THE SELECTION OF A YAA NAA: LET’S ACCEPT THE CHOICE OF OUR ANCESTORS, AS TO BE ANNOUNCED BY THE KING MAKERS, DOING SO AS DAGBOMBAS

Educate Ghana Summit's Deputy Secretary release a press release to educate the nationwide on obtaining peace in the country .

The roadmap to peace in Dagbon which was adopted by the two Royal gates: the Abudu and the Andani, in 2006 will come to an end with the selection of a Yaa Naa. It would be recalled that, the Kuffour administration in 2003 constituted a committee of Eminent chiefs, following the incident that happened in Yendi in March the previous year which claimed several lives including that of the overlord of Dagbon, Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II.  The committee had Na yiri, the paramount chief of Mamprugu, the Yagbunwura, the paramount chief of Gonjas and the Asantehene, the paramount chief of the Asante as members with the Asantehene being the chairman.
The Asantehene led committee was tasked to find ways to resolve the crisis in Dagbon and to bring an everlasting solution and peace to Dagbon. In doing so, the road map to peace was born. Contained in that road map, among others, which was signed onto were:
1. Burial of the late overlord, Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II
2. Installation of the regent of Yaa Naa Yakubu Andani II (Kampakuya naa)
3. Funeral performance of the late Naa Mahamadu Abdulai IV
4. Funeral performance of the late Naa Yakubu Andani II
5. Selection of a new Yaa Naa for Dagbon
According to the Asantehene, the role of his committee ends at the above 4. The 5 will be taken care of by the Yaa Naa Selection committee. This was contained in his speech that was delivered at the Flagstaff house during the presentation of the progress report to the president. Yaa Naa Selection committee is made up of “Na Gbahiriba” which has Kuga Naa(leader), Gomli and Tuguri Nam as members whose role is divination and oracle consultation and “Kali Nima”. The “Kali Nima” will have in addition to the names above, Kpati Naa, Gushe Naa, Kumbun Naa and Tolon Naa.
We have, as Dagombas, witnessed all the four processes though with some minor challenges which we have been able to manage with the help of the committee and government of Ghana. The teeth and the tongue which are both contained in the mouth do fight sometimes, a Dagomba proverb, so those little challenges were normal.
As Dagbon and the whole world is anxiously waiting for that singular pronouncement by the Kuga Naa which will be the first in the last 45 years, I will like to call on Government and the Asantehene’s committee to stick to their words by not trying to manipulate the process in order not for Dagbon to have a repetition of what happened in 1974. The people of Dagbon have a complete faith in the process thus far, and therefore, expect that so shall it be, till the end.

To my fellow Dagombas, let’s emulate the brotherhood that was exhibited by Tanpiong Lana Abdulai (Abudu) and Nyong lana Andani (Andani).  Tanpiong Lana Abdulai who later became Yaa Naa under the skin title Naa Abdulai Nag’begu (Abudu) and Nyong lana Andani who also later became Naa Andani Naanigoo (Andani) were both children of Naa Yakubu Nantoo as indicated in my previous articles. When Naa Yakubu Nantoo’s reign was nearing an end as a result of old age, these two young princes, upon realizing that none of them was occupying a gate skin, joined hands together to fight some decisions of their father, Naa Yakubu. If the two of them, Abudu and Andani could fight for the elder one (Abudu) to be made Mion Lana and the younger one (Andani) to be promoted to Tampiong, ie making sure that at least one of them occupies a gate skin before their father passes on; if Mion lana  Abdulai (Abudu) after becoming a Yaa Naa, made Tampiong lana Andani the Mion Lana, why can’t we, their descendants, think like the way they did?
In conclusion, the Yaa Naa to be will surely be a great grandson of Naa Yakubu Nantoo. He will again be a grandson of a Yaa Naa, he will be a son of a Yaa Naa and he will definitely be a Dagbana. He must therefore be seen as a Dagbon Yaa Naa and not Abudu or Andani Yaa Naa.