A Ghanaian Women’s Fellowship,Holy Fire Dynamic International, based in the United States of America, (USA) has donated quantities of food items and clothing to the inmates of the Kumasi Children’s Home to keep them healthy.
The donation was also meant to motivate the inmates to concentrate on their academic programmes to enable them fully develop their potential to enhance their integration into society.
The items included five maxi bags of long grain rice, three bags of sugar, quantities of fruit drinks, toffees, and biscuits, as well as two gallons of cooking oil, quantities of assorted soaps and second-hand clothing.
Madam Agnes Danso, a Kumasi based trader, donated the items on behalf of her sister, Mrs Elizabeth Nyarko, who is the leader of the women’s fellowship.
In her remarks, Madam Danso said the gesture, which had been an annual affair would be sustained to encourage the supervisors of the home to offer the best of services to the inmates and also unearth their talents.
This, she said, would not only make it possible for the inmates to develop their potential in a meaningful way, but would also enable them contribute to sustainable national development in future.
She, therefore, charged the supervisors to take proper care of the inmates by treating them as their own children.
This, she said, would boost the confidence of the inmates and help them to build their capacity for their own benefit and that of the society.
The Supervisor of the Home, Ms Victoria Asugnya, who received the items on behalf of the inmates, thanked the Holy Fire Dynamic International, for their continuous support to the inmates, and gave the assurance that the items would be used for the benefit of the inmates.
Madam Agnes Danso (third from right), and the Supervisor of the Kumasi Children’s Home, Ms Victoria Asugnya, inspecting the items moments after the presentation. Among them are some of the inmates of Kumasi Children’s Home and family members of the donors.
Monday, March 30, 2009
NON-ENFORCEMENT OF BYLAWS CAUSE OF LAWLESSNESS (PAGE 28)
THE Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) can score high marks for possessing one of the finest bye-laws that regulate the activities of residents to ensure that law and order reigns supreme for sanity to prevail in the metropolis.
Compiled in 1998 in its Local Government Bulletin, the bye-laws range from the regulation of truck pushers, control of the manufacture of charcoal, sale of intoxicating liquor, restaurants and chop bar operations, to the erection of billboards and signboards in the metropolis.
Others are the protection of roads, control of hawkers, mills, dogs, cattle and poultry, as well as bylaws on how to maintain effective sanitation to enhance healthy lifestyles among residents.
Also included in the bylaws of the KMA are the abatement of nuisance, litter and noise, as well as regulation of vehicle parking places, business transactions, trade, among others.
On paper, the KMA’s bylaws are among the finest documents ever produced, which would have made Kumasi a haven of peace and serenity, but years of failure to enforce the bylaws seems to have resulted in a state of lawlessness in certain parts of the metropolis.
Take Section 79 of the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462) of the KMA truck pushers bylaws, for example. This section states emphatically that “all owners or persons in possession of any vehicle, having wheels not propelled by mechanical means in use for the carriage of goods in the metropolis, shall take out a licence for such a vehicle”.
It adds that “every vehicle for which a licence is issued shall have affixed therein the number plate assigned to it by the KMA”.
The bylaws on truck pushers also make it clear that “no person below the age of 18, shall push any vehicle which is subject to these bye-laws and no user of such a vehicle shall sit on them while it is in motion”.
It also states that “the user of any such vehicle which is subject to these bylaws shall observe the normal rules of road traffic movement and shall keep close to the right hand side of the road”, adding “no vehicle licensed under these bylaws shall operate between the hours of 5.30 p.m. and 5.30 a.m.”.
Of course, the bylaws mince no words about the consequences one could face if he/she flouts the by-laws. “Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of these bylaws shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding GH¢5 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.”
If this particular KMA bylaw had been strictly enforced, teenagers who have been pushing trucks in the Kumasi metropolis over the years would not have been encouraged to do so.
This is because the law would not have spared them. But who enforces such bylaws after they have been enacted?
Not until I looked through the KMA bylaws, I never knew that sitting on trucks was an offence liable to arrest, prosecution and conviction if found guilty, neither did I know that pushing trucks on the left side of the road also constituted an offence.
I was also enlightened that pushing a truck between 5.30 p.m. and 5.30 a.m., as well as failing to fix a number plate on it, constitutes an offence and all those who flout such regulations would be arrested and prosecuted.
The heavy human and vehicular traffic that occur in Adum, Kejetia and around the Central Market daily can partially be attributed to truck pushers who use the wrong lanes and block oncoming vehicles, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
It is at that period that the traffic wardens of the KMA are found roaming about and creating the impression that they are monitoring the smooth flow of traffic.
How many of the trucks that ply the central business district (CBD), Kejetia, the Central Market, the Asafo Market, among other areas, have licensed number plates that will make for easy identification when their owners commit offences?
It is also on record that the activities of some truck pushers have resulted in fatal vehicular accidents leading to the loss of precious lives and property in Kumasi.
These and many regulations, when enforced to the letter, will result in sanity, thereby enhancing business transactions and peaceful co-existence.
As Kumasi eagerly awaits the appointment of a new Mayor, a section of its residents are praying that the he or she will initiate policies and programmes that will see to the strict enforcement of the KMA bylaws.
Compiled in 1998 in its Local Government Bulletin, the bye-laws range from the regulation of truck pushers, control of the manufacture of charcoal, sale of intoxicating liquor, restaurants and chop bar operations, to the erection of billboards and signboards in the metropolis.
Others are the protection of roads, control of hawkers, mills, dogs, cattle and poultry, as well as bylaws on how to maintain effective sanitation to enhance healthy lifestyles among residents.
Also included in the bylaws of the KMA are the abatement of nuisance, litter and noise, as well as regulation of vehicle parking places, business transactions, trade, among others.
On paper, the KMA’s bylaws are among the finest documents ever produced, which would have made Kumasi a haven of peace and serenity, but years of failure to enforce the bylaws seems to have resulted in a state of lawlessness in certain parts of the metropolis.
Take Section 79 of the Local Government Act 1993 (Act 462) of the KMA truck pushers bylaws, for example. This section states emphatically that “all owners or persons in possession of any vehicle, having wheels not propelled by mechanical means in use for the carriage of goods in the metropolis, shall take out a licence for such a vehicle”.
It adds that “every vehicle for which a licence is issued shall have affixed therein the number plate assigned to it by the KMA”.
The bylaws on truck pushers also make it clear that “no person below the age of 18, shall push any vehicle which is subject to these bye-laws and no user of such a vehicle shall sit on them while it is in motion”.
It also states that “the user of any such vehicle which is subject to these bylaws shall observe the normal rules of road traffic movement and shall keep close to the right hand side of the road”, adding “no vehicle licensed under these bylaws shall operate between the hours of 5.30 p.m. and 5.30 a.m.”.
Of course, the bylaws mince no words about the consequences one could face if he/she flouts the by-laws. “Any person who contravenes any of the provisions of these bylaws shall be guilty of an offence and shall on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding GH¢5 or imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months.”
If this particular KMA bylaw had been strictly enforced, teenagers who have been pushing trucks in the Kumasi metropolis over the years would not have been encouraged to do so.
This is because the law would not have spared them. But who enforces such bylaws after they have been enacted?
Not until I looked through the KMA bylaws, I never knew that sitting on trucks was an offence liable to arrest, prosecution and conviction if found guilty, neither did I know that pushing trucks on the left side of the road also constituted an offence.
I was also enlightened that pushing a truck between 5.30 p.m. and 5.30 a.m., as well as failing to fix a number plate on it, constitutes an offence and all those who flout such regulations would be arrested and prosecuted.
The heavy human and vehicular traffic that occur in Adum, Kejetia and around the Central Market daily can partially be attributed to truck pushers who use the wrong lanes and block oncoming vehicles, especially during the morning and evening rush hours.
It is at that period that the traffic wardens of the KMA are found roaming about and creating the impression that they are monitoring the smooth flow of traffic.
How many of the trucks that ply the central business district (CBD), Kejetia, the Central Market, the Asafo Market, among other areas, have licensed number plates that will make for easy identification when their owners commit offences?
It is also on record that the activities of some truck pushers have resulted in fatal vehicular accidents leading to the loss of precious lives and property in Kumasi.
These and many regulations, when enforced to the letter, will result in sanity, thereby enhancing business transactions and peaceful co-existence.
As Kumasi eagerly awaits the appointment of a new Mayor, a section of its residents are praying that the he or she will initiate policies and programmes that will see to the strict enforcement of the KMA bylaws.
MOTORBIKE RIDER KILLS 2 STUDENTS OF TOASE (PAGE 3)
A speeding motorbike has run over a number of students of the Toase Senior High School who were jogging at dawn on Saturday, killing two in the process and injuring 10 others.
The incident turned the campus of the school in the Atwima Nwabiagya District in the Ashanti Region into a scene of mourning.
One of the victims, Master Bernard Adu, died instantly while the other victim, Master Adjei Kassim, died moments after being admitted to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
The deceased suffered multiple injuries in various parts of the body when the speeding motorbike, being ridden by one Ernest Yeboah, knocked them down.
A source at the KATH told the Daily Graphic that two of the 10 injured students whose conditions were very critical were currently on admission at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the KATH, while four others whose conditions were stable had been admitted to the accident ward.
Those on admission at the ICU have been identified as Masters Richard Osei Kwarteng and Godfred Aboagye.
Those on admission at the accidents ward of the KATH are Masters Godfred Amoako, Samuel Opoku, Appiah Kusi Asenso and Andrews Nti Asem.
The source said four others, Evans Amanfo Fredrick Boakye, Solomon Sakyi and Foster Ofori, who suffered minor injuries, were, however, treated and discharged.
The rider of the motorbike, who also sustained some injuries, is also on admission at the KATH.
A source from the school told the Daily Graphic that while jogging along the Kumasi-Bibiani highway as part of their training schedules, they spotted the speeding motorbike heading towards Kumasi, and, therefore, signalled it to slow down.
The source said the rider ignored their signal and speeded through the students, knocking down many of them, including the deceased and those on admission at the ICU of the KATH.
The police later confirmed the accident and told the Daily Graphic that they had initiated investigations into the circumstances leading to the tragic accident.
The incident turned the campus of the school in the Atwima Nwabiagya District in the Ashanti Region into a scene of mourning.
One of the victims, Master Bernard Adu, died instantly while the other victim, Master Adjei Kassim, died moments after being admitted to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH).
The deceased suffered multiple injuries in various parts of the body when the speeding motorbike, being ridden by one Ernest Yeboah, knocked them down.
A source at the KATH told the Daily Graphic that two of the 10 injured students whose conditions were very critical were currently on admission at the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the KATH, while four others whose conditions were stable had been admitted to the accident ward.
Those on admission at the ICU have been identified as Masters Richard Osei Kwarteng and Godfred Aboagye.
Those on admission at the accidents ward of the KATH are Masters Godfred Amoako, Samuel Opoku, Appiah Kusi Asenso and Andrews Nti Asem.
The source said four others, Evans Amanfo Fredrick Boakye, Solomon Sakyi and Foster Ofori, who suffered minor injuries, were, however, treated and discharged.
The rider of the motorbike, who also sustained some injuries, is also on admission at the KATH.
A source from the school told the Daily Graphic that while jogging along the Kumasi-Bibiani highway as part of their training schedules, they spotted the speeding motorbike heading towards Kumasi, and, therefore, signalled it to slow down.
The source said the rider ignored their signal and speeded through the students, knocking down many of them, including the deceased and those on admission at the ICU of the KATH.
The police later confirmed the accident and told the Daily Graphic that they had initiated investigations into the circumstances leading to the tragic accident.
Sunday, March 29, 2009
THE SPATE OF ARMED ROBBERY IN THE COUNTRY...How should it be controlled? (MIRROR, PAGE 21)
Prophet
Stephen Adom ,
Adom Prayer and Healing Ministry
Armed robbery has been in existence for a long time, but these days the situation has been on the increase, creating a state of fear among the public.
One factor that has brought about this situation is the increase in population which has brought in its wake a lot of socio-economic problems.
