AGENDA NUMBER ONE – LETS TAKE GONJALAND BACK FROM YAGBONGWURA TUNTUNDAN, A MESSAGE TO THE GONJALAND YOUTH ASSOCIATION ANNUAL CONFERNENCE. Nkpana: Gonjaland is not Zambrama land nor is it Walla Land. We fought off the threats off Samm Morru long time ago, and we continue to be good neighbors of our Walla brothers and sisters up North. But, we are not ready to resurrect any dynasty of Walla and Zambrama descent in Bole nor in Mandari nor in Tinga; nor in any skins in Gonjaland period. We shall tell everyone’s “Amuso” when it comes to fighting for Gonjaland integrity Some may wonder and say what about you Uncle Dee. Yes, I am Kabontosua, origins from Maluwe and Kiyape, from my father side. From my mother side, I am from Limampe of Daboya, the great grandson of the great Liman Nuhu of Limampe; also the grandson of Mbongwura Akwesi Ameyaw of Daboya; who was essentially of Bunu descent from Tekyiman. So, I have no inheritance rights to any Gonja skins, have not inheritance ambitions to the Mbongwura stool of Daboya , and what is more, I cannot and will not contest any of these skins or stools. As you all know, we Gonjalanders are patrilineal and to that end I am simply a Sakpari, a Kabontosua; yes my “adelbi’ is ALENA, period. Having said all this, what’s my point? My point is that it now time for the Gonjaland youth and peoples to rise up to save Gonjaland before Yagbongwura Tuntunba destroys our motherland. He has not only crossed his boundaries by trying to steal the Bolewura’s authority and powers bestowed upon him by tradition and custom, he has not only nominated persons with physical deformities to be enskinned (the greatest taboo in Gonjaland history), folks listen to this; he is now nominating Zambrama and Walla people to head important skins in the Bole, Mandari and Tinga. This guy Tuntunba is out to destroy Gonjaland; after all he knows he owes allegiance to Dagbong. So, that time has arrived when Gonjalanders, through the Gonjaland Youth Association and before the next Annual Conference, appoint a Think Tank, a Task Force, to deliberate and negotiate to set up an acceptable pathway to mediate Chieftaincy affairs in Gonjaland; namely, rotational issues, inheritance of skins and the powers and authorities bestowed on our Divisional Chiefs of Bole, Daboya, Kpembi, Kusawgu and Tulwe. This move will seek to remove the unnecessary threats and interferences of the Yagbongwura in the smooth transitions of skins in Gonjaland. We are proud of our traditional smooth transitional process, an envy of the whole of Ghana, and we must not trade bribery and corruption for this remarkable stability. Folks, this Yagbongwura started off with confusion in Buipe. Now, he has extended his greedy tentacles to Bole area. He has not learned a lesson from his Buipe skins defeat, nor has his main beneficiary of the Buipe defeat, the now Buipewura, learned a thing. However folks, it will be so unfair to talk about the Yagbongwura and Buipewura without mentioning the people or “person” behind the scenes who is pushing this Yagbongwura to doom and destruction of traditional rule in Gonjaland. Yes, the main advisor and the main advocate of this corrupt practice, the main impetus for the Yagbongwura to pursue this suicidal path is no body other than AFULI! Yes Afuli, he is the Yagbongwura’s right hand confidant and the front man demanding all these bribes, so as to benefit personally from this culture of bribery and corruption that has gripped Gonjaland under the rule of Yagbongwura Tuntunba. So, first things first. Please Afuli; stop your intrigues and manipulations of the Yagbongwura IMMEDIATELY! Now, let’s talk about the task force idea I am floating for the Gonjaland Youth Association. As you all know, our association members consist of Gonjalanders, the youth, among whom are many princes and princesses. Some are or were DCEs, Cabinet Ministers and even President. Some of these princes in our membership are or were Teachers, Magistrates, Lawyers, Engineers, and so on. In fact, a lot more of our princes are civil servants of all walks; and they will one day be the Chiefs, the Paramount Chief, the Divisional Chiefs of Daboya, Bole, Kpembi, Kusawgu and Tulwe, and the Buipewura. The Kingdom of Gonjaland has traditional rules and a constitution of ascendancy. It may be mostly orally told and argued upon, or even disobeyed or misinterpreted. But, the time is now to stop all ambiguities. Nkpana, the time has come to get Articles, Instruments, and Declarations on paper once and for all, so that powers and divisions of powers including jurisdictions covered can be delineated clearly and filed in the National, Regional and District Houses of Chiefs; including publications in all the media outlets of Ghana. As you all noted in my last piece, I published the full text of the Declaration or Instrument that states clearly the ascendancy pattern and the enskinment of the Yagbongwura, plus the process and procedures for the de-enskinment of the Yagbongwura. The Instrument declares and tells us who the kingmakers of the Yagbongwura are, how they are constituted and how they function; thanks to brother Skido and some brother princes for alerting me to the materials. That declaration can still be improved on, added to and updated to reflect preventive methods to avoid