PRINCIPAL and accredited elders and kingmakers of Korley Deity and Stool in the Greater Accra Region have issued a stern warning to recalcitrant women selling at the commercial market centre in Accra Brewery/CMB, to immediately stop their continuous habits of attacking the integrity and reputation of the newly-installed Paramount Queen-mother of the market, Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor I (Dzalanye), lest they incur their wrath.
According to visibly aggrieved elders, their attention have been drawn to the recent ill-fated rejoinder written and signed by the Greater Accra Tomato Traders Association, Madam Juliana Adjua Mensah being supported by Madam Lydia Afoley Anum and Madam Adeai Kotey on behalf of the Accra CMB tomatoes market women, challenging the recent estoolment of Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor I by the accredited elders of Korley Stool and Deity Shrine in Accra.
They pointed out that the falsehood statement made in the rejoinder by these women in the market to the effect that Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor l has been installed by elders and kingmakers of Korley Stool led Korley Wolumo, Numo Okai l to head the tomato sellers in market of Accra Brewery/ CMB was misinformation and lies being peddled by the market women just to disrespect the elders of Korley Stool and Shrine who are the allodia and original owners of Accra Brewery/CMB lands.
“We want to set the records straight that we never installed Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor I to become the leader or Queen-mother of the traders in the segment of tomatoes market in Accra-CMB, but we legally installed her to become overall Queen-mother for the Accra-CMB market, period!
“These traditional arrangements we have communicated to all the traders and the people including various key stakeholders in the segment of the market before we went ahead to nominate, screen, select and install Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor l for the interest of the family members of Korley Stool,” the principal and accredited elder of Onamrokor in Korley We, Nii Ayitey Wiseman on behalf of the elders explained.
Speaking in an interview with journalists to punch holes into the rejoinder by the tomatoes trading women, Nii Ayitey Wiseman described the context of the rejoinder as a complete disrespect, useless and misconception and called on them to immediately render an unqualified apology to elders and kingmakers of Korley Deity and Stool and the Queen-mother for disrespecting them, stressing that failure to do so would compel them (the elders) to advise themselves.
He fumed that those trouble makers; including Madam Juliana Adjua Mensah, Madam Lydia Afoley Anum, Madam Adeai Kotey and their associates should know that “you cannot form associations just to come to disrespect and disobey the traditional rules and regulations of the elders of Korley Stool and Deity Shrine who are the allodia and original owners of Accra Brewery/CMB lands.”
“If you people had made yourselves to come from your various homes to the lands of Korley to come to disturb us by making all sorts of false allegations against us in the name of associations, then we cannot allow you to trade on our lands again. We want to stress that the associations does not own lands in the market of Accra Brewery/CMB,” he further warned.
He maintained that the market land there belongs to the family members of Korley Stool and Shrine which is being controlled traditionally by Korley Wolumo, Numo Okai l.
According to Nii Ayitey Wiseman, realising that it was now the time for stool owners of Korley to benefit from their stool lands in Accra, they had decided to install Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor I as the overall Queen-mother for the market, ostensibly in the direct interest of the Korley Stool and the people of Ga State.
He explained that in Ga traditional set up, it is the Korley Wolumo, Numo Okai l, who have traditional control over the market centre in Accra Brewery/CMB that is why when the Accra Metropolitan Accra (AMA) wanted to get rid of the traders at the market, he personally relocated them to their present place where they are currently trading now.
He noted that that power has given the Korley Wolumo traditional capacity to install Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor l as the new queen to supervise and control commercial activities in the market of Accra-CMB.
“We put her there so whoever made all sorts of statements to fight and attack Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor l should know that he/she had flaunted the traditional law and regulations of the Korley Stool, and it means that that person would be asked to either leave the market or would be suspended as it was being done in various market centres in Accra,” he stressed.
He said the enstoolment of Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor I, as a market queen was very necessary because she would serves as a mediator between chiefs and traders, explaining that she would be responsible for communicating policies and laws of the chiefs to the traders, while she also communicated their worries, needs and challenges to the chiefs.
The elder also indicated that the queen would help check the act and misconducts of some unscrupulous people who went to the traders claiming to be sent by the chiefs in order to extract money from them, explaining that every policy would be made in the knowledge of the queen.
According to him, her installation as overall paramount Queen Mother at CMB area, is in line with the customs and traditions of Ga Korle Stool and Shrine to head the traders since over years the market is the traditional place where there is an exchange of goods and services. Be it from food stuff, clothings, cosmetics among others.
He indicated that there were no laid down criteria or qualification for one to be enstooled as a market queen but the queen must adhere to all rules and regulations of the stool.
According to him, the queen could not be sued and could sue, in the case of any legal matters, she could only report to the chief’s council to handle in her stead.
He stated that the tenure of office as a queen was for a lifetime and would not expire. He finally gave an assurance that the stool and the council of chiefs were behind her in all matters.
It would be recalled that on Saturday November 2, 2019, Naa Ayekai Korley Dudor I known in her private life as Madam Grace Konu was enstooled by the Ga, Gbese and Korley Stools as the Market Queen for the CMB Market.
Naa Dudor I started her tomato selling business from the Kaneshie Market before moving to her present place at ‘CMB’.
Traditional ceremony
A traditional ceremony was held at the Kokomlemle Mantse Palace to formally initiate the queen into office. Under the supervision of the Korley Priestess, Naa Korley, she was made to swear an oath of allegiance after which a traditional ceremony was held to purify her.
A libation prayer was made to invite blessings, guidance and protection for her.
She was then clothed in white garment, while well-wishers, friends and families made merry and congratulated her on her enstoolment.
However, since the inception of the Ga Traditional Council of chiefs, there had not been any such enstoolment at Accra CMB Market.
Naa Dudor l has now resumed her role as the overall queen of the CMB, some sections along the Agbogbloshie railway, Kingsway, traders around Accra Brewery, Liberty Avenue, Farisco and its surrounding areas in Accra.
Meanwhile, the elders and kingmakers of Korley Stool has set aside Saturday January 11, 2020 to perform official coronation and outdooring ceremony of Naa Dudor l.
