Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE Tamale Central Market is the nerve centre of commercial activities in the metropolis.
As the name depicts, it is located in the central business district where people from all walks of life converge to transact business.
There are two major markets in Tamale: the Central and Aboabo markets. There are also satellite markets dotted in some of the suburbs such as Lamashegu.
The markets, which provide livelihood for most residents and the metropolitan assembly, are in a very deplorable state, which does not befit the status of this fast-growing city.
Apart from the haphazard way the stores and stalls are sited, the markets are congested. Shoppers, therefore, find it difficult to move about easily.
There are also no drains; neither are the narrow walkways sealed. During the rainy season, the markets become so muddy that they become no-go areas for shoppers.
Those who venture into them eventually get their clothes soiled.
The markets also lack proper urinals and toilets. There is only an old fashioned public toilet located inside the old market and this is simply an eyesore.
Apart from being not adequate to serve the growing number of traders and shoppers, its location in the midst of stores and stalls is a threat to the health of the people. One only prays that an epidemic does not break out any time soon.
In the event of an emergency such as sickness or fire outbreak, it would be a disaster because no ambulance or fire engine can gain access to the appropriate place.
Indeed, it is the hope of many residents that the metropolitan assembly would supervise the rebuilding of the central market, which was burnt during the revolutionary era in 1979, to ensure that it conforms to modern standards of construction.
Unfortunately, that is not the case, resulting in the messy state of the two markets.
During the Acheampong regime of the ’70s, an attempt was made to build a market complex at Aboabo but the project could not be completed before he was overthrown.
However, the foundation that was laid for the storey building is still intact and the TAMA could continue with the project.
The metropolitan officials say they are exploring ways of attracting private developers to partner it to build the markets to appreciable standards and also improve the facilities there.
They further said that more satellite markets would be created in some of the suburbs to ‘decongest’ the existing markets.
It is hoped that the assembly would live up to its commitment by ensuring that the markets are given the necessary facelift to befit the status of the metropolis.
Friday, February 29, 2008
POLICE TO REWARD INFORMANTS (PAGE 29)
STORY: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE Northern Regional Police Command has offered an amount of GH¢ 2,000 to anyone who will volunteer information leading to the arrest of those behind the killing of Corporal Frank Mensah Kpeglo in Tamale.
A Tamale-based philanthropist, who wants to remain anonymous, has also offered an additional amount of GH¢2,000 for any information on the murderers.
The police officer, who was on duty at the residence of the Deputy Northern Regional Police Commander, near the West End Hospital, on the night of February 14, 2008, was found dead the following morning with his A.K. 47 assault rifle nowhere to be found
The motive for the killing of the police officer is not known, neither has any arrest been made yet in connection with the murder.
This was contained in a statement issued to the press in Tamale on Wednesday and signed by the Northern Regional Police Commander, who is also in charge of Special Duties in the northern sector, Commissioner of Police Ephraim Okoe Brakatu.
‘‘The police suspect foul play and as such have ordered full-scale investigations into the matter,’’ the statement said.
It added that as a ‘‘result of the efforts of the police to clamp down on criminal activities and pursue the perpetrators of crime to face the full rigours of the law, we have offered an amount of GH¢2,000 to whoever volunteers information leading to the arrest of the suspects.’’
The statement entreated any member of the public with any credible information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to kindly contact the Police Command either in person or on phone.
‘‘Informants are assured of their anonymity and protection,’’ the statement said.
In a related development, the Concerned Citizens Association of Tamale (CCAT) has also condemned the killing of the police officer, which it described as unprecedented in the metropolis.
‘‘This is not only cruel but also an irresponsible act that threatens the relations that should exist between the security forces and the civilian population in this area,’’ the association stated.
The president of the association, Mr Alhassan Basharu Daballi, further called on those unscrupulous elements, who are engaged in acts of insecurity in the metropolis to desist from such conduct since it threatened the prevailing peace and stability in the area.
He also appealed to the leadership of both the Andani and Abudu royal families to exercise caution in the handling of the protracted Dagbon chieftaincy dispute.
For instance, Mr Daballi cited the announcements on radio stations by both gates calling on their followers to meet every now and then and said, ‘‘this development raises people’s apprehension about the acts of violence being threatened’’.
‘‘We wish further to call on all well-meaning citizens of this area to assist the security forces by volunteering information that will lead to the arrest of these self-seeking individuals who are bent on profiting from the insecurity in Dagbon,’’ he stated.
The president of the association also urged residents to heed the appeal by the police command and volunteer information on the killing of the police officer, ‘‘for we as civilians believe that demonstrating this civic responsibility will encourage the security forces to carry out their mandate of protecting us the very citizens of this place’’.
THE Northern Regional Police Command has offered an amount of GH¢ 2,000 to anyone who will volunteer information leading to the arrest of those behind the killing of Corporal Frank Mensah Kpeglo in Tamale.
A Tamale-based philanthropist, who wants to remain anonymous, has also offered an additional amount of GH¢2,000 for any information on the murderers.
The police officer, who was on duty at the residence of the Deputy Northern Regional Police Commander, near the West End Hospital, on the night of February 14, 2008, was found dead the following morning with his A.K. 47 assault rifle nowhere to be found
The motive for the killing of the police officer is not known, neither has any arrest been made yet in connection with the murder.
This was contained in a statement issued to the press in Tamale on Wednesday and signed by the Northern Regional Police Commander, who is also in charge of Special Duties in the northern sector, Commissioner of Police Ephraim Okoe Brakatu.
‘‘The police suspect foul play and as such have ordered full-scale investigations into the matter,’’ the statement said.
It added that as a ‘‘result of the efforts of the police to clamp down on criminal activities and pursue the perpetrators of crime to face the full rigours of the law, we have offered an amount of GH¢2,000 to whoever volunteers information leading to the arrest of the suspects.’’
The statement entreated any member of the public with any credible information that could lead to the arrest of the suspects to kindly contact the Police Command either in person or on phone.
‘‘Informants are assured of their anonymity and protection,’’ the statement said.
In a related development, the Concerned Citizens Association of Tamale (CCAT) has also condemned the killing of the police officer, which it described as unprecedented in the metropolis.
‘‘This is not only cruel but also an irresponsible act that threatens the relations that should exist between the security forces and the civilian population in this area,’’ the association stated.
The president of the association, Mr Alhassan Basharu Daballi, further called on those unscrupulous elements, who are engaged in acts of insecurity in the metropolis to desist from such conduct since it threatened the prevailing peace and stability in the area.
He also appealed to the leadership of both the Andani and Abudu royal families to exercise caution in the handling of the protracted Dagbon chieftaincy dispute.
For instance, Mr Daballi cited the announcements on radio stations by both gates calling on their followers to meet every now and then and said, ‘‘this development raises people’s apprehension about the acts of violence being threatened’’.
‘‘We wish further to call on all well-meaning citizens of this area to assist the security forces by volunteering information that will lead to the arrest of these self-seeking individuals who are bent on profiting from the insecurity in Dagbon,’’ he stated.
The president of the association also urged residents to heed the appeal by the police command and volunteer information on the killing of the police officer, ‘‘for we as civilians believe that demonstrating this civic responsibility will encourage the security forces to carry out their mandate of protecting us the very citizens of this place’’.
WORKERS URGED TO UNDERGO REGULAR CHECK-UPS (PAGE 20)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Savelugu
THE Savelugu/Nanton District Director of Health Services, Dr Kofi Issah, has urged employers to ensure regular check-up on the health conditions of their employees to guarantee a strong workforce for increased productivity.
‘‘It is important that the health of employees are taken seriously because it is better to prevent their health from deteriorating than attending their funerals,’’ he stressed.
The director also advised Ghanaians to live healthy lifestyles by not only consuming balance diets, but also embarking on regular exercises, since ‘‘a healthy mind is found in a healthy body’.’
Dr Issah was speaking at the annual district health performance review at Savelugu.
He expressed concern about the frequent holding of workshops and seminars in various parts of the country for health practitioners.
Dr Issah said even though such training programmes were necessary to improve participants’ knowledge, their regularity and unco-ordinated nature were affecting effective health delivery at most hospitals and clinics, especially in the rural communities where there were few health personnel.
‘‘At a particular time and for almost two weeks, I did not step foot at the hospital because I had to attend a number of workshops at very short intervals,’’ Dr Issah stated.
He, therefore, called for effective collaboration and streamlining of workshops among organisers and other stakeholders to ensure uninterrupted work schedules of the participants.
On the guinea worm situation in the district, which is the highest in the country, Dr Issah said his outfit had chalked up some successes in its reduction over the past year.
He said the 666 guinea worm cases the district recorded in January, 2007 had reduced drastically to only 27 cases by January, this year.
Dr Issah attributed the downward trend of the disease in the area to the various sensitisation programmes carried out over the years.
He, however, expressed concern about a possible relapse because ‘‘at the moment the dams at Savelugu are dried up and there is also no proper source of supply water”.
Dr Issah commended the Savelugu District Assembly for supporting the expansion of the hospital.
He, however, appealed to the District Chief Executive (DCE) and the Ministry of Health to help decongest the out-patient department of the hospital and also post more staff to the facility.
The DCE, Alhaji Abubakari Atori, was appreciative of the efforts of the doctors and staff of the hospital for putting in their best in spite of the prevailing challenges.
BRITISH NGO ASSISTS DISASTER VICTIMS IN NR (PAGE 20)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE rainstorm disaster that hit the entire northern sector of the country in the last quarter of last year, has left many of the people devastated, with some of them still reeling from the calamity.
Victims at most of the affected communities are still finding it difficult to gather the pieces together to rebuild their homes and rehabilitate their food crops that were destroyed in the process.
In that regard, HOPE for Children, a British non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with its local partners, Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems (RAINS), has donated some relief items to the victims at Nabogu in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region.
The NGO had earlier made cash donation to women basket weavers at another farming community, Nyariga, to enable the victims to restart their business.
The items included a quantity of cement and bundles of roofing sheets for the rehabilitation of their respective homes.
The Country Representative of Hope for Children, Madam Azara Mahama, said the donation formed part of the objectives of her organisation in giving hope to the vulnerable in society including the handicapped, the orphaned, poor and exploited children .
She observed that even though the floods occurred some months ago, their effects still lingered on the people.
Madam Mahama, therefore, expressed the hope that ‘‘the support would help you to rebuild your homes and also improve on your well-being”.
A beneficiary of the relief items, Afah Iddrisu Fuseini, was grateful to their benefactors for their concern and support which would help ameliorate the difficulties they were currently going through.
THE rainstorm disaster that hit the entire northern sector of the country in the last quarter of last year, has left many of the people devastated, with some of them still reeling from the calamity.
Victims at most of the affected communities are still finding it difficult to gather the pieces together to rebuild their homes and rehabilitate their food crops that were destroyed in the process.
In that regard, HOPE for Children, a British non-governmental organisation (NGO), in collaboration with its local partners, Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems (RAINS), has donated some relief items to the victims at Nabogu in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region.
The NGO had earlier made cash donation to women basket weavers at another farming community, Nyariga, to enable the victims to restart their business.
The items included a quantity of cement and bundles of roofing sheets for the rehabilitation of their respective homes.
The Country Representative of Hope for Children, Madam Azara Mahama, said the donation formed part of the objectives of her organisation in giving hope to the vulnerable in society including the handicapped, the orphaned, poor and exploited children .
She observed that even though the floods occurred some months ago, their effects still lingered on the people.
Madam Mahama, therefore, expressed the hope that ‘‘the support would help you to rebuild your homes and also improve on your well-being”.
A beneficiary of the relief items, Afah Iddrisu Fuseini, was grateful to their benefactors for their concern and support which would help ameliorate the difficulties they were currently going through.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
KONONGO ODUMASE SHS WINS DEBATE (PAGE 11)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
KONONGO Odumase Senior High School in the Ashanti Region emerged winners in the 51st Independence Day Anniversary Debate competition held in Tamale for the northern sector of the country with 96.5 points.
