The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has urged the youth to develop the sense of patriotism and nationalism to safeguard national cohesion and stability.

"We have to preserve, protect, and defend the lives, interest, and territories for sustainable development," Madam Lucille Hewlett Annan, NCCE Greater Accra Regional Director, stated at Sege in Ada West District.

The programme dubbed: "Empowering Ghanaians to stand for National Cohesion," was organized by the NCCE with support from the Ministry of National Security.

Madam Annan noted that "our national values for justice, equality, inclusion, tolerance, fundamental human rights and freedoms as stipulated by the 1992 constitution, eschew all forms of discrimination, enhance regional, continental and global cooperation to achieve national cohesion".

She added that "the 1992 Constitution is the supreme law of the land and it enjoins us to live in unity and be peaceful with one another, so that we can achieve development.

Mr. Philemon Boni, Ada West District Director of NCCE, told GNA in an interview that a search carried out by the Commission revealed that the youth were becoming radical and that if care was not taken, these can develop into terrorism.

He said the NCCE through the youth engagement programme was offering citizens the opportunity to follow due process to address whatever they perceived to be a problem.

"You cannot use forceful means to acquire what you think is yours or entitled to; at the end of the day, you might end up killing innocent people who are not even part of what you are doing," he said.

"If I am using a violence means to demand what I want and someone else too is using same violence means, you can imagine the chaotic environment we will create for ourselves and that would even scare foreign businessmen from coming close to our country," he said.

He said the first part of the broader educational programme involves holding of the workshop with the youth, organise inter-party committee meeting where political parties will discuss the need for building a national cohesion, and also hold town hall meetings.

Mr. Francis Acquay, Chief Inspector of the Sege District Police Command, also urged the youth to inform the police on time before organizing any special event.

He asked them to also make good use of the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) to protect the relationship between their families.