Chiefs advised not to relinquish traditional roles

Saboba (NR), March 25, GNA - Chiefs and elders in the communities have been advised not to relinquish their traditional roles to the youth who are too young to understand and handle delicate issues of inter-ethnic relations for sustenance of peace and unity. They should continue with the responsibility of guiding the youth to grow to become responsive to society to ensure peaceful coexistence and not to abandon their traditional authority to them to create unnecessary conflicts that retards development.

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister gave the advice at the weekend at Saboba in the Saboba Cheriponi District when he addressed students and teachers of the Saboba St. Joseph's Technical/Vocational Institute and chiefs of Saboba and surrounding communities during the launching ceremony of the school's 40th anniversary celebration.

The purpose of the launch was to solicit funds and public support towards the climax of the anniversary celebration in October this year and also to drum home the need for technical education in northern Ghana for rapid development.

Alhaji Idris said chiefs and opinion leaders have the moral responsibility to restrain the youth who were prone to causing havoc to ensure that there was relative peace in the country and in the Northern Region in particular for total freedom and development. He said the country and Northern Region in particular needed peace saying, "We should all agree and resolve now to settle our grievances and differences through dialogue and not war."

Alhaji Idris commended the chiefs and people of the Saboba/Cheriponi District for maintaining peace over the years and that democracy and development work best in an atmosphere of peace. He, however, expressed worry about recent unpleasant developments in Bimbilla where "War drums" were beaten and that the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) and the government would not countenance the breach of the peace.

He said the REGSEC had acted swiftly on all rumours on an acquisition of arms and ammunitions into the Nanum areas to prepare for conflict between Nanumbas and Konkombas and called for peace and unity. The Minister commended the founding fathers of St. Joseph's Technical /Vocational Institute, which was the first to be established in the Northern Region by the Catholic Church and assured government's readiness to assist the school with infrastructure to salvage some of its problems.

Mr. Azumah Namoro Sanda, DCE for Saboba/Cheriponi called on politicians to use Ghana's year-long, 50th anniversary celebration to preach good governance for the populace to understand the true meaning of democracy.

He said the golden jubilee should spur Ghanaians on to work for better future and that there was the need to eschew tribalism, rumour mongering, selfishness and should remain patriotic to help build the nation.

Mr. Godfred Axolu, Principal of the Institute enumerated the achievements and problems of the school and appealed to past students, District Assemblies and the Central Government to support the school to improve standards.

The Most Reverend Vincent Sowah Boi-Nai, Catholic Bishop of the Yendi Diocese, who launched the programme stressed the need for stocktaking to identify new challenges and called on all to work collectively to ensure a successful 40th anniversary.