Traditional elders from Nanton in the Northern Region have denied any purported report that went on tension arising in the area which comes in the back of s some aggrieved divisional and sub chiefs demanded the immediate removal of Zoosal-Lana Haruna Sulemana Tia in the area.
According to the elders of Nanton the report which was carried by a section of the media in the region only sought to throw dust in the eyes of Ghanaians.
The traditional elders therefore stated that such reports untrue and should be treated with contempt.
A week ago news emerge that, Forty-five out of 57 sub and divisional chiefs of Nanton traditional area at a press conference, called on Government to act swiftly against the Zoosal-Lana by removing him from the Nanton skin for the rightful occupant, Nanton Naa Mahamudu BawaV who has been enskined by the Ya Naa.
The aggrieved chiefs, backed by some youth in the area in their presser accused the Zoosal -Lana Haruna Sulemana , of enjoying political by holding himself as the chief of Nanton against the approval and authorization of the Overlord of Dagbon, Ya-Na, the appointing authority.”
However reacting to the report the elders of Nanton at a counter press briefing address by Iddrisu Ibrahim Anyass, sectary to the elders of Nanton stated that, there isn’t any tension whatsoever in Nanton and its environs.
the elders lamented that, the only reason for such earlier report on potential insecurity in the area, could be an attempt by some people to use “fear and panic” strategy to tint Nanton Traditional Area with conflict and by extent make Dagbon the headlines of newspapers with conflict again.
IbrahimAnyass on behalf of the Nanton traditional elders maintained that they will resist any attempt to impose the Ya-Na’s candidate, Vo Naa Muhammadu Baba Bawa, on them as Nanton Naa.
Cue Nanton fear and panic
“we would like to state our position clearly once again that we the Chiefs and People of Nanton Traditional Area do not want Mr. Bawa in Nanton today, we do not want him tomorrow,” he stated
Read the full statement bellow
PRESS CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY ELDERS, SUB-CHIEFS, OPINION LEADERS AND PEOPLE OF NANTON TRADITIONAL AREA ON MONDAY 19TH AUGUST 2019
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. We the elders, opinion leaders, youth and people of Nanton Traditional Area wish to first of all thank you for honouring our invitation to this press briefing. This is occasioned by the recent wrong reportage by some media houses that sought to throw dust in the eyes of Ghanaians that there was tension in Nanton some seven days ago. We wish to state emphatically that this is untrue and should be treated with contempt.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, while we the people of Nanton Traditional Area were enjoying peace and celebrating the Eid festival with remarkable traditional dances at the Palace of our Nanton Naa Tia Sulemana Haruna, some unscrupulous people outside Nanton Traditional Area chose to mislead Ghanaians. We were shocked that a palpable lie of that magnitude, with the heading “Tension mounts in Nanton as Chiefs petition President”, could be fed to the media. We are aware this was done by syndicates shielding behind those news agencies to court public interest for their political and parochial gains. We are also fully aware that these confliprenuers were targeting to use “fear and panic” strategy to tint Nanton Traditional Area with conflict and by extent make Dagbon the headlines of newspapers with conflict again.
No wonder politicians like MP for Tamale North, Honorable Alhassan Suhuyini, was on TV3 morning show biting on it with all speed of conjectures and twistings. Couldn’t Hon. Suhiyini have found out from his constituency, which is few miles from Nanton, whether there was actually tension in Nanton? In any case, is he the only politician who is from a kingdom which has chieftaincy issues? Dagbon has come far and it is about time politicians like him stopped using us for political gains.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, we would like to state our position clearly once again that we the Chiefs and People of Nanton Traditional Area do not want Mr. Bawa in Nanton today, we do not want him tomorrow. We took this bold decision not to disrespect the overlord of Dagbon but to save Nanton and Dagbon against the treachery of Lawyer Ibrahim Mahama in the selection of Mr. Bawa. We are fully aware of Lawyer Ibrahim Mahama’s desperation and diabolic plans to grab and sell lands of Nanton, once Mr. Bawa is accepted in Nanton as our Chief. We will resist this with all the might God has bestowed on us as a People. No individual should be given the chance to manipulate the decision of the overlord of Dagbon again.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it will interest you to know that when Mr. Bawa was chief of Kpano, he vilified, castigated, and hated the people of Nanton so much. He issued open aspersions that we, the Chiefs and People of Nanton are “jangbara”, i.e., we are “mice”. If any person from Nanton entered Kpano, Mr. Bawa, then Kpano Naa ordered that the person be asked to leave Kpano because he didn’t want “jangbara” in his land. This made us to be very furious against him and to believe that he could never be our Nanton Naa. Mr. Bawa even refused to participate in the Regent installation when the late Nanton Naa Alhassan Sulemana passed on. Our tradition is clear on this; if you don’t participate in a funeral during regent installation you can’t turn around to expect to be chief of the area you rejected. The gods won’t allow you.
Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, we are much aware the
Overlord of Dagbon formed a Nanton Peace Committee to recommend to him measures
to take to resolve the Nanton impasse. We are not informed the Committee has
closed it’s sittings or submitted it’s report to the Ya-Naa. It is however
worrying how Kumbung-Naa appeared recently on NTV sharing his opinions on the
Nanton matter. We found it unfortunate that a Committee member could divulge
his expectations to the whole world when the Committee is yet to submit it’s
report. Should we conclude that the Ya-Naa expects only one outcome as we are
also aware Kumbung-Naa is the spokesperson of Ya-Naa on the Committee? Maybe
things are coming to light that Lawyer Ibrahim Mahama through Ya-Naa and
Kumbung-Naa won’t stop at anything to get Mr. Bawa to Nanton.
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, it would be recalled that on page 41 of the
1987 Reconciliation Committee Agreement, during one of the meetings held on
Saturday, the 11th of July 1987 at Kamina Barracks Officers Mess, Tamale, it
was disclosed during the deliberation on sharing of divisional skins that
Nanton skin was to be given to an Abudu Chief. This was fiercely resisted by
Andani Royal Family who argued that an Abudu chief already occupies Savelugu
and, if Nanton is added to Abudus, they would be very powerful in Western
Dagbon. Today, the Savelugu skin is occupied by our brother N-yab Yoo Naa
Abdulai Yakubu Andani of the Andani Royal Family, yet Ndan Ya-Na wants to make
them (Andanis) very powerful in Western Dagbon by enskinning Mr. Bawa to
Nanton? If it was wrong as argued by the Andani Royal Family at that time, why
should it be right today?
Ladies and gentlemen, it is also petty to link our Nanton Naa Haruna Sulemana to the NPP government as if it is the NPP government which enskinned our Nanton Naa as our chief. People who do this should be reminded that what has happened or is happening in Nanton is not new in Dagbon. It happened under Ya-Naa Mahama II (father of current Ya-Naa) in 1946, it happened under Na-Yakubu Andani between 1980 to 2000, it happened under then Regent Kampakuya Naa between 2008 to 2016 and it is happening under current Ya-Naa. We the people of Nanton are not looking for any power or support from any politician to resist oppressors rule. If the likes of Hon. Suhiyini are looking for political backing for Ex-Vo Naa Bawa who was Member of Council of State under erstwhile NDC government, they should let Ghanaians know. The question should rather be “How did Dagbon chiefs and elders resolve this anytime it happened?” Was it through government intervention? Was it the REGSEC? Big NO!
Ladies and gentlemen of the press, once again we don’t want Mr. Bawa in Nanton today, we don’t want him any day. Any force against our resolve should be ready to kill the whole of Nanton for Mr. Bawa to enter Nanton.
Thank you.
Signed :……………………….
Wulana
Nyori Naa
Gushei Naa
Kukologu
Tuu Naa
Boting Naa
Gundaa Naa
Kamonaa
Adu
Achiri
Montia Naa
Boaru
Kumahi
Machendi
Lung Naa
Dobihi Naa
Taha Naa
Sampahi Naa
Yiwago Naa
Limam
Nayimu
Nanton Gunu
Magazia
Hajia Rahama
Fatimata
Shetu Bila
Alhaji Issah
Alhaji Alhassan
Abdul-Rahimi Alhassan
Youth Chairman
Zaachi Iddrisu
Yakubu Awal
Alhassan Yakubu
Adambila
Mr. Issah
Source: Diamondfmonline.com/ Alhassanyakubu
