On Sunday 21st July 2024 the Golden Members of Okere Traditional Area held their maiden meeting to plan and prepare towards the documentation of the true history of Okere.
Okere Golden Members is a group of High Profile Chiefs and Citizens of Okere who have excelled and contributed immensely to the seven (7) Paramountcies of Okere.
These high-profile Chiefs and citizens are nominated by the individual States within Okere to become members of the Okere Golden Members.
It's a sign of the acknowledgement of the State concerned of the immense contribution of the individual to the progress and improvement of the State.
Membership is derived solely through the nomination of the State concerned so every member is a part of the Golden Members as a nominee of the State concerned.
All the Seven Powerful States of Okere including Abiriw State, Dawu State, Awukugua State, Adukrom State, Apirede State, Abonse State and Aseseeso State all nominated their High Profile Chiefs and Citizens to become members of the Okere Golden Members.
The maiden meeting of these Golden Members took place on Sunday 21st July 2024 at the auditorium of the Okere District Assembly, Adukrom State, Okere.
As part of the maiden meeting, leadership for the group were appointed including the position of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Secretary, Assistant Secretary, Organizer, Assistant Organizer, and Treasurer.
Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi was unanimously endorsed as the Secretary of the Okere Golden Members.
Major Daniel Ablor Sowa was endorsed as the Chairman with Mrs. Sophia Dapaah endorsed as the Vice Chairman.
Nana Kofi Asiamah Bekoe, the Tufuhene of Abiriw State was endorsed as the Organizer of the Okere Golden Members.
All the Seven Powerful Paramount Chiefs of Okere are part of the Golden Members including Osuodumgya Nana Otutu Ababio V, Omanhene of Adukrom State, Odeneho Asare Akyeahene III, Omanhene of Dawu State, Ogyeahoho Nana Kwame Henaku II, Omanhene of Abiriw State, Osabarima Nana Opese Konadu, Omanhene of Awukugua State, Okogyeahene Otoafom Saforo Okoampah III, Omanhene of Apirede State, Nana Okatakyie Ofori Kantanka III, Omanhene of Abonse State and Okatakyie Kusi Obuadum Amoyaw, Omanhene of Aseseeso State.
It is interesting to know that whilst Asuogyaman has three (3) paramount Chiefs at Akwamufie, Anum and Boso, Okere has seven (7) Paramountcies.
The paramount Queenmothers of all the 7 Paramountcies of Okere are also Golden Members of Okere in addition to high profile Chiefs such as Nana Awuku Bram, Kyidomhene of Dawu State and Akwamuhene of Okere Traditional Area, Nana Ofosu Yeboah, Tufuhene of Dawu State and former Chairman of the famous Dawu Youngsters Football Club, Nana Bram Larbi Akwamuhene of Dawu State and a private legal practitioner known in private life as Lawyer Kwaku Bram Larbi,
Amongst the High Profile Citizens who are also members are Professor Akua Kuenyehia, former Vice President of the International Criminal Court, Professor Joseph Bediako Asare, former and renowned Director of the Psychiatric Hospital, Hon. Daniel Botwe, MP for Okere, His Excellency Ambassador Samuel Kofi Dadey, Ghana's former Ambassador to Brazil, Lawyer Isaac Minta Larbi, a private legal practitioner, Hon. Daniel Kenneth Addo, the DCE of Okere District Assembly, Her Ladyship Justice Irene Charity Larbi a retired Appeal Court judge, Brigadier General Nana G. Asante, Professor Aboagye Menyeh, Dr. Emmanuel Twum, amongst a host of very High Profile personalities.
It was such a great occasion to see the top notch Okere Chiefs and citizens meet to discuss the affairs of Okere.
The concept of Okere State Book emanates from the Ghana State Book which is a project being undertaken to document all the histories of various tribes in Ghana to help avoid disoutes over chieftaincy, boundaries, and also for record purposes.
The people of Okere are the main Akuapem people on the ridge of Akuapem and are the indigenes on the land.
Whilst many people know of Aburi, Nsawam, Akropong and Amonokrom, these are actually, settlers on the Akuapem ridge under the permission of the Okere and Larteh people.
The Okere and Larteh people are a part of the Guan race and are also the first settlers in Ghana before any other tribe.
All history books in Ghana acknowledge this fact.
It is expected that the true history of Okere would be well documented to ensure that Okere maintains its place in the history of Ghana as one of the forbears of the country.
It will be recalled that it is Okomfo Anokye of Okere who made Ashanti Kingdom great for which reason the people of Asante are forever grateful to the Okere people.
Quiet recently the Omanhene of Asanteman Otumfuor Osei Tutu paid homage to the people of Okere by visiting Awukugua State the home of Okomfo Anokye to show his respect to the people of Okere.
Indeed there are about four (4) great things about Okere which makes this tribe one of the greatest in Ghana.
First they produced Okomfo Anokye who made Ashanti great. Okomfo Anokye is from the State of Awukugua and even though it has been wrongly alleged that the people of Okere rejected him that story is told only out of mischief as the people of Okere never rejected the great Okomfo Anokye.
Indeed on his way to Ashanti he was accompanied by a huge entourage from Okere specifically the people of the State of Dawu who settled at Dawu Jamasi in the Ashanti Region. The people of Dawu Jamasi are descendants of the State of Dawu in Okere. A rejected person does not go along with an entourage to create the today huge settlement of Dawu Jamasi.
Secondly, the word Onyame is Okere language which means you are bigger or greater than me referring to God.
When the missionaries arrived in Ghana they first went to Okere and the then Omanhene of Abiriw State gave the name Onyame as the name of God which was passed on to all parts of Ghana by the missionaries.
Thirdly, Okere people arranged one of the greatest war alliance in Ghana leading to the defeat of the Akwamu people. This was the battle of Nsakye in the 17th century even before Ghana was colonized. The alliance included the Ga people, Krobos, the Akyems, as well as the Europeans who had begun to settle in Ghana and were trading along the Coast of the then Gold Coast.
The battle of Nsakye led to the defeat of the Akwamu people who were terrorizing the people of Okere and sent them to the present day Asuogyaman bringing to an end the great Akwamu and never to rise again.
It is the people of Okere who through such an intelligent alliance brought an end to the all powerful Akwamu people.
Lastly, like it was stated earlier, Okere as part of the Guan race are the first group of people to settle in Ghana.
The name Tutu is also an Okere name and in writing our history it will be well documented how King Osei Tutu got the name Tutu.
Okere is christened Okere Kponkpo which means Okere The Great or Okere The Greatest.
Documenting the true history of Okere Kponkpo will assist in positioning Okere as a forbear in Ghana so it can take its proper place in Ghana's history.
BY Isaac M Larbi Esq
Secretary, Okere Golden Members
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