In the run up to the 2000 General Elections, I attended a seminar for NPP Parliamentary Candidates at GIMPA and then NPP National Organizer Major Courage Quarshiegah addressing us, said in Ghana today, apart from the Akans, the most populous ethnic group is the EWES who are ALL OVER IN GHANA.
We have lived TOGETHER with them since 1918 when the British took them over, but it is NOT FAIR to describe “Western Togoland” as predominantly. Ewes – no, not at all. In fact, to be honest, even those who voted for separation – KPANDU and HO – they are NOT predominantly Ewes – they are GUANS!!!!
Nobody should say EWES want to separate – that is NOT true. The Ewes heartland is KETA-ANLOGA and they did NOT take part in the plebiscite, they are as Ghanaians as anybody else.
All through the years, from 1957 to the present, we have INTER-MARRIED, we have CRISS CROSSED Ghana, bought houses and landed properties, factories, industries et al. there are Ewes holding several positions of trust in all sphere of national life in the security services, financial institutions, and civil services all over.
Against this FACTUAL background, where from this latest development of the emergence of WESTERN TOGOLAND? Who is or who are behind it?
The perception is that some foreign companies envy the huge OIL find in the Keta Basin, and the discovery of URAMIUM in some parts of the Volta Region. If they can grab Akuse and Volta Dams alongside, and sponsor the creation of a new self governing state – WESTERN TOGOLAND these foreign companies will rake in millions if not trillions of dollars.
Fortunately for them, NDC has always taken Volta Region for a ride, calling them NDC World Bank – supplying votes, and forgetting about them.
A certain Queenmother in one of the villages in Volta Region cried openly one day that “you my people are always voting NDC, NDC, but look at how poor we are……go to any of the Ashanti villages and see……..”
I, myself, as Deputy Minister for Local Government, campaigning for Elizabeth Ohene as MP for Ho East – I told some villagers, WITHOUT mincing words, that you, the chiefs here assembled, always voting for NDC, but look at this village, no electricity, look at the access road, no development – why? All these years?
Later, Elizabeth Ohene told me she won in that village. But the point is that those in favour of separation are spreading FALSE propaganda that “we will be better off in our own country”!!!
Reader, have you been watching TV news? Do you ALWAYS see ship loads of MIGRANTS running away DAILY to EUROPE? In Search of greener pastures? You know why?
BECAUSE EUROPE TODAY IS ONE ECONOMIC UNITMADE UP OF 27 MEMBER COUNTRIES, USING ONE CURRENCY- THE EURO!!!
Take it from me – you can never survive as a nation if you are “small” you will be a poodle in the hands of huge foreign monopoly capital.
I was NOT surprised at all when I heard in the news that the Paramount Chief of Ho – Azogli, Togbe Afede with sympathies to NDC, currently President of the National House of Chiefs angrily CONDEMNED the separatists, agenda – why?
The man is a businessman!! He owns Africa World Airlines, operating in the small country Ghana. Oh, if Ghana were to be like Nigeria – with 46 states – his Africa World aircraft criss crossing the airwaves!! You want Ho to separate from already small Ghana so that he takes his Africa World Airlines to where? Ho to Hohoe?
My classmate at Legon, Charles Hayibor is a famous top lawyer with clients all over, defending chiefs. He is officially called TOGBE HUDU IX, Paramount Chief of Anfoega. You want to separate so that he loses all his clients?
What then is the way forward?
First and foremost, the chiefs in Volta Region who are NOT in favour of the so-called separatist moves MUST come out publically and DISOWN the separatists. Isolate them as a miserable minority hanging on untruths and concoctions. In fact the reality is that the separatists do not even speak Ewe!!!. Then who are they? Imported insurgents? Mercenaries, Boko Haram? If they are NOY even Ghanaians, they should be exposed!!!!
As John Boadu NPP Chief scribe rightfully pointed out ALL the political parties, especially the NDC must come out boldly and DISOWN or DASSOCIATE themselves from this move.If NDC does not take care, the people on the ground willinterprete the forthcoming elections as a vote for UNITTED GHANA or SEPARATION, and that will spell the DOOM for NDC and John Mahama.
The NDC Caucus in Parliament, especially MPs from Volta Region should openly condemn the separatists and tell the people that they NDC have the region at heart and that according to their manifestoe they will make life better for them if voted into power………
I have said it before on radio and I repeat that VIOLENCE is not the solution. If those leading the campaign are GENUINE and SERIOUS they should form a “National Front” with a clear agenda for separation and campaign openly, in the hope that, like Scotland or Catalonia in Spain, with time they will possibly get majority and then get their own German Togolese “Homeland”.
