Ms Cynthia Anima Boadu, the Bono Regional Director of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), has underscored the need for political tolerance and love among citizens as fundamental principles for nation-building.
She explained until citizens begin to embrace a sense of belongingness and eradicate greed and selfishness, which had been major contributors to corruption and hindered the country’s progress, holistic development would be limited.
In an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Sunyani on the NCCE’s theme for 2024, ‘Together We Can Build Ghana, So Get Involved,’ Ms Boadu emphasised nation-building was not the responsibility of one person or a selected few, but rather a collective effort that required the active participation of every citizen.
She stressed every country aspired to achieve prosperity, characterised by robust economic growth, attractive governance and a peaceful environment that fostered economic activities, asserting those objectives could only be accomplished if citize
ns fulfilled their civic responsibilities.
Ms Boadu stressed citizens without positions had crucial roles to play in the governance of the country because they granted authority to the elected few to manage the affairs of the nation.
She questioned whether, ‘we are actively ensuring that this authority and power, vested in a select few is being utilised for the benefit of all citizens.’
Ms Boadu urged citizens to take responsibility for their actions and abide by the law, emphasising that ‘if people are bold enough to break the law, they should also be prepared to face the consequences and allow the legal system to deal with them.’
She noted that was an aspect of citizenship that the populace often neglected, indicating that to build a developed country, all citizens must fulfil their responsibilities of all forms regardless of their positions and circumstances.
Ms Boadu concluded that developed countries demonstrated a strong determination to build and progress, saying unless citizens were fully committ
ed to the task of building the country, the needed level of development would not be achieved.
Source: Ghana News Agency