According to the newspaper, DAILY GUIDE, the government might have a hand in the sudden postponement of the scheduled visit to Ghana of the Libyan Leader, Col Muammar Al-Gaddafi.
The Libyan Leader was supposed to cruise into Ghana this week with an expectant display of monarchical garb amid pomp and pageantry in Accra, following his invitation by Traditional Rulers in West Africa to open a maiden conference of Chiefs in the sub-region from July 23-24, where he was expected to have been crowned ‘King of Kings’.
However, information gathered by DAILY GUIDE from Osu Castle sources indicates that government had to make a last minute appeal to the organisers of the conference to postpone the event indefinitely to prevent Gaddafi from coming to Ghana on the heels of US President Barack Obama’s visit to the country to bolster investor confidence in the Ghanaian economy.
Checks indicate that government initially accepted the Gaddafi gambit because of the promise of oil, but upon second thought, it made a U-turn.
DAILY GUIDE learnt that the conference was cancelled following a marathon meeting at the International Press Center, ahead of a scheduled press conference between the President of the National House of Chiefs, Professor Naa John Nabila, Samia Nkrumah, MP for Jomoro on one side supporting the conference and Kobby Acheampong, Deputy Minister for Tourism and other government representatives, to allegedly review the situation.
The cancellation of the conference is an immediate u-turn and a far cry from the announcement on the floor of Parliament last Friday by Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Alex Asum-Ahensah, that Government regarded the event as a laudable one “as it seeks to acknowledge the important role of our enduring traditional institutions”.
According to the information gathered, government was apprehensive about Gaddafi’s visit on assumption that it would dent the image of the country in the sight of the United States.
“This will not market Ghana as a tourism destination country and therefore government had to do something to prevent the Libyan Leader from coming to Ghana soon”, sources within government confirm to DAILY GUIDE.
The conference, which was supposed to be held on the theme: “The Role of Traditional Rulers in the Integration of Africa’s States”, would have brought together over 600 traditional rulers from all over the Sub-region to dialogue on how to consolidate the role of chiefs in democratic governance systems in the sub-region.
Ghana was chosen as a host of the conference to coincide with the Centenary of the birth of the first president and the foremost Pan-Africanist, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, who was a pioneer in the establishment of the African Union.
“There is no doubt that, bringing our traditional rulers together will complement our respective Governments efforts at greater continental union,” Hon. Asum-Ahensah told parliament earlier.
The Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Jaman North, pointed out as key players in society, “chiefs cannot be left out in our effort to integrate” fully as a sub-region.
It will be recalled that at the just ended African Union Summit in Sirte, Libya, attended by Samia Nkrumah and Naa Nabila, AU adopted a resolution calling on all African States to commemorate the centenary celebration of the birth of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
The hosting of the Conference was therefore a prelude to the celebration of the Nkrumah’s 100th birthday as a true son of Africa.
Source: GhanaWeb
