Instil peace in Bolgatanga - Traditional Council to Minister

The upper East regional minister, Rockson Ayine Bukari, has been severely cautioned by the Bolgatanga traditional council.

In a statement released at a press conference, the council admonished the minister to refrain from destroying the peace the area currently enjoys.

Using unprintable words to describe him, the chief stated that the minister failed to pay homage to the Paramount Chief of the Bolgatanga Traditional Area, Naba Awogya-Lebna Abilba IV, when he took office as head of the region.

His reason, according to them, was that the chief is yet to be gazetted.

He was however, according to reports, quick to pay homage to the recently enskinned Zuarungu Chief, who is also not gazetted.

They believe that the move was a ploy to undermine the authority of the Bolga Naba and the council.

At the press conference, which was chaired by the Acting President of the Bolgatanga Traditional Council, Naba Johnson Azebire Awuni, they stated that they would not under any circumstances allow the minister to cause chaos in the region.

They enumerated several instances of selective actions by the minister, who is hardly three months old in office.

One of them was the relocation of an airstrip from Sumburungu suburb of Bolgatanga to Sherigu within the same Traditional Area.

This has fueled animosity between the two communities, as the project was kick started about thirty (30) years ago.

Again, the minister is accused of personally ordering the release of people who were apprehended whilst trying to commit arson during the last Bawku conflict.

They were arrested by the military, and handed over to the police.

According to the chief, but for a protest from some concerned citizens, they accused persons would have remained loose in the community.

They therefore concluded that the regional minister was focused on a personal agenda, with total disregard for peace and tranquility in the area.

In that respect, they called on the president, the minister of interior and the security agencies to act with speed in order to bring the minister to order.