MMDCEs cautioned against meddling in chieftaincy and land disputes
Cape Coast, May 24, GNA - The Central Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan, has warned newly appointed Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives (MMDCEs) in the Region to desist from meddling in chieftaincy and land disputes within their jurisdiction.
The Regional Minister gave the warning during the Regional Co-coordinating Council meeting with Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) and Heads of Department in Cape Coast on Tuesday.
'You must know that your duty is to ensure development and progress and not to take sides in chieftaincy matters within your jurisdiction. Chieftaincy matters are of security concern,' he admonished.
Mr Duncan however, bemoaned that chieftaincy and land disputes had slowed the pace of development in the Region and appealed to the chiefs to cooperate with the Regional House of Chiefs to resolve pending chieftaincy disputes.
He said MMDCEs were the focal point of contact between the people at the local level and the Central Government and urged them to work diligently to meet the high expectations of the people.
Mr Duncan called on the MMDAs to liaise with their respective traditional authorities to position themselves to embrace the Government's one district, one factory policy.
He further admonished the MMDAs to strength its revenue collection systems and develop other avenues of generating enough revenue for development to raise the living standard of their people.
On education, the Regional Minister urged the respective District Education Oversight Committees (DEOCs) to intensify their activities with the view of improving the standard of education in the Region.
He said the Region could not pride itself of being a citadel of education while it continue to wallow in illiteracy and abject poverty and called on parents to take full advantage of the Government's free education programme to enrol their children in school.
On sanitation, Mr Duncan noted that despite the huge financial commitment for sanitation it continued to undermine the efforts of the Government in maintaining clean and healthy environment.
He urged the traditional authorities to get involved and lead the crusade on sanitation, adding that, 'the recent outbreak of cholera in the Central Region is something that we should all be concerned and take necessary steps to avoid its recurrence'.
GNA
By Afedzi Abdullah, GNA