At the family level, while family heads spend much of their time in finding solutions to basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and how to educate their children and members of the extended family, very little attention on the other hand is given to the training of children on good habits and morality.
When children are properly trained, it becomes part of their value systems and integrated into their existence and this guides how they live and conduct themselves in the larger society.
Of late many of the youth give birth without thinking about the means to cater for their offspring. Having been without the basic needs in life, this provides room for such children to fend for themselves at very tender ages.
The streets become their abode and it is here that they learn the tricks of petty thievery and later graduate into armed robbers.
The present situation of unemployment, some section of the youth seem to make armed robbery a profession and attack innocent people without any sense of regret.
Some in responsible positions also use their influence to indulge in corrupt practices and acquire wealth at the expense of the state and this seems to be a motivating consideration for the youth, especially those who are unemployed, to indulge in armed robbery and also get rich.
To address the problems of armed robbery, Ghanaians need to be conscious of their personal security and that of their neighbours.
Many others have become absent-minded and therefore while walking or working on the streets and travelling in vehicles, they make themselves vulnerable to armed robbers.
The public erroneously think that it is only the police who have the responsibility to fight armed robbers, this is wrong.
It is time that communities rallied their youth to combat armed robbery. Community watchdog committees should be revived in the country and awareness created for the public to make us conscious of the menace of armed robbery. I think if this is done it would be a first step in keeping armed robbers away.
Mr Stephen Mensah Opoku Agyemang,
Ashanti Regional Stool Lands
Officer.
Armed robbery has been on the increase at an alarming rate currently and one always has to look over the shoulder to see if he or she is being followed.
The rate at which people from the rural communities are trooping to the urban centres to find jobs is an indication that there is unemployment in the rural areas.
Ghana cannot be compared to the advanced countries where the unemployed are offered financial support to enable them to meet the basic needs of life including food, accommodation and clothing.
Since the unemployed have to eat, dress, sleep and address other social needs, some have chosen the easy way out and prefer to attack people with guns for their monies and property.
Others engage in crime because notwithstanding the fact that they are not employed, they have developed a taste for glamorous living and want to drive in expensive cars and drink expensive wines. As a result, they are motivated to indulge in armed robbery to finance their acquired tastes.
Some who are addicted to drugs also have to engage in armed robbery to be able to finance their drug deals which are very expensive to maintain.
Armed robbery undermines the security of the state. It also affects investment drive in the country because those who would like to invest are sometimes scared of being attacked and robbed of their lifetime savings.
The public is also not secured and many fear of being attacked and robbed at gun and knife points.
To address the problem, the government should collaborate with the private sector and create jobs to absorb the teeming unemployed youth.
The law enforcement agencies should also be up and doing to address the menace in order to restore peace.
Theresa
Abuabu Dadzie,
Teacher, Oforikrom M/A JHS.
If news from both the print and electronic media on highway robbery and public places are anything to go by, then I can say that the spate of armed robbery in the country is on the increase.
The constant attack on innocent Ghanaians and sometimes foreigners at gunpoint is quite alarming.
Sometimes the armed robbers go to the extent of killing their victims after robbing them.
Others rape their victims, thereby putting them in a state of trauma.
It is very unfortunate that the youth, who are considered to be the future leaders of the country, are the ones actively engaged in armed robbery.
The lack of opportunity for some of them to re-write their final examination at the junior high school (JHS) level, the absence of proper parental care and poverty, among others, are the ills that drive some of them into armed robbery.
Armed robbery attacks sometimes lead to premature death of victims, thereby denying that nation of people with great potential and who were contributing meaningfully towards sustaining our national development. Others are also killed in cold blood, leaving their dependants with no one to care for them.
Some of the victims who lose valuable items and substantial amounts of money are also traumatised under the circumstances to the extent that they go insane while their dependants drop out of school.
To control the spate of armed robbery in the country the Ministry of Education should offer opportunity to JHS graduates who fail to re-sit their examinations to prove themselves capable.
Graduates who have Technical and Vocational skills but fail to enter senior high school should be introduced to vocational training to enable them to further develop their potential.
The police should also be motivated to intensify their patrol on the highways and residential areas and the public encouraged to provide information to the police on suspected robbers.
The government should endeavour to provide logistics and equipment to the police to enable them to effectively combat armed robbery in the country.
Michael Adusei Poku,
Assembly Member, Dadiesoaba
Electoral Area
There is no gainsaying the fact that the crime rate in the Kumasi metropolis has gone up. I was personally a victim of armed robbery recently.
I think security in the metropolis should be strengthened. In addition, the practice of the establishment of community watchdog should be encouraged and made to work hand in hand with the security agencies.
Areas that do not have watchdog committees should be made to form one.
It is important to note that the security agencies alone cannot protect all of us and that there is the need for us to show concern and offer alternatives.
Efforts must also be made by the government and other well-meaning citizens to assist the youth to find gainful employment. This is because many of the crimes are committed by the youth who do not have any form of employment.
Parents ought to take the education of their children seriously, while school dropouts should be assisted to learn a trade.
I believe if these things are done, the youth would be discouraged from engaging in criminal activities.
Kwame Asare Boadu,
Ashanti Regional Editor, Daily Graphic
Any objective observer would not dispute the fact that the crime rate in Kumasi has gone up in recent times. It is unfortunate though that the situation is being politicised.
Crime is of great concern to all of us living in Kumasi and I think something serious ought to be done about it.
We hear of taxi drivers conniving with others to rape women; armed robbers attacking people left and right, and mobile phone snatchers doing their own thing.
Interestingly, some of the men engaged in acts like armed robbery and mobile phone snatching sometimes use women and girls as baits to attack their victims. It is no wonder therefore that the majority of prisoners are the youth.
These are people who should have been working to promote our national development, yet their criminal acts have resulted in their incarceration.
Some people argue that the rising crime wave is a result of unemployment. But I beg to differ. The fact that there are no jobs does not mean one should steal.
No government on earth can provide jobs for all the people of the country. The government’s responsibility is to create the congenial environment for the private sector to thrive so that they could complement its efforts in creating jobs for the people.
The police are doing their best to tackle the problem of crime, but it looks like their efforts have not been enough to address the challenges. However, the police can be excused because they do not have the resources to deal with the situation.
The former government did some work by providing the police with some logistics to do their work. It is my hope that the current government will build on that to ensure that the police undertake their work without much difficulty.
Superintendent Michael Nketia, Frempong, AshANTI REGIONAL POLICE HQRS.
The spate of armed robbery in the Ashanti Region has reduced considerably in recent times. Those crimes involving car and mobile phone snatching which topped the list of robbery cases in the metropolis did also reduce substantially.
Indeed, records show that the youth between the ages of 18 and 25 constitute the majority who are engaged in armed robbery. This age group is dominated by men while some women engaged in it are used as bait to deceive unsuspecting victims.
The use of hard drugs constitute a major driving force behind the activities of robbers as it makes them feel a sense of invincibility when they go about their nefarious and mostly nocturnal undertaking.
Lack of good parental care has also been identified as a cause that pushes many young persons into robbery.
Poverty, broken homes, peer pressure and unemployment are other factors that entice some young people into armed robbery.
As a result of the activities of armed robbers many law-abiding citizens have lost their properties. Some have been maimed in the process and this has given rise to the feeling of insecurity among a section of the population. This cripples businesses and undermines investments.
It is impossible to totally eliminate armed robbery but it could be reduced considerably. While the police would have to enhance its intelligence network, the public would also have to provide useful information that would enable the police to work effectively to control robbery.
Victims should assist the police in diverse ways in the prosecution of suspected robbers.
Stephen Adom ,
Adom Prayer and Healing Ministry
Armed robbery has been in existence for a long time, but these days the situation has been on the increase, creating a state of fear among the public.
One factor that has brought about this situation is the increase in population which has brought in its wake a lot of socio-economic problems.
At the family level, while family heads spend much of their time in finding solutions to basic needs such as food, shelter, clothing and how to educate their children and members of the extended family, very little attention on the other hand is given to the training of children on good habits and morality.
When children are properly trained, it becomes part of their value systems and integrated into their existence and this guides how they live and conduct themselves in the larger society.
Of late many of the youth give birth without thinking about the means to cater for their offspring. Having been without the basic needs in life, this provides room for such children to fend for themselves at very tender ages.
The streets become their abode and it is here that they learn the tricks of petty thievery and later graduate into armed robbers.
The present situation of unemployment, some section of the youth seem to make armed robbery a profession and attack innocent people without any sense of regret.
Some in responsible positions also use their influence to indulge in corrupt practices and acquire wealth at the expense of the state and this seems to be a motivating consideration for the youth, especially those who are unemployed, to indulge in armed robbery and also get rich.
To address the problems of armed robbery, Ghanaians need to be conscious of their personal security and that of their neighbours.
Many others have become absent-minded and therefore while walking or working on the streets and travelling in vehicles, they make themselves vulnerable to armed robbers.
The public erroneously think that it is only the police who have the responsibility to fight armed robbers, this is wrong.
It is time that communities rallied their youth to combat armed robbery. Community watchdog committees should be revived in the country and awareness created for the public to make us conscious of the menace of armed robbery. I think if this is done it would be a first step in keeping armed robbers away.
Mr Stephen Mensah Opoku Agyemang,
Ashanti Regional Stool Lands
Officer.
Armed robbery has been on the increase at an alarming rate currently and one always has to look over the shoulder to see if he or she is being followed.
The rate at which people from the rural communities are trooping to the urban centres to find jobs is an indication that there is unemployment in the rural areas.
Ghana cannot be compared to the advanced countries where the unemployed are offered financial support to enable them to meet the basic needs of life including food, accommodation and clothing.
Since the unemployed have to eat, dress, sleep and address other social needs, some have chosen the easy way out and prefer to attack people with guns for their monies and property.
Others engage in crime because notwithstanding the fact that they are not employed, they have developed a taste for glamorous living and want to drive in expensive cars and drink expensive wines. As a result, they are motivated to indulge in armed robbery to finance their acquired tastes.
Some who are addicted to drugs also have to engage in armed robbery to be able to finance their drug deals which are very expensive to maintain.
Armed robbery undermines the security of the state. It also affects investment drive in the country because those who would like to invest are sometimes scared of being attacked and robbed of their lifetime savings.
The public is also not secured and many fear of being attacked and robbed at gun and knife points.
To address the problem, the government should collaborate with the private sector and create jobs to absorb the teeming unemployed youth.
The law enforcement agencies should also be up and doing to address the menace in order to restore peace.
Theresa
Abuabu Dadzie,
Teacher, Oforikrom M/A JHS.
If news from both the print and electronic media on highway robbery and public places are anything to go by, then I can say that the spate of armed robbery in the country is on the increase.
The constant attack on innocent Ghanaians and sometimes foreigners at gunpoint is quite alarming.
Sometimes the armed robbers go to the extent of killing their victims after robbing them.
Others rape their victims, thereby putting them in a state of trauma.
It is very unfortunate that the youth, who are considered to be the future leaders of the country, are the ones actively engaged in armed robbery.
The lack of opportunity for some of them to re-write their final examination at the junior high school (JHS) level, the absence of proper parental care and poverty, among others, are the ills that drive some of them into armed robbery.
Armed robbery attacks sometimes lead to premature death of victims, thereby denying that nation of people with great potential and who were contributing meaningfully towards sustaining our national development. Others are also killed in cold blood, leaving their dependants with no one to care for them.
Some of the victims who lose valuable items and substantial amounts of money are also traumatised under the circumstances to the extent that they go insane while their dependants drop out of school.
To control the spate of armed robbery in the country the Ministry of Education should offer opportunity to JHS graduates who fail to re-sit their examinations to prove themselves capable.
Graduates who have Technical and Vocational skills but fail to enter senior high school should be introduced to vocational training to enable them to further develop their potential.
The police should also be motivated to intensify their patrol on the highways and residential areas and the public encouraged to provide information to the police on suspected robbers.
The government should endeavour to provide logistics and equipment to the police to enable them to effectively combat armed robbery in the country.
