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Krobo Youth Petition The Royal Gates Of Yilo-Krobo Over Chieftaincy Disputes Which Are Affecting Development

By Yilo Krobo Youth
Regional News Krobo Youth Petition The Royal Gates Of Yilo-Krobo Over Chieftaincy Disputes Which Are Affecting Development
NOV 20, 2015 LISTEN

Thursday November 19, 2015, Somanya: The youth of Krobo have petitioned the three royal gates of the Yilo-Krobo Traditional area, to as a matter of urgency, settle their differences to give peace and development a chance in the Traditional area.

The youth believes that since all the three royal gates are one and the same people, they should with one accord and brotherly love sit down and settle their differences and bury their varying degrees of dissentions amicably, and agree on the installation of a "Konor" (Paramount Chief) to spearhead development in Yilo-Krobo and the Krobo area at large.

This was a contained in a two-paged petition signed by Mr Francis Nakotey, the Director of Operations of Kloma Hengme; a Krobo advocacy and Heritage association in the area, and sent to all the three royal gates- Ologo, Akrobetto, and Nuer- and copied the Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, The National House of Chiefs, The Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, the Eastern Regional Minister, among others.

"You will agree with us that your never-ending disputes among your royal gates are really affecting the progress and development of Yilo-Krobo and the Krobo area in general, and we the youth are getting worried since it is our future which is getting gloomy and bleak", a portion of the petition has stated.

In the petition, the youth have cited examples of a number of developmental projects which the long years of acrimony and disputes have millitated against in the traditional area. These are

1. The on going Limestone mining activities in the Krobo area (Odugblase) which we cannot access royalties since 2008 because there is no Konor and an effective Traditional Council in Yilo-Krobo to sit down with the traditional leadership of Manya-Krobo to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to access the money in the Escrow account.

2. The Deferment/cancellation of this year's (2015) annual Kloyosikplem festival of Yilo-Krobo due to chieftaincy disputes among you. This phenomenon has made the Yilo-Krobo state to lose much revenue from tourists and visitors who would have patronized the festival. Local trade and industry which would have boomed with its concomitant effect of expanding the Krobo economy was also heavily affected. It is still unclear whether the festival will even be celebrated next year.

3. Due to your on going disputes, the Yilo state and the Krobo area in general has been in the news lately for the wrong reasons. As youth of the Krobo area, this has been a source of much disappointment and worry to us.

BRIEF BACKGROUND
After the death of the immediate past Konor; Kpetekple Dautey Ologo VI in 2009, the Nuer royal gate who were about to install a new Konor was challenged by the Akrobettoe and the Ologo royal gates that it was not its turn to accede to the stool.

After several months of disputes, the case was filed with the Judicial Committee of the

Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, chaired by its President, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, the Okyenhene.

The committee later struck out the case following a

memorandum of understanding (MoU) adopted by the three gates which, among other issues, outlined a succession plan to the Yilo Krobo Paramountcy in the order of the Nuer, Akrobettoe and Ologo clans.

Following the MoU, the Nuer Royal Gate went ahead to install a new Konor in April this year (2015) with the stool name Nene Nuer Anorbaah Sasraku II. However, before his coronation ceremony, a member of the Ologo royal gate secured a court order from the Koforidua High Court to restrain the Nuer Gate from doing so.

The Nuer Gate however went ahead with the ceremony at the palace under a heavy security from the Ghana Police Service.

The aftermath of this ceremony has however sparked off a fierce chieftaincy battle between the three royal gates leading to the deferment/cancellation of this year's annual Kloyosikplem festival.

Chairman of the Kloma Hengme youth Association; Isaac Tamatey Otu, said they are so much worried as youth of the area that their elders are fighting themselves over chieftaincy when their true enemies- high unemployment rate, thirst for water in the midst of abundance, deteriorated roads, high rate of teenage pregnancy and disease which have engulfed the Krobo area to core and we must rather been fighting them have been left off the hook.

He has called on the heads of the three chieftaincy gates, to as matter of urgency, call their people to order, sit down as one people, talk over their differences and agree on the enstoolment of a Konor to bring peace, tranquility and development to the Krobo area.

"We as an association are also ready to serve as mediators to broker peace between our elders and we are encouraging them not to hesitate to call on us since we are ready to that", he added.

For further Enquiries:
0245 650 536, 020 686 8875

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