Nervousness at the seat of Gov’t

>The Osu chieftaincy dispute, findings have established, is being stoked by some political firebrands who are exploiting their proxy relationship with the President and other staffers at the Castle, the seat of government, to gain an inside into many Osu lands and other goodies.

Leading the assault is one Oko Nikoi-Dzani, a close confidant of the President and the chairman of the Black Satellites Awards Committee. His committee determined the kind of awards that government gave to the victorious 2009 World Youth champions, the Black Satellites of Ghana. Oko Nikoi Dzani is miffed that his purported attempt to take over ownership of a bungalow No.12 Tenth Street, Ridge, Accra adjacent the British High Commission was fiercely resisted by the incumbent Osu Mantse, Nii Nortey Owuo.

The said bungalow was sold to Oko Nikoi-Dzani by Nii Ako Nortei II, the Osu Mankralo in 2007, and Nii Dzani was in the process of renovating the bungalow when the Osu Mantse, Nii Nortey Owuo intervened with the caveat.

And as if by design the fears of many Osu citizens became manifest when the new chief, who Osu citizens claim he is an imposter, after three days of his coronation sought the authority of the court to take over a bungalow and the parcel of land belonging to Dr Evans-Amfrom, himself an illustrious son of Osu.

Oko Nikoi-Dzani is also said to be masterminding that court action which also included in the suit the Land Commission, the Attorney General through his proxy cronies – Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, the disputed Osu Mantse; Numo Agbeti Narku II, Osu Klottey Wulomo and Nii Arko Nortei IV, Osu Mankralo.

The group, led by Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, the disputed Osu Mantse is praying the court to grant them relief to regain possession of the land housing the World-Wide Advent Mission Ltd., which lease agreement expired in 1998 and as in the case of Dr Evans-Amfrom, the plaintiff avers that he defiantly trespassed in the possession of part of an Osu land.

Oko Nikoi-Dzani has been the Greater Accra chairman of the Lands Commission since the NDC assumed the reigns of power and according to the incumbent Osu chief, Nii Nortey Owuo and his elders, he is using the position to pursue his age long nursed agenda.

Some other prominent Osu indigenes who spoke to the paper believe the Greater Accra Lands Commission chairman is using his position and close links with the presidency to destabilize the traditionally structured manner of succession to the Osu stool for his personal gains and in effect lay claim to the disputed bungalow.

A more poignant evidence adduced by the Osu people to implicate government in the dispute lies in the content of a brochure outlining the number of invitees and programme itinerary for the coronation of Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI as the Osu Mantse.

In the said brochure, the President’s picture was printed on page four (4) and according to the Osu indigenes such could not have been accidental and are therefore urging the Castle or the State Protocol to respond to their query as to why a private and illegal event like the coronation of an “imposter chief should carry in its brochure the personality of the sitting President.”

That is singular action, the paper is informed is creating a lot of anxiety at the Castle.

The coronation of Okwei Dowuona raised a lot of unanswered suspicions in the minds of many Osu traditional stakeholders about the possibility of Nikoi-Dzani using his political clout to cow any opposition to the enstoolment process of the new Osu Mantse.

Many Osu indigenes who the paper interviewed on the subject could not understand how the coercive power of the state, led by the National Security should mount a strong security presence at an enstoolment of a chief, if indeed the process was in consonance with traditional norms and customs.

They accused the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Ashietey Armah, of complicity in the matter. The group wondered why the Greater Regional Security Council chaired by the Regional Minister should provide strong security protection to a coronation that had the potential of creating disturbances in the Osu township.

In the process, the Osu people contend, Nii Dzani is creating a parallel chief in the person of one Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI to the more recognized Nii Nortey Owuo, the Osu chief (Mantse).

At a proposed meeting with the Castle on March 26th this year, some prominent Osu indigenes accused the current Greater Accra Lands Commission chairman of taking “sides in the Osu stool affairs”. Oko Nikoi Dzani was served a copy of the letter that contained the grievances of the Osu people.

Nikoi-Dzane was served a copy of the letter containing the grievances of the Osu people in the meeting with the seat of government.

“The justification” according to the group, was that “since the appointment of Oko-Nikoi Dzani, he has stopped respecting the signature of Nii Nortey Owuo III, the Osu Mantse and has rather plotted all the documents which were blocked by the Lands Commission following the decision of the Supreme Court in OSU STOOL v UNILEVER GHANA LTD (Land Lord and Tenant case) of 17th May 2006.

In the Supreme Court ruling of May 17, 2006, where Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, the current Chief Justice; Justice Atuguba, Justice Professor Modibo Ocran, Justice Ansah and Justice Aninakwah sat on the case, the panel upheld the Appeal court decision to overturn an earlier High Court ruling that Nii Ako Nortei IV, Mankralo of Osu has no right of recovery of possession of three (3)-Stool properties and further consequential orders against Unilever Ghana Limited.

This followed a decision by government to withdraw its recognition of the Osu Manste and published in the Local Government Bulletin of the Ghana Gazette. The Osu Mankralo did not respect the Supreme Court interpretation of the Appeal Court ruling and went ahead to execute the re-possession of the three properties and that of the land being occupied by UNILEVER GHANA LIMITED.

However, Nii Nortey Owuo, the substantive Osu Mantse brought contempt proceedings against the Mankralo and his group which substance was upheld by the trial judge, Mr Justice E.F. Dzakpasu on 2nd June 2008.

The Osu Mankralo was subsequently fined GH¢5,000 or in default 14 days imprisonment. He was admitted to a self cognizance bail of GH¢10,000 where upon a cost of GH¢500 was awarded to the applicant. In this case Nii Nortey Owuo, the incumbent Osu Mantse.

At the proposed Castle meeting, Nii Nortey Owuo, the more recognized Osu Mantse and his group argued that “neither the Mankralo nor Kinka Dowuona has the capacity to alienate Osu Lands.

As a person holding public office, Nikoi-Dzani “preferences, they argued do not matter, contending that “this is a country in which the rule of law is respected. His actions amount to Oko Dzani imposing a Mantse on Osu, which we shall no longer accept. We shall not accept his stance because he has no such mandate”.

.Nikoi-Dzani could not be reached for his comments. His cellular phones drew blanks anytime the paper got to him.