Michael Adusei Poku,
Assembly Member, Dadiesoaba
Electoral Area
There is no gainsaying the fact that the crime rate in the Kumasi metropolis has gone up. I was personally a victim of armed robbery recently.
I think security in the metropolis should be strengthened. In addition, the practice of the establishment of community watchdog should be encouraged and made to work hand in hand with the security agencies.
Areas that do not have watchdog committees should be made to form one.
It is important to note that the security agencies alone cannot protect all of us and that there is the need for us to show concern and offer alternatives.
Efforts must also be made by the government and other well-meaning citizens to assist the youth to find gainful employment. This is because many of the crimes are committed by the youth who do not have any form of employment.
Parents ought to take the education of their children seriously, while school dropouts should be assisted to learn a trade.
I believe if these things are done, the youth would be discouraged from engaging in criminal activities.
Kwame Asare Boadu,
Ashanti Regional Editor, Daily Graphic
Any objective observer would not dispute the fact that the crime rate in Kumasi has gone up in recent times. It is unfortunate though that the situation is being politicised.
Crime is of great concern to all of us living in Kumasi and I think something serious ought to be done about it.
We hear of taxi drivers conniving with others to rape women; armed robbers attacking people left and right, and mobile phone snatchers doing their own thing.
Interestingly, some of the men engaged in acts like armed robbery and mobile phone snatching sometimes use women and girls as baits to attack their victims. It is no wonder therefore that the majority of prisoners are the youth.
These are people who should have been working to promote our national development, yet their criminal acts have resulted in their incarceration.
Some people argue that the rising crime wave is a result of unemployment. But I beg to differ. The fact that there are no jobs does not mean one should steal.
No government on earth can provide jobs for all the people of the country. The government’s responsibility is to create the congenial environment for the private sector to thrive so that they could complement its efforts in creating jobs for the people.
The police are doing their best to tackle the problem of crime, but it looks like their efforts have not been enough to address the challenges. However, the police can be excused because they do not have the resources to deal with the situation.
The former government did some work by providing the police with some logistics to do their work. It is my hope that the current government will build on that to ensure that the police undertake their work without much difficulty.
Superintendent Michael Nketia, Frempong, AshANTI REGIONAL POLICE HQRS.
The spate of armed robbery in the Ashanti Region has reduced considerably in recent times. Those crimes involving car and mobile phone snatching which topped the list of robbery cases in the metropolis did also reduce substantially.
Indeed, records show that the youth between the ages of 18 and 25 constitute the majority who are engaged in armed robbery. This age group is dominated by men while some women engaged in it are used as bait to deceive unsuspecting victims.
The use of hard drugs constitute a major driving force behind the activities of robbers as it makes them feel a sense of invincibility when they go about their nefarious and mostly nocturnal undertaking.
Lack of good parental care has also been identified as a cause that pushes many young persons into robbery.
Poverty, broken homes, peer pressure and unemployment are other factors that entice some young people into armed robbery.
As a result of the activities of armed robbers many law-abiding citizens have lost their properties. Some have been maimed in the process and this has given rise to the feeling of insecurity among a section of the population. This cripples businesses and undermines investments.
It is impossible to totally eliminate armed robbery but it could be reduced considerably. While the police would have to enhance its intelligence network, the public would also have to provide useful information that would enable the police to work effectively to control robbery.
Victims should assist the police in diverse ways in the prosecution of suspected robbers.
Friday, March 27, 2009
RAINSTORM DESTROYS ACHIASE PRIMARY SCHOOL (PAGE 20)
A SEVERE rainstorm that hit Achiase, near Barekese in the Atwima District in the Ashanti Region, has ripped off the roof of the entire block of the Methodist Primary School in the town.
The storm, which also destroyed part of the walls of the six-unit classroom block constructed in 1933, also destroyed a number of textbooks and exercise books, as well as furniture, belonging to the pupils.
At the moment, the more than 400 pupils from primary one to six who use the block are compelled to study under trees, making it difficult for them to concentrate on their academic work.
The pupils, teachers and opinion leaders of Achiase have, therefore, appealed to the Atwima District Assembly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GetFund) Administration, philanthropists and well-to-do individuals to help the community to put up a new classroom block to facilitate academic work.
The Assembly member for Asuofua Electoral Area, Mr Ali Ibrahim, made the appeal through the Daily Graphic during a visit to Achiase.
He said the school, which was among the first to be constructed in the Atwima District, had served a useful purpose by providing a platform for the youth at Achiase and its environs to develop their potential through formal education.
Mr Ibrahim expressed concern about the state of affairs at the moment, saying “the pupils are now at the mercy of the weather because they can neither study under the scorching sun, nor do same anytime it rains”.
The Chairman of the School Management Committee, Mr Kwabena Atta Boakye, gave the assurance that the Achiase community would offer communal labour to support the construction of a new classroom as soon as they received financial support.
He said the rainstorm also destroyed a number of private houses at Achiase.
The storm, which also destroyed part of the walls of the six-unit classroom block constructed in 1933, also destroyed a number of textbooks and exercise books, as well as furniture, belonging to the pupils.
At the moment, the more than 400 pupils from primary one to six who use the block are compelled to study under trees, making it difficult for them to concentrate on their academic work.
The pupils, teachers and opinion leaders of Achiase have, therefore, appealed to the Atwima District Assembly, the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GetFund) Administration, philanthropists and well-to-do individuals to help the community to put up a new classroom block to facilitate academic work.
The Assembly member for Asuofua Electoral Area, Mr Ali Ibrahim, made the appeal through the Daily Graphic during a visit to Achiase.
He said the school, which was among the first to be constructed in the Atwima District, had served a useful purpose by providing a platform for the youth at Achiase and its environs to develop their potential through formal education.
Mr Ibrahim expressed concern about the state of affairs at the moment, saying “the pupils are now at the mercy of the weather because they can neither study under the scorching sun, nor do same anytime it rains”.
The Chairman of the School Management Committee, Mr Kwabena Atta Boakye, gave the assurance that the Achiase community would offer communal labour to support the construction of a new classroom as soon as they received financial support.
He said the rainstorm also destroyed a number of private houses at Achiase.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
GOVERNMENT URGED TO ESTABLISH OVERSIGHT BODY (PAGE 29)
THE Ghana Institute of Architects (GIA) has suggested to the government to establish an oversight body to strictly monitor the construction of private development projects in the country.
This, according to the GIA, will ensure that private land developers adhere to the rules governing the development of projects in the country by acquiring the requisite documents and specifications of the projects they intend to develop.
The GIA made the suggestion at a stakeholders meeting in Kumasi on Thursday.
The meeting, which was attended by 25 participants drawn from a cross-section of the public, was on the theme: “Addressing the adverse impact of the non- enforcement of development controls”.
The participants were made up of architects, Lands Commission officers, environmental officers, Fire Service personnel and officials from the Town and Country Planning Department and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.
The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier one held in Accra, following a draft report on a research submitted by the GIA, which dealt with the adverse impact of the non-enforcement of building and development controls in Ghana.
The draft report recommended, among others, the constitution of a strong task force to monitor the development of private projects in the country in order to reduce indiscriminate encroachment of public lands, as well as the haphazard construction of houses in the country.
The report also recommended that chiefs who sold land without title to private land developers should be made to face the full rigours of the law.
It said it was important for chiefs and other stakeholders to be provided with skills that would enable them to become conscious of how to use their positions to protect the environment instead of collaborating with private land developers to destroy the environment.
It further suggested that all planning institutions should be sited close to each other to facilitate the processing of building permits, stressing that the present approval procedure on building permits should be reviewed because it was too cumbersome.
This, according to the GIA, will ensure that private land developers adhere to the rules governing the development of projects in the country by acquiring the requisite documents and specifications of the projects they intend to develop.
The GIA made the suggestion at a stakeholders meeting in Kumasi on Thursday.
The meeting, which was attended by 25 participants drawn from a cross-section of the public, was on the theme: “Addressing the adverse impact of the non- enforcement of development controls”.
The participants were made up of architects, Lands Commission officers, environmental officers, Fire Service personnel and officials from the Town and Country Planning Department and metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies.
The meeting was a follow-up to an earlier one held in Accra, following a draft report on a research submitted by the GIA, which dealt with the adverse impact of the non-enforcement of building and development controls in Ghana.
The draft report recommended, among others, the constitution of a strong task force to monitor the development of private projects in the country in order to reduce indiscriminate encroachment of public lands, as well as the haphazard construction of houses in the country.
The report also recommended that chiefs who sold land without title to private land developers should be made to face the full rigours of the law.
It said it was important for chiefs and other stakeholders to be provided with skills that would enable them to become conscious of how to use their positions to protect the environment instead of collaborating with private land developers to destroy the environment.
It further suggested that all planning institutions should be sited close to each other to facilitate the processing of building permits, stressing that the present approval procedure on building permits should be reviewed because it was too cumbersome.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
DVLA TO WITHDRAW OLD LICENCES (PAGE 30)
The Kumasi Office of the Driver Vehicle and Licensing Authority (DVLA) in collaboration with the Kumasi Metropolitan Police Command is to withdraw all driving licences issued between 1999 and 2004 from the system.
This is the result of the introduction of new licences in 2005 by the authority.
The DVLA is also to prevent all commercial and private ramshackle vehicles that ply the roads in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs from operating.
Drivers who use fake driving licences and fake roadworthy certificates would be arrested and prosecuted when the task force begins its work in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
The exercise, which is to enhance efficiency among the driving public, is also meant to reduce the spate of accidents, the result of reckless driving, which has led to the loss of precious lives and valuable property.
The removal of the ramshackle vehicles is also meant to reduce the constant breakdown of such vehicles on the major trunk roads, which creates insecurity among the travelling public.
The Ashanti Regional Manager of the DVLA, Mr Noah Tetteh Matey, who announced this in an interview with the Daily Graphic expressed concern about the number of accidents on the roads in recent times, which had made the travelling public and their dependants panicky.
He explained that the old driving licences were being withdrawn from the system because those who still possessed them had refused to acquire the new driving licences which had been introduced.
“ Such licences had already been phased out, which means that no one can use them to operate ... unless he undertakes an aptitude and practical test to verify if he has the requisite skills”.
The test is also to ensure that they can interpret road signs very well to enhance efficiency on the roads to make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable,” he stressed.
“ Those who still have the old licences in their possession would be tested as fresh drivers, and it is only when they excel in their examinations that new licences will be issued to them to operate as drivers, ” he further explained.
“ We have realised that those who use the old licences cannot read and write to enable them appreciate the road signs and warning signals placed at vantage points, and this creates problems for them and other road users, ” he said.
On the activities of the DVLA, Mr Matey said customer care was their priority, so they had taken measures to sensitise their staff to enhance efficiency in the delivery of services to those who did business with them.
He said the authority had increased its staff from six to 10 to enable them attend quickly to their clients.
This is the result of the introduction of new licences in 2005 by the authority.
The DVLA is also to prevent all commercial and private ramshackle vehicles that ply the roads in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs from operating.
Drivers who use fake driving licences and fake roadworthy certificates would be arrested and prosecuted when the task force begins its work in the Kumasi Metropolis and its environs.
The exercise, which is to enhance efficiency among the driving public, is also meant to reduce the spate of accidents, the result of reckless driving, which has led to the loss of precious lives and valuable property.
The removal of the ramshackle vehicles is also meant to reduce the constant breakdown of such vehicles on the major trunk roads, which creates insecurity among the travelling public.
The Ashanti Regional Manager of the DVLA, Mr Noah Tetteh Matey, who announced this in an interview with the Daily Graphic expressed concern about the number of accidents on the roads in recent times, which had made the travelling public and their dependants panicky.
He explained that the old driving licences were being withdrawn from the system because those who still possessed them had refused to acquire the new driving licences which had been introduced.
“ Such licences had already been phased out, which means that no one can use them to operate ... unless he undertakes an aptitude and practical test to verify if he has the requisite skills”.
The test is also to ensure that they can interpret road signs very well to enhance efficiency on the roads to make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable,” he stressed.
