As the tropical fury furnace burns hapless earthly creatures, a group of smock-wearing chiefs, soaked in their sweat, totter around an embattled beast that is tied to the floor. The tethered cow says its last prayers in anticipation of the butcher’s knife, even as Imams recite Quranic verses to fortify the Wa Naa (the Overlord of the Paramount Chiefs of Wa Traditional Area) for an impending spiritual ritual. His faithful subjects and visitors watch the spectacle with baited breath. Everyone at the Dumba Festival awaits the litmus test of Wa Naa’s virility to continue his stewardship.
On the seventh round of the circular walk, the Wa Naa, in an athletic leap, hops over the cow to the consternation of visitors, the relief of sub-chiefs and to loud ululation of women. The Overlord of the Wala Traditional Area, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, has, by jumping over the cow,proved himself physically and mentally fit to continue his stewardship. Neither his body nor his clothes touch the cow as he hops over it. The crowd cheers to the rafters knowing that failing this important ritual of high-jumping the cow would have marked the end of the road for their revered chief. Failure to jump over the cow indicates that a chief is too weak to reign. It also portends ill for the Wala State, since it signals Allah’s disfavour of the chief’s leadership.
Among the sub-chiefs who watched this jumping-over-cow spectacle was the Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin. He had on 28thAugust 2024, been honored by the Wala Traditional Area led by His Royal Highness, Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV,with the chieftaincy title, Dakagli Naa (Chief of Dakagli).Dakagli, which means dependable pond, is a revered sacred pond that is home to crocodiles of the earth god of Wa. In years past, the pond was a source of livelihood and sustenance for the people of the area. Like the age-old pond which their ancestors had relied heavily on since it never dried up, not even during years of acute drought, the Wala traditional leadership saw in Rt. Hon. Bagbin a dependable, reliable, strong and wise leader whom theydecorated as an anchor of development. Just as Dakaglihad watered many a man and livestock during dry, patched seasons, the Speaker of Parliament was a source of livelihood for many within the Wala Traditional Area, Ghana and beyond.
At his enskinment in 2024, Naa Fusieni Seidu Pelpuo IV indicated that Speaker Bagbin epitomized the qualities of protection, reliability, continuity, resilience, and a sense of community that the Dakagli crocodiles stand for.
“Just as Dakagli, our sacred pond, is a source of life and sustenance for the people of Wa, so has Speaker Alban S. K. Bagbin demonstrated his unwavering commitment to the well-being of our nation, Ghana,” the Chief said.
The Development Chief that he is, Dakagli Naa announced, at the 2025 Dumba Festival, an ambitious plan for developing the Upper West Region: “My first step as chief was to translate my dream into reality by cutting out a plan for developing the Wala Traditional Area and the Upper West Region as a whole. In line with this, I engaged an internationally acclaimed development architect and planner, Prof. Kwame Addo, to produce a development blueprint for the Upper West Region titled, “Revealing Potential Pathways for Socio-economic Development (2025 and beyond)”.
According to him, the Development Plan identified the shea as a growth pole, and details ways of utilizing the crop as a nucleus for spring-boarding the growth of the Upper West Region. He indicated that the Development Plan also highlights the creation of modern infrastructure in the Region for provision of social services and the generation of commercial activities that spin around the shea. The excitement that greeted Rt. Hon. Bagbin’s plans for the Upper West Region showed their trust in his ability to deliver. After all, he has never failed them. When he promised them a public address system, he not only delivered an ultramodern system to the Wa Naa’s Palace, he has been financing its servicing since 2022.
So none among the enthusiastic gathering at the Forecourt of the Wa Naa’s Palace doubted the juicy newsfrom the Speaker: “As a means of according dignity to the status of Chieftaincy in the Region, I intend to give a facelift to the Regional House of Chiefs, and the Wa Naa Palace. Prof. Kwame Addo has already designed a modern inner-court conference hall for the Palace. The design incorporates the existing unique Sudanese architecture, majestically commanding the fore grounds of the palace”.
As the salivating Oliver Twists yelled for more, the Speaker iced the cake for them, “… to make sure that our efforts do not melt to waste, we have willing investors who are excited about the business prospects of the area and are part of my delegation to this festival… [They include]Grant Weber, the President of the Ghana-South Africa Business Chamber and an early investor who has already committed himself in investing in the Upper West Region”.
For a region long-starved of investment, what more could residents ask for? Amidst the deafening cheers, an old woman mused, “the sapling boy who squares up to the lion deserves to sit on the skin of honour, with elders paying homage to him. They made him Dakagli Naa to scare away the hydra-headed poverty from this region”.
His enskinement as Dakagli Naa added to a plethora of honourary chieftaincy titles conferred on Rt. Hon. Bagbin since he assumed headship of Ghana’s House of Legislature in 2021. A year prior to his enskinment by the Wala, the Takpo Traditional Council, led by the Paramount Chief of Takpo, Naa Widaana NangaWala, had enskinedhim Tinmaali-Naa (Chief of Development), with the skin name Naa Suuniyong Maalu Sunmaali Bagbin. At the ceremony to outdoor him, the Paramount Chief of Takpo applauded Bagbin’s sterling contribution to society as demonstrated by the numerous development projects strewn across the country.
