Isn’t it sad, how some Ghanaians will go and form queues as early as 2am to 5pm to vote for NPP and NDC only to come and complain of lack of development when they see Otumfuo as if they saw Otumfuo’s picture on the ballot paper?

Isn’t it funny how these Ghanaians will shower praises on their politicians, hailing them “honourable honourable” and after they’ve given powers to these politicians, they will use their taxes to buy huge mansions and palaces for their girlfriends, takes them for shopping at Dubai and save in Swiss banks, they won’t complain, they will keep quiet only to complain when they see Otumfuo performing his ceremonial duties as if Manhyia Palace is the headquarters of Ghana Revenue Authority?

Isn’t it laughable, that these party foot-soldiers and party defenders will defend their non-performing political parties and politicians only to come and complain of lack of skyscrapers when they see the image of Otumfuo as if they pay their taxes to Manhyia Palace?

Isn’t this a joke, that some Ghanaians will only come to the realisation that traditional rulers are accountable to their people when they see Otumfuo’s car passing?

Isn’t this unfairness, that some Ghanaians will come to the realisation that it is now the duties of traditional leaders to build skyscrapers, construct roads, fight the unhygienic sanitation in the country, fight galamsey and corruption in the country only when they see the image of Asantehene as if Otumfuo is the one who instituted the non-performing ministry of sanitation, as if Otumfuo is the one who have been given gold cohesion to the Chinese to destroy our lands. When the one they voted for, and gave him their power to be on his toes and work to better their lives is busy relaxing and sleeping at the flagstaff house/Jubilee house?

Isn’t this academic dishonesty that these supposed “educators” cannot simply comprehend that Article 257(6) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana has reduced the powers of traditional leaders to only their ceremonial duties, yet they want this traditional leaders to turn Ghana into Bahamas and Washington DC within 10 minutes forgetting that the one who promised them Dubai, New York and Ghana beyond aid is at the flagstaff house, and he is the one they pay their taxes to?

Then they ignorantly compare him to a Dubai King and Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain thinking they have done the best of comparison ever. Forgetting that United Kingdom practice Monarchical system of governance whereby taxes, revenues and customs are paid to the Queen. And the Prime Minister works on behalf of Her Majesty’s government? Even with that, can these Ghanaians living in United Kingdom pinpoint a particular structure that was built by Queen Elizabeth herself? Unlike Ghana, a unitary state, a constitutional republic where we practice presidential system of governance meaning all lands and it resources belongs to the central government led by the President and not any traditional ruler.

Then they ignorantly compare Asantehene to a UAE king who directly controls all the taxes and revenues in his Kingdom forgetting that the Asantehene does not collect taxes from anybody and I don’t remember the last time the central government introduced a tax called  “Otumfuo Tax” where taxes will be paid to Asantehene.

And the sad part it, majority of these charlatans who are ranting are people who are coming from regions that lacks everything, regions that are not even attractive to investors in the first place not to talk of development. Regions that have been topping in various categories of poverty ratios and regions that have been declared as the poverty capital of Ghana. Meanwhile, all these regions also has Chiefs and traditional rulers.

I always say that Asantes, our biggest problem was to join our once beautiful kingdom and territory to Ghana. When Otumfuo was controlling his territory and resources, Queen Elizabeth came to Kumasi and called it the Garden City of West Africa, because Kumasi was at the time beautiful and nicely built than Accra. 

In the 1940s when the Gold Coast Educated Elites pressured pressured the colonial masters to build a university in Ghana instead of going to build only one University in Nigeria (University of Ibadan) to serve the whole West Africa, the British refused saying they don’t have the resources  to build two universities for West Africa. If Gold Coast want a university they  should provide fundings for it.

It took J.B Danquah and other elites to travel from Accra, Gold Coast Territory all the way to Kumasi, Ashanti Territory to plead with the Asantehene to help them raise funds to build University for Gold Coast.

Why didn’t they go to Ga Mantse to solicit for funds since the university was going to be established on his land? Why didn’t they go to Ya-Naa at North or the Yagbonwura? Why didn’t they go to the Okyenhene or the Oguaamanhene for money but rather the Asantehene? Because at the time, the Asantehene was a major exporter of Cocoa, He controls His lands and resources, He mobilised farmers in the cocoa growing areas in Ghana to raise funds to build today’s University of Ghana, Legon. Ghanaian historians are always quite about this, they quickly mention J.B Danquah as the founder of University of Ghana but deliberately forget to mention the one who raised funds for the university to be built.

Today the constitution of Ghana has reduced all his powers including other traditional rulers to only ceremonial heads so you are insulting him over a development he not in charge of.

Otumfoɔ deɛ anka wayɛ bi ama mo, na Nnipa na enni nkaeɛ ntira. Eiiii Asanteman, let’s cry because we didn’t bargain for this when we decided to join Ghana.

"Ɛnnyɛ obia na ayɛ na emom Kwame Nkrumah Tikɛseɛ na ayɛ, ya da nase".

Past governments have tried everything possible to halt development in Asanteman mu because of their own known intentions towards Asantes. Including this current government and they have reduced some Asantefuo to only voting machines. Asantes are only important during elections and nothing else. This is not what we bargained for as a Kingdom. 

And to some ignorant Asantes among us, you are the reasons why “they” will continue to drag us to the gutters everytime, meanwhile they are not any better, they are even vulnerable than us. We are the most populated region in Ghana, so if we are to measure percentage of tax collection by population then we pay more taxes to the central government than any other region, maybe aside Accra. And even  take our gold and other natural resources on top to develop Accra and instead of bearing your teeth on the government, you join them to troll Asantehene.

If you want Kumasi to be like Dubai and Washington DC then please help us tell the government to give Asanteman back to Asantehene, let Asantes pay their taxes to Asantehene, let Asantehene control all the resources in his territory. Let Asante Kingdom be like Lesotho in South Africa and I promise you Ghanaians, that within one month, Otumfuo will construct Asante roads with gold.

Have you asked yourself, how did he get money to fund the Otumfuo Education Fund which is currently sponsoring over 400,000 Ghanaian students in Ghana and abroad, both Akans and non-Akans? Where did he get money to establish the Bodukwan Factory that has employed a lot of Ghanaians? Where did he get fundings to be building the Kumasi International Conference Center? Where does he get money to sponsor the Otumfuo Teachers Awards where teacher who are working hard in rural communities and villages who are not even recognised by the government of the day are recognised by Otumfuo and are awarded accordingly? Etc.

And so because of your unsubstantiated rants, he shouldn’t wear his Golden Regalia, Santehene shouldn’t wear his traditional attire because the government you joined queue at dawn to vote is not creating jobs for you nor building your roads so Otumfuo is the one to blame now?

You people should always thank Kwame Nkrumah for thrashing out the Burn’s constitution, that proposed federal system of governance, if not, some regions in Ghana would have sold sea water to develop themselves.

Yɛda mo ase 🙏 Boniayɛfoɔ. 

Article 257(6) of Ghana’s 1992 Constitution “every mineral in its natural state in, under or upon any land in Ghana, rivers, streams, water courses throughout Ghana, the exclusive economic zone and any area covered by the territorial sea or continental shelf is the property of the Republic of Ghana and shall be vested in the President on behalf of, and in trust for the people of Ghana”.