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His Excellency President John Dramani Mahama has donated 13 four-wheel drives to the Regional, National and the Chieftaincy Secretariat in the country. The vehicles are expected to be distributed amongst the ten regional offices of the House of Chiefs, one for the National House of Chiefs, and two for the Chieftaincy Secretariat in Accra, in fulfilment of a promise made to them last year. The President disclosed this when addressing the House yesterday, during their First General Meeting of the year 2014 in Kumasi. President Mahama said he was hopeful the vehicles would go a long way to facilitate the valuable work of the traditional rulers, and help strengthen the support base of the institution of chieftaincy in the country. The donation follows a similar one made in 2012, when the President, prior to the general elections, presented ten 4-wheel drive vehicles to the ten regional house of chiefs. It also comes at a time Ghana�s economy is in serious crisis, with the government struggling to pay workers and other statutory funds to help in the efficient running of the country. President Mahama also pledged his administration�s readiness to assist in the provision of decent office accommodation for the institution, whilst ensuring that satisfactory and comfortable conditions were also provided for the staff working in these offices for the efficient performance of their duties. The President also pledged that his government was doing everything possible to help unravel the perpetrators behind the murder of the Bimbilla Naa and some others. He, therefore, pleaded with the chiefs to help resolve the numerous chieftaincy disputes that have plagued the country, and also help fight environmental degradation and depletion of the country�s forest resources as a result of galamsey (illegal mining) and the illegal logging of trees. The President of the National House of Chiefs, Prof. John S. Nabila, commended the government for its efforts at ensuring the strengthening the chieftaincy institution, but lamented that the House was facing various challenges in the areas of infrastructure and resources to carry out its duties. Prof. Nabila pointed out that budget allocation to the institution was woefully inadequate, and this, according to him, was impeding the duties of traditional rulers, and, therefore, called on the government to take steps to address the situation. He said though the House acknowledged the efforts of the government, particularly, through the increment of monthly allowances, the provision of counsels for adjudication of cases, and provision of vehicles, there were lots more challenges which ought to be addressed to enhance the efficient execution of duties. He cited the non-completion of various developmental projects, especially, office complex, across the country. The President of the National House of Chiefs also pleaded with members of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) to rescind their decision to embark on a sit down strike in the interest of the students, whilst also calling on the government and other stakeholders to take immediate steps to resolve the grievances of members of the teaching staff.