Gomoa Chief calls for increment in allowances

The President of Gomoa Akyempim Traditional Council, Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea II has appealed to the Government to increase the allowance being paid to traditional rulers.

Addressing a traditional council meeting at Gomoa Buduburam recently, Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea urged the Government to institute a proper salary scale for not only the paramount chiefs and queens, but for all chiefs especially those in charge of communities.

“The current GH¢150 and GH¢80 being paid to paramount chiefs and queens respectively do not commensurate with their responsibilities”, he said.

“Democracy thrives in a peaceful atmosphere”, he said and added that if chiefs whose main duty was to promote peace in society were denied a reasonable share of the national cake, then there was something amiss.

Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea said apart from promoting peace, chiefs played important roles in community development and implementation of government policies and programmes.

“Chiefs and queens deserve a good salary as is the case in some African countries,” he said and pointed out that the government must not be deceived in asserting that chiefs enjoyed royalties and therefore needed no salary.

He said only a few traditional rulers were endowed with minerals and other valuables in their lands.

Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea said some chiefs had been exploiting their subjects with unreasonable fines when they held arbitrations just to make ends meet and said if they were well-paid, there would not be the need for such fines.

The paramount chief expressed concern about the failure of the Ghana Refugee Board to pay royalty on the Buduburam land. The Liberian refugees had been on the land for about 30 years. The Akyempim Traditional Council is the landlord.

Obrifo Ahunako Ahor Ankobea appealed to the Government to rectify the anomaly without further delay.

The paramount chief showed concern about how some Ghanaians were scrambling for the property of Liberian refugees returning to their country and noted that nobody had the right to own any property of a Liberian refugee because such property should belong to the Traditional Council and said at the appropriate time the Council would issue a directive on such properties.

He called for the rehabilitation of Apam-Afranse and Kyiren Nkwanta-Mando roads to facilitate the movement of people and goods.

Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, Central Regional Minister, appealed to chiefs and queens to ensure peaceful elections come December 7th, by urging their people to abide by the electoral laws.