By Amadu Kam sanah, GNA
Accra, Jan. 20, GNA – Former President, John
Agyekum Kufuor has indicated his strong ties with Dagbon and its people, saying
the great ancient Kingdom deserves the support of all in Ghana to restore the
area back to its former glory.
Eulogising the chiefs and people of the
Dagbon Kingdom at his residence in Accra during a courtesy call on him by,
Ya-Na Abukari Mahama II, former President Kufuor praised the people of Dagbon
for their resilience and efforts in rebuilding the Kingdom after the sad
incident that befell the traditional kingdom in 2002.
He therefore pledged his continuous support
for the people of the area in their quest for peace and unity in Dagbon.
Former President Kufour said: “I set-up
the Wuaku Commission, which did a fairly good job and I prayed many times on
the issue until God revealed to me to tap the wisdom of these three great kings
to help me resolve the issue”.
He said when God revealed to him to set up
the Committee of Eminent Chiefs, he realised that the decision was also in
tandem with the long history of the kingdoms involved.
“The Nayiri is the senior brother of
Ya-Na according to tradition and Asanteman also has a long historic links with
Dagbon, so it was perfectly well to solicit their wisdom and support in solving
the problem’’, the former President hinted.
The
former President expressed his happiness that the Dagbon people now have a
Ya-Na and pledged his support for Ya-Na Abukari II and the Kingdom to succeed.
He linked his political career with the
people of Dagbon and felt he is naturally bonded spiritually with the Dagbon
kingdom, saying, “I am spiritually bonded with Dagbon and I always feel
so’’.
The former President also commended
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his strong support for the cause of
the Dagbon peace process.
Ya-Na Abukarii II thanked former President
Kufuor for his wisdom and support for the people of Dagbon during their hard
times.
He
described the former President as the architect of the current peace in Dagbon
after the demise of the late Ya-Na, due to his wisdom in setting-up the
Asantehene led Committee of Eminent Chiefs, which produced the current peace.
According to the Ya-Na, “former
President Kufuor deserves our respect and praise for his fatherly wisdom in
establishing the Committee of Eminent Chiefs’’.
The Overlord told the former President that
he was working to unite the people of Dagbon at this stage to bring real
meaning to the peace process and that won’t happen overnight due to the long
years of disturbance in the area.
“Your excellency, over the past year as
leader of Dagbon, I am pre-occupied with the business of uniting our people and
engendering the building blocks of peace for lasting peace and unity in Dagbon.
“This
arduous task requires a lot of support and wisdom from people both within
Dagbon and outside it’’, he said.
He therefore indicated that he would count
on the support and wisdom of the former President whenever it was necessary.
Prof. Kwaku Ansah Asare, on behalf of the
Kufuor Foundation and Montcrest University announced 10 scholarships for Dagbon
students to study Law and Sociology in Montcrest University in honour of the
Ya-Na’s visit to the former President.
Ya-Na Abukari II thanked the Foundation and
Mountcrest University for the honour and indicated that the scholarships marked
another great chapter in their relations.
He commended the former President and
Mountcrest University for the scholarships indicating ‘’it will leave an
indelible mark on this visit and the students would become useful citizens for
our country in the future’’, he said.
GNA