Why this public bashing of Asantehene over his expressed views on devastation of Ghana by galamsey?

For the past three, or few days ago, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the alleged or self-styled traditional overlord of Ashanti or Asanteman, has come under intense bashing by the Ghanaian public. This is following his candid views expressed in conversation meant for public consumption when the ambassador of the United States of America paid him a courtesy call at his Kumasi Manhyia Palace.

Otumfuo Osei Tutu II blamed the expansion in the devastating galamsey activities throughout the country and inability to fight it on the ruling government. According to him, the government has not only failed to fight the canker of the ramified illegal surface and alluvial mining, otherwise called galamsey in the Ghanaian parlance, but has rather been issuing permits to some people to do galamsey, although it is irreparably damaging the nation’s water bodies, forests and arable/fertile lands.

As soon as his statements became public, the Minister for Land and Natural Resources, Samuel Abu Jinapor (Hon), countered his assertion. He said the chiefs are also responsible for the intensification of galamsey to making it difficult for the government to successfully fight it. The chiefs are either doing galamsey themselves, or are providing lands in their jurisdiction to be used for galamsey by the Chinese or those seeking to do galamsey.

The minister claims his counter views to be fact since himself comes from a royal family in the northern regions of Ghana and is very much aware of what the chiefs do, or are doing, in respect of galamsey and the provision of lands for activities of any sort.

Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II had not long ago made some sweeping public statements at the 70^th anniversary celebrations of the founding of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST). He had said all Ashanti land belongs to him and that any chief occupying any portion does so temporarily as a caretaker to the land on his behalf. He went further to say that neither any chief, nor stool, nor family, owns any land in Ashanti region but him only.

He again said he knows about thirty percent (30%) of the chiefs present at the function for doing galamsey.

He had once said on captured video recordings that have since come into the public domain that no judge, or court, in Ghana can reverse any decision he makes/takes regardless of its nature. He has truly been taking some apparently preposterous decisions of which the courts and Ghanaians have not been able to reverse them. Forcing the wrong royal-candidate on Kumawu as their paramount chief whereas he has absolutely no right to do that.

Forcing a complete stranger on Essumeja as their paramount chief; lying that there are no more royals, let alone, genuine royals, left in Essumeja and that the Golden Stool and Okomfo Anokye have told him in a dream, and indicated to him, a specific stranger to appoint as Essumejahene.

What a cock and bull story that is!

If indeed, he owns the entire Ashanti land and can enstool and destool any chief on the land, why is he sitting on his backside doing nothing when galamsey is spoiling Ashanti land, forests and water bodies, but only to blame them on the government, as though he cares? Why is he not destooling the chiefs on whose lands galamsey are taking place, although as caretakers on behalf of Otumfuo Osei Tutu II? His failure to do so signifies his consent to the destructive galamsey activities ongoing in the Ashanti region.

No wonder that the public are bashing him for showing attitudinal nonchalance in the face of Ashanti land being destroyed by the Chinese and their Ghanaian accomplices to the detriment of the poor masses and the nation. If he does not favour galamsey, or is himself not involved in it, he should have ordered his chiefs to ensure that no galamsey activities go on on the lands they occupy.

Anyway, his inability to demand his chiefs to stop galamsey activities goes to confirm that he has no control over them. He is just a ceremonial head as I have proven time and again through my publications. The subjects of each principal division within Asanteman or Ashanti traditional area or region, are the owners of the land so cadastrally surveyed and earmarked for them through their paramount chief.

The public had better take it from me that Otumfuo Osei Tutu II is the Ashanti chief who has the least land in the region. I can challenge any Ashanti historian on this assertion should they claim differently. His public assertions to the contrary are all false and without doubt that the current Ashanti chiefs are cowards and are less knowledgeable about the Ashanti land and history.

However, as Ashantis do not know much about land ownership in Ghana, and especially, in Ashanti region, they think Asantehene is the owner of the entire land as he erroneous said to the wondrous applause of the audience at the KNUST 70^thanniversary celebrations as aforesaid.

He deserves to be bashed if he has lied, and the wages of lies is public bashing.

The public, please stop insulting Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II but the individual chiefs in whose jurisdictions the destructive galamsey activities are taking place.

I should have explained things extensively much better if I was not feeling sleepy.

Nevertheless, let us all join hands to fight the destructive galamsey in orchestration by the heartless Chinese and their Ghanaian accomplices or else, we shall in the next few years to come suffer from lack of water to drink, land to cultivate food to eat, and forests to aid rainfall, provide oxygen that we breathe and use up the carbon dioxide that we breathe out.

Rockson Adofo

Wednesday, 05 October 2022