Cooperate with Commission of Inquiry on creation of regions, Volta chiefs urged

Togbe Afede XIV, President of the National House of Chiefs, has called on chiefs to cooperate with the Commission of Inquiry for the Creation of Regions, working on a petition for the creation of a region out of the Volta Region.

He said the exercise was as a result of “substantial demand” by the public for a new region and urged the chiefs to respect the dictates of the 1992 Constitution in “context with the desire of the people for development, jobs and peace.”

Togbe Afede said this when the Commission held a session with the Regional House of Chiefs to collate the views on the demand for the creation of a new region out of the Volta Region.

He said whether the Volta Region was divided or not, the issue was that, the people needed “development and happiness” adding that the National House of Chiefs’ main concern was development.

Togbe Afede called for fairness in the process saying “if there has to be peace and development, there must be fairness so that everyone will accept the results.”

Mr Dan Botwe, the Minister of Regional Reorganisation and Development, said government was strictly following provisions in the Constitution and would be “very fair.”

He said the Ministry has sensitized the citizenry on the provisions of the Constitution on the creation of regions and that everything was being done transparently and “nothing will be done outside the Constitution.”

Justice Stephen Allan Brobbey, Chairman of the Commission, said the consultations being held were fact-finding in nature and would assist the Commission in forming a view on whether there was the need and substantial demand for the creation of a new region in the northern part of the Volta Region.

He said this is the first time provisions of Article five of the 1992 Constitution on the creation or alteration of a region has been invoked and that there was a duty on all to ensure that the course charted was in the best interest of the people.

Justice Brobbey said after broad consultations, the Commission would make recommendations to the President on the proposed regions and called for support of all.

The Commission is scheduled to hold public hearings in Ho, Jasikan, Nkwanta, Kpassa, and Kete-Krachi after engaging the chiefs.

Government received six petitions for the creation of new regions, one each from Western and Volta regions, two from the Brong Ahafo and the Northern Region- all being worked on by the Commission of Inquiry.

Volta Region has a land area of 20,570 square kilometres with a Statistical Service’s May 2017 population projection of 2,491,293.