By Nana Ama Mensah
NF-(Tema)-The Tema Traditional Council (TTC) says Tema has well qualified indigene who can be appointed as Mayor of Tema and therefore urged government not to disrespect them by appointing a non-indigene as the Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive.
At a press conference on Wednesday, they cautioned, government must rescind its decision to announce the nomination of an indigene to the Tema MCE seat as according to them their checks had revealed that a non-native had been settled on for the position.
Spokesperson for the Tema Traditional Council, Nii Amarh Sompuno II, said information reaching the Council point to the fact that the government has decided not to listen to their numerous appeals and has therefore decided on a non-native.
According to the Council, Tema could boost of natives with good educational backgrounds who were also activists of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) therefore there was no justification to bypass such persons for another tribe to head the TMA.
Nii Amarh Sompuno II, speaking to the media stressed that leadership of the Council as well as the entire community would not work with someone who does not hail from the place.
He reminded government that they had forewarned successive governments on their resolve to reject a non-native nominee by sealing it with the slaughtering of a ram in 2016 to show their seriousness to the issue.
Nii Amarh Sompuno II, who is also the Tema Shipi further revealed they had picked up signals from reliable sources that government had settled on appointing a non-indigene against the numerous appeal they had made.
He noted that going against their wish was heartbreaking as according to him they gave up all their lands to government and now they want to take over their birth right.
“We lost our lands to government but never did we lose our sovereignty to government. it is sad to note that despite the fact that we lost our occupation by giving our lands out, the government is also bent on giving the MCE position to a non-indigene”.
He observed that, “we have three assemblies, Ashaiman, Tema West, and TMA how come not even one has been earmarked for an indigene, this we see as an insult to us, if that is not changed and they go-ahead to announce that, we shall oppose it vehemently”.
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