Senior citizens in the Upper west region have called for a customary law to be codified to enable chiefs in the country to have the power to deal with issues of theft and other minor issues. 

Speaking at the 59^th Republic Day celebration in Wa, the senior citizens argued that if a customary law is codified, chiefs being custodians of customary will work to ensure that theft and other deviant behaviors by unscrupulous people will end.

"Our youngsters are cultivating wee in the farms. Is it not a taboo for anybody to grow anything that is not allowed by our culture?", former Sissala district chief executive, Daniel Yoho asked.

The customary law should be codified tribe by tribe. If we are able to do s the crime wave will reduce drastically.

The upper west region for some time has been a challenge with recorded incidence of armed robberies, ‘‘galamsey’’, theft of motorbikes and burglary of homes by unscrupulous youth.

‘‘May our chiefs be told that we want to their customary laws codified so that we can follow and make sure that we are true upper westerners,’’ Mr. Yoho added.

Republic day which is also termed as the senior citizens day is marked every year to celebrate senior citizens for their contribution towards the socio-economic development of the country.

Some Former government appointees in the third and fourth republic joined retired public and civil servants to dine and wine with their colleagues.

Upper West Regional Minister, Amin Amidu Sulemani implored on the senior citizens to use their influence to convince political actors to be tolerant and avoid unsavory remarks in order to have the needed peace even before, during and after the elections

‘‘We have no place to go because all is not well in the countries that we share borders with. The safest place may be the sea we can run in to but how many of us can even travel to Accra let alone swim,’’ he added.