The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, has presented the findings and recommendations of his mediation in the protracted Bawku chieftaincy conflict to the President at the Jubilee House, stating that the current lawfully recognised chief, Zugraan Asigri Abugrago Azoka, is the undisputed Bawku Naba and Paramount Chief of the Kusasi Traditional Area.
The mediation, which aimed to find a lasting solution to the dispute, concluded that the existing legal and constitutional framework must be upheld to ensure lasting peace.
The presentation ceremony held at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday was attended by the Vice-President, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang; the President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II; the Minister for the Interior, Muntaka Mohammed-Mubarak, senior government officials and members of the National Peace Council, among other dignitaries.
In a 45-minute presentation, the Asantehene stated that “I’m here not to give a judgement of who was wrong and who was right. I’m here to present the facts as they are, so that we can have peace”.
The sole mediator then traced the historical circumstances of the Bawku chieftaincy, drawing on both verbal accounts and documented records, including court proceedings and landmark decisions.
He read in full the report of the mediation process, including the recommendations, choosing to announce the details himself and not to leave room for rumours of twisted facts.
With rapt attention, the packed hall at the Jubilee House listened virtually spellbound, with various security chiefs, the judiciary, heads of major national institutions, the clergy, Muslim clerics, the National Peace Council, parliamentarians, among others, in attendance.
The conclusion to the Otumfuo’s delivery was greeted with profound applause, the hall thumping with heartbeats in unison as peace appeared to be close at hand in Bawku at long last.
Reading from his final report, Otumfuo detailed his extensive engagements with all parties, including the Nayiri (Overlord of Mamprugu), the Bawku Naba, and chiefs of the affected communities in the Kusasi area.
He revealed that a central request from the Nayiri was for the transfer of certain towns, including Bawku, to be under his authority to enskin.
However, after thorough consultation and a review of the historical and legal contexts, the mediation arrived at a definitive conclusion.
Final decision
Otumfuo stated unequivocally that the current position of the law, as affirmed by the Supreme Court of Ghana, was that Asigri Azoka remained the lawful Bawku Naba.
“The final resolution of the Bawku Matters requires that Seidu Abagre be recalled to Nalerigu by the Nayiri to be reassigned to play another traditional role at the palace of the Nayiri, assisted by the State.
Alternatively, he may choose to stay in Bawku as an ordinary citizen of the community, but not to pose as Bawku Naba,” Otumfuo recommended.
He emphasised the constitutional duty of all, including traditional rulers, to respect the law.
“We chiefs, no matter how exalted, do not live above the Constitution of Ghana and the laws duly enacted and affirmed by the courts,” he said.
Government action
The Asantehene called on the government to firmly enforce the existing laws to ensure lasting peace in Bawku and its environs.
“The government must enforce the laws indistinguishably without any person challenging the lawful authority of Naba Asigri Azoka. This is critical to the restoration and maintenance of peace in the Kusasi traditional area,” the Asantehene said.
He emphasised that Naba Azoka had been a duly gazetted member of the National House of Chiefs for about four decades, and his right to rule “should not be disturbed save through a judicial and constitutionally recognised process”.
Otumfuo expressed gratitude to the President and his predecessor, former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, for the confidence reposed in him to lead the mediation process.
He also thanked the Nayiri, the Bawku Naba, and the various community heads who participated in the process.
He concluded that sustainable peace for Bawku and its environs now hinged on the enforcement of the current legal position, as established by the 1992 Constitution and the Supreme Court, which had declared the matter settled.
When the Otumfuo began, he gave an indication of how he had taken pains in engaging in a long conversation with the Nayiri, who had installed Seidu Abagre as Chief of the Mamprusis in Bawku.
When he finished, he raised an alarm about the strength and depth of arms of the feuding factions in Bawku, and urged the government to deploy the necessary means to disarm the people and ensure lasting peace.
National security
In his response, President Mahama underscored the national security imperative of resolving the conflict, citing threats from across the northern border.
“In all the national security reports that I receive, there is urgency put on settling and bringing peace to Bawku so that we can safeguard our whole northern border from the terrorist armed groups that are operating in our northern neighbour, Burkina Faso,” he stated.
He lamented the devastating economic and social toll the strife had taken on Bawku’s potential.
“Bawku has the potential to be one of the most vibrant commercial centres in our country.
Unfortunately, this conflict has turned the fortunes of Bawku.
Teachers refuse to be posted there, doctors refuse to be posted there, civil servants are leaving,” the President said.
The President committed the government to a swift review of the report.
“I can assure him that government would look at this report and within the next 24 hours, government will issue a statement on its definitive position on the report,” President Mahama said.
He further called on other institutions to build on Otumfuo’s work, adding that “it is my hope that the National Peace Council, the House of Chiefs, and Otumfuo himself and all the religious bodies would go the next step of continuing the engagement between the Nayiri and the Bawku Naba to ensure that we’re able to bring reconciliation between the two groups”.
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II, expressed gratitude to the President and the current and previous governments for initiating the effort to find a lasting solution to the Bawku chieftaincy crisis.
“What is left is for everybody here to go back and speak to all the Bawku citizens.
We need peace, and so let us speak to them,” he said.
Lamenting various statistics that suggested that about 70 per cent of conflicts in the country were sparked by chieftaincy disputes, Ogyeahohoo Gyebi urged the government to resource the chieftaincy institution to perform its role in national development.
The Chairman of the National Peace Council, Most Rev. Emmanuel Kofi Fianu, praised the Otumfuo and the mediation team for the comprehensive work on the subject.
He also praised the Kusasi and Mamprusi people for subjecting themselves to the mediation process, saying that their attitude helped to reach the conclusions by the mediation team.
“Many came with heavy hearts, yet chose peace through their participation in the mediation process,” the Catholic bishop said.
“The conclusion of this mediation process does not erase the past, but it gives us hope; hope to continue to lean on, the chance to stop the cycle, to protect our youth, protect our children from inheriting our pain and to allow Bawku to breathe again,” he added.
He added that “peace in Bawku would require care, fairness, consistent engagement and the development that reaches the ordinary.
Above all, it will require restraint, especially in moments of provocation.
We respectfully appeal for continued support to ensure that the understanding reached here is upheld and protected”.
“To the people of Bawku, we speak quietly but honestly; the future will not be built on revenge or anger.
It will be built by small daily choices and by choosing patience over violence and dialogue over dispute.
A member of the National Peace Council, Maulvi Mohammed Bin Salih, expressed gratitude to the Otumfuo for his comprehensive work and the far-reaching recommendations towards bringing lasting peace to Bawku and its environs.
“Indeed, the chieftaincy is an institution that we hold so high in our community.
It is an institution of wisdom, and he (the Asantehene) has demonstrated to all of us in Ghana and beyond that he deserves the accolades of the King Solomon of our era,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
