The Oti Regional Minister, Dr Joshua Makubu, has called on residents of the region to urgently resolve chieftaincy and land disputes to curb insecurity and disturbances which retard the development of the area.
He further urged them to use the channels of dialogue and the courts to settle misunderstandings.
Dr Makubu said it was important for the people to act as agents of development instead of involving themselves in conflict, which would only lead to destruction, and cited the recent conflict relating to ownership of land at Nkwanta, the capital of the Nkwanta Municipality, as an impediment to development of the area
The Regional Minister made the call at Akpafu-Todzi in the Guan District when he represented the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, at the 125 years anniversary celebration of the Evangelical Presbyterian (EP) Church, which was under the theme: “Re-building the missionary station of Akpafu”.
Dr Makubu stressed the need for the people to tolerate divergent views and live peacefully with one another, stressing that there was no substitute for peace and called on religious leaders to work hard and promote religious tolerance at all times as a way of enhancing peace and development.
He observed that, in every society, there would be misunderstanding but dialogue should be the first means of settling disputes, and added that it was important for the people to regard peace as a prerequisite for development.
The Minister on behalf of the Vice President, made a donation of GH¢50, 000 to support development activities of the church at Akpafu.
A former Moderator of the EP Church, the Right Reverend Jafet Ledo, in a sermon, called on Christians to love one another which would make others to emulate them, and added that it was important for people to act as agent of peace in their respective communities to reflect Christ wherever they found themselves.
He said as the country prepared towards the 2024 general election, conscious efforts must be made to ensure that the peace and unity prevailing in the country would not be disturbed, and asked politicians to be mindful of their utterances to ensure it does not lead to violence.
The Akpafu District Pastor of the EP Church, Reverend Harrison Nyalemegbe, said the church since its establishment by the German Missionaries, had impacted positively on the development of the area, adding that it established schools which served as the source of civilisation.
He said the church would continue to play its role of providing the spiritual and physical needs of the people through education.
The Reverend Nyalemegbe thanked the Vice President for the support and said it would be invested in projects of the church including building of a museum at Akpafu-Todzi where German artefacts collection would be displayed to promote tourism.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, AKPAFU-TODZI
