Dr Hafiz Bin Salih’s full speech at the 66th regional independence day celebration at Issa

Member of the Council of State present, the Chief Director of the UWRCC, Commanders of the Various Security Services, the Regional Director of Education, Heads of Department here present, Men and Women of the Security Services Assembled, Our Dear hard-working Teachers, Students and School Children,
Organized Voluntary groups, Fellow citizens in here gathered, Our Untiring Friends from the Media, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen:

We are once again gathered here today with joy to mark sixty-six years of independence of our beloved nation Ghana from colonial rule. The blood and toil of our fore-fathers will continue to be remembered on this day. It is my hope and prayer that today will rekindle the spirit of patriotism and nationalism in us all.

Before I continue with the address, I will like us to observe a minute silence in memory of our gallant but fallen heroes – both local and national, who lost their lives in their quest to attain emancipation and liberty as an unalienable right for the people of Ghana. May their souls and other departed national heroes rest in perfect peace.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the struggle for the independence of this nation was inspired by the firm belief of saving our country from continual imperialist, exploitation and oppression. It, therefore, behooves us to consolidate the gains chalked by our forefathers and bring the needed development to our country in fulfillment of this dream.

Every year as we mark this memorable day, we should be reminded of the values and the dreams of our forebears in their pursuit for independence. We should be proud of our achievements and be optimistic of a brighter future despite the challenges we may be going through as a nation. Indeed, these are challenging times in our development effort and all hands need to be on deck to build our dear nation. We need concerted efforts to reposition our country in the global economy, particularly that we have attained the status of a middle income country and a young democracy.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is in this light that the theme for this year’s Independence Anniversary celebration “Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose” is very appropriate.

My brothers and sisters, let us harness our energy and thinking to the growth and development of this nation and eschew unnecessary partisanship and the flagging of our religious, tribal and other differences. Achieving transformational development requires sacrifice, hard work and a deep sense of national unity.

It is very sad to note these days that our print and electronic media are replete with issues of our differences which seek to divide us as a nation rather than portraying our commonness, shared values and our sense of national unity. The transformation we are yearning for will be a mirage if we stand divided.

Let us therefore rekindle our spirit of patriotism and together rebuild our dear nation. Let me commend the chiefs and people of our region for being united and continuously charting a common cause despite our tribal, religious, cultural and political differences. I want to urge all of us to maintain the prevailing peace to ensure the region which is relatively one of the deprived in the country, develops in tandem with the rest of the country.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the most important resource in the development of any nation is her human resource. Governments over the years have invested a lot in the provision of educational infrastructure, notably among them are schools, teaching and learning materials. In spite of this, it is disturbing to note that the region’s performance in the Basic Education Certificate Examination in recent times has been dwindling.

The region recorded a 52.5 percent pass in 2019 which declined to 48.8 percent in 2020 and further declined to 47.6 percent in 2021. It is sad to note that some schools continue to score zero per cent pass with no hope of the trend ever changing. Similar observations can equally be made in our Senior High Schools. All stakeholders in education must therefore ensure that this trend is reversed. School Management Committees, Board of Governors, Parents/Teacher Associations, all other stakeholders in education and the communities at large, should get more involved in the running of our schools. I will like to use this occasion to urge all students and pupils gathered here, and those at home, to take your studies seriously and be obedient to authorities. You are the future leaders of this nation.

Great nations are made up of great people and as young people you should portray good values and make good use of the opportunities especially, the Free Senior High School Education the government under the leadership of His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo has offered you.

Let me also use this opportunity to salute the men and women in uniform for maintaining the peace in the region and also defending the sovereign integrity of this dear nation. Let us all continue to work hard in our own small ways for a collective transformation of this nation. I want to thank all of you for your smart turn out and gallant display of talents this morning. This has been a true demonstration of hard work, commitment and dedication to duty.

On this note, Mr. Chairman, Ladies, and Gentlemen, I wish you all a very happy celebration of the 66th Independence Anniversary of our country.

Thank you and May God bless our nation Ghana, and make it great and strong.