Call for Ga East MCE's removal unfounded – Dome market traders

Traders from the Dome, Taifa, Abokobi and Kwabenya markets have distanced themselves from a demonstration purported to have ben carried out by ‘market traders’ on Thursday February, February 9, 2023.

The said demonstration, which was held to demand the removal of the current Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, is believed to have been sponsored by the former MCE, Janet Tulasi Mensah.

According to the leadership of these markets, they are not aware of the organization of any such demonstration and that their members were not part of the group who stormed the Dome Market on Thursday to demonstrate.

Addressing a press conference, the Public Relations Officer of the Dome New Market Association, Diana Dowuona-Owoo, alleged that the former MCE, Janet Tulasi Mensah, and her self-seeking individuals, whose interest is to destroy the market to their advantage, have constantly launched several diabolic attacks on the only queen mother of the Dome Market, Madam Evelyn Abena-Sebie and her leadership.

She averred that realizing they have failed, Janet Tulasi and her cohorts hatched another plan to attack and call for the removal of the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ga East, Elizabeth Kaakie Mann.

“We want to put on record that, these disturbances and attacks are being sponsored by no other person but the former MCE Madam Janet Tulasi Mensah. Janet Tulasi Mensah during her time as MCE, caused serious troubles in Dome market and we can say for a fact that all the controversies surrounding the tension in the market are her handiworks,” she said.

She noted that the so-called demonstrators were brought from an event organised by Janet Tulasi Mensah, packing them in a vehicle for the said demonstration.

Diana Dowuona-Owoo added that the leaders of that demonstration are dissatisfied members of the dissolved Oversight Committee, which was set up by Janet Tulasi Mensah, to be collecting unapproved monies in the market.

“We therefore don’t need anybody to teel us who are behind these attacks. Evidences are clear that Janet Tulasi Mensah who is out of office is doing all she can to ensure that Dome market does not see peace. This indeed, has failed. We want to send a message to her and her cohorts that the current MCE in the person of Elizabeth Kaakie Mann is one of the best MCE’s we have ever had,” she added.

She described the current MCE, Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, as “affable, down to earth and a team leader.

“She has proven beyond every reason that she is capable of uniting all fronts within the market towards the growth of the traders. Under her leadership, we identified one thing, which is, she is making sure that market women have the freedom to trade at the market and not to be exploited, abused and intimidated as it was in the past under Tulasi-Mensah.”

She also stated that the collection of unapproved monies, harassments and attacks on traders are now things of the past under the current MCE she is the right person for the job.

“We want to tell the President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo that Elizabeth Kaakie Mann, our MCE of this Municipality is the right person for the job and that people are calling for her interdiction because she refused to conform to their diabolic activities.”

Janet Tulasi exposed

Exposing further the failures of Janet Tulasi when she was serving as the MCE, the PRO stated that Janet Tulasi had during her time, used her political position to intimidate and cause confusion within the rank and file of the Dome Market Women’s Association leadership, and had advanced plots to get Felicia Karley Amui installed as Queen mother when there was a sitting and legally installed Queen mother in the person of Madam Evelyn Abena-Sebie, thereby eroding the peace being enjoyed by traders in the Dome Market over the years.

“She had assembled known members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) to form a Committee to oversee the administration of the activities of the market with the sole aim of taking over the leadership and administration of the market and handed it over to Felicia Karley Amui. When she took over as MCE, Madam Janet Tulasi Mensah claimed she cannot work with the Queen mother and her leadership hence decided to establish the Oversight Committee.”

She mentioned that the Association took the Assembly to court over the establishment of the Oversight Committee set by Janet Tulasi Mensah and the court ruled on July 19, 2021 in their favour.

However, Janet Tulasi according to her, ignored the court orders and installed Felicia Karley Amui on four different occasions as the Market Queen, but in all these installations market women have refused to accord her that recognition as they described them as “illegal” installations.

Felicia Karley Amui and her cohorts led by the Former MCE, Janet Tulasi Mensah have also written to the Onamroko Adain Family, Traditional Owners of the property on which the Dome Market is sited, for their assistance in the selection and appointment of Dome Market Queen.

However, the Onamroko Adain Family which is very aware of the existing Market Queen and the Market Association, wrote to the Association seeking clarification of whether there is a current Market Queen and who it is and what regulation there is regarding the installation of a Market Queen.

After furnishing the Onamroko Adain Family with all the details of whatever they were seeking for, the family in avoiding backlash withdraw from the purported installation of Felicia Karley Amui as requested by the Former MCE.

That notwithstanding, Felicia Karley Amui wrote a letter on September 7, 2020 to some traders in the market asking them to accord her the recognition as their Market Queen because she has been installed.

Strangely, the people Madam Janet Tulasi Mensah left behind to continue causing the troubles in the market continue to collect unapproved monies from traders. One Madam Abena Fosua is the one collecting these unapproved monies from traders for over five years.

This development came to the attention of the current MCE, Elizabeth Kaakie Mann who called for meetings over the matter and later referred the matter to the Regional Coordinating Council where it was established that the market already has an issue relative to enstoolment of market queen and hence the collecting of money by Abena Fosua be suspended.

On Wednesday 14th December 2022, the Assembly through its officer went to announce the suspension of that money collection at the market.

Abena Fosua protested this announcement and took the microphone forcefully from the Assembly officials and tried to incite traders against the Assembly officials which led to her arrest.

Last Thursday, February 9, 2023, a group of persons wielding placards stormed the Dome market claiming to be traders from Dome, Taifa, Abokobi and Kwabenya markets attacking the MCE.

According to these recalcitrant group of persons, the MCE is destroying their markets and for that matter, she must be sacked.

The President of the Greater Accra Market Association (GAMA), Madam Mercy Afoowa Needjan who took time to attend the Press Conference called for peace in the Dome market and stressed that the only recognised Dome market Queen mother is Madam Evelyn Abena-Sebie and that all the machinations against her will not work.

She cautioned the former MCE Janet Tulasi Mensah to desist from any act which can undermine the work of the new MCE pointing out that her (Tulasi) time is gone and a new MCE was appointed by the President to work and it would be in the interest of mother Ghana for her (Tulasi) to allow the new MCE Elizabeth Kaakie Mann to work.