Members of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs (GARHC) have expressed worry at the continuous disrespect the Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs shows to them, assuring him that they will not beg him to release their three months' allowances.

Dr. Seidu Daanaa, the GARHC explained, had deliberately changed signatories to their accounts without their consent, thereby blocking their allowances, which had been in arrears for three months now.

“We, the members of this august House, know why the Minister for Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs is ceasing our money, but we want to tell him that we will not beg him to release it. He can continue keeping it for us,” Nene Atsure Benta III, Mankralo for Prampram Traditional Area disclosed this to a section of the media at the head office of the GARHC, Dodowa.

The exposé was in a sharp response to the claims by the chiefs, after a brief news conference that, Dr. Daanaa had incessantly exhibited disrespect to Nene Abram Akuaku III, President of GARHC and the entire members.

Nene Atsure Benta III explained that Dr. Daanaa was acting bitterly against the House because they tasked Harry Anthony Attipoe, the GARHC Registrar, to use his rich experience in the chieftaincy Act to hold workshops and seminars for all the paramouncies in the region.

That, he said, had developed a sour hatred for the registrar by the Minister who directed the members of the House to call off the workshop, “because he said Attipoe was projecting himself too much.”

The sour hatred for Mr. Attipoe, plus the unabated demonstrations by some Ga-Adangme youth on unfounded allegations that the registrar had sold out some Kpone lands, aroused the Minister to transfer Harry Anthony Attipoe to the Volta Region.

“We are not against transfer, but that should not be used as a form of punishing somebody who has been tasked by another body to help it to be abreast with some developments it does not understand.

“The immense peace we are enjoying in our various traditional areas is as a result of the hard work and constant workshops on conflict resolution Harry Attipoe has been taking the paramount chiefs in the Region, ”Nene Benta III pointed out.

Not too long ago, Dr. Seidu Daanaa met with Nene Akuaku III, Nene Kanor Atiapah III and Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI in his office to assure them of rescinding his decision to transfer Harry Attipoe, in order that he could continue helping them in their peace-building projects.

Nene Atsure Benta III said the GARHC was flabbergasted to later hear the Minister denied his words in Koforidua, where he met with some newsmen.

“The Constitution of our country bars chiefs from doing politics but these politicians are always hiding behind the innocent youth to disrespect our authority.

“We do not want to do anything that would heighten the political tension in the country. Therefore, we are asking the faceless politicians in government and the Minister to stop inciting the youth to be heightening the tension in the country with their demonstrations.”

Adding his voice, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, Osu Paramount Chief, said it was laughable how the Ga-Dangme youth would demonstrate against Harry Attipoe on allegations that he had sold lands belonging to the Kpone Traditional area.

He advised the demonstrating youth to go to the Lands Commission and all other appropriate agencies to do painful enquiries on their allegations “and if they find anything culpable against Harry Attipoe, he is not above the laws for misconduct.”

Furthermore, he said nothing stopped the Kpone Traditional Area from taking Mr. Attipoe on for illegally selling its lands, when he worked as a Secretary to the Kpone Traditional Council.

Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI called for cool heads in the Region and invited the Ga-Dangme youth to the GARHC to iron out whatever grievances they might have, “because we are their fathers and are ready to listen to them.”

He said the political tension in the country, as well as the demonstrations by the youth, could stretch the security and peace of Ghana.

Present at the meeting was Nene Abram Akuaku III, President of GARHC, who supported the House's call, adding that it was the decision by the entire House to chart the cause of getting Mr. Attipoe to stay to help in their peace building efforts, and demanding reverence from Dr. Seidu Daanaa to the GARHC.

By Ghanaian Chronicle