Covid-19: Press Release from the Concerned Citizens of Western Togoland

The leadership of the Concerned Citizens of Western Togoland wish to draw the attention of all citizens in the territory and abroad to the deadly COVID 19 pandemic which is claiming many lives all over the world.

You will recall that, a couple of months ago, coronavirus was detected in Wuhan city of China. This deadly virus continued to spread to neighbouring countries of China because scientist could not find any cure for it. Today, the virus has affected almost all nations across the world, causing death in large numbers that cannot be imagined. The death tolls in many advance countries such as USA, China, UK, Spain, Italy and many other countries as a result of the virus is a matter of great concern to the people of Africa including the citizens of Western Togoland.

Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the virus as pandemic and warned all leaders to take preventive measures in their respective nations to curtail the spread of the virus. It is against this background that the leadership of the Concerned Citizens of Western Togoland wish to express our sincere and profound gratitude to our great leader and King, Togbega Afede XIV, The Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, for His marvelous donation of hand sanitizers in large quantity and cash of GHC100,000.00 (1 Billion) to the Ho Polyclinic and the Regional Hospital as a support to prevent the spread of the virus in our land. Togbega, we salute you for your kind gesture towards your subjects, your true leadership and stewardship is providing comfort and fortitude for us your subjects. It is our conviction that your leadership will guide us to the restoration of our customs, traditions and values as a unique people. May God always protect and bless you.

We also acknowledge the statements from Togbe Sri and Togbe Fiti of Anlo and Aflao Traditional Councils respectively on educating the public about the preventive measures to avoid the contacting and spreading of the pandemic.     

At this point we are calling on all Kings and Queens in the territory from the south at Keta to the north at Kulungugu to provide adequate support, security and protection for their subjects from this deadly pandemic. We wish to remind our Kings and Traditional Priests that, during the olden days of our forefathers, in a pandemic situation of this nature, prayers and sacrifices were offered in their various shrines to protect the citizens from contracting the disease. We are therefore making a special appeal to the Kings and Queens of Anlo, Asogli, Gbi, Akpini, Tornu and all the Traditional Councils in the territory to as a matter of urgency come together to take decision on how to protect their various communities by engaging our traditional priests to consult the gods on our behalf and offer the necessary prayers and sacrifices to avert this calamity on our land. 

We also entreat our Christian Pastors and Muslim Imams to offer prayers to God/Allah for the protection of the citizens from the pandemic. 

According to our investigations, our borders at Aflao, Dzodze, Nyive, Kpoglo, Akpokploe, Leklebi, and all the borders villages through to Yendi are being invaded. Immigrants are breaking through to our territory because the authorities in charge of these borders are compromised and they are allowing anyone to enter the territory once they can pay a price. 

We wish to appeal to our traditional authorities to immediately organize traditional tax force which will man these borders, including our sea shores, to prevent the influx of immigrants as a measure of preventing imported cases of the Covid 19 pandemic into the territory.

Covid 19 and Its Ramifications

The pandemic is forcing leaders of great nations such as USA, China, UK, Spain, Italy and many advanced countries to lockdown their cities and the entire nations, in an extreme situation, as the last resort to prevent the spread of the pandemic. 

Ghana has also taken same measure to lockdown two major economic regions, Greater Accra and Ashanti regions, as a means to stop the pandemic from spreading to other parts of the country. This exercise has put economic hardship on citizenry because majority of them are daily income earners from the menial jobs they do to sustain their livelihood. It is unfortunate that government could not provide food for these category of citizens to live on before announcing the lockdown in these regions making life very frustrating and miserable for citizens. This is so sad!

In view of the above, the leadership of the Concerned Citizens of Western Togoland wish to enquire from the authorities of the land about the preparations they have made in advance in case of a possible lockdown of the land. In a lockdown situation, all economic activities are put to a halt, movement of goods and services seized, the citizens are confined to their homes to determine their survival. How are we prepared as individuals as well as a nation to cater for those who will be affected adversely by the lockdown if there is any? How many individuals will need support in terms of food to sustain them during the lockdown period? Looking at our towns and cities within the territory, Keta, Aflao, Anloga, Ho, Kpandi, Hohoe, Jasikan, Kadjebi, Nkwanta, Dambai, Kpasa, Binbila, Yendi, Bawku and other towns and villages, how many individuals will need support in terms of food and medication? Do we have a database of all the citizens across the territory from town to town and what category of citizens and their working background to ascertain the ability of the territory to contain and defeat the pandemic?

We call on all the authorities not to wait for government before doing the right thing that is expected to move the territory on.   

We are also calling on all well-meaning citizens, the rich class, the business class, the academia, and all to help in diverse ways to provide sanitizers to our public places such as markets, hospitals, lorry parks, etc.to curb the spread of the virus.

It is apparent that government has not provided adequate resources and logistics to combat the pandemic in our land, therefore it is our duty as citizens of the land to collectively put resources together to take proper measures to protect ourselves in terms of health equipment to prevent the pandemic from spreading into the land.

To our beloved youth, PLC is appealing to all of us to take all measures available with all the seriousness because the virus is deadly and there is no cure for it. We are using this medium to advise all our citizens living outside the territory to remain calm at their respective towns and not to bother coming home soon. As well we wish to tell those within the territory not to attempt to move to other region and we must also ensure that the hygiene and social distancing protocols are strictly adhere to so that we can escape this pandemic and live to restore our dear nation Western Togoland.

The leadership of PLC wishes to remind all of us that, after every pandemic, there is faming (hunger). We wish to entreat the youth to use this period to engage in a large scale farming to produce food crops for the hard time ahead. Leadership will soon roll out a programme designed by PLC to engage in large scale farming in food production in the territory to make food available for the citizens during the hunger period. The youth should also corporate with their various leaderships so that this programme of large scale of food production becomes a reality. 

We wish to admonish our Chiefs, Kings and Queens in the various communities to organize their subjects to engage in communal farming to grow food crops such as maize, rice, millet, cassava, yam groundnuts, beans, peas….. in large scales so that hunger will not take us by surprise. 

We want to add that, each and every one of us should remain calm as the leadership of PLC is making the necessary efforts to restore the land. Violence will erase all the efforts we have made so far therefore our youth should remain steadfast and avoid any violent activities even when provoked.

Thank you all and stay safe. 

 

Signed

1. Winfred Delali 

Executive Secretary   

CCWTL

 

2. Daniel Yevugah

1st Vice President

CCWLT

 

For further information please contact 055 131 9156