The West Africa Nobles Forum has admonished young people to respect the elderly and remain steadfast in their love for God and the country.
The President General of the Forum, Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankawoso I, bemoaned the lack of respect for older people and authority in schools, churches, towns, and the nation.
“The youth do not seem to have respect for authority. Let us start this year by showing respect to God and those at the helm of affairs. We must pray for those in authority while they also reciprocate our gesture,” he said in a statement.
Tasked with preaching humility and integrity, the president-general reminded the youth to let their attitude towards life be that of Christ Jesus himself who though, God, became a servant.
He believes it is important to have a servant’s heart just as God himself had a servant’s heart.
“We all know God is the absolute ruler of the universe, but as a means of accomplishing His rule on earth, He has established human government in various countries all over the world. As citizens of the two kingdoms, one heavenly and the other earthly, we must give ourselves in service to both.
“There is no power but of God, the power that be are ordained of God and nations and rulers, whether good or evil are under God’s control. As guardians of the public welfare, civil authorities are mandated to implement laws that will benefit the citizenry.
“We on our part must pray for our leaders to fulfil their duties in a proper manner so that we could be able to lead prosperous and peaceful lives in the year ahead of us. God’s commands are clear, let every soul be subject unto the higher powers” (Romans 13:6), submitting ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.
“Our duties as citizens are conditioned by the kinds of government we live under or by the character of the rulers that we serve, but we must remember that strong disagreement with the way things are run is no excuse for rebellion,” he stressed.
The president general further urged the youth always to maintain the highest ethical and moral standards. He explained that the youth must place themselves in a situation in which their employers should be able to trust them loyally, with money and his time.
About the West Africa Nobles Forum (WANF)
WANF is a non-governmental group of more than 3,000 eminent personalities from various fields of work across the sub-region, set up in 2003, to promote integrity and accountability as well as drive socio-economic integration.
The Omanhene of Asante Juaben Traditional Area in the Ashanti Region, Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankawoso I, was inducted into office as the President-General in April 2021.
The immediate past President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry took over from Dr Paul Fynn, Chancellor of Wisconsin International University College, and would lead the Forum for five years.
Below is his statement:
I salute the good people of our dear nation for their steadfast love for God and Country and their resolve to live in harmony and peace with one another. We all know God is the absolute ruler of the universe but as a means of accomplishing His rule on earth, He has established human government in various countries all over the world. As citizens of the two kingdoms, one heavenly and the other earthly, we must give ourselves in service to both.
There is no power but of God, the power that be, are ordained of God, and nations and rulers, whether good or evil are under God’s control. As guardians of the public welfare, civil authorities are mandated to implement laws that will benefit the citizenry. We on our part must pray for our leaders to fulfill their duties in a proper manner so that we could be able to lead prosperous and peaceful lives in the year ahead of us.
God’s commands are clear, “let every soul be subject unto the higher powers” (Romans 13:6) submitting ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake. Our duties as citizens are conditioned by the kinds of government we live under or by the character of the rulers that we serve, but we must remember that strong disagreement with the way things are run is no excuse for rebellion.
It is sad to see the lack of respect for the elderly and authority in our schools, churches, towns, and the nation. The youth do not seem to have respect for authority. Let us start this year by showing respect to God and those at the helm of affairs. We must pray for the elderly, we must pray for those in authority while they, also reciprocate our gesture.
The West Africa Nobles Forum which I lead as the President-General preaches humility and integrity, so let your attitude towards life be that of Christ Jesus Himself who though, God, became a servant. We are to have this servant’s heart just as He had a servant’s heart.
Paul the apostle commands us that supplicating prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks should be made for all that are in authority. By this, we could conclude that prayer is one of the most powerful weapons that citizens have. If we desire the very best for our country and for our country’s leaders, we should spend much time asking God to intervene. Your prayers will not be wasted, for God is able to direct the most powerful of men.
The king’s heart is like a stream of water directed by the Lord. (Proverbs 21:1). To Ghanaian workers, I plead with you to exhibit certain character qualities such as ambition, loyalty, integrity, diligence, and hard work. There is nothing wrong with ambition. Those who never set goals and strive to reach them never achieve anything. You must however control your ambition as you should never hurt others to achieve your own ends.
There are times when changing jobs is the best thing to do as better opportunities open up in which your skills can be used more effectively, but too many people are “job hoppers” without any clear plan. You must be loyal to your employer. You should desire that your employer prospers.
Again, you must have the highest ethical and moral standards – integrity. In other words, your employer should be able to trust you loyally, with money and his time. Once your boss learns that he can trust you, he will give you more and more responsibility.
Lastly, diligence is what every employer works for. A half-hearted effort is never pleasing to anyone. It always leads to failure. Employers know when workers are just filling time and who is doing just enough to get by. If you do your best on the job, you will never lack for work, this year. Give more than you have to and you will be among the first to get a raise and among the last to be laid off.
You need to learn how to get along on the job and how to be successful since you will spend up to one-third of your life in the workplace. Qualities such as balanced ambition, loyalty, integrity, and diligence are indispensable.
Climbing the ladder should never be your ultimate goal in life as God has chosen to bless those who work hard and also give their best, this year.
Signed: Nana Dr. Appiagyei Dankawoso I
President General
West Africa Nobles Forum