escalation of disputes for the Yagbong skins. Folks, the Gonjaland traditions of mediations are an open area for discussions and worth documenting for future references. It will be a working document and can be amended and revised to include many more issues without subtracting anything of substance. Folks, that is the kind of Declaration, Instrument or Statute I am calling for now. I am also laying the responsibility at the feet of the Gonjaland Youth Association Conference, to initiate the creation of such a Document to reflect the circumstances for each of our Five Divisional Chiefs of Bole, Daboya, Kpembi, Kusawgu, and Tulwe. Nkpana, because of the feudal basis for the powers of chiefs, and because Kwame Nkrumah was leading Ghana out of the clutches of feudalism and colonialism, with a clear vision for the future, he predicted or proclaimed that “the Chiefs of Ghana will run away and leave their sandals behind in his Ghana and/or Africa”. Fortunately for the Chiefs, Kwame Nkrumah was or is no more. The institution of Chieftaincy was saved and restored, and today there has not been any deliberate or revolutionary attempt to destroy of Chieftaincy. Instead, we have been handed the task of transforming Chieftaincy. Today we even have a Cabinet Minister of Chieftaincy. (Folks, imagine Yagbongwura Tuntunba running away and Afuli chasing him with his sandals; LOL, LOL, LOL!!!) Anyway, the Gonjaland Youth Association, whether by design or evolution of history, has grown out of Gonjaland experiences and struggles for progress in Gonjaland. The Association has naturally emerged as the right organization to seek and advocate for peace and stability in Gonjaland. The Association has motivated all Gonjalanders to unite and work with all Gonjalanders to make Gonjaland a better and prosperous place for all its peoples. The Association can no longer sit on the sidelines when it comes to matters of Chieftaincy in Gonjaland. The Association must indulge in all deliberations, participate in all actions and processes to improve, document and create pathways that will assist our motherland grow into the 21st Century. Folks, the Association, whether it likes it or not, has become and has to be the MAIN and MAJOR mouthpiece of advocacy for all affairs in Gonjaland. This is a responsibility that naturally comes with the status of our Association. The Association cannot run away from its natural duties, nor will any body stand in the way of the Association to responsibly take up these responsibilities. In fact, the opposite is happening; namely, all the youth and peoples of Gonjaland, plus the Regional and National House of Chiefs, support and will support and praise and give the Association as much help as possible to take up these gigantic responsibilities of seeking peace, eradicating corruption and bribery in our Chieftaincy issues, and documenting and producing declarations and instruments covering Governance in Gonjaland. Yes, we shall all support such efforts and we have the talents to sit on Task Forces to develop and create such documents. Folks, the Association has grown to become the “watchdog”; and if not yet, has to become the “watchdog” over our nationally elected officials from Gonjaland to represent Gonjaland, such as our MPs and DCEs. The Association has become, or must become, the “watchdog” over our civil affairs, including civil service and governmental actions and inactions. The Association has become, or must become, the “watchdog” over our efforts to improve education, transportation, sanitation and water supply, business initiatives and incentives, opportunities and infrastructure needed to create prosperity from Government, to advocate for the full and useful exploitation and utilization of Gonjaland resources for progress in Gonjaland, and to advocate for investments in the peoples of Gonjaland. Yes, the Association has become, or must become, that “watch dog” that seeks to ensure justice, fairness and peace in Gonjaland. Folks, that is the Gigantic “Monster” (in a positive sense), the Gonjaland Youth Association, we have created, and that is the status this Association has achieved and earned for itself. There is no turning back. Folks, no one, and I mean no one should underestimate the might, the potential, the abilities, and the strength of the Association in shaping affairs in Gonjaland and Ghana. The Association will only grow in strength and coverage of responsibilities; not yet even thought about. This Association therefore has to wake up and look far down into the future, prepare and initiate efforts to handle its growing list of responsibilities for Gonjaland. Folks, the area of Chieftaincy issues is one such responsibility the Association has grown to be able to influence, interfere, correct or make and take corrective measures or suggestions for corrections, demand and agitate for rule of law according to Gonjaland Traditions, ensure fairness or fight for fairness in the distribution of traditional powers and influence; plus any number of issues arising among our traditional rulers. Because, members of the Association are growing up to be these Chiefs and sub chiefs and the Paramount Chief, sooner or later. Folks, let’s look at recent Gonjaland history for a moment. Mr. J. A. Brimah, one time Kanyasiwura, when