By Anthony Adongo Apubeo
Bolgatanga, July 1, GNA – Peaceful coexistence among residents in various communities is key to preventing the infiltration of violent extremism in Ghana, Mr Jafaru Alsadiq Omar, the Bolgatanga Municipal Director of the National Commission for Civic Education NCCE), has said.
“It is only peaceful existence that can prevent violent extremism and there is the need for us to build social cohesion to consolidate the peaceful democracy we are currently enjoying.”
He said this in Bolgatanga when he addressed youth in the area.
The youth groups include dress makers, basket and smock weavers, religious groups, and other social development groups.
The engagement was organised by the NCCE with funding support from the European Union as part of efforts to prevent and contain violent extremism.
It was part of the Commission’s awareness creation and sensitisation efforts dubbed, “Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism, aimed at preventing and containing violent extremism through the promotion of social cohesion, peace, and tolerance.
The Municipal Director noted that the NCCE was engaging the youth to sensitise them on the emergence of violent extremists in the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Niger, Togo and Mali and its potential to spill over into Ghana.
He said the country’s security was a shared responsibility and the youth were critical stakeholders in that regard and urged them to be watchful in their communities to help prevent the infiltration of violent extremists.
He urged the youth to resist the mouthwatering enticement from extremists who would try to recruit them into their groups to cause mayhem, adding, “You are the future, and the country belongs to you, so, if you destroy it, you will be destroying yourselves.”
He said unemployment, limited access to resources and discrimination, among other factors, were making the youth vulnerable to terrorists who were rich and urged stakeholders, including the government, to work to create enabling environment that addresses the challenges of the youth.
Mr Abu-bakr Sadiq Abdul Rahman, the Upper East Regional Secretary of the Ahlisunah Wal-jamah, noted that fostering peace through proper conflict management was key to preventing external conflicts.
He said tolerance and respect for each other’s culture and opinions were factors that the youth needed to cultivate to live peacefully and prevent tribal conflicts.
He urged the participants to be ambassadors of peace in their various communities.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Saeed Boachie, the Deputy Bolgatanga Municipal Commander of the Ghana Police Service, said activities of violent extremists undermined the peace of nations, impeded sustainable development and deepened poverty cycles.
He advocated a multifaceted approach to preventing the phenomenon from occurring in the country and urged religious and community leaders to preach peace and create awareness on violent extremism on their platforms.
This, he said, in addition to reporting suspicious characters to the law enforcement agencies would help fight crime and ward off extremists.
GNA