Asanteman To Check Abuse Of Nkosuohene
The Asantehene,Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has announced that the Asanteman Council will soon initiate discussions on the abuse of the concept of Nkosuohene in the Ashanti traditional area.This followed concerns raised by members of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs about the way anybody at all including foreigners, could be installed Nkosuohene.
At the general meeting of the House on Tuesday, the members said in most cases the installations were against the norms and traditions of Ashanti and thus undermined the authority of the chieftaincy institution. Otumfuo Osei Tutu II also urged traditional rulers to guard against the elimination of important customary practices from the society through chieftaincy act.
The Asantehene said there might be some provisions in the act that might contravene some of the traditional practices of chiefs, “and if these issues are not brought out and addressed appropriately there might be a time when customary practices in the chieftaincy institution would gradually be eroded”.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu urged the traditional rulers to critically study the draft amendment to the Chieftaincy Act to enable them to identify the technicalities that might eventually destroy some customary practices within the chieftaincy institution and thus weaken it. He noted that it was only when chiefs got a better understanding of the issues raised in the act that they would be able to make informed contributions on some of the technical subjects raised in the act and thus save the institution.
“Studying the chieftaincy act would guide you to look at the act objectively especially, where some of the clauses conflict with or do not conform to the country's constitution” Otumfuo Osei Tutu stressed.
Touching on the latest developments in his recent trip abroad, Otumfuo Osei Tutu urged members of the house to be committed and fully supportive of the execution of the planned projects, which would be implemented with funds promised by the World Bank to Asanteman.
He said the projects would first be executed on pilot basis in the five beneficiary regions, which include Ashanti, Central, Volta. Eastern and Brong Ahafo regions.
In another development the Regional House of Chiefs has resolved to petition the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Kwadwo Adjei Darko, to release an amount of ¢50 million the ministry promised the house during a recent meeting of regional ministers in the Ashanti Region.