Play lead role for the success of December 27 referendum - Togbe Afede to chiefs

Togbe Afede XIV, President of the National House of Chiefs (NHC), has asked chiefs to play active part in ensuring that the December 27 referendum on the creation of new regions is successful and peaceful.

He said it was important for them, especially, those in the affected areas to do everything to make sure that the process went on smoothly.

Addressing the fourth general meeting of the House in Kumasi, he also reminded the Electoral Commission (EC) to be fair in the performance of its constitutional mandate.

He said what distinguished Ghana from other nations in Africa, was the peace and tranquillity it enjoyed, and it was therefore vital that all key actors in the process worked to sustain the peace and unity, that existed in the country.

Togbe Afede announced that the NHC had begun the process of digitization - create a website, to make some of its documents including chieftaincy cases that had been successfully handled and those outstanding, accessible to the public.

He encouraged the members to see to it that their traditional councils and regional houses of chiefs (RHCs) complied with the directive on the digitization project, for effective implementation.

Mr Kofi Djamazi, Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, said government had approved an amount of GHC65,000,000.00 to pay allowances to the judicial committees of the various RHCs for prompt adjudication and settlement of chieftaincy disputes.

It had also started the procurement process for 25 cross country vehicles, to be distributed to the RHCs to facilitate their work.

He added that 3,000 personnel of the Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) were being posted to the various traditional councils to address some of the human resource challenges facing them.