President Akufo-Addo in a chat with the Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, yesterday paid a courtesy call on President Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House.
Welcoming Otumfuo Osei Tutu II to Jubilee House, President Akufo-Addo noted that the Asantehene, since 1999, has visited each of his predecessors under the 4th Republic.
“I am happy that this is the first time that we have seen such a powerful delegation of Asanteman here at Jubilee House,” the president stated.
President Akufo-Addo used the opportunity to thank the Asantehene for the role he played in ensuring peace after the December 2016 elections.
He said:“I know all that took place behind the scenes; the role you played in making sure that everything went very smooth in our country, and that the stability and peace, which has become associated with our nation, was maintained. The Ghanaian people will continue to be grateful to you for your intervention”.
The ability of the Asantehene to reduce tension and smoothen things over, according to the president, was again evident on Thursday, 23rd August, 2018, during the 75th anniversary of the death of Nana Ofori Atta in Kyebi.
President Akufo-Addo stressed “the presence of Otumfuo in Kyebi is a signal that despite the attempt on some people’s part to put problems between the two traditional states, i.e. Asanteman and Okyenman, there is no problem.
“On the contrary, unity and solidarity were the watchwords in the relationship between the two states.”
According to the president, “The lesson that was given in Kyebi is a lesson that should be taken across Ghana about the need for unity amongst our people, and for us to understand that, yes, we may be of diverse origins, history and culture, but essentially we are part and parcel of the Ghanaian family, and that is what we need to hold on to, to maintain the unity, coherence and stability of our nation.”
The events in Kyebi, the president added, should show the people of Ghana that the Asantehene is committed to the ‘One Ghana Project.’
“It’s one for which the Ghanaian people appreciate and thank him for. Every part of Ghana will benefit from my mandate. We don’t want it to be a mandate that will be exclusive to one side or another so that when things need to be done, they will be done on their merit, and not as the result of any particular inclination for one set of Ghanaians or another,” he indicated.
He expressed happiness with the commissioning of the Kumasi Roads Facelift Project, which will see the construction and rehabilitation of some 260 kilometres of road in the Kumasi Metropolis.
Free SHS
The president thanked Otumfuo Osei Tutu II for the steadfast support given to the government in the implementation of the Free SHS policy.
“It has not been an easy matter for the nation in finding the resources and the determination to do it. But I believe, if for nothing, my period on the stage of Ghana should be identified with ensuring that every Ghanaian child, no matter the circumstances of their birth, no matter where they live in our country, has access to a minimum of secondary school education to be able to propel them to live in the 21st century.
“It is a commitment I made, and I am not turning back on it. It is a commitment the Ghanaian people have accepted as part of the educational architecture of the country,” the president stressed.
President Akufo-Addo was equally grateful to Otumfuo for supporting the fight against illegal mining, popularly referred to as ‘galamsey,’ saying his government was committed to winning the fight and ensuring “the sanitization of our environment, of our water bodies, that all of us want to see.”
Dagbon
The president was also confident that under the leadership of the Asantehene, the Dagbon impasse would be resolved.
“I am hoping that very soon the people of Ghana will hear from your lips that a roadmap has been finally agreed upon that will allow us to come out of this crisis, and install a new Ya Naa in furtherance of the peace and cohesion of Dagbon. It will be one of the most important contributions that you can make to the stability of our nation.”
He assured Otumfuo that his administration would give him whatever support is required for the important task.
“My wish is that when the story of our country’s history is being told, it should be said that it was during the time of two friends, Otumfuo Osei Tutu and President Akufo-Addo that Ghana and Asanteman were put on the path of progress and prosperity,” President Akufo-Addo added.