KARNI TRADITIONAL AREA APPEALS TO GOVT (PAGE 29)

Story: George Folley Quaye. Wa

THE chiefs and people of the Karni Divisional Area, near Jirapa, in the Upper West Region have expressed their strong reservation about their placement under the newly created Lambussie District.
They have, therefore, petitioned the government to place the area under the Jirapa District.
In the petition, the chiefs said the recent Legislative Instrument (LI) placed part of the Karni Divisional Area under the Lambussie District, thus contradicting with the geographical contiguity.
“This situation has not only distorted the geographical contiguity and split of the Karni Area Council, but also created palpable physical barriers between families,” the petition added.
Explaining further, the petition said the Karni Divisional Area had three electoral areas out of which one was under the new Lambussie District, thus suggesting that majority of their people were in the Jirapa District.
“It, therefore, makes sense for the other electoral areas to be brought under the Jirapa District in order to make the divisional area complete,” it said.
The petition recalled that throughout history, the Karni Divisional Area belonged to the Jirapa paramountcy.
It warned that should the government fail to heed their request, the people would advise themselves appropriately in order to preserve the time tested traditional cohesion among them.
The petition was signed by the chief of the area, Naa B.A. Yaayiri, Mr Gbaraa Kodi (Tendana of Karni) and Mr Alexis Doozuch, secretary of the Karni Area. Youth and Development Association.