They were followed closely by St Francis Xavier Senior High School from the Upper West Region with 96.0 points, while Sunyani, Gowrie, also from the Upper West, and Nalerigu Senior High schools placed third, fourth and fifth with 95.0, 82.5 and 70.5 points respectively.
The schools were drawn from the Ashanti, Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Northern and Upper East regions. The topic for the day’s debate was ‘‘The Institution of Chieftaincy is Inimical to our National Progress.’’
The highly competitive debate was witnessed by the Northern Regional Director of Education, Mr John K. Hobenu, and some headmasters, tutors and students from the competing schools.
According to the organiser of the programme, Madam Alice A. Belbaar, the winners from the northern sector would meet their counterparts in the southern sector for the grand finale in March, this year, as part of the independence anniversary.
Madam Belbaar, who is also the Northern Regional Cultural Co-ordinator, described the competition as very educative and one that would help broaden the knowledge and vocabulary of the students, and also enable them to socialise with their colleagues.
Mr Hobenu, for his part, expressed concern over the declining performance of pupils and students in both the BECE and the WASSCE in the northern sector over the years.
‘‘It is quite worrying and frantic efforts are needed to salvage the unfortunate situation English tutors will attest to the fact that the problem is worse with some key subject areas, paramount among which is the English Language,’’ he added.
The director said it was for this reason that such debates should be encouraged to positively influence students to refine their language skills.
‘‘More important, debates help to broaden our knowledge, increase our vocabulary, eloquence and fluency; it arouses our interest in research and increase our quest for more knowledge,’ he stated.
In addition, he said competitors were exposed to the rudiments of competitive skills to enable them build confidence in themselves, which he noted, was a good foundation for academic excellence in their educational pursuits.
‘‘Let us, therefore, with unity of purpose, strive harder than before to achieve this objective,’’ Mr Hobenu implored.
KONONGO Odumase Senior High School in the Ashanti Region emerged winners in the 51st Independence Day Anniversary Debate competition held in Tamale for the northern sector of the country with 96.5 points.
They were followed closely by St Francis Xavier Senior High School from the Upper West Region with 96.0 points, while Sunyani, Gowrie, also from the Upper West, and Nalerigu Senior High schools placed third, fourth and fifth with 95.0, 82.5 and 70.5 points respectively.
The schools were drawn from the Ashanti, Upper West, Brong Ahafo, Northern and Upper East regions. The topic for the day’s debate was ‘‘The Institution of Chieftaincy is Inimical to our National Progress.’’
The highly competitive debate was witnessed by the Northern Regional Director of Education, Mr John K. Hobenu, and some headmasters, tutors and students from the competing schools.
According to the organiser of the programme, Madam Alice A. Belbaar, the winners from the northern sector would meet their counterparts in the southern sector for the grand finale in March, this year, as part of the independence anniversary.
Madam Belbaar, who is also the Northern Regional Cultural Co-ordinator, described the competition as very educative and one that would help broaden the knowledge and vocabulary of the students, and also enable them to socialise with their colleagues.
Mr Hobenu, for his part, expressed concern over the declining performance of pupils and students in both the BECE and the WASSCE in the northern sector over the years.
‘‘It is quite worrying and frantic efforts are needed to salvage the unfortunate situation English tutors will attest to the fact that the problem is worse with some key subject areas, paramount among which is the English Language,’’ he added.
The director said it was for this reason that such debates should be encouraged to positively influence students to refine their language skills.
‘‘More important, debates help to broaden our knowledge, increase our vocabulary, eloquence and fluency; it arouses our interest in research and increase our quest for more knowledge,’ he stated.
In addition, he said competitors were exposed to the rudiments of competitive skills to enable them build confidence in themselves, which he noted, was a good foundation for academic excellence in their educational pursuits.
‘‘Let us, therefore, with unity of purpose, strive harder than before to achieve this objective,’’ Mr Hobenu implored.
SAVELEGU RESIDENTS CRY FOR POTABLE WATER (BACK PAAGE)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Savelugu
RESIDENTS of Savelugu in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region at the weekend embarked on a massive demonstration to press home their demand for potable water.
The peaceful demonstration was dominated by women and children, who often bear the daily burden of searching for water for domestic use in the district, which is reputed to having the highest cases of guinea worm disease in the country.
The aggrieved residents marched through the principal streets of Savelugu with some carrying placards with the inscriptions “we have suffered for long, we need potable water now,” “what crime have we committed to deserve this neglect?” “our children and women have suffered enough pain; we need relief now”.
People in the area have suffered perennial water shortages over the years, compelling them to resort to the use of unhygienic water to survive, for which reason the guinea worm disease still thrives in the district despite various interventions.
A 28-year-old housewife, Azara Mahama, said “sometimes I spend the whole day with my children searching for potable water because we are tired of drinking the unwholesome water from the dams from which my entire family have suffered from guinea worm infestation”.
A 14-year-old boy who is out of school, Fatawu Issah, explained that he decided to join the demonstrators because “we heard that the assembly was charging water tanker drivers who sell to us at exorbitant prices”.
However, the District Chief Executive, Alhaji Abubarkari Atori, explained that his outfit in collaboration with UNICEF had provided a purifying machine at a dam at Libga in Savelugu.
Treated water from the dam is stored in an overhead reservoir from where water tankers draw water from for onward sale to the public in addition to some mechanised boreholes.
According to the chief executive, the tanker drivers only paid GH¢2 for a full tank which some of the drivers had protested against. And it was believed some of the aggrieved drivers had incited the people to demonstrate.
Alhaji Atori said in the interim, the assembly had recruited guards to protect the existing dams in the district and also provided water filters to almost every household to prevent them from contracting the guinea worm disease.
RESIDENTS of Savelugu in the Savelugu/Nanton District of the Northern Region at the weekend embarked on a massive demonstration to press home their demand for potable water.
The peaceful demonstration was dominated by women and children, who often bear the daily burden of searching for water for domestic use in the district, which is reputed to having the highest cases of guinea worm disease in the country.
The aggrieved residents marched through the principal streets of Savelugu with some carrying placards with the inscriptions “we have suffered for long, we need potable water now,” “what crime have we committed to deserve this neglect?” “our children and women have suffered enough pain; we need relief now”.
People in the area have suffered perennial water shortages over the years, compelling them to resort to the use of unhygienic water to survive, for which reason the guinea worm disease still thrives in the district despite various interventions.
A 28-year-old housewife, Azara Mahama, said “sometimes I spend the whole day with my children searching for potable water because we are tired of drinking the unwholesome water from the dams from which my entire family have suffered from guinea worm infestation”.
A 14-year-old boy who is out of school, Fatawu Issah, explained that he decided to join the demonstrators because “we heard that the assembly was charging water tanker drivers who sell to us at exorbitant prices”.
However, the District Chief Executive, Alhaji Abubarkari Atori, explained that his outfit in collaboration with UNICEF had provided a purifying machine at a dam at Libga in Savelugu.
Treated water from the dam is stored in an overhead reservoir from where water tankers draw water from for onward sale to the public in addition to some mechanised boreholes.
According to the chief executive, the tanker drivers only paid GH¢2 for a full tank which some of the drivers had protested against. And it was believed some of the aggrieved drivers had incited the people to demonstrate.
Alhaji Atori said in the interim, the assembly had recruited guards to protect the existing dams in the district and also provided water filters to almost every household to prevent them from contracting the guinea worm disease.
Monday, February 25, 2008
SECURITY AVERTS CLASH (PAGE 3)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan,
THE swift intervention of the Bimbilla North District Security Committee has averted a possible clash between Konkombas and
Nanumbas over a protracted land dispute.
The long-standing feud between the two ethnic groups over the right custodian of Nakpaa, a farming town in the Nanumba North District, was renewed last Tuesday when a group of Konkombas was reported to be planning an attack on some Nanumbas in the area.
However, the DISEC intervened swiftly to arrest the four persons who were mentioned in connection with the planned attack. They have since been released to assist in investigations. Their names were not disclosed for security reasons.
At the moment, the DISEC is holding a series of reconciliatory talks between the leadership of the two groups, which the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Salifu Seidu, described as fruitful. He added that the situation in the town was also calm.
The misunderstanding follows claims by the Konkombas that they will no longer play subservient roles to the Nanumbas who are said to be custodians of the land.
The Konkombas insist that they are also natives of the land on which they had stayed for generations and so they would no longer purchase any piece of land from the Nanumbas.
In a move to resolve the disagreements, the DCE, who is also the chairman of DISEC, disclosed that there was a recommendation from the meeting to the effect that none of the two groups should engage in the selling of any land in the town, unless on the express recommendation of the substantive Nakpaa-Na (chief of Nakpaa), who is a Nanumba and presently based in Bimbilla.
He further warned that any individual or group that would disturb the existing peace in the district would be made to face the full rigours of the law.
The two ethnic groups clashed over the issue about 14 years ago and that resulted in some fatalities. Since then there have been deep-seated suspicions and disagreements over the rightful custodians of the land.
THE swift intervention of the Bimbilla North District Security Committee has averted a possible clash between Konkombas and
Nanumbas over a protracted land dispute.
The long-standing feud between the two ethnic groups over the right custodian of Nakpaa, a farming town in the Nanumba North District, was renewed last Tuesday when a group of Konkombas was reported to be planning an attack on some Nanumbas in the area.
However, the DISEC intervened swiftly to arrest the four persons who were mentioned in connection with the planned attack. They have since been released to assist in investigations. Their names were not disclosed for security reasons.
At the moment, the DISEC is holding a series of reconciliatory talks between the leadership of the two groups, which the District Chief Executive (DCE) for the area, Mr Salifu Seidu, described as fruitful. He added that the situation in the town was also calm.
The misunderstanding follows claims by the Konkombas that they will no longer play subservient roles to the Nanumbas who are said to be custodians of the land.
The Konkombas insist that they are also natives of the land on which they had stayed for generations and so they would no longer purchase any piece of land from the Nanumbas.
In a move to resolve the disagreements, the DCE, who is also the chairman of DISEC, disclosed that there was a recommendation from the meeting to the effect that none of the two groups should engage in the selling of any land in the town, unless on the express recommendation of the substantive Nakpaa-Na (chief of Nakpaa), who is a Nanumba and presently based in Bimbilla.
He further warned that any individual or group that would disturb the existing peace in the district would be made to face the full rigours of the law.
The two ethnic groups clashed over the issue about 14 years ago and that resulted in some fatalities. Since then there have been deep-seated suspicions and disagreements over the rightful custodians of the land.
RTU CAUSE HEARTS MORE PAIN (BACK PAGE)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
The pride of the North, Real Tamale United, rubbed pepper into the gaping wounds of visting Accra Hearts of Oak when the homesters nailed the struggling soccer giants 2-0 in an exciting match played at the new Tamale Stadium yesterday.
All the goals were scored in the first half by Kwame Adzagba who converted a freekick into the yawning net in the 10th minute, with Kabiru Imoro expertly sealing the doom of the visitors four minutes later when he parried in a pass from Shilla Iliasu.
The Tamale lads overwhelmed the Phobian boys who were reduced to chasing their opponents shadows to redeem their battered image in the on-going Onetouch Premier League.
But for the numerous begging chances wasted in front of goal, RTU could have buried Hearts under an avalanche of goals.
The diminutive nimble-footed Tuah proved too slipery for the weak defence of Hearts as he dazzled the fans with edge-cutting dribbling.
Hearts exshausted their substitution by the 66th minute to bring more bite upfront and this nearly paid off as Samuel Afum almost pulled a gosl back in the 46th and 65th minutes respectively.
When Toufik Gibririe was brought in the second half, he took control of the midfield as he constantly cut into the middle to push his collegues forward for the needed equalizer but the resilience of the Tamale lads proved too much for their efforts.
