NO PREGNANCY HERE...Oyokohene declares (PAGE 24, MIRROR)

From Nana Konadu Agyeman, Oyoko

ANY teenage girl who becomes pregnant and gives birth before marriage at Oyoko, in the New Juaben Municipality, will not be allowed to perform a naming ceremony for her child in the community, the traditional authorities of the area have cautioned.
The warning is aimed at discouraging the youth from engaging in pre-marital sex which might cause early pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs), which would jeopardise their future and that of their children.
The Oyokohene, Nana Kodua Kesse II, who gave the caution said, “if we are serious in raising responsible future leaders who can contribute to our community’s rapid development, we should rather give priority to our children’s education and protect them against social vices that can destroy their future”.
Nana Kesse was speaking at the launch of the 30th anniversary of his enstoolment as the Adontenhene of New Juaben and the Oyokohene.
The event, themed: “30 Years of Progress and Development”, attracted a large gathering of people from all walks of life including the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Mr Ransford Tetteh, who performed the launching, Nana Adjei Boateng, the immediate past Chief Executive of the New Juaben Municipality and many others.
The Oyokohene noted that teenage pregnancy had lately been on the increase in the community due to parents’ inability to exercise control over their children, particularly the girl-child who often fell prey to irresponsible men and boys.
This, he said, had often resulted in the birth of many children, some fatherless, who had become a burden on society and increased the population of the area.
“Not only should parents consider negligence of their responsibility over their children to result in early pregnancy but also how their inactions can make their children extremely vulnerable to various STIs, mainly HIV/AIDs”, Nana Kesse said.
“Since the youth are our only hope for the future, it is time we encouraged them to take their education seriously and refrain from all forms of social vices”, he added.
Nana Kesse also called on the people to strive to live in peace and unity to enable them to work as a team towards the rapid socio-economic progress of the area.
“Since we can never achieve any significant development without unity and peaceful co-existence as Oyokoman, we must resolve to put the past behind and forge ahead in unity as one people with a common focus”, the Oyokohene stated.
Nana Kesse mentioned the establishment of a clinic, a community centre, a model senior high school and the Adonten-Oyoko Education Trust Fund and many others as some of the achievements under his reign for the past three decades.
He used the occasion to express his personal appreciation to all those who had contributed meaningfully to the area’s rapid development.