Educate public on security issues, participants urge NCCE

The participants at a one-day’s programme to mark the annual Constitution week celebration of the Bono Region on Tuesday urged the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) to educate the citizenry on security issues.

The participants who numbered about 50 and drawn from the Ghana Armed Forces, the Police, Fire, Prisons, Customs and Immigration Services suggested the extension of the NCCE’s public education to cover the role of the security Services and why the citizenry must help in diverse ways for effective operations of the Services, would greatly enhance public protection and holistic national development.

They gave the advice during discussion time of the event organised by the Bono Regional Office of the NCCE under the national theme “We Are One, Ghana First” with the sub-theme “Unity and National Cohesion: The Role of the Security Services” in Sunyani.

The NCCE as part of its mandate to create, educate and sustain awareness of the principles and objectives of the 1992 Constitution has since 2001 been celebrating the Referendum Day of April 28 that year when Ghanaians overwhelmingly voted to adopt the Fourth Republican Constitution as the fundamental law of the land.

The participants lauded the programme and urged the NCCE to carry out such important education exercise regularly, stressing the Commission must educate the citizenry on the core mandate of the security services.

“Most Ghanaians think all security issues must be addressed by the police because they do not know the specific mandate and primary duties of each of the security Services”.

Earlier in a welcome address, Mr Peter Kwabena Gyasi, the Deputy Regional Director of the Commission, said a country’s development could only thrive in an environment of peace and unity, hence the role of the security Services in ensuring national cohesion “is highly indispensable”.

He called on democratic institutions to protect the Constitution because “whenever the sovereignty and the right to participate in democracy are being misused, such institutions must sit up to address it through campaign strategies for collective peace and development”.

Mr. Gyasi cited a number of issues such as the illegitimate activities of political vigilante groups, lack of respect for the rights of others to practice their chosen faith by religious fundamentalists and the secessionist attempt by the Western Togoland Movement, ethnocentrism and ethnonationalism were some threats to national security, unity and state sovereignty.