Anytime you want to engage in any fishing related business in the Kpone traditional area, a suburb of Accra, be very vigilant in order not to be deceived by imposters as it has become glaring that some former office holders have been using the office of the incumbent Chief Fisherman in the area, Nii Nuertey Charway III for their personal businesses, Kpone Fisher-folks have warned.
On 16th April, 2015 the Fishermen in a petition, notified all various ministries and institutions through the then Municipal Chief Executive Officer in the area, calling for the immediate removal of one Nii Tetteh Ashong, as their then Chief Fisherman.
Among many reasons they cited for his removal from office, included that he was ‘’disrespectful to traditional priests and authorities who were mandated to offer libation and other rituals in their shrines’’, and that ‘’he ignored them, went to the shrines himself with his friends to pour libation, something we believed could result in bringing us calamities’’, they added.
‘’there were also issues of financial misappropriations; where he could not account for monies he made us contribute to facilitate supply of premix fuel to us, several attempts made to make him account for the money proved futile’’, the angry fishermen recounted.
‘’in his term as a Chief Fisherman, we realized there was no development in terms of safety measures and facilities along the beach to help rescue fishermen in case of disaster or damage when on board. We were also aware government was assisting us with some fishing equipment, but we never saw them’’, they averred.
However, in pursuit of the removal of Nii Tetteh Ashong from office, the Tema High Court , presided over by Justice Richard Adjei-Frimpong, on 26th October 2018, weighing claims filed by Nuumor Nyakomle and 7 others (plaintiffs) against the former (Nii Tetteh Ashong), ruled that Nii Tetteh Ashong was validly removed from office as the then Chief Fisherman in the Kpone Traditional area, and further ordered him to render accounts of all monies, items, materials and logistics received by him on behalf of the Fisherfolks of Kpone.
‘’I order that statement of account and inventory in respect of the above be filed in this court within 30 days from hence. I further order the defendant to return all properties, pertaining to his office to the Fisherman’s council to be held by the council and deliver to the appropriate person or authority in accordance with custom and usage of the Kpone Traditional area’’.
According to the court’s ruling , Nii Tetteh Ashong was ‘’restrained from acting , describing , introducing or parading himself as the Chief Fisherman of the Kpone Traditional Council’’.
By Samuel Ansah Boateng
