Honorary Consul of the Republic of Indonesia to Ghana, Paskal A.B. Rois has called on the chiefs and people of the Volta Region not only to remain calm but also continue to be kind and peace-loving as part of their inherent attributes and cultural values Ghana and the world have known them for over the years.

Touching on the current brouhaha between the General Overseer of the Perez Chapel International in Accra, Archbishop Dr. Charles Agyinasare and the elders of the Nogokpo Shrine and by extension the good people of the Volta Region, Mr. Rois noted that as a son of the Volta Region himself, the people of the region and by extension Ewes in Ghana, Togo, Benin and Nigeria, are an epitome of peace, hardwork and kindness.

“As much as I understand the anger what the earlier teachings have generated, I wish to humbly call on everyone to let sleeping dogs lie’, the Indonesian Consul emphasized.

Mr. Rois noted in Ewe that, “ne evi nye mi de ata ta, wo me ko na he kpane o” to wit when a child defecates on your lap, we don’t cut it off; we clean it. According to him, he has watched the said viral video of the Archbishop on his recent teachings where he touched on Nogokpo and the people of the Volta Region, a development which had inflamed passions and subsequently attracted clarifications and apologies from Bishop Agyinasare.

It is worth noting that the revered man of God has married an Ewe from Keta for more than three decades now with whom they have even given two of their children Ewe names. Clearly, it means he cherishes and respects the good people of the Volta Region. He has admitted his error and followed with an unqualified apology to the chiefs and people of Nogokpo and by extension all Voltarians and I think that should be enough to heal the wounds’, the Indonesian Consul to Ghana intimated.

Mr. Rois pointed out that the name, Nogokpo generally means ‘Stay in Peace’, coming from the Ewe Language phrase, “Enor ge kpoa? literally meaning and asking, ‘Will you stay here in peace? According to him, the name, Nogokpo therefore is food for thought for all and sundry.

The diplomat, who also has great interest in developing the country, used the occasion to appeal to all stakeholders including government, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), philanthropists as well as public-spirited institutions and individuals to take advantage of the situation to pay the needed attention to Nogokpo to become one of the major tourist sites of the country. ‘There are a lot of good things at Nogokpo that could sell Ghana positively’, Mr. Rois emphasized.

The Indonesian Consul to Ghana noted that the Nogokpo community lacks certain basic facilities including potable water, adding that all and sundry must use this opportunity to rally the needed support to the place.

According to him, the Volta Region has fast become one of the tourist attraction destinations in the country with notable sites such as the Wli waterfalls, Mountain Afadza, Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary, the Snake Village at Golokuati, Fort Prinzeinstein at Keta and the Likpe Todome Ancestral Caves, exciting to visit, watch and experience.

He called on government and all stakeholders to channel more resources to these attraction sites and other parts of the country, emphasizing that these sites can rake in the needed revenue under tourism for the country’s development.

Mr. A.B. Rois disclosed that a recent Fox News report mentioned Bali, an Island in Indonesia, for instance, has become one of the most visited tourist site in the world, saying this is what Ghana can do to places like Nogokpo. ‘Today, Dubai has become synonymous with a jet-set holiday destination for many around the world and it is generating a huge income for the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Honorary Consul stated.

Mr. Rois is of the view that instead of ‘demonizing’ Nogokpo, the country should take advantage of the development to develop the area by building a robust Information and Communication Technology (ICT) center to train and equip the children with basic skills in computing to prepare them for the global economy.

The Christian Council of Ghana, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference, the Pentecostal Council, the Office of the Chief Imam as well as the Regional House of Chiefs, can also use the opportunity to promote further and effective collaboration and dialogue between and among the various religious practitioners, believers and sects to ensure peaceful co-existence and ultimately the development of the region and by extension the country at large.