Floating Chief Denied Royal Burial
BY JOHN BEDIAKO
The dream of the Agona Clan of Asankragwa in the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area in the Western Region to offer the late Asankragwa chief, Nana Anyani Boadum III, a royal burial has become a mirage.
The present nightmare is due to an order by the Judicial Committee of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Council as a result of the pendency of a case before it, where the royalty of the late chief, Nana Anyani Boadum III, who was on the throne for 62 years and died exactly two years ago is being contested.
He was enstooled Nana Anyani Boadum II in 1952 by the Ahene Clan of Asankragwa, but 22 years later, in 1974, the chief went to join the Agona clan in the same town with the stool and became Boadum III, because of alleged destoolment threats from his clan.
The claim that the late chief was not a royal was strongly contested by the family but they lost the case. Consequently, the Omanhene of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area, Tetrete Okuamua Sekyim has personally decided to take charge of the funeral, which had been agreed to take place at the palace at Asankragwa, but should not be construed as a royal burial and funeral.
The Judicial Committee of the Traditional Council further restrained the Agona clan from nominating, electing and enstooling a chief to succeed Nana Anyani Boadum III or enstooling occupants on the vacant Asankragwa stool.
At a meeting held at Wassa Akropong, the traditional headquarters on Thursday 7th of July 2016, the litigants agreed on the following terms for settlement – that Agona clan shall be at liberty to perform the funeral and burial of Nana Anyani Boadum in whatever manner they so choose,
That, the late Nana Anyani Boadum should be laid in state at the Asankragwa Palace and that the body shall be buried in the cemetery created by himself for the burial of his family members. It was also agreed that the late chief shall not be buried at the Asankragwa Palace being the royal mausoleum.
“To avoid any misunderstanding at Asankragwa, the Omanhene of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area shall delegate one of his elders to go to Asankragwa and convene a meeting of the family members of the parties herein and the entire Asankragwa Township to explain the details of these terms of settlement before the funeral and burial of the late Nana Anyani Boadum takes place.
“That these terms of settlement shall not be construed as being an acknowledgement that the late Nana Anyani Boadum was the chief of Asankragwa; that these terms of settlement shall be without prejudice to the substantive case pending before the judicial Committee of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Council
“That these terms of settlement be endorsed by the Judicial Committee of the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Council as a consent order.” It is on record that the late chief of Asankragwa, who was a member of the Ahene Clan later went to join the Agona Clan with the stool.
On the 20th of December 2002, Opanyin Kwame Nsowa testifying about the change of clan of Asankragwa stool from Ahene to Agona by Nana Anyani Buadum III said -“I, Opanyin Kwame Nsowa of Asankragwa, formerly Regent of Agona stool in the Wassa Agona stool, in the Wassa Amenfi Traditional Area, Western Region of Ghana, do hereby declare and say as follows;
“That I am the declarant herein, that in March 1974, Anyani Buadum III, then Anyani Buadum II, came to Agona Ahenfie with his mother Badu, then the queen mother, Abusuapanin Bennie, three linguists – namely Ataaku, Asomia and Anane.
“That Anyani Buadum stated that the Ahene Abusua in Asankragwa were seriously seeking to destool him and disturbing his peace of mind and could only get over his trouble if he joined a well-established clan with Asankragwa stool, which was then of Ahene clan.
“That he was there to plead with Agona Abusua in Agona to accept him Anyani Buadum as a member of that clan and the stool as an offshoot of Agona stool and, that he recognized that the Agona clan of Agona established their hegemony before any other clan came to Wassa Amenfi.
“That their rich history was a good cover for him and the stool, that they, the Agona should consider the Asankragwa stool having been carved out of the tree the Agona stool was crafted from, that the Agona Abusuapanin on his part stated inter alia
“That he had neither the recorded nor traditional history about Asankragwa stool having the kind of relation with Agona stool as told by Anyani Buadum on their records. “That Asankragwa was on record as headed by Ahene stool and that is why the stool always has by it, Ahene bead.
“That Anyani Buadum pleaded with us to accept a covenant that, whereas Agona could nominate a candidate to inherit Anyani Buadum III's Agona clan in any capacity, any candidate from Anyani Buadum's Agona would qualify for any position in Agona.
“That a sheep brought by Anyani Buadum was to be slaughtered outside the palace. “That the sheep, as ordered by the AbusuapaninKwaadjei, was slaughtered outside the palace by the roadside to symbolize non-acceptance of the “Agona clan” – recognition of an outsider.
“That it was slaughtered on the street where everybody belongs. That I write in support of my declaration that on or about March 1974 Anyani Buadum III went to Agona and pleaded with the Agona clan to enable him get out of his predicament.”