The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has expressed concern over the increasing disregard for patriotic values among citizens of Ghana.
In a statement issued on June 12, 2023, the NCCE said the trend is gradually negatively redefining the country's identity.
"The Commission calls on all Ghanaians to support moves to re-affirm Ghanaian values and identity," the statement said.
The NCCE said among its concerns is the lack of respect for national symbols.
"Every citizen must respect our national symbols and promote the good name of Ghana wherever they find themselves," the statement said.
The NCCE reminded citizens that national symbols such as the National Pledge, the National Anthem, the National Flag, the Coat of Arms, the Ghana Currency and the Mace of Parliament among other symbols and State identities must be respected.
"These symbols identify us, as citizens of Ghana and they must be accorded the requisite levels of recognition and decorum," the statement said.
The NCCE said the words in the National Anthem and the National Pledge are sacred.
"As citizens with deeply held religious values, we must not just say the words but sing and recite them with great commitment," the statement said.
The NCCE said it is the civic duty of every citizen of Ghana to stand at the sound of the National Anthem and the National Pledge as a sign of respect to the State and these national symbols.
"No one is born a good citizen and that is why the NCCE believes that we must be deliberate about nurturing good citizens with patriotic values," the statement said.
The NCCE urged Ghanaians to appreciate their civic duty and collectively uphold and safeguard Ghanaian patriotic values and national symbols for today's generation and posterity.
The NCCE's statement comes after a viral video from the 2023 edition of the Green Ghana Day Celebration, which was organized at the University of Ghana, in which President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is seen angrily directing the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey, to tell a chief to stand up and observe the National Anthem.