As part of efforts to maintain peace and order in the country, Zongo Chief Of Berima Lafa Traditional Area, Sultan Adamu Mohammed in collaboration with the Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly held a capacity building on leadership, Peace, and security for Zongo Chiefs in the Municipality.
The workshop was to equip the leaders of the various Zongo communities to educate their subjects on the need to promote peace.
The event also brought together security personnel, Chiefs from the various Zongos in Accra, Imams, and opinion leaders.
The Zongo Chief Of Berima Lafa Traditional Area who doubles as the General Secretary of Weija Gbawe Municipal Assembly Zongo Chiefs stated that the workshop was aimed at targeting the Zongo youth within the Municipality and ensuring that the youth become ambassadors of peace.
He said peace and violence among the youth has been a major challenge within the Zongo communities hence the need to engage Chiefs from various Zongo communities on the issue of leadership, peace, and security.
According to him, most of the Chiefs within the Zongos spend their time and money at police stations granting bails for troublesome youth adding that the time has come for the Chiefs to educate the youth on how to comport themselves and live in peace with one another.
He called on fellow Chiefs to be cautious of their subjects and query them whenever they are at fault. This he said will bring sanity to the Zongo communities.
The security personnel advised the chiefs to educate the Zongo youth to find proper means to address challenges that will raise tension in their communities.
They caution the Chiefs and Imams to be mindful of the recent reports of alleged terrorist invasion in the neighboring countries and eventually in Ghana which to them might not be true but urged the chiefs to be on the alert and report to the police any sign of terrorist activities in their communities.
They said the police is ever ready to crash any terrorist that may dare to invade the country adding that the police has the intent to deploy men to mosques every Friday.
He however said there is the need for the Chiefs and the people of Zongo to be very cautious with the issue of terrorism.
The security personnel at the MMTD also called on the Chiefs and Imams to call their youth to order as motorbike accidents among the Zongo youth is getting out of control.
The Municipal Coordinating Director Mrs. Mercy Quansah Ogoe, urged the Zongo Chiefs to be cautious with their people to ensure that the youth do not engage in any form of terrorist act and report to the appropriate agencies to deal with such persons whether or not they are their relatives.
This she said will help to protect the community and the country at large and ensure that the country does not witness any terrorist attack.
The Zongo Chiefs assured the Municipal Chief Executive, Hon. Patrick Kwesi Brako Kumor and Ghanaians that they will ensure that strangers who come to the mosque to seek help and other favours are closely monitored.
According to them most of them claim to have come from Nigeria, Niger, and other neighboring countries.
This according to the Chiefs will help to solve issues regarding terrorism and other activities that have the tendency to jeopardise the peace Ghanaians are enjoying.
Some of the imams suggested that a register should be made available at the Mosques to mark regular worshipers as it will go a long way to fish out any bad person that comes to the mosque.
According to them the issue of unemployment among the youth poses a great threat to the country's security and appealed to the government to consider creating jobs for the youth.
The Chiefs appealed to the MCE to engage companies and factories within the Municipality to consider employing Zongo youth to help reduce unemployment within the Zongo communities.
The Chiefs outlined measures they have already put in place to strengthen security and ensure a safe environment for their people.
They further appealed to the MCE and the security personnel to help them fight against illicit drug peddling within some parts of the Zongo communities.
Upon hearing the pleads and demands of the Chiefs, the MCE suggested that a Municipal Chief Imam should be installed in Weija Gbawe Municipality and assured the Chiefs of the government's commitment to developing the Municipality.
He called on the Chiefs to advise the Zongo youth on sand winning in the Municipality adding that sand winning without a permit from the Assembly is illegal. He said anyone caught would be fined 200 or 500 penalty units or will be jailed.
The MCE presented a certificate of participation to the Chiefs and a citation of honor for some hardworking Chiefs.
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Participants of the event