NCCE urges youth to avoid violence, put energy into nation-building

Tema, Aug. 24, GNA — The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged the youth to put their energies into nation-building and eschew violence.

The youth were also schooled on the position of the law on issues such as vigilantism, public demonstrations, secessionism and activities of land guards.

The programme dubbed: “Empowering Ghanaians to stand for National Cohesion,” was organized by the NCCE with support from the Ministry of National Security.

Mr Narh Awah, Magistrate at the Sege District Court, who was the main resource person, explained that anybody who attempted to disturb the peace of the nation would jeopardize the opportunity to live peacefully.

In that regard, Mr Awah said the promotion of peace was a shared responsibility.

“Our training from home must take care of the problem at school; we must be prepared to teach our children that national cohesion is paramount, and then what we learn we must practice.

“The idea that I speak a different language, therefore, I am a different person has no place in a unitary state; we all belong to Ghana; if it sinks it sinks with us, if it rises, it rises with us,” Mr Awah noted.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), Mr Awah indicated that Leadership must create an enabling environment while citizens played their part to ensure peace.

He said the only way a nation could move forward was to open up to negotiation and not violence.

Mrs Lucille Hewlett Annan, NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director, said most people, who attempted to destroy national cohesion, did so by employing the youth and, therefore, the nation could prevent such violent activities if the youth were well-informed on such matters.

Mrs Annan indicated that Ghana was a unitary state and her territories were defined by independence and so secessionism had no place in the Ghanaian Constitution.

“The youth must know the content of the 1992 Constitution and their responsibilities and know that they are not supposed to participate in any forms of violence,” she said.

Mrs Annan, therefore, asked the youth to avoid all forms of violence and discrimination and promote patriotism so that Ghana could achieve national cohesion and development.

Ms Eugenia Gyamfuah Asante, Assistant Director, Ningo Prampram District Assembly (NiPDA), said the assembly was committed to ensuring that the district was stable, therefore, would team up with NCCE to continue the project.

She said NiPDA, together with the police, would encourage the formation of Watch Committees and sensitize the people on crimes, offences and punishments that came along with them.

“We continue to stand for peace and promote peace. Peace is very instrumental in our economic growth, which would help us create a better Ghana,” she said.

In their commitment to reach out to the youth, NCCE brought together fifty youth leaders from the various youth groups in the district, who would be ambassadors and reach out to their groups with the message of peace.

NCCE also showed the youth leaders videos of violence meted out to citizens of countries that had experienced civil wars to encourage them to preserve Ghana’s peace.
GNA