A journalist’s candid view about Kumawu on his visit

Barely four days ago, a journalist on fact finding mission visited Kumawu same as he does with other towns in Ghana. On arrival at Kumawu, he was shocked to the bone to find Kumawu in the state that he saw it.

He had expected to find a much bigger, well developed and a town teeming with people. However, he was greeted by a sight of buildings with rusty roofs and a town devoid of economic vibrancy.

He said the way he had heard about Kumawu, her importance and status within Ashanti region and her rich history of nearly becoming the capital of then Asante Kingdom, he never expected to find it in such a dull and smallish state deprived of major developments unlike her rival Kumasi.

Kumawu, then Apemso, having once competed with Kumasi, then Kwamang, under the auspices of the renowned fetish priest Okomfo Anokye, for the capital of the Asante Kingdom, should at least in her failure, have flourished in size and economic activities to a twentieth of the size of current Kumasi but not that diminutive.

The journalist surmised that something must be wrong or else, Kumawu would be much better developed and bigger than the way he came to find it.

I agree 100% with the honest view as expressed and captured on camera by the journalist.

Yes, there is apathy among Kumawuman subjects. They don’t care much about the development of the town and her people. Like many a Ghanaian elsewhere, they think about themselves as individuals pursuing their personal interests.

If it were not so, how could the citizens of Kumawu have sat on their lap watching nonchalantly while the queen cunningly connives with some “powerful” Ashanti chiefs to rob the wealth of Kumawuman in a broad daylight?

How could 280,000 hectares of Kumawu stool land in the Afram Plains be leased to a foreign company for fifty years for $2.50 dollars per hectare per year? The official price as per the United Nations when a country is leasing a farmland to a foreigner, or a foreign company, is $50.00 per hectare per year.

Who is illegally availing him or herself of the remaining $47.50 per hectare per year on the lease of the 280,000 hectares for fifty years?

Could that amount stolen from Kumawuman not be able to use to develop Kumawuman and reroof all the buildings whose roofing sheets have been left at the mercy of the weather only to be rusted.

When Rockson Adofo takes on those traditional leaders ruining Kumawuman, he gets some equally corrupt and shallow-minded individuals to attack him, asking him to fuck off to Juaben, his maternal ancestral place of birth.

Until my dying day, I shall fight for the interests of Kumawuman, God willing.

The damn sycophantic traditionalists who support the criminal activities in perpetration and perpetuation by the chiefs should gird their loins for the fight about to be unleashed.

It is neither a physical nor spiritual fight but true revelations that will torment them psychologically.

Why should Kumawuman sitting on wealth be that poor, if not down to irresponsible traditional chiefs and queen?

Mr journalist, your observations, and expressions of candid views about Kumawu are spot on. Thank you to you.

Kumawu had, and still has, her fair share of the rich men in the country. Why is the town not developed, if I may ask?

Cry, my beloved town.
Honestly, the town has misfits as her traditional leaders if I should call a spade a spade.

Account for the proceeds from that tract of stool land leased to the foreign company for fifty years.

Once again, be it understood by all that stool land is not the personal property of the chief, queen, or the royal family to do whatever they like with. However, it is for the entire subjects of the traditional area hence the trustees who happen to be the chiefs can be called upon to give account of the land.