Bole/others(S/R), Feb. 01, GNA — Four Traditional Councils have been inaugurated to handle Chieftaincy issues in the Savannah Region.
The Traditional Councils namely, Buipe, Bole, Wasipe and Busunu, form part of the Gonja Kingdom.
They will henceforth exercise their mandate as enshrined in section 29(1)(2) of the Chieftaincy Act; “(1) subject to this Act, a Traditional Council has exclusive jurisdiction to hear and determine a cause or matter affecting Chieftaincy, which arises within its area, not being one to which the ‘Asantehene’ or a paramount chief is a party”.
“(2) The jurisdiction of a traditional council shall be exercised by a judicial committee comprising three or five members appointed by council from their members”.
In a speech read on his behalf, Mr Ebenezer Kojo-Kum, Minister of Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, said President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo attached much prominence to the administration of Chieftaincy in Ghana because of its important role in maintaining peace and ensuring development at the grass roots.
He said the Ministry had been mandated to develop an effective interface between Government, traditional authorities, religious bodies, and civil societies on matters relating to Chieftaincy and religious affairs for the promotion of peace and good governance.
The Minister said the new role of Chiefs in leading campaigns against environmental degradation, poverty reduction among others, would require some form of adaptation or revision and training to enable them to fulfill their responsibilities.
He urged the Chiefs to allow the inauguration to integrate the people within the Traditional area, especially the Chiefs themselves, to work hand in hand for endless development but not to disintegrate them.
“We should be able to see progress and unity among you the next time we visit these Councils,” he added.
He said the Ministry would ensure the posting of staff either on temporal or permanent basis to help with administration and assist the Traditional Councils with logistics.
“Your Council would also benefit from the series of trainings and engagements lined up in our Ministry’s activities and programmes earmarked for this year 2023. Special attention would be given to your Council to ensure its progress and sustenance,” he added.
Buipewura Jinapor II of the Buipe Traditional Area, urged his people to support the Ministry by preserving and protecting the Council to maintain its traditional role of peace building, justice delivery, chieftaincy conflict resolutions and effective decision-making to propel the development agenda of the Traditional Area.
He said even though change was difficult, they must endeavour to embrace it in these contemporary times.
The Traditional Ruler entreated Chiefs who would be members of the Council to seek more knowledge in the quest of providing judicial responsibility and leadership on behalf of the Council.
He, however, noted that having a Traditional Council did not make a Traditional Area autonomous from the Gonja Kingdom and appealed to all the newly created Traditional Councils to remain loyal to the Gonja Kingdom of which the Yagbonwura is King and Overlord.
Busunuwura Monasa Jonokpowu II of the Busunu Traditional Area, said before the creation of the Savannah Region and the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs, all the paramountcies in Gonja were boxed together in one Traditional Council making it very difficult to conduct effective deliberations on specific traditional area issues.
He said the Busunu Traditional Area can boast of a total number of 77 sub-chiefs comprising 47 male chiefs and 30 queen mothers, making it eligible with the requisite number of Chiefs to constitute a Traditional Council.
The Traditional Ruler said the creation of a Traditional Council came with several benefits such as employment opportunities, and enhancement of resource mobilisation for the development of the traditional area.
He said the opportunity to establish the Busunu Traditional Council would be used to galvanise resources for the development of Busunu and its environs.
The Ruler called on his people to rally behind the Traditional authority to foster unity to bring about the desired development of the area.
He commended members of the community for maintaining peace within the Traditional area and asked them to continue doing so.
GNA