Agitated opinion leaders, chiefs and the people of the Amenfi East, Amenfi West and Amenfi Central districts of the Western Region, on Tuesday morning petitioned the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, on their desire to become part of the yet to be created new region, the Western North.
They declared their unwillingness to be part of the Western South Region, after the entire Western Region is finally divided.
According to the Wassa Amenfi leaders, they knew that their paramount chief, Tetrete Okuamoah Sekyim II , had signed a petition that was sent to the Office of the President, some few months ago, expressing their desire to be part of the Western North Region and not the Western South Region.
“We have come to realise that the Amefi District may not be part of the newly created Western North Region.” The petition was also copied to the Office of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, the Western Regional Minister.
Signatories of the petition titled, ‘Petition to include Amenfi East Central and West to Western North Region’ and copied to the Ghanaian Times included a former District Chief Executive (DCE) Wassa Amenfi West, Alberto Tekyi, Presiding Member, Amenfi Central, Henry Obeng Assah, Stephen Nyarko, NPP Constituency Chairman, Amenfi Central, Nicholas Takyi, Amefi West Constituency Youth Organiser, Prof. Frank. K. Nyame of the University of Ghana, Legon, Accra and Nana Sasraku Gyimah II, divisional chief of Sompe.
The petition further stated: “We the youth and many prominent opinion leaders, realising the new turn of events, have done an extensive consultations in the three Amenfi municipality and districts and propagating the benefits that will accrue to the citizens, the traditional authorities have given our backing in this appeal.”
The petitioners argued that traditionally, socially, politically, economically, historically, and culturally, the Sefwis, Aowins and the Amenfis had a lot in common through inter-marriages, schooling and good neighbourliness, stressing that the Amenfi districts must be part of the Western North Region.
They added that proximity to the new regional capital wherever it would be cited would be less than half the travelling time from any part of Amenfi as compared to journeying to the current regional capital in Sekondi-Takoradi.
The Amenfis maintained that the new region obviously comes with opportunities and benefits which would position the Amenfi districts in an enviable place of development especially in the road, health and educational sectors.
They asserted: “The fear is that should the Amenfi districts remain with Western South, many of our youth, business people and public and civil servants would be enticed to the Western North due to proximity and opportunities, a situation that has the potential to create manpower shortages. We assure you that we will massively mobilise our citizens from Amenfi to vote massively towards the creation of the Western North Region.”
Registering their displeasure on the streets of Asankragwa in a peaceful demonstration, the youth carried placards some of which read, ‘Nurses will leave Amenfi,’ ‘We shall not lose our lands and tradition,’ ‘Brain drain shall hit Amenfi,’ ‘Amenfi is tired of selfish leaders, stop the tribalism,’ ‘We can’t continue to serve the people of Taadi’ and ‘Omanhene should speak’.
FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, TAKORADI
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