Ho, Jan. 10, - Mr Dan Kwaku
Botwe, the Minister of Regional Reorganization and Development, said government
cannot impose the creation of new regions on the citizenry.
"No government can give a
fiat for the creation of new regions. It is not something we can just give out.
It is the decision of the people with strict constitutional provisions,"
he stated.
Mr Botwe who was addressing a
sensitization workshop for media practitioners and staff of the Information
Services Department and the National Commission on Civic Education on the
creation of new regions in the country said government was only facilitating
the processes because it received petitions.
"You can't stop people from
presenting petitions and the fact that they presented petitions did not mean
they will have new regions, the processes are well defined in the
Constitution," he said.
Mr Botwe added that the exercise
was demand driven, based on provisions in article 5(6) of the 1992 Constitution
and that government was not "campaigning" to create new regions.
He said government received six
petitions, one each from Western and Volta regions, two from the Bring Ahafo
and two from Northern region, all being worked on by the Commission on Inquiry.
The Minister said the exercise
was therefore not simply fulfillment of manifesto promises but response to the
needs and demands of the people and called for support of all.
Dr. Archibald Yao Letsa, the
Volta Regional Minister said the exercise had no political agenda and asked the
participants to eschew prejudices and counter misinformation and propaganda
with the truth.
The Commission of Inquiry is
scheduled to hold four public hearings in the Region in line with the petition
for the creation of a new region.
The Volta Region has a land area
of 20, 570 square kilometres with a Statistical Service's May 2017 population
projection of 2,491,293.
GNA
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