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26.06.2018 Feature Article

The Truth About The Western Togoland And The Volta Region - Part 4

...The Separatists Spoiling for War They Cannot Win
The Truth About The Western Togoland And The Volta Region - Part 4
26.06.2018 LISTEN

The Ewes are indigenous people inhabiting the coasts of the republics of Ghana, Togo and Benin, and traditionally, organized into small kingdoms with kings chosen from among the chiefs, and had never been a united under one ruler like the Asantes.

The desire of some Ewes to be united under one sovereign state came in the manifesto of one of the two Ewe-based political parties, the Togoland Congress led by S. G. Anto. Formed in 1951 it called for the unification of Ewes in the British and French Togolands. But another Ewe-based political party, the Anlo Youth Organisation (also known as the Anlo Youth Association) led by Modesto Apaloo, campaigned for the Ewe people under British rule to remain in Ghana after independence.

It is then very obvious that not all Ewes are for separation and from the look of things the secessionists are mainly based in the Ho, Hohoe and Kpandu area which is about 15% of the total land mass of the Volta region.

These separatists who had only 42% during the Plebiscite are making so much noise about the need for their desire to be fulfilled. If minority wants to have their way, then what about the wishes of the 30.5% of Ewes who voted to unite with Ghana during the plebiscite? Of course they formed the minority in the Ho and Kpando districts in that 1956 referendum, so they must also have their way if the majority Ewes who formed the minority in the total votes counted are shouting to have their wishes carried out.

Critically looking at events of the past, some Ewes desire to be united in a sovereign nation of mainly Ewes, even if laudable, it is quite clear that they were never ever united before under one leadership. Having stated this, history also tells us that whatever attempt to unite as one was thwarted by evil dictators like Agokoli who made some Ewes to flee from his kingdom. Also when the colonialists took over areas which included Eweland, they effectively split the Ewes over three different countries, Benin, Togo and Ghana.

Maybe the urge to unite as one nation came from their observation of powerful kingdoms like Asante, Dagomba, Mamprusi and others in the north.

Recently some youth, most probably Ewes went on a demonstration warning the NPP government not to make any attempt to separate the Volta Region, since to them, is not a property of Ghana. Their spokesperson went on ranting about the invincibility of Ewes, whom he claimed fought seven foughts, probably he wanted to say the Ewes fought seven wars, and were never defeated. He dared the president not to take their peaceful nature for granted.

In the first place, yes the Volta region like the Western and Central regions have never been divided before. However this spokesperson should have known, that is if he was ever well informed that, the so call Western Togoland they are crying for, was split with the northern half merging into the Northern region and when that region was also split, some part of the old British Togoland became part of the Upper East Region.

Why did the North of the British Togoland vote massively to be united with Ghana? The Kusasis, Mamprusis, Dagombas, Gonjas, etc., found that their sovereign kingdoms were all in the Gold Coast and they would rather be in that country to have direct links with their kings and chiefs.

The Ewes in the British Togoland, who voted massively against unification with the Gold Coast, did so primarily because they never wanted to be under Akans. That idea of joining all Ewes to become one nation was truly a secondary option which in itself could never materialize. Looking at things, if that could be possible then the other tribes in Togo and Benin would have to pack and go and form their own nations. This is simply impossible.

All Lies and Hypocrisy

The spokesperson for the youth demonstrators claimed that Ewes have never been defeated in any war before and in fact this is known to the whole world. What happened before the Germans abducted the Aneho chief so as to have hold on the Ewes? And what happened to the resistance against the Germans from Kpandu and a number of towns in central Togo in 1894 before the towns were razed to ground and properties confiscated and people fined between 200 and 1,100 marks? (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Togoland)

And why was the Northern Ewe campaign against Ghana’s independence which was intensified, before, during and after March 6, 1957, in which they killed and maim innocent people including policemen, not successful? For more details about this Independence Day violence, which has always been erroneously blamed on the innocent United Party, please check page 11 of the Graphic edition of March 11, 1957, under the heading, Togoland Crisis. The government of the day gave chilling accounts of how the Northern Ewes had carefully planned and trained in military fashion and unleashed bloodshed with the hope to halt the independence process which would unite British Togoland to Ghana as mandated by the UN. So which wars did the Ewes win at all, that their spokesperson will keep warning Ghanaians to beware of them?

All the noises been made boil down to the imminent division of the Volta region and here the hypocrisy of these secessionists comes obvious. When in 2016, President Mahama on a campaign in Ho, promised to split the region and he received cheers and shouts of approval.

Come 2017, the NPP government in carrying out its campaign promise started plans of splitting the Volta region. Prominent Ewes from mid-Volta including traditional leaders went to lobby to have the split beginning from Hohoe and Kpandu municipalities so that the capital of the propose Oti region will be Hohoe. Others expressed their thoughts on paper hoping that the name Oti would be dropped all together in favour of North Volta.

Now that it is obvious that the Oti Region will start from Biakoye and Jasikan districts up north to Nkwanta North district, all hell has broken loose and we now have the youth challenging government to war.

In conclusion, this four part submission which dwelt largely on the UN documents has come to prove that the results of the 1956 Plebiscite were implemented accordingly and that British Togoland became a region in Ghana on March 6, 1957.

The few disgruntled Ewes who want to secede must quietly leave our land behind and go to Togo if they so please. The Volta Region will be split into Oti Region and Todzie region (Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volta_Region) and the only thing with the Volta tag will be the River Volta.

Hon. Daniel Dugan

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