By Philip Tengzu
Wa, Feb. 6, GNA – Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, the Upper West Regional Minister, has reiterated the government’s resolve to ensure the resilience of the country’s security agencies to maintain peace and safeguard the country’s territorial integrity.
“The government is determined to give any support required to ensure that we have security services that remain the best in the region and one of the best in the world.
“Ghanaians want security services that are professional, well-disciplined, well-motivated, and respectful of the rights and liberties of our people,” he said.
Dr. Salih said this at the weekend during the West African Security Services Social Activities (WASSA) celebration held at the premises of the Headquarters of the 10 Mechanised Battalion, Home of Hippos in Wa.
Representatives of all security agencies, including the National Disaster Management Organisation, National Intelligence Bureau, and the National Ambulance Services, as well as Heads of Departments and Agencies, attended the event.
It was characterised by activities such as stripping and assembling of M16 and changing parade amid pomp and pageantry.
Dr. Salih observed that contemporary threats such as violent extremist activities and the recent killings of people in Wa had compounded the traditional causes of conflicts, which included chieftaincy disputes, political rivalry, religious intolerance, and ethnic conflicts.
He, however, commended the security agencies in the region for their exceptional commitment to discharging their duties amidst those challenges by putting their lives on the line to keep the nation safe, and safeguarding the country’s territorial integrity.
Mr Saeed Abdul Shakur, the Principal State Attorney in the Upper West Region, charged the leadership of the security services to ensure that “bad nuts” that found their way into the security services were flushed out.
“If you find one indiscipline person in any security service, the person constitutes a great present danger to any other officer, and I want to entreat the leadership that if you find them don’t shield them, take steps to weed them out for your own sake and for the sake of the society,” he said.
Mr Shakur stressed the need for the people in the country to support the security services in the discharge of their duties to continue to keep the country safe saying, “We go to sleep every day because they stand awake.”
Lieutenant Colonel Francis Kwasi Gyimah, the Commanding Officer of the 10 Mechanised Battalion, noted that the event was not only to celebrate their achievement but to also foster unity and collaboration among the security services in the region.
“As we know, the security of our region is of utmost importance, and it is only through the collective efforts of all of us that we can achieve this,” he explained.
Lt. Col. Gyimah advocated regular communication and collaboration between the services, investment in technology and training for capacity enhancement, and effective security agencies-community engagements as some factors that could enable them to live their purpose.
GNA