Prof. John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills is the President of the Republic of Ghana
By William Yaw Owusu
Monday March 8, 2010
Last Saturday’s 53rd Independence Anniversary Parade passed on successfully at the Independence Square in Accra but some security personnel bullied the media at the colourful event.
The media personnel at the parade grounds were duly accredited by the Ministry of Information, but camera crew and photographers were persistently frustrated throughout the programme by security personnel.
The bizarre spectacle was started by two Military Police personnel who were positioned at the right wing.
More security personnel in suits later joined the two men to harass and bully journalists.
Initially, the security had erected a barricade about 50 meters from the dais of the dignitaries, but when President Mills and First Lady, Ernestina Naadu Mills arrived, they pushed it back to about 80 meters.
At a point, they were capturing the event from about 100 meters and only got close to about 20 meters when the President delivered his address.
The media personnel threatened to boycott national assignments if the bullying and harassment persisted.
It took the intervention of Koku Anyidoho, the Director of Communications at the Presidency to get the security personnel to calm down, but they started immediately he left the scene.
President Mills, who wore a beautiful white shirt with red, gold and green designs, spoke on the theme, “Investing in the youth for a better Ghana.”
He reiterated the need to support the youth to be more productive towards accelerated development.
“Today is a day for you the youth, and you must be proud of what you have achieved and your invaluable contribution towards a momentous occasion on the nation’s calendar.
“As a government, it is our conviction that getting you actively involved in our Independence Day activities is very critical to ensuring that you appreciate the struggles and toil that have brought us this far and also to inculcate in you a sense of nationalism and belonging,” he said.
The President noted that the journey before and after independence has not been an easy one, saying that “we have reached this far through our collective determination and we must not relent in our efforts to move forward in the right direction to build a better Ghana.”
“Ghanaians have worked and continue to work in the interest of the country. It is now time for us, the leaders and future leaders, to contribute our quota to nation building,” he said.
President Mills assured that the better Ghana agenda of the government was not limited to time and space.
“We are committed to investing in the youth in order to build the critical mass that will not only sustain the development agenda, but more importantly move it to higher heights,” he added.
He called on the youth to set educational goals, noting that “at the end of the day, if you have the best teachers, most supportive parents and government that invest heavily in education and you do not take advantage of the opportunities available to you, then you will fail to benefit from the talent and potential that God has given you.”
President Mills also advised the youth against taking short cuts towards success and urged them to uphold virtue, morality and honesty.
“There will be hurdles and challenges that you have to jump over and there will be extremely tough times but do not quit. Winners are not quitters and quitters are not winners.
“Government would give meaning to the educational system in order to create more opportunities for the youth,” he indicated.
In all, 1860 pupils from Junior and Senior High Schools, 55 teachers, youth organizations and various security agencies took part in the colourful parade.
There were gymnastics and cultural displays by school children.
The national planning committee of the 53rd Anniversary outlined series of activities towards the celebration, including a national week of fasting and prayer, which would be climaxed on March 14 2010.
Also see :www.dailyguideghana.com
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