Ezinlibo, Nana Kolora Blay IV
A colourful durbar for the Chiefs and people of Ezilinbo Traditional Area in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region has been held to climax this year's annual 'Edinla nee Suh Ne' festival which seeks to raise funds towards developing the area.
The week-long celebration which was on the theme, "Let us stay united to help develop Ezinlibo".
The festival was marked with activities such as clan gala competition, general clean-up exercise, health walk, quiz competition for Primary and JHS students, talented kids show, volleyball competition, rap show, picnic, street jams, fundraising.
The annual festival was finally climaxed with a beach party which billed the local artists to entertain the locals on Sunday, April 21, 2049.
During this year's celebration, the community raised funds towards the construction of a community market in the town.
Addressing the durbar on Saturday, April 20, 2019, Chief of Ezinlibo, Nana Kolora Blay IV, expressed profound appreciation to people in the area notably the planning committee and others from abroad who made the celebration a very colourful one.
He appealed to inhabitants to use the festival as a prerequisite to unite with one other.
Nana Blay expressed worry about the falling standards of education in the area and attributed it to lack of parental control and copying of certain lifestyles by the youth in the area.
"In fact parents in my community are not supporting their children to attend school at all upon the government's provision of School Feeding Program, majority of these children are going to school at all and I am worried", he stressed.
He, therefore, hinted on inaugurating a Community Educational Task Force which would deal with any child who fails to attend school.
He admonished parents not to lavish their money on expensive funerals since it is to the detriment on their children's education coupled with their developmental needs.
The chief also advised youth in the area to commit themselves to their education and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the area.
"Today if you don't go to school to acquire knowledge, you will not get proper work to do. Very soon Ezinlibo community will see governmental projects and if you joke with your education, you will not be engaged and I will this occasion to appeal to the youth if possible attend Technical and Vocational Schools", he cautioned.
He said the youth should not concentrate much on fishing but rather, focus on education for a secured and brighter future.
He however, expressed his worries about how his people are littering the community and therefore cautioned them to desist from this act and avoid punishment.
He was not happy about the dwindling of communal spirit in the area with special reference to some elders of the town who were not contributing their quota towards the rapid development of the community.
He, seized the opportunity to appeal to his people to rally behind the NPP government and the MP for the area, Paul Essien to materialize his proposed developmental projects for the community.
Nana Kolora used the occasion to appeal to all indigenes of Ezinlibo both home and abroad to contribute towards the developmental agenda of the community.
On his part, the MP for the area who also the Deputy Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Paul Essien thanked the community for organizing such a wonderful festival to raise funds to develop the area.
He pledged to support the community to develop and called on them to support him in prayers.
He revealed that currently he is constructing a toilet facility the community and another one for the Senior High School, Annor Adjaye SHS there to be used by the girls.
The lawmaker also pledged to construct the township roads through the support of the Ghana Gas Company.
On education, the MP said he has currently organised Mock Exams for the 2019 B.E.C.E candidates to prepare them adequately ahead of the main examination.
He also revealed that he has organised for the Double Track SHS students and called on the parents to embrace the Free SHS programme.
Mr Essien urged parents to send their children to Technical Schools to acquire skills to be employed in the oil companies springing out in the area.
He, therefore, seized the opportunity to appeal to the residents to rally behind President Akufo-Addo to develop the Municipality.
"President Akufo-Addo has Jomoro Constituency at heart and we speak he is coming the following projects to Jomoro and within ten years Jomoro will be an oil hub; Oil Refinery, Fertilizer Plant, 5 Petrol Chemical-Industries, Harbour", he said.
He added "If these projects come to Jomoro then our problem about jobs will be the thing of the pass and I am going to work hard to let President Akufo-Addo fulfill his promises, in fact Jomoro we have a brighter future, I urge you to support President Akufo-Addo".
A philanthropist from the Jomoro Municipality and NDC Parliamentary Hopeful, Miss Dorcas Afo Tophey donated an undisclosed amount to support the construction of the community's market.
Ms Tophy who is also a gender activist pledged to support the project to be completed.
She noted that she would interact with some non-governmental organizations and companies to get more support for the project.
She commended the community for planning to construct an ultramodern market to develop the area.
She advised the community to make good use of the donations and urged other communities to emulate them.
Miss Tophey donated a brand new ambulance to the Jomoro Municipal Health Directorate.
She said she would do everything possible to support the Municipal Health Directorate to deliver quality healthcare for the people in the Municipality.
She said the time has come for her to contribute her quota to the development of the Municipality and promised to do more to other sectors.
"The time has come for me to contribute my quota towards the development of my Municipality and it doesn't matter my political party NDC is in power or not, the development of this Municipality is so dear to me and I have to support and urge other individuals to come home and support Jomoro to develop, we shouldn't always look up to the government", she said.
Touching on education, Miss Tophey expressed worry about the falling standards of education in the area and attributed it to lack of parental control and copying of certain lifestyle by the youth.
She therefore advised youth in the area to commit themselves to their education and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the area.
In an exclusive interview with Ghanaweb's Western Region correspondent, Daniel Kaku after the durbar, a teacher of Annor Adjaye JHS and Secretary to the Festival Planning Committee, Mr. Nyameke Kodwo alias Teacher Kodwo, thanked the donors for donating funds to support the community to achieve their intended purpose.
He revealed that the Planning had drawn up a programme to ensure that the development agenda of the town was executed accordingly.
He said education which was the bedrock of development, would take center stage and appealed to the people to support the planning committee to realize its objectives.
The Assemblyman of the area, Hon. Emmanuel Assuah-Chie Erzoah alias Emmasco, said education is the key to success in every field of human endeavour and charged parents and guardians to give their children good education.
He said the sandy beaches in the area are very potential tourist attractions and called on his people to keep them clean in order to attract entrepreneurs who would establish beach resorts.
He pleaded with his people to revive their self-help spirit to facilitate development of the community.
He used the celebration to appeal to government to come to the aid of the only Senior High School of the area, Annor Adjaye SHS with facilities as one of the classrooms built by the late John Evans Atta Mills was on the verge of collapse.
He also called on the government to expand the electricity to some parts of the communities to beef up security during night.
Cash donations were made to support the commencement of the Community Market and the MP for the area, Hon. Paul Essien supported the Community with GHC2,000 and the Community was able to raise 41 million old Ghana Cedis as a seed money.
