Kufuor urges the security agencies to be alert

Accra, Jan. 25, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor has called on the security agencies to be more alert to ensure that the sense of worth and freedom among Ghanaians is never allowed to wane.

He said as "Election 2008" political campaign shifted gear, they should brace themselves up to play their role professionally to protect not only the integrity of the polls but also lives and property. "The nation has every confidence that as in the past, you will rise to the occasion", he said when he addressed the VIP Protection Unit (VIPPU) end-of-year WASSA celebration at the Castle Gardens.

WASSA, which has evolved to become an important event on the annual calendar of the security agencies in Ghana, traditionally, was a regimental celebration organized within units and regiments with the view to fostering esprit de corps, unity and boosting morale. President Kufuor gave an upbeat assessment of the giant strides the nation was making in terms of good governance, the rule of law, economic management and social services delivery and said "there are obvious signs that success is clearly in the horizon."

"The future is bright for everybody and this is why temporary difficulties and vile propaganda should not be allowed to sway the nation from its chosen path of democratic governance to prosperity." He asked the entire population to remain focused on the vision of "Ghana Incorporated" and on lifting the nation into middle income economy within a decade so as to reap and share in the benefits. President Kufuor praised the security services for the professionalism with which they discharged their duties that enabled Ghana to excel in various high profile national and international engagements last year.

He cited among them the Ghana at 50 celebrations, the 9th Ordinary Summit of the African Union (AU) and the African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA) Meeting.

This year, he said, would present equal challenges with the on-going Ghana 2008 soccer fiesta already making demands on the security services.

President Kufuor told the security personnel that he was "delightfully amazed and re-assured by the deep passion for Ghana", which has gripped the nation since the Golden Jubilee and intensified since the beginning of the prestigious Confederation of African Nations (CAN) Cup Tournament, Ghana 2008.

He said by coming out in teeming numbers, proudly adorned in national colours to cheer on the national soccer team, the Black Stars, to lift the coveted trophy, Ghanaians were showing that the nation had recaptured the high sense of patriotism and self-confidence that characterized the society at the point of political independence in 1957.

Colonel Emmanuel Akohene Mensah, the Presidential Security Coordinator, told officers and men of the unit to see their call to serve the Presidency as an honour and privilege and therefore should put in their maximum best to protect and defend the country's infant democracy at the peril of their lives.

"We must realize that our primary task of providing close security to the President is not only the highest call in the land but also the pivot on which, the nation's security revolves." "Our resolve must be positive, our posture professional, dedication unblemished, discipline unquestionable and loyalty unflinching", he said.