Jirapa, May 2, GNA - Alhaji Issahaque Salia, the Upper West Regional Minister, has pleaded with chiefs to do more to stop the spate of insults in the Ghanaian society, especially in the body politic.

He appealed to chiefs to ask their people to desist from that practice while stringent measures were put in place to ban persons found to be insulting in their commentary from attending functions and taking up public leadership positions.

Alhaji Salia made the appeal at the maiden celebration of the "Bong-Ngo" Festival of the chiefs and people of the Jirapa Traditional Area on Saturday at Jirapa.

He said chiefs play a pivotal role in the governance of the country and appealed to them to assist the district assemblies to mobilise internal revenue to undertake more development projects. Alhaji Salia expressed the hope that with chiefs partnering the district assembly more revenue would be mobilised to address the development challenges of the communities.

Mr. Bernard K. Puozuing, Jirapa District Chief Executive, urged the people to see the festival as a challenge for them to protect the environment and plant more economic trees. He mentioned the provision of boreholes, school infrastructure, health facilities and workers' accommodation as some of the projects the assembly had provided in the district. Okatakyie Agyemang Kodom, Paramount Chief of the Nkoranza Traditional Area in the Brong-Ahafo Region, said his traditional area had a long relationship with Jirapa Traditional Area. He said the long distances between the two traditional areas and the lack of means of transport did not help the friendship to grow for their mutual benefit.

Okatakyie Agyemang Kodom said with the availability of means of transport, the relationship would be rekindled through invitations and participations in cultural and other social events. Mr. Mark M.N. Dagbee, Upper West Regional Director of Centre for National Culture in a speech, noted that the level of development of any group of people could be measured by their commitment to their culture.

He said patriotism and love for one's country were some of the good fruits of cultural mobilisation, pointing out that there was no force for mobilising for development than their culture. Mr Dagbee appealed to sons and daughters of the Jirapa Traditional Area to do well and sustain the festival as it would serve as a pivot for their identity and the development of the area.