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17.03.2008 General News

Biakoye Chiefs Angry

17.03.2008 LISTEN
By Daily Guide

THREE traditional rulers in the newly-created Biakoye district of the Volta Region have condemned the Attorney-General (AG) and Minister of Justice and the Woraworahene, Nana Asare Baah III, for derailing the progress of the district.

They are the Omanhene of Nkonya, the Omanhene of Tapa and the Omanhene of Bowiri.

“We also wish to register our protest at the conduct of the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in respect to the motion of interlocutory injunction filed by Nana Asare Baah and others.

“It is very strange that the Attorney-General, as the government lawyer, should advise the Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Environment to suspend the inauguration of the Biakoye district, even though the Legislative Instrument (LI 1910) has already been passed into law and the necessary arrangements made for inauguration, just because a motion for interlocutory injunction had been filed,” the chiefs said.

At a hurriedly organized press conference in Accra last Friday, the traditional rulers said as if what the AG did was not enough, he failed to turn up in court after having been served with a motion, “and thus failing to argue government's case and allowing the plaintiff a field day in the High Court.”

The Omanhene of Bowiri, Nana Kwame Adom V, who spoke on behalf of his colleagues, said it was absurd that the Woraworahene insisted his town should be made the capital of the Biakoye district against the wish of the other traditional leaders in the area.

“We also want to make it clear that if central location is a strong requirement for the naming of a district capital as the Worawora chiefs are saying, then Kintampo, which is in the centre of Ghana, must be the capital of the country,” he argued.

“It is also instructive to note that Worawora by law was not part of the Jasikan district from which Biakoye is being created.

Nowhere in LI 1464, which created Jasikan district, do we have Worawora and Apesekubi as part of the district. These two traditional areas until now have been part of the Kadjebi district which was created by LI 1465.

“Worawora and Apesekubi have all these years sat in Jasikan District assembly by default and it is morally wrong for Worawora to lay claims to the capital of the newly-created Biakoye district which was carved out of the Jasikan district.

He accused Nana Asare Baah of circulating documents which he claimed were agreement documents which gave Worawora the right to be the capital, emphasising that under no circumstance and at no point was such an agreement reached.

He said the earlier decision the chiefs took about Worawora being a capital was related to the proposed Oti Region, which never saw the light of day.

“We hereby appeal to the Chiefs of Worawora that instead of wasting energy and resources on a matter that was already a fait accompli, they must join us the majority to forge a mutual front and take advantage of this laudable act of government to bring development to our suffering people,” he stated.

Among the placard inscriptions brought to the press conference venue were: “Worawora, Leave The DCE Alone,” “Worawora, Join The Four Traditional Areas,” “You Can't Stand Alone” and “Worawora, Leave Biakoye District in Peace; Not In Pieces.”

The Biakoye district was about to be inaugurated on February 29 when an Accra High Court placed an injunction on it following the filing of a suit by the Worawora faction.

By Sylvanus Nana Kumi

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