Former Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Joseph Ade Coker, has endorsed the Inspector-General of Police’s (IGP) proposal to recruit youth from Bawku into the police service, describing it as a step toward unity and lasting peace in the conflict-prone area.
Speaking on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Monday, April 14, Ade Coker emphasized the importance of employment opportunities in regions like Bawku, where rising youth unemployment and the decline of agriculture have fueled social unrest.
“Most of the youth in the Bawku area are unemployed. In those areas, the birth rate is very, very high, and it is not commensurate to the employment situation. As they keep growing, they don’t get work to do. This is supposed to be a farming community, and unfortunately, because of drought, they have neglected the agricultural sector. So these are idle hands,” he explained.
His remarks follow a visit by IGP Christian Tetteh Yohuno to Bawku on Friday, April 11, during which the police chief announced that young people in the area would be given priority in upcoming police recruitment—on the condition that they disarm and commit to peace.
According to the IGP, a dedicated recruitment team would be stationed in Bawku to implement the initiative as part of wider efforts to bring stability to the area.
Although the IGP’s comments have sparked debate—with critics arguing that they may oversimplify the region’s complex ethnic and political dynamics—Ade Coker believes the initiative can serve as a catalyst for reconciliation.
“I think the import of what the IGP is saying is to unite the two factions. Because if you have the Kusasis and the Mamprusis people working in the police force together, they understand themselves. They are able, through the training, to understand why the two of us must come together and work,” he noted.
He added that bringing youth from opposing sides together in national service could foster social cohesion and reduce long-standing hostilities.
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