The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has expressed concern over pockets of chieftaincy disputes and political upheavals in some parts of the country and appealed for calm. He called on traditional authorities facing chieftaincy problems to use peaceful means to resolve them in the interest of national cohesion and development. The Vice-President made the appeal at the installation of a new Yagbonwura, Tuntumba Boree Essa, at Damongo in the Northern Region last Friday. The new Yagbonwura is known in private life as Tuntumba Sulemana Amanfo Jakpa, the Kusawgu Wura. "This should be a turning point in our lives. No political power is worth more than a drop of blood. Shedding of blood to get political power is not the best,” Mr Mahama stressed. Making reference to the recent dispute between the Tuobodomhene and the Techimanhene, the Vice-President called on the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II and the Paramount Chief of the Techiman Traditional Area to tackle the problem of chieftaincy with level headedness. He said since the two traditional areas shared common cultural and traditional values, there was the need for them to bury the hatchet for peace to prevail. He appealed to the new Yagbonwura to make land registration in Gonja a priority and said as society progressed it was incumbent on chiefs and leaders to adopt new ways of administering land. Mr Mahama said the era when lands were not registered as essential commodities was past, adding, "We must now put value on our lands." He said the only way the country could confront the eminent food problem was to use arable land profitably. He noted that the healthy environment created by the Mills administration would attract investors who would need large tracts of land and, therefore, cautioned against the release of such lands "for a few bottles of drinks and a paltry sum of money". "I appeal to you to seek proper counselling before you dispose of land. Investment should not be done at the expense of the toil of our forefathers who shed their blood to acquire it for us," he said. Source: Daily Graphic