The Minister for Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, Hon. Stephen Asamoah Boateeng said, his Ministry is working on some amendments to the Chieftaincy Act of 2008, Act 759, where the authority of chiefs to adjudicate local disputes within their catchment areas will be restored.

He explained that it was not every problem that we encounter as people that must be settled in the law courts in and adversary conclusions and has l employed Traditional Leaders to make use of such powers judiciously.

The Minister who was giving his keynote address at the grand durbar of the 25^th  anniversary of enstoolment of the Paramount Chief of Abutia Traditional Area, Togbega Abutia Kodzo Gidi V in the Volta region on Friday, 21^st September 2024, disclosed that, a Chieftaincy Development Fund, similar in nature to the District Assembly Common Fund, was being worked on. This will go a long way to make Nananom/our Traditional leaders comfortable to administer the country for all of us.

My Ministry has been working round the clock to ensure the necessary measures are put in place to reduce the numerous chieftaincy disputes that has bedeviled the country. I can say that we are having some reasonable and relative peace in the country on this front so far, he added.

He further said that, there were challenges still ahead, though, especially at this time as we head towards the Presidential and Parliamentary elections and urged them to be more resolute to work with him and  key stakeholders, like the National Peace Council, the various Traditional Councils, Regional Houses and the National House of Chiefs, our Eminent Clergy, Civil Society Organisations, Opinion Leaders and our Youth Groups to keep the peace of the nation.

We must foster and maintain peace before, during and after the 2024 elections. We are one people and elections must not divide us, he said.

He encouraged the chiefs and people of Abutia to fully embrace the spirit of the festival. ‘’Let us celebrate the uniqueness of our culture, and let us reinforce our sacred commitment to unity, understanding, and progress. As we partake in the festivities, remember that we are custodians of our culture, tasked with preserving it for future generations’.

The Paramount Chief of the Abutia Traditional Area, Togbega Abutia Kodzo Gidi V has advised the New Patriotic Party (NPP) not to be complacent in its campaign activities ahead of the 2024 general elections.