Nii Bortey We Clan has called on Nuumo Gborbu Wulormo – Shitse, King Odaifio Welentsi (Nungua Mantse), Nii Botwe Laryea I, the Nungua Manklalo, Akwaashongtse, Lawerh Dzaase and Nii Opklen Dzalesane a.k.a Wradi Keda – Oblantai Mantse, to do the needful thing by directing Nii Shippi Odontor Kakakban IV with immediate effect to seize calling or holding himself as ‘Nungua Shippi or Nungua Tsilefoiatse’.
“As a family, we call on the authorities that be; Nuumo Gborbu Wulormo – Shitseand King Odaifio Welentsi (Nungua Mantse) whose mother is a proud descendant of Shippi Agbetekor, Nii Botwe Laryea I, the Nungua Manklalo, Akwaashongtse who himself was part of the mess, Lawerh Dzaase and Nii Opklen Dzalesane a.k.a Wradi Keda – Oblantai Mantse, the chief orchestrator and principal actor of that shameful event, to do the needful by calling this people to order, since this act of lawlessness took place under their watch without any recourse to the very people it affects. Secondly, we call on them to direct Nii Shippi Odontor Kakakban IV with immediate effect to seize calling or holding himself as ‘Nungua Shippi or Nungua Tsilefoiatse”.
This was made known at a press conference organized by the Nii Bortey We Clan and presented by the Secretary, Abraham Borketey to set the record straight as far as the title “Nungua Shippi or Nungua Tsilefoiatse” is concerned.
“It is very sad that for the first time in the history of the Oyibi Yele Yeli we saw an Asafoatse flanked by Mantsemei, another shameful incidence which should be of concern to any well-meaning native of Nungua.
These betrayers and their puppets are trying to change the very customs and traditions to binds us together, and makes us who we are, due to their selfish and parochial interest, and we the Chiefs, elders and members of the Nii Bortey We Clan won’t sit and allow heinous attack on our history happen. Let me not hasten to add that these history distorters are on the brink of losing the little faith and respect we have remaining in them and will be brought to book in due time.
Abraham Borketey pointed out that, in recent times the Clan have swept under the carpet what they described as irresponsible and ill minded conducts by people at the helm of affairs who ought to know better, all in the name of Peace because they do not want to be forced to revisit their ancestral and ancient traits which can be detrimental to the peace they are enjoying now, in Nungua.
Another issue the Clan Secretary raised has to do with 1000 acres of land released by the government of Ghana to the Nungua Stool, and has been consumed to its entirety by some hungry land grabbing syndicates in the Nungua Stool without consulting the Borteyman Manste and the Bortey We Divisional Council.
He indicated that, they are aware of the intention of the government again to release over 1500 acres to the Stool. “These is to send a strong signal to H.E President Akuffo Addo, Hon. Abu Jinapor (Min. of lands and Natural Resources), Hon. Henry Quartey (Greater Regional Minister) the Land Commission and The Tema Development Corporation (TDC), and the Nungua hungry land grabbing syndicates that we have our eyes firmly opened and our ears on the ground and any attempt to release this portion of land to the Stool without recourse to the Bortey We Divisional Council will be met with a crossfire. We will not hesitate to share the last drop of our blood to defend and protect what rightfully belongs to the Bortey We Clan, and we are ready to meet boot for boot and give any group of land guards who dare us on that day a show down”.
Below is the full statement :
PRESS RELEASE (05-10-2023)
SETTING THE RECORDS STRAIGHT ON NUNGUA SHIPPI
BY NII BORTEY WE
Good morning Nii Mei, Naa Mei, friends of the media, mann bii and the brave and courageous sons and daughters of the Nii Bortey We Clan. We are indeed humbled by your presence here today.
We would like to start this press briefing with a quote from Louisa May Alcott, the American Poet “preserve your memories, keep them well, what you forget can never be retell’.
We are gathered here today not to rejoice over an incident free kpledzoo festival just this past July, but to dispute an event organized by a bunch/group of war mongers and historical distorters on Thursday 21st September, 2023. The day which is set tohonor history and the greatest African of the Century Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, rather turned to be a dark day for Nungua as this group from the Mantse Kwei We Clanand their conspirators, decided to do an irresponsible damage to our history, customs, culture and traditions as a people, by installing Nii Odontor Kakaban IV as a self-styledand a self-imposed Nungua Shipi and Tsilefoiatse. Shamefully that event was characterized by an unprecedented disregard to processes and procedures pertaining to the core cultural settings of the good people of Nungua.
To mention a few, the Akwashongtse was made to administer an oath to Nii Odontor Kakaban IV at Manjaano knowing exactly that per customs and tradition, the Nii Moi We Clan House is the venue for such an oath. Secondly, Nii Kakai (Dzenge We Asafoatse) the right person to administer the oath at Manjaano was sidelined by the unauthorized acting Mankralo for the event and instead administered the Oath in his place. It is a public knowledge that administering of any oath by an Asafoatse starts and ends with
Shippi Agbetekor (Bortey We Asafoatse), but instead what did we witnessed, your guess is as good as mine.
Nii Mei, Naa Mei, friends of the media, please permit me to chronicle the undeniable facts and truth backed by history (written and oral) about Shippi Agbetekor (Bortey We Asafoatse), Nungua Shippi and Tsilefoiatse and also head of the Ga Dangme Asafoatsemei.
