Dzaase leadership and contemptuously continues in his cynical unlawful manner to interfere and prevent various clan leadership from performing their respective royal leadership obligations, as Gbese Dzaase of the Gbese Stool and Ga Paramountcy.
He said: “Thomas Okine’s total disregard for the principles of succession outlined in the Gbese Stool 1941 Agreement if unchecked and sanctioned, creates a dangerous precedent which serves the illegal usurpation of royal traditional leadership aspirations of legitimate royal clans, houses, families and their people. By this press statement, we are going to formally engage and notify the respective statutory institutions to respect the judgements and rulings that estopped Thomas Okine and Tetteh Ahinakwah from seeking to ignore the effect of the judgement and rulings.”
