Mr Kwadwo Nyamekye Marfo, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, has appealed to the media, especially the FM radio stations, to concentrate on development and educative issues that would ensure the nation's progress.
He stressed that the general election was over and it was incumbent on all Ghanaians to rally behind the government to succeed in transforming the country for the benefit of all.
"Let's have a common understanding, bury our political differences and unite to achieve accelerated national development in peace, now that the elections are over", Mr Nyamekye Marfo said.
The Regional Minister was addressing the chiefs and people at Japekrom in Jaman South district, as part of his tour of Tain, Jaman North and Jaman South districts in the region.
His tour also afforded him the opportunity to inspect both on-going and completed development projects in the three districts, which included classroom blocks, market stalls, staff quarters, water and electricity extension.
"We must not use the opportunity of media pluralism and multi-party democracy to castigate or insult our political opponents", Mr Nyamekye Marfo stressed.
He noted: "The media is an effective tool for national development but unfortunately some practitioners misuse it for some parochial interests, which cannot augur well for the country's development process".
The Regional Minister urged all, especially parents, to help counsel the youth to refrain from using the media to stifle government efforts towards achieving national development goals.
Mr Nyamekye Marfo blamed programme hosts for allowing callers during phone-in segments to make unsavoury statements about certain personalities
and called on the media to operate responsibly.
"Political differences have created this situation of insults and mudslinging by persons you cannot easily identify and we need to advise the youth to use the media, which is an important instrument of democracy, responsibly, to
avert any troubles in the country", he said.
The Regional Minister expressed the government's appreciation to the chiefs and people for the release of plots of land for the re-afforestation programme, which he said would offer employment to the youth.
He pledged the government's determination to ensure the well-being of all Ghanaians and called on the people to continue to support the NDC
government to achieve the set goals in the party's manifesto.
Touching on education, Mr Nyamekye Marfo emphasized that, the many interventions by the government in the sector, including the free school uniforms, exercise books, classroom blocks, as well as incentives to teachers in
deprived communities, were meant to ensure quality education at the basic and secondary levels.
"Parents need to reciprocate the government's gesture and ensure that their children are enrolled and retained in schools", he said.
He expressed satisfaction with the number of development projects undertaken in the districts within the short period the NDC government had
been in office and gave assurance that the government would never politicize the distribution of development projects.
"NDC distributes development projects according to the need factor, all because we are all Ghanaians and we must all enjoy the nation's resources", the Regional Minister intimated.
The chiefs on behalf of the people also enumerated their problems including deplorable state of roads, lack of places of convenience, poor drainage systems, which led to floods anytime it rains and market for their farm produce.
The authorities of Senior High Schools the Minister visited also complained of the lack of ICT equipment and adequate classrooms, as well as other infrastructure, to meet the new intake of students in the next academic year.
Mr Nyamekye Marfo urged teachers in the schools to deliver their best in moulding the students to become responsible personalities in future and advised the students to eschew negative practices as sodomy, use of narcotic
drugs and lesbianism that could disrupt their education and stall their development.