A Deputy Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Samuel Asare Akuamoah, has urged Ghanaians to put the national interest above all partisan considerations.

"Ghana should be first. Our ethnic, tribal and political inclinations should be secondary," he stated.

He said ethnocentrism was becoming an emerging threat to Ghana's democracy.

That phenomenon, he said, was as a result of political polarisation hence the need to tackle the challenge which included sensitising youth and children to the canker

Citizenship week

Mr Akuamoah made the call at the celebration of this year's Citizenship week celebration at Nkonya Ntumda in the Oti Region last Saturday.

The programme, which was on the theme: “We are one: Ghana First”, engaged schoolchildren from selected schools in the Biakoye District in the Oti Region.

Patriotism

He said the commission was also engaging people who were role models to actively interact with the children and impart qualities of good citizenship in them.

"We are sowing the seeds of patriotism in the children with oneness, togetherness to promote national integration to give some kind of effect to the provision of the Constitution that talks about national integration, religious tolerance, political tolerance, and oneness of the people of Ghana.

‘‘We want the schoolchildren to stand up against it so that we are able to promote national integration," he stated.

Western Togoland

With reference to the secessionists group, Mr Akuamoah called for dialogue in addressing agitations by secessionists groups to foster national cohesion.

He said the concerns of the secessionists movement needed to be dealt with holistically.

According to him, such groupings had metamorphosed into militia groups currently wreaking havoc in other West African countries.

“If our democracy and national unity and cohesion should work, then secessionists movements should dialogue to make sure that we come to an understanding that we are all Ghanaians.