Gas Must Unite – Kotei Dzani

The Greater Accra Member of the Council of State, Dr. Nii Kotei Dzani, has said the Government will continue to ignore the Region because there is no unity amongst traditional leaders in the region.

He said this during the first Regional House of Chiefs meeting for 2018 held at the Osudoku Traditional Council, Dodowa.

He urged the President of the Regional House of Chiefs; the Osu Mantse, Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI, to take active steps in resolving the many chieftaincy disputes which have saddled the region.

“I am pleading with Nii President to do something about these disputes in the region. It does not speak well of us, the Government will not take us seriously if we ourselves cannot come together to resolve our problems. About 85% of the national revenue is from Accra, and yet we are not respected; we are not given what is due us.”

Dr Dzani further advised that when disputes are resolved, they should be put in the public domain so that the government and the general public will be informed about the progress arrived at.

“We cannot keep quiet about our dispute resolutions and expect people to know that they have been resolved. We must put it out there, let the government know. The news about our disputes are always negative”

Commenting on boundary disputes, the Member of the Council of State urged the President of the Regional House of Chiefs to furnish government and all crucial state institutions especially the Electoral Commission (EC) with all necessary documentation on the region’s traditional boundaries to avert the matter of traditional versus administrative boundary issues. He encouraged the Electoral commission to collaborate with traditional authorities so that no boundary is overstepped.

Speaking at the function, the President of the House said that the EC should ensure that its administrative boundary demarcations should be along traditional boundaries and must not exceed them.

He also admonished the police to be cautious in dealing with persons who seek police protection for the installation of chiefs; “any person seeking police protection for chieftaincy issues must go through the Traditional Council. Each traditional area has a Traditional Council which is statutory, and we must allow the Council to work,” he said.

In attendance were all Paramount Chiefs of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, the Accra Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mr. George Alex Mensah, the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious affairs Kofi Dzamesi, and The Greater Accra Regional Minister Hon. Ishmael Ashitey.

Source: Starrfmonline