Determine rightful owners of lands — Minister
The Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Amin Amidu Sulemani, has said that as a result of modernity there is a high premium on land. He adds that is under the circumstance, there is the need for proper determination of the rightful owners of land since land ownership is becoming a contentious issue.
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Mr Sulemani said this when he addressed the general meeting of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs (UWRHC) in Wa. He urged the traditional rulers and opinion leaders in the region to handle land cases fairly and judiciously in order to avoid protracted disputes.
He conveyed his concerns over the notoriety of land disputes in the region, which he said, was discouraging prospective developers and investors.
"I am aware that efforts at resolving the land dispute between the Fielmuo and Nimoro traditional areas have been put on hold", he said.
He expressed his disquiet over chieftaincy disputes in the region which for instance had resulted in the non-installation of paramount chiefs in the Kaleo and Wellembelle traditional areas.
He was of the opinion that the absence of a legal officer with the House of Chiefs was a contributory factor to delays in resolving chieftaincy disputes, and as such gave the assurance to work hard to get one engaged.
The regional minister commended the government for sending medical officers to the region but regretted all the same the refusal of sons and daughters of the region who are trained medical personnel to accept postings to the region at a time when their services were most needed.
Alhaji Sulemani, talking about roads, said a number of them were being upgraded. For agriculture, he said there were plans to make the Upper West Region a ‘food basket of the country’. To that end, he said he was in contact with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture, for technical assistance for the development of irrigation schemes in the region, considering it that five districts had the Black Volta River flowing through them.
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He reminded the chiefs and elders of the difficult economic situation in the country and asked them to exercise restraint when their demands were not addressed as quickly as they wanted.
In his speech to the house, Kuoro Richard Babini Kanton VI, the Vice President of the UWR House of Chiefs, urged the government to provide the regional house of chiefs with a permanent office building. He expressed his dissatisfaction over the deplorable state of the Hamile-Nandom-Lawra, Wa- Tumu-Chiana, Hamile-Fielmuo-Tumu and the Jirapa-Domwini-Ko-Nandom roads.
Kuro-Kanton added his voice to the call for permanent office accommodation for regional house of chiefs. ‘