GENERAL ANKRAH ARRIVING AND BEING WELCOMED; ASSEMBLY OF CHIEFS; ANKRAH SPEAKING; CHIEF JUSTICE PRESENTING COPY OF CONSTITUTION PROPOSALS TO NENE ANNORKWEI II.




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Background: THE CHAIRMAN OF THE GHANAIAN NATIONAL LIBERATION FRONT (NLC), LIEUTENANT-GENERAL ANKRAH, SAID AT DODOWA ON THURSDAY THAT BOTH THE CHIEFS AND PEOPLE OWED TO THEIR COUNTRY TO ENSURE THAT ITS FUTURE CONSTITUTION NOT ONLY REFLECTED THE ASPIRATIONS OF GHANAIANS BUT ALSO MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR "THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PAST DECADE AND A HALF" TO BE REPEATED. HE WAS ADDRESSING AN EMERGENCY SESSION OF THE EASTERN REGION HOUSE OF CHIEFS AT THE GUGGGISBERG MEMORIAL HALL IN DODOWA.

GENERAL ANKRAH WAS RECEIVED AT THE HALL BY MEMBERS OF THE EASTERN REGION COMMITTEE OF ADMINISTRATION. THE PRESIDENT OF THE HOUSE, NENE ANNORKWEI, THE SECOND, MADE A WELCOMING ADDRESS IN WHICH HE CALLED ON THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE PROVISION FOR THE MAINTENANCE OF THE CHIEFS AND THEIR DEPENDANTS. GENERAL ANKRAH THEN ADDRESSED THE CHIEFS, AFTER WHICH THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF GHANA, MR JUSTICE AKUFO-ADDO, PRESENTED A COPY OF THE CONSTITUTION PROPOSALS TO NENE ANNORKWEI II TO BE KEPT IN THE ARCHIVES OF THE HOUSE.

IN HIS SPEECH, GENERAL ANKRAH EXPRESSED CONCERN ABOUT THE DRIFT OF THE RURAL POPULATION TO THE URBAN AREA AND POINTED OUT THAT THIS TENDENCY COULD BE ATTRIBUTED LARGELY TO LACK OF AMENITIES AND INDUSTRIES IN THE RURAL AREAS. HE SAID THE GOVERNMENT HAD DECIDED THAT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMMES SHOULD BE PLANNED IN ALL REGIONS, AND HE CALLED ON THE CHIEFS TO HELP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR AREAS.