Be patriotic, refrain from wealth acquisition – Minister advises youth

 The Upper East Regional Minister, Stephen Yakubu, has called on the youth to be patriotic and refrain from prioritising the acquisition of wealth.

He attributed the recent woes of the country partly to the failure of the youth to rise to the virtues of nationalism.

The minister made the call in a speech read on his behalf, at the 78th Remembrance Day parade, held at the Veterans Administration of Ghana (VAG) cenotaph in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Region, last Saturday.

The day was observed nationwide to commemorate and honour veterans and their spouses for their bravery and sacrifice during the World War II (WWII).

Mr Yakubu urged the country’s youth to emulate the unconditional love the veterans mainly from the Ghana Armed Forces exhibited as part of their contributions to restoring peace to the world.

“It is sad to see our youth losing sight of the virtue of patriotism. Even when the veterans returned to meet difficult times in Ghana after the WWII, they did not despair, but contributed their bit to get the country out of the post-war ravages.

“Over the years, veterans have offered invaluable advice to various governments, especially, as it relates to internal and external security of the country,” he said.

Mr Yakubu encouraged the VAG to continue playing active role in the governance of the country, and said government would continue to give decent pension payments and other insurance packages to ensure that pensioners live a dignified life.

He asked the youth to support the security personnel at the various borders, to check terrorism and violent extremism, as the country risked being confronted with such external threats.

With effective collaboration, according to Mr Yakubu, the borders of the country would be strictly guarded to avert any spillover of violent crimes from neighbouring countries, including Burkina Faso and Togo.

“The security agencies and all citizens are encouraged to renew our sense of patriotism and work assiduously at building the nation together,” the minister pleaded.

Mr Yakubu also hinted that government was taking the lead to secure the borders of the country, to ensure that stability was restored.

He said through collaboration with development partners, the country had taken delivery of 105 armoured vehicles for border patrols.

This, Mr Yakubu indicated, would complement increased personnel and logistics support to security agencies in the country.

Rex Asanga, the Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Bolgatanga, who represented the Regional Minister at the function, led four other personalities to lay wreaths in recognition of the efforts of the gallant veterans (the ex-servicemen) who sacrificed their lives for the country and the world as a whole.

 FROM FRANCIS DABRE DABANG, BOLGATANGA

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