The Akatsi South Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), Mr Martin Kofitse Nyahe, has called on chiefs in the Avenor Traditional Area to use the Christmas festivities to reflect and find new methods of resolving the numerous land litigation cases pending before the law courts to promote peace in the area.
According to the MCE, the chiefs and elders should rather be handling land cases instead of sending them to the courts, because they knew the rightful owners.
The Akatsi South MCE was speaking at the second anniversary celebration of the installation of Togbui Ladzekpo Tetteh Gefu IV, Chief of Horti in the Avenor Traditional Area.
He noted that in most of the cases, settlements reached at the courts did not bring peace between the feuding parties. This, he continued, was the source of many communal disputes in the traditional area.
Mr. Nyahe argued that the courts did not know the boundaries of lands, but give judgements based on evidence brought them. In so doing, these courts collect the property of one family and give it to the other, resulting in hatred among community members.
He, therefore, urged chiefs and elders to promote peace and unity in their respective areas, by ensuring that they helped in settling land disputes at home, thereby minimise land litigation in the courts.
Another issue raised by the MCE was chieftaincy disputes in the area. According to him, the Assembly had nothing to do with land ownership and chieftaincy issues, and that such cases should not be brought to the Assembly for settlement.
Mr. Nyahe called for total support for the Assembly in its drive to promote rapid development, and commended Torgbui Ladzekpo Tetteh Gefu, who used his personal resources to reshape an eight-kilometre feeder road from Akatsi-Horti to Xavi.
The Paramount Chief of the Avenor Traditional Area, Togbui Dorglo Anumah VI, said the Traditional Council was proud of the activities of the Horti Chief. According to him, for a chief to single-handedly use his personal resources to rehabilitate an eight-kilometre feeder road was a great achieve that must be commended.
Torgbui Dorglo Anumah noted that chiefs play crucial roles in the development of society, and that their subjects must accord them the needed respect. According to him, the Avenor Traditional Council would, at all times, support chiefs and communities like Torgbui Ladzekpo and Horti to help accelerate development in the area.
Torgbui Ladzekpo Tetteh Gefu IV, on his part, said, since he ascended the throne, he had always planned the development of the community with his elders and the youth, and mentioned the provision of potable water as one of the projects he had executed.
Torgbui Ladzekpo Tetteh Gefu continued that the Basic School at Horti only had classes one to four when he became chief of the town, but, with the support of his elders, he has now built two additional classrooms and also provided a canteen and computers through the support of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) for the school, to aid study of Information Communication Technology (ICT).
The Chief of Horti continued that he was considering establishing a vocational training school at the village to create opportunities for the youth to acquire various skills that would enable them generate incomes for themselves, which, he said, would go a long way to reduce youth unemployment in the area.
He appealed to the Municipal Chief Executive and the Member of Parliament for the area to collaborate effectively to rehabilitate feeder roads in the area to enable farmers transport their produce to marking centres in the municipality.
