Nangodi (U/E)-Ghana, June 23, GNA – The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has called on youth in the Nabdam District of the Upper East Region to be vigilant and report suspicious characters, to prevent and contain extremists’ activities in the district.
The Commission said the youth had become the target for extremists as established by its research, under the ‘Preventing Electoral Violence and Providing Security to the Northern Border Regions of Ghana’ (NORPRESEC) project in 2021, so it was important they were sensitized and guided.
Mr Elbazar Joachim, the Nabdam District Director of the NCCE made the call in an address to some selected youth groups from various communities of the district, as part of the Commission’s effort to prevent, contain violence and promote peace and social cohesion.
“Poverty, unemployment, porous security borders which are positive avenues for illicit activities and the activities outside religious and extremist groups have been noted as driving forces of violent extremism and radicalization and the youth are mostly vulnerable”, he said.
To address this, he said, it was important to inculcate in the youth the spirit of patriotism, the awareness of their civic responsibility, inclusive values, social recognition and sense of belonging to enable them commit to the fight against violent extremism.
The engagement forms part of the Preventing and Containing Violent Extremism (PVCE) project being implemented by the NCCE with funding support from the European Union and Technical support from the National Security.
It aimed at preventing and Containing Violent Extremism by sensitizing citizens and promoting peace through social cohesion as well as strengthening state and non-state actors at the National and Community level in the fight against extremists’ activities.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Saed Boachie Yigdem, who is the Deputy Bolgatanga Municipal Police Commander, urged the youth to devote their service to the fight against violent extremism by collaborating with the security agents to identify people whose activities were a threat to the peace of the country.
He said there was the need for the youth to instill in themselves the spirit of patriotism and participate in the fight against extremism.
Reverend Father Roch Akologo, the Director of the Spiritual Renewal Center, Kongo, said that “peace is an essential and priceless commodity that requires the effort of the security services and we as citizens and we can only achieve this when we make it a priority and fight for it collectively”.
He said there was the need for communities to design a common platform that will offer them the opportunity to unite and have discussions on some of the things that affect them to enable them to recognize early signs of the extremisms and report.
