The Benkumhene of the Akyem Kotoku Traditional Area, Obrempong Sintim Poku III, has admonished chiefs not to lord it over their subjects, but to instead seek their counsel in decision making in order to sustain their confidence.
He also urged them to spearhead development programmes to accelerate the progress of their communities.
Obrempong Sintim Poku, who is also the Chief of Akyem Manso, near Oda, in the Eastern Region, made the call at the installation of Prof. Theophilus Adjei-Kumi of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) as the Nkosuohene (Development Chief) of the town.
The 55-year-old new Nkosuohene, whose stool name is Nana Prof. Adjei-Kumi I, is the Head of the Department of Construction Technology and Management at KNUST.
A former provost of KNUST, Prof. Joshua Ayarkwah, who is currently a Vice-Chancellor and Head of Faculty of Arts and Building Technology Department, led a high powered delegation from KNUST, comprising over 30 professors and doctors to attend the function, which attracted people from all walks of life.
Advice
Obrempong Sintim Poku advised the new Nkosuohene to use his influential position in society to bring investors to put up factories in the town to absorb some of the unemployed youth in the area.
He enjoined the people in the community to sustain the prevailing peace and unity in the area, stressing that they must offer Nana Adjei-Kumi their maximum support to ensure the success of his reign.
In his maiden speech, Nana Adjei-Kumi gave the assurance that with their support and cooperation he would live up to expectation.
He spoke against land and chieftaincy litigations which were counter productive.
He promised to team up with the traditional rulers to mobilise both human and material resources to develop the community, and called for the support of the citizenry to achieve the objective.
A patron of the Akyem Manso Development Union of which Nana Adjei-Kumi is the secretary, Nana Amoawua Awusi, enumerated a number of social amenities the four year-old union had provided to the Manso community.
The projects include potable water for the Atweaman Senior High School and part of the town, provision of street lights for the town and donation of essential medical equipment to the local health centre.