Be prepared to stomach insults – Osu Mantse to Opoku-Agyemang
President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona Vl, has advised Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang to have a big heart to accommodate insults and verbal attacks which have characterised Ghana’s politics since she is now a leading political figure in the country.
“Naana Professor, you’re welcome, and my personal advice to you is that the road before you is not straight, you’ll receive plenty of insults but find a big stomach, so when they insult you, you put it in there…” the Osu Mantse advised when Professor Opoku-Agyemang, who is the running mate to former President John Dramani Mahama, the flag bearer of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 election, paid a courtesy call on the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs to seek their permission to tour the region on Monday, 10 August 2020.
Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona Vl also expressed worry over how politicians only recognise the importance of chiefs in the development drive during elections in their quest to canvass votes and soon after neglect them.
Responding to the request from the NDC’s running mate soliciting chiefs and queens’ inputs in the development of Ghana, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona Vl asked politicians to heed the advice of traditional rulers and stop considering them as illiterates.
“…We call you to advise you [but] because we are illiterates, you don’t listen to us, but the beauty of it is that we will not stop talking, we will keep on advising and we believe that now we are getting a listening ear and you are prepared to partner us; we are also prepared to partner you. When you are in power, you see traditional leaders as able but when you leave power, they are our chiefs,” the Osu Mantse said.
For her part, Prof Opoku-Agyemang noted that as the leaders at the local level, the chiefs are the embodiment of development and must be an integral part of the development drive.
She said: “We’ll always collaborate with our Kings and queen mothers and of course we intend to do the same as we go forward. So, being here is to seek your support, seek your advice, seek your direction…it is about time we put our country first and all of us must come together.
“We know the role Greater Accra plays in our national affairs.
“The things we were able to do in our last administration is here for us all to see. Whether is about water, whether is about hospitals, whether is about roads, or schools or any development I know you are all aware and all we are asking for is an opportunity to do same.”