Effiduase (Ash), Oct 31, GNA - Mr Philip Basoah, the District Chief Executive for Sekyere East, has stated that cultural festivals help to unite people and thereby facilitate development. He said the people of Effiduase should let the celebration of their "Odwira" festival unite them to bring about the development of the town.

Speaking at the Akwambo festival of the chiefs and people of Asante-Effiduase at the weekend, he said it was the objective of government to develop every part of the country in collaboration with traditional rulers.

That is why the said government appreciated the role of chiefs as partners in development and therefore called for the involvement of chiefs in development of the country. Akwambo of the people of Effiduase is a day set aside as part of their Odwira celebration to cut a path to the "Afiafi" stream for purification.

The DCE said education was of paramount importance to the government and that was why it had introduced the capitation grant to facilitate the Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) and also the provision of free exercise books to pupils. Touching on the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Mr Basoah said even though it has taken off in the district, people who were yet to register with the scheme were more than those who had registered and therefore appealed to chiefs to assist in the campaign to get more people to register.

He gave the assurance that his administration would co-operate with the chiefs to develop the district and that the assembly was fighting for an urban status for Effiduase.

Mr Basoah said the bill was before parliament and therefore called on the Members of Parliament for Effiduase-Asokore and Kumawu to fight for its passage.

Nana Konadu Yiadom, Queenmother of Effiduase, who gave a brief historical background to the celebration of the festival, said Effiduase one of the stools in Asante that celebrates the festival and earned this distinction through its exploits in the Asante wars. She appealed to the DCE to tackle roads in Effiduase and the one leading from the town to the Effiduase Secondary/Commercial College.