Attacking innocent policemen on duty in Akuse and Somanya – far away from the so-called “Homeland” and erecting roadblocks and signboards will NOT solve the problem – if it is a problem.
I was a soldier, a Captain in IBN and 5BN, and I saw what WAR can do to a country – May Almighty God in His Eternal Mercy spare Ghana from any violent civil strife
I have been driving deep in the night from Accra to Hohoe High Court – if war breaks out I can’t do that anymore. What will happen to my clients in Hohoe?
May God bless our Homeland, GHANA!!!!
WESTERN TOGOLAND – The Inside Story
Written by
NKRABEAH EFFAH-DARTEY
(Lawyer and Former MP)
Reader, Let us Pray.
Father Divine, please guide me to choose my words as carefully as possible, to say ONLY THE TRUTH and nothing but the TRUTH.
Reader, PEACE does not mean absence of tension, but PRESENCE of Justice. There is no smoke without fire and if you go to a village and the children are throwing stones at you, ASK THE ELDERS!!!!
Most Ghanaians including me were shocked to hear in the mass media that on Thursday night into Friday, there was a terrible military – cum police operation to quell what was believed to be a bold attempt by some people to split Ghana into two – signboard appeared at SOMANYA that “You are now Entering Western Togoland” and “You are leaving Western Togoland”
Some police stations were attacked, armories broken into the weapons seized. Lorry tyres were burnt on the road to block traffic to and fro – oh my God, WHAT IS HAPPENING?
The greatest Asantehene in history, OTUMFUO OPOKU WARE I left behind an Asante Empire whose geographical size was TWICE the size of present day Ghana. After him, successive Asante kings could not maintain the large overstretched Empire, and what with the presence of the white man at the Coast, the vast. Asante Empire collapsed when a British General Sir Garnet Wolsley invaded Kumasi in 1874 and sacked the capital.
With the Fantes already in the British pocket with the Bond of 1844 the British went to Berlin Conference and then made a case that Gold Coast was their sphere of influence, the Colony (Fante land) Ashanti and the Northern Protectorate.
The Germans had their own area east of the Volta River, based at Lome, climbing up to Amedzofe, Kpando, Hohoe, up through Krachi, Yendi and Pusiga up North, named after one of their Generals, TOGO, as TOGOLAND.
The First World War ended in 1918 with the Treaty of Versailles which set up the LEAGUE of NATIONS to ensure world peace. They took over control of all German Colonies, and in Togoland they split it into two – west for British control and East for France control.
Adolf Hitler led Germany to rearm, dismantled all the shackles placed on them by the Treaty of Versilles and declared Second World War with the invasion of Poland on 1st September 1939. After the War in 1945, colonial soldiers who fought the Germans and Japanese as Allied Forces did not understand why the white man should use the color of his skin to dominate us.
Strikes and demonstrations in Gold Coast led to self rule for Gold Coast in 1951 and we were on the road to Independence. What happened to British Controlled TOGOLAND, continued in force by the United Nations as successor to League of Nations?
Because they were administered by the British they had almost everything in common with the Colony Ashanti and the North, speaking the same language – English, same system of education, attending Achimota college and others. UN, what should happen to British Togoland?
In answer, the UN said let the people themselves decide, in a PLEBISCITE which took place in May 1956.
At that time, British Togoland was made up of SIX Districts only – and they voted.
The MAMPRUSIS at the top, based in PUSIGA voted by 17,870 for UNITY and 8,429 for separation. BAWKU was NOT part of German Togoland ever.
The DAGOMBAS based in Yendi voted 28,083 for UNITY and 6,590 for separation.
The GONJAS based in Salaga voted 3,156 for UNITY and 2,719 for separation.
KRACHI-BUEM, covering Kete Krachie, Dambai, Worawora Jasikan, Kadsebi voted 28,176 in favour of UNITY and 18,775 for separation.
KPANDU District voted 17,029 for separation and 8,581 for UNITY; and Ho District voted 18,981 for separation and 7,217 for UNITY.
By majority voting, UNITY won 58% of the vote and so German Togoland/British Trust Territory was made part of Ghana.
IT IS MOST SIGNFICANT THAT SOGAKOFE RIGHT UP TO KETA INCLUDING ANLOGA the Ewe Capital has long been part of the British colony so were NOT part of the German Togoland so they DID NOT TAKE PART IN THE PLEBISCITE!!!
So, GHANA was born on 6th March 1957.
As at today, PUSIGA is in the Upper East Region, as a District of its own. YENDI, the Dagbon capital is in the Northern Region, with the Gonjas. BUEM KRACHI is in the Oti Region and Kpando Hohoe and Ho together with KETA in the Volta Region.
To be continued)
NKRABEAH EFFAH-DARTEY
(Lawyer and Former MP)
