Wa, May 30, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills on Saturday said his government would not dabble in chieftaincy issues because they had the potential of ruining and disintegrating communities. Instead, he said, his administration would use laid down structures to resolve all pending chieftaincy disputes throughout the country. President Mills, who was addressing a durbar of chiefs and people of the Upper West region at Wa to round off his two-day official visit to the region, said the government would empower all bodies involved in the resolution of chieftaincy disputes to carry out their duties smoothly.

He warned against the deliberate creation of chieftaincy and other kinds of disputes, saying they were stifling progress. President Mills commended the people of the Upper West region for coexisting peacefully with each other without any bitterness and acrimony for years now.

He appealed to the Regional House of Chiefs to help resolve outstanding chieftaincy problems in the region to enable the affected skins to fill vacant positions. The President reassured that more jobs would be created to absorb the teeming unemployed youth to contribute their quota to national development.

President Mills also re iterated government's commitment to the establishment of the proposed Savannah Accelerated Development agenda, saying when fully implemented, the three northern regions would harness available resources to develop the area through equitable sharing of resources. "Elections are over and we all need to help by working hard to develop our own society with prosperity and honour that will give a good image of our dear country to the outside world". Mr. Cletus Avoka, Minister of Interior, gave the assurance that a decent police barracks would be built for the police in the Upper West Region and urged them to work assiduously in order to check the rising crime rate in the country.

He said it was unfortunate that the people of Bawku and Yendi were still embroiled in violent conflicts after several interventions had been made to resolve such disputes and appealed to them to give peace a chance for development. Naa Sohewnininye Danaah Gore II, President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, appealed to the President to improve the state of the Wa- Navrongo, Han- Zinni-Leo and Nadowli-Babile-Nandom-Hamile roads.

President Mills and his entourage have since returned to Accra. 30 May 09