Creation of new regions cumbersome

Bodada (V/R), Sept 7, GNA - Prof Kofi Awoonor, the Chairman of Council of State, has said the constitution had made it cumbersome for a new region to be carved out of the Volta Region.

He said this and other demands from some parts of the country were being considered by the government.

Prof Awoonor said this at the climax of the Buem Congress 2009 at Bodada in the Jasikan District.

The nine-day congress was under the theme, "Modernising Agriculture for Poverty Reduction in Buem, a stocktaking and development planning platform."

Prof Awoonor said though the demand for the split of the Volta Region

was a legitimate right of chiefs and people it ought to be pursued on a platform

of unity. He appealed to the youth to reposition themselves to take advantage of

government's interventions especially in the youth-in-agriculture programme. Prof Awoonor re-assured the people of the region that government was

committed to reconstructing the eastern corridor roads and other networks as

promised. Specifically, he said, the Asikuma-Jasikan-Nkwanta-Damanko road

segment, which links Volta to the Northern Region, would receive prompt

attention before December. Prof Awoonor commended the people for sustaining the Buem Congress, a

podium for the prosecution of the development aspiration of Bueman. Nana Kumessy Bonsy, Jasikan District Chief Executive, said the agricultural

potential of Buem had been under-utilised Mr Isaka Buraima, President of the Coalition, said the chieftaincy dispute in

Buem had resulted in deep-rooted divisions in the traditional area. "Even though disheartened, we are still looking up to the Chiefs to bury the

hatchet and take their rightful positions for a forward match", he said. Nana Osei Abo IV, chief of Bodada, said many youth from the area

continued to move to the urban areas despite the availability of vast tracts of

land for farming. He called on the government to make agriculture attractive to pull the youth

along. Nana Abo drew government's attention to the deplorable nature of the

district's roads including the Bodada-Kute-Baglo, Bodada-Teteman-Baika and

New Ayoma-Dzolu-Old Ayoma-Baglo and said this made it difficult for

farmers to move their produce to marketing centres.