Volta Region House of Chiefs benefit from lawyer chiefs

Ho, June 22, GNA - Though the Volta Regional House of Chiefs lacks legal counsels, it could benefit from the legal advice of two of its permanent members, Togbe Tepre Hodo III and Nana Soglo Alloh IV, Paramount Chiefs of the Anfoega and Likpe Traditional areas respectively.

The two chiefs, who took their seats in the House not long ago, gave an inkling into their value as lawyers to the House on Wednesday when they led members along the legal lane to take some important legal decisions.

The House was to consider a petition by Togbe Dzidzenu Zoglo, Dufia of Ave Dzadefe, about the use of the title "Vice-President" at traditional council levels as well as the wrong use of traditional councils and traditional areas.

Nana Soglo Alloh made references to relevant legal provisions on the status of those who qualified to be members of the House. He said a member of the Regional House of Chiefs must, by status, be a paramount chief of a traditional area. On who qualifies to act as the President of a Traditional Council in the absence of its host President, Nana Soglo said by law, only another Paramount Chief in that Council was eligible to be elected to assume the acting position and not a sub-chief, divisional chief or a regent of the host traditional area. "By law, a regent is not qualified to be the acting president of a traditional council. It is only a Paramount Chief in the council who qualifies to act."

On the difference between a traditional council and traditional area, both Nana Soglo Alloh and Togbe Tepre Hodo made references to legal provisions that delineated their differences. They said by law, traditional councils referred to assemblies of paramount chiefs of a number of autonomous traditional areas and that the presidents of those assemblies did not wield traditional authority over their colleague members of those councils. Regarding traditional areas, Nana Soglo Alloh and Togbe Tepre Hodo said these referred to autonomous and identifiable areas of traditional authority under a Paramount Chief. Togbega Gabusu VI, President of the House, who was visibly happy about the informed debate on the issues discussed, said the House stood to benefit immensely from the array of professionals coming into the House. He urged members to be mindful of public criticisms over the conferment of traditional titles on foreigners and people outside the royal families.

"Chieftaincy titles are not awarded with frivolity but according to custom and tradition", Togbega Gabusu said. He said the situation was worrying as some of those development chiefs tended to place themselves above the authority of chiefs in those communities. Togbega Gabusu said it was for this reason that the National House of Chiefs decided not to register any chief as "Ngoryifia" in the National Register of Chiefs. 22 June 07