Put Litigation Money to good use. Jan. 25,10, Pg 47

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Nii Amarh Ashietey, has called on chiefs in the region to desist from engaging in chieftaincy disputes in the law courts.
Rather, he said, the huge monies paid to lawyers as legal fees should be used to assist needy but brilliant children in the communities.
Mr Ashietey made the call at a meeting of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs in Dodowa on Thursday.
“While our people continue to wallow in poverty, ignorance and diseases, we spend lot of money on litigation and legal fees," he noted.
He said that intra- tribal violence in the region as a result of chieftancy disputes affected the security and stability of the entire country and urged all parties in such disputes to demonstrate a commitment towards the resolution of disputes.
Mr Ashietey assured the chiefs that the government would not interfere in chieftaincy disputes, but ensure that peace and stability prevailed in all traditional areas.
He said it was not the duty of the government to determine which chief was legitimate or not and advised them not to engage in party politics.
On the issue of the sale of lands, he reminded the chiefs that they were custodians of the lands and were expected to hold them in trust for the subjects.
He advised them to have long term plans for the use of the lands rather than resorting to giving them away for paltry sums of money.
Mr Ashietey assured them of government's support to strengthen the National House of Chiefs and all regional houses of Chiefs in the various traditional areas.
“ We believe as chiefs, you are agents of change and development, as such, we expect nothing but excellent leadership that will partner government ”, he stated.
The President of the Greater Accra Regional House of Chiefs, (GARHC) Nene Abram Kabu Akuaku III, appealed to kingmakers to make efforts to address the problem of low representation in the house.
He said the GARHC which had 22 chiefs in 1982 now had nine due to disputes, adding that the vacant positions in the house could not be filled without resolving the numerous chieftaincy litigations.
Nene Akuaku noted that the Ga Traditional Council in Accra had been denied representation in the Metropolitan, Municipal and District assemblies and said the situation needed to be corrected.
He called on the Minister to provide the house with the necessary facilities to enhance effective and efficient administration.