Whirlwind wonder at Suma Ahenkro

Chiefs and other guests were held spellbound by a strong whirlwind that blew just before the commencement of a durbar to mark the  maiden edition of the Akwantukese festival of the chiefs and people of the Suma Traditional Area in the Jaman North District of the Brong Ahafo Region last Saturday, April 4.

The strong wind, which some citizens of the town attributed to  spiritual dealings by some sub-chiefs opposed  to the installation of the Omanhene of the area, Odeneho Dr Affram Obrempong III, destroyed about half of the over 20 canopies mounted for the occasion.

After the chiefs had sat in state and a high-powered delegation of ministers from the Pentecost Church of Ghana had lined up to greet Odeneho Obrempong, who is a member of the church, the sudden whirlwind entered the arena and destroyed a section of the canopies to the amazement of onlookers.

People sitting and standing at that section of the durbar ran helter-skelter as the wind, accompanied with dust, moved strongly towards their direction leaving the chiefs gazing with awe.

“This will not work, God will intervene,”  a citizen of the town was heard saying during the incident.

There was heavy presence of  police and the military to put fear in those who might have planned to cause trouble during the durbar. 

Some people, however, remarked that though the Omanhene took measures physically to prevent trouble, it was not possible for him to do so in the spiritual realm. 

It took the security men and volunteers more than one hour to fix the canopies for the function to begin.

Investigations by The Mirror revealed that a small section of  sub-chiefs were not in favour of the selection of the paramount chief who was installed in June last year and thus might be behind the destruction of the canopies spiritually.

Odeneho Obrempong III instituted the Akwantukese festival after his installation to tell the story of how the ancestors of the area migrated from Akwamu in the Eastern Region to settle at their present location.

Speaking at the function, Odeneho Obrempong explained that the Akwantukese Festival would also be used to identify and implement strategic development projects in the traditional area. 

He said the foremost development project identified for implementation in 2015 is to get a campus of the University of Energy and Natural Resources (UENR) established at Suma Ahenkro.

Odeneho Obrempong said the community would organise communal labour, fund-raising activities and negotiate with the appropriate state institutions for  direction and assistance. 

Earlier, the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, cut a sod for the commencement of work of a campus of UENR at Suma Ahenkro.