Re: Otumfuo kicks against accountability section in new Lands Act

I have noted with alarming shock the incessant propensity at which the Asante overlord, indeed the ceremonial head of Asanteman, formerly the Asante Confederacy or Asante Kingdom, arrogates to himself powers that are neither constitutionally nor traditionally recognised in Ghana or by the Asante tradition and custom.

A few years back, he stated boldly to some Kumawu traditional elders who had determined to challenge his wrongful intimidatory meddling in the Kumawu chieftaincy affairs that no court or judge in Ghana can reverse the decisions he makes. This was captured on camera and has since been published on YouTube under the title, “Is any One Man Bigger than Ghana Judicial System?”. He made this threat after his cajoling to get them into agreeing with his unconventional attempts to avail himself of some opportunities resulting from the Kumawu chieftaincy dispute to lord himself over Kumawu was rebuffed. He wanted the elders to rescind their decision to pursue a pending lawsuit, the success of which could affect his diabolic interests in Kumawuman.

Not long ago, when he was addressing the audience gathered on the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) to celebrate the 70^thanniversary of the establishment of the school, he made a bold, but shamefully erroneous claim that all land in Ashanti belongs solely to him and that any chief occupying any portion of the land does so as a caretaker to the land in his behalf. He made this audacious but deceptive claim to the applause of the gathered audience all of whom were highly educated and or, chiefs.

I quickly published a rebuttal to his false claim with documentary proofs and whether Ghanaians were interested to know the truth or not, I cannot tell. However, I cannot sit back for a ceremonial head of such a vast tribe to continually make false claims to assets and rights which do not belong to him and cannot belong to him until his dying day.

In the publications read on Ghanaweb.com and Modernghana.com, thus, on the Ghana internet news portal, of Friday, 17 December 2021, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, is seen kicking against the section of accountability in the new Lands Act. This happened when the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Samuel Abdulai Jinapor (Honourable), attended the last general meeting of the Ashanti Regional House of Chiefs to explain the details of the Lands Act, 2020 (Act 1036) on accountability to them.

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II said, “The elders of the various chiefs are the people who can call for accountability and that is when I step in. There is an accountability in the kingdom but not to any individual” He continued to say, “Not all that is printed here (the Act) is applicable to my jurisdiction. I put chiefs and fetish in charge of the lands in the kingdom. The chiefs are not accountable to any youth”

I find Otumfuo’s assertions completely laughable! It is never true that he has to step in before the elders of the various stools in Ashanti or Asanteman or the Asante Kingdom can hold their chief accountable. Does he know and understand that the Asanteman of today is a loose union of Asante divisional traditional chiefs agreeing to stay together to present themselves as a unified force and that any of them can easily break away at any day any time when they feel obliged to? If it were not so, the chief of Atebubu would not have left Asanteman, removing his division from it.

Asantehene has no right in the nomination, selection and enstoolment of any chief-elect by any of the principal divisions within Asanteman. Again, “All land in Ashanti is the property of the stools of the various chiefs.”. The chiefs hold them in trust for their subjects. Therefore, they are not caretakers to the portions of Ashanti land they occupy in behalf of Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as he asserts and wants some cowards and non-tradition or history-knowledge-deficient Ashantis or Ghanaians to believe.

He does not put any chief or fetish in charge of any of the lands of the major paramountcies in the kingdom contrary to his claim quoted above.

He must understand that Ghana is a republic and that the Constitution or Parliamentary Acts are superior to any sectional traditional laws and regulations. Ghana is neither a total nor a partial monarchy. Even with Ashanti documented traditions and rules, Asantehene does not have any absolute power over any of the divisions unlike how Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is forcefully illegally trying to portray himself and will want Ghanaians to believe.

I have official documents to prove how the claims he has made above are all false. It is just that most Ashantis are cowards or overly subservient or nonchalant to let whatever Otumfuo Osei Tutu II says go.

I will also blame the overly subservience of the current crop of Ghanaian politicians, security personnel and religious leaders that hurry to prostrate to him all of the time. This is why he feels he can make any false statements and claims to get away with them because he has the back of the politicians, the police and the military.

What if every chief in Ghana was to make similar claims as he does, where will Ghana and Ghanaians be? Does he want to take us back into the era of the 14^thcenturies where chiefs could banish people, kill people and deprive their subjects of their liberties and properties? If that is his intention, then he must be dreaming!

Rockson Adofo, the proud and fearless son of Kumawu/Asiampa will continually counter any false public claims he makes when he becomes aware of them and provided he has documentary proofs contrary to such claims.

If the government by Act of Parliament or the Constitution wants any individual to hold a chief accountable, so be it!

The chiefs are as corrupt as, if not worse than, the nation’s current politicians and religious leaders.

For how long does Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II want to take Ghanaians, especially Ashantis, for fools and cowards? “Asem sebe”

Rockson Adofo

Saturday, 18 December 2021