The Concerned Youth of Axim in the Nzema East Municipality of the Western Region has issued a 7-day ultimatum to the Nkosohene of the area, Nana Nkwantabisa, to retract and apologize for dragging the name of the former Member of Parliament, Catherine Afeku, and the highly recognized Kundum festival into disrepute.
The group is threatening to initiate steps for his destoolment if Nana Nkwantabisa fails to retract what they see as “lies and propaganda” aimed at dragging the hard-earned reputation of the former MP and their dear Kundum festival through the mud.
The group’s demand comes on the heels of a recent report by the Auditor General [2018] that cited the former MP, who doubled as the former Tourism Minister, for spending GH¢200,000.00 on the Kundum festival.
But Nana Nkwantabisa, who is also the Chairman of the Planning Committee for the Kundum celebration, in numerous media engagements, has insisted that the reported amount was not spent on the Kundum festival as so captured in the report.
At a press conference in Axim, the youth group corroborated the position of the former MP that indeed the reported amount was spent on the celebration of the Kundum festival.
“Is the Axim Kundum Committee Chairman saying that that monies released within a particular date cannot be used to finance activities on a different date?” the group questioned.
Below is the press statement:
PRESS CONFERENCE BY CONCERNED YOUTH OF AXIM ON UNWARRANTED STATEMENTS BY NANA OSEI NKWANTABISA(CHAIRMAN OF THE AXIM KUNDUM PLANNING COMMITTEE) AGAINST HON CATHERINE ABELEMA AFEKU ( FORMER MP& MINISTER), PRESENTED BY THEOPHILUS MUSAH ON THURSDAY 26TH AUGUST, 2021 AT VICTORIA PARK
Ladies and Gentlemen of the media, good afternoon and thank you for honouring our invitation at this short notice.
We are all witnesses to the recent bad press generated by the Nkosuohene of Lower Axim and chairman of the Axim Kundum Planning Committee, Nana Osei Nkwantabisa. This is what has brought us here today.
Our distinguished former MP and Minister, Hon. Catherine Abelema Afeku has done nothing untoward with regards to the recent Auditor General’s findings, yet this young man has for the past week deliberately and falsely twisted the report that has not mentioned any chief nor any palace, into a shouting contest ostensibly to vilify our noble former MP, Hon. Catherine Abelema Afeku.
For the records, once again, we are witnesses to the fact that the 2018 Kundum celebrations had celebrities whom some of us in our life could only dream of watching them perform live in Nzemaland. Indeed the adverts and flyers that went around mentioned the Ministry of Tourism as the main sponsor(Copies attached).
For the avoidance of doubt, the likes of Stonebowy, Kofi Kinaata, Kidi, Kwesi Arthur, Agya Koo, Kwame Eugene, Wisa, Seffa, Dahlin Cage, Osayo, D-Black, Don Kweli, Amazuke, Macho Rapper, Kojo Gyamfi, Dr. Pablo, Kizito, Tray Zee and Kweku Bany who won the prestigious TV3 Mentor last year. All these musicians performed in Axim.
Edem, K.K. Fosu, Lil Win, Patapaa, Kakyire Kwame Appiah, Nero X, and others performed at Nsein.
Emmanuel Armah Kofi Buah with support from Catherine Abelema Afeku spiced up the Nkroful Kundum festival celebration with sterling performances from Agya Koo, Patapaa, Kaakyire Kwame Appiah, and Lilwin. Our brothers and sisters in Nkroful will attest to this.
All these artistes were in Nzema because of the love they have for our hardworking Minister and MP.
The question we ask our chiefs is, did any of these artistes ask them for payments after their performances? The answer is NO; all the costs were borne by the Ministry of Tourism.
It is important to note that the auditor general report did not accuse any chief of taking money, neither did it accuse any kundum committee chairman of receiving money from the Ministry.
We will also like to clear the twisted explanation that because the auditor’s report mentioned 1st-9th September, so automatically the report was talking about a particular Kundum festival.
On record, the 2018 Axim Kundum activities did not begin on the 1st but rather 3rd-9th according to the words of Nkwantabisa which were published on Ghanaweb.com.
In any case, is the Axim Kundum committee chairman saying that monies released within a particular date cannot be used to finance activities on a different date?
It is indeed sad that our own Nzema people through their parochial political lenses will go to lengths to destroy their own and Nana Nkwantabisa has demonstrated those characteristics to its fullest.
Is Hon. Catherine from Burkina Faso? Is she a Togolese? Why is a so-called lower Axim Nkosuohene hell-bent on destroying a daughter of the soil and nobody seems to call him to order? If not for partisan politics, why should the Kundum, our collective pride, and heritage be subjected to public ridicule because of the selfish political ambition of a power-drunk “development chief”.
Nana Nkwantabisa on record is a staunch member of the NDC and has in recent times been engaged in an open and public campaign for the umbrella family. On Saturday, August 21, 2021, he confirmed on Peace FM’s Entertainment Show hosted by Halifax Ansah that he is a true NDC.
In any case, has he accounted for the numerous donations from Tullow Gh, Taqa, and Ghana Gas since he became the chairman of the kundum planning committee? we, therefore, entreat him to render an account on the numerous amounts of money he has received so far as the Chairman of the Kundum Planning Committee because it is said that “he who calls for equity must do so with a clean hand”
We will not allow him to denigrate our leader who through her efforts, projected the Kundum festival to the extent of winning the prestigious Western Event of the Year award at the Western Regional Entertainment Awards. We will further advise him that if he wants to come to the arena of politics, then we are ready for him as a regular person not as Lower Axim Nkosuohene.
We give him a 7-day ultimatum ending 1st September 2021 to retract and apologize for dragging the name of our former MP and our dear Kundum festival in the mud. If he does not retract the lies and propaganda, we will organize massive demonstrations on the streets of Axim and stop recognizing him as Lower Axim’s “development chief”. We will again begin steps to ensure that, the embarrassed Nkosuohene is destoolled.
We call on all residents of Axim, both home and abroad to join us in this fight to restore sanity and dignity in the Kundum festival and the enviable heritage of Axim and Nzema as a whole.
The behaviour of Nana Nkwantabisa is alien to the beliefs and traditions of Axim and Nzema.
We are not prophets of doom, and we want to assure our traditional leaders, that we honour them, but Nana Nkwantabisa will one day surely turn his arrogance and disrespect to them if he has not started already, so what has happened is a clear opportunity to show him the exit. Strip the Nkosuohene title from him and remove him from the Chairmanship position of the Kundum planning committee.
What is more painful but amazing, is that a theatre block that has been renovated with donations from the Kundum festival has now become a personal project for Nana Nkwantabisa.
Nana Nkwantabisa a.k.a Evans Agya Adu Osei Baffour must go …
We shall send a petition to Awulae Attibrukusu III(Omanhene, Lower Axim) and Nana Adusei IV(Acting President, Upper Axim) after this press briefing.
Long live Axim
Long live Nzemaland
Long live the Kundum festival.