“ Those who still have the old licences in their possession would be tested as fresh drivers, and it is only when they excel in their examinations that new licences will be issued to them to operate as drivers, ” he further explained.
“ We have realised that those who use the old licences cannot read and write to enable them appreciate the road signs and warning signals placed at vantage points, and this creates problems for them and other road users, ” he said.
On the activities of the DVLA, Mr Matey said customer care was their priority, so they had taken measures to sensitise their staff to enhance efficiency in the delivery of services to those who did business with them.
He said the authority had increased its staff from six to 10 to enable them attend quickly to their clients.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
KATH UNDERTAKES MAIDEN THROAT CANCER OPERATION (PAGE 29)
the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi has performed its first operation on a throat cancer patient.
The operation was undertaken by a team of Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons led by Dr Anna Konney.The patient was a 63-year-old man suffering from Laryngeal cancer (cancer of the voice box). The operation lasted seven hours.
The feat has given hope to people with such problems that they can now have treatment at the KATH.
Laryngeal cancer which is more common in men within the age group of 51 and above, and is more likely to affect people addicted to smoking than non-smokers.
Alcohol abuse is also another risk factor, which indicates that the risk factor is higher among those who smoke and consume alcohol in large quantities.
Patients who suffer from the disease have difficulty in breathing and swallowing. They also have hoarseness in their voices with swellings in their necks.
Briefing the Daily Graphic after the maiden operation, Dr Anna Konney said patients who trooped to the hospital for medical care mostly report late.
“ The late presentation has made it difficult, if not impossible for patients to benefit from existing management modalities, ” he stressed.
He said such patients were given palliative care, which included the placing of a tube in their stomachs for feeding, radiotherapy to manage their pain “ while we painfully wait for them to pass on”.
Dr Anna Konney pointed out that for such patients, especially those with advanced laryngeal cancer, the total removal of the voice box “ is a definitive treatment, but patients have refused surgical treatment mainly because of the loss of voice following the surgery”.
He gave the assurance that patients could be rehabilitated “ to communicate effectively by other means”, adding “ surgical management, when combined with other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, improves the survival rate and quality of life of patients”.
Dr Anna Konney said the 63-year-old man was doing very well after the operation, stressing that “ the current capacity of the E.N.T unit to provide surgical treatment, as well as radiotherapy availability here in KATH, offers hope for such patients.
The operation was undertaken by a team of Ear, Nose and Throat surgeons led by Dr Anna Konney.The patient was a 63-year-old man suffering from Laryngeal cancer (cancer of the voice box). The operation lasted seven hours.
The feat has given hope to people with such problems that they can now have treatment at the KATH.
Laryngeal cancer which is more common in men within the age group of 51 and above, and is more likely to affect people addicted to smoking than non-smokers.
Alcohol abuse is also another risk factor, which indicates that the risk factor is higher among those who smoke and consume alcohol in large quantities.
Patients who suffer from the disease have difficulty in breathing and swallowing. They also have hoarseness in their voices with swellings in their necks.
Briefing the Daily Graphic after the maiden operation, Dr Anna Konney said patients who trooped to the hospital for medical care mostly report late.
“ The late presentation has made it difficult, if not impossible for patients to benefit from existing management modalities, ” he stressed.
He said such patients were given palliative care, which included the placing of a tube in their stomachs for feeding, radiotherapy to manage their pain “ while we painfully wait for them to pass on”.
Dr Anna Konney pointed out that for such patients, especially those with advanced laryngeal cancer, the total removal of the voice box “ is a definitive treatment, but patients have refused surgical treatment mainly because of the loss of voice following the surgery”.
He gave the assurance that patients could be rehabilitated “ to communicate effectively by other means”, adding “ surgical management, when combined with other treatment modalities such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, improves the survival rate and quality of life of patients”.
Dr Anna Konney said the 63-year-old man was doing very well after the operation, stressing that “ the current capacity of the E.N.T unit to provide surgical treatment, as well as radiotherapy availability here in KATH, offers hope for such patients.
Monday, March 16, 2009
ASOKWA MUTUAL INSURANCE DENIES ALLEGATIONS (PAGE 43)
The management of the Asokwa Mutual Health Insurance Scheme in Kumasi has given the assurance that the scheme is very active in its operations.
It is also still offering the opportunity to residents yet to join to do so for them to access quality medical care services at affordable cost.
The Manager of the scheme, Mr Isaac Asare, told the Daily Graphic that rumours were rife in the metropolis that the scheme had been inactive since the beginning of the year, and that its clients were being denied medical care at the various healthcare centres in Kumasi.
Mr Asare was speaking on the challenges confronting the scheme.
Denouncing the rumours as a calculated attempt to discourage a section of the public from joining the scheme, Mr Asare said, “ The scheme is ongoing, and registered members can testify that they have not been denied medical care at any of the healthcare facilities which do business with us in the Kumasi metropolis.
We have been doing brisk business in Kumasi since the beginning of the year, so I invite those who are yet to join to do so before they fall sick”.
He said the minimum premium for the ordinary Ghanaian had also not been increased, and remains at GH¢7.20 per year, while those who are well to do in society pay GH¢48.00 per year”.
Mr Asare encouraged anyone who claims to have been denied medical care at any of the health facilities in the metropolis and its environs “to immediately report to his office for investigations to be conducted into the allegation and appropriate action taken.
He denied rumours circulating to the effect that the health insurance scheme was broke because it owed the service providers huge sums of money.
Admitting that they owe the health providers, Mr Asare said the scheme would continue to owe the them because at any point in time, they would continue to provide quality healthcare services to members of the scheme before submitting bills for settlement.
“The scheme is eager to honour the bills as soon as they are submitted, but they are always submitted late. As I am speaking, most of the service providers in Kumasi are yet to submit their December bills, so how can we pay bills that are yet to be submitted?”
Mr Asare also explained that some of the medical bills submitted were full of inaccuracies and all such bills needed to be scrutinised and vetted in order to do away with spurious claims before payments was made.
This is because issues relating to money should not be taken for granted, and without that the scheme would collapse.
On the provision of Identity cards to clients, Mr Asare noted, “ the scheme is not resourced to provide national identity cards as soon as members register. All cards are now printed in Accra after they had collected data from our outfit”.
Explaining, he said the Asokwa Mutual Health Insurance Scheme however provided provisional identity cards to members waiting for their national identity cards to enable them to source for medical care when necessary, and therefore stressed the need for all residents at the sub metro to join the scheme in their own interest.
It is also still offering the opportunity to residents yet to join to do so for them to access quality medical care services at affordable cost.
The Manager of the scheme, Mr Isaac Asare, told the Daily Graphic that rumours were rife in the metropolis that the scheme had been inactive since the beginning of the year, and that its clients were being denied medical care at the various healthcare centres in Kumasi.
Mr Asare was speaking on the challenges confronting the scheme.
Denouncing the rumours as a calculated attempt to discourage a section of the public from joining the scheme, Mr Asare said, “ The scheme is ongoing, and registered members can testify that they have not been denied medical care at any of the healthcare facilities which do business with us in the Kumasi metropolis.
We have been doing brisk business in Kumasi since the beginning of the year, so I invite those who are yet to join to do so before they fall sick”.
He said the minimum premium for the ordinary Ghanaian had also not been increased, and remains at GH¢7.20 per year, while those who are well to do in society pay GH¢48.00 per year”.
Mr Asare encouraged anyone who claims to have been denied medical care at any of the health facilities in the metropolis and its environs “to immediately report to his office for investigations to be conducted into the allegation and appropriate action taken.
He denied rumours circulating to the effect that the health insurance scheme was broke because it owed the service providers huge sums of money.
Admitting that they owe the health providers, Mr Asare said the scheme would continue to owe the them because at any point in time, they would continue to provide quality healthcare services to members of the scheme before submitting bills for settlement.
“The scheme is eager to honour the bills as soon as they are submitted, but they are always submitted late. As I am speaking, most of the service providers in Kumasi are yet to submit their December bills, so how can we pay bills that are yet to be submitted?”
Mr Asare also explained that some of the medical bills submitted were full of inaccuracies and all such bills needed to be scrutinised and vetted in order to do away with spurious claims before payments was made.
This is because issues relating to money should not be taken for granted, and without that the scheme would collapse.
On the provision of Identity cards to clients, Mr Asare noted, “ the scheme is not resourced to provide national identity cards as soon as members register. All cards are now printed in Accra after they had collected data from our outfit”.
Explaining, he said the Asokwa Mutual Health Insurance Scheme however provided provisional identity cards to members waiting for their national identity cards to enable them to source for medical care when necessary, and therefore stressed the need for all residents at the sub metro to join the scheme in their own interest.
FRANOBECK ENTERPRISE DONATES COMPUTER TO AYEDUASE CLINIC (PAGE 24)
The chief executive of Franobeck Enterprise, dealers in computers and accessories in Kumasi, has donated a computer and accessories to the Ayeduase community clinic to facilitate data collection and administration at the clinic.
The clinic, which was inaugurated about a year ago, caters for residents around Ayeduase, Kotei, Deduako, Twumduase, Boadi, Kentinkrono, Oduom and its environs.
Although the clinic caters for a great number of patients and pregnant women daily, it does not have a computer for data collection to enhance efficiency and timely delivery of services.
Data collection and retrieval, as well as other administrative duties, were always done manually at the clinic, and this greatly undermined efficiency at the clinic.
Concerned about the challenges facing the clinic and their effect on quality service delivery, the Principal Midwife in-charge, Mrs Regina Lily Loglo, contacted the Chief Executive of Franobeck Enterprise, Mr Francis Owusu Berchie, for support and the response was positive.
On Monday, March 9, 2009, Mr Owusu Berchie presented the clinic with its first computer and accessories.
In an address, Mr Owusu Berchie gave the assurance that he would source for more computers for the clinic to enhance efficient services delivery.
He urged the management of the clinic to take good care of the computer for it to last longer.
The principal midwife, who received the computer on behalf of the staff, thanked Mr Owusu Berchie for his gesture and gave the assurance that management would put it to use immediately.
She appealed to philanthropists, organisations and individuals to support the clinic with more computers to enhance their operations. Mr Loglo also gave the assurance that the clinic would sponsor some of the staff to study Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes to facilitate quality service delivery.
The clinic, which was inaugurated about a year ago, caters for residents around Ayeduase, Kotei, Deduako, Twumduase, Boadi, Kentinkrono, Oduom and its environs.
Although the clinic caters for a great number of patients and pregnant women daily, it does not have a computer for data collection to enhance efficiency and timely delivery of services.
Data collection and retrieval, as well as other administrative duties, were always done manually at the clinic, and this greatly undermined efficiency at the clinic.
Concerned about the challenges facing the clinic and their effect on quality service delivery, the Principal Midwife in-charge, Mrs Regina Lily Loglo, contacted the Chief Executive of Franobeck Enterprise, Mr Francis Owusu Berchie, for support and the response was positive.
On Monday, March 9, 2009, Mr Owusu Berchie presented the clinic with its first computer and accessories.
In an address, Mr Owusu Berchie gave the assurance that he would source for more computers for the clinic to enhance efficient services delivery.
He urged the management of the clinic to take good care of the computer for it to last longer.
The principal midwife, who received the computer on behalf of the staff, thanked Mr Owusu Berchie for his gesture and gave the assurance that management would put it to use immediately.
She appealed to philanthropists, organisations and individuals to support the clinic with more computers to enhance their operations. Mr Loglo also gave the assurance that the clinic would sponsor some of the staff to study Information and Communication Technology (ICT) programmes to facilitate quality service delivery.
Sunday, March 15, 2009
KMAA TO IMPROVE SANITATION IN KUMASI (PAGE 18)
The environmental department of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, (KMA) has procured a total of 100 litter bins to be placed at vantage points in the Central Business District (CBD) of Adum to enhance effective waste collection and disposal.
The measure, which is meant to reduce littering and disposal of solid and liquid waste at public places, is in line with President John Evans Atta Mills’s vision of promoting environmental cleanliness in urban communities, in order to control the menace of communicable diseases.
It is also meant to create a clean environment in Kumasi throughout the period that Otumfuo Osei Tutu II celebrates his 10th anniversary as the occupant of the Golden Stool.
