Cape Coast, Sept. 4, GNA - President John Atta Mills on Saturday received overwhelming welcome in Cape Coast when he arrived for the celebration of Fetu Afahye festival of the chiefs and people of Oguaa Traditional Area, contrary to earlier reports that people were planning to disrupt the event.

The large enthusiastic crowd, which had waited for hours observing the arrival of the procession of chiefs, Asafo chiefs and their companies as well as traditional priests and priestess for the festival durbar, rose in jubilation amidst cheers, singing, shouting and waving of handkerchiefs the moment the President and his entourage arrived.

Last Friday the Mayor of Cape Coast held an emergency Security Council meeting and informed the press of a planned disruption of the festival durbar by a group who wanted to cause disaffection against the President.

The festival, however, turned out to be peaceful attracting important dignitaries such as members of the diplomatic corps, ministers of state, tourists, Africans from the Diaspora and citizens from outside the town.

The chiefs, in their traditional Kente garments, adorned with gold and other ornamental articles, rode in palanquins to the durbar ground. Earlier they were taken round the principal streets of the town amidst singing and drumming of Asafo drums and songs to display their beautiful rich cultures to the rest of world.

This year's celebration, which is the 49th edition, was on the theme: 93Peaceful Co-existence, a Pre-requisite for the Development of Oguaaman"

President Mills in a brief speech, warned Ghanaians to desist from acts that would undermine the current peace in the country as it would elude all if they failed to guard their actions citing politics of insults on the airwaves, backbiting and acts of indiscipline. He called for a peaceful 2012 general elections indicating it was God who set up kings and therefore the next President for the country lay in the hands of the Almighty God.

President Mills urged all citizens and residents of the area to respect one another and to co-exist with one another harmoniously, charging the youth in particular to be respectful and truthful at all times, reaffirming his commitment to ensure the fulfillment of all pledges he had made to the people of Cape Coast. The Member of Parliament for Cape Coast, Mr. Ebo Barton Odro, noted that even though the 2011 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) result was encouraging, two schools in the Metropolis had zero percent and called for measures to improve the educational performance.

The Central Regional Minister, Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe enumerated a number of health, education and road facilities that had been improved in the Metropolis, saying it was an indication that the government was on course.

The Oguaamanhen, Osabarima Kwesi Atta II, also repeated calls to Ghanaians to stop the politics of insults on the country's airwaves because it was sending wrong signals to the youth. He expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education for re-instating the 30 percent quota for local residents to gain admission to schools in the Metropolis.