'Make Ghana peace icon'

Former executives of the Tertiary Education Institution Network of the National Democratic Congress (TEIN) have called on the youth not to make Ghana a case study for violence but rather a peace icon to the entire world.

Ghana, according to the former executives, cannot afford to be one of the countries being used as case studies of places in the sub-region where violent  acts had been reported.

Addressing a press conference in Accra on Tuesday, Mr George Dadzie Jr, the Chairman of the  Association of Former Executives of  TEIN  and   spokesperson of the group, said  as youth, they were very concerned about the litigation of the  election results.

He said this was because about 95 per cent of youth  were used in countries that had experienced violent conflicts and  thousands of them lost their lives and property, making the reconstruction of the economy a huge problem for those countries.

He also said political disorder in neighbouring countries such as Cote d'Ivoire and  Liberia  should serve as a bitter lesson to Ghanaians to preserve  Ghana's trademark  as the gateway to Africa.

Mr Dadzie, therefore, called on the youth to kick against any attempt by selfish politicians to exploit their youthful exuberance to cause mayhem in their localities after the Supreme Court's verdict.

''We the youth should not allow anyone to influence us with material incentives because our aspirations and ambitions would survive only if peace prevails in the country,'' he stressed.

He explained that Ghana was bigger than all the political parties, individuals and  any other institutions so the youth ought to place Ghana first in all their dealings.

Mr Dadzie added that our forefathers shed their blood for the survival of the country so the youth had a responsibility to protect and defend the only property they had left for posterity.

He also said the future of the nation lay in the bosom of the youth and that Ghana  had had several elections since its independence so the 2012 election should not be allowed to divide the country through a civil conflict.

 He said Ghana was only great when its youth became conscious of their potentials and learnt how to approach issues in the broader perspective. The youth, therefore, have no business allowing passion and politics to push them into thinking that they were enemies.

Those present at the press conference included: Fredrick Huago, Bilal Muaza Suleman, Clemence Agbonyitor and Ms Baba Latifa, who all pledged support for the  statement read at the press conference.

By Abdul  Aziz/Daily Graphic/Ghana