Already, the department has placed 150 litter bins at the CBD, but indications are that they are not adequate enough to address the sanitation problems that have engulfed the area.
The CBD, which is the hub of commercial activities in the Kumasi metropolis, is noted for the inflow of both human and vehicular traffic, and is therefore easily inundated with solid and liquid waste products.
As part of the measures to create awareness among the business community and their customers on the proper disposal of waste at the CBD and its environs, the environmental department of the KMA is also intensifying its public education on the effect of filth in the environment and how to reduce it.
To this end, officers of the department have initiated a programme under which they board metro mass transit buses and other public transport vehicles to educate commuters on the proper disposal of waste at the CBD and its environs.
This, according to the officers, was to help have a healthy environment in Kumasi, and thereby enhance productivity and revenue generation.
The Head of the department, Mr J.Y. Donkor, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the department had taken measures to revamp environmental sanitation in the metropolis by ensuring strict compliance with sanitation laws.
He said conscious efforts were being made to create public awareness on the effects of filth generation in the metropolis, stressing that very soon anyone who littered the environment would be arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Donkor said the department had started environmental inspection in the metropolis and would arrest and prosecute residents who consciously dumped solid and liquid waste into public drains and their immediate environs.
“About 30 sanitary inspectors have been deployed to undertake daily inspection of suburbs in the metropolis with the view of ensuring that residents complied with sanitation regulations.
“We have arrested 42 residents, who committed sanitation offences of great magnitude and they are being prosecuted at the Ashanti New Town Court,” he noted.
He said the offences included dumping of solid and liquid waste into drains, backyards and other public places to attract insects that attacked residents and infected them with communicable diseases.
He said those who had connected their septic tanks into public drains were also being arrested, and that such attitudes undermined the promotion of healthy environment.
He expressed concern about landlords in the Kumasi metropolis who had converted places of convenience in their homes into bedrooms, thereby denying tenants access of such facilities.
“All landlords who have converted their toilets into bedrooms have been given two months to reconvert them into toilets to promote a healthy environment in Kumasi” he said, adding that “ those who fail to heed to our directives would be arrested and prosecuted”.
The measure, which is meant to reduce littering and disposal of solid and liquid waste at public places, is in line with President John Evans Atta Mills’s vision of promoting environmental cleanliness in urban communities, in order to control the menace of communicable diseases.
It is also meant to create a clean environment in Kumasi throughout the period that Otumfuo Osei Tutu II celebrates his 10th anniversary as the occupant of the Golden Stool.
Already, the department has placed 150 litter bins at the CBD, but indications are that they are not adequate enough to address the sanitation problems that have engulfed the area.
The CBD, which is the hub of commercial activities in the Kumasi metropolis, is noted for the inflow of both human and vehicular traffic, and is therefore easily inundated with solid and liquid waste products.
As part of the measures to create awareness among the business community and their customers on the proper disposal of waste at the CBD and its environs, the environmental department of the KMA is also intensifying its public education on the effect of filth in the environment and how to reduce it.
To this end, officers of the department have initiated a programme under which they board metro mass transit buses and other public transport vehicles to educate commuters on the proper disposal of waste at the CBD and its environs.
This, according to the officers, was to help have a healthy environment in Kumasi, and thereby enhance productivity and revenue generation.
The Head of the department, Mr J.Y. Donkor, told the Daily Graphic in an interview that the department had taken measures to revamp environmental sanitation in the metropolis by ensuring strict compliance with sanitation laws.
He said conscious efforts were being made to create public awareness on the effects of filth generation in the metropolis, stressing that very soon anyone who littered the environment would be arrested and prosecuted.
Mr Donkor said the department had started environmental inspection in the metropolis and would arrest and prosecute residents who consciously dumped solid and liquid waste into public drains and their immediate environs.
“About 30 sanitary inspectors have been deployed to undertake daily inspection of suburbs in the metropolis with the view of ensuring that residents complied with sanitation regulations.
“We have arrested 42 residents, who committed sanitation offences of great magnitude and they are being prosecuted at the Ashanti New Town Court,” he noted.
He said the offences included dumping of solid and liquid waste into drains, backyards and other public places to attract insects that attacked residents and infected them with communicable diseases.
He said those who had connected their septic tanks into public drains were also being arrested, and that such attitudes undermined the promotion of healthy environment.
He expressed concern about landlords in the Kumasi metropolis who had converted places of convenience in their homes into bedrooms, thereby denying tenants access of such facilities.
“All landlords who have converted their toilets into bedrooms have been given two months to reconvert them into toilets to promote a healthy environment in Kumasi” he said, adding that “ those who fail to heed to our directives would be arrested and prosecuted”.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
KENTE WEAVER ON RAMPAGE (PAGE 23)
Story: George Ernest Asare & Georgina Agyei Twum, Kumasi
A 35-year-old Kente weaver at Ntonso, near Mamponteng in the Ashanti region, who could not withstand being jilted went on the rampage, shooting the girlfriend and her nine-month-old baby girl at close range before attempting to end his life.
Thinking that the locally manufactured pistol he fired at his victims at close range had caused a fatal damage, Kofi Nti, applied a hot heater on his stomach with the view to committing suicide.
He, however, survived the ordeal and was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he was revived.
His victims, Dorcas Kwarteng and the baby girl, also survived the gunshot wounds and were treated and discharged at the intensive care unit of the KATH, where they were rushed to for emergency medical care.
While the suspect shot Dorcas Kwarteng in the breast, causing severe damage and making her bleed profusely, the daughter was wounded in the shoulder.
Nti was arraigned at a Kumasi High Court charged with causing harm and illegal possession of weapons on Wednesday, March 4, 2009.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was adjourned to March 11, 2009.
Prosecuting, an Assistant State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Otoo-Boison, said Nti used to be in a steady relationship with Dorcas but due to some differences, the relationship broke down and Dorcas befriended another man, with whom she had the baby.
The prosecutor said on December 24, 2008, while Dorcas was planning to celebrate Christmas with her man and daughter, she passed by the house of the suspect.
Mr Otoo-Boison said on seeing Dorcas carrying the baby, he got up to snatch the baby girl from the mother and dashed into his room.
He said Dorcas became alarmed and followed him into his room to get her baby.
The Assistant State Attorney said as soon as Dorcas entered the room, the suspect locked the door, took a locally manufactured pistol and shot Dorcas in the breast before directing the gun at the child, shooting her as well in the hands, causing them to bleed profusely.
He said thinking that the victims were dead, Nti took a hot heater and applied it to his stomach in an attempt to commit suicide, but in the process, some neighbours who heard the noise rushed into the room and took them to the KATH where they were admitted.
He said the case was reported to the police who monitored the conditions of the victims and the suspect charged with the offence as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.
A 35-year-old Kente weaver at Ntonso, near Mamponteng in the Ashanti region, who could not withstand being jilted went on the rampage, shooting the girlfriend and her nine-month-old baby girl at close range before attempting to end his life.
Thinking that the locally manufactured pistol he fired at his victims at close range had caused a fatal damage, Kofi Nti, applied a hot heater on his stomach with the view to committing suicide.
He, however, survived the ordeal and was rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) where he was revived.
His victims, Dorcas Kwarteng and the baby girl, also survived the gunshot wounds and were treated and discharged at the intensive care unit of the KATH, where they were rushed to for emergency medical care.
While the suspect shot Dorcas Kwarteng in the breast, causing severe damage and making her bleed profusely, the daughter was wounded in the shoulder.
Nti was arraigned at a Kumasi High Court charged with causing harm and illegal possession of weapons on Wednesday, March 4, 2009.
He pleaded not guilty to the charges and the case was adjourned to March 11, 2009.
Prosecuting, an Assistant State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Otoo-Boison, said Nti used to be in a steady relationship with Dorcas but due to some differences, the relationship broke down and Dorcas befriended another man, with whom she had the baby.
The prosecutor said on December 24, 2008, while Dorcas was planning to celebrate Christmas with her man and daughter, she passed by the house of the suspect.
Mr Otoo-Boison said on seeing Dorcas carrying the baby, he got up to snatch the baby girl from the mother and dashed into his room.
He said Dorcas became alarmed and followed him into his room to get her baby.
The Assistant State Attorney said as soon as Dorcas entered the room, the suspect locked the door, took a locally manufactured pistol and shot Dorcas in the breast before directing the gun at the child, shooting her as well in the hands, causing them to bleed profusely.
He said thinking that the victims were dead, Nti took a hot heater and applied it to his stomach in an attempt to commit suicide, but in the process, some neighbours who heard the noise rushed into the room and took them to the KATH where they were admitted.
He said the case was reported to the police who monitored the conditions of the victims and the suspect charged with the offence as soon as he was discharged from the hospital.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
KUMASI METROPOLITAN ASSEMBLY CLEANS RIDGE PARK (PAGE 29)
The Environmental Department of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) has started clearing the overgrown weeds around the Ridge Traffic Lights and the Golden Tulip Kumasi City Hotel in the Kumasi Metropolis.
The area which also extends to the Faults Section of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and environmental park is a den for criminals, drug peddlers and Indian hemp smokers.
It has also been the habitat of poisonous snakes which put the lives of pedestrians in danger and a breeding place for mosquitoes.
Prior to the clearing of the weeds that were gradually blossoming into a semi-deciduous forest in the heart of Kumasi, residents who used the stretch at odd hours, either on foot or alone in their vehicles, were always at the mercy of criminals.
This was because the criminals pounced on them when they least expected, depriving them of their cash and other valuables.
Using the canopies created by the shrubs and trees as their hideouts, the criminals attacked their victims with guns or knives and forcibly took away items such as mobile phones, wristwatches, necklaces and vital documents from the victims. Sometimes they ganged-raped the females, traumatising them.
The continuous attack on residents, especially at dusk, night and dawn, became a public concern, which compelled the Daily Graphic to regularly draw the attention of the Environmental Department of the KMA to the insecurity their inaction was causing some residents in the metropolis.
The police who were handicapped in providing adequate security at the area also expressed concern about the failure of the KMA to clear the weeds on regular basis.
In one instance, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwaku Ayensu Opare-Addo urged the Environmental Department of the KMA to be alive to its responsibilities by clearing the weeds regularly to enhance adequate security in the area.
Using the Daily Graphic as a platform, the Regional Police Commander said the criminals had always used the area as a launching pad to attack innocent residents, and therefore, stressed the need for the KMA to devise means that would create sanity at the area and reduce the security threat that it posed to the public.
All these events took place last year, but either by accident or design the Environmental Department of the KMA has now started clearing the stretch, creating a serene atmosphere and bringing the city to its status of “Garden City”.
At the moment, the park looks more like a recreational ground and the clearing of the weeds has also helped to flush out people with questionable character who used to hide within the stretch and attack innocent residents.
The Head of the Environmental Department of the KMA, Mr J.Y. Donkor, told the Daily Graphic that they were unable to weed the stretch regularly because of inadequate personnel and logistics.
He conceded that the bushy area posed a serious threat to the public and gave the assurance that the they would clear the area regularly.
“The issue bordered on personnel who were mandated to clear the weeds regularly. Some of them retired and the reduction in number greatly affected our operations, making it difficult for us to clear the weeds as required, ” he explained.
Mr Donkor said they had now beefed up the number of personnel and zoned it, indicating that “some people have now been assigned the duty of clearing the area regularly so commuters and pedestrians will be safe to use the stretch.”
The area which also extends to the Faults Section of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and environmental park is a den for criminals, drug peddlers and Indian hemp smokers.
It has also been the habitat of poisonous snakes which put the lives of pedestrians in danger and a breeding place for mosquitoes.
Prior to the clearing of the weeds that were gradually blossoming into a semi-deciduous forest in the heart of Kumasi, residents who used the stretch at odd hours, either on foot or alone in their vehicles, were always at the mercy of criminals.
This was because the criminals pounced on them when they least expected, depriving them of their cash and other valuables.
