The Minister for Inner City and Zongo Development, Mustapha Abdul-Hamid has advised the youth of Addo Teiman Zongo, to refrain from political violence, as Ghana prepares for this year’s general elections.

Mustapha, who was the special guest of honour at a commissioning and handing-over ceremony of a 3-unit classroom block at Otinibi, on Thursday, February 6, 2020, built by the La Nkwantanang-Madina Assembly expressed concern over how politicians take advantage of Zongo youth to perpetrate electoral violence.

“Being an election year, mostly when our politicians want people to use to cause disturbances or election violence, they usually go to the Zongo communities to mobilize them because there is a notion that, Zongo people don’t fear anything”, he said.

According to him, this year the Zongo youth need to put a stop to those practices because the Zongo people also deserve to go to school which will later give them employment and improve their livelihood.

“Politician that will come to you to mobilize Zongo people to go and perpetrate electoral violence should be asked to bring his/her children to lead the demonstration and I believe when we begin to do this, the issues of electoral violence will reduce considerably during elections”.

The Minister highlighted on the importance of education to community development.

“If there will be an improvement in a family, it’s from education, so we need to encourage our children to go to school for the development of the family. The government, therefore, is providing the facilities to that effect in line with President Akufo-Addo’s Free SHS policy to allow more access”, he highlighted.

“These facilities are very vital in the development process and under the Zongo development fund, we are focused on provision of school buildings and provision of educational materials, which will improve the livelihoods of persons living in Zongo communities”.

The Member of Parliament for La Nkwantanang-Madina Constituency, Abu-Bakar Saddique Boniface, recalled, “We thank God for this edifice for the Zongo community, because previously where they used to have class was very dusty and if you are put there to learn, you will rather come out with illness due to the dusty nature of the place. But today we have a modern facility that is well furnished”.

The MCE of La Nkwantanang-Madina Municipality, Jennifer Dede Afagbedzi threw more light on how the project came about.

“I realized the school does not have JHS and the Headmistress also approached me that she doesn’t want the children to move to another school just because they don’t have JHS”, she said.

She added that the Headmistress used to offer her office for the primary six students to continue to JHS 1.

Noting that the school has a great future, she appealed the Zongo Minister to have them in his plans. Adding that the school came 5th out of 51 schools in the municipality, with their first badge of BECE candidates in the 2019 exams.

The 3-unit classroom block that was commissioned and handed over has been fully furnished and fitted with fans and whiteboards, as well as office for the Headmistress and a staff common room.