INMATES OF the Community Special Vocational School at Deduako, near Kumasi, were the toast of the hundreds of people, including top dignitaries, who witnessed Ghana’s 57th Independence Day anniversary parade at the Jubilee Park in Kumasi, yesterday.
There was spontaneous applause from all those that took part in the historic event, including the Ashanti Regional Minster, Hon. Eric Opoku, as the nicely-dressed inmates of the special school majestically marched at the parade grounds.
Even those who took part in the march were seen applauding the magnificent manner in which the special school students marched. The special school was eventually awarded a certificate and other items for their excellent show.
The event saw the security agencies including the Military, the Police Service, Ghana National Fire Service, Immigration Service, CEPS, Prisons and representatives of senior high and junior high schools as well as preparatory schools, taking part in the march.
The Independence Day march was graced by top notch people including the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Samuel Yaw Adusei, DCOP Kofi Boakye, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander and Kojo Bonsu, Kumasi Mayor, among other personalities.
In his address, Eric Opoku, the outgoing Ashanti Regional Minister, cautioned the youth who are the future leaders of the country, to stay away from cyber fraud activities popularly called ‘sakawa’, in order not to jeopardize their future.
He said the world today is technologically-based with limitless opportunities, so “as you take advantage of these opportunities, you need to be wary of the dangers the new technologies pose to undermining our cultural and social values,” adding, “Be careful not to fall in the trap of cyber crimes.”
Mr Opoku expressed gross concern over the falling standards of discipline in the country lately, calling for immediate stop to the insults and insinuations that people usually threw at each other in the media, especially radio and television. He stressing that it would be beneficial to the country if people tamed their tongues.
The Ashanti Regional Minister also urged the people to choose Ghana ahead of the two leading political parties in the country—the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP)—bemoaning that the current situation where every issue was given a political touch was not helping Ghana’s growth.
The minister called for the support of the entire citizenry to fight the galamsey menace which is destroying the environment, notably, water bodies. He noted that it was the collective duty of all Ghanaians to ensure that the country was kept tidy all the time.