ASOGLI STATE CELEBRATES YAM FESTIVAL… Mills calls for discipline among youth
President John Evans Atta Mills has observed that indiscipline is a major canker that retards the development of the country, and has stressed on the need to fight against such negative practices.
He observed that indiscipline in the society manifested itself in such negative acts as armed robbery, corruption, drug abuse and road accidents. These, he noted, posed a serious threat to national development.
This was contained in a speech read for the President by the Minister for Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr. Alex Asun Ahensah, at this year's grand durbar of chiefs and people of the Asogli Traditional area to climax the yam festival in Ho last Saturday. It was under the theme: “Uniting for Development.”
President Atta Mills said indisciplined acts were mostly seen among the youth, and charged parents to live up to their parental responsibilities by disciplining their children who go wayward, adding that parents have a duty of bringing up their children into responsible adulthood.
He said his government was aware of the high expectations of Ghanaians, and was also mindful of the campaign promises the National Democratic Congress (NDC) made to them.
President Mills noted that it was the wish of his government to satisfy such high expectations, but unfortunately, conditions on the ground did not make things possible.
He however pointed out that his government was making frantic efforts to remove all obstacles militating against the fulfillment of the promises made to the people.
President Mills assured Ghanaians that things would soon get better, and pleaded for time and patience, for the government to be able to meet the demands of the people.
He noted that in spite of the difficulties, the government would tackle two promises made to the people of the Volta Region, which he mentioned as the establishment of a public university, and the rehabilitation of the road networks, adding that a committee had been put in place, and was working towards the attainment of these promises.
President Mills urged traditional authorities to use festivals to identify challenging areas of development, and strategise to address them, since the government alone could not meet all the development needs of the people, and commended Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of the Asogli Traditional Area, for his developmental initiatives.
Togbe Afede XIV called on Ghanaians to play responsible roles in the development efforts of the country, noting that it was everybody's duty to aspire to make a difference, by bringing their skills to bear on the development of the nation.
He called on chiefs, politicians, religious and opinion leaders in society, to see themselves as partners in development, in order to provide the kind of leadership the people need for development.
The President of the National House of Chiefs, Naa Prof. Nabila, commended the chiefs and people of the Asogli Traditional Area for strengthening their relations with the people of Notse in Togo, and urged them to use such relations to promote peace and unity between the two countries.
The Paramount Chief of Notse, Togbe Agorkorli III, appealed to the governments of Ghana and Togo to make the border at Aflao, which linked the two countries, more accessible, to ensure free movement of goods and services, which he noted, would ultimately benefit the two countries.
Present at the ceremony were the Deputy Minister of Transport, Mrs. Dzifa Ativor, Volta Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Amenowode, and his Deputy, Cyril Neku, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ho Central, Capt. George Nfodjoh (rtd), and the Ho Municipal Chief Executive.