Northern Regional Minister Alhaji Mohammed Muniru-Limuna has hinted that a substantive overlord of Dagbon may be enskinned by November in order to bring lasting peace to the prolonged Dagbon chieftaincy crises.
He disclosed that government is doing all within its power to facilitate the performance of the final funeral rites of the two late Kings of Dagbon, Ya-Yakubu Andani and Naa Mahamadu Abdulai by November this year.
This, he observed, would pave the way for the enskinment of a substantive overlord noting that it would bring to an end the over one decade feud between the two rival chieftaincy gates in the area.
The minister also disclosed that all funeral rites of chiefs who have passed on within the Dagbon traditional area will be performed in accordance with the customs and traditions of Dagbon.
He therefore warned that government will not succumb to any pressure and excuses from detractors and trouble mongers who fuel chieftaincy-related violence for their own parochial interests.
Alhaji Limuna who was addressing a gathering of prominent Islamic scholars including the Chief Imam of the region Alhaji Ahmed Abdul Salam, representatives of the Anbariya Sunni community, chiefs and other Muslim educationists at a residential dinner organized by a renowned Islamic scholar, Dr Mohammed Ibrahim in Tamale, promised government’s resolve to improve on the peace in Dagon.
He told the gathering that government would do everything possible to unite Dagbon despite schemes by some faceless individuals to scuttle efforts of the state under the guise that traditional funerals are not performed in Dagbon during the raining season.
According to him, the reasons for such tradition was based on affording food for family members, friends and sympathizers, but government is ready to take care of everyone come November this year.
Alhaji Limuna bemoaned the impunity with which Muslims attack each other’s personality in the month of Ramadan contrary to the teachings of Islam.
According to him political intolerance, chieftaincy and land disputes are the major causes of conflict within the region. He appealed to residents to peacefully coexist in order to foster development.
The Minister expressed worry that resources meant for developmental purposes in the region were continually sunk in the maintenance of peace disclosing that the purse of the region is always empty because funds are channeled to provide security for curfew areas in the Northern Region.
He used the occasion to appeal to the chiefs and people of the region to pray for peace and calm in troubled Bimbilla but warned that his outfit will not spare anyone who would disturb the fragile peace the region is currently enjoying.
The Ramandan dinner was organized by Doctor Ibrahim with the aim of strengthening unity among all Muslim sects in the region. The Islamic scholar was not happy that a Muslim dominated community such as Tamale had gained notoriety in cyber crime popularly referred to as Sakawa and appealed to the regional coordinating council not to relent in its efforts of combating such practices.
“I was in Saudi when videos of infants engaged in cyber crime went viral and they had the guts to, dare the people in authority who questioned their behaviors; I felt bad, Doctor Ibrahim lamented.
He said the activities of Sakawa was eating up the moral fiber of the society, a situation he observed was dangerous. He therefore called on all Islamic clerics to come together and fight the canker in the region to redeem the integrity of the once stable Northern Region which was an epitome of discipline.
From Stephen Zoure, Tamale