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National Cadet Corps commemorates Feb 28 Crossroads shooting
As part of the celebration of the country’s 68th Independence anniversary the National Cadet Corps has organised a route march of student cadet corps from some chosen Senior High Schools (SHSs) to commemorate the 1948 riots that led to Ghana’s independence.
More than 1,000 students from Accra Girls’ SHS, Accra Wesley Girls High School, Labone SHS, St. Mary’s SHS, and St. Thomas Aquinas SHS attended the event on Friday, February 28. The remaining ones are Holy Trinity Cathedral SHS, Presbyterian SHS, Osu, Accra Technical Training Centre, and Presbyterian SHS, La.
The route march which covered three kilometres distance started from the Efua Sutherland Children’s Park, through the National Theatre road to the Ministries Police Station, National Lotteries and then to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park Mausoleum where a brief ceremony was held to commemorate the day.
The National Cadet Coordinator, school coordinators, and a few agency heads were also in attendance.
The event was on the theme “Discipline and Loyalty among the Youth, Reflect, Review, and Reset.”
Minister of Tourism, Culture, and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, encouraged the cadet corps to maintain their strong commitment to discipline and teamwork because these are lifelong skills that will benefit them whether they choose to work in the military, tourism, or any other field.
Discipline, in her opinion, is about establishing objectives and putting forth great effort to meet them.
“It’s about accepting accountability and responsibility for your actions. Being loyal means sticking to your ideals and beliefs, even when it’s challenging. Non-violence is about finding solutions that work for everyone and settling disputes amicably,” she added.
The minister reminded the youth that not only are discipline, loyalty, and non-violence ideals, but they are a way of life that “make us one people even though we come from diverse backgrounds and cultures.”
She exhorted them to always act honourably and with respect for others, and to keep aiming for excellence in all that they do.
“Remember, your positive attitude and enthusiasm are contagious. You can be an inspiration to your peers in many ways. Dare to be different positively, be known for the positive vibes you bring around,” she said.
She also urged them to pick up positive traits from others and contribute to Ghana becoming a great nation with leaders prepared to assume leadership positions and have an influence on their communities.
The National Cadet Coordinator General, Mr Nicholas Nii Tettey-Amarteifio, said in an interview that the government cannot accomplish its goals on its own and that everyone should work together to help it reach new heights, whether or not funding is available.
He further reiterated that, “we need to rest the mindset of the youth to help them review and reflect on the positive development of Ghana.”
He said, “If the student cadet can perform so well at such an event without receiving any funding from the government, then the governm
ent should be able to inspire them by showing up whenever they are called upon.”
According to Mr Tettey-Amarteifio, the National Cadet will institute the possibility of establishing a National Discipline award for schools at the regional and national levels for students who exhibit exceptional discipline. The President of Ghana will present these schools with a special award during the national cadet youth parade on July 1.
The director of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park Mausoleum, Mr Edward Quao, urged the government to support the remembrance so that it can become an annual event. Miss Pearl Adjetey-Larbie of Holy Trinity Cathedral (HOTCASS) stated in a solidarity message that the lack of activities that brings students from two or more schools together is one of the primary reasons for inter-school conflict.
She expressed optimism that further educational initiatives like this one will lessen student disputes and assured that “Never again will students fight with one another.”
By Georgina Quaittoo
The member of parliament for Ketu North, Edem Agbana, has condemned alleged vote buying linked to Baba Jamal during recent political activities at Ayawaso East, describing the act as completely foreign to the values of the NDC.
During a discussion on Metro TV, Mr Agbana expressed concern about what he described as an open display of wealth during the event over the weekend.
He referred to videos circulating online which showed items such as television sets being distributed to people, stressing that such actions do not reflect the party he grew up to admire and join.
According to him, the NDC is built on core values of accountability, probity and transparency, and that explains why many party members have reacted strongly to the incident.
He indicated that the outrage within the party shows a clear rejection of vote buying and similar practices.
Mr.Agbana also disagreed with comments attributed to the Greater Accra Regional Minister suggesting that vote buying happens in every election.
He maintained that such a view does not represent the position of the NDC and should not be normalised under any circumstances.
He pointed out that immediately the reports and videos emerged, the party leadership took a firm stance against the alleged acts rather than trying to justify them.
He noted that the party was awaiting the release of an official report on the matter and expressed confidence that any recommendations would be fully implemented.
Mr.Agbana described the current leadership of the NDC as disciplined and principled, with a proven record of integrity.
He stressed that the party’s response to the issue shows that its reset agenda is not only directed at political opponents but also focused on internal discipline and self correction.
He further assured the public that the NDC will not protect any individual found culpable of vote buying. However, he added that anyone accused will be given a fair opportunity to respond, in line with the principles of natural justice.
Mr.Agbana concluded that the party remains committed to building a strong and resilient political organisation that upholds probity, transparency and accountability at all levels.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Member of Parliament for Bantama Constituency, Francis Asenso Boakye, has raised strong concerns over plans to reduce the Suame Interchange from a four tier design to a two tier structure, describing the move as a major setback for Kumasi and the country.
In a facebook post he stated that, the original four tier design was not chosen for political or visual reasons.
He explained that it was based on detailed traffic studies, engineering analysis and long term urban planning to deal with heavy and growing congestion in Kumasi, which remains Ghana’s second largest city and an important transport centre.
He pointed out that areas such as Suame, Krofrom, Bantama, Abrepo, Anomangye and Magazine already face daily traffic jams that waste time, increase fuel and transport costs, raise accident risks and reduce the quality of life for residents and businesses.
In his view, a two tier interchange will not solve these problems but will only shift congestion from one point to another and turn the project into an expensive bottleneck.
Mr Asenso Boakye stressed that engineering designs for all four tiers have already been completed and that foundation works started based on a full integrated system.
He warned that scaling down the project at this stage could lead to delays, higher costs, contractual challenges and long term technical problems.
He questioned the funding argument being used to justify the change. He noted that government was able to mobilise funds for other major road projects and even classified the Suame Interchange under the Big Push programme.
For that reason, he argued that Kumasi should not be short changed under what he described as selective financial constraints.
The Bantama MP urged authorities to look beyond short term decisions when planning infrastructure.
He explained that in urban transport, under designing projects often causes more harm than doing nothing at all, because cities end up struggling with congestion for decades.
He maintained that Kumasi deserves infrastructure that matches its national importance, adding that the city needs forward looking investments that meet current needs and support future growth, rather than what he described as half solutions.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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