How Mataheko got its name
Mataheko is a town in the Ablekuma Central Municipal District within the Greater Accra Region.
It is a well-known area with various pubs and eating joints. A number of people have their versions of the origin of the name Mataheko.
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According to a number of people, The Mirror spoke to in the area, the name came about as a result of people visiting their families from far away destinations through this place now called Mataheko. Eventually, the constant visits made them so tired and they would often say in Ga language, “Mata heko” which literally translates as “I would sit somewhere.”
As they kept settling at that location, it became known and called Mataheko.
One of those The Mirror spoke to was the Chief of the area, Nii Abossey Okai III.
Nii explained that Mataheko was not the actual name of the land but “New Abossey Okai”.
He said it was Nii Abossey Okai I who discovered the land. He recounted that Nii Abossey Okai I was a farmer who went in search of fertile land to grow crops. That land he found, which is now called Mataheko, was near a river called Opetey Kpaakpo. Nii Abossey Okai I settled on the land to grow his crops because the river served as a good source to water his crops. Farming was so good for him that he extended his farms.
Nii said people from all over the country came to buy from Nii Abossey I and named the place
“Abossey Okai” since he was the only farmer who had farms on the land. Nii Abossey Okai I, after staying on the land for a very long time, naturally became the owner of the land.
After extending his farms, he is said to have given part to a Ga soldier named Obeng-Nti to be the caretaker and report to Nii Abossey Okai I on the sales or anything concerning the land.
Nii Abossey Okai III gave another account saying that a female trader who used to trek while selling found a big tree on his grandfather’s farm and said to herself, “mata heko” (I will sit somewhere) and settled under the tree.
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She later felt comfortable and started to sell on that land rather than trekking and named the place “Mataheko”. Nii Abossey Okai I and his people accepted the name “Mataheko” and that name remained.
The oldest woman at the chief’s palace, Grace Dei Abossey, who was more than 70 years confirmed what the chief said about the history of Mataheko.
She added that the land at that time was an empty one before Nii Abossey Okai I started his farms.
“People gradually settled because food was accessible and accepted the name “Mataheko.”
Nii Abossey Okai III said Mataheko was a peaceful land and had developed in so many ways over the years.