Similarly, in 2023, the Chiefs and people of Suma-Ahenkroin the Jaman North District of the Bono Region enstooled him Adasuokohene of the Suma Traditional Area. Adasuokohene is a god possessing strength to resist external powers. According to Odeneho Dr. Afram Brempong III, Paramount Chief of the Suma Traditional Area, the Speaker of Parliament had demonstrated a rare “power to defend Ghana from the invasion of LBGTQI community in the midst of threats from Western powers”. This demonstration of rare power and courage had been applauded earlier on by the Muslim Community in Ghana, led by the National Chief Imam with an award of Saifullah (the sword of Allah) to the Speaker.
But even before the Bono and Upper West chiefs adorned him in royal robes, the Chiefs and people of Awudome Traditional Area in the Volta Region had enstooled him. For his peerless integrity and sterling contribution to democracy and national development, the Awudome Traditional Area opened the floodgate of honorary chieftaincy titles when they honored the Rt. Hon. Bagbinwith the chieftaincy title Togbe Nutefeworla I (a leader of integrity). At the 2022 edition of the AWO Festival where the Speaker was enstooled, the Paramount Chief of the Awudome Traditional Area, Togbega Addai Kwasi Dzani XIII, praised the Speaker for his integrity, courage and unique sense of impartiality, which led to the sustenance of Ghana’s democracy.
If chieftaincy is equated with development, no politician in Ghana today deserves to sit on a skin or stool more than Ghana’s Speaker of the Eighth and Ninth Parliaments. All the five Traditional Areas have testimonies of his timeless interventions which often blend traditional heritage with modern structures.
The list of development projects arising from his personal initiates keeps elongating. Like Nelson Mandela who philosophized that “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world”, the Rt. Hon. Speaker has always placed training of the youth on top of his development priorities. He has to his credit beneficiary student scholars from his sponsorship in all the regions of Ghana. In his home region, for instance, to cater for the ever-increasing student population at the Wa Senior High School, he is completing a 2,000-seater capacity ultramodern and state of the art auditorium and an expensive modern state of the art public address system for the School. Sombo Senior High School in the Nadowli-Kaleo District also heaved a sigh of relief from their infrastructure challenges when the Speaker constructed a one-story administration block, six-unit classroom block and a fence wall around their School.Additionally, residents of Wa, Naro, Guree, Takpo, Kaluriand Nandom cannot forget of the six-unit and two-unit classroom blocks which the Speaker constructed recently in their schools. For the Kaleo Community, an ultramodern IT, robotics and software engineering center is what they hail him for, even as the Ghana Law School, Makola in Accra also boasts of a modern public address system which the Speaker donated to facilitate delivery of lectures for large classes.
A footballer in his heydays, Rt. Hon. Bagbin has always taken more than a passing interest in the sport. Even today, you should watch him play soccer with his children or watch the game on TV! No wonder that he invests so much in uplifting soccer and sports generally. In this respect, there are sports infrastructure and allied facilities showcased in Wa Municipality, Nadowli, and other placesas trophies. Paramount among them are the rehabilitated Malik Jabir Stadium in Wa and the construction of a FIFA-standard Astro Turf facility at the McCoy College of Education in Nadowli. The invitation to extend such assistance to the University of Business and Integrated Development Studies (UBIDS) and the Ho Sports Stadium are receiving his attention. Besides, Speaker Bagbin supports various football clubs including Sung Shinning Ladies FC, TF Exponential FC, now a Division One Club. He also donated vests and footballs to three other Clubs in the Upper West Region, and offers regular support to theGFA in the Region. It’s partly due to his passion for football and the lessons learnt therein that propelled him to lead Parliament to establish the annual competitive Democracy Cup. This visionary initiative, with the support of MPs, and reliable partners and sponsors, is being extended to all the 276 constituencies in the country.
Indeed, since becoming Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Bagbin’s development initiatives in health, water and sanitation, agriculture, female empowerment and culture are unmatched by any Speaker in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. That explains the scramble by various traditional authorities to elevate him to chieftaincy status. The latest being the offer of one of the Traditional Areas in the Eastern Region to crown him with another Chieftaincy honor.
Rather than turn down the arduous responsibility that comes with such traditional leadership roles, Dakagli Naa alias Naa Sunniyong Maalu Sungmaala Bagbin alias Adasuokohene alias Togbe Nutefeworla I, humbly accepts them believing that chieftaincy is not the coronation of a monarch who is worshipped by his people. On the contrary, he regards chieftaincy as a call to duty, a call to service of God and country.
Like a river weaving through the heartlands of Ghana, this philosophy courses steadily through his interactions with communities far and wide. He is a gardener of trust, sowing seeds of inclusivity, accountability, and reverence for ancestral tradition wherever he goes. By acceptingthese honorary titles, he does not merely wear the crownsof respect; he becomes a living bridge, connecting the ancient spirit of traditional leadership with the forward stride of modern governance. In his wake, unity blossoms and progress unfurls its vibrant wings, blessing both local communities and the broader nation with the promise of renewal.
In sum, the luminous path carved by the Rt. Hon. Speaker should beckon every young and aspiring soul like a beacon atop a distant hill. His unwavering devotion to education, integrity, and service shines as a lantern in the night, illuminating the way for those who long to make a difference. To follow in his footsteps is to sow seeds of diligence in the fertile soil of opportunity, to water those seeds with humility, and to watch as the mighty tree of leadership grows—its branches sheltering and inspiring generations. Let the youth wrap themselves in the vibrant cloak of his example, weaving threads of tradition and progress, and stepping boldly into the sunlight where their own legacy may flourish and cast shade for others yet to come.
Written by Awudu Ishaq (Political/Youth Activist)
