Sunyani, Dec. 2, GNA - The chiefs and people of Badu Traditional area in Brong Ahafo have called for an independent body to revisit the decision to choose Nsawkaw instead of Badu as the capital of the new Tain district, carved out of the Wenchi District.

This was contained in a petition to the government read at a press conference in Sunyani by Nana Boakye Yiadom II, President of Badu Traditional Council and signed by all the chiefs in the area, youth representatives and opinion leaders.

The petition, routed through the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Government to President Kufour, was copied to the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Members of Parliament of Wenchi West and East, DCE for Wenchi District, Director of Operations of the National Electoral Commission, Chief of Staff, Clerk of Parliament and the Regional Head of Bureau of National Investigations (BNI).

In the petition headlined "Re: Petition against the siting of the Tain District Capital at Nsawkaw", the chiefs and people noted that the central position of Nsawkaw used to select it as the capital was not plausible "because after all Sunyani, the Regional capital and other district capitals are not centrally placed".

They said they were not even invited to the final meeting to decide the location of the district capital and the boundaries of the new district were all done without their notice and this was corroborated by Nana Boakye who said he received the letter inviting them to the meeting almost a week after it had taken place.

Nana Boakye said following the decision to site the new district's capital at Nsawkaw, the chiefs and people had resolved that they would never be part of the Tain district and would rather remain with the Wenchi District Assembly.

We shall not allow revenue officers to come to Badu to collect any revenue for the new district and that all such monies shall be paid to the Wenchi Assembly, he said, adding that they unreservedly decried the situation whereby decisions "are based on nepotism, tribal and other parochial considerations".

The President of the Council explained that Badu was better and more richly endowed with more resources than Nsawkaw, saying, out of the 364 towns listed in the summary data on urban localities, Badu placed 165th whilst Nsawkaw was not classified at all.

The population of Badu, which is more than 9,000 far exceeds the 4,000 of Nsawkaw, he added and mentioned that the town has enough infrastructure including a post office, bank, secondary school, hotel, a booming market, electricity, pipe-borne water, silo for maize production and other facilities, which Nsawkaw lacks.

He said in terms of revenue generation, with the exception of Wenchi, Badu contributes more to the revenue generation of Wenchi District Assembly than any other traditional area or town.

Nana Boakye noted that the chiefs and people of Badu had written several petitions to state their point why the capital had to be sited at Badu but all were disregarded.

There is no chieftaincy problem in the area, he added and appealed to President Kufour, "as the fountain of justice", to act on their petition and cause an independent body to go into the matter once again "so that justice shall be seen to have been done to the chiefs and people of Badu".