Naa Puowele Karbo III, Paramount Chief of the Lawra Traditional Area, has stated that the emphatic victory chalked by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo in the 2016 election did not come as a surprise to discerning minds and observers across the country.
According to him, “hard work, commitment, tenacity of purpose, and believing in oneself and God, are essential requirements for success in any endeavour. That Your Excellency has demonstrated these attributes is not in dispute at all, and all discerning observers were not surprised at your victory.”
He added that “your victory is an inspiration to our family, and should motivate all members of the Danquah-Busia-Dombo tradition to strive hard to keep the vision of our founding fathers alive, because the ideals of what they stood for and died for – freedom, justice and the rule of law – are always issues that are worth dying for.”
Naa Puowele Karbo III made this known on Tuesday, 3rd October, 2017, when the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, paid a courtesy call on him, as the President took his 2-day tour of the Upper West Region to Lawra.
The Lawra Naa thanked President Akufo-Addo for the “support, encouragement and mentorship you gave and continue to give our son, Hon. Anthony Abaayifa Karbo, which enabled him to recapture and reclaim our lost heritage won for as by Naa Karbo I, and Abaayifa Karbo, later known in life as Naa Abaayifa Karbo II, all of blessed memory.”
He wondered why for some reason, since the 1992 constitutional dispensation, the Lawra constituency has always been considered by all parties as a battle ground constituency, and always fiercely contested by all parties.
However, he assured President Akufo-Addo that “we are determined to keep Lawra seat forever, at where it rightly belongs, through hard work and determination. We believe His Excellency shares in our commitment and will continue to guide and support us to this end.”
The Lawra Naa reassured President Akufo-Addo of the support of the Chiefs and people of Lawra “for the bold efforts being taken by your government to ensure the development of our country and the people of the Lawra district in order to improve on their living conditions.”
He continued, “We are encouraged by the bold initiatives taken so far by your government towards this end, through the Programme for Planting for Food and Jobs, the 1-District-1-Factory, 1-Village-1-Dam, and the Free SHS, amongst others.”
These projects, he stressed, are acclaimed by all Ghanaians and the world at large.
Naa Puowele Karbo III acknowledged that the flagship projects of President Akufo-Addo’s government, “and the many more still in the pipeline for Lawra will manifest on land, and we promise to facilitate the acquisition of land for these purposes.”
To this end, he assured President Akufo-Addo that his traditional council and the district assembly have already set in motion a process to ensure the availability of litigation-free land for the projects, given the peculiar nature of the land tenure system in the Upper West Region.
“From the signals already received from government and private quarters, I state, without any equivocation, that under your administration, my traditional area is poised for a take-off in its socio-economic transformation. We cannot, therefore, allow land to be an impediment,” he added.
The hundreds present at the forecourt of the Lawra Naa’s palace, and at short notice, in his view, “is a confirmation of the love my people have for you, and shows that Lawra is your home. You are, therefore, most welcome, and may God and our ancestors bestow on yow wisdom, strength and divine protection as you embark on the arduous task of leading the country to prosperity.”
