Hot!
Avoid expensive weddings …Catholic Priest advises youth
● Very Rev Fr Dr. Ennin
The President of the Con¬ference of Major Superi¬ors of West Africa of the Society of African Missionaries of the Catholic Church, Very Rev. Fr. Dr Paul Saa-Dade Ennin has advised the youth to have affordable marriage ceremonies and not one to please others.
“Cut your coat according to your cloth. Those who care about you don’t need to be pleased and those who don’t care, no matter what you do, you cannot please them,” he advised.
He made the remark on the sidelines of a mass wedding of six couples at Our Lady Queen of Peace Catholic Church in Madina in the Greater Accra Region on Saturday.
Very Rev. Fr Dr. Ennin said even though money should not be an impediment to any¬one who wishes to receive the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony, many youth have allowed that to happen.
He said it was unfortu¬nate that the youth desire societal weddings that would get many to appreciate and discuss them extensively on social media.
“The most important thing is not the party around the marriage because that doesn’t go anywhere; what matters is the commitment to it,” he said.
He was of the opinion that, no matter how grand a wedding ceremony looks, “after a week, two or at most a month, they would forget about it.”
He said if a couple in¬curred debt after a wedding ceremony, they would be left to face it alone while those who were cheering would have gone back to their nor¬mal lives.
He said there was the option of mass weddings in churches which he would rec¬ommend couples to explore and for those who would even want to have theirs alone, they should have the courage to do things differently.
“You did not come to the world with anyone and so don’t attempt to please anyone. You are unique and so live your life as you deem fit. Be different, have value and leave a name behind and people will always remember you for that,” he advised.
He said having a marriage ceremony according to one’s financial strength meant being truthful to him or herself and not meeting social media demands.
The President of the Con¬ference of Major Superiors of West Africa advised the youth to be truthful and that would help them to have peace and joy in their marriages.
By Dzifa Tetteh Tay
Massive celebrations were recorded countrywide as the Black Stars opened their 2026 World Cup campaign with a 1-0 victory over Panama in Toronto on Wednesday.
Midfielder Caleb Yirenkyi scored the only goal of the match late in the game as he shot in a decent cross from substitute Brandon Asante.
The win gave Ghana a positive start in the competition, placing them in second position behind England, also with three points but with a superior goal aggregate.
After the final whistle, the streets and other viewing centres were turned into partying grounds as fans, mostly clad in the team’s paraphernalia, danced to several World Cup-themed music.
Others blew the vuvuzelas in joyous mood with others putting up a spirited ‘jama’ session.
Former New Patriotic Party (NPP) parliamentary candidate for the Adentan Constituency, Akosua Manu, has urged party members to move away from what she describes as an “entitlement mentality” and focus on unity, sacrifice and hard work as the party prepares for the 2028 general election.
In a statement titled “Is Loyalty a Queue?”, and posted on facebook, Ms. Manu argued that loyalty to the NPP should not be judged by how long a person has been in the party but by their contributions and commitment to its growth.
According to her, the NPP’s history shows that many of its leaders faced significant opposition from within the party before eventually leading it to electoral success.
She cited former President John Agyekum Kufuor as an example, saying he had to overcome resistance from influential figures within the party before winning power for the NPP in 2000.
Ms. Manu noted that after the party lost power in 2008, former President Kufuor faced criticism and accusations from some party members.
However, she said supporters eventually put their differences aside and worked together to rebuild the party.
She pointed to the experience of former President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who, according to her, faced opposition from some factions within the NPP despite his long service to the party.
“His trials were ten times what Kufuor endured,” she stated, adding that Akufo-Addo eventually overcame the challenges and became President of Ghana.
Turning to the NPP’s current flagbearer, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, Ms. Manu said he also faced resistance from different groups within the party while seeking leadership.
She praised Dr. Bawumia for contributing to policy-based political discussions in Ghana and for remaining composed following the NPP’s defeat in the 2024 elections.
According to her, party members must now rally behind him in the same way they supported former Presidents Kufuor and Akufo-Addo.
Ms. Manu, however, warned that internal divisions and a sense of entitlement remain major threats to the party’s future.
She argued that some party members place too much emphasis on how long individuals have belonged to the NPP rather than on their contributions and capabilities.
“This entitlement does not question impact. It does not ask what you sacrificed or what you built. It asks only how long have you been here,” she said.
The former parliamentary candidate cautioned that such attitudes could discourage committed members and prevent the party from selecting the best people for leadership positions.
She further called on the party’s incoming national executives to strengthen the NPP’s core values of sacrifice, honesty, integrity and dedication to national development.
Ms. Manu addressed the concerns of young party supporters, many of whom she said became discouraged following the NPP’s electoral defeat in 2024.
According to her, many young people remain eager to see the party return to power but are unwilling to support internal conflicts driven by personal ambitions.
She urged party elders to place the interests of the NPP above their individual goals and to demonstrate leadership that attracts rather than alienates members.
“The NPP is bigger than any one of us. It always has been. Our collective responsibility is to act like it,” she stated.
By: Jacob Aggrey
