Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice President of the Republic
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has praised the Juabenmanhene, Daassebre Otuo Siribuo II for his service to Asanteman and Ghana as an illustrarious traditional ruler.
He noted that he had become privileged to be associated with the Golden Jubilee Celebration Nana Otuo Siriboe II.
Addressing a grand durbar to outdoor a book written by the Juabenmanhene at the Forecourt of the Juaben Palace, the Vice President said ‘rarely do we have the occasion to celebrate 50 continuous years of a chief in Ghana and we have to be grateful to God for making this possible through Nana Otuo Siriboe II’.
The Veep stressed that over the past 50 years the Juabenmanhene has sustained the torch of chieftaincy through a distinguished and peaceful reign.
“Nana accepted the call to serve his people at a very young age of 26, and had to forgo the profession he loved so much to embark on relatively uncharted waters, because chieftaincy, in 1971, was seen as the preserve of the old and not highly educated”, the Veep recounted.
DETAILS:
Dr Bawumia noted that fifty years on Asanteman and Ghana can celebrate the successful course of the journey of Nana Otuo Siribuo II in chieftaincy.
The service of Juabenmanhene the Veep stated were reflected not only in his service to Juabenman, but to Asanteman and Ghana.
He said such an illustrious journey needs to be recorded in the sands of time, noting that he was happy being at Juaben to launch a book that chronicles this journey in great detail.
The picture of Nana on the cover of the book, the Veep mentioned is a proud display of his fullness of culture and tradition, of his magnificence and Statesmanship.
“From the cover page to the end is a journey through time. There is plenty to tell, plenty to show, plenty to celebrate, and plenty to be proud of”, Dr Bawumia stressed.
BACKGROUND:
Tracing the background of the Omanhene , Dr Bawumia said, ‘what begun as a brochure in 1996 would turn into a rich chronicle of the life of an Electrical Engineer to a man of his people, to Asanteman and to Ghana’.
Quoting from Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, the Vice president said, ‘in his message Otumfuo said that “this is a brilliant chronicle of devoted service and achievement”.
Most important, the book has benefitted from the foresight of Nana, who, from the very first day of his enstoolment, started compiling ALL the press clippings about his numerous activities, the Veep stated.
These clippings, Dr Bawumia noted have also been supplemented by the numerous photo albums of Nana since 1971.
“Nana, indeed is an archivist par excellence. I commend this practice to all our public office holders so that posterity would be able to have a better insight of their contributions to society. Nana and his co-author, the brilliant Abyna-Ansaa Adjei, have done well by effectively putting these together into a readable form and therefore enable us to follow Nana’s trajectory over the past half century” the Veep noted.
FOREWORD:
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in his foreword said this:
“The setting up of oil palm plantations and factories in Juaben did not just bring the introduction of new ways of doing things, they ensured that the youth of Juaben embraced their chief and his modernity drive.”
IMPACT:
The Veep in narrating the impact of the Juabenmanhene said, ‘Nana led by example and encouraged education and the entrepreneurial spirit of the youth. Yes, you can be a farmer and achieve great things in life’.
“Nana’s service to Asanteman and Ghana as well as the various awards and honours bestowed on him over the period have been well put together in the book”, he continued.
The Veep said, ‘it is impressive to note that ALL Governments of the Republic since 1971 have tapped into Nana’s rich knowledge and experience by invitations to serve on various Boards and Corporations. That he has served with distinction throughout is a mark of a true statesman and we all must be proud of Nana’s achievements’.
“Ever since I have known Nana, I have benefitted tremendously from his mature advice, patience and tact. I have had the advantage to drink deep of the fountain of knowledge at his disposal and his ability to solve seemingly complicated issues with ease”, he posited.
RECORDS:
“His services as the Chairman of the Council of State of both the 7th and 8th; a rare feat has been phenomenal and the success of the Government of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo cannot be written without Nana’s immense contribution” Dr Bawumiastressed.
This record of 50 years of Nana, the Veep said should inspire us to public duty from the local community level to the national level.
“Nana has given chieftaincy a new progressive perspective. Nana you have served well. And when historians of the future chronicle the role of chieftaincy in nation building your legacy will be a fitting case study for generations to come”, he noted.
“Nana, we wouldn’t be surprised if the next time we meet here to celebrate your legacy, a lot of our chieftaincy affairs, its management, record keeping, and the rich archival pictures would have even gone digital in a rich museum of culture and civilization”, he added.
BOOK TITLE:
Dr Bawumia bought the first copy of the book titled NANA OTUO SIRIBOE II, 1971-2021: FIFTY YEARS OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE TO JUABEN, ASANTEMAN AND GHANA for GHC 50, 000.00.
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