The Eastern Regional House of Chiefs has urged the government to intensify efforts to combat illicit drug use, cybercrime, kidnapping, and other social vices among the youth.
The House also called for the active involvement of traditional leaders in the fight against illegal mining (galamsey), stressing that such collaboration would help achieve significant progress.
The President of the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs, Nene Sakite II, made the call during the first meeting of the House in Koforidua, on Monday, January 26.
He noted that drug and alcohol abuse among the youth has escalated from a public health concern into a serious national security threat.
“Notable of these vices are the abuse of drug substances by the youth, then cyber crimes and the emerging kidnapping. It remains my firm belief that our traditional rulers have complemented governments pre-independence and post-independence, and can still help in the fight against some of these vices.
“Drug abuse, what people call red, is killing this generation softly, but some law enforcement agencies keep a blind eye to this. This is messing up the youth. Let us take this seriously and make sure that we stop it completely. Whenever something happens, believe it or not, all these issues, all these problems come to us at the palace,” he said.
On her part, the Eastern Regional Minister, Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, assured the House of the government’s readiness to collaborate with traditional authorities and other stakeholders.
“We will continue to collaborate with Nananom to fight illegal mining in this region,” she said.
She also used the opportunity to outline some of the development projects being undertaken in the region and appealed to residents for their support.CitiNewsRoom
Eastern Chiefs push for tougher measures against drugs and crime
