Chiefs and residents converged for the grand durbar
The chiefs and people of the Mepe Traditional Area at the weekend rounded up the celebration of this year’s Afenorto Festival, with a repeated appeal to Government to improve on the road networks in the area to ease traffic congestion.
The Traditional Authority, at a colourful and grand durbar at the Mepe Presby School Park, to climax this year’s celebration, was specific of the by-pass roads from St Kizito Junction through Bishop Bowers JHS, joining the main road at the Roman Catholic Basic School.
The other is the Royal Masito-Avorkudi-Tegola Market Road.
Togbe Kwasi Nego VI, Manklalo of the Traditional Area, in a welcoming address at the durbar, repeated the appeal for the sixth time for the request to be addressed once and for all.
He said: “For five years running, Mepe Traditional has been persistently putting up some requests to government delegations that celebrated the Afenorto with us. One of these is the by-pass roads from Mepe St Kizito junction through Bishop Bowers JHS, joining the main road at the Roman Catholic Basic School. The other is the Royal Masito-Avorkudi Market Road.
“These by-pass roads are needed to ease congestion on the only road passing through the township which is specifically blocked by both human and vehicular traffic during occasions like this.
Togbe Nego recalled making a similar appeal last year at the same festival saying:”We are confident that we will not come to this durbar next year to make reference to the same concerns again.
“However, Mr Chairman, another Afenorto is here with us and I have to make reference to these concerns again.
“Mr Chairman, despite the above, another Afenorto has come and the roads are not yet fixed. I am therefore compelled to make the sixth appeal to our distinguished Guest of Honour to address the request once and for all.”
The festival, the 65th in a series, which began on Friday, July 26, 2019, and celebrated on the theme: “Building the Structures for Sustained Development: the Role of the Youth”, with focus on programmes that would spur the youth for accelerated national development, provided a vehicle through which the sons and daughters of Mepe, both resident and abroad, to gather at home to foster the development of the area.
Togbe Nego recalled also the request on the Government of Ghana to establish a technical or vocational school in the Traditional Area; to serve both the area and other adjoining areas.
He announced that a number of chiefs were successfully installed last year, and called on all the defaulting stool fathers and mothers to fill the reaming vacant stools.
Togbr Nego stated however that the replacement of the paramount chief who passed on 14 years ago is still bedevilled with some challenges, and urged the factions involved to use the appropriate peaceful and legal means to address their concerns.
“Violence and intimidation have never, and will never solve any problem we have as a traditional area. The name “Tongu Blotsi” must reflect in all that we do as a people.” Togbe Nego said.
Mr Charles Oware-Tweneboah, the Fanteakwa North District Chief Executive, who delivered the keynote address, assured the celebrants that the Government of Ghana was committed to implementing the flagship programmes so far introduced to the benefit of all.
He urged the people to take advantage of Free Senior High School to have more of their children enrolled and stressed for unity among the people and suggested a collaboration among the Districts to engender and work on their development needs and aspirations.
“We have to develop all the districts equally for effective and holistic national development, “Mr Oware-Teneboah said.
Mr James Gunu, Volta Regional Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), representing former President John Dramani Mahama, said periods of celebration of traditional festivals should be used to remind political leaders and hold them accountable to promises to the people.
Mr Gunu pledged GHC 3,000 as his support for the festival.
Mr Samuel Okudexto Ablakwa, MP for North Tongu, redeemed his pledge to donate a quantity of bags of cement towards the construction of the Mepe Community Centre.
Mr Moses Asem, former Deputy Managing Director of Bulk Oil and Storage Transportation (BOST), who chaired the durbar also made a donation for electrification project in the area.
The festival, was attended by Dr Chukwudi Jude Ihenetu, King of the Igbo Community in Ghana, and a delegation from Great Ningo, Nungua Traditional Area and the Greater Accra Region House of Chiefs among others.
The festival involved activities as fund-raising, firing of musketry, pouring libations and special prayers by churches, and executive meeting of the Mepe Development Association and clean-up exercise led by Assembly Members and Keep Fit Clubs.
Other activities were; traditional drumming, hunters victory rites, vigil at hunting shrines, film shows, lighting processions, sounding of traditional drums, a night of welcome (Akwaaba night) annual state harvest, Mss Afenorto Beauty Pageant , health walk, inter clan regatta , lifting of ban on funeral rites jams and sounding of atumpani drums to end the festival.
