Theophilus Musa (middle) flanked by other colleagues during the press conference
The youth of Nzema in the Western Region have strongly condemned some paramount chiefs who they claim, have introduced tribalism into the appointment of chief executive officer (CEO) of the Ghana Gas Company located at Atuabo in the region.
The chiefs are said to be calling for an Nzema person to be appointed for the topmost job.
It would be recalled that Awulae Agyefi Kwame and Awulae Agamatu Agyan, paramount chiefs of Nsein and Bamiankor Traditional Areas respectively during a press conference last Saturday, kicked against the president’s decision to appoint Dr. Ben Asante as the caretaker CEO of the company.
The chiefs, who claimed they represented the rest of the five paramount chiefs of the Nzema Manle Council, rather preferred one Professor Sagary Nokoe.
According to the chiefs, Prof Nokoe is an Nzema who understands the socio-cultural, economic, security, political and environmental dynamics of the terrain of the Nzemas and so was fit to be considered for the job.
However, the youth of the area have indicated that the views expressed by the two chiefs did not reflect the views and aspirations of the peace-loving people of Nzema.
The Nzema youth have indicated that the path taken by the two chiefs was dangerous for the unity of the nation.
They have therefore called on all well-meaning Ghanaians and civil society groups to join in condemning the purported tribal and ethnocentric statements by their respected chiefs.
“If the Ashanti Kingdom were also to decide that all jobs in the Ashanti Region should be offered to only Ashantis or the Greater Accra chiefs also were to rise and make similar statements, would Ghana be united? they quizzed.
Addressing a press conference at Axim in reaction to the chiefs’ statement, Theophilus Musa, President of the Nzema Youth, noted that there are seven paramount chiefs in the Nzema enclave, and that five of them were not part of the press conference on Saturday and that they were in total disagreement with the suggestion by the two chiefs.
He indicated that Ghana Gas is not the preserve of Nzema people but all Ghanaians, stressing that the alleged ploy by some few individuals to purportedly scuttle the success of the NPP government in Nzemaland would fail.
“We the youth and the entire people of Nzema fully support the appointment of Dr Ben Asante as the CEO of Ghana Gas because he is qualified, experienced and better suited for the job,” he pointed out.
He continued, “The Nzema youth do not wish to denigrate Professor Sagary Nokoe, the Nzema whose name was mentioned by the chiefs for the top job at Ghana Gas, but we think the retired professor wanted to use the two chiefs to coerce the president to give him the job.”
From Emmanuel Opoku, Axim