THE One-storey palace belonging to the Omanhene of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area at Akim Oda in the Birim Central Municipality of the Eastern Region which was gradually collapsing has finally been demolished.
This was after the intervention of the Member of Parliament (MP) for Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, who led a delegation including the staff of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to inspect the extent of damage to the property after a portion of it collapsed last week.
The MP who expressed worry over the situation attributed it to lack of maintenance as the two factions of the Agona royal family had been sitting aloof and did not know which of them was responsible for the maintenance of the palace.
On Saturday morning, the whole building which was becoming a death trap was completely razed down by the authorities.
The palace has been neglected for a long time as a result of a 23 year chieftaincy dispute between the two royal Agona families of Akyem Kotoku.
After the demise of the late Omanhene, Okofobuor Agyeman Attafuah IV, the two royal families, the Attafuah and Frimpong Manso factions have disagreed about who should ascend the throne as Omanhene.
When it was posing danger, following its gradual weakness the main road behind the palace linking the Oda old and new townships was temporarily closed to vehicular traffic to avoid preventable deaths in case the rest of the building collapsed.
Queen Mother’s Reaction
The Queen mother of Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Nana Akua Asantewaa III recently in a media encounter said the condition of the palace currently demanded its immediate demolition and reconstruction to save lives.
According to her, she saw the coming disaster about four years ago and called for the vacation of the occupants to pave way for the reconstruction of the palace.
The Queen mother explained that an emergency meeting with the MP, the Municipal assembly, and the stakeholders would be held and raise funds to reconstruct it.
She, however, appealed to the government, non-governmental organizations, and well-to-do Akyem Kotoku citizens to help financially to demolish the palace and replace it with a modern one befitting the palace of Akyem Kotoku paramount chief.
The MP of the area has also appealed to NADMO and other stakeholders to cooperate for the immediate total demolition and reconstruction of the building to prevent casualties.
BY Daniel Bampoe