Hawzah News Agency- Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, said it was the responsibility and duty of every citizen to act as agents of change to create a better society for all.
He said there was no doubt that indiscipline in the society had now assumed alarming proportions and, if left unchecked, would shatter the hopes and aspirations of becoming prominent and productive citizens of the nation.
Nii Agbo addressed members of the Greater Accra Regional Branch of the Ghana Muslim Mission (GMM) during its 13th Annual Regional Conference on the theme: 'Behavioural and Attitudinal Change as a Prerequisite for Sustainable Development'.
He said the theme was right since behavioural change was the transformative step needed to lift the country and the world as a whole onto a sustainable and resilient path.
Nii Agbo said government was fully aware of the contributions made by Muslims towards education, healthcare and other socio-economic development projects in the country and commended them for complementing government's efforts.
He said: 'The state and religious bodies have to collaborate to bring development to the people. We, therefore, need to approach issues of nation building and development with a united front, love and tolerance for one another.'
Nii Agbo encouraged the leadership of the Mission and youth to teach the youth to abstain from acts that had the tendency to ruin their lives since the future depended on them.
The Regional Minister also called on all religious bodies to pray for the leadership of the country to get the strength to carry out projects for national development as well as for a peaceful election in November.
Alhaji Haroun Zagoon, an Islamic Scholar, said development was brought about by human beings and human beings were judged by their mindset so it was important to have a change of mindset to accelerate the development process.
He said behaviour and attitude were important aspects of the life of every Muslim because that was what represented Islam.
He said the Holy Quran stated that Allah would not change the condition of a people unless they changed so themselves, so it was important to develop positive attitudes as Muslims to be able to develop as desired.
Alhaji Abdella Tetteh, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of GMM, said the conference was aimed at sensitising the Muslim Community to contribute positively to the development of the nation.
The GMM was founded in 1957 as a religious organisation to afford Muslims the opportunity to support one another and to programme their lives in accordance with the true teachings of Islam.