Chiefs, people of Bawku asked to ensure peace for development

Bawku (UE), April 10, GNA - Mr. Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister, reminded the chiefs and people of the Bawku Traditional Area that without peace there would be no meaningful development in the area.

He said that the government had plans to implement good programmes and policies to alleviate the plight of the people but that might not be possible if they continued to engage in conflicts. Mr Woyongo was speaking at a durbar of chiefs and people of the area, to celebrate the Samanpiid festival that was under the theme "Forging ahead in Unity and Development", on Thursday at Bawku. The annual festival could not come on last year as a result of the violence that erupted on December 31st 2007 during that year's celebration.

The Regional Minister said that government had established the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) to champion the development agenda for Upper West, Upper East and Northern Region (the three Northern Regions) and the Northern parts of Brong Ahafo and Volta regions.

Mr. Woyongo said that government also intended to establish a Sheanut Development Board to oversee the production and processing of the sheanuts among others just as the Cocoa Marketing Board has been established to handle cocoa affairs in cocoa growing areas. He urged the chiefs and people of the area to use the celebration of the festival to mend their broken relationship with their neighbours to ensure peaceful and harmonious co-existence in the area. Mr. Woyongo said that government was concerned about the situation in Bawku and would ensure that the matter was resolved as soon as possible.

Mr. Yakubu Alhassan Abubakari, the Bawku Municipal Coordinating Director, lamented that the numerous repercussions that the conflict had brought to area and said many workers posted to area refused to report for duty while those there were transferred to other areas. Revenue mobilization of the assembly, he noted, had also been affected and contractors abandoned their work, all to the detriment of the Municipality's development.

Mr. Abubakari appealed to the factions in the conflict to assist government and all peace loving people in finding a permanent solution to the problem.

Mr. Cletus Avoka, Minister of Interior, said there was no need for fighting among the feuding factions since they were one people. He said the government would not countenance the culture of immunity and would deal with anyone who would violate the law irrespective of his or her political, ethnic or religious background. Mr Avoka assured the people that very soon the truth concerning the conflict would be laid to bear to resolve the issue. He advised the people to use legal means in resolving differences instead of resorting to weapons and said funds used to purchase weapons for fighting could have been invested in productive ventures. Mr. Stephen Nayina Sumani, the Northern Regional Minister, asked the feuding factions to live in peace and unity.

In a speech read for him, the Paramount Chief of the Bawku Traditional Area, Naba Asigri Abugrago Azoka II expressed his displeasure at the conflict between the Kusasis and Mamprusis in the area and said it was retarding development in the area. He said the people should have been fighting poverty, ignorance and disease and appealed to them to put hatred and conflict behind them and ensure pave for development.

Naba Azoka said "I am appealing to my entire subjects irrespective of their ethnic differences to put hatred and conflict behind them and let us together assure the government that we are poised for development".

He said that none of the feuding factions had benefited from the conflict, which had rather worsened their plight. Naba Azoka appealed to government to create more jobs for the youth in the area to prevent them from fomenting trouble. He appealed to the government to construct more dams for irrigation to support farming in the dry season in the area and stressed the need for the implementation of the proposed Tamne irrigation project of which feasibilities studies had been completed.

The Samanpiid festival which originated many years ago among the Kusasis of Bawku area, is an occasion for thanking God and the ancestral spirits for the protection, guidance and blessing of the people and for fruitful harvest after each farming season. The Occasion is also used by the people to reflect on their past achievements and shortcomings to enable them to decide on the way forward.

The festival, which attracted sons and daughters and people from all walks of life, was on the theme,