RTU increased the pressure in the dying minutes of the game with telepathic passes upfront, anchored by the danger man, Tuah, but made heavy weather of their numerous chances.
The pride of the North, Real Tamale United, rubbed pepper into the gaping wounds of visting Accra Hearts of Oak when the homesters nailed the struggling soccer giants 2-0 in an exciting match played at the new Tamale Stadium yesterday.
All the goals were scored in the first half by Kwame Adzagba who converted a freekick into the yawning net in the 10th minute, with Kabiru Imoro expertly sealing the doom of the visitors four minutes later when he parried in a pass from Shilla Iliasu.
The Tamale lads overwhelmed the Phobian boys who were reduced to chasing their opponents shadows to redeem their battered image in the on-going Onetouch Premier League.
But for the numerous begging chances wasted in front of goal, RTU could have buried Hearts under an avalanche of goals.
The diminutive nimble-footed Tuah proved too slipery for the weak defence of Hearts as he dazzled the fans with edge-cutting dribbling.
Hearts exshausted their substitution by the 66th minute to bring more bite upfront and this nearly paid off as Samuel Afum almost pulled a gosl back in the 46th and 65th minutes respectively.
When Toufik Gibririe was brought in the second half, he took control of the midfield as he constantly cut into the middle to push his collegues forward for the needed equalizer but the resilience of the Tamale lads proved too much for their efforts.
RTU increased the pressure in the dying minutes of the game with telepathic passes upfront, anchored by the danger man, Tuah, but made heavy weather of their numerous chances.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
SMHS STUDENTS BEGIN LECTURES ON NEW CAMPUS (PAGE 30)
From Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale.
STUDENTS of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) of the University for Development Studies have begun lectures at the newly constructed campus in Tamale.
The school is also putting the necessary mechanisms in place to begin its clinical training after preparing the grounds at selected district and regional hospitals in the three northern and Brong Ahafo regions as a back-up to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
And as part of the process of having students to undergo all their training in the catchment zones, 35 students who successfully completed their pre-clinical in October last year are to start their bridging programme in Tamale from April this year.
Currently, the SMHS has 66, 86 and 36 students in their third, second and first year.
STUDENTS of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) of the University for Development Studies have begun lectures at the newly constructed campus in Tamale.
The school is also putting the necessary mechanisms in place to begin its clinical training after preparing the grounds at selected district and regional hospitals in the three northern and Brong Ahafo regions as a back-up to the Tamale Teaching Hospital.
And as part of the process of having students to undergo all their training in the catchment zones, 35 students who successfully completed their pre-clinical in October last year are to start their bridging programme in Tamale from April this year.
Currently, the SMHS has 66, 86 and 36 students in their third, second and first year.
VARSITIES URGED TO DEVELOP SPORTS-ORIENTED COURSES (Page 31)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE 20th edition of the Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) Games has opened in Tamale with a call by President John Agyekum Kufuor on the country’s public universities to include special courses in sports development in their curricula to broaden the horizon of students.
According to President Kufuor, it had become increasingly clear that sports was key to any effort aimed at consolidating peace, unity and development in every nation.
“Apart from sports creating the platform for social interaction and harmony, it also provides good avenues for the youth to invest their leisure time and to promote healthy lifestyles. It is a time for all of us to feel Ghanaian,” he observed.
The president made the call in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Prof. Dominic Fobih, at the opening ceremony of the games in Tamale last Thursday.
This year’s event is on the theme “Sports for Academic Excellence” and is being hosted by the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The five other public universities participating in the games include the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana and University of Education, Winneba.
The six universities are competing in soccer, basketball, handball, volleyball and athletics, among others.
The president observed that Ghana was endowed with many sporting talents whose skills could only be tapped and improved through the provision of the right training centres and facilities.
President Kufuor further indicated that government was committed to promoting sports at all levels in the country and mentioned the construction of two new stadia in Tamale and Sekondi, and the renovation of the Ohene Djan and Baba Yara Stadia to buttress his point.
“There is the need to do more, and this requires all partners to get involved,” he stressed.
The acting Vice-Chancellor of the UDS, Prof. Kaku Nokoe, stressed on the need for students to engage in sports alongside pursuing their academic displines because of the health benefits.
He also urged the visiting sports men and women to take the opportunity to visit some tourist sites in and around the metropolis so as to maximise their stay in Tamale.
Meanwhile, host of the the Ghana University Sports Games, the University for Development Studies (UDS), suffered their first defeat on Thursday when the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) humbled them by 4-3 through penalty shootouts in a soccer match.
The thrilling encounter ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time after which it was decided on the shoot out.
THE 20th edition of the Ghana Universities Sports Association (GUSA) Games has opened in Tamale with a call by President John Agyekum Kufuor on the country’s public universities to include special courses in sports development in their curricula to broaden the horizon of students.
According to President Kufuor, it had become increasingly clear that sports was key to any effort aimed at consolidating peace, unity and development in every nation.
“Apart from sports creating the platform for social interaction and harmony, it also provides good avenues for the youth to invest their leisure time and to promote healthy lifestyles. It is a time for all of us to feel Ghanaian,” he observed.
The president made the call in a speech read on his behalf by the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Prof. Dominic Fobih, at the opening ceremony of the games in Tamale last Thursday.
This year’s event is on the theme “Sports for Academic Excellence” and is being hosted by the University for Development Studies (UDS).
The five other public universities participating in the games include the University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, University of Cape Coast, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, University of Ghana and University of Education, Winneba.
The six universities are competing in soccer, basketball, handball, volleyball and athletics, among others.
The president observed that Ghana was endowed with many sporting talents whose skills could only be tapped and improved through the provision of the right training centres and facilities.
President Kufuor further indicated that government was committed to promoting sports at all levels in the country and mentioned the construction of two new stadia in Tamale and Sekondi, and the renovation of the Ohene Djan and Baba Yara Stadia to buttress his point.
“There is the need to do more, and this requires all partners to get involved,” he stressed.
The acting Vice-Chancellor of the UDS, Prof. Kaku Nokoe, stressed on the need for students to engage in sports alongside pursuing their academic displines because of the health benefits.
He also urged the visiting sports men and women to take the opportunity to visit some tourist sites in and around the metropolis so as to maximise their stay in Tamale.
Meanwhile, host of the the Ghana University Sports Games, the University for Development Studies (UDS), suffered their first defeat on Thursday when the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) humbled them by 4-3 through penalty shootouts in a soccer match.
The thrilling encounter ended 1-1 at the end of regulation time after which it was decided on the shoot out.
9 DOCTORS GO 'AWOL' ...After being posted to the Northern Region (1a)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
IN spite of the numerous interventions to attract skilled human resource to the northern parts of the country, the Northern Region remains a ‘no-go’ area for medical doctors.
Out of the eight medical doctors posted to the region last year, only one reported for duty. Additionally, only one specialist, out of the three who were posted to the region last year following an exercise to re-post some of them from Accra and Kumasi, stayed on to work.
The situation prevails, despite numerous appeals from various quarters to health personnel to accept posting to all parts of the country to deliver health care.
The newly appointed Northern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, disclosed this at the opening of a performance review meeting in Tamale on the theme, “Strengthening Systems for Effective and Efficient Delivery of Health Services to Households and Communities”.
Dr Twumasi said one gynaecologist who also reported and went back to his former station was yet to resume duty, while the third never returned.
He explained that the theme for the review was chosen to serve as a guide in the implementation of the priorities of the overall health sector for this year.
He said the target for the year included the promotion of good nutrition among all ages, food security and food safety.
Others, according to the director, were combating diseases such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, guinea worm and lymphatic filariasis, which affected the poor.
He also expressed concern over the dwindling finances of the sector in the region, which had reduced drastically from GH¢4.13 million in 2005, GH¢1.55 million in 2006 to GH¢300,000 last year.
“Thankfully, DANIDA, in 2006, came to our aid with GH¢1.16 million and GH2.06 million in 2007 to support the sector’s new strategy of High Impact Rapid Delivery (HIRD) for interventions in some deprived districts,” he stated.
Dr Twumasi also lamented that there were still constraints in the movement of staff because their motorbikes and other vehicles were aged and weak, leading to frequent breakdowns.
“Among these complex problems was the floods in August 2007 which seriously affected our service delivery to the communities and also led to the increase in some diseases,” he pointed out.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, reiterated the need for the regional health directorate to acquire land for the construction of a Health Workers’ Village in Tamale as a permanent solution to the accommodation problems faced by some of the workers in the area.
“I am certain that the chiefs will be more than willing to release parcels of land for this worthy purpose,” he observed.
In the short term, the minister expressed the preparedness of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) to assist the health sector to secure accommodation for health professionals who would be posted to the area.
Alhaji Idris commended the health workers in the area, particularly those in deprived communities, for their modest achievements last year.
“Most notable is the drastic reduction in guinea worm cases, compared to the same period the previous year. I must, however, caution you not to be complacent but rather redouble your efforts to bring about the total eradication of this disease soon,” he said.
IN spite of the numerous interventions to attract skilled human resource to the northern parts of the country, the Northern Region remains a ‘no-go’ area for medical doctors.
Out of the eight medical doctors posted to the region last year, only one reported for duty. Additionally, only one specialist, out of the three who were posted to the region last year following an exercise to re-post some of them from Accra and Kumasi, stayed on to work.
The situation prevails, despite numerous appeals from various quarters to health personnel to accept posting to all parts of the country to deliver health care.
The newly appointed Northern Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Akwasi Twumasi, disclosed this at the opening of a performance review meeting in Tamale on the theme, “Strengthening Systems for Effective and Efficient Delivery of Health Services to Households and Communities”.
Dr Twumasi said one gynaecologist who also reported and went back to his former station was yet to resume duty, while the third never returned.
He explained that the theme for the review was chosen to serve as a guide in the implementation of the priorities of the overall health sector for this year.
He said the target for the year included the promotion of good nutrition among all ages, food security and food safety.
Others, according to the director, were combating diseases such as HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, guinea worm and lymphatic filariasis, which affected the poor.
He also expressed concern over the dwindling finances of the sector in the region, which had reduced drastically from GH¢4.13 million in 2005, GH¢1.55 million in 2006 to GH¢300,000 last year.
“Thankfully, DANIDA, in 2006, came to our aid with GH¢1.16 million and GH2.06 million in 2007 to support the sector’s new strategy of High Impact Rapid Delivery (HIRD) for interventions in some deprived districts,” he stated.
Dr Twumasi also lamented that there were still constraints in the movement of staff because their motorbikes and other vehicles were aged and weak, leading to frequent breakdowns.
“Among these complex problems was the floods in August 2007 which seriously affected our service delivery to the communities and also led to the increase in some diseases,” he pointed out.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, reiterated the need for the regional health directorate to acquire land for the construction of a Health Workers’ Village in Tamale as a permanent solution to the accommodation problems faced by some of the workers in the area.
“I am certain that the chiefs will be more than willing to release parcels of land for this worthy purpose,” he observed.
In the short term, the minister expressed the preparedness of the Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) to assist the health sector to secure accommodation for health professionals who would be posted to the area.
Alhaji Idris commended the health workers in the area, particularly those in deprived communities, for their modest achievements last year.
“Most notable is the drastic reduction in guinea worm cases, compared to the same period the previous year. I must, however, caution you not to be complacent but rather redouble your efforts to bring about the total eradication of this disease soon,” he said.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
PREACH PEACE, RECONCILLIATION DURING CAMPAIGN (PAGE15)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
WITH the dust settling on Ghana 2008 and the commencement of political campaigns for this year’s general elections in December, the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, has entreated the leadership of the various parties to preach peace and reconciliation to their followers during their rounds.
He said it was equally important for them to advise their supporters to ensure moderation and decency in their campaigns, particularly in the Northern Region, in order to sustain the prevailing harmony in the area after the intermittent chieftaincy conflicts in recent times.
