A colourful durbar of the Chiefs and people of Ezinlibo Traditional Area in the Jomoro Municipality of the Western Region has been held to climax this year’s annual ‘Edinla nee Suh Ne’ festival to raise money to develop the area.
The week-long celebration which was under the theme, “Let Us Stay United To Help Develop Ezinlibo”, was marked with activities such as clan gala competition, general clean-up exercise, health walk, quiz competition for Primary and JHS students, talented kids show, volleyball competition, rap show, picnic, street jams, fundraising.
The annual festival was finally climaxed by a beach party which billed the local artists to entertain the people on Sunday, April 21, 2049.
It is celebrated in every Easter to raise funds for developmental projects.
During this year’s celebration, the community raised funds for the construction of a Community Market.
Addressing the durbar on Saturday, April 20, 2019, the Chief of Ezinlibo, Nana Kolora Blay IV, commended the people in the area notably the planning committee and others from abroad who made the celebration a very colourful one.
He appealed to inhabitants of the area to use the festival to unite towards fostering the rapid development of the community.
Nana Blay expressed wary about the falling standards of education in the area and attributed it to lack of parental control and copying of certain lifestyle by the youth.
“In fact parents in my community are not supporting their children to attend school at all upon the government’s provision of School Feeding Program, majority of these children are going to school at all and I am worried”, he stressed.
He said a Community Educational Taskforce to ensure children take their education serious.
He admonished parents not to lavish money on expensive funerals to the detriment of their children’s education and their developmental needs.
The chief also advised youth in the area to commit themselves to their education and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the area.
“Today if you don’t go to school to acquire knowledge, you will not get proper work to do. Very soon Ezinlibo community will see governmental projects and if you joke with your education, you will not be engaged and I will this occasion to appeal to the youth if possible attend Technical and Vocational Schools”, he cautioned.
He said the youth should not concentrate much on fishing but rather, focus on education for a secure and brighter future.
He expressed worry about the rampant littering in the community.
The bemoans the dwindling of communal spirit in the area particularly by some elders of the town who were not contributing their quota towards the rapid development of the community.
He, seized the opportunity to appeal to his people to rally behind the NPP government and the MP for the area, Hon. Paul Essien to bring the proposed developmental projects to the benefit of the community.
Nana Kolora used the occasion to appeal to all indigenes of Ezinlibo both home and abroad to contribute towards the developmental agenda of the community.
On his part, the MP for the area who doubles as the Deputy Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Paul Essien thanked the community for organising the festival to raise funds to develop the area.
He pledged his support to the community and called on them to support him in prayers.
The MP revealed that currently, construction of a toilet facility the community and one for the Senior High School, Annor Adjaye SHS is still ongoing.
The lawmaker also pledged to construct the township roads through the support of the Ghana Gas Company.
On education, the MP said he has currently organised Mock Exams for the 2019 B.E.C.E candidates to prepare them adequately ahead of the main examination.
Hon. Essien urged the parents to send their children to Technical Schools to acquire skills to be employed in the oil companies springing out in the area.
He appeals to the residents to rally behind President Akufo-Addo to develop the Municipality.
“President Akufo-Addo has Jomoro Constituency at heart and we speak he is coming the following projects to Jomoro and within ten years Jomoro will be an oil hub; Oil Refinery, Fertilizer Plant, 5 Petrol Chemical-Industries, Harbour”, he said.
He added “If these projects come to Jomoro then our problem about jobs will be the thing of the pass and I am going to work hard to let President Akufo-Addo fulfill his promises, in fact Jomoro we have a brighter future, I urge you to support President Akufo-Addo”.
A philanthropist from the Jomoro Municipality and NDC Parliamentary Hopeful, Miss Dorcas Afo Tophey donated an undisclosed amount to support the construction of the community’s market.
Ms Tophey who is also a gender activist pledged to support the project to be completed.
She noted that she would interact with some non-governmental organizations and companies to get more support for the project.
She commended the community for planning to construct an ultra-modern market to develop the area.
Miss Tophey who donated a brand new ambulance to the Jomoro Municipal Health Directorate last year, said she is ever ready to contribute her quota to the development of the area.
She said she would do everything possible to support the Municipal Health Directorate to deliver quality healthcare for the people in the Municipality.
She added that the time has come for her to contribute her quota to the development of the Municipality and promised to do more to other sectors.
“The time has come for me to contribute my quota towards the development of my Municipality and it doesn’t matter my political party NDC is in power or not, the development of this Municipality is so dear to me and I have to support and urge other individuals to come home and support Jomoro to develop, we shouldn’t always look up to the government”, she stressed.
She advised youth in the area to commit themselves to their studies and take advantage of emerging opportunities in the area.
Speaking to the media after the durbar, a teacher of Annor Adjaye JHS and Secretary to the Festival Planning Committee, Mr. Nyameke Kodwo alias Teacher Kodwo, thanked the donors for donating funds to support the community to achieve their intended purpose.
He revealed that the Planning had drawn up a programme to ensure that the development agenda of the town was executed accordingly.
He said education which is the bedrock of development, would take center stage and appealed to the people to support the planning committee to realize its objectives.
The Assemblyman of the area, Hon. Emmanuel Assuah-Chie Erzoah alias Emmasco, said education is the key to success in every field of human endeavour and charged parents and guardians to give their children proper education.
He said the sandy beaches in the area are very potential tourist attractions and called on his people to keep the place clean in order to attract entrepreneurs to develop the beach.
Hon. Assuah-Chie Erzoah called on the government to extend electricity to some parts of the community to beef up security at night.
Cash donations were made to support the commencement of the Community Market and the MP for the area, Hon. Paul Essien supported the Community with GHC2,000 and the Community was able to raise 41 million old Ghana Cedis as a seed money.
By: Daniel Kaku