Tamale, July 2, GNA- Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister has urged senior citizens in the region to be advocates of peace and reconciliation, especially in this jubilee year of the country's independence.

He observed that the region had for a long time been bedeviled with conflicts ranging from ethnic, chieftaincy, and religious and political and added that this had retarded its development.

Alhaji Idris made the call at a reception hosted by the Northern Regional Coordinating Council (NRCC) in Tamale on Sunday for a cross-section of senior citizens made up of retired educationist, civil and public servants, military officers, politicians and traditional rulers who contributed to the development of the region. The Regional Minister noted that the people of the region shared a lot of things in common and said it was regrettable that instead of hammering on what united them more emphasis was rather placed on their petty differences.

He therefore urged the senior citizens to redeem the image of the region by resolving to change the agenda of the region; "from conflict to peace, hatred to love, divisiveness to reconciliation and unity and development".

Alhaji Idris called on all citizens of the region to redirect their energies to confront their common enemies of illiteracy, poverty, disease and hunger, saying that the region had a lot of untapped resources, which could only be exploited for its development when there was peace.

He urged the senior citizens to have the courage to speak and stand up for the truth no matter the circumstances and appealed to traditional rulers in particular to dispense justice fairly. Alhaji Idris urged them to engage in dialogue and mediation and conflict resolution, which were the modern tools for resolving misunderstandings between them instead of resorting to arms to solve their differences.

He told them to let "The up and coming young ones to see you as role models and your guidance and advise will go a long way to motivate us to emulate your shining example", Mr.James Bakari, a retired educationist urged his colleagues to share their ideas and wealth of experience with the political authorities to enhance the development of not only the Northern region but also Ghana as a whole.

He commended the government for instituting the senior citizens day to appreciate their contribution to the development of mother Ghana. 02 July 07