‘‘Peace, reconciliation and unity are even more pressing as we move closer and closer to the 2008 December presidential and parliamentary elections’’, the minister said and stressed, ‘‘let all of us be vigilant; let all of us preach peace and moderation. After all, if you are prepared to win, you must also be prepared to lose.’’
He noted that if people have begun issuing threats now and beating the war drums even at the beginning of the year, ‘‘then we can imagine the magnitude of our division and disunity, come December.’’
Alhaji Idris was speaking at a New Year reception for a cross-section of the general public and representatives of various ministries, departments and agencies in Tamale at the weekend.
He used the occasion to solicit the advice and support of individuals and organisations to ensure that the region and the nation came out of the elections ‘‘unscathed so that Ghana can continue to be the star and gateway to Africa.’’
Touching on the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis, the minister expressed concern over the actions and utterances of some ‘‘enemies of peace’’ that had the tendency of inflaming passions, barely a week after the Cup of Nations.
‘‘I want to use this forum to assure all people resident in Tamale, Dagbon and the Northern Region in general to continue to go about their duties without fear as the security agencies have been put on the alert to respond swiftly to such threat,’’ he added.
Alhaji Idris reminded the people that the government could only assist in the accelerated development of the area when there was an atmosphere of peace and tranquility and, therefore, urged them to embrace issues that brought them together than matters that put them asunder.
He enumerated the many development projects undertaken by the present government in region and said more of such laudable programmes were in the pipeline to improve the living conditions of the people and asked for their cooperation.
The minister also expressed appreciation to all security agencies, individuals and organisations that had contributed enormously to the successful hosting of the Nations Cup tournament, for which Tamale was one of the four venues.
WITH the dust settling on Ghana 2008 and the commencement of political campaigns for this year’s general elections in December, the Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, has entreated the leadership of the various parties to preach peace and reconciliation to their followers during their rounds.
He said it was equally important for them to advise their supporters to ensure moderation and decency in their campaigns, particularly in the Northern Region, in order to sustain the prevailing harmony in the area after the intermittent chieftaincy conflicts in recent times.
‘‘Peace, reconciliation and unity are even more pressing as we move closer and closer to the 2008 December presidential and parliamentary elections’’, the minister said and stressed, ‘‘let all of us be vigilant; let all of us preach peace and moderation. After all, if you are prepared to win, you must also be prepared to lose.’’
He noted that if people have begun issuing threats now and beating the war drums even at the beginning of the year, ‘‘then we can imagine the magnitude of our division and disunity, come December.’’
Alhaji Idris was speaking at a New Year reception for a cross-section of the general public and representatives of various ministries, departments and agencies in Tamale at the weekend.
He used the occasion to solicit the advice and support of individuals and organisations to ensure that the region and the nation came out of the elections ‘‘unscathed so that Ghana can continue to be the star and gateway to Africa.’’
Touching on the Dagbon chieftaincy crisis, the minister expressed concern over the actions and utterances of some ‘‘enemies of peace’’ that had the tendency of inflaming passions, barely a week after the Cup of Nations.
‘‘I want to use this forum to assure all people resident in Tamale, Dagbon and the Northern Region in general to continue to go about their duties without fear as the security agencies have been put on the alert to respond swiftly to such threat,’’ he added.
Alhaji Idris reminded the people that the government could only assist in the accelerated development of the area when there was an atmosphere of peace and tranquility and, therefore, urged them to embrace issues that brought them together than matters that put them asunder.
He enumerated the many development projects undertaken by the present government in region and said more of such laudable programmes were in the pipeline to improve the living conditions of the people and asked for their cooperation.
The minister also expressed appreciation to all security agencies, individuals and organisations that had contributed enormously to the successful hosting of the Nations Cup tournament, for which Tamale was one of the four venues.
SAVELUGU SHS STUDENTS ASKED TO EXERCISE RESTRAINT (PAGE 11)
Story: Zakaria Alhasssan, Savelugu
THE Savelugu/Nanton District Chief Executive (DCE), Alhaji Abubakari Atori, has entreated students of the Savelugu Senior High School who were sent home last week, to exercise restraint for an amicable solution to be found to the current impasse in the school.
He said students should desist from taking the law into their own hands at the least provocation, and should always abide by their school rules and regulations for effective teaching and learning.
‘‘We in this area are already deprived. When your colleagues elsewhere are walking, you need to run and run fast to excel in your exams, instead of engaging in the acts that tend to draw you back from achieving academic excellence,’’ he intimated.
The DCE told the Daily Graphic at Savelugu on Thursday that a nine-member committee that was tasked to investigate the circumstances that lead to the disturbances.
The committee was chaired by Alhaji Yakubu Alhassan, the Assistant Director of Education incharge of Senior High Schools in the Savelugu/Nanton District,
The school was closed down by the District Education Directorate following an assault on the Headmaster, Mr Paul Kally, for ordering the students to discontinue a record dance they had organised without authorisation.
Also, injured were the District Police Station Officer, Chief Inspector Yaw Kaakyire Anane, and his men while the windscreens of the school’s only vehicle were also broken.
According to the officer who is seeking medical attention at the Savelugu Hospital, ‘‘it was by the grace of God that we survived the students’ assault, because we were only four against the hundreds of irate students’.’
He said he and his men had to disguise themselves by removing their reflective uniforms on Saturday night, February 9, 2008, the night of the incident where students had defied several warning shots by his men to scare them.
‘‘And when we realised that, the stone-throwing students were closing in on us, I ordered my men to remove their uniforms and lie down; in fact this, strategy paid off as the students could no more spot us in the dark and therefore, had to turn away,’’ he intimated.
The officer, however, said this was not after the students had pelted them with stones and sticks.
The incident occurred at about 11:30 pm on February 9, after the police had earlier received information that the students were preparing to run riot.
According to Chief Inspector Anane, when they arrived at the scene, the headmaster had already asked the entertainment master to inform the students to stop the function.
He said the students who did not take kindly to the orders by the headmaster, later rallied around and vented their anger by throwing stones at the headmaster’s bungalow and the police personnel.
The officer said it took the intervention of some good-spirited persons to bring sanity to the campus.
He also revealed that about two weeks to the incident, there were some skirmishes to disturb the peace on campus following a similar function by the students.
The officer attributed the situation to a seeming rift between a section of the tutors and the headmaster, for which reason he alleged that some of the masters were instigating the students to embark on such undisciplined behaviour.
No arrest has so far been made yet.
THE Savelugu/Nanton District Chief Executive (DCE), Alhaji Abubakari Atori, has entreated students of the Savelugu Senior High School who were sent home last week, to exercise restraint for an amicable solution to be found to the current impasse in the school.
He said students should desist from taking the law into their own hands at the least provocation, and should always abide by their school rules and regulations for effective teaching and learning.
‘‘We in this area are already deprived. When your colleagues elsewhere are walking, you need to run and run fast to excel in your exams, instead of engaging in the acts that tend to draw you back from achieving academic excellence,’’ he intimated.
The DCE told the Daily Graphic at Savelugu on Thursday that a nine-member committee that was tasked to investigate the circumstances that lead to the disturbances.
The committee was chaired by Alhaji Yakubu Alhassan, the Assistant Director of Education incharge of Senior High Schools in the Savelugu/Nanton District,
The school was closed down by the District Education Directorate following an assault on the Headmaster, Mr Paul Kally, for ordering the students to discontinue a record dance they had organised without authorisation.
Also, injured were the District Police Station Officer, Chief Inspector Yaw Kaakyire Anane, and his men while the windscreens of the school’s only vehicle were also broken.
According to the officer who is seeking medical attention at the Savelugu Hospital, ‘‘it was by the grace of God that we survived the students’ assault, because we were only four against the hundreds of irate students’.’
He said he and his men had to disguise themselves by removing their reflective uniforms on Saturday night, February 9, 2008, the night of the incident where students had defied several warning shots by his men to scare them.
‘‘And when we realised that, the stone-throwing students were closing in on us, I ordered my men to remove their uniforms and lie down; in fact this, strategy paid off as the students could no more spot us in the dark and therefore, had to turn away,’’ he intimated.
The officer, however, said this was not after the students had pelted them with stones and sticks.
The incident occurred at about 11:30 pm on February 9, after the police had earlier received information that the students were preparing to run riot.
According to Chief Inspector Anane, when they arrived at the scene, the headmaster had already asked the entertainment master to inform the students to stop the function.
He said the students who did not take kindly to the orders by the headmaster, later rallied around and vented their anger by throwing stones at the headmaster’s bungalow and the police personnel.
The officer said it took the intervention of some good-spirited persons to bring sanity to the campus.
He also revealed that about two weeks to the incident, there were some skirmishes to disturb the peace on campus following a similar function by the students.
The officer attributed the situation to a seeming rift between a section of the tutors and the headmaster, for which reason he alleged that some of the masters were instigating the students to embark on such undisciplined behaviour.
No arrest has so far been made yet.
Friday, February 15, 2008
ALMS OFFERING BEING ABUSED (PAGE 29)
STORY: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
OFFERING alms to the needy is not compulsory. It is done out of generosity or sympathy to help ameliorate the suffering of the underprivileged in society.
However, some unscrupulous individuals are abusing this moral responsibility of philanthropists. They consider it as a full-time vocation in order to make money. As a result, a lot more people are now resorting to begging as the easiest way to amass wealth.
Indeed, the Tamale metropolis is now inundated with beggars. They are becoming a nuisance to motorists at junctions and traffic lights.
They virtually take over those areas, knocking at car doors and windscreens for attention. They are made up of all manner of people. The blind, the physically challenged, elderly and strong, young men and women.
Their modus operandi includes the use of children and the wearing of worn-out apparel to solicit people’s sympathy.
Sometimes, they become aggressive in their overzealousness to the extent that they even risk their lives and those of their young guides, especially when the green light is displayed on the street lights, signifying motorists to move on.
Majority of the beggars are concentrated at the Central Business District near the Central Market, popularly called Beggars (Barimaansi) Line.
Their location is thus accessible to people who need to give them alms. The alms are usually in the form of money, cow milk, cowries and other such materials as requested by Mallams and soothsayers who are consulted for various reasons by those offering the alms.
According to one of the executive members of the Beggars Association in the metropolis, Afah Mahama Alhassan, ‘‘we had to relocate to the junctions and traffic lights to reach out to more people who cannot locate us’’.
He, however, acknowledged that the practice was not the best, but that ‘‘we also need to survive and take care of our families, since some of us are bread winners in the family’’.
Afah Alhassan, who is blind and 55 years old, did not understand why some of them who had made so much money from their ‘trade’ should quit the job of begging, since he claimed there was no other work for them to do.
Enquiries by the Daily Graphic revealed that some of the beggars had built their own houses, acquired taxis, trucks and are into some economic ventures through their ‘trade’ over the years.
A 29-year-old cripple, Ramatu Fuseini, who is a seamstress, expressed grave concern over the menace of begging and urged her colleagues not to use their unfortunate situation to solicit sympathy from people.
‘‘If you are blind or physically challenged, it does not mean you are stupid or incapable of earning a decent living for yourself and family,’’ she stated.
Commenting on the issue, the Tamale Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Adam Baba, said TAMA was mapping out strategies to contain the situation.
He said the assembly would soon come out with appropriate measures to relocate the beggars to a central point.
In the interim, Alhaji Baba said the young boys and girls who served as guides to the beggars were being taken care of under a programme to enable them go to school or learn a trade.
The age-old practice of begging has come to stay with us. It, therefore, behoves the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and all stakeholders to come together to find a lasting solution to the menace of begging, which poses problems on the roads and to the beggars themselves.
OFFERING alms to the needy is not compulsory. It is done out of generosity or sympathy to help ameliorate the suffering of the underprivileged in society.
