Special awards for Agbobloshie peace makers

Accra, April 27, GNA - A special quarterly awards scheme has been instituted to honour individuals and groups that promote and sustain peace in the Old Fadama and Agbobloshie in Accra.

Speaking at a unity durbar to promote peace at Old Fadama, Mr Rashid Pelpuo, Minister of State at the Office of the President, also announced a scholarship and support scheme for students from the area who qualified to enter tertiary institutions every year. He said, while the people should recognize their differences that should not be a recipe for violence and stressed the need for peaceful co-existence and unity in diversity.

Mr. Pelpuo, who is also the MP for Wa Central said, "We from the north have come a long way to the south to work to earn money and fortune to send home to look after our families". "We, from the north should not be fighting among ourselves over the slightest provocation," he said, adding that, people from the area in responsible positions got embarrassed whenever there were reports of fighting and violence among their people.

The Minister of State appealed to them to initiate economic ventures to establish and promote businesses to generate incomes and to create jobs.

He said it was the cardinal aim of President Atta Mills and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to invest in people and jobs for the well-being of Ghanaians.

Mr Jonathan Nii Tackie Komme, MP for Odododiodioo, called on them to regard themselves as one people with a common destiny and to unite. He charged them to bury their differences and to live in peace and said they should not allow politics to divide them, especially now that the elections were over.

Mr. Tackie-Komme recalled the statement by the President that he was for all Ghanaians and cared for the people and said that was the reason why Professor Atta Mills delegated the Minister of State to be with them and to assure the people that he cared for them. He pleaded with them to avoid acts that would lead to violence and disturbances that retarded development but rather act to promote peaceful co-existence.

The MP promised to liaise with the Office of the President through the Minister of State to work out the modalities for the special awards and the scholarship schemes for the people in the area and urged them to be "their brothers keeper" to promote peaceful co-existence. Chief Zaachi, Greater Accra Region Dagomba Youth Chief, who chaired the occasion called for the expansion of the National Youth Employment Programme to include skill acquisition since most of the youth in the area were unemployed or did menial jobs.

There had been intermittent violence clashes between supporters of the NDC and New Patriotic (NPP) in the area inhabited mainly by people from the north since the campaign period that preceded the 2008 Presidential and Parliamentary elections.