DAILY GRAPHIC, Monday, September 10, 2012. Pg.23. Osu rounds off Homowo celebrations

Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI waving

Story: Mary Ankrah
THE Paramount Chief of the Osu Traditional Area, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, has called on the government, the Lands Commission and the Stool Lands Administration to expedite action on the release of royalties to facilitate the implementation of projects in the community.

He also called on tenants on Osu stool lands to pay their rents and all arrears owed to the Stool Lands Administration so that the community would be well resourced to undertake its projects.

Nii Dowuona VI made the call at the grand durbar to round off the Osu Homowo festival 2012 and the fifth anniversary of the installation of chief last Saturday in Accra.

The Osu Homowo festival, which started from September 4, 2012, was marked with activities such as donations, sporting activities and street carnivals.

The grand durbar was colourful and graced by chiefs from other traditional areas. Those who attended included the Chief of Tema, Nii Adjei Kraku II; the Chief of Otublohum, Nii Duodo Nsaki II, the Chief of La, Nii Tetteh Kpobi-Tsuru; the Mayor of Accra, Dr Alfred Oko Vanderpuye; Nigeria’s High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro; a representative of the Embassy of the Netherlands in Ghana, and some leaders of the Muslim community.

Speaking at the durbar, Nii Dowuona VI said that the Osu Stool intended to set up a community vocational and technical institution, community bank, multipurpose business building complex, a recreational centre for senior citizens, an educational fund and a befitting palace and traditional council secretariat for the stool, hence need for it to be resourced to embark on those projects.

“ All citizens and indigenes of the community, both at home and abroad should  come and help build the community for we are one people. Osu is our birthplace and we need to be proud of it,”  he noted.

In addition, he indicated that the stool was consulting the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) and the Metro Works Department to clear the area along the beach from behind the Obenesu River to the Osu Klottey Lagoon, an area that is has  several unauthorised wooden structures and is gradually turning into a slum.

He said plans were also underway to dredge the Osu Klottey Lagoon to restore it to its former state and, therefore, called on residents who disposed of their solid waste into the lagoon to desist from the practice and avoid illegal connections to the utilities. He also called on the AMA to send health inspectors to the grounds to help prevent any epidemic.

“If the area is cleared, we will use it for recreational facilities, hotels and apartments to aid the preservation of the beach and the lagoon and there will be a modern cold store for the fisher folks to store their catch, ” he said.

Nii Dowuona VI also used the occasion to entreat all businesses in the community and along the boundaries of Osu to fulfill their social responsibility and obligations. He appealed to them to partner the stool to promote the development of the community.

 Touching on some of its achievements in the past five year of his enstoolment, Nii Dowuona said the rightful occupant of the Osu Stool had been determined by the Gyaase of Osu Stool, the Ga Traditional Council, regional and national houses of chiefs, the judiciary and the indigenes

He added that the stool had been elevated from a divisional to paramount status and had a seat in the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs (RHCs), at which he represented the interest of his community.
Nii Dowuona announced that the Ministry of Chieftaincy and Culture, in collaboration with the regional house of chiefs would perform an inaugural ceremony for the establishment of a traditional council for the community on September 14, 2012.

Addressing the gathering, Dr Vanderpuye, on behalf of the President, Mr John Dramani Mahama; the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Afotey Agbo, and the Member of Parliament for Osu Klottey Constituency, Mr Nii Armah Ashitey, lauded the peaceful celebration of this year’s homowo in the area since there had been chaos and misunderstanding in the past.

Dr Vanderpuye called on all traditional leaders to put aside their differences and work together to promote development in their communities.

“Our people are crying and calling for development and we cannot allow situations that divide us to continue. We must respect government institutions  and the chieftaincy institution and rise up to the level of high expectations as we lead the people to ensure development, ” he added.

He expressed the government’s gratitude to the Osu Traditional Council and the people for permitting the government to construct a cemetery along the driveway to the Castle, where the late President John Evans Atta Mills was buried.

He also observed that the government was prepared to partner the council to continue the Better Ghana Agenda in the community and gave the assurance that the AMA would work with the people’s outlined projects to accelerate development in the area.