However, some unscrupulous individuals are abusing this moral responsibility of philanthropists. They consider it as a full-time vocation in order to make money. As a result, a lot more people are now resorting to begging as the easiest way to amass wealth.
Indeed, the Tamale metropolis is now inundated with beggars. They are becoming a nuisance to motorists at junctions and traffic lights.
They virtually take over those areas, knocking at car doors and windscreens for attention. They are made up of all manner of people. The blind, the physically challenged, elderly and strong, young men and women.
Their modus operandi includes the use of children and the wearing of worn-out apparel to solicit people’s sympathy.
Sometimes, they become aggressive in their overzealousness to the extent that they even risk their lives and those of their young guides, especially when the green light is displayed on the street lights, signifying motorists to move on.
Majority of the beggars are concentrated at the Central Business District near the Central Market, popularly called Beggars (Barimaansi) Line.
Their location is thus accessible to people who need to give them alms. The alms are usually in the form of money, cow milk, cowries and other such materials as requested by Mallams and soothsayers who are consulted for various reasons by those offering the alms.
According to one of the executive members of the Beggars Association in the metropolis, Afah Mahama Alhassan, ‘‘we had to relocate to the junctions and traffic lights to reach out to more people who cannot locate us’’.
He, however, acknowledged that the practice was not the best, but that ‘‘we also need to survive and take care of our families, since some of us are bread winners in the family’’.
Afah Alhassan, who is blind and 55 years old, did not understand why some of them who had made so much money from their ‘trade’ should quit the job of begging, since he claimed there was no other work for them to do.
Enquiries by the Daily Graphic revealed that some of the beggars had built their own houses, acquired taxis, trucks and are into some economic ventures through their ‘trade’ over the years.
A 29-year-old cripple, Ramatu Fuseini, who is a seamstress, expressed grave concern over the menace of begging and urged her colleagues not to use their unfortunate situation to solicit sympathy from people.
‘‘If you are blind or physically challenged, it does not mean you are stupid or incapable of earning a decent living for yourself and family,’’ she stated.
Commenting on the issue, the Tamale Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Adam Baba, said TAMA was mapping out strategies to contain the situation.
He said the assembly would soon come out with appropriate measures to relocate the beggars to a central point.
In the interim, Alhaji Baba said the young boys and girls who served as guides to the beggars were being taken care of under a programme to enable them go to school or learn a trade.
The age-old practice of begging has come to stay with us. It, therefore, behoves the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly and all stakeholders to come together to find a lasting solution to the menace of begging, which poses problems on the roads and to the beggars themselves.
TAMALE CITIZENS COMMEND HOSPITAL ADMINISTRATOR (PAGE 29)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE Concerned Citizens Association of Tamale (CCAT) has commended the new Director of Administration of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Mr K.K. Boachie, for taking appropriate measures, since he assumed duty just a couple of weeks ago, to address some nagging problems affecting effective heath delivery service at the hospital.
According to the association, patients had often returned home from the hospital as a result of a lack of doctors to attend to their ailments, while some of those on admission sometimes did not even receive the necessary attention.
‘‘The call by the director of administration on medical doctors at the hospital to respect their contractual obligations is to say the least most welcome and commendable,’’ the associated stated.
In a statement signed by the President of the association, Mr Alhassan Basharu Daballi, noted that ‘‘an equally heart-warming and commendable action is the resolve of the new administration to deal decisively with doctors who refused to comply with the rules and regulations of the Ghana Health Service.
Last week, the hospital administration drew up a duty register for the month of February to guide the few doctors available at the hospital on their respective work schedules.
In a memorandum copied to the doctors concerned, the administrator reminded the doctors that ‘‘the hospital will also provide fuel allowances to the local doctors, and so the excuse by doctors that they have no vehicles will not be tolerated. It is only the expatriate doctors we ought to provide with transport’’.
The association said with that initiative, a giant step had been taken to address one of the major difficulties patients went through at the hospital.
The president of the association said in the past, the issue of absentee or truant doctors had been blamed squarely on the management, who they claimed did not put in measures to ensure that doctors at the hospital undertook their professional duties with much concern, love and respect to their contractual obligations.
‘‘It is in the light of this development that we register our happiness and strong desire to support the cause of the new director of administration,’’ the statement added.
‘‘We would equally like to implore the administrator to extend these measures to cover nurses and other health personnel as some of them indulge in activities that are purely unprofessional, especially in the area of human relations,’’ the association said.
Apart from the inadequate number of doctors and other health personnel, facilities and structures at the hospital, which were constructed more than 30 years ago, have also deteriorated over the years.
A lot has been said and written about this deplorable state of the hospital, but very little has been done to improve on the situation.
The present condition of the hospital must, therefore, be of grave concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians, particularly those from the north as equipment and facilities at the only referral hospital in the entire three northern regions and beyond have received only little attention.
Elevating the hospital to a teaching hospital is only limited in name as facilities and the needed human resource are not commensurate with it or are anywhere near either of the nation’s existing teaching hospitals such as the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
THE Concerned Citizens Association of Tamale (CCAT) has commended the new Director of Administration of the Tamale Teaching Hospital, Mr K.K. Boachie, for taking appropriate measures, since he assumed duty just a couple of weeks ago, to address some nagging problems affecting effective heath delivery service at the hospital.
According to the association, patients had often returned home from the hospital as a result of a lack of doctors to attend to their ailments, while some of those on admission sometimes did not even receive the necessary attention.
‘‘The call by the director of administration on medical doctors at the hospital to respect their contractual obligations is to say the least most welcome and commendable,’’ the associated stated.
In a statement signed by the President of the association, Mr Alhassan Basharu Daballi, noted that ‘‘an equally heart-warming and commendable action is the resolve of the new administration to deal decisively with doctors who refused to comply with the rules and regulations of the Ghana Health Service.
Last week, the hospital administration drew up a duty register for the month of February to guide the few doctors available at the hospital on their respective work schedules.
In a memorandum copied to the doctors concerned, the administrator reminded the doctors that ‘‘the hospital will also provide fuel allowances to the local doctors, and so the excuse by doctors that they have no vehicles will not be tolerated. It is only the expatriate doctors we ought to provide with transport’’.
The association said with that initiative, a giant step had been taken to address one of the major difficulties patients went through at the hospital.
The president of the association said in the past, the issue of absentee or truant doctors had been blamed squarely on the management, who they claimed did not put in measures to ensure that doctors at the hospital undertook their professional duties with much concern, love and respect to their contractual obligations.
‘‘It is in the light of this development that we register our happiness and strong desire to support the cause of the new director of administration,’’ the statement added.
‘‘We would equally like to implore the administrator to extend these measures to cover nurses and other health personnel as some of them indulge in activities that are purely unprofessional, especially in the area of human relations,’’ the association said.
Apart from the inadequate number of doctors and other health personnel, facilities and structures at the hospital, which were constructed more than 30 years ago, have also deteriorated over the years.
A lot has been said and written about this deplorable state of the hospital, but very little has been done to improve on the situation.
The present condition of the hospital must, therefore, be of grave concern to all well-meaning Ghanaians, particularly those from the north as equipment and facilities at the only referral hospital in the entire three northern regions and beyond have received only little attention.
Elevating the hospital to a teaching hospital is only limited in name as facilities and the needed human resource are not commensurate with it or are anywhere near either of the nation’s existing teaching hospitals such as the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra and Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi.
NR NDC MENDS FENCES FOR ELECTION 2008 (Page 17)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
WITH barely 10 months to the general election in the country, the Northern Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is mending its fences to ensure a united front for a resounding victory in the December elections.
This follows misunderstanding and the resultant cracks between the current Regional Chairman of the party, Alhaji Sumani Zakari, and the former Minister of State in the erstwhile NDC government, Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, and their respective sympathisers, that manifested themselves during the party’s regional congress in Tamale in 2005, when the former was elected.
It was, therefore, a big leap forward for the party when Alhaji Adam, in the company of some party stalwarts, decided to pay goodwill visit to the chairman at his project site in Tamale, to settle between them and bury the hatchet for “the good of the party,” Mr Adam said.
The news about the meeting between the two top party executives in January last month at the Gaana Hotel attracted some regional executives and core members of the party, including the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Mr Inusah Fuseini, and a former Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Gilbert Seidu Iddi, to the hotel to witness the reconciliatory meeting.
At the end of the day, the two protagonists pardoned each other, commended their individual efforts and shook hands to the admiration of the party members.
Mr Adam described the reunion as successful and as an important step in the forward match of the party in the region, saying “in unity we can surely make progress”.
“It is a significant development for the victory of the party; I only hope we would build upon it by organising a bigger forum to deliberate further on the way forward for the party,” he added.
Mr Adam, however, expressed hope that other regions and constituencies that had similar divisions within their ranks would emulate the good example the party had set in the Northern Region so as to initiate reconciliatory moves for the betterment of the party.
Alhaji Zakari, for his part, said he had always stood for the unity of the party and, therefore, would not engage in any divisive tendencies that had the potential to disintegrate the NDC.
“I would, therefore, urge all to be guided by the principles contained in the party’s motto — unity, peace and stability,’’ he advised.
The Tamale Central MP expressed appreciation to the two leaders for their show of wisdom and observed that their actions or inaction tended to guide the youth in their activities.
Alhaji Iddi also commended both the chairman and Alhaji Adam for exhibiting such high level of maturity by reconciling their differences and noted that “in every social institution, there are times to disagree in order to agree”.
WITH barely 10 months to the general election in the country, the Northern Regional branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is mending its fences to ensure a united front for a resounding victory in the December elections.
This follows misunderstanding and the resultant cracks between the current Regional Chairman of the party, Alhaji Sumani Zakari, and the former Minister of State in the erstwhile NDC government, Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, and their respective sympathisers, that manifested themselves during the party’s regional congress in Tamale in 2005, when the former was elected.
It was, therefore, a big leap forward for the party when Alhaji Adam, in the company of some party stalwarts, decided to pay goodwill visit to the chairman at his project site in Tamale, to settle between them and bury the hatchet for “the good of the party,” Mr Adam said.
The news about the meeting between the two top party executives in January last month at the Gaana Hotel attracted some regional executives and core members of the party, including the Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, Mr Inusah Fuseini, and a former Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Gilbert Seidu Iddi, to the hotel to witness the reconciliatory meeting.
At the end of the day, the two protagonists pardoned each other, commended their individual efforts and shook hands to the admiration of the party members.
Mr Adam described the reunion as successful and as an important step in the forward match of the party in the region, saying “in unity we can surely make progress”.
“It is a significant development for the victory of the party; I only hope we would build upon it by organising a bigger forum to deliberate further on the way forward for the party,” he added.
Mr Adam, however, expressed hope that other regions and constituencies that had similar divisions within their ranks would emulate the good example the party had set in the Northern Region so as to initiate reconciliatory moves for the betterment of the party.
Alhaji Zakari, for his part, said he had always stood for the unity of the party and, therefore, would not engage in any divisive tendencies that had the potential to disintegrate the NDC.
“I would, therefore, urge all to be guided by the principles contained in the party’s motto — unity, peace and stability,’’ he advised.
The Tamale Central MP expressed appreciation to the two leaders for their show of wisdom and observed that their actions or inaction tended to guide the youth in their activities.
Alhaji Iddi also commended both the chairman and Alhaji Adam for exhibiting such high level of maturity by reconciling their differences and noted that “in every social institution, there are times to disagree in order to agree”.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
TAMALE NGO SUPPORTS SHEA-BUTTER INDUSTRY (Page 17)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE shea-butter industry is the main stay of majority of unemployed youth in the northern region, particularly women.
The fascinating thing about the nut is that the shea-nut tree grows in the wild in the area. This therefore makes it easy for the women, especially those in the rural areas, to pick the nuts for processing to earn some income.
This is, however, not without its own challenges as the poor women spend most part of the day in the bush thus exposing themselves to the dangers of snakebites and other threats to their lives without fair prices for the product to commensurate their hard work.