Using the canopies created by the shrubs and trees as their hideouts, the criminals attacked their victims with guns or knives and forcibly took away items such as mobile phones, wristwatches, necklaces and vital documents from the victims. Sometimes they ganged-raped the females, traumatising them.
The continuous attack on residents, especially at dusk, night and dawn, became a public concern, which compelled the Daily Graphic to regularly draw the attention of the Environmental Department of the KMA to the insecurity their inaction was causing some residents in the metropolis.
The police who were handicapped in providing adequate security at the area also expressed concern about the failure of the KMA to clear the weeds on regular basis.
In one instance, the Ashanti Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Kwaku Ayensu Opare-Addo urged the Environmental Department of the KMA to be alive to its responsibilities by clearing the weeds regularly to enhance adequate security in the area.
Using the Daily Graphic as a platform, the Regional Police Commander said the criminals had always used the area as a launching pad to attack innocent residents, and therefore, stressed the need for the KMA to devise means that would create sanity at the area and reduce the security threat that it posed to the public.
All these events took place last year, but either by accident or design the Environmental Department of the KMA has now started clearing the stretch, creating a serene atmosphere and bringing the city to its status of “Garden City”.
At the moment, the park looks more like a recreational ground and the clearing of the weeds has also helped to flush out people with questionable character who used to hide within the stretch and attack innocent residents.
The Head of the Environmental Department of the KMA, Mr J.Y. Donkor, told the Daily Graphic that they were unable to weed the stretch regularly because of inadequate personnel and logistics.
He conceded that the bushy area posed a serious threat to the public and gave the assurance that the they would clear the area regularly.
“The issue bordered on personnel who were mandated to clear the weeds regularly. Some of them retired and the reduction in number greatly affected our operations, making it difficult for us to clear the weeds as required, ” he explained.
Mr Donkor said they had now beefed up the number of personnel and zoned it, indicating that “some people have now been assigned the duty of clearing the area regularly so commuters and pedestrians will be safe to use the stretch.”
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
HAVE POLITICIANS ENDORSED SLAUGHTERING ON HIGHWAYS? (PAGE 15)
On the eve of Christmas last year, a section of the Judiciary, led by His Lordship Justice Jones Dotse, held a press conference at the newly constructed Appeal Court in Kumasi to explain last years' decision by the courts to vary sentences and fines imposed on drivers found guilty of committing various forms of motor traffic offences in the country.
Before the press conference, which was attended by a cross-section of journalists in Kumasi, there had been public outcry about the spate of accidents in the country and their effect on the citizenry.
While many innocent passengers and pedestrians lost their lives in some of these avoidable accidents, many others who survived suffered various forms of permanent injuries, making it totally impossible for them to make ends meet or contribute meaningfully towards any sustainable national development.
Such accident victims had to depend on their immediate family members, friends and sympathisers for their daily bread and other basic needs that make life worth living.
Their family members, children and others, who solely depended on the victims for survival, such as those which involved the 34 Catholic faithful who perished at Akropong in the Ashanti Region about two years ago, as well as the 21 victims of the Deeper Life Christian Ministry who perished at the Santasi Roundabout a few years ago, and the most recent one, where 12 passengers died at Anyinamso No2, near Nkawie in the Ashanti Region, are going through hectic problems.
It was to ensure that sanity prevailed on the highways and make travelling safer that the public called for stiffer punishment for reckless drivers who continued to 'slaughter' passengers and pedestrians on the major highways and trunk roads in the name of accident.
In an address to inaugurate the ultra-modern Accident and Emergency Centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) on November 8, 2008, and considering the regular loss of lives and property and their impact on the economy, former President John Agyekum Kufuor directed the police "to enforce road traffic regulations by promptly arresting and prosecuting drivers whose conduct results in avoidable accidents".
He also called on the Judiciary to "exact swift and harsh punishment for deviant drivers found guilty of road traffic regulations as a way of deterring others".
"The killing and maiming of innocent Ghanaians through vehicular accidents cannot continue, and measures should be put in place to curb the menace before it gets out of hand," the former President stressed.
Stressing further, former President Kufuor urged the police "to collaborate with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to intensify the monitoring and enforcement of road traffic regulations to bring discipline on the roads".
Expressing concern over the spate of vehicular accidents on the major trunks roads in the country and the negative impact they have on the human and natural resources, former President Kufuor noted, "The whole nation should be concerned about the numerous unnecessary and avoidable road accidents."
Referring to a front-page story in the Daily Graphic of July 27, 2000, which stated, "Ghana is rated among the leading six accidents-prone countries in the world, and within the proceeding six years, 6,517 lives were lost, and 51, 877 people injured in road accidents," Mr Kufuor stressed further, "Any society with a sense of fellow-feeling will be deeply worried by such horrifying statistics, so will a government which is investing so much in human resource development."
It was based on the impunity with which some drivers recklessly slaughtered commuters and maimed others on the major highways, creating a state of panic among passengers in the country, that caused the public to appeal to authorities in the country to institute measures that would bring sanity to the driving public to make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable.
It was therefore very ironic that while the Judiciary responded positively to the public outcry by imposing heavy fines and prison terms on recalcitrant drivers found guilty of road traffic offences, to deter others, politicians who should have given their blessings to the actions of the Judiciary to calm the nerves of the pubic, rather criticised the action of the Judiciary in diverse ways.
Using the 2008 general election as their main tool, some politicians found everything wrong with the judicial sanctions of recalcitrant drivers, especially those convicted for their recklessness on the road, and therefore used their campaign platforms to assure such convicts of their freedoms at the least opportunity.
It was based on scoring political points by using convicted reckless drivers as one of their baits, that the issue of convicted drivers gained prominence in the Ghanaian body politic, thus creating the impression that stiffer punishment meted to deviant drivers was inhuman.
It was on similar grounds that the Judiciary held the press conference in Kumasi and made frantic efforts to explain why some drivers were convicted in the first place, and why their sentences were later reviewed.
As part of his explanation during the press conference on why the sentences were reviewed, Justice Jones Dotse, who is a Justice of the Supreme Court, noted that "the recent decision to vary the sentences and fines of some persons convicted for motor traffic offences had nothing to do with political machinations, but a judicial principle to address some illegalities that have occurred since October 3, 2008".
Explaining further, he said the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2008, Act 761, by Parliament, which "was duly gazetted and therefore became law in Ghana, was not immediately brought to the courts' attention".
He pointed out that it was to address the illegalities that the Chief Justice mandated the Supervising High Court Judges to use the provisions in section 52 and 53 (3) of the Courts Act, 1993 Act 459 in addressing Motor Traffic offences.
He also explained that after the passage of the bills into law, “courts in Ghana ought to have stopped the application of the penal sanctions in Act 683 and instead apply the penal sanctions in Act 761".
"The failure to have brought the passage of Act 761 immediately to the attention and that of the police who mainly prosecute motor traffic offences, can be said to be a system failure between the legislature, the government and the Judiciary," he announced.
A press release also read at the press conference and signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Alex B. Poku–Acheampong, emphasised the directives of the Chief Justice to all courts in the country to vary or review all sentences passed within the period that were at variance with the provisions of the new law, Act 761.
"the result of these directives is that, where appropriate, all terms of imprisonment imposed on convicted persons will be set aside, and fines imposed will also be reviewed and reduced.
Prompt steps would be made to ensure that all fines already paid in excess of those authorised under Act 761, would be refunded to those concerned by the Controller and Accountant General's Department after proof of due payment had been exhibited, he stressed.
The release also hinted, "The Chief Justice has also informed all other stakeholders in the criminal Justice delivery system such as the Attorney- General's Department, the Police Service and the Ghana Prisons Service about the various steps taken by the Judicial Service to ensure that only the penal sanctions provided in the new Road Traffic Law Act 761 are applied."
Based on the decision of the court to review all sentences imposed on convicted drivers, those serving various prison terms were promptly released last year, while others whose fines were found to be in contravention of Act 761 had the excess refunded to them.
All these events unfolded during the election year in 2008, indicating that in election years, when the political temperature is adequately heated, the politicians would be prepared to sacrifice anything that militate against their onward march for power, no matter the consequence.
For, if that was not the case, how could drivers found guilty of committing various road traffic offences, most of which led to the untimely death of prominent citizens in the country, and permanently maimed others, be set free by competent courts of jurisdiction that sentenced them.
While the offending drivers are enjoying unlimited freedoms with their licences intact, making it possible for them to engage in productive ventures and live comfortable lives, their victims and their dependants are wallowing in the quagmire of despondency due to the problems they are going through.
Records of road traffic accidents for the past three years in the Ashanti Region alone, made available to the Daily Graphic by the Ashanti Regional Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), indicated that as many as 974 passengers and pedestrians were 'slaughtered' on the highways in the Ashanti Region between January 1, 2006 and December 31 2008.
The records revealed that while 268 passengers and pedestrians died in vehicular accidents in the Ashanti Region between January 1 and December 31 last year, the number reduced to 198 during the same period in 2007
However, as many as 408 passengers and pedestrians who were making meaningful contributions towards sustainable socio-economic development in the country were killed in vehicular accidents in the region between January 1 and December 31, 2006.
In all, 6798 vehicles were involved in accidents in the Ashanti Region during the period under review.
The vehicles were totally or partially destroyed, creating serious financial problems for their owners.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), DSP Oduro Abrokwa, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the spate of accidents in the region, explained that a total of 2427 vehicles were involved in accidents between January 1 and December 31 2008, with the number reducing to 1514 during the same period in 2007.
DSP Oduro Abrokwa pointed out that between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006, the recorded number of vehicles that were involved in accidents in the Ashanti Region stood at 2857.
Mr Abrokwa attributed the increasing number of accidents as usual to indiscipline on the part of commercial and private drivers, saying "the MTTU has always strived to educate drivers on the need to respect road traffic regulations to bring sanity onto the highways but our advice has always fallen on deaf ears".
He mentioned speeding, wrongful overtaking, overloading of vehicles and inadequate maintenance of vehicles as some of the major causes of road traffic accidents and gave the assurance that the police would continue to educate drivers for them to appreciate the need to respect road traffic regulations to ensure sanity on the road.
"It is very disturbing that notwithstanding the educational campaigns which were conducted for drivers within the Ashanti Region by the Regional Road Safety Commission and the police, drivers flouted and disregarded road safety signs on our roads,
leading to fatal accidents and death, as well as injuries, to innocent passengers," he explained.
Mr Abrokwa said investigations conducted on accident-related cases in the region also proved that drivers refused to rest when they were tired, and this caused some of them to sleep while driving, leading to head-on collision that usually caused many death and serious injuries to passengers on board such vehicles.
The Regional MTTU Commander said in most cases drivers who attended funerals and other social gatherings at the weekends also took advantage of the occasion to quaff a lot of alcoholic beverages and became intoxicated in the process.
Such drivers, he said, "drive recklessly on the road, because their sense of judgement was mostly impaired, which results in fatal accidents".
These are the palpable truth on the situation on the highways, which needs to be curtailed as the country strives to advance into the middle-income brackets.
What is ironic is why the immediate past government, which clamoured for stiffer punishment for reckless drivers found guilty of committing road traffic offences, panicked and introduced laws that relaxed the punishment for offending drivers at the time the then opposition was using the law as a weapon on their campaign platform to canvass for votes.
With the punishment against drivers who disregard road traffic regulations and create havoc on the highways now relaxed, drivers seem to have been given the green light to continue causing mayhem on the highways with impunity as the years roll by.
It therefore behoves civil society to stand up and cry out very loud at every part of the country to let our politicians appreciate the need to join civil society in their quest to bring sanity onto the highways.
Drivers should be made to understand that reckless driving that leads to slaughter on the highways is criminal, just as armed robbery, and that those whose action leads to the loss of lives and property should not be spared.
This is the only way that would deter potential reckless drivers from being reckless and appreciate the need to be circumspect on the highway to create sanity for the travelling public .
Politicians, irrespective of their political affiliations, should unite with a common voice to appreciate the need to collaborate with the Judiciary and punish reckless drivers who have now turned the highways into a slaughter house, killing and maiming defenceless passengers and pedestrians.
