Peace and unity key for development — Ejurahene

The Chief of Ejura in the Ashanti Region, Barima Osei-Hwedie II, has advised citizens of Ejura to maintain the peace and unity currently prevailing in the area and plan meaningful programmes and strategies to quicken the pace of development in the traditional area.

He said it was the responsibility of the citizens to develop the area so that it could catch up with other communities that were fast developing.

Barima Osei-Hwedie, who is also the Adontenhene of the Asante-Mampong Traditional Area, made the call at a mini-durbar held at Ejura to climax the week-long celebration of this year’s Yam Festival of the chiefs and people of the traditional area.

The celebration was dubbed "Sekyirene," an occasion for the chiefs and people to give thanks to the ancestors of the land, God and the traditional stool in which the spirit of the state resides for providing the people with a bumper harvest of fresh yams.

Ejura is the food basket in the country as yam and maize are produced abundantly.

The Ejurahene noted that it was time the experience and expertise of citizens were brought to bear to enable them to push their development agenda through.

He observed that the government assistance to any community would largely depend on how the community helped itself.

He expressed his immense appreciation to his sub-chiefs and elders of Ejura for their commitment, hard work and unity since he was installed and urged them to sustain that because that was the only platform that could help bring rapid development to the area.

He also thanked the Moslem community, the clergy and the churches and Ejura citizens for their unalloyed and unflinching support during his two-year reign.

Barima Osei-Hwidie specifically commended the Krontihene of Ejura, Odiasempa Antwi Obugyei, for holding the fort and after the death of his predecessor, Nana Kwaku Sarfo Ababio.

Chiefs, government officials, the Member of Parliament for Ejura-Sekyedumasi Constituency, Alhaji Muhammed Bawa; the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Alhaji Bamba; the clergy, the Moslem community and business executives paid homage to the Ejurahene with donations.