Mr. Abdurahim Mohammed Mutaka, the Yendi Municipal Small Arms Commission Programme Officer has reminded the people in the area that guns only make them vulnerable not powerful.
“Guns do not settle disputes, but dialogue does, so use dialogue and peaceful means to settle differences.”
Mr. Abdurahim reminded Ghanaians during a presentation to students of Al-Maktoum Senior High School (SHS) at Yendi in the northern region focused on gun violence and the urgent need to eschew such behaviours within their communities.
He said the presentation was a collaborative effort with the Yendi Peace Centre Dagomba Youth Association (DAYA), Dagbon Forum and Konkomba Youth Association (KOYA) aiming to educate and engage students on importance of peace and conflict resolution.
He said the presentation was organized in the wake of the violence clash between the people of Sambu and Zugbei in the Mion District of Northern Region and the pivotal role of youth in shaping the future was underscored.
He highlighted how young people could influence their peer and communities towards non-violence through advocacy and active participation in peace initiatives.
On promoting peace and non-violence, the Yendi Peace Centre presented various programmes and initiatives and Mr. Abdurahim urged the students to be ambassadors of peace and share the knowledge gained with their various communities and engage in activities that promote harmony.
He said the collaboration with Yendi Peace Centre, DAYA, KOYA and Dagbon Forum was instrumental in reinforcing the massage of peace among the students most especially Dagombas and Konkombas.
He said similar engagements with students of Yendi SHS Dagbon State SHS and the Yendi Blacksmiths Association had been organised.
He announced that the topics discussed included gun violence and its various forums including homicides, assaults, self-inflicted injuries, statistics highlighting the prevalence of gun-related incidence in Ghana and globally were shared to give context to the issues amongst others.
It was to raise awareness on the implication and consequences of gun violence, foster a culture of peace and non-violence among students, and empower students with knowledge and skills to resolve conflicts.
