Gonja Youth Advised To Respect Chieftaincy Institutions Website
Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing has advised the people of Gonjaland, particularly the youth to continue to revere the chieftaincy institutions and meddling in chieftaincy affairs in order to ensure that peace prevailed in the area. He said the chieftaincy institutions in Gonjaland were besieged with numerous disputes pending before various law courts in the Northern Region, threatening the hard earned reputation of the institutions that needed to be revered. Alhaji Saddique gave the advice at the weekend when he addressed the chiefs and people of Gonjaland at the Annual National Delegates' Congress of the Gonjaland Youth Association at Damongo in the West Gonja District. The Congress was on the theme: "Chieftaincy and Development in Gonjaland" and was aimed at assessing performance, identifying challenges and constraints, and to brainstorm for the way forward to improving on the social and economic lives of the people. Alhaji Saddique said; "The chieftaincy situation is of great concern to government and I wish to use this forum to challenge the youth to pragmatically diagnose the issues at stake so as to find lasting solutions for the mutual benefit of the people of Gonjaland." He said it was necessary also for chiefs to leave legacies of understanding, peace and harmony to their generations to ensure that problems of chieftaincy and land were properly addressed. Alhaji Saddique used the occasion to appeal to the youth and all citizens of Gonjaland to marshal their individual collective responsibility in ensuring a peaceful and incident-free elections in December. Alhaji Saddique assured the people that government would not pay lip-service to the construction of the Fulfulso-Damongo-Sawla road and that he would convey a personal message to the President on the people's behalf about the deplorable nature of the road. Alhaji Ahmed Ewura, National President of the Association appealed to the Gonja Traditional Council to, as a matter of urgency institute measures to dialogue with all aggrieved parties in chieftaincy cases pending before the law courts for out-of-court settlements to promote peace and harmony. He said it was necessary for the Traditional Council to adopt and implement the Gonjaland Youth Association's recommendations to the council to ensure that every paramountcy in Gonjaland had duly constituted and recognised council of advisors. Alhaji Ewura also advised the people of the land to be wary of politics of deception and cautioned them not to compromise the prevailing peace in Gonjaland with politicians who would want to divide them by giving out monies for their votes. The Yagbonwura, Bawa Abudu Doshie, Overlord of the Gonja Kingdom urged scholars of Gonjaland to collaborate and demarcate the traditional boundaries of Gonjaland and erect pillars as a means of protecting the land. He used the occasion to the Gonjaland Youth Association help him meet with President J.A Kufuor to discuss matters of national concern.
Source: MJFM
