100 SENIOR CITIZENS FETED AT WENCHI (PAGE 40)

ABOUT 100 senior citizens within the Wenchi municipality have been treated to a luncheon, organised by the municipal assembly as part of the Republic Day celebration in the area.
The oldies, including World War veterans, retired educationalists and security officers, as well as civil and public servants, also enjoyed all types of music while they took their drinks and meals.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Wenchi, Nana Ata Afena, in his remarks before the meals were served, noted that the old men and women had played their respective roles in the development of Wenchi in particular and the country as a whole, hence the need to set aside the Republic Day to honour them exclusively.
Nana Afena stressed that the senior citizens laid down their lives to serve the country in their various fields of endeavour, and that they selflessly contributed in no small measure towards the growth and progress of the nation.
The MCE further observed that most of the senior men and women took good care of themselves during their youthful days and that explained why they still looked strong and healthy.
He, therefore, advised the young men and women of today to take a cue from the senior citizens in order to live longer.
According to Nana Afena, owing to the rush and greed for wealth, most young people nowadays died prematurely without contributing their quota towards national development.
The MCE used the occasion to advise the old men and women not to allow politics and chieftaincy matters to divide them but rather pass on their rich experiences and depth of knowledge to the younger generation for the overall development of the municipality.
Some of the senior citizens who gave optional speeches advised the MCE to ensure that the municipality received its share of the national cake, by providing educational facilities, roads, markets, health institutions and water and sanitation infrastructure.
Present at the meeting was Mr Andrews Adjei-Yeboah, the Deputy Minister of Lands, Forestry and Mines. Other officials of the ministry who attended the meeting were Mr Ahmed Bin Salih, the Chief Director of the ministry; Mr Robert Yakubu, the Technical Director in charge of Mines; Mr Augustine Appiah Adu, the Technical Director in charge of Lands; Mr Charles Wereko, the Public Relations Officer of the ministry, and Mr Ellis Paul Atiglah, Principal Planning and Policy Officer of the Minerals Commission.