NCCE SENSITIZES BILINSA COMMUNITY ON PUBLIC ORDER ACT 30th Jan., 2020

The Sandema office of the National Commission for Civic Education [NCCE] in the Builsa North District of the Upper East Region last Thursday, held a sensitisation forum on the 2020 general elections in the Bilinsa community of the district.

The NCCE Director, Mr. Jeffery Adda [standing] educating Bilinsa Chiefs & Eleders

District Director of the NCCE Mr. Jeffrey Adda, explained the sensitsation targeted chiefs and their elders among other vital stakeholders and also formed part of the Commission’s activities to ensure that peace exists before, during and after the 2020 general elections which are set come on in December 2020. He added that at the community level, majority of people if not all the citizens respect the traditional authorities a lot and thus, getting their buy-in will surely extend the peace message effectively to the locals.

Mr. Adda in an interview with atogewe.blogspot.com also revealed that, his outfit educated the target groups on the Public Order Act 1994 [Act 491] so as to expose the people to the fine details in the Act in order that, they don’t fall foul or indulge themselves in gatherings that were in variance with the Act as electioneering activities were almost on hand. He indicated that, the Public Order Act was a law meant to guide demonstrations and some other forms of public gatherings in the country. 

The NCCE Director observed that once this year was an election year, there was the tendency for demonstrations and other forms of political cum public gatherings stressing that, the sensitisation being rolled out by the NCCE was timely. He mentioned for instance, the Election Commission’s decision to compile a new voters’ register and the accompanying agitations from civil society organisations and political parties who think otherwise. He therefore appealed to the general public to follow the Public Order Act in embarking on any demonstrations in any part of the country adding that, organisers of such activities should always seek police protection.

 

Mr. Jeffery Adda, the Builsa North NCCE Dir., [standing in black trouser]

According to Mr. Adda, sections in the Act provide opportunities for notification to be served the police for their deployment at such special events in any public place and that, the police would often discuss the routes for a demonstration with the organisers as well the date for the event. This he reiterated, was to enable the police provide security for the demonstrators and other users of the routes as agreed upon. 

The NCCE Director entreated the chiefs, their elders and other opinion leaders in the community to foster peace and unity among their subjects regardless of political party affiliations as this was a vital ingredient for the country to remain intact before, during and after the 2020 general elections. He also advised politicians to conduct their political campaigns based on pertinent developmental issues devoid of personal attacks and wild allegations against their opponents as that could bread heated issues likely to disturb the peace the country was currently enjoying.

He said aside politicians and other persons in leadership positions across the country, “it is the responsibility of each of us as Ghanaians, to always put the interest of Ghana first in our dealings and protect the peace of the country so as to achieve the desired growth and development”. 

Meanwhile the chiefs and elders of the Bilinsa community expressed their appreciation the NCCE team saying many of them did not know any such thing as the Public Order Act and that one would need permission to embark on a demonstration if not for the education they got. They asked for  such engagements on civic education and their rights as citizens to be made more regular so as to keep them updated.