CUTTING CORNERS: How did we get here?

After Bribery and Corruption became normalized, state capture became possible.

Today, Galamseyers are threatening our very existence with impunity; they have taken over our Forest Reserves, poisoning our Rivers and Water Bodies, destroying our Farmlands, including Cocoa farms…

The perpetrators of the Galamsey menace have collaborators and financiers who live nowhere near the action…

These collaborators must be named, shamed, arrested, interrogated, and prosecuted to serve as deterrent to others.

Some people think talking openly about the ROT IN THE SYSTEM amounts to washing your dirty linen in public;

IF THE LINEN IS DIRTY, WHY NOT WASH IT?

Sunshine is the best disinfectant; it cures Corruption so quickly…

Putting the spotlight on Corruption prevents others from doing as those caught and punished…

Today, containers can vanish, contents are sold cheap to foreigners who melt them, export, then they are recycled and resold to us…

Today, people register companies with names similar to State agencies so they can siphon State funds into their private accounts…

Today, people take over State Lands and Bungalows at ridiculous prices and use these prime lands to launder proceeds of Galamsey and Corruption…

These prime lands in Labone, cantonments, Airport, Legon, Adentan, etc al belong to the La Stool.

La Stool Lands are very expensive and have become the currency of choice for Corruption and Galamsey in Ghana; thus, La is key to cutting off the money and tracking the culprits and beneficiaries of these crimes against the State.

La holds the key to ending Corruption and Galamsey Money Laundering…

La leadership, particularly that of the La Stool, is therefore pivotal to waging a successful fight against Galamsey and Corruption.

The State must discharge its obligations, however, La must also do itself a favour.

The Chieftaincy Institution in Ghana is guaranteed under the CONSTITUTION OF GHANA.

IT IS TIME TO RESET LA.

An upright La leadership is a good starting point…

The filling of the vacant Chieftaincy positions in La must be in the spotlight so the right thing is done and the right, upright persons selected through the proper processes in accordance with the Constitution, Customs, and Usage.

According to Article 270 of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution, a chief is a person who, hailing from the appropriate family and lineage, has been validly nominated, elected, or selected and enstooled, enskinned, or installed as a chief or queen mother in accordance with relevant customary law and usage.

THE RIGHT THING MUST BE DONE BY THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT PLACE AND TIME…

There are three vacancies in La in relation to the La Stool, namely the La Mantse, La Dzasetse, and Kowe-Lumoshishi Akutsotse due to the deaths of the occupants, namely Nii Kpobi Tettey Tsuru III, Nii Odotei Adje,i and Nii Manle Dada respectively.

There are other vacancies in other positions in other La Akutsei which equally must be duly filled with the Customs and Usage.

The La Traditional Council has been suspended, there are several vacancies that need to be filled with the right persons duly installed in accordance with the Customs and Usage as pertains to their respective positions.

The La Mantse is the automatic President of the La Traditional Council, whose position is currently vacant.

THE RESET OF LA:

The enstoolment of a new La Mantse is pivotal to the reopening of the La Traditional Council, which he will preside over and invite other members to Council him in discharging in his administrative functions per his office.

Similarly, the La Stool is vacant, because of the absence of a La Mantse, La Dzasetse, and Kowe-Lumoshishi Akutsotse.

These key functions of the La Mantse and his unique role in the performance of customs and rituals exclusively reserved for the Mantse to herald the La Homowo festival make the filling of this vacancy imperative.

The requirements of the new Land Law ACT 1036 that all Stools must set up Stool Lands Secretariats to register all Stool Lands make the enstoolment of a new La Mantse urgent.

The new La Mantse will occupy the refurbished La Mantse Palace and be the occupant of the La Stool which is the first Settlor of the La Lands and will therefore be the final authority to authenticate any La Land Transactions.

Fortunately, all La Stool lands have already been digitally mapped by the Lands Commission, making the registration easy and Concurrent Approval possible if the digital database is shared between the Lands Commission and the La Stool Lands Secretariat.

THE LA BANK, which becomes the designated bank for all La Land Transactions, will hold the electronic footprint or paper trail of all Land Transactions which will greatly aid the tracking of unexplained wealth and real estate transactions used as conduits for money laundering.

The Seal of the La Mantse on certified Land documents will be proof of ownership of lease on any La Land which spans five Municipalities, from Peduasi through Adentan, Madina, Legon, Airport, Cantonments, Labone, and westwards towards Kuntunse and has several villages and towns eastwards towards the Dodowa Forest.

The fact that all Embassies in Ghana are on La Land is undoubtedly important, with its potential international and diplomatic significance.

Many key State installations, including the international Airport, key Aviation, Military and other Security Services as well as Health and Educational facilities, are located on La Land.

Any destabilisation of La, or any Chieftaincy Dispute in La will be calamitous for Ghana with international and diplomatic ramifications.

The fact that President John Dramani Mahama and many high-profile personalities live in La Land makes it an imperative to nip in the bud any potential Chieftaincy Crisis in La.

Galamseyers, Land Looters, and all manner of people with varied interests in La, if the situation degenerates, will swing into action, making it irretractable.

THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW.

Fortunately, the tools are available and the competence of the Police to maintain the peace is not in doubt.

The elevation of the Member of Parliament for La Dadekotopon, who is herself a La Royal, to the high office of Deputy Minister of Local Government, Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs sets the stage for A SETTLEMENT MEETING TO RESET LA.

This year’s La Homowo festival with the enstoolment of a new La Mantse is possible and can be the kind of Big Black Star Experience we can all be proud of…

Let’s stay tuned as events unfold, this can become the Blueprint for RESETTING other Communities with Chieftaincy Crisis across the country.

#TimeNoDey

By Prince-Derek Adjei