Wa, March 5, GNA - Wa-Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, Paramount Chief of the Wala Traditional Area, has called for co-operation, peace and unity from the Wa chieftaincy divide to enhance development.

He said development had suffered stagnation in the Wa Municipality for the past three years and attributed that to the chieftaincy dispute that brought about disunity and mistrust among the people.

"This should not be allowed to occur in the history of the Wala people again. Let my enskinment as a Wa-Naa bring the long struggle to an end," Naa Pelpuo said at a durbar of chiefs and people of the traditional area to climax the celebration of the "Dumba" Festival in Wa on Wednesday. He expressed regret that funds that the Municipal Assembly would have used for development projects had been diverted for the maintenance of law and order in the area.

Naa Pelpuo called on chiefs in his traditional area to come together and develop a comprehensive development plan to help provide the basic development needs of the people.

He appealed to government to consider rehabilitating the Wala Traditional Council which got burnt some years ago and also upgrade the Wa Police Station to a regional police quarters. Naa Pelpuo appealed to the government to tar the Sawla-Damongo-Fulfulso and the Wa-Tumu-Navrongo roads to link the people from the Upper West Region to Northern and Upper East regions. Efforts should also be made to provide small-scale irrigation dams for the people to undertake dry season gardening to enhance their livelihoods and help stem migration of the youth to urban centres in search of jobs. Naa Pelpuo appealed to the government to decentralise the sewing of the school uniform to give money to rural people.

He commended the Upper West Regional Minister, Mr. Mahmud Khalid, the security agencies and all other stakeholders for the efficient and mature manner they handled the chieftaincy dispute.

Mr. Khalid said the celebration should be seen as the happiest day for the chiefs and people of the traditional area and urged them to use it to strengthen their identity and give meaning to their culture. He advised the people to always maintain peace in whatever way or situation they might find themselves, saying peace was one of the best ingredients to any meaningful development.

Mr. Khalid said government had initiated the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) programme to cater for the development needs of the north.

Earlier in the day Naa Pelpuo successfully jumped over a cow to signify long life for him to continue to rule his people. The occasion was characterised by drumming, singing and dancing.