The Executives of the National Sports Complex Regularisation and Affiliate Association in collaboration with the allodia owners of the Asere stool Lands, have organised a one-day forum for land and property owners in and around the erstwhile sports complex land to bring them to speed on the processes involved in getting their properties duly registered.
Speaking at the forum, Nii Amarkai III, Asere Djaasetse and acting Asere Mantse, reiterated the fact that “Asere ji Ga, Ga ji Asere” to wit, the whole Ga state revolves around Asere Kotopong thus; Asere is the allodia owner of the whole Ga state Lands as evident by a document by the then Dutch titled” Relation Status of the Accra Quarters”
He appealed to the Lands Commission to double up and make sure all lands belonging to the Asere Kotopong Royal stool lands is returned to the allodia owner (Asere) in other for peace to prevail.
The acting Asere Manste refuted the allegations levelled against him by some unscrupulous individuals that, he (Nii Amarkai III) has gone for huge sum of money in royalties from the Lands Commission.
“If any person comes to the offices of the Commission purporting to be a Traditional leader from any of the Asere Kotopong state, that individual must present a proper document duly endorsed by whoever installed him or her as a Traditional leader empowering him or her entitled with royalties,” he stressed.
He was optimistic that the challenges within Asere would be resolved amicably in order to pave way for the allodia owner of all the lands to take full control.
He seized the opportunity to entreat all property owners within the National Sports Complex enclave to renew their documents with the appropriate authorities in order to be assured of genuine indenture.
Nii Amarkai III cautioned property owners at the National Sports Complex enclave and the general public to desist from undertaking any dealings whatsoever with one Yartey, a self- styled Chief of Niiboiman. “Yartey is no longer the chief of Niiboiman since the necessary rites have been performed to destool him over a year ago,” he emphasised.
The Traditional leader in reiterating the supremacy of Asere, made reference to a document by the then Dutch, excerpts of the document reads; “To this day, when either money or debt has to be divided between the whole of Accra, it is divided into three (3) equal parts. One part goes to Asere and Otublohum, one to Abola and Gbese, and one to Sempe, Alata and Akummadzei. Of the Asere-Otublohum portion, Asere extracts a seniority portion and the rest is divided equally between Asere and Otublohum.”
Giving a brief history of Asere, Alhaji Abdul Aziz Nii Ayi Tagoe, the Asere Main Oworshika Royal Stool House Secretary recalled that, one Nii Okai Kwei led the Aseres from Isreal through Syria, Egyt, Sudan, Nigeria, through Cotonu, Togo up to Ayawasu where they settled for some years until 1680 when they moved down to Ga Mashie.
According to the Secretary, Asere consist of four (4) ruling houses namely: Nii Ayi Okum We, Frimpong We, Agbon Amartse We and Anunsa We. As the allodia owner of the Ga State Lands, Asere gave portions of its lands to people both from far and near to assist Asere in time of war battles for supremacy over its Lands. Examples of areas include; Sempe, Nleshie, Otublohum, Abola Ajumaajen, Gbese etc.
The above listed beneficiaries of the Asere Lands are mandated to pay royalties to Asere. Each of the four houses mentioned above has a major role to play as decision makers of Asere with the Agbon and Frimpong We house, being the only family that is mandated to nominate an Asere Manstse who in turn installs a Ga Manste and shall be the father of any Ga Manste selected/elected/installed properly, as his son.
The Ga Mantse renews his authority yearly with Asere, failure to do so will lead to his inability and ceasure of his authority to rule over Ga Mashie.
The Association consists of sixteen (16) areas namely; Niiboiman, Petroleum, Six to Six, North Abeka, Roman Hill/Lomnava, Tantra Hill, Yellow House, New Asofa, Nii Aworsika, New Achimota, Race Course, South Ofankor, North/South Isreal, New Chantan, South Ofankor and Bambolino.
For his part, Nii Ayi Mensah I, Djaasetse of Niiboiman who doubles as the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Regularisation Association as well the PRO for the Niiboiman Land and Property Owners Association. He stated in a welcome address that the forum will deliberate on regularisation of Documents for property owners on the erstwhile National Sports Complex. He recalled that, the re -allocation of the Sports Complex area lands to the Government occurred in 1975.
This he said went unnoticed to the affected owners until 1991 when some property owners within the sports Complex area appealed to the then government to facilitate the process of regularising their documents.
According to the PRO, a meeting was held in 1991 at the Cosmos School located at New Market, a suburb of Niiboiman. The government of the day through its representative at the meeting proposed an amount of five Hundred Thousand (500,000.00) cedis then, now Five Hundred Ghana Cedis (GHs 500.00) but this amount, to the property owners was too exorbitant and hence they couldn’t afford.
The Niiboiman Djaasetse disclosed that since their refusal to pay the proposed amount, members of the Association keeps being served with demolishing notices from various officers and Departments of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs).
He seized the opportunity to make a passionate appeal to property owners to join an Association close to their area of residence and also go through the process of documentation and further receipt of a genuine indenture signed, endorsed by the allodia owners of the land.