Prices are dictated by representatives of foreign companies who take advantage of the ignorance of the people and the lack of available market for the product in the area to purchase it at cheap prices for export.
Some of the shea-nut is also processed into edible oil and body creme for local use. Unfortunately, the women have not got the capacity to make their finished products attractive to their consumers.
It was for this reason that a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Enterprising Women in Development, organised a five-day training workshop to equip some selected women at Fooshegu, a Tamale suburb, with improved technology on shea-butter extraction and soap making.
The women, who were drawn from three groups, were also offered training on packaging and adding value to the product to make it more attractive to clients.
They were taken through various stages of shea-butter processing from the picking stage to the finished product and environmental sanitation.
At the close of the training, the participants were offered some materials to enable them to set up their own businesses.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Hajia Azara Telly, explained that her outfit decided to focus on the development of women because they were among the marginalised in society.
According to her, since women were the bedrock of the home, any support offered them would eventually benefit the entire family including children.
‘‘Our aim is to help empower the women with the necessary skills to improve on their finances to enable them to take good care of their families in order that the children would become responsible in future to contribute meaningfully to the development of their respective communities and the nation,’’ she intimated.
Hajia Telly entreated the participants not only to form co-operative groups but to make such bodies viable to make it possible for them to access assistance from banks and other financial institutions to derive maximum benefits from their trade.
She equally appealed to men to support their wives and daughters in their various choices of trade, professions and education, quoting the celebrated Ghanaian educationist, Kwegir Aggrey that, ‘‘If you educate a woman, you educate a nation, and if you educate a man, you educate an individual.’’
THE shea-butter industry is the main stay of majority of unemployed youth in the northern region, particularly women.
The fascinating thing about the nut is that the shea-nut tree grows in the wild in the area. This therefore makes it easy for the women, especially those in the rural areas, to pick the nuts for processing to earn some income.
This is, however, not without its own challenges as the poor women spend most part of the day in the bush thus exposing themselves to the dangers of snakebites and other threats to their lives without fair prices for the product to commensurate their hard work.
Prices are dictated by representatives of foreign companies who take advantage of the ignorance of the people and the lack of available market for the product in the area to purchase it at cheap prices for export.
Some of the shea-nut is also processed into edible oil and body creme for local use. Unfortunately, the women have not got the capacity to make their finished products attractive to their consumers.
It was for this reason that a Tamale-based non-governmental organisation (NGO), Enterprising Women in Development, organised a five-day training workshop to equip some selected women at Fooshegu, a Tamale suburb, with improved technology on shea-butter extraction and soap making.
The women, who were drawn from three groups, were also offered training on packaging and adding value to the product to make it more attractive to clients.
They were taken through various stages of shea-butter processing from the picking stage to the finished product and environmental sanitation.
At the close of the training, the participants were offered some materials to enable them to set up their own businesses.
The Executive Director of the organisation, Hajia Azara Telly, explained that her outfit decided to focus on the development of women because they were among the marginalised in society.
According to her, since women were the bedrock of the home, any support offered them would eventually benefit the entire family including children.
‘‘Our aim is to help empower the women with the necessary skills to improve on their finances to enable them to take good care of their families in order that the children would become responsible in future to contribute meaningfully to the development of their respective communities and the nation,’’ she intimated.
Hajia Telly entreated the participants not only to form co-operative groups but to make such bodies viable to make it possible for them to access assistance from banks and other financial institutions to derive maximum benefits from their trade.
She equally appealed to men to support their wives and daughters in their various choices of trade, professions and education, quoting the celebrated Ghanaian educationist, Kwegir Aggrey that, ‘‘If you educate a woman, you educate a nation, and if you educate a man, you educate an individual.’’
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
SAVELUGU SENIOR HIGH SCHOOL CLOSED DOWN (Page 11)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Savelugu
THE Savelugu Senior High School in the Northern Region has been closed down indefinitely and the students ordered to vacate the school-premises until further notice.
The Savelugu/Nanton District Directorate of Education gave the directive following an assault on the headmaster of the school at the weekend for daring to compel the students to discontinue a records dance they had organised without authorisation.
The Headmaster, Mr Paul Kally, sustained injuries, while his bungalow and the school’s only pick-up vehicle were vandalised in the process.
No arrest has been effected yet but the police have begun investigations into the matter.
According to the Deputy Director of Education in-charge of senior high school in the district, Alhaji Yakubu Alhassan, the incident occurred last Saturday night.
Mr Alhassan alleged that the irate students threw stones and other objects that damaged the headmaster’s bungalow and also smashed the windscreen of the vehicle, after the headmaster had directed that the records dance be stopped.
He explained that the incident might have occurred as a result of an existing impasse between the headmaster and the students that worsened.
THE Savelugu Senior High School in the Northern Region has been closed down indefinitely and the students ordered to vacate the school-premises until further notice.
The Savelugu/Nanton District Directorate of Education gave the directive following an assault on the headmaster of the school at the weekend for daring to compel the students to discontinue a records dance they had organised without authorisation.
The Headmaster, Mr Paul Kally, sustained injuries, while his bungalow and the school’s only pick-up vehicle were vandalised in the process.
No arrest has been effected yet but the police have begun investigations into the matter.
According to the Deputy Director of Education in-charge of senior high school in the district, Alhaji Yakubu Alhassan, the incident occurred last Saturday night.
Mr Alhassan alleged that the irate students threw stones and other objects that damaged the headmaster’s bungalow and also smashed the windscreen of the vehicle, after the headmaster had directed that the records dance be stopped.
He explained that the incident might have occurred as a result of an existing impasse between the headmaster and the students that worsened.
Monday, February 11, 2008
FOND MEMORIES OF GHANA 2008 IN TAMALE (Page 53)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
MATCHES of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament have ended in Tamale, leaving a lot of fond memories.
Some people had expressed a lot of apprehension, fear and even trepidation before the tournament began, since it was the first time Tamale was hosting such high-profile matches in the fast developing metropolis.
However, at the end of the day, those uncertainties gave way to excitement, camaraderie and commendations.
Not only did residents extend the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality to the hundreds of players, officials and visitors who were in the metropolis for the entire two-week period the games lasted here but they also welcomed their African brothers and supporters to their homes.
On security, truncheon-holding policemen were on a virtual holiday as the people were well-behaved and co-operative and showed a lot of goodwill to all.
Indeed, they gave the police few problems to worry about, according to the police command in Tamale.
Apart from colouring themselves and the city in the national colours, some residents were spotted wearing and carrying the national flags and other insignia of the Tamale-based teams in demonstration of their solidarity with their chosen teams.
The four teams that were based in the metropolis were South Africa, Tunisia, Angola and Senegal.
And in the latter stages of the group matches, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun and Sudan also moved camp to Tamale for their decisive fixture.
In all, seven matches were honoured in Tamale.
Patronage of matches at the splendid and fascinating modern piece of architecture was very encouraging, considering the difficulties majority of die-hard football fans had to go through to secure match tickets.
The legendary Camerounian player, Roger Milla, who was also in Tamale to watch his country’s two matches played there, had this to say about the stadium, “This magnificent stadium will certainly be the envy of some African countries. This kind of facility does not even exist in my country, Cameroun.’’
Indeed, the fans actually reserved their best for the last match involving the Indomitable Lions and the Cartage Eagles of Tunisia on Tuesday night. Conservative figures indicated that about 18,000 spectators watched the match that travelled into extra-time, the first in the tournament so far.
At the end of the exhilarating encounter that gave the excited fans a lot to cheer about, following the display of precise passes, teamwork, commitment, determination and individual excellence by both teams, Cameroun eventually sailed through with a 3-2 scoreline.
“For me, this is one of the best matches I have watched in the tournament so far. It had all the ingredients that make for good entertaining football,” a sympathiser of the Tunisian team, Ayisha Samande, intimated.
The reason for the large turn-out was not far-fetched, as a 32-year-old accountant, Osei Tutu, explained: ‘‘For us in Tamale, this is our last match in the 26th Africa Cup of Nations, and since I could not watch the previous games live, it was the last opportunity for me and my family.’’
‘‘When again will we have this opportunity to host the Nations Cup?’’ asked an ardent football fan, Mr Alhassan Karim.
Some of the teeming fans who followed up to cheer their respective countries to victory in the city were full of praise for residents for their warm reception and support.
Mr Osmanu Mamadou of Senegal said: ‘‘Ghana has become my second country and Tamale my home. I love the people; they are very friendly.”
A popular Egyptian fan who has attended five World Cups and five African Cup of Nations tournaments around the world and the continent, respectively, Mr Ali Sbaey, said: ‘”I am very happy here. I wish I could stay longer to continue to enjoy this wonderful reception.’’
On the tournament itself, he predicted that “Ghana will win the cup for the fifth time, given the quality of its players.’’
Some foreign journalists and fans were, however, not enthused, as there were not enough entertainment spots, neither were there organised entertainment packages for hang-outs at night.
Be that as it may, the $38.5 million state-of-the-art stadium has given Tamale a fresh image, for which reason the people have expressed appreciation to the government for selecting Tamale as one of the four host cities.
MATCHES of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations tournament have ended in Tamale, leaving a lot of fond memories.
Some people had expressed a lot of apprehension, fear and even trepidation before the tournament began, since it was the first time Tamale was hosting such high-profile matches in the fast developing metropolis.
However, at the end of the day, those uncertainties gave way to excitement, camaraderie and commendations.
Not only did residents extend the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality to the hundreds of players, officials and visitors who were in the metropolis for the entire two-week period the games lasted here but they also welcomed their African brothers and supporters to their homes.
On security, truncheon-holding policemen were on a virtual holiday as the people were well-behaved and co-operative and showed a lot of goodwill to all.
Indeed, they gave the police few problems to worry about, according to the police command in Tamale.
Apart from colouring themselves and the city in the national colours, some residents were spotted wearing and carrying the national flags and other insignia of the Tamale-based teams in demonstration of their solidarity with their chosen teams.
The four teams that were based in the metropolis were South Africa, Tunisia, Angola and Senegal.
And in the latter stages of the group matches, the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun and Sudan also moved camp to Tamale for their decisive fixture.
In all, seven matches were honoured in Tamale.
Patronage of matches at the splendid and fascinating modern piece of architecture was very encouraging, considering the difficulties majority of die-hard football fans had to go through to secure match tickets.
The legendary Camerounian player, Roger Milla, who was also in Tamale to watch his country’s two matches played there, had this to say about the stadium, “This magnificent stadium will certainly be the envy of some African countries. This kind of facility does not even exist in my country, Cameroun.’’
Indeed, the fans actually reserved their best for the last match involving the Indomitable Lions and the Cartage Eagles of Tunisia on Tuesday night. Conservative figures indicated that about 18,000 spectators watched the match that travelled into extra-time, the first in the tournament so far.
At the end of the exhilarating encounter that gave the excited fans a lot to cheer about, following the display of precise passes, teamwork, commitment, determination and individual excellence by both teams, Cameroun eventually sailed through with a 3-2 scoreline.
“For me, this is one of the best matches I have watched in the tournament so far. It had all the ingredients that make for good entertaining football,” a sympathiser of the Tunisian team, Ayisha Samande, intimated.
The reason for the large turn-out was not far-fetched, as a 32-year-old accountant, Osei Tutu, explained: ‘‘For us in Tamale, this is our last match in the 26th Africa Cup of Nations, and since I could not watch the previous games live, it was the last opportunity for me and my family.’’
‘‘When again will we have this opportunity to host the Nations Cup?’’ asked an ardent football fan, Mr Alhassan Karim.
Some of the teeming fans who followed up to cheer their respective countries to victory in the city were full of praise for residents for their warm reception and support.
Mr Osmanu Mamadou of Senegal said: ‘‘Ghana has become my second country and Tamale my home. I love the people; they are very friendly.”
