Alhaji Ibrahim Alhassan, Deputy Regional Co-ordinating Director, on Saturday called for support and training for the youth to enable them to take up leadership roles in society. He was addressing a peace march to commemorate the 22nd anniversary of the death of legendary reggae star Robert Nesta Marley held at Bolgatanga.

The march, which was led by Mr Emmanuel Kye-Ebor of GBC-URA Radio FM Station, Bolgatanga, and the Voluntary Service Organisation (VSO) community in the region, attracted youth organisations, students and colts teams. It was intended to reactivate their conscience to seek peace, live by it and practise it in line with the world's peace initiating body, United Nations, to bring peace to the world.

Alhaji Alhassan, who addressed the youth on behalf of the Regional Minister, Mr Mahami Salifu, said the time had come for peace seekers to do more all over the world, especially in Northern Ghana, to let the people understand and appreciate the need for peace. He lauded the children for their efforts and urged them to take lessons learnt from the occasion seriously and be obedient to the elderly.

The youth, who marched through the principal streets of Bolgatanga, were bearing placards some of which read "Come Together and Let it Work", "Push for Peace"; "A Time for Unity"; "Robert Nesta lives inside of us"; and "Fight Away Transgression, Process Peace". A representative of VSO, Ms Abbey Hosfield, called on the youth to respect themselves first, be open-minded and love their neighbours.

She asked them to be models themselves to experience the needed peace. The Registrar of the Regional House of Chiefs, Mr Raymond Maldu, mentioned factors that contributed to indiscipline, saying that good parenting, community involvement and teachers had key roles to play in bringing peace into every community.

The irony of the situation was that dread-locked Rastafarians who were expected to join the march refused to do so for fear that they would be apprehended by the police. This followed an alleged raid on their lodges earlier by police personnel to arrest persons suspected of smoking Marijuana.