“The constant smoking by Esi at the area was observed by passersby that “wusiw ropun” and this links the name Essipun”

NTERVIEW PUBLISHED IN SPECTATOR (A GHANAIAN NEWSPAPER)

It Is ‘Esipun’ Not ‘Essipong’
By Clement Adzei-Boye, Essipong
Saturday, 24 November 2007

THE dream of constructing a 2,008-capacity stadium at Essipong, near Sekondi, is now a reality. The project, which was completed within 18 months is fitted with a 40-room hotel, an ICT centre, VVIP lounge, media centre, football pitch and a tartan track. It was completed in September and handed over to the government in November, this year. The imposing $38.5 million stadium at Essipong, is located south-east of Sekondi and has a glassy facade that reflects silvery light onto the Atlantic Ocean.

The name of the land on which the modern stadium for the Western Region is located, is after all not Essipong. And Esi-pong is correctly spelt ‘Esi-pun’ (Esi p-u-u-n as in spoon/spuun).

The chief of Essipong, Nana Kofi Abuna V, in an interview with The Spectator said, according to legend five of their fore leaders trekked from Techiman in the Brong-Ahafo Region to settle in an area, near the coast. She mentioned the names of the five as Opanyin Nyowonyowa, his sister, Duku, and husband Sekum, son Kofi Abuna and the helpmate (maid), Esi.

The place where they settled, the chief explained, was a forest area, full of game (variety of animals). Sekum, Nana Abuna told The Spectator, was a hunter and always returned home with meat (game) after the daily expedition and it was the duty of Esi the helpmate, to roast them. As people passed by the cottage of Opanyin Nyowonyowa to their farms, they always saw smoke billowing into the clouds.

“And so, the people said, Esi re-pun, meaning Esi is smoking (the meat). And therefore the name Esipun remained with the cottage,” she said. According to her, the name Essipon was also adopted after Opanyin Nyowonyowa and Duku left to an area in Sekondi and settled there leaving Kofi Abuna and Esi at the first cottage. “That event was labelled Esi-Apong,” Nana Abuna further explained but added, “the real pronunciation and spelling is Esi-pun.” She said that Essipun has been Anglicised to become Essipong and so those in Accra also had pronounced it “Asipong” with a long draw of the ‘o’ sound. “The old government documents bear ‘Esipun’ and we want to maintain the ‘Essipun’ instead of ‘Essipong’, Nana Abuna told The Spectator.

She was happy that the stadium had been completed and that the dream of Western Region has been concretised.

She said the sports facility would improve the economy of the metropolis and also boost tourism.
“This is not for Esipun alone, but for the Western Region. We will have the restaurants and food vendors. We need to tap the full potential of the tournament,” the chief stated.
She appealed to the public to assist the police in maintaining security at the stadium.

The Western Regional Sports Development Officer, Mr P.N. Akowuah, said that the 40-room hotel facility would host social events such as parties and weddings. Restaurants, he added, would also be operated to keep the place busy at all times after the tournament. “We hope to raise revenue and maintain the place. But we will demand strict adherence to certain conditions. If you can, we will allow its use, but it will not just be for anybody”, he said.

Mr Akowuah said that the facility would be given to sanitation contractors to maintain the place but said the public also has a role to play. “We need to change our attitude about littering. We provided garbage bins during the national athletics meeting, but people threw rubbish on the ground,” he said. “That is regrettable.”

Meanwhile, people of varied ages and social standing are visiting the stadium to appreciate for themselves the good job done and know at first hand what the new facility can deliver in January.