Even though there was no drink or alcohol in the market of Bongo district of the Upper East Region known as ‘Bongo beer’ what could be described as an unseen active beer in the minds of Bongo people and Ghanaians, in general, may be due to a popular song titled ‘Bongo bear’ released 3 years ago by a group known as Rockcity, It appears the alcohol intake in the district is skyrocketing faster than the country’s economy itself, putting the youth mental health in a disastrous state, especially those under age.
On Interesting Mental Health activity, representatives of mental health Self Help Groups (SHGs) held a meeting with key staff of the Bongo District Assembly and other decentralized agencies as part of activities to mark the 2021 World Mental Health Day. The interface meeting gave leaders of SHGs the opportunity to demand for increased support to persons with mental health conditions and the operationalization of the District Mental Health Plan. This activity is undertaken with the support of Ghana Somubi Dwumadie funded with UK aid from the UK government. The meeting is expected to bring about scaled-up quality, integrated, disability-inclusive community-based and recovery-oriented mental health and social services.
Meanwhile, a member of the Sub-committee and Disability Fund Management Committee Chairman in the Bongo District Hon. Nyaaba Mbabila Joseph was unhappy with the level of youth going astray through the intake of weed, tramadol, beer and some hard drugs.
“The intake of this tramadol and alcohol in the Bongo district is on the increase which is not good for the district and we have realized it. So, I will be discussing it with some of my assembly members as to what to do, so that we can put a stop to this kind of thing. Every evening, if I moved from bar to bar, spot to spot. I see the youth just taken in alcohol deep into the night which i have observed. Instead of them learning a job or a trade that will let you live a better life, you rather engage in alcohol intake and this tramadol kind of thing, if daybreak, you had not to do. That can lead you into stealing and causing problems in the community which is bad.
He believes, engaging his colleague assembly members for them to deliberate and come out with a bye-law that prevents minors between the age of 14, 15 and 16 years from going to the spot during day and night will be a better solution to curb the increasing canker.
“So, as a community leader, I have seen it in my community. They know me, they don’t have any contribution. When they take the alcohol in the community, they go around causing a problem in the community. So, when you asked the youth in my community they will tell you, i am have been worrying them about that and atimes they will tell, Honorable Charley leave us to enjoy our life and I will them, I won’t allow you to live such life and some will take me, I won’t vote for you next time. But I always tell them, even if am no more the assembly member, I will be happy to see them live a good life.
“We have to discuss it at the floor of the assembly and agree upon something by passing a bye-law. For example, if you are not up to 18 years at this time in the night or day we don’t want to see you in a spot. So, I think if we all take a collective decision on that and pass it as a bye-law. That means as assembly members in a community, if you see somebody at the age of 14, 15, 16 years sitting in a bar we will invite you and asked you why you allowed such a thing to happen. He told Apexnews Gh during an engagement after the message.
He further pleaded with BasicNeeeds-Ghana to make themselves available in their next assembly sitting as a way of sensitizing them on how to handle the situation in the various electoral areas.
Meanwhile, a total number of 769 Mental Health cases was recorded in 2020 in the Bongo District alone.
More to come
Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen
