Manya-Krobos must unite - Vice President

Odumase-Krobo (E/R), Oct. 30, GNA - Vice President John Dramani Mahama has advised those fanning chieftaincy disputes and land litigations in the Manya Krobo Traditional Area to give way to peace and development to enable the area to flourish.

He, therefore, urged the people of Manya-Krobo to unite and fight against poverty and ignorance instead of fighting among themselves. The Vice-President's advice was part of a speech read by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo, at a grand durbar of the chiefs and people of Manya-Krobo, on Friday, to climax this year's Ngmayem Festival at Krobo Odumase. Mr Mahama commended them for organizing the beads festival as part of the festivities and expressed the hope that the event would open up market avenues for the beads industry to create employment for the youth.

He announced that the New Juaben Municipal Assembly with the Eastern Regional coordinating Council (RCC) was constructing a permanent beads market in Koforidua for the manufacturing of beads and the promotion of tourism in the region.

Mr Mahama told the people that the Volta River Authority (VRA) would start opening the spill way of the Akosombo Dam very soon and advised those staying in low lying communities along the Volta River to move to higher grounds to avoid being affected by floods. He warned that the Legislative Instrument that bans the development of any place within the 280 feet contour mark along the Volta River would be strictly enforced to avoid the flooding of communities along the River Volta when it rises.

The Vice President appealed to the Konor to persuade his sub-chiefs to release land at high areas to people whose houses had been destroyed by the floods.

He expressed his appreciation for the drastic reduction in the HIV prevalence rate in the Krobo area from over eight per cent to 5.4 per cent at the last HIV sentinel survey.

Mr Mahama commended the chiefs and queens in the area for their efforts and also the Manya Krobo District Health Management Team for the achievement and urged them to work harder to further reduce the HIV prevalence rate in the area.

The Paramount Chief of the Manya Krobo Traditional Area, Nene Sakite, II, expressed concern about the environmental problems being created by the various companies mining limestone at Odugblase. He, therefore, called for a forum of all stakeholders to enable the companies to understand the need to honour their social responsibilities to the Krobo communities. He said with the help of government the Traditional Council has established a Customary Land Secretariat and called on the people to co-operate with the secretariat to help solve some of the land problems in the area.

Nene Sakite said the Traditional Council would take measures against people who had been using fictitious land documents to register lands, which do not belong to them.

He said the Traditional Council has 52 square miles of stool lands in Lower Manya and pledged that as a trustee he would take measures to protect the interest of the stool in those lands. The chief called on Manya Krobo citizens to contribute to the Nene Sakite the Education Endowment Fund to help support brilliant but needy children in the Krobo area.