Chieftaincy-related issues have been our biggest problem in terms of security — Bawumia

Chieftaincy-related issues in Ghana have been a major concern for government, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has said.

He said this while addressing the Chiefs, Queenmothers and peoples of the Upper East Region in Bolgatanga.

“Government’s major bane as far as security is concerned has been Chieftaincy-related. The scarce resources which could have otherwise been channeled to other basic developmental projects are being sacked into waste.

“Peace they say is a sine-qua-non to development. There is therefore the need for more collaborative efforts to step up our game towards prevention and control of conflicts. We in this part of the country are already vulnerable and what is happening across the (Burkina Faso) border puts us in a more precarious situation.

“For us on the part of Government, we understand that to prevent conflict and to enhance peace, we have to make sure that development in Ghana is inclusive. Everybody must feel a part of the development that we see in the country. When people are excluded, they are more susceptible to extremist ideas,” he noted.

Despite the challenges, Dr Bawumia assured of Government’s continued support for the Chieftaincy institution, emphasizing that the NPP and its tradition have always held the institution of Chieftaincy in very high esteem, evidenced in the recognition of Chieftaincy as part of the central government structures by the K A Busia administration in 1971.

“In the current 4th republican dispensation the NPP government under Presidents J.A. Kufuor and Akufo-Addo also created the Ministry for Chieftaincy just like any other sector of the country. All the legislative frameworks were enacted during our tenure.

“The current Minister, Hon Stephen Asamoah Boateng has started well and he will need your wise counsel and cooperation to make the institution more productive and development-oriented.”