Youth encouraged to remain vigilant, stand for cohesion

The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) office in the Akatsi South Municipality of the Volta Region has encouraged the youth to remain vigilant and stand for national cohesion as well as consider the need to have inclusive participation in governance.

It noted that the vigilance of the youth in standing for national cohesion was necessary for the peace, unity and stability of the country.

Vincent Adzika, the Akatsi South Municipal Director of the NCCE, gave the advice at a youth activists’ workshop on ‘Secessionism and Violent Extremism’, which was organized by the Commission in collaboration with the Ministry of National Security to engage the youth on security issues.

It was on the theme: ‘Empowering Ghanaians to Stand for National Cohesion and Inclusive Participation in Governance’.

He stated that issues of the Western Togoland Restoration Front and threat of violent extremism along the country’s borders must be of concern to the citizenry and called the need for collaboration between the Commission and the ministry and to remain vigilant, which is necessary for national cohesion.

Reverend Father Stephen Avinu, Parish Priest, Saint Anthony Catholic Church, Ave-Dakpa, said national cohesion and peaceful co-existence were important aspects of national growth and development and encouraged the youth to subscribe to principles of peace, unity, harmony, cohesion, and peaceful co-existence, as they guaranteed firmness towards socio-economic development.

George Baffour, Deputy Divisional Head, National Investigations Bureau (NIB), Aflao, charged participants to report any unwarranted activity in society to the appropriate security agencies for swift action.

Oral-Robert Amenyo, the Deputy Volta Regional Director of NCCE, observed that when there was no national cohesion and harmony, the nation was opened to external aggression and cautioned that “activities of terrorists are fertile in a nation that is divided on ethnic, religious and political lines.

“Terrorists always send scouts to look for loopholes to explore. When there is no national cohesion and harmony, there is no peace, unity and stability to accelerate growth and development and the people are impoverished,” he said..

Emmanuel Davies, the Akatsi District Magistrate, emphasized the need to embrace Alternative Dispute Resolution since it was one of the effective and efficient complaint procedures to get the required outcome.

Rev. Fr Emmanuel Kpodo, the Cathedral Administrator of Akatsi Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church, gave an overview of the Vigilantism and Related Offences Act, 2019 (Act 999), Public Order Act, and other enactments.