House of Chiefs urged to address chieftaincy and land disputes

Dr Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has charged the Regional House of Chiefs to resolve pockets of chieftaincy disputes, which were undermining development.

He said it was important for the chiefs to use their time tested Traditional Conflict Resolution mechanisms to end all unsolved conflicts in the Region to pave way for continuous development.

Dr Salih made the call at the weekend in Tumu during the centenary celebration of the Tumu Chiefdom, which has lasted from 1918 to 2018.

It was also to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Tumu Kuoro, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, for keeping and maintaining peace for the past 100 years. This includes the commemorating of the lives of Wogorei Kanton II (1918-1951), Luri Kanton III (1952-1973), Alhaji Luriwie Kanton IV (1974-2001), and Badzoe Kanton V (2001 -2009).

The celebration was held on the theme: “Hundred Years of Sustained Traditional Leadership, Lessons for Peace and Development in Ghana”.

Dr Salih said though some efforts had been made to resolve some age-old chieftaincy disputes, the chiefs needed to delve into time tested traditional systems to help resolve the remaining ones.

He disclosed that “three chieftaincy disputes within the Region have been disposed of by the judicial committee of the House, leaving seven more to be dealt with".

“Let me urge you to continue to work harder to resolve the rest as government is rolling out a capacity building training programme for staff of the Regional House of Chiefs to sharpen your skills,” he said.

Dr Salih commended the Tumu Paramountcy for the sustained peace in the area and urged the chiefs to take steps to resolve the few chieftaincy disputes before they escalate.

Touching on the road network, he assured the chiefs that government had awarded the construction of itinerary roads in Tumu, which were already in progress including Tumu-Gwollu–Hamile road, Tumu-Han road, Tumu-Navrongo, Tumu–Nabugubelle, Tumu-Pieng–Challu and Mwankuri-Han road.

The Region was noted for its high subscription to the Planting for Food and Jobs programme, Dr Salih said, and warned citizens against rampant bush burning or risk facing the rigours of the law.

He urged the traditional authorities to collaborate with the security agencies to deal with unscrupulous individuals engaged in smuggling of fertilizer to neighbouring countries.

On the emergence of terrorist activities in neighbouring countries, he appealed to the citizenry to be extra vigilant and volunteer information and report suspicious characters to the security persons adding; ”our proximity predisposes us to the threat”.

The celebration was witnessed by chiefs and other invited guests from the Upper West Region who were entertained to the various Sissala dances. Trophies were presented to social groups that participated in a football match as part of the centenary celebration.