"Let leave politicians alone, we are all part of Ghana's economic crisis" — Omanhene of Agona Nsaba

Omanhene of Agona Nsaba Traditional Area in the Agona East District of the Central Region, Nana Okeseku Afari Minitah III has asked Ghanaians to stop blaming politicians for all the wrongs in the country.

He said they must also blame themselves for contributing to nation's economic crisis.

In a welcome address to mark the 66th Independence Day celebration at Agona Nsaba on Monday, Nana Okeseku Afari Minitah III noted with concern the rate at which people were milking the country in public offices but rather turn around to blame political leaders for corruption.

"We take undue advantage in wherever we find ourselves and engaged in several corrupt activities forgetting that such petty petty things add up to the economic crisis and it affects the citizenry. Brown envelopes are collected at various public offices at the blind side of political leaders but we sweep them under the carpet.

"It is time we see ourselves as contributing factors to the nation's failure and stop blaming politicians for every misfortune. We use political leaders, especially those in government as sacrificial lambs forgetting that those of us in government departments and agencies outnumbered politicians in various positions.

"We must all share the blame and start to correct it if we really want Ghana to be as we expected it to be. We must change our attitude toward work and other corrupt practices.

"Those of us in traditional leadership in the District will continue to collaborate with the Agona East District Assembly in its quest to improve the quality lives of the people in the various communities," he noted.

Touching on the theme for the 66th Independence Celebration: "Our Unity, Strength and Our Purpose," Nana Okeseku Afari Minitah III called for all hands on deck to restore the economy back to its track.

The District Chief Executive for Agona East, Hon. Janet Odei Paintsil in her speech acknowledged the undoubted contributions of Nananom since time immemorial in the building of mother Ghana.

"Traditional leaders therefore remain a very significant element in the society that cannot be ignored, because they are one of the key stakeholders in governance and development.

"After 66 years of Independence, we all agree that our nation has gone through her economic ups and downs but amidst all the difficulties, the Ghanaian people have remained steadfast and always forged ahead with great determination to achieve the economic breakthrough which we so much desire.

"Ghana is a beautiful country blessed with valuable and versatile natural resources coupled with gallant efforts from hardworking Ghanaian people. I believe that until we achieve our economic goals, we won't be complacent and relent in our efforts. The lessons learnt in the process of our economic challenges will prove useful as we move towards our next milestone in the journey of the nation.

"We all recognise that education provides stability in life and the future growth of our country largely depends on it. It is therefore a good thing that we are usually hard on ourselves in that area.

"His Excellency, the President of the nation, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo believes that quality and affordable education for all should be counted as a success for the nation. I shared in this view and it is, for this reason, I would go all out to make our young boys and girls develop keen interest in schooling," Hon. Paintsil stated.

Still on education, the Agona East DCE disclosed that a 3-unit classroom block has been constructed for Agona Tawora and Agona Duakwa Basic Schools. Eight Hundred (800) pieces of dual desks have been distributed to 32 Basic Schools in the District, while a good number of sanitary pads have also been distributed to girls in 10 Basic Schools.

"Our Health sector cannot be said to be the best but it has definitely seen several improvement over the years, and I believe that gradually, we will witness a great transformation.

"This year's Theme: "Our Unity, Our Strength and Our Purpose" are strong words that sum up where we have been and where we desirably intend to be in the near future. As a country, we have a history of peaceful coexistence among ourselves despite the diversity of tribes, religion and ethnicity.

"We have remained indivisible even in our diversity and we can boldly say that what we have in common exceeds what divides us. This has and will always be our source of strength. We look out for each other regardless of our differences and harness all our potential to create a better Ghana

"Our beloved country has given us everything we have in life. We should pledge to give everything we can for the sake of security, progress, and prosperity of Ghana," Hon. Janet Odei Paintsil noted.

A total of 1,240 students drawn from 14 primary department, 13 Junior High Schools and four Senior High Schools took part in this year's 66th Independence Day celebration held in the Agona East District.