It is only when this happens that sanity will finally prevail on the highways to make passengers and pedestrians safe on our roads.
Before the press conference, which was attended by a cross-section of journalists in Kumasi, there had been public outcry about the spate of accidents in the country and their effect on the citizenry.
While many innocent passengers and pedestrians lost their lives in some of these avoidable accidents, many others who survived suffered various forms of permanent injuries, making it totally impossible for them to make ends meet or contribute meaningfully towards any sustainable national development.
Such accident victims had to depend on their immediate family members, friends and sympathisers for their daily bread and other basic needs that make life worth living.
Their family members, children and others, who solely depended on the victims for survival, such as those which involved the 34 Catholic faithful who perished at Akropong in the Ashanti Region about two years ago, as well as the 21 victims of the Deeper Life Christian Ministry who perished at the Santasi Roundabout a few years ago, and the most recent one, where 12 passengers died at Anyinamso No2, near Nkawie in the Ashanti Region, are going through hectic problems.
It was to ensure that sanity prevailed on the highways and make travelling safer that the public called for stiffer punishment for reckless drivers who continued to 'slaughter' passengers and pedestrians on the major highways and trunk roads in the name of accident.
In an address to inaugurate the ultra-modern Accident and Emergency Centre at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) on November 8, 2008, and considering the regular loss of lives and property and their impact on the economy, former President John Agyekum Kufuor directed the police "to enforce road traffic regulations by promptly arresting and prosecuting drivers whose conduct results in avoidable accidents".
He also called on the Judiciary to "exact swift and harsh punishment for deviant drivers found guilty of road traffic regulations as a way of deterring others".
"The killing and maiming of innocent Ghanaians through vehicular accidents cannot continue, and measures should be put in place to curb the menace before it gets out of hand," the former President stressed.
Stressing further, former President Kufuor urged the police "to collaborate with the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) and the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) to intensify the monitoring and enforcement of road traffic regulations to bring discipline on the roads".
Expressing concern over the spate of vehicular accidents on the major trunks roads in the country and the negative impact they have on the human and natural resources, former President Kufuor noted, "The whole nation should be concerned about the numerous unnecessary and avoidable road accidents."
Referring to a front-page story in the Daily Graphic of July 27, 2000, which stated, "Ghana is rated among the leading six accidents-prone countries in the world, and within the proceeding six years, 6,517 lives were lost, and 51, 877 people injured in road accidents," Mr Kufuor stressed further, "Any society with a sense of fellow-feeling will be deeply worried by such horrifying statistics, so will a government which is investing so much in human resource development."
It was based on the impunity with which some drivers recklessly slaughtered commuters and maimed others on the major highways, creating a state of panic among passengers in the country, that caused the public to appeal to authorities in the country to institute measures that would bring sanity to the driving public to make travelling more enjoyable and comfortable.
It was therefore very ironic that while the Judiciary responded positively to the public outcry by imposing heavy fines and prison terms on recalcitrant drivers found guilty of road traffic offences, to deter others, politicians who should have given their blessings to the actions of the Judiciary to calm the nerves of the pubic, rather criticised the action of the Judiciary in diverse ways.
Using the 2008 general election as their main tool, some politicians found everything wrong with the judicial sanctions of recalcitrant drivers, especially those convicted for their recklessness on the road, and therefore used their campaign platforms to assure such convicts of their freedoms at the least opportunity.
It was based on scoring political points by using convicted reckless drivers as one of their baits, that the issue of convicted drivers gained prominence in the Ghanaian body politic, thus creating the impression that stiffer punishment meted to deviant drivers was inhuman.
It was on similar grounds that the Judiciary held the press conference in Kumasi and made frantic efforts to explain why some drivers were convicted in the first place, and why their sentences were later reviewed.
As part of his explanation during the press conference on why the sentences were reviewed, Justice Jones Dotse, who is a Justice of the Supreme Court, noted that "the recent decision to vary the sentences and fines of some persons convicted for motor traffic offences had nothing to do with political machinations, but a judicial principle to address some illegalities that have occurred since October 3, 2008".
Explaining further, he said the passage of the Road Traffic (Amendment) Act 2008, Act 761, by Parliament, which "was duly gazetted and therefore became law in Ghana, was not immediately brought to the courts' attention".
He pointed out that it was to address the illegalities that the Chief Justice mandated the Supervising High Court Judges to use the provisions in section 52 and 53 (3) of the Courts Act, 1993 Act 459 in addressing Motor Traffic offences.
He also explained that after the passage of the bills into law, “courts in Ghana ought to have stopped the application of the penal sanctions in Act 683 and instead apply the penal sanctions in Act 761".
"The failure to have brought the passage of Act 761 immediately to the attention and that of the police who mainly prosecute motor traffic offences, can be said to be a system failure between the legislature, the government and the Judiciary," he announced.
A press release also read at the press conference and signed by the Judicial Secretary, Justice Alex B. Poku–Acheampong, emphasised the directives of the Chief Justice to all courts in the country to vary or review all sentences passed within the period that were at variance with the provisions of the new law, Act 761.
"the result of these directives is that, where appropriate, all terms of imprisonment imposed on convicted persons will be set aside, and fines imposed will also be reviewed and reduced.
Prompt steps would be made to ensure that all fines already paid in excess of those authorised under Act 761, would be refunded to those concerned by the Controller and Accountant General's Department after proof of due payment had been exhibited, he stressed.
The release also hinted, "The Chief Justice has also informed all other stakeholders in the criminal Justice delivery system such as the Attorney- General's Department, the Police Service and the Ghana Prisons Service about the various steps taken by the Judicial Service to ensure that only the penal sanctions provided in the new Road Traffic Law Act 761 are applied."
Based on the decision of the court to review all sentences imposed on convicted drivers, those serving various prison terms were promptly released last year, while others whose fines were found to be in contravention of Act 761 had the excess refunded to them.
All these events unfolded during the election year in 2008, indicating that in election years, when the political temperature is adequately heated, the politicians would be prepared to sacrifice anything that militate against their onward march for power, no matter the consequence.
For, if that was not the case, how could drivers found guilty of committing various road traffic offences, most of which led to the untimely death of prominent citizens in the country, and permanently maimed others, be set free by competent courts of jurisdiction that sentenced them.
While the offending drivers are enjoying unlimited freedoms with their licences intact, making it possible for them to engage in productive ventures and live comfortable lives, their victims and their dependants are wallowing in the quagmire of despondency due to the problems they are going through.
Records of road traffic accidents for the past three years in the Ashanti Region alone, made available to the Daily Graphic by the Ashanti Regional Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), indicated that as many as 974 passengers and pedestrians were 'slaughtered' on the highways in the Ashanti Region between January 1, 2006 and December 31 2008.
The records revealed that while 268 passengers and pedestrians died in vehicular accidents in the Ashanti Region between January 1 and December 31 last year, the number reduced to 198 during the same period in 2007
However, as many as 408 passengers and pedestrians who were making meaningful contributions towards sustainable socio-economic development in the country were killed in vehicular accidents in the region between January 1 and December 31, 2006.
In all, 6798 vehicles were involved in accidents in the Ashanti Region during the period under review.
The vehicles were totally or partially destroyed, creating serious financial problems for their owners.
The Ashanti Regional Police Commander of the Motor Transport and Traffic Unit (MTTU), DSP Oduro Abrokwa, who briefed the Daily Graphic on the spate of accidents in the region, explained that a total of 2427 vehicles were involved in accidents between January 1 and December 31 2008, with the number reducing to 1514 during the same period in 2007.
DSP Oduro Abrokwa pointed out that between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2006, the recorded number of vehicles that were involved in accidents in the Ashanti Region stood at 2857.
Mr Abrokwa attributed the increasing number of accidents as usual to indiscipline on the part of commercial and private drivers, saying "the MTTU has always strived to educate drivers on the need to respect road traffic regulations to bring sanity onto the highways but our advice has always fallen on deaf ears".
He mentioned speeding, wrongful overtaking, overloading of vehicles and inadequate maintenance of vehicles as some of the major causes of road traffic accidents and gave the assurance that the police would continue to educate drivers for them to appreciate the need to respect road traffic regulations to ensure sanity on the road.
"It is very disturbing that notwithstanding the educational campaigns which were conducted for drivers within the Ashanti Region by the Regional Road Safety Commission and the police, drivers flouted and disregarded road safety signs on our roads,
leading to fatal accidents and death, as well as injuries, to innocent passengers," he explained.
Mr Abrokwa said investigations conducted on accident-related cases in the region also proved that drivers refused to rest when they were tired, and this caused some of them to sleep while driving, leading to head-on collision that usually caused many death and serious injuries to passengers on board such vehicles.
The Regional MTTU Commander said in most cases drivers who attended funerals and other social gatherings at the weekends also took advantage of the occasion to quaff a lot of alcoholic beverages and became intoxicated in the process.
Such drivers, he said, "drive recklessly on the road, because their sense of judgement was mostly impaired, which results in fatal accidents".
These are the palpable truth on the situation on the highways, which needs to be curtailed as the country strives to advance into the middle-income brackets.
What is ironic is why the immediate past government, which clamoured for stiffer punishment for reckless drivers found guilty of committing road traffic offences, panicked and introduced laws that relaxed the punishment for offending drivers at the time the then opposition was using the law as a weapon on their campaign platform to canvass for votes.
With the punishment against drivers who disregard road traffic regulations and create havoc on the highways now relaxed, drivers seem to have been given the green light to continue causing mayhem on the highways with impunity as the years roll by.
It therefore behoves civil society to stand up and cry out very loud at every part of the country to let our politicians appreciate the need to join civil society in their quest to bring sanity onto the highways.
Drivers should be made to understand that reckless driving that leads to slaughter on the highways is criminal, just as armed robbery, and that those whose action leads to the loss of lives and property should not be spared.
This is the only way that would deter potential reckless drivers from being reckless and appreciate the need to be circumspect on the highway to create sanity for the travelling public .
Politicians, irrespective of their political affiliations, should unite with a common voice to appreciate the need to collaborate with the Judiciary and punish reckless drivers who have now turned the highways into a slaughter house, killing and maiming defenceless passengers and pedestrians.
It is only when this happens that sanity will finally prevail on the highways to make passengers and pedestrians safe on our roads.
Monday, March 2, 2009
FIVE KATH STAFF GRADUATE AT CSUC (GRAPHIC NSEMPA, PAGE 15)
By George Ernest Asare
FIVE employees of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) were among 287 students of the Department of Business Studies who graduated at the 32nd graduation ceremony of Christian Service University College (CSUC) at Odeneho Kwadaso in Kumasi on February 21, this year.
The ceremony was on the theme, “ Quality manpower development; the role of private universities”.
The five, Messrs Sampson Gyamfi, Emmanuel Owusu Bempa, John Owusu, Ms Yvonne Ataa Agyepong and Ms Rita Owusu have been working at KATH for some years now, and with the skills acquired, they are expected to improve on their output to enhance efficient and effective delivery of services at the hospital.
Out of the 287 students who graduated, 25 of them including seven females obtained First Class Honours, with 113 receiving Second Class Upper, while 139 graduated with Second Class (Lower Division).
In his address, the Council Chairman of the CSUC, Professor Sam Afranie, appealed to the government to initiate action for legislative reforms in the administration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (Get Fund) to ensure that private tertiary institutions benefited tremendously from financial assistance from the state.
This, he said, would enable private tertiary institutions spread across the country, have access to the requisite educational infrastructure and logistics to facilitate the provision of quality education for qualified youth who could not enter the few and overstretched public tertiary institutions.
He pointed out that it was when the government adequately supported private tertiary institutions, just as it was doing for public ones, that the youth would be able to study in a conducive atmosphere, devoid of congestion, and develop their potentials more appropriately to enable them support sustainable national development.
Professor Afranie said the CSUC which was affiliated to the University of Ghana, was fully committed to the provision of quality education to enable them contribute meaningfully towards accelerated national development.
Professor Afranie said the University had already acquired an 11 –acre plot at Sabin Akrofrom to be developed as a second campus.
