Dispute between the Enyan Maim Kona No. 1 Ebusua Family and contractors working on the Mankessim–Ajumako–Agona Swedru Road under the Government's Big Push infrastructure programme has delayed work at Asempaneye Junction near Mankessim.
The disagreement centres on the relocation of a deity situated in the middle of a newly realigned section of the road.
According to the family, the road alignment was altered by Messrs E-Speedway Construction Limited to eliminate a dangerous sharp curve, making it necessary for the deity to be moved to a different location to allow construction works to continue.
However, after consultations with a fetish priestess, the family is demanding close to GH¢9,000 to cover the cost of customary rites required for the relocation.
The amount is expected to cater for the purchase of a sheep, schnapps, yam, red cloth and other ritual items, as well as GH¢2,000 as workmanship fees for the priestess and her assistants.
After prolonged negotiations, the contractors allegedly offered GH¢2,000 and proposed the use of a fowl instead of a sheep for the rituals, a proposal the family has rejected.
As a result, the deity has remained at the site for several weeks, cordoned off with red bands, while construction activities continue around it. 
Madam Ekua Kwansima, Obaapanyin (an Elder) of the Enyan Maim Kona No. 1 Ebusua Family, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the family lacked the financial resources to undertake the relocation.
She said the land belonged to the family and that compensation for its acquisition had not yet been paid, arguing that the contractors should bear the cost of the customary rites.
Madam Kwansima said the matter had been reported to the District Chief Executive for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam, who had attempted to mediate, but no agreement had been reached.
“They want us to bear the cost, and they are prepared to pay only GH¢2000 but that will not work,” she insisted.
She cautioned against any attempt to remove the deity without performing the required rites, could spell doom on that stretch, insisting that due process must be followed.
“The contractors should be very careful. They only came looking for the family after their machine broke down.
“If they will not pay for the rituals, we are also not touching it. But if they force their way to destroy it and something happens or people start dying, they should not come to the family,” she cautioned.
Madam Kwansima stressed that the family supported the road project and only wanted the matter resolved peacefully and in accordance with custom.
She appealed to Dr Cassiel Ato Forson, Member of Parliament for Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam and Minister for Finance, as well as the Minister for Roads and Highways, to intervene and help resolve the impasse.
The Project Manager of Messrs E-Speedway Construction Limited confirmed the existence of the dispute in an interview with the GNA but declined to provide further details.
He acknowledged that the disagreement had affected progress on that section of the project.
Meanwhile, construction work on the 111-kilometre Mankessim–Ajumako–Agona Swedru Road has resumed at an accelerated pace following improved weather conditions after weeks of sustained rainfall that slowed operations.
GNA
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