War On Cocaine Right -Synod

The synod of the Global Evangelical Church has added its voice to the prevailing war against drug dealers intent on turning Ghana into a hub for drug trafficking.

In a reaction to the menace at it's 65th synod at the weekend, the church, the first to comment on the issue, commended the efforts by the government to eliminate the practice, and called on all relevant law enforcement agencies to intensify the struggle to save the nation from the traffickers.

The Minister of the Interior, Mr Albert Kan-Dapaah, early last month set up a five-member committee to investigate the whereabouts of 77 parcels of cocaine, each weighing 30 kilogrammes, discovered on a vessel that was intercepted on April 27, 2006.

The committee, chaired by a Supreme Court Judge, Mrs Justice Georgina Wood, is also investigating various allegations levelled against some police officers in connection with the seizure of a quantity of narcotic drugs at East Legon in November last year.

The church also praised efforts at combating the menace of armed robbery in the country. "Synod notes with gratitude the efforts of the government to clamp down on the menace of armed-robbery and prays for God's guidance for success in efforts to improve life in Ghana," the communiqué stated.

It deplored the increasing rate of accidents and the carnage on the roads and called on the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the police and other road safety agencies to work hard at curbing the carnage.

It also appealed to managements of organisations to adhere to whatever they agreed with their employees in order to ensure industrial peace.

"Synod appeals to managements to be open to negotiations in order to lessen the frequent strikes in the country," it said.

The communiqué also touched on efforts at reducing poverty within the church and the society, especially among women.

It appealed to the government, non-governmental organisations and international organisations to come to the aid of the Global Impact Foundation (the Development and Relief Agency of the church) in order for it to reach more people with its micro-credit scheme.

The communiqué emphasised that the frequent power outages had disastrous effects on the countrys productivity and property.

The synod, therefore, called on the government to resource all authorities involved in ensuring a reliable energy and power supply for the country.

Resolutions reached at the end of the Synod included the need for all pastors and Sessions of the church to include in their programmes activities which would inculcate a sense of patriotism in both children and adults.

They resolved to support the countrys jubilee celebrations, saying that "all congregations should organise clean-up exercises in our communities on a Saturday in the month of February 2007".

The Synod also urged congregations to provide sound teaching to enable members of the church to discover and develop their areas of ministry in order to provide support services for the holistic development of the church.

In a sermon, Reverend Professor John Kinney, Dean, Virginia Union School, United States of America, asked Christians to stand up and speak boldly against evil practices in the country.

The Synod was marked on the theme "Striving for excellence".