Written By Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey
In colonial Ghana, called Gold Coast one of the most well know indigenous communities was KADE, made popular by the flourishing Kade Match Factory. Apparently, their products were sold all over the Colony.
Fate took me to Kade for the first time when a lawyer in our law firm, lost his father and myself and some of the staff drove to the town.
It was a Saturday and the church – Presby was full for the burial service so we stood outside until everything was over and the mourners came out with pall bearers doing their own thing with the casket.
All of a sudden, a certain noble looking gentleman in simple mourning cloth said: “Captain, try and come home – Welcome to Kade.”
I was stunned. The way he mentioned my name confidently with a smile – who is this man? I asked one of the mourners passing by: “Please, who is that noble man going?”
“Oh – that is our chief, Nana Kadehene….”
Our host, the lawyer, easily directed us to the private house of the chief and we went there to a warm welcome, with fufu and green green soup. Apparently, he was a staff of VRA on secondment to GNPC where I used to be President of the Senior Staff Association. He knew me very well.
Later in the afternoon, while greeting people at the funeral grounds, we got to Nana Kadehene, seated on the dais, in great popup, with some leaf in his mouth – looking deadly serious.
From that day our relationship blossomed from day to day into dizzying heights.
My classmate in Achimota School, Lawyer Ofori keeps telling me that “Effah, Chieftaincy is a snake- pit” but the way I used to see Nana Kadehene, in his velvet cloth at funerals and functions, no, in Kade, Chieftaincy is not a snake pit.
One day Nana told me: Captain my Queen Mother has summoned me before my overlord the Okyehene. The Okyehene himself presided over the meeting of Okyeman Council, heard the complaint and dismissed it as frivolous and bogus.
Nana’s joy at the victory was short lived. Within two weeks the same Queen Mother had REPEATED the same frivolous and bogus charges before the Judicial Committee of the Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Council which under the six weeks heard the matter convicted Nana of the frivolous and bogus charges and declared Nana DESTOOLED!!
Nana ran as fast as his legs could carry him from Kyebi to Koforidua Eastern Regional House of Chiefs Judicial Committee on appeal.
After about two years, the Regional House decided that the irregularities in the trial below were too much so the whole case should be RE-TRIED in Kyebi.
Just as a new panel was set up to RE TRY the case we heard that the fighting Queen Mother had gone on appeal at the National House of Chiefs waving the banner of the same frivolous and bogus charges.
Nana asked me to handle the appeal in Kumasi for him and how many times did I not go to Kumasi – case adjourned, no sitting today, and so on and so forth. My classmate Lawyer Ofori is right – Chieftaincy is a snake pit!!!
On the day that SIR JOHN was buried, I drove to Kumasi very early and got to Sir John’s funeral around 5am. I was there until 7am and I left to go for the JUDGMENT in the Nana Kadehene case. On the way I met Nana Addo’s convoy coming to the funeral.
We waited at the pleasure of Nananom until around 11am when the Kadehene case was called. Nana was in high spirits because from the grapevine we heard that the Queen Mother’s appeal would be dismissed by the unanimous five-man panel.
When we the lawyers announced ourselves, Nana Techimanhene, presiding said “this is a short ruling. Appeal is granted. Reasons to be given later.” I could not believe my ears – appeal granted? These frivolous and bogus charges? I looked at the face of Nana Kadehene – he was very calm, showing no emotion.
Without much ado about anything I quickly filed the Appeal to the Supreme Court and applied for copy of the Judgment without which the appeal cannot be heard.
It is now THREE YEARS – the Judgment is NOT yet ready!!
OSABARIMA AGYARE TENADU II – see him seated in state in full golden regalia, see him at a funeral in Kade, on VRA duties in Takoradi, Kumasi, Keta – Nana, battling with his rivals, Head of Family, Queen Mother not buried for three years…
Monday 20th October 2025. Nana came to my office and told me “Captain I don’t want you to be surprised. I am going to abdicate the throne on Wednesday…”
His wife is a Police Officer. Have you discussed it with her? Yes
After a long pensive silence, I said aloud every lawyer’s national anthem: VERY WELL!!!
Nana Kadehene’s challenges got drowned in my own set of problems until one of my lawyers on an assignment in Sekondi Court of Appeal rang me
“Captain have you heard the news? Nana Kadehene has abdicated..”
My secretaries in the office came to show me sad videos in Kade.
The abdication of Nana Kadehene, out of the snake pit….
Reaction is varied, but the rumour is that the people don’t want Nana to resign. Black Wednesday in Kade….
