Regional News of Sunday, 8 July 2012

Source: GNA

Youth, crucial stakeholders in nation building - Rev. Asante

Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, Chairman of the National Peace Council has urged the youth to perceive themselves as crucial stakeholders in nation building and therefore toil for the maintenance of peace at all times.

He admonished them to eschew being used for political, faith-based or social uprising and upheavals, but to channel their energies and synergies into more constructive developmental issues.

Prof Asante gave this advice when he led a seven-member delegation of the Council for a familiarization tour of Hohoe to dialogue with the feuding parties resulting from communal clashes between the indigenes of Hohoe and some Zongo youth recently.

He said anger and violent behaviours and acts had one master, which is destruction, sometimes irreversible with dire consequences, advising they exercised maximum restraint under any provocation.

“Do not allow provocation to push you to undertake events you would later regret you did. Avoid anger to diminish your standing and existence as humans but consciously toil towards protecting the peace for guaranteed development,” Prof Asante said.

He urged the youth to control their temper at all times especially this election year.

Prof Asante reminded young people that peace is a process and not an event hence the need to nurture and invest in it or suffer the full consequences.**