While commending the government for heeding the concerns of the chiefs and the people to carve the two regions out of the Northern Region, the house called on it to develop the houses of chiefs in the new regions for efficient administration.

The President of the Northern Regional House of Chiefs, Yagbonwura Tumtumba Boresa, made the appeal in a speech read on his behalf at the general meeting of the House in Tamale last Wednesday.

The meeting brought together paramount chiefs from the Mamprugu, Gonja and Dagbon traditional areas, including newly enskinned chiefs in Dagbon, who appeared before the house for the first time.

Togetherness

Yagbonwura Boresa said “the creation of the two regions does not mean that we are going away from our brothers and sisters in the present Northern Region; we still have to trace our roots to the mother region”.

He thanked the government and the Committee of Eminent Chiefs for their effort in restoring peace to Dagbon, saying the same steps should be taken to resolve the current chieftaincy dispute in the Nanung Traditional Area.

“When the heads of the kingdoms are well fixed, the tails will be a walk through in the interest of peace. I think at this juncture, we need to applaud ourselves and still work hard to cross the last hurdle before us, which is the Nanung Kingdom, to make the pillars of this house stand firm and pave the way for development,” he added.

He admonished the people of the north to ensure peaceful coexistence among the various ethnic groups, saying “peace is not the answer to our challenges as a people but rather the sustainability of the peace”.

“For us as a community, in sustaining peace, we need to accept community integration and see ourselves as one,” Yagbonwura Boresa said.

Commendation

The Yagbonwura further expressed appreciation to the government for the implementation of its flagship programmes, which he said were helping to alleviate the burdens of the people.

He said the northern part of the country had the potential and resources to sustain investment and, therefore, urged the investor community to consider establishing businesses in the area to create jobs for the youth and reduce poverty.