Adaklu to opt out of newly created district

Adaklu-Abuadi (V/R), Aug. 21, GNA- The Chiefs of the Adaklu Traditional Area in the Volta Region had resolved to opt out of the newly created Adaklu-Anyigbe District if Agortime-Kpetoe remained the proposed capital.

Togbega Gbogbo Atsa V, Paramount Chief of the Traditional Area, said this at a meeting of divisional chiefs and opinion leaders from the area, at Adaklu-Abuadi on Saturday.

The Paramount chief who was speaking through, Mr Billy Akorli, a businessman and citizen of the area, enjoined all Adaklu citizens, particularly assembly members, to disregard letters of invitation to the inauguration of the district at Agortime-Kpetoe on Monday. He said, having decided not to be part of the district, it was not expected that any land, which traditionally belonged to the Adaklus, would fall under the jurisdiction of the new district. Togbe Atsa said Adaklu be expunged from the name of the proposed district since the people would not be part of it.

Togbe Lablulu Tegbeza, Divisional Chief of the Adaklu-Waya, expressed concern about forays by the Police into the traditional area on false alarms.

He said the chiefs of Adaklu had the freedom, just as traditional rulers in any other area to organise meetings of its people without police permits and pleaded that the law enforcement body left them in peace.

The people of Adaklu There were protested against the naming of Agortime-Kpetoe as the capital of the newly created district and varying opinions on the matter.

Consequently, government established a committee that was chaired by Nana Ogyeabour Akompi Finam II, Omanhene of the Kadjebi Traditional Area, to thrash out the disagreements to enable the district to begin work in earnest.

The committee in a report carried by the media last Thursday, recommended among other things that Agortime-Kpetoe should remain the capital of the district.

It, however, suggested, "the name of the district should be changed to Adaklu-Agortime-Ziope District Assembly to reflect equal representation of the three traditional areas and to foster unity among the Constituents".

The report also said: "Adaklu should be given a fair share of the assembly's development projects in tune with its size, population and relative deprivation".

Dr Elias Delali Aklaku, a lecturer at the College of Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), commented on the issue in an interview with the GNA. He said the time between the publication of the report of the Committee, Thursday August 18, this year and the scheduling and subsequent dispatch of letters of invitation for the inauguration of the district on Monday August 22, was inappropriate.

Dr Aklaku said " I thought such reports were studied by the government who then came with comments and directives for the implementation process to begin."

He said the people of Adaklu would continue to use "brains and not brawns" to pursue the matter and promised that at all times the leaders of the traditional area would ensure that peace was not breached in the course of their legitimate protestations over the issue. 21 Aug. 05

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