Garu (U/E), June 1, GNA – Mr Samuel Akolgo, the Garu District Director, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on stakeholders and feuding factions in the Bawku Chieftaincy conflict to initiate programmes towards promoting peace and security.
He expressed worry at the volatile situation in the area, which led to the loss of many lives and property and called on stakeholders to work together to ensure that opportunity was created for the feuding factions to reach a common ground and promote peace.
He was speaking to stakeholders and students of Garu Junior High and Primary School, at the launch of this year’s citizenship week celebration on the theme, “Sustaining Our Democracy, Ghanaian Values in Practice: the role of the Child”.
Mr Akolgo said apart from the fact that the protracted conflict was disturbing and created insecurity in the area, economic and other social activities had come to a standstill, posing hardships on already impoverished families.
He bemoaned the involvement of the youth in the conflict, describing it as worrisome and said it was against the democratic practice and values and tenets of the 1992 Constitution of the country and needed to be addressed with urgency.
“The continuous killing of people in the Municipality which has necessitated the imposition of the harsh curfew makes it difficult for any activities to be carried in the municipality.
“I would like to use this opportunity to appeal to the feuding factions and all other stakeholders including the MPs, opinion leaders, religious leaders, traditional leaders, youth leaders and all citizens in the municipality to initiate programmes and create opportunities that can contribute to the promotion of peace among the people, guided by the principles of our respective religious faiths and our conscience,” he appealed.
The District Director noted that the celebration of the citizenship week was aimed at igniting the spirit of patriotism and respect for core national values such as discipline, integrity, truthfulness, punctuality, hard-work, and loyalty in children, to enable them contribute sustainably to promoting peace and development.
He therefore admonished Ghanaians and the school children to study, uphold and defend the Constitution as the fundamental law of the country, to ensure that there was no interference or interruption for sustainable development.
“The citizenship week celebration seeks to remind basic school pupils of their responsibilities as active citizens, and their role to build a strong, vibrant and democratic Ghana,” he added.
Mr Edward Ndebugre, the Presiding Member, Garu District Assembly, said the critical role of the child in national development as enshrined in the laws of the country could not be overemphasised and urged all stakeholders to imbibe in children the spirit of loyalty, discipline and unity among other Ghanaians values.
“There is the need to have strong and relevant laws that will create a strong identity in the child, a national and cultural identity that can serve as a catalyst to turn the child into a good and mature citizen because currently, the Ghanaian child finds him or herself in an identity crisis situation,” he said.
Source: Ghana News Agency