Peaceful Coexistence Promotes Devt — Dr Bawumia

The Vice-President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has called on Ghanaians to avoid division and strive to build a united nation for sustainable development.

Dr Bawumia noted that there was greater reason for Ghanaians to remain united than divided, and that it was imperative for the citizens, irrespective of their beliefs, to try to sustain the prevailing peace and unity in the country.

The Vice-President made the call when he worshipped with the congregation of the Sacred Heart Cathedral Parish at Bolgatanga yesterday to thank God for the continuous blessings upon the nation and the protection from the harsh effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

He donated GH¢50,000 to the leadership of the church to assist in the completion of the new cathedral project.

Peace record

Dr Bawumia explained that the recent ranking, which put Ghana as the second most peaceful nation in Africa and the 38th in the world, should encourage everybody to work towards sustaining such an achievement.

“We are at peace because we have a lot of unity in government, unity among different tribes, religious beliefs, north and south, and we are trying to forge this peace, and we should all know that we cannot stop trying to keep us united,” Dr Bawumia observed.

“The forces of evil will continuously be trying to divide us but the forces of good should continue to keep us together because what unites us as a people and as a country is much greater than what divides us,” he stressed.

Dr Bawumia noted that the enemy of humanity was not religion, tribe or beliefs but poverty and the economic hardships that had engulfed the nation.

He, therefore, urged Ghanaians to avoid disputes and work together to improve the nation.

Religious diversity

“I am a Muslim and I am here in the Catholic Church, and I feel very comfortable. We are all united, we all worship the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and we believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah who was born of the Virgin Mary, who is very sacred to us, and there is a whole chapter in the Quran named after Virgin Mary,” he said.

“Our enemy is satan, poverty, illiteracy, people who try to use religion to divide us; we want to stay united because what we share is a common love in Jesus Christ,” the Vice-President said.

Dr Bawumia equally asked Ghanaians to love one another and extend a helping hand to the sick and the needy in society to enable them to live dignified lives, saying it was one of the greatest commandments of God.

The Officiating Priest, Reverend Father Joseph Tabase, prayed for the Vice-President and the government, and thanked him for his efforts to foster religious unity and tolerance among the citizenry.