He gave the assurance that the land would be fully developed with access to hostel facilities to reduce the problem of accommodation among students.
The President of the CSUC, Professor Emmanuel Frempong, said in line with providing programmes relevant to the needs of society and national aspirations, the University would introduce a Bachelor of Science in Nursing next year.
He said the University authorities were initiating the requisite accreditation procedures for the Nursing programme.
He said already, the CSUC has introduced a programme in Communication with 43 students on admission.
Professor Frempong stated further that the CSUC had also introduced Computer Science programme which aims at equipping students with the requisite skills in computer and reduce the “ frustration of a number of students who desire to pursue education at the tertiary level, but are constrained as a result of the keen competition in the public universities”.
FIVE employees of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) were among 287 students of the Department of Business Studies who graduated at the 32nd graduation ceremony of Christian Service University College (CSUC) at Odeneho Kwadaso in Kumasi on February 21, this year.
The ceremony was on the theme, “ Quality manpower development; the role of private universities”.
The five, Messrs Sampson Gyamfi, Emmanuel Owusu Bempa, John Owusu, Ms Yvonne Ataa Agyepong and Ms Rita Owusu have been working at KATH for some years now, and with the skills acquired, they are expected to improve on their output to enhance efficient and effective delivery of services at the hospital.
Out of the 287 students who graduated, 25 of them including seven females obtained First Class Honours, with 113 receiving Second Class Upper, while 139 graduated with Second Class (Lower Division).
In his address, the Council Chairman of the CSUC, Professor Sam Afranie, appealed to the government to initiate action for legislative reforms in the administration of the Ghana Education Trust Fund (Get Fund) to ensure that private tertiary institutions benefited tremendously from financial assistance from the state.
This, he said, would enable private tertiary institutions spread across the country, have access to the requisite educational infrastructure and logistics to facilitate the provision of quality education for qualified youth who could not enter the few and overstretched public tertiary institutions.
He pointed out that it was when the government adequately supported private tertiary institutions, just as it was doing for public ones, that the youth would be able to study in a conducive atmosphere, devoid of congestion, and develop their potentials more appropriately to enable them support sustainable national development.
Professor Afranie said the CSUC which was affiliated to the University of Ghana, was fully committed to the provision of quality education to enable them contribute meaningfully towards accelerated national development.
Professor Afranie said the University had already acquired an 11 –acre plot at Sabin Akrofrom to be developed as a second campus.
He gave the assurance that the land would be fully developed with access to hostel facilities to reduce the problem of accommodation among students.
The President of the CSUC, Professor Emmanuel Frempong, said in line with providing programmes relevant to the needs of society and national aspirations, the University would introduce a Bachelor of Science in Nursing next year.
He said the University authorities were initiating the requisite accreditation procedures for the Nursing programme.
He said already, the CSUC has introduced a programme in Communication with 43 students on admission.
Professor Frempong stated further that the CSUC had also introduced Computer Science programme which aims at equipping students with the requisite skills in computer and reduce the “ frustration of a number of students who desire to pursue education at the tertiary level, but are constrained as a result of the keen competition in the public universities”.
EC TO WEED OUT DORMANT PARTIES (1B)
THE Electoral Commission (EC) has dropped hint of moves to expunge the names of non-functional political parties in the country from the books of the commission.
A member of the commission, Mrs Pauline Adobea Dadzawa, who gave the hint, explained that some political parties only existed in name and went dormant moments after elections, only to spring up during an election year.
“We cherish multi-party democracy, and are ever prepared to encourage it, but some political parties are simply not existing and functioning as expected so many of them will soon be weeded out,” she warned.
“We are aware that some of the political parties are non-functional and, therefore, have no business to continue existing in our record books,” she said.
Mrs Dadzawa was speaking at the Ashanti Regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee (RIPAC) review meeting in Kumasi last Friday.
The meeting, which sought to review the performance of the EC in relation to the last general election, was attended by representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC).
Those heard of during the election period but not present included the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the New Vission Party (NVP), the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), the United Renaissance Party (URP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
Some officials from the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the media and the Catholic Church also attended the meeting.
Mrs Dadzawa pointed out that while some of the political parties had functioning offices in all the regional capitals, as well as at the district and zonal levels, making participatory democracy more vibrant, “ it is very difficult to trace the offices of some other political parties, and even the few ones dotted across the country are filled with coal pots, cooking utensils and other materials, giving the impression that they are not operating as serious political parties”.
Mrs Dadzawa, who is the Ashanti Regional representative of the EC, also expressed concern over some words used by a section of party representatives in the run-up to the last general election.
She gave the assurance that the EC was putting measures in place to make the 2012 general election more transparent to sustain democracy in the country and appealed to the media to be supportive to enable the EC implement its programmes and policies that would make the next general elections more credible.
She also appealed to the various political parties to attend all RIPAC meetings and make meaningful contributions during such meetings to enable them address all problems that undermine smooth elections.
During the forum, the party representatives urged the EC to investigate issues relating to the quality of the indelible ink used for the elections.
They disclosed that some herbal concoctions, when applied to fingers marked with the indelible ink easily erased the ink, making it easy for some people to undertake multiple voting.
They also appealed to the EC to provide vehicles to the leadership of the political parties on time to enhance their campaigns instead of waiting till the last minute before such vehicles were released.
The party representatives also appealed to the EC to implore the government to pay party agents during elections to encourage the agents to monitor the elections very well.
Earlier, the Ashanti Regional Deputy Police Commander, ACP Mr Kwasi Duku, had refuted allegations that the police personnel who were deployed to the polling centres were not given any incentives.
He said the police administration made sufficient provisions to police personnel in the form of cash for their meals “ so it was wrong for any party to have provided any food or money to any police officer. I am saying this because all of them were adequately catered for”.
A member of the commission, Mrs Pauline Adobea Dadzawa, who gave the hint, explained that some political parties only existed in name and went dormant moments after elections, only to spring up during an election year.
“We cherish multi-party democracy, and are ever prepared to encourage it, but some political parties are simply not existing and functioning as expected so many of them will soon be weeded out,” she warned.
“We are aware that some of the political parties are non-functional and, therefore, have no business to continue existing in our record books,” she said.
Mrs Dadzawa was speaking at the Ashanti Regional Inter-Party Advisory Committee (RIPAC) review meeting in Kumasi last Friday.
The meeting, which sought to review the performance of the EC in relation to the last general election, was attended by representatives of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the New Patriotic Party (NPP), the Convention People’s Party (CPP) and the People’s National Convention (PNC).
Those heard of during the election period but not present included the Democratic People’s Party (DPP), the Democratic Freedom Party (DFP), the New Vission Party (NVP), the Reformed Patriotic Democrats (RPD), the United Renaissance Party (URP) and the Great Consolidated Popular Party (GCPP).
Some officials from the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), the media and the Catholic Church also attended the meeting.
Mrs Dadzawa pointed out that while some of the political parties had functioning offices in all the regional capitals, as well as at the district and zonal levels, making participatory democracy more vibrant, “ it is very difficult to trace the offices of some other political parties, and even the few ones dotted across the country are filled with coal pots, cooking utensils and other materials, giving the impression that they are not operating as serious political parties”.
Mrs Dadzawa, who is the Ashanti Regional representative of the EC, also expressed concern over some words used by a section of party representatives in the run-up to the last general election.
She gave the assurance that the EC was putting measures in place to make the 2012 general election more transparent to sustain democracy in the country and appealed to the media to be supportive to enable the EC implement its programmes and policies that would make the next general elections more credible.
She also appealed to the various political parties to attend all RIPAC meetings and make meaningful contributions during such meetings to enable them address all problems that undermine smooth elections.
During the forum, the party representatives urged the EC to investigate issues relating to the quality of the indelible ink used for the elections.
They disclosed that some herbal concoctions, when applied to fingers marked with the indelible ink easily erased the ink, making it easy for some people to undertake multiple voting.
They also appealed to the EC to provide vehicles to the leadership of the political parties on time to enhance their campaigns instead of waiting till the last minute before such vehicles were released.
The party representatives also appealed to the EC to implore the government to pay party agents during elections to encourage the agents to monitor the elections very well.
Earlier, the Ashanti Regional Deputy Police Commander, ACP Mr Kwasi Duku, had refuted allegations that the police personnel who were deployed to the polling centres were not given any incentives.
He said the police administration made sufficient provisions to police personnel in the form of cash for their meals “ so it was wrong for any party to have provided any food or money to any police officer. I am saying this because all of them were adequately catered for”.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
TOURIST BOARD CARNIVAL RIDES KUMASI STREETS (PAGE 20)
As part of its efforts to make people aware of the many tourism offerings in the Ashanti Region, the Ghana Tourist Board (GTB) has organised a carnival in the principal streets of the Kumasi metropolis
With "Unity in Diversity" as its main theme, the GTB succeeded in focusing the attention of the business community at the central business district of Adum and other parts of Kumasi from commerce to tourism.
With brass band music, highlife, gospel and traditional music as the vehicle and joined by dancers, the business community were naturally attracted to the activity that was going on around them.
By 10 a.m, the Post Office Square where the carnival started was brimming with people, and as representatives of costumed cultural troupes, masqueraders , horse riders and other entertainers from other regions started arriving to be part of the carnival, the interest of onlookers had intensified.
The carnival went through the Post Office Square to the Barclays Bank Roundabout to the Paul Sagoe Lane and then branched to the Focusline around the Agyekum Building through Dimlite, Pampaso to the Zoo Traffic Light, before moving through the Komfo Anokye Roundabout and ended at the Cultural Centre where they entertained a number of people who had already gathered there.
Commenting on the significance of the carnival, which is the second to be organised by the GTB in Kumasi, the Regional Manager, Mr Ben Anane- Nsiah said that apart from the various tourists sites in the region, certain events , such as the carnival, needs to be promoted and sustained to enable it become more attractive to the public".
He that in the Ashanti region, the Akwasidae festival is one attraction which promotes traditional values, enticing many dignitaries to participate fully "but it does not hurt to develop a different identity in the tourist industry such as the carnival, and Kumasi being cosmopolitan, it would soon become one of the attractions in the tourist industry if we sustain it.
"The idea of bringing the carnival to Kumasi is to highlight different regional presence because apart from the indigenes , there are a lot of other people in Kumasi who would be eager to participate in the event".
He said that the brass band, masqueraders and cultural troupes who took part were from the Northern, Greater Accra , Volta, Central and Ashanti Regions.
With "Unity in Diversity" as its main theme, the GTB succeeded in focusing the attention of the business community at the central business district of Adum and other parts of Kumasi from commerce to tourism.
With brass band music, highlife, gospel and traditional music as the vehicle and joined by dancers, the business community were naturally attracted to the activity that was going on around them.
By 10 a.m, the Post Office Square where the carnival started was brimming with people, and as representatives of costumed cultural troupes, masqueraders , horse riders and other entertainers from other regions started arriving to be part of the carnival, the interest of onlookers had intensified.
The carnival went through the Post Office Square to the Barclays Bank Roundabout to the Paul Sagoe Lane and then branched to the Focusline around the Agyekum Building through Dimlite, Pampaso to the Zoo Traffic Light, before moving through the Komfo Anokye Roundabout and ended at the Cultural Centre where they entertained a number of people who had already gathered there.
Commenting on the significance of the carnival, which is the second to be organised by the GTB in Kumasi, the Regional Manager, Mr Ben Anane- Nsiah said that apart from the various tourists sites in the region, certain events , such as the carnival, needs to be promoted and sustained to enable it become more attractive to the public".
He that in the Ashanti region, the Akwasidae festival is one attraction which promotes traditional values, enticing many dignitaries to participate fully "but it does not hurt to develop a different identity in the tourist industry such as the carnival, and Kumasi being cosmopolitan, it would soon become one of the attractions in the tourist industry if we sustain it.
"The idea of bringing the carnival to Kumasi is to highlight different regional presence because apart from the indigenes , there are a lot of other people in Kumasi who would be eager to participate in the event".
He said that the brass band, masqueraders and cultural troupes who took part were from the Northern, Greater Accra , Volta, Central and Ashanti Regions.
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