A popular Egyptian fan who has attended five World Cups and five African Cup of Nations tournaments around the world and the continent, respectively, Mr Ali Sbaey, said: ‘”I am very happy here. I wish I could stay longer to continue to enjoy this wonderful reception.’’
On the tournament itself, he predicted that “Ghana will win the cup for the fifth time, given the quality of its players.’’
Some foreign journalists and fans were, however, not enthused, as there were not enough entertainment spots, neither were there organised entertainment packages for hang-outs at night.
Be that as it may, the $38.5 million state-of-the-art stadium has given Tamale a fresh image, for which reason the people have expressed appreciation to the government for selecting Tamale as one of the four host cities.
SOUTH AFRICAN AMBASSADOR LAUDS TAMALE RESIDENTS (Page 53)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE South African Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Rapu Molekane, has described the Tamale Stadium as very impressive. He has also commended the people of the metropolis for the warm reception extended to his national team, the Bafana Bafana, who were one of the four teams hosted in the metropolis for the Ghana 2008 tournament.
As a show of gratitude to the people, the ambassador has promised to link up the metropolis to a city in his country to establish a sister-city relationship for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two cities.
‘‘Even though I am left with barely six months to end my tenure in Ghana, I am going to take this initiative as a personal project to boost the social and economic ties between Ghana and South Africa,” Mr Molekane promised.
The ambassador gave the commendation when he presented a number of footballs and other sporting items to 20 selected primary and junior high schools in Tamale last week.
According to the ambassador, some South Africans who were in the metropolis for the games had also spotted some tourist and business potential in the area and had expressed their willingness to take advantage of the abundant opportunities to invest.
He further revealed that feasibility studies on the cultivation of sugar cane in Tamale had already been completed and that there were plans by his country in the near future to establish sugar plantations in the metropolis.
The Tamale Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Adam Baba, underscored the benefits that could accrue from the establishment of such a sister-city relationship between the cities and expressed the readiness of the TAMA for such an initiative.
He said the metropolis was the beehive of business and commerce in the northern sector and that its strategic location made it a good attraction for investment.
Alhaji Baba said Information and Communications Technology (ICT), banking and mango plantations were some of the areas that had opportunities for rapid growth.
He said with the vast experience of TAMA in sister-city relationships, being the first city in Ghana to establish such a relationship, he was hopeful that the people would benefit significantly from the initiative.
THE South African Ambassador to Ghana, Mr Rapu Molekane, has described the Tamale Stadium as very impressive. He has also commended the people of the metropolis for the warm reception extended to his national team, the Bafana Bafana, who were one of the four teams hosted in the metropolis for the Ghana 2008 tournament.
As a show of gratitude to the people, the ambassador has promised to link up the metropolis to a city in his country to establish a sister-city relationship for the mutual benefit of the peoples of the two cities.
‘‘Even though I am left with barely six months to end my tenure in Ghana, I am going to take this initiative as a personal project to boost the social and economic ties between Ghana and South Africa,” Mr Molekane promised.
The ambassador gave the commendation when he presented a number of footballs and other sporting items to 20 selected primary and junior high schools in Tamale last week.
According to the ambassador, some South Africans who were in the metropolis for the games had also spotted some tourist and business potential in the area and had expressed their willingness to take advantage of the abundant opportunities to invest.
He further revealed that feasibility studies on the cultivation of sugar cane in Tamale had already been completed and that there were plans by his country in the near future to establish sugar plantations in the metropolis.
The Tamale Metropolitan Co-ordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Adam Baba, underscored the benefits that could accrue from the establishment of such a sister-city relationship between the cities and expressed the readiness of the TAMA for such an initiative.
He said the metropolis was the beehive of business and commerce in the northern sector and that its strategic location made it a good attraction for investment.
Alhaji Baba said Information and Communications Technology (ICT), banking and mango plantations were some of the areas that had opportunities for rapid growth.
He said with the vast experience of TAMA in sister-city relationships, being the first city in Ghana to establish such a relationship, he was hopeful that the people would benefit significantly from the initiative.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
3 DIE AFTER GHANA, NIGERIA DUEL ...2 in Tamale, 1 in Accra (Page 3)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE spontaneous jubilation that characterised the 2-1 victory of the Ghana Black Stars over Nigeria yesterday resulted in the death of three people in Accra and Tamale.
In Accra, Mary Mensah reports that apart from the death of a 11-year-old pupil of the Kotobabi 5 Primary School, Nasiru Salifu, a man riding a motorbike through jubilant supporters was nearly lynched when he knocked a middle-aged man during the celebration at Ayikuma, near Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.
Although the motor cyclist escaped, his motorbike was burnt while the middle-aged man, whose name was not immediately known, was admitted to the 37 Military Hospital.
In Tamale, Hassan Inusah, a driver with the Ghana Fire Service, and a 14-year-old Class Five pupil, Issahaq Mohammed, died through separate motor accidents, reports Zakaria Alhassan.
Inusah died when he crashed his motorbike into a colleague’s while Mohammed fell off a moving vehicle and was run over by the driver.
The acting Director of Police Public Affairs Directorate, DSP Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that Salifu joined others in the celebration, and they were dancing when a bus with registration number GS 2681 Y, whose driver was also celebrating the victory knocked Salifu at the Abavana Junction and absconded.
He said the driver was still at large and the police had mounted a search for his arrest.
The acting director reiterated his appeal to members of the public to be circumspect during celebrations, adding that any celebration should be within the confines of the law.
He said the burning of lorry tyres on roads, illegal roadblocks which caused traffic jams on a number of roads within the metropolis and people who went naked publicly were unlawful.
DSP Ofori indicated that the way and manner in which some drivers also sped and drove carelessly on the roads, endangering the lives of pedestrians and other road users, was uncalled for.
In the Tamale incident, eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic that the driver, whose name was not given, joined in the celebration with Mohammed and others in the bucket of a pick-up, singing and dancing, reports Zakaria Alhassan.
In the course of the celebration, Mohammed fell off the vehicle as the driver began his antics of intermittently turning the vehicle around. He was run over by the vehicle and died instantly.
A number of people who were also involved in minor accidents received various degrees of injury as they rode their motorbikes and vehicles dangerously on the roads to the dismay of onlookers.
Some children who joined in the respective receptions in Tamale could not also trace their homes and had to be taken to some radio stations for announcements to be effected for their guardians to go for them.
In spite of these occurrences, some of the jubilant fans celebrated Ghana’s victory deep into the night.
THE spontaneous jubilation that characterised the 2-1 victory of the Ghana Black Stars over Nigeria yesterday resulted in the death of three people in Accra and Tamale.
In Accra, Mary Mensah reports that apart from the death of a 11-year-old pupil of the Kotobabi 5 Primary School, Nasiru Salifu, a man riding a motorbike through jubilant supporters was nearly lynched when he knocked a middle-aged man during the celebration at Ayikuma, near Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region.
Although the motor cyclist escaped, his motorbike was burnt while the middle-aged man, whose name was not immediately known, was admitted to the 37 Military Hospital.
In Tamale, Hassan Inusah, a driver with the Ghana Fire Service, and a 14-year-old Class Five pupil, Issahaq Mohammed, died through separate motor accidents, reports Zakaria Alhassan.
Inusah died when he crashed his motorbike into a colleague’s while Mohammed fell off a moving vehicle and was run over by the driver.
The acting Director of Police Public Affairs Directorate, DSP Kwesi Ofori, told the Daily Graphic in Accra that Salifu joined others in the celebration, and they were dancing when a bus with registration number GS 2681 Y, whose driver was also celebrating the victory knocked Salifu at the Abavana Junction and absconded.
He said the driver was still at large and the police had mounted a search for his arrest.
The acting director reiterated his appeal to members of the public to be circumspect during celebrations, adding that any celebration should be within the confines of the law.
He said the burning of lorry tyres on roads, illegal roadblocks which caused traffic jams on a number of roads within the metropolis and people who went naked publicly were unlawful.
DSP Ofori indicated that the way and manner in which some drivers also sped and drove carelessly on the roads, endangering the lives of pedestrians and other road users, was uncalled for.
In the Tamale incident, eyewitnesses told the Daily Graphic that the driver, whose name was not given, joined in the celebration with Mohammed and others in the bucket of a pick-up, singing and dancing, reports Zakaria Alhassan.
In the course of the celebration, Mohammed fell off the vehicle as the driver began his antics of intermittently turning the vehicle around. He was run over by the vehicle and died instantly.
A number of people who were also involved in minor accidents received various degrees of injury as they rode their motorbikes and vehicles dangerously on the roads to the dismay of onlookers.
Some children who joined in the respective receptions in Tamale could not also trace their homes and had to be taken to some radio stations for announcements to be effected for their guardians to go for them.
In spite of these occurrences, some of the jubilant fans celebrated Ghana’s victory deep into the night.
GHANAIANS JUBILATE OVER STARS VICTORY (Back Page)
STORY: Zakaria Alhassan
THERE was spontaneous jubilation in the Tamale metropolis immediately after the close of proceedings in the Ghana-Nigeria thrilling encounter that ended 2-1 in favour of the host nation.
The over-excited football fans poured on to some principal streets of the metropolis amidst drumming and singing of praises in honnour of the team and the nation.
Loud speakers from some restaurants and bars oozed out thunderous music that attracted a lot of people to the spots where they dined, drunk and danced their joy away.
Motorists also added to the fun by tooting their horns and waving miniature Ghana flags and other paraphernalia in the open air.
Others displayed acrobatic antics with their bicycles and motorbikes to the admiration of delighted onlookers.
A 19-year old food vendor Serena Iddi, said, ‘‘I am so happy we won because if we had lost or played a drawn game, people would not have patronise my food tonight.’’
A football enthusiast, Emmanuel Donkor, commended the Black Stars for their ‘‘marvellous display of determination, courage and bravado in spite of their numerical disadvantage in the second half.
Most of the delighted fans intimated that with the ongoing Ghana CAN 2008 fever in the air, they were going to celebrate the victory deep into the night.
• Hundreds of football fans at Maame Krobo in the Afram Plains District in the Eastern Region poured onto the streets in jubilation of the 2-1 victory of the Black Stars over their arch-rivals, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, writes Fiifi Mensah, Maame Krobo.
The main street was yesterday filled with vehicles tooting their horns while supporters were also blowing their whistles in support of the great victory.
A number of supporters the Daily Graphic spoke to expressed their appreciation to the Black Stars for the marvellous performance.
Mr Kofi Adjei Aidoo, Managing Director of Big Aidoo Construction said the Stars played with maturity and cohesion in spite of the referee's apparent bias.
From Asante Mampong, Nana Yaw Barimah reports that hell broke loose, immediately the Algerian referee brought hostilities between the Black Stars and the Super Eagles to an end as children between the ages of five and 15 joined hands with the elderly and paraded through the principal streets.
The jubilant supporters used any object they could lay their hands on as drums which they played as part of the jubilation.
As many supporters the Daily Graphic spoke to described Ghana’s performance as splendid and noted that the bias exhibited by the referee could not deter the Stars from winning the match.
They chastised the referee for thwarting the efforts of the Black Stars as he awarded a penalty against the Ghanaians and secondly gave the matching orders to Skipper Jonh Mensah.
They commended the Ghanaian technical team led by coach Claud Le Roy for the timeliness in making substitutions that made the difference.
THERE was spontaneous jubilation in the Tamale metropolis immediately after the close of proceedings in the Ghana-Nigeria thrilling encounter that ended 2-1 in favour of the host nation.
The over-excited football fans poured on to some principal streets of the metropolis amidst drumming and singing of praises in honnour of the team and the nation.
Loud speakers from some restaurants and bars oozed out thunderous music that attracted a lot of people to the spots where they dined, drunk and danced their joy away.
