THE AGBOGBOMEFIA OF the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, has expressed worry about the kind of politics being practised in the country, saying it is full of selfishness and greed.
According to him, Ghana, like other African states, despite the abundance of resources, was still wallowing in poverty due to the selfishness and greed of some politicians who put their interest and want for power before the needs of the people who brought them to power.
He stressed, �Selfishness and greed breed corruption, which undermines our development efforts. The worst culprits are politicians who suddenly become businessmen. The methods these political businessmen adopt in taking business from others or frustrating their work undermine our progress.�
Togbe Afede made these remarks in Ho when he addressed the grand durbar of the Asogli Yam Festival over the weekend. The festival, which was preceded by a month-long festivities and rituals, was under the theme �Our Politics Must Bring Peace, Unity and Development.�
He advised politicians to respect the truth, saying, �Over the years, we have seen many government programmes fail either because they were ill conceived, poorly planned or hurriedly implemented to achieve political objectives only.�
Togbe Afede also observed that the widely held view that �our MPs speak with one voice only when they are discussing increments in their salaries and benefits� is sad, to say the least.
�From Haiti, in the Caribbean, through resource-rich Africa, civil strife, wars and poverty have been the lot of black people. The fact that peace, unity and development have gradually eluded us evidences leadership failure, which itself is the result of the kind of politics we practice,� he noted.
For him, �Selfishness is the reason why Africa cannot come together while those who divide us have themselves found the need to get closer. Nigerians are worried about sharing what they have with Ghanaians, and vice versa.�
Togbe Afede noted that leadership failure in Ghana and the rest of Africa had proved that the abundance of natural resources alone did not guarantee development and job availability.
The Agbogbomefia of the Asogli state, who is also the President of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs, therefore called on chiefs, opinion leaders and politicians to come together to give the needed leadership that would strengthen, unify, inspire and give hope to the people.
The Minister for Local Government, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, who represented the Vice President, John Dramani Mahama, expressed concern about the numerous chieftaincy and land disputes in the country, saying they were denying many communities the peace and tranquillity they needed for effective socio-economic development.
He said, �A lot of resources are wasted on litigations, some of which have dragged on for several decades.�
Mr. Ofosu Ampofo advised the youth to be focused and desist from indiscipline, immorality, drug addiction and unruly behaviour. These, he said, were destroying the moral fabric of this country.
He reiterated government�s commitment to fulfilling all of its promises to the people of the Volta Region.
The Volta Regional Minister, Joseph Amenowude, commended Togbe Afede for his vision, selflessness and dedication towards the development of the Volta Region which has led to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Volta Region and the Ningxia (Hui Autonomous) Region in China.
The agreement is expected to bring development and jobs in the areas of agriculture, culture, education, health, energy, science and technology, tourism among others in the region.
Present at the function were Togbe Agorkorli IV of Togo who chaired the occasion, Naa Prof. John Nabila (President of the National House of Chiefs), Minister of Women and Children�s Affairs Juliana Azuma Mensah, Minister For Chieftaincy and Culture Alexander Assum-Ahensah, Minister for Energy Emmanuel Oteng Adjei, some deputy ministers, and a Chinese and German delegation.
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