Ada Traditional Council Must Do Something

In recent months, news from Ada, concerning some traditional leaders, are not too palatable.

Barely ten months ago, some irate youth of Terhey in the Ada West District, did not only have the effrontery to stop the burial of a dead chief, but also burnt the corpse to ashes and killed a mourner during the funeral.

The gun-toting members of a faction that opposed the burial of the late chief, Nene Mensah Zotorvi V, in his residence, reportedly attacked mourners with machetes, clubs and other offensive weapons, resulting in the death of 40-year-old Ofotsu Sabbah.

Even though six people, including two ‘supposed chiefs’, have been apprehended in connection with the case (and prosecution supposedly on-going), very little was heard from the Ada Traditional Council, apart from a condemnation of the incident.

Then last week, the nation was awaken to the sad news that an estimated 10,000 residents of Akplabanya (in the same district) had resorted to defecating on the sea shore, not because there was no place of convenience, but because the chief of the community, Nene Ankrah Kitcher Labia VI, had put the only functioning facility under lock and key because he was owed by the District Assembly.

While the chief said the assembly owed him GH¢4,000 for the piece of land he released for the toilet project, the DCE, Adzoteye Lawer Akrofi, claimed he offered to pay up the money on installment basis, but the chief insisted on a one-time payment.

THE NEW PUBLISHER is not pleased with the two incidents. In the case of the sacrilegious attack on the corpse of Nene Zototrvie, one would have expected a more ‘biting response’ from the traditional council, than a mere condemnation.

In order jurisdictions, any traditional leader cited in matters like this would be investigated a destooled (if found guilty), even before the criminal case in court is brought to an end.

The paper is again not pleased with the Akplabanya toilet issue, and wishes to call on the ATC to investigate the matter, more so when Akplabanya is notorious for Cholera outbreaks, and had recorded two cases in the last two weeks alone.

In this age and time, when chiefs are willingly giving out parcels of land for the development of their areas, we find it strange that Nene Labia would act in the manner he did.

Yes, he deserved to have been compensated for the land, but, in our candid opinion, locking the place completely is not the best way out.

The behavior of Nene Ankra Kitcher Labia is likely to discourage progressive international groups, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), from committing anymore resources to future projects in the area.

We also consider the excuse by the District Chief Executive, Adzoteye Lawer Akrofi, to pay the money in installment, as very lame and unacceptable. What is GH¢4,000 that a whole assembly cannot pay to solve the impasse? It is a lazy excuse.

Somebody must be punished for this, and we think both the chief and DCE are guilty.