The President of the Gbi Traditional Council (GTC) in the Volta Region, Togbega Gabusu VII, has appealed to the government to strengthen and empower chiefs in order to enable them to facilitate development of their respective areas.
Chiefs, he said, must be strengthened with the power to adjudicate some civil cases to reduce pressure on the law courts with many of the cases that could have been settled amicably by chiefs.
Togbega Gabusu, who is Paramount Chief of Gbi Traditional Area, stated that chiefs in the past were responsible for peace and unity in their respective jurisdictions as they settled disputes, which led to peaceful and harmonious society, and in the process accorded traditional authorities much respect for the display of arbitration skills, taken away from them to the law courts.
Addressing the second meeting of the GTC at Hohoe over the weekend, Togbega Gabusu noted that it was becoming increasingly clear that after settlement of some cases in the law court, peace never prevailed between the parties which lingered on to affect development.
The chief stressed that the time had come for the government to pay particular attention to the chieftaincy institution, since chiefs were the pivot around which development revolved, and to ensure holistic growth, chiefs were revered by their people, therefore, any form of development through chiefs were carried out effectively to the benefit of the people.
Togbega Gabusu, who is also a representative of the Volta Regional House of Chiefs (VRHC) to the National House of Chiefs (NHC), further indicated that traditional authorities served as agents of peace and development, and urged chiefs to promote peace and unity among their subjects particularly during and after the 2024 general election.
The President of the GTC during the meeting, admitted a Divisional Chief of Hohoe-Ahado, Togbe Kuttor VIII and Mama Meemeseo III, a Divisional Queen Mother of Gbi-Kledzo to the Council and were sworn into the Gbi Traditional Council by the Hohoe High Court Judge, Her Ladyship Justice Joan Kai.
Her Ladyship Justice Kai advised the new traditional rulers to the GTC to take the oath of secrecy more seriously, since it would guide them against disclosure of cases brought before them or matters discussed at Council meetings to third parties.
A newly installed Divisional Queen Mother of Gbi-Atabu, Mama Nyamadzase III, was introduced to Togbega Gabusu and members of the GTC, and the President of the Council assured that her Chieftaincy Declaration (C.D) forms would be forwarded to the VRHC for her name to be entered into the National Register of Chiefs (NRC).
A new Principal of Hohoe Nursing and Midwifery Training College (HNMTC), Mrs Philomena Ackwa, was also introduced to the Council by a Board Member of the College, who doubled as the Queen Mother of Alavanyo Traditional Area, Mamaga Ametor Hoebuadzi II.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, HOHOE
