By Mary Atule Azure
The National Commission for Civic Education, NCCE, as part of its mandate to encourage constitutionalism, has launched a series of activities to mark 30 years of uninterrupted constitutional rule and peaceful co-existence in Ghana. The celebration of the Constitution Week essentially fulfills one of the Commission’s mandate to create and sustain awareness on the principles and objectives of the 1992 Constitution to deepen and sustain Ghana’s democracy.
At the launch in Accra, the Deputy Chairman of Operations, Samuel Akuamoah, said the NCCE holds the firm conviction that every citizen must know their rights and understand the principles and objectives laid down in the Constitution to promote nation-building for a better Ghana. Mary Atule Azure reports that the NCCE since 2001 has been celebrating the referendum day in which Ghanaians overwhelmingly agreed to adopt the Constitution on April 28, 1992 as the fundamental law of the land. Under the campaign dubbed “three Decades of Uninterrupted Constitutional Rule Revisiting the Agenda for Reforms”.
The Deputy Chairman of Operations Samuel Akuamoah said the Commission would vigorously engage citizens on Ghana’s constitution and raise awareness of the need for everyone to be abreast of the law of the land. He said it’s long overdue to set the agenda to take a second look at the reforms and review of the 1992 Constitution.
The Director of Communications and Corporate Affairs, Joyce Afutu said this year’s celebration is expected to highlight the importance of being law-abiding and contributing to nation-building. She said the NCCE will ”engage the security services and remind them of their legitimate duty to protect and uphold the tenets of the 1992 Constitution in their line of work”.
She added that the ”engagement with the security services over the years has contributed to the stability of the country”.
The Deputy Chairperson of Finance and Administration Kathleen Addy said this year’s celebration is exceptional seeing the country enjoying uninterrupted peace for the past three decades. She raised the issue of citizen’s participation as a concern to the Commission. Madam Addy called on stakeholders, especially the media to perform their roles as stated in ”Article 162 of the Constitution” to make Ghana a better place.
