Mr Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament has called for lasting measures that would thwart the high drug abuse among the youth, especially in the use of tramadol and marijuana amongst them.

According to him, the older generations had played their part and would soon handover the future to the youth, but a tramadol and marijuana dependent youth would be a disgrace to itself, and therefore advised that the country’s youth stayed off drugs to concentrate on their education.

Mr Bagbin made this when he addressed this year’s Ohum/Odwira festival at Akwapim Mampong on the theme; “The Youth and National Development,” where he won the hearts of the Chiefs and people of Akuapem as they hailed him for his speech.

The leading NDC flagbearer hopeful warned that the current trend of tramadol abuse was a path to damnation that only the youth themselves could back-pedal from.

On the sidelines of the festival, Mr Bagbin told journalists that the mockery that education was no longer the key to life, claiming the politicians had changed the padlock, was dangerous.

“Education remains the key, and in this critical time that our youth are being misled, it is even the padlock as well. Because education, be it formal or informal, is the only way for a human being to better himself or herself.”

He added that the use of knowledge was still power and since knowledge was only acquired through education, it remained the only key and advised that a national fund be set up to support the youth.

“Akuapems are very good people and I admire them a lot” Mr Bagbin said.

Mr Daniel Awere, a prominent citizen of Akropong Akwapem, crowned Mr Bagbin as the Solomon of his time.

“If you see the way his advice on tramadol shook the youth there, you will realise that the man is brilliant. All that he meant was that, the future is in the hands of the youth and only the youth can make it beautiful, but it was compelling because of the imagery he used to convey those thoughts” Mr. Awere said on the sidelines of the festival.

Earlier, Mr. Awere was one of the several NDC Constituency executives that accompanied Mr Bagbin to formally greet and announce his arrival to his hosts, the chiefs and people of Mampong Akuapem.

The longest serving Legislator in the Fourth Republic was mobbed by townsfolk and Constituency Executives of the opposition NDC alike at a durbar at Akuapem Mampong.

He was specially invited to grace the occasion as special Guest of Honour, and took the shine away from everybody at the main durbar of the chiefs and people of the area amidst mobs from the enthusiastic townsfolk who kept cat-calling him Ghana’s incoming President.

At the same time NDC party executives from the area who had accompanied him to attend the durbar also kept singing songs that were specially composed for him.

It all started when Mr Bagbin, upon reaching Mampong Akwapem, decided to touch base with the NDC constituency executives there.

A visit that was meant to be a brief formality was nearly turned into a fully blown rally by the executives who demanded a speech in his capacity as the incoming Flagbearer of the NDC.

The Nadowli/Kaleo MP obliged and gave the speech, reiterating his promise that under his leadership, the party’s executives would co-lead the party together and affirmed his promise never to repeat the abandonment that the executives suffered under the past leadership of the party.

It was only after that that the executives accompanied him to the durbar grounds of the Ohum/Odwira festival at Mampong, amidst singing and dancing.

The security managed to disentangle Mr Bagbin from the clutches of the crowd and led him to the high table for his seat, after a longtime of mobs from the crowd.

After the greeting ceremonies, Lawyer Philip Addison of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) who is a prominent native of the area, officially introduced him to wild applause.

Amazingly, a fan of Mr Bagbin, who gave her name as Ama Mavis from Akuapem area told journalists that she followed the Nadowli Kaleo MP to the festival just to hear him speak. “I became his fan after the stance that he took against a suggestion by another MP that galamsey people to be shot,” After his brilliant speech on the floor of parliament in March 2018, I was one of the many Ghanaians who hailed him for his brilliant speech on the floor of parliament, so I am not surprised that he has delivered a brilliant speech at this festival,

Infact Mr Bagbin is an intelligent MP who is more than qualified to rule this nation because his level of competence is very high”.

The Chiefs and people including; school children from the 17 communities in Akuapem, who annually come together to celebrate the Ohum/Odwira festival, demonstrated genuine love for the respected Second deputy speaker.

In attendance were high profile politicians including; Mrs. Jemilatu Ibrahim, former parliamentary candidate for Sisala East, Mr. Sammy Awuku, Mr. Stephen Ashitey Adjei alias Moshake and Ministers of State.