Mr Omar Jafaru Alsadiq, the Bolgatanga Municipal Director, National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on the youth to resist any attempt to be used by political actors to cause mayhem during the December 7 general election.
He said such conduct would not only jeopardise the peace of the country and destroy its democratic gains but would also create a fertile ground for violent extremists to take root and destabilise the country.
Mr Alsadiq made the call when the Commission engaged youth groups drawn from various communities in the municipality, including Yorogo, Nyariga, Kalbeo, and Sherigu, as part of phase-two of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PCVE) project.
The project, sponsored by the European Union (EU), is being implemented by the NCCE in the five regions in northern Ghana and three other adjoining regions aimed at raising awareness among young people about the dangers of violent extremism and electoral violence and the importance of peaceful participation in the democratic process.
The engagement also focused on augmenting the youth’s understanding of peacebuilding mechanisms, social cohesion, and community-based mechanisms, including identifying early warning signs and basic community-based strategies for countering arms proliferation.
Mr James Abdulai Ayaala, the Upper East Regional Director, NCCE, said t because of the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism in neighboring countries, Burkina Faso and Mali inclusive, it was important the youth exercise restraint in order not to allow violent extremism to take root.
He noted that Ghana, over the years, had successfully transferred power from one party to the other in 2000, 2008 and 2016 and all stakeholders, especially the youth, must not involve themselves in acts that would plunge the country into chaos and limit their chances of reaching their full potential.
Superintendent David N. Nartey, Head of Intel, Upper East Regional Command, Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), making a presentation on community-based mechanisms for countering violent extremism, urged the youth to guard themselves against extremists’ ideologies.
There were some conflict entrepreneurs who benefited at the woes of others, and the youth, who were mostly the target for recruitment, must be alerted to resist such attempts, he said, and called on them to report suspicious characters in their communities to the security services.
Sheik Abu-Bakr Abdul Rahman, the Chairman of the Inter-Party Dialogue Committee (IPDC), in a presentation on Preventing Violent Extremism in Ghana, said extremists mostly used religion as a tool to brainwash their recruits to cause mayhem and maim their fellow humans in the name of going to paradise, hence the youth must be guarded.
“Such attempts are nothing but serving only the extremists’ interests,” he said, and called on the youth to safeguard the peace of the country for sustainable development.
At the end of the workshop, a joint statement on commitment to peace and security, read by Jonah Adombila, a participant, said: “Having participated in this youth engagement on PCVE, we are committed to fostering peace in our communities and ensuring a violent-free election”.
