The Okyenhene, Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin, has called on Ghanaians to let the devastating floods in Accra serve as a warning for them to change their attitudes towards the environment.
He said that while there was a genuine planning gap and inadequate disaster prevention methods, people’s attitudes towards the environment remained a fundamental contributing factor to the problem.
He mentioned indiscriminate dumping of refuse in gutters, rivers and unapproved places, building on watercourses, and choked rivers as some indiscriminate human activities contributing to preventable flooding.
Speaking at the 2026 Kyebi Ohum Festival held in Kyebi last Saturday, the Okyenhene said: “Nature is such that it will treat you proportionally to the very level of treatment you give to it.
“If we treat nature very nicely, it shall treat us nicely,” the Okyenhene said when he addressed the chiefs and people of Okyeman.
The event, which was held on the theme: “Rejuvenating our customs for sustainability and natures connection”, drew a large number of people from all walks of life.
They included the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah; the National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah; a Policy Advisor for Political Affairs at the Office of the Vice-President, Dr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo; and the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs, Ahmed Ibrahim.
The rest were a former Chief of Staff, the Minister for Local Government, Chieftaincy, and Religious Affairs; former and current Members of Parliament and chief executives of local assemblies.
The Asantehene was represented by the Juabenhene, Nana Otuo Siribour; the Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre Kwaku Boateng II; the Okuapemhene, Oseadeeyo Kwasi Akuffo III, and some chiefs from Akyem Kotoku and Akyem Bosome.
Stop the impunity
The Okyenhene stated that Ghanaian customs frowned on littering indiscriminately in town, rivers and water bodies, explaining that it was even a taboo for people to visit some rivers on a specific day in the week or for a period in the past.
“But what we are seeing today is a lack of discipline as people are devastating the environment with impunity, and you think that nature will not respond?
“We need to change our attitude towards nature for nature to treat us too nicely,” he said.
Stop drug abuse
Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin also expressed concern over the increasing abuse of drugs and other harmful substances by the youth.
He, therefore, called for an urgent enforcement of the laws governing the sale of alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs.
He particularly urged the Ghana Police Service and the various local assemblies to arrest and prosecute drinking bar owners and sales points selling alcohol to children under 18 years.
“Today, our children mix all kinds of substances with alcohol; the intake of tramadol and other substances has even worsened the situation. “These little boys, after soaking themselves into all of these substances, end up robbing people and stealing, and if we do not stop this, the future of the next generation will be very bleak,” the Okyenhene warned.
Boost for agric
The Chief of Staff commended the Okyenhene for demonstrating sterling leadership in uniting the people and assured him of the government’s support.
He appealed to the Okyenhene to liaise with his sub-chiefs to make lands available for agricultural purposes to support the government’s commitment to boosting agriculture in the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area.
“The Akyem lands are fertile for palm plantation, and the government will be interested in committing resources into palm plantation in Akyem Abuakwa to create jobs for our youth and produce for the local and export markets,” Mr Debrah said.
