Chieftaincy disputes to be resolved - Dr Daannaa
Chieftaincy disputes will soon be issues of the past, with the passage of the Legislative Instrument (L.I) on the succession of chiefs in the country.
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This was announced by the Minister of Chieftaincy and Traditional Affairs, Dr Henry Seidu Daannaa, when he delivered a special message on behalf of President John Dramani Mahama to the chiefs and elders of the Tumu Traditional Council in the Sissala East District in the Upper West Region at Tumu last Tuesday.
Dr Daannaa said the ministry was preparing a line of succession of chiefs, which would remove disputes upon the deaths of chiefs. He, therefore, appealed to them to re-commit themselves and bury their differences to allow peace to prevail in the area.
He said the situation where some traditional areas had been without chiefs for over 20 years because of such disputes, and the Sissala District Assembly had been without a district chief executive for the past two years because of its inability to confirm the President's nominee, was of grave concern to the President.
Mr Daannaa called on the traditional rulers to, as early as possible, fill the existing vacancies for chiefs in the traditional area to bring about the needed development in the area.
The district has 17 paramount chiefs and 41 sub-chiefs.
The Deputy Regional Minister, Mr Abu Kasangbata, who accompanied the Minister of Chieftaincy Affairs, added his voice to the call for peace in the area. He called on the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs to look into the myriad of chieftaincy disputes in the area, which has resulted in some traditional areas not having rulers for the past 20 years.
Mr Kasangbata, however, congratulated them on the peaceful manner in which they celebrated their Paari Gbielle festival last Saturday. He reiterated the appeal to confirm the President's nominee since the district could not continue to be without a DCE.
The Paramount Chief of the area, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, made an urgent appeal for staff and logistics to run their traditional council. He noted that apart from the registrar, there were no staff and furniture for the council.