Let’s not allow religious extremism to destroy our peace – Dr Abu Sakara

Dr Abu Sakara Forster, a former presidential candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), has called on the youth to stay united in spite of our religious and sectoral differences.

He said Ghana is fortunate to be enjoying peace and stability today and we cannot afford to destroy it.

Dr Abu Sakara said we need to be conscious of what is happening to countries around us and work towards protecting our peace and stability.

"Today, we have many issues and situations surrounding our country. Our neighbours don't know peace. We have problems in Burkina Faso, Niger, and Mali - all of extremist nature driven under the cover of religious extremism. If our people do not understand that this is a ploy and that this peaceful coexistence with our fellow Ghanaians can be disturbed by following such people, then we will have problems," he said.

He was speaking at a national consultative meeting of the Chiefs of Wangara (Mende) held under the theme:" Peace, unity, and development: the way forward."

Dr Abu Sakara said the meeting was important because it presented an opportunity for them as Mendes to affirm their commitment as citizens of this country.

He congratulated the chiefs for organizing the meeting which has brought together people who have been dispersed in the diaspora for a long time.
Dr Abu Sakara said the meeting helped them to renew their sense of purpose and also helped to examine how they could better contribute to the respective countries where they find themselves.

“We want to also demonstrate that regardless of religion, we can live in peace and harmony and nobody should bring the extremist religions here to provoke any unrest” he said.

Dr Abu Sakara said the meeting will inform their extended members - Wangaras, Gonjas and Walas among others, that they are one because they come from the old Ghana empire and therefore can co-exist peacefully.

Nana Yusif Fanyinama, President of the Council of Wangara Chiefs in Ghana, said the meeting was to promote peace, unity, development and to see the way forward for this creation.

“The main objective is to look at our past, present, the way forward and how we can maintain the peace, unity we have. The Wangaras have been in this country for a very long time even before the white man came,” he said.

He urged the Mendes to go back home to help with the development of the newly created Savanna Region which was something they had long wished for.

“We should not sit down to allow the Europeans to take over our lands everybody should go there and do something,” he said.