|
Prez Kufuor assures good time ahead
for all
Cape Coast, Sept 6, Ghanadot/GNA -
The President, Mr John Agyekum Kufuor, on Saturday urged all
Ghanaians to exercise restraint and support efforts being
made by the government, to ensure that the nation derived
the desired benefits from her natural resources such as oil
and gas, adding that “there are good times ahead”.
He said it was therefore imperative to exercise restraint
and refrain from acts that would derail the peaceful
atmosphere in the country because of different political
affiliations, and reiterated that political opponents were
not enemies.
President Kufuor, dressed resplendently in a Kente cloth,
made the call when he addressed a colourful durbar of chiefs
and people of the Oguaa traditional area, to climax
activities marking the celebration of this year’s Fetu
Afahye.
Equally resplendently dressed in Kente and accompanying the
President who arrived at the durbar grounds at exactly 14:20
hours to loud cheers, were the Speaker of Parliament, Rt.
Hon. Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes and the Central Regional
Minister, Nana Ato Arthur.
Also present, were the Flag-bearers of the NDC and CPP,
Professor John Evans Atta Mills and Dr Paa Kwesi Nduom
respectively.
The running mate for the NPP flag-bearer, Dr Mahamudu
Bawumia was also present.
The President said Ghana belonged to God, and was happy that
unlike events in some countries, there was peace and
tolerance amongst people of different religious persuasions,
and said there was the need for all to help ensure peace,
good governance and to exhibit patriotism.
He observed that politics was just about the expression of
divergent views and cautioned politicians against the use of
inflammatory language and threats to cause chaos or mayhem
if one loses the election, stressing that “not winning an
election is not the end of the world”.
President Kufuor, who told the people that he was in the
region and in Cape Coast in particular to join in the
celebration of the festival for the last time as a sitting
President, echoed earlier concerns expressed by the
Oguaahene, about the falling standards of education in the
Cape Coast metropolis.
He told parents that there was the need for them to work
hard to help address the situation, by taking advantage of
government interventions to improve education, since cape
Coast had a “big history” as the cradle of education, and
pointed out that parents do not have to be rich before
sending their children to school.
He mentioned the upgrading of some teacher training colleges
to facilitate quality teaching, in line with the educational
reform programme as well as the benefits of the National
Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
President Kufuor especially enumerated some infrastructural
development in the region in particular, such as the
construction of roads, expansion of electricity and water
supply systems at Baifikrom and Sekyere-Hemang, and tasked
the people to tap its potentials, such as tourism.
On the forthcoming election, he urged Ghanaians to vote for
politicians who have the welfare of the nation at heart and
not those who inflame passions.
In his welcoming address, the Oguaahene, Osabarima Kwesi
Atta II, expressed gratitude to President Kufuor for making
good on his promises to provide the metropolis with a modern
sports stadium, help in the construction of the School of
Medical Sciences for the University of Cape Coast, and for
plans to rehabilitate the Kotokoraba market and for which
funds have already been secured.
He however appealed to him to help ensure that he makes
provision for the dredging and the restoration of the Fosu
lagoon, before leaving office.
The Omanhene expressed concern about the falling standards
of education in the metropolis, and the lack of employment
avenues for the youth.
He announced that to help promote investment, the
traditional council was collaborating with agencies like the
lands commission to help create land banks to facilitate
easy land accessibility for investors, and appealed to
investors to take advantage of the package.
He appealed to parents to ensure that their children studied
hard to enable them gain admission to the senior high
schools in the township, which he said were mostly filled
with students from outside the region.
Osabarima Atta echoed calls on politicians and their
supporters to help ensure peace in the country, and refrain
from acts that will cause mayhem.
The President later presented traditional drinks comprising
a carton of schnapps and 10 crates each of beer, Guinness
and soft drinks, and GH¢5,000.00.
Dr Bawumia, on behalf of the NPP flag-bearer, presented a
carton of schnapps and GH¢2,000.00 to the traditional
council to support the celebration of the festival.
On Friday, the NDC flag-bearer, Prof Atta Mills, also
presented a carton of schnapps and other assorted drinks and
GH¢1,000.00 while the CPP flag-bearer also made a similar
presentation of assorted drinks, a cow, some plantain and GH¢500.00
to the council.
GNA
|
