Minister for Information, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, has called on Ghanaians particularly the youth to take a page from late former Vice President Aliu Mahama’s life experiences and espouse the values he stood for.
According to him, young men and women in the country can draw useful lessons from the sterling life experience of the late former Veep to take responsibility so as to rise and be the change the country needs.
Delivering this year’s Aliu Mahama Memorial Lecture in Yendi on Monday, November 17, 2020, under the theme, “From Dagbon to the World; the example of H.E Aliu Mahama,” Mr. Oppong Nkrumah outlined six sterling qualities of the late former Vice President that stood out strong in his life’s story and worthy of emulation.
Touching on the humble beginnings of the late statesman, the Minister recounted how Mr. Aliu made a meteoric rise from a deprived community to the position of a Vice President, noting that the former Vice President was not daunted by difficulties of his local surroundings.
“Rather, he embraced the challenges and strived to be one of the country’s greats,” he said and admonished the youth to take a cue from the former Veep’s remarkable rise to the top.
“In Ghana today there are many young men and women who still hold the view that they are limited in potential by virtue of where they are starting from and by their economic or social status or by the quality of facilities with which they are starting life.”
“Much as Ghana strives to improve the lot of every Ghanaian and in particular on the watch of this President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama’s story should serve as a reminder to all such persons that no matter how seemingly lowly your beginning, by not despising it and by not believing in limitations, you have it within you to rise and do better even beyond those who seem to have started with privileged beginnings,” he said.
The Minister who is also the Member of Parliament for Ofoase Ayirebi said it is important for young men and women in the country to build capacity if they intend to make a mark in their respective societies and in the country at large.
Aliu Mahama’s story, he said, is one lined with several junctions of capacity building that the youth of today can learn from and noting that unlike many young men and women who stop climbing the ladder of competence after a few successful episodes of capacity building, he was one in constant search of knowledge and increased capacity throughout his journey.
According to him, while young people continuously and rightly demand an increase in the creation of opportunities, they equally have a responsibility to build their own capacities.
He admonished the youth to persevere and through diligent service build values that will propel them to national and international significance.
He indicated that it is imperative for today’s young men and women who desire to do great things tomorrow, to make time and serve diligently at lower levels first in order to be fully appraised of the difficulties at the lower levels so that when they eventually rise to the top, they can better deliver and serve to their best of abilities.
The late former Vice President’s story, he stressed, should serve as a reminder to young people that no matter how high they rise, there is no greater value than coming back home to serve.
He said, “Today’s young men and women will need to understand in clearer terms that we are the ones who have the responsibility to rise and bring the development we so much desire in our local communities.”
“The improvement of our local societies will come faster and will stay longer if we get involved. If we are not ashamed to be identified with our antecedents because we believe we have become big men and women today, but will instead mobilize, reinvest and serve at the local level.”
“Not only will the transformation we desire come faster, but it will show us how capable and willing we are able to take on higher tasks at the national and even international levels,” he added.
Mr. Nkrumah tasked young people to be loyal because loyalty is a value that they can today learn from the former Vice President.
According to him, young men and women irrespective of their background need to have the ability to stay the course and remain loyal no matter the difficulties, challenges, and disappointments.
He challenged the youth to above all remain disciplined, emphasizing that if today’s young men and women are to excel and rise to national and international significance, discipline must be one of their new values.
The event saw the presence of key personalities such as the Executive Director of the Aliu Mahama Foundation, Dr. Samuel Frimpong; Parliamentary Candidate for Yendi Constituency and son of the late Vice President, Farouk Aliu Mahama and a delegation from the McDan Group of Companies, traditional rulers, academia and students.
Source: Mypublisher24.com