The Wasipe Traditional Council in the North Gonja District of the Savanna Region was on Friday January 27, 2023 inaugurated by the Ministry for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs.
This inauguration at Daboya, capital of the Wasipe Traditional area is the second in the Savannah Region region after the ministry had inaugurated the Bole Traditional Council a day before by Ag. Chief Director of the Ministry, Kananpewurche Fati Lily Soale.
Gbunapewura Shun-Bore who presented the welcome address on behalf of the Wasipewura said the council when inaugurated, will take care of problems that were unable to resolve in the traditional area to the benefit of everybody.
The Wasipewura added in his address that they use to have problems with settlers in the traditional area and believes that the council will help bring them all together and will let them know that they are only to develop the area.
He assured the ministry that under his leadership, they will prove to them that they are able and shall do their best to work hard in a way that the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs will recognize that they are not lagging behind all the traditional councils if not being ahead of all.
Wasipewura expressed his appreciation to the team, the Minister and also to the President of the Republic of Ghana Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo for creating the council for them.
After their swearing in, the Registrar of the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs Mr Abutu Kapori explained to the members of the Wasipe Traditional Council the significance of the Oaths they were sworn in which were the Oath of Membership, the Oath of Judiciary and the Oath of Secrecy.
Mr Kapori also explained to them how their work as a council is going to be and entreated them to let the oaths they have sworn to guide and guard them in the administration of justice when the need arises.
He called on all the Chiefs and queen mothers to try and register their names to be gazetted so that they will also be part of the traditional council.
Conveying the message from the Savannah Regional House of Chiefs to the Ministry and the people of Wasipe, Mr Abutu Kapori said the House of Chiefs expresses their gratitude to the Ministry for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs for taking the decision to create a traditional council for the people of Wasipe.
Mr Kapori mentioned that the Savannah Region has twenty-two (22) paramountcies and are still calling on the Ministry to create more of the traditional councils in the region.
He added that when they create more of the councils, the pressure on the Regional House of Chiefs will reduce, because they could not resolve some of the chieftaincy issues in the region, and with the existence of the traditional councils, they will be resolved.
Presenting the speech of the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Kananpewurche Fati Lily Soale, said the Minister sends his greetings and gratitude to the Bolewura and his chief and added that the President of the Republic Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo attaches much prominence to the administration of Chieftaincy in the country, adding that the chiefs play an important role in maintaining peace in the country.
She said the mandate of the ministry is to develop an effective interface between the government, traditional authorities, religious bodies and civil societies on matters that relate to chieftaincy and religious affairs for the promotion of peace.
Kananpewurche Fati added that in the past, the role of Chiefs was to lead their people to wars, protect and extend their territories but now they are required to lead a war against environmental degradation, poverty reduction among others that is aimed at achieving development in the local and national level.
She called on the chiefs to get to understand the processes and procedures involved in resolving conflicts through the judicial and arbitration system and other alternative methods in resolving conflicts that may arise with the traditional area.
The Kananpewurche further added that they need to know the processes involved in land allocation, granting leases and land administration in general and also have to know some of the laws that cover the chieftaincy institution.
She also congratulated the chiefs for their elevation to the council status and said there are a lot of works to be done adding that the inauguration should be seen to integrate the people of the traditional area to work hand -in -hand for endless development and cautioned that they don’t want them to be disintegrated by the inauguration.
She therefore on behalf of the Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs duly Inaugurated the Wasipe Traditional Council and wished the Wasipewura and his chiefs to remain united.
The District Chief Executive (DCE) for the North Gonja District in his speech emphasized on some points that the was said by the Wasipewura and admonished them to take those points seriously.
He emphasized on the statement that they now have their own traditional council and will make sure that the council will bring all the settlers and them together and to prove that they are capable of managing the affairs of the traditional area.
He added that the Wasipewura said they will now manage problems they do have that needed some other people to come and settle the issues for them, saying that it is a huge commitment that the Wasipewura has made.
He entreated the council members to help the Wasipewura to make this work because the statement will be used to judge them one day of they fail.
Source: nkilgifmonline.com