It cannot be disputed that Bortey Eteenieshi (Bortey We) was the first child of Borketey Laweh Shitse, hence the custodians of the Tsile drums which we lent to Odaiteitse We. Similar birth rights apply to our good brothers from the Osokrono We Clan, who also custodians of the Asongor drums. This is outlined on page 130 of the book, Social Organization of the Ga People by M.J Field published by the Crown Agents of the Colonies on behalf of the Government of the Gold Coast (1940). It is worthy to note that, the customary rites (‘he kpee mo’ or confirmation) performed for any first child of the land in the past and present to fortify them spiritually and mentally is performed by the Tsilefoiatse (Shippi Agbetekor). This rite confirms one’s position, secures and qualifies them to perform any traditional rites according to their positions.
Nii Mei, Naa Mei, friends of the media, ladies and gentlemen, the question that comes to bear now is; how can a man portray himself a Tsilefoiatse whiles his Authority (Tsile drums) is comfortably resting in another man’s home. We need not remind our betrayers and distractors that, in as much as history is a perishable commodity and disappears as love ones pass on, every family has a story that it tells itself, that it passes on to the children and grandchildren.
It is also worthy to note that Shippi Agbetekor (Tsilefoiatse) led and won theKatamanso battle of 1826, earning the enviable title ‘Katamanso Barima’. This can be traced in the report where a committee set up by the Colonial Government to compensate those who fought in the Katamanso battle referred to him as ‘Captain’. It is again an undeniable fact that Asafoatse Anang was only granted permission to use the name ‘Shippi’ as a caretaker, because he was the longest serving Asafoatse after the death of Asafoatse Bortier Agbetekor. Not even did Asafoatse Owuakwa (first Asafoatse of Ayiku We) and Asafoatse Akuaako himself a Shippi, ever used the name ‘Nungua Shippi’.
In the book Religion and Medicine of the Ga People- M.J Field (1937) page 37, he wrote “the appointment of Agbeteko whos name was Kakai goes back in history” on that same page he revealed that Agbetekor, the interpreter of the Gborbu Wulormo offered himself ‘as a cow’ for a sacrifice to appease the gods, after the town was healed of a ‘small pox’ outbreak. Nii Mei, Naa Mei, friends of the media, we ask again where was their Shippi in those difficult times, was he asleep and now waking up from his slumber?
We want the good people of Nungua and the entire Ga Dangme community to know that the title ‘Nungua Shippi’ is not earned by a mere renovation and painting an old house of Ataa Gbogli nor by a mere portrait on a wall and labelling it as ‘Shipifoiashiaa’. It is earned by dent of fearlessness, hardwork, sacrifice, endurance, and countless victories on the battlefield to free your people from the hands of the enemy and to make your town habitable for present and future generations.
We may admit that our brothers were ignorant and naïve of these facts and as such erred. It can however be considered in modern times as anyone can name a child Shippi or whatever they may so desire, but what we the descendants of Shippi Agbetekor – ‘osi kwan, osi Dzata kwan’, Tsilefoiatse, Katamanso Barima, Gborbu naa weilo, Ga Dangme Shippi from Mogya We, can’t accept is for any man born of a woman to call himself/herself ‘Nungua Shippi or Nungua Tsilefoiatse’.
As a family, we call on the authorities that be; Nuumo Gborbu Wulormo – Shitseand King Odaifio Welentsi (Nungua Mantse) whose mother is a proud descendant of Shippi Agbetekor, Nii Botwe Laryea I, the Nungua Manklalo, Akwaashongtse who himself was part of the mess, Lawerh Dzaase and Nii Opklen Dzalesane a.k.a Wradi Keda – Oblantai Mantse, the chief orchestrator and principal actor of that shamefulevent, to do the needful by calling this people to order, since this act of lawlessness took place under their watch without any recourse to the very people it affects.
Secondly, we call on them to direct Nii Shippi Odontor Kakakban IV with immediate effect to seize calling or holding himself as ‘Nungua Shippi or Nungua Tsilefoiatse’.
It is very sad that for the first time in the history of the Oyibi Yele Yeli we saw an Asafoatse flanked by Mantsemei, another shameful incidence which should be of concern to any well-meaning native of Nungua. These betrayers and their puppets are trying to change the very customs and traditions to binds us together, and makes us who we are, due to their selfish and parochial interest, and we the Chiefs, elders and members of the Nii Bortey We Clan won’t sit and allow heinous attack on our history happen.
Let me not hasten to add that these history distorters are on the brink of losing the little faith and respect we have remaining in them and will be brought to book in due time.
Nii Mei, Naa Mei, friends of the media, ladies and gentlemen, in recent times we have swept under the carpet many of such irresponsible and ill minded conducts by people at the helm of affairs who ought to know better, all in the name of peace, but we don’t want to be forced to revisit our ancestral and ancient traits which can be detrimental to the peace we are enjoying now, in Nungua.
Another issue of great concern to us is the 1000 acres of land released by the government of Ghana to the Nungua Stool, which has been consumed to its entirety by some hungry land grabbing syndicates in the Nungua Stool without consulting the Borteyman Manste and the Bortey We Divisional Council. We are also aware of the intention of the government again to release over 1500 acres to the Stool. These is to send a strong signal to H.E President Akuffo Addo, Hon. Abu Jinapor (Min. of lands and Natural Resources), Hon. Henry Quartey (Greater Regional Minister) the Land Commission and The Tema Development Corporation (TDC), and the Nungua hungry land grabbing syndicates that we have our eyes firmly opened and our ears on the ground and any attempt to release this portion of land to the Stool without recourse to the Bortey We Divisional Council will be met with a crossfire. We will not hesitate to share the last drop of our blood to defend and protect what rightfully belongs to the Bortey We Clan, and we are ready to meet boot for boot and give any group of land guards who dare us on that day a show down.
We will end by saying, he who beats the war drums, must himself prepare for war. ‘Ke bee be shiaa, awoo shiaa bee’
Thank you.
Long live Nungua, long line the Nii Bortey We.
