?Lolobi Kumase Residents Protest ?Against Inclusion in Oti Region

By Kafui Gati

Lolobi Kumasi — Residents of Lolobi Kumase in the Oti Region at the weekend staged a demonstration in protest against their inclusion in the Oti Region.

Numbering about 100, they carried placards some with the inscriptions; Stop destabilising Lolobi and Akpafu traditional areas, No Oti, no Oti, stop ethnic cleansing of Hohoe Municipality among others.

They marched through some principal streets in the town and converged at the community centre where a spokesperson of the youth, Mr Ireneus Yaotse, reading their petition explained that it was on record that the Lolobi and Akpafu traditional areas never petitioned to be part of the Oti Region.

According to him, the 1992 Constitution of Ghana does not allow political parties, regions, districts and other groupings to be created based on their tribal and ethnic line.

Unfortunately, however, the four only non-Ewe language speaking traditional area in the Hohoe Municipality, Santrokofi, Akpafu, Lolobi and Likpe (SALL) have been forcefully removed and placed in the Oti Region without the consent of the citizens.

Mr Yaotse argued that the submissions made by the Paramount Chief of the Lolobi Traditional Area, Nana Akoto Masakyi III, at the Justice Brobbey Commission's meeting with Regional House of Chiefs in Ho on January 17, 2018, that he and his people did not petition to join the Oti Region was ignored.

He said they were not against the creation of Oti Region but their demand was that they were comfortable in the Hohoe Municipality.

"Presently, the Justice Brobbey Commission Report has put SALL communities in a limbo, since we are unable to exercise our constitutional rights as citizens of the Republic of Ghana," he stated.

According to him, this and other issues have really brought a lot of disaffection and disunity among the people of Lolobi Traditional Area.

"For many decades, the people of Lolobi Traditional Area have lived together peacefully but due to this, the unity enjoyed is now eluding us," Mr Yaotse said.

Adding, " We are therefore using this medium to appeal to the government to allow us stay in the Hohoe Municipality since we are a major stakeholder in the development of Hohoe Municipality from its inception through our taxes, trade, governance and other developments."

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