Family of Benkumhene of Offinso Traditional Area pleads for more time
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Their plea came on the grounds that Nana Yentumi, who is at the centre of the hearing of the council sitting, was indisposed.
However, they believe that in less than a week, the family and the council of elders of the Benkum Division will be able to engage Nana Yentumi in talks over their decision that he had offended the Offinso paramountcy by suggesting chiefs in the country must be made to retire at 70 years.
The council led by the Omanhene of the Offinso Traditional Area, Nana Wiafe Akenten III, granted the plea and asked the family to reappear with the Benkumhene on Monday, June 10, 2013.
Nana Akenten cautioned the Benkumhene not to perform any duty until he re-appeared on the said date, and added that within the period of the suspension, the Abontendomhene, Gyasehene and the family should ensure the Offinso Obuasi stool would not engage in any sale of land.
On Tuesday, May 28, 2013, the Benkumhene was suspended for one week to reappear before the council on Tuesday, June 4, 2013.
His suspension followed a suggestion he made in a newspaper publication that chiefs must be made to retire at 70.
It could be recalled that in a story published on the front page of The Chronicle and with full story on page three of its Monday, May 20, 2013 edition with the banner headline: “Chiefs must retire @ 70”, the Benkumhene advocated a radical change in the chieftaincy institution to ensure that it played an effective role in governance and development.
The paper published that according to the Benkumhene, the institution must be purged and done away with chiefs who were 70 years old and above and that his colleague chiefs who had attained 70 years and above must be made to retire and be barred from being installed as chiefs.
The Benkumhene said this on the premise that some chiefs had lost their retentive memories and that the earlier steps were taken to inject new blood into the institution, the better for the nation.
Again, he was reported to have backed his argument with the premise that most chiefs aged 70 and above did not contribute meaningfully to any development agenda , especially during discussions and debates at traditional council meetings and the like.
Story: Joseph Kyei-Boateng