Motorists also added to the fun by tooting their horns and waving miniature Ghana flags and other paraphernalia in the open air.
Others displayed acrobatic antics with their bicycles and motorbikes to the admiration of delighted onlookers.
A 19-year old food vendor Serena Iddi, said, ‘‘I am so happy we won because if we had lost or played a drawn game, people would not have patronise my food tonight.’’
A football enthusiast, Emmanuel Donkor, commended the Black Stars for their ‘‘marvellous display of determination, courage and bravado in spite of their numerical disadvantage in the second half.
Most of the delighted fans intimated that with the ongoing Ghana CAN 2008 fever in the air, they were going to celebrate the victory deep into the night.
• Hundreds of football fans at Maame Krobo in the Afram Plains District in the Eastern Region poured onto the streets in jubilation of the 2-1 victory of the Black Stars over their arch-rivals, the Super Eagles of Nigeria, writes Fiifi Mensah, Maame Krobo.
The main street was yesterday filled with vehicles tooting their horns while supporters were also blowing their whistles in support of the great victory.
A number of supporters the Daily Graphic spoke to expressed their appreciation to the Black Stars for the marvellous performance.
Mr Kofi Adjei Aidoo, Managing Director of Big Aidoo Construction said the Stars played with maturity and cohesion in spite of the referee's apparent bias.
From Asante Mampong, Nana Yaw Barimah reports that hell broke loose, immediately the Algerian referee brought hostilities between the Black Stars and the Super Eagles to an end as children between the ages of five and 15 joined hands with the elderly and paraded through the principal streets.
The jubilant supporters used any object they could lay their hands on as drums which they played as part of the jubilation.
As many supporters the Daily Graphic spoke to described Ghana’s performance as splendid and noted that the bias exhibited by the referee could not deter the Stars from winning the match.
They chastised the referee for thwarting the efforts of the Black Stars as he awarded a penalty against the Ghanaians and secondly gave the matching orders to Skipper Jonh Mensah.
They commended the Ghanaian technical team led by coach Claud Le Roy for the timeliness in making substitutions that made the difference.
Friday, February 1, 2008
GHANA 2008 IS THE BEST EVER (G/S) PAGE 5
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE technical helmsman of the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, Roger Lemerre, has described the ongoing 26th Africa Cup of Nations as the most competitive and exhilarating, since the history of the tournament in 1957.
As predicted by most football pundits and technical experts, the tournament had so far proved to be tough and dicey to predict the eventual winner.
The former coach of the French National team, who was speaking to the Graphic sports, in an interview after the Teranga Lions of Senegal training session at the Tamale Senior High School, said three countries had a brighter chance of lifting the trophy.
“I think Ghana, Egypt and Cote d’Ivoire are the best teams in the competition and stand a chance of winning the cup,” he said.
While singling out those three countries as the favourites, Lemerre, who led the French national team to clinch the 2000 European Championships and the 2001 FIFA Confederations CUP, cautioned those three countries to be wary of countries like Guinea, Nigeria and Angola because they had a great potential to cause upsets.
Lemerre, who was speaking through an interpreter, predicted that the Ghana CAN 2008 tournament would discover a lot of young talents who would propel the continents football into growth and development.
“You can see that the competition has so far proved to belong to the new generation of football Stars who would take over from the old players. Most of the old players like Rigobert Song, Geremi Njitap and Nwankwu Kanu are now at their prime,” the Carthage Eagles coach explained.
He stressed the need for the old players to bid their time by hanging their boots after the tournament and make way for the new players to expose their talents.
“African coaches have to improve their technical knowledge so that they would be able to tap and nurture the young players into stardom,” he said.
Lemerre indicated that there was a marked improvement in the standard of football in Africa and that was attested to by the quality of skills and goals scored by the individual players in the ongoing tournament.
He, however, commended African coaches for striving to improve upon the game in the continent and urge them not to rest in their oars but continue to upgrade their technical knowledge so that they could impart it on their players.
As to whether the contemporary African football could be compared with that of Europe, he pointed out that European football was miles ahead of African football.
“The quality of pitches and logistics enjoyed by European coaches and footballers makes it difficult for Africa to catch Europe now. Unless something is done by African football governments to improve the facilities here, the gap would be maintained or widened,” the Carthage Eagles coach said.
Lemerre implored the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its members to co-ordinate effectively with their European counterparts so that African coaches would tap some expertise from their European counterparts to improve upon the game in the continent.
THE technical helmsman of the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia, Roger Lemerre, has described the ongoing 26th Africa Cup of Nations as the most competitive and exhilarating, since the history of the tournament in 1957.
As predicted by most football pundits and technical experts, the tournament had so far proved to be tough and dicey to predict the eventual winner.
The former coach of the French National team, who was speaking to the Graphic sports, in an interview after the Teranga Lions of Senegal training session at the Tamale Senior High School, said three countries had a brighter chance of lifting the trophy.
“I think Ghana, Egypt and Cote d’Ivoire are the best teams in the competition and stand a chance of winning the cup,” he said.
While singling out those three countries as the favourites, Lemerre, who led the French national team to clinch the 2000 European Championships and the 2001 FIFA Confederations CUP, cautioned those three countries to be wary of countries like Guinea, Nigeria and Angola because they had a great potential to cause upsets.
Lemerre, who was speaking through an interpreter, predicted that the Ghana CAN 2008 tournament would discover a lot of young talents who would propel the continents football into growth and development.
“You can see that the competition has so far proved to belong to the new generation of football Stars who would take over from the old players. Most of the old players like Rigobert Song, Geremi Njitap and Nwankwu Kanu are now at their prime,” the Carthage Eagles coach explained.
He stressed the need for the old players to bid their time by hanging their boots after the tournament and make way for the new players to expose their talents.
“African coaches have to improve their technical knowledge so that they would be able to tap and nurture the young players into stardom,” he said.
Lemerre indicated that there was a marked improvement in the standard of football in Africa and that was attested to by the quality of skills and goals scored by the individual players in the ongoing tournament.
He, however, commended African coaches for striving to improve upon the game in the continent and urge them not to rest in their oars but continue to upgrade their technical knowledge so that they could impart it on their players.
As to whether the contemporary African football could be compared with that of Europe, he pointed out that European football was miles ahead of African football.
“The quality of pitches and logistics enjoyed by European coaches and footballers makes it difficult for Africa to catch Europe now. Unless something is done by African football governments to improve the facilities here, the gap would be maintained or widened,” the Carthage Eagles coach said.
Lemerre implored the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and its members to co-ordinate effectively with their European counterparts so that African coaches would tap some expertise from their European counterparts to improve upon the game in the continent.
SAMED'S KILLERS STILL NOT FOUND (Page 29)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
MOST residents of Tamale are still baffled over the inability of the police to unravel the mysterious disappearance of the 31-year-old development worker, Mr Abdul-Samed Seidu, who is suspected to have been murdered in his house in Tamale.
His mortal remains have still not been uncovered by the police almost nine months after his supposed disappearance from his house.
According to the police, they were still following various leads to untangle the puzzle over the case and that the forensic examinations were ongoing.
They have therefore appealed to the general public who may have any knowledge of the possible location of Mr Seidu, to volunteer information to help in the speedy trial of the case pending in court.
News about the suspected murder of Mr Seidu, a graduate of the University of Cape Coast, sent shock waves through residents, including acquaintances, relations and co-workers of the Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems (RAINS), where he worked.
It also generated open animosity between the family and acquaintances of Mr Seidu and those of the suspect who incidentally bear the same name as of the former, Abdul-Samed Seidu, believed to have caused the disappearance of the victim.
The Tamale District Court, which began the trial of the case, charged the suspect on three counts of stealing, kidnapping and murdering the victim.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Tamale High Court to allow the applicant, who had appealed for a bail, to be heard.
However, the court which sat on the case on July 11, 2008 turned down his request. The suspect has since been in prison custody in Tamale.
According to a State Attorney, Mr Salia Abdul-Quddus, the victim was a friend of the applicant, who accommodated the latter at his residence on May 14, 2007 when he returned from Canada.
He said the two lived together for four days after which the victim could not be traced for which reason a report was made to the police.
The prosecutor said the applicant failed to accompany the family of the victim to report his disappearance to the police but chose to go to the police station alone to report that the victim had allegedly stolen his GH¢3,000.
He later claimed the victim owed him a total of GH¢14,000.
According to Mr Abdul-Quddus, the applicant after lodging the complaint, abandoned the victim’s house and moved into a hotel but when the police went for him to assist in investigations into the whereabouts of the victim, they were informed that the suspect had checked out for an unknown destination.
He said the police subsequently learnt that the applicant, who held a Canadian passport, was in Accra preparing to fly back to Canada on the next available flight and the Tamale District Court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
The prosecutor further said the applicant was not arrested during departure formalities but got arrested inside a Delta Air plane for which reason the plane had to be delayed for the applicant’s luggage to be removed.
It also turned out that the applicant changed his return flight date to an earlier date for which he had had to pay a penalty.
When the luggage of the applicant was searched, two Canadian and Ghanaian passports were found inside with one of the passports having expired.
Also retrieved were a digital camera, documents of a house, a laptop, an ipod, a Motorola phone battery, two phone chargers and two pen drives, all belonging to the victim.
The prosecutor said earlier, the plane ticket the applicant bought for the flight from Tamale to Accra was purchased with the name as that of the applicant’s brother-in-law.
He also said a new piece of cloth the victim bought to be presented to his mother on Mother’s Day celebration in May, 2007 was found in the possession of the sister of the applicant, who said her brother had given it to her.
Mr Abdul-Quddus further said that earlier, when the room of the victim was searched after his sudden disappearance, an amount of 3,000 euros, 700 pounds, cheques for GH¢750 and GH¢500 were found.
MOST residents of Tamale are still baffled over the inability of the police to unravel the mysterious disappearance of the 31-year-old development worker, Mr Abdul-Samed Seidu, who is suspected to have been murdered in his house in Tamale.
His mortal remains have still not been uncovered by the police almost nine months after his supposed disappearance from his house.
According to the police, they were still following various leads to untangle the puzzle over the case and that the forensic examinations were ongoing.
They have therefore appealed to the general public who may have any knowledge of the possible location of Mr Seidu, to volunteer information to help in the speedy trial of the case pending in court.
News about the suspected murder of Mr Seidu, a graduate of the University of Cape Coast, sent shock waves through residents, including acquaintances, relations and co-workers of the Regional Advisory, Information and Network Systems (RAINS), where he worked.
It also generated open animosity between the family and acquaintances of Mr Seidu and those of the suspect who incidentally bear the same name as of the former, Abdul-Samed Seidu, believed to have caused the disappearance of the victim.
The Tamale District Court, which began the trial of the case, charged the suspect on three counts of stealing, kidnapping and murdering the victim.
The case was subsequently transferred to the Tamale High Court to allow the applicant, who had appealed for a bail, to be heard.
However, the court which sat on the case on July 11, 2008 turned down his request. The suspect has since been in prison custody in Tamale.
According to a State Attorney, Mr Salia Abdul-Quddus, the victim was a friend of the applicant, who accommodated the latter at his residence on May 14, 2007 when he returned from Canada.
He said the two lived together for four days after which the victim could not be traced for which reason a report was made to the police.
The prosecutor said the applicant failed to accompany the family of the victim to report his disappearance to the police but chose to go to the police station alone to report that the victim had allegedly stolen his GH¢3,000.
He later claimed the victim owed him a total of GH¢14,000.
According to Mr Abdul-Quddus, the applicant after lodging the complaint, abandoned the victim’s house and moved into a hotel but when the police went for him to assist in investigations into the whereabouts of the victim, they were informed that the suspect had checked out for an unknown destination.
He said the police subsequently learnt that the applicant, who held a Canadian passport, was in Accra preparing to fly back to Canada on the next available flight and the Tamale District Court issued a bench warrant for his arrest.