Baffuor Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng
THE Krontihene of New Juaben Traditional Area in the Eastern Region, Baffuor Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng, has petitioned the National House of Chiefs over an alleged “ghost chiefs” in the National Gazzette of chiefs from the his traditional area.
He said there is a deliberate exclusion of some chiefs from the list by Omanhene of New Juaben Traditional Area Daasebre Prof. Emeritus Oti Boateng.
According to the petition a copy of which is available to DGN Online, the exclusion of eight existing and legitimate Divisional Chiefs and members of the New Juaben Traditional Council – Gyasehene, Kontihene, Kyidomhene, Manwerehene, Ntotoyehene, Akyempemhene Ayokoↄhene and Nkosoↄhene from the list of Divisional Chiefs presented to the House of Chiefs by the Omanhene, is a slap on the face of the Chieftaincy Act.
Baffuor Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng contends that the act constitutes a serious breach of law and customary law and usage pertaining to the New Juaben Traditional Area, by whoever or wherever the list emanated from.
The Krontihene hinted that the existing number of Divisional Chiefs within the New Juaben Traditional Area are 12, therefore the list as it appears in the L. I. 2409, is not a true reflection of what is on the ground, as at the date of the gazette, 1st July 2020.
The petition further hinted that the list of Divisional Chiefs in the L. I. 2409 as it stands currently, is illegitimate because “it contains non-existing stools, unheard of in the Traditional Area since 1875 when our ancestors arrived at the current location from Asante Juaben and finally established the New Juaben settlement in 1878. These non-existing and unheard of stools are Betomhene, Srodaehene, Nsukwaohene, and Adwesohene”.
Baffuor Nyantakyi Tutu Boateng also pointed out another illegality being the inclusion of four Sub-divisional Chiefs viz, Nyamekromhene, Suhyenhene, Adahene, and Akwadumhene, in Regulation 7 (1) (h) of the L. I. 2409 as at the date of the gazette, 1st July 2020, and thus elevating them to Divisional status, without due regard to customary law and usage in the process of making a Divisional Chief in the New Juaben Traditional Area.
FROM Daniel Bampoe, Koforidua