He was speaking at a durbar at Ziavi-Dzogbe last Saturday to round off the 11th Avazorli (Exodus) festival of the people of the Ziavi and other communities that make up the Avazorli communities.

They are Etordome, Kpedze-Todze, Botoku, Kpando-Anyigbe, Mepe, and the Ando enclaves in Ghana and Togo.

Togbe Ayim cited the absorption of the Ziavi Senior High Technical School (ZISTECH) into the public education system, the five-kilometre (km) tarred road between Ziavi and Klefe, ongoing work on the 20-km Ziavi-Anfoeta road, and the choice of the region by  President, Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as host of the 66th Independence Day anniversary, as valid proofs of the seriousness the government attached to the area.

He said the ongoing 12-classroom block GETFund project at ZISTECH also bore testimony to the government’s efforts to promote quality education at Ziavi, and for that matter the Volta Region.

“Let us give praise where praise is due and let us criticise the government of the day constructively in the broader national interest,” Togbe Ayim added.
 
 Misgivings

The Paramount Chief of Ziavi expressed misgivings about what he described as the growing trend of the politics of insults, saying that  it did not project prospects for harmony in the country.

He called on the various political parties to be tolerant of one another and accept election results in good faith.

Togbe Ayim said instances where losers of elections spent time contesting the results at the Supreme Court were not in the national interest, as that brought progress to a standstill.

He observed that as a result of the growing political intolerance in the country, young people now insulted state functionaries during phone-in programmes with impunity.

“Our culture does not endorse conducts of disrespect by young people towards the elderly or people in authority,” the paramount chief maintained.
  
 Peace

Togbe Ayim, who is president of the Ziavi Traditional Council, said Ghana needed peace and not political squabbles to move fast in development.

He, therefore, entreated Ghanaians to renew their sense of patriotism and first demonstrate their allegiance to the country before partisan party considerations.

The celebration was on the theme: Enhancing health infrastructure for healthy development of Ziavi and Avazorliawo.

It was meant to raise funds to put up a three-bedroom self-contained bungalow for the resident medical officer at the local health centre and residential accommodation for the nurses.

The guest of honour was the Chief of Staff at the Office of the President, Akosua Frema Osei-Opare.

Mrs Osei-Opare, who is an honorary citizen of Ziavi, paid glowing tribute to the people for their self-help spirit, and said their good development efforts deserved support from the government.

An amount of GH¢ 212, 000 was realised.