I knew him and met him personally, was an educated man and started his civil service career in Local Government. (I knew him as a primary five pupil in Kpembi Primary School in 1957. Adishetu or Adisa, one of his daughters, was my classmate and the other daughter Asana was my senior in Kpembi Primary school) He became an author of many Gonjaland historical events. He was also a prominent member of the opposition party during the period of the struggle for Ghana’s independence from England. He led very controversial delegations of the Danquah UP Party to the Queen of England to present powerful objections to the demands of the CPP party. He became the MP for Salaga as a UP member, crossed carpet and joined the CPP, was made a full Cabinet Minister of Information, or so, by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, and served Ghana faithfully until the Kotoka/Africa coup of 1966. Folks, Mr. J. A. Brimah later served his old Party, under Dr. Busia, as the Northern Regional Minister for at least two years before the Acheampong coup. After all these national and international fame and achievements, Mr. J. A. Brimah returned home, became the Kpembiwura and then moved on to become the Yagbongwura; a great King who served Gonjaland very well. Mr. J. A. Brimah was one of the notable Paramount Chiefs of Gonjaland; yes, he became the Yagbongwura rising from and through the ranks. Honorable E. A. Mahama likewise started his civil service career in Local Government and became one of the successful Clerk of Councils in Ghana History. He fought for and created the Gonja Volta District Council headquartered in Damongo, was the Clerk of Council of the GVDC for years, became the first West Gonja MP, and was made a full Cabinet Minister under Dr. Kwame Nkrumah after independence. Honorable E. A. Mahama was also the Northern Regional Minster, and I can still see him holding the umbrella over Prince Phillips’ head in the hot sun of Tamale when the Queen of England visited Ghana. Folks, when the Honorable E. A. Mahama died, he was enskinned a sub chief of the Bole Traditional area before burial, by the then Bolewura. More important, he was designated and enskinned by the Bolewura without interruption, objection or a word of disagreement from the then Yagbongwura. This was because the Yagbongwura was aware of his jurisdictional powers and his role in the traditions of Gonjaland. These are not the only Gonjalanders who had national, regional or district fame and status before returning home to be chiefs. Kpembiwura Kibasibi Haruna was also a successful Clerk of Council in Gonjaland, became the Northern Regional Minister in the Liman regime and eventually returned home to Gonjaland and traveled through the ranks and worked his way gradually upwards in the food chain to become the Kpembiwura. Mr. B. A. Saaka, the first Bole DCE after independence, was also from Local Government, serving as Clerk of Council at the time of independence and appointed the DCE of Bole after independence. After the 1966 coup Mr. B. A. Saaka returned home from detention and became an elder statesman of Bole. He never held any other position in Government, took care of his family, was involved in the settling of local disputes, and became everybody’s mentor and guidance counselor for years in Bole. He too was enskinned the Langpogawura before his death. Folks, so is Mr. J. A. Mahama, the present Bolewura. He was a teacher, Ministry of Information Officer, MP for Bole in the Busia regime, a District Magistrate for Obuasi for many years, enskinned as a sub chief in the Bole Traditional area, rose through the ranks to become the Mandariwura and now, rightly so, the Bolewura. The Gonjaland traditional Chiefs’ landscape is now littered with well-educated men; to name a few, Mr. Aduna Nyankpani of Daboya is now a sub chief, Lepowura Nurudeen Jawula, Mandariwura Issahaku Abdulai, late Salawura Alex Adam Iddi, Kiyapewura Daniel Yahaya, formerly of VALCO, Tingawura Lansa Abudu, and numerous more. What is even pleasing to know is that within the next few years all skins in Gonjaland will be occupied by some of these youth making up the Conference of Gonjaland Youth Association? They need to learn and know the orderly rotational system established by our founding fathers. They need to learn and know the jurisdictional carvings of the Gonjaland divisional areas, the powers bestowed on the various Divisional Chiefs to restore, appoint and dismiss sub chiefs. They need to know and learn the powers bestowed on the Yagbongwura and Buipewura, laid down decades and centuries ago by our founding fathers. We all need to know our traditions, learn them and have them on paper, delicately imprinted on our minds and hearts, signed, sealed, delivered and recorded in the Gazettes of the Regional and National House of Chiefs. Yes, our traditions need to be recorded in the annals of the Judicial system of Ghana, to be referenced and followed, obeyed and executed orderly to eliminate corruption, mistakes, divisions and quarrels. Nkpana, no one will do it for us and no one can do it for us. No one will even think about it if we don’t. We cannot expect anyone to do it for us, when we are so blessed with all the Lawyers, Doctors, Ministers, Teachers, Nurses, Agricultural Officers, University Professors, DCEs, top civil service officials and all the very highly talented educated men and women from Gonjaland. If, with all this education and talents we are still in darkness, unable to navigate peacefully through our traditional appointments, unable to deliberately transition powers from one chief to the next, then we need to start restoring, straightening, evolving and creating the best pathways for these traditional fundamental pre-requisites. We have the man power to do it. We have the intellectual potential and capacity to do it. We have the legal minds and historians to draft and create these rules and regulations into declarations and instruments. Folks, again we cannot leave these important “gaps” in the hands of our illiterate elders any more. They have the oral history, know the traditions and practice the traditions carefully and correctly. It is time the Youth Association indulges itself, makes a conscious effort to push ahead legislation, and assist to create instruments and declarations of Gonjaland traditional constitutional content. We cannot wait any more, and the Gonjaland Youth Association should not wait any longer. After all, who needs a Youth Association only for organizing social parties, weddings and naming ceremonies? Who needs a Youth Association only for organizing annual feast for its members to only talk and take no concrete actions that advance Gonjaland traditional rules and customs and taboos into the 21st Century? Who needs a Gonjaland Youth Association, if the Association is only a rubber stamp for the corruption, bribery and inept attitudes and deplorable exercises of the use of powers by the Yagbongwura Tuntunba, or any Chief for that matter, unchecked? What will the youth and citizens learn and gain by a Gonjaland Youth Association that meets annually only as a social gathering without straightening out conflicts in Gonjaland, or even indulging and making attempts to create pathways that will prevent future conflicts in Gonjaland, especially among our traditional rulers and their ascendency issues and regulations. The Gonjaland Youth Association today must take up the responsibility for the future of Gonjaland, enact and assist to create rules and regulations, seek clarifications of traditional rules and regulations, make an effort to document and publicize these rules and regulations for all to see, possess copies and refer to such documentation when litigation arises over jurisdictional powers. This is why I am calling on the Gonjaland Youth Association Conference to deliberate, appoint a task force, and ensure that the task force produces a blue print in the next three to six months, to include instruments and declarations to clarify powers, rotational issues in every traditional area/district, and delineate precisely the role of the Yagbongwura in all these issues for every divisional Chief and area. Finally, it is our understanding that the Yagbongwura, as one of his solemn duties, is responsible for forwarding to the Regional and National House of Chiefs names and positions of his Divisional Chiefs to the National/Regional Gazette. I am therefore, calling on the Yagbongwura Tuntunba today to do same for Mr. J. A. Mahama, the Bolewura of the Bole traditional area, so that his name is in the Gazette and he will also take his rightful place in the Regional and National House of Chiefs. This is an urgent matter and the Yagbongwura Tuntunba must do that now to avert further legal actions to be filed against him in the Courts and the Regional and National Houses of Chiefs. The Yagbongwura must also learn history, yes History of Gonjaland, effectively. Especially, I call on the Yagbongwura, the Buipewura Jinapor and Afuli to make a conscious effort to learn the history of the Bole Traditional Area, stop interference, and desist from trying to impose unqualified candidates on the peoples of Bole traditional area. If the Yagbongwura had taken his time to learn tradition, follow protocol and be a fair minded individual, instead of being blind to everything except bribery and corruption with his partner in crime the Buipewura, he would have learned or known that some of his choices for the Bole Traditional area are Zambramas and Wallas in origin. No wonder, as a result of an accident of history, he the present Yagbongwura, essentially a Dagomba man, managed to become Kusawguwura and now Yagbongwura. On the same basis of this accident of history, he is now fighting so hard to make a Zambrama man and a Walla man Chiefs in the Bole Traditional area. He can take his Zambrama man and Walla man to Kusawgu. These individuals know themselves. They should be content with their present skins and positions, know that we shall tell them their “amuso”, dig out their origins, and if possible, agitate for them to unskinned from their present positions, because they are purely of Walla and Zambrama extracts. Gonjaland Youth Association must vigorously fight for peace in Gonjaland, take its rightful place in the political and traditional molding of Gonjaland and seek to ensure that our traditions are kept uncorrupted. Long live Gonjaland, God bless Gonjaland and long live the Gonjaland Youth Association.
Posted on: Wed, 16 Oct 2013 20:35:26 +0000
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