Nii Amu Doodo installed new mantse of Ayikai Doblo

The Ayikai Doblo community in the Ga West Municipality of the Greater Accra Region has been without a chief for years.

A ceremony in the Ayikai Doblo township, which was performed by the Chief Priest of the Ga State, Nai Wulomo, on Sunday April 16, 2023, saw the completion of processes for the installation of a new Ayikai Doblo Mantse (chief).

This peaceful ceremony follows the outdooring of Nii Amu Doodo, popularly known as Nii Azooto TJ, as the new chief of the area to succeed the late substantive chief, Nii Ayikai Doblo III, who passed on in 2017.

The new chief, who has been installed, received overwhelming support from thousands of youth, including opinion leaders and other traditional officeholders living in Ayikai Doblo, under the Akumadjen Traditional Area in the Ga State.

This comes on the back of a 6-year dispute among varying factions who were laying claim to the throne, usually ending up in ill-feeling among the feuding groups.

The current development means the new traditional leader will rule under the stool name, Nii Ayikai Doblo IV.

At the ultimate moment of the ceremony, the Chief Priest of the Ga State, Nai Wulomo lifted Nii Ayikai Doblo IV's hands and pronounced him as the legitimate occupant of the Ayikai Doblo Divisional Stool, drawing spontaneous cheers from the gathering.

The occasion put Ga chieftaincy culture on display, with drumming, dance and traditional regalia fully on show.

While it lacked the presence of the youth and women’s groups, it did not lack the electrifying atmosphere, as traditional music and dance gripped the impressive crowd in attendance.

Speaking in an interview with journalists, Nii Ayikai Doblo IV thanked the elders, opinion leaders, youth, business men and women in Ayikai Doblo for their quick and immense support towards the enstoolment .

He happily thanked the Akumadjen Mantse, Nii Ayikai III, the Muslim communities in Ga West municipality, and Nai Wulomo for their wisdom and support.

Nii Ayikai Doblo IV assured residents and citizens of Ayikai Doblo community of unity, peace and human centered development.

Adding his voice on the unity call for speedy development, the newly-installed chief of the area called on disgruntled personalities to bury their individual differences.

He stressed the need for them to rally behind him to prioritise the welfare and livelihoods of youth, residents, members, supporters, sympathisers and well-wishers of the Ayikai Doblo community.

"My peacefully and successfully installation as a new chief to ascend the throne of Ayikai Doblo Divisional Area re-affirms my long planned vision to lead the people Ayikai Doblo to bring the needed social and infrastructure developmental projects to the area.

"In this regard I would like to plead to those who l have some misunderstandings with to forgive me. I have stand for peace and unity and l am promising to lead the Ayikai Doblo of the Ga State to the path of restoration, with truth and trust as his guiding principles, to bring unity to the Ga state and among the people.

The chief emphasised that what was required for the people of Ayikai Doblo to occupy its rightful place in the Ga State and contribute significantly to national development was for all of its people to be united and discard selfishness and other destructive tendencies.

"Let us learn from the proverbial broom; a broom stick can be broken easily and it cannot even sweep; but if you have a bunch of them, it is hard to break them and they sweep better," he said.

He assured the people of Ayikai Doblo origin that his ultimate goal would be to offer leadership that would bring hope to the youth and rekindle the lost glory of the Ayikai Doblo.

“I did not come to rule over you; I came to serve you. I have to bring unity among us so that glory will return to the Ayikai Doblo community. We want prosperity and peace. The Ayikai Doblo will never be the same," he said. He called for calm.

Nii Ayikai Doblo IV indicated that the promotion of education and the development would be a top priority for him during his reign as the Ayikai Doblo Mantse.