Addo-Kufour warns trouble-shooters in the Volta Region

Ho, Oct. 3, GNA - Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, Minister of Defence on Saturday warned trouble-mongers in the flashy points of the Volta Region that, the security services would not hesitate to arrest those whose activities undermines the peace in the region. He therefore, urged chiefs and opinion leaders in the region to be each other's keeper and avoid chieftaincy, land and boundary disputes and other anti- social activities that may plunge the region into chaos.

Dr Addo-Kufuor was delivering the keynote address at the grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Asogli Traditional Area in Ho, under the theme, "Peace, Unity and Development: Towards a Better Future". He said the flashy points and disputed areas in the region were concern to government, considering the enormous resources that have been otherwise used for development, but now being negatively applied in local peace keeping.

"We should all cherish the relative peace and stability that we currently enjoy and seek ways to sustain them as part of our socio-economic development strategy", Dr Addo-Kufuor said. The Defence Minister urged Chiefs to lead a crusade to inculcate the spirit of peace, discipline and hard work in our youth and "build their capacities to enable them contribute meaningfully towards our development goals and aspirations as a nation".

On the December general elections, Dr Addo-Kufuor said government would strive to ensure a free, fair and incident-free election in order to deepen democratic governance as a basis for socio-economic development. He commended the Agbogbomefia for demonstrating sterling leadership qualities and great maturity in forging peace and development to the people within the period of his installation, urging him to strive harder.

Togbe Afede, Agbogbomefia of Asogli State called for the review of the communication gap that was existing between the traditional authority and government's political representatives in the regional capital. He reminded them that "we want to support the government's efforts and we desire genuine partnership with them, not rivalry".

Togbe Afede expressed concern about the waste and sometimes "shoddy work done in the execution of public projects in the region", citing the Ho-Kpedze road, which had been under construction from "times immemorial" as an example. He said the Asogli State had established a Public Programmes Monitoring Committee (PPMC) to monitor work on public projects as a complement to government and donor efforts at ensuring value for money. Togbe Agorkorli, Fiaga of Notsie in the Republic of Togo who presided was grateful to the Agbogbomefia for donating 200 bags of cement towards the construction of the Ewe Museum in Notsie. He described the gesture as that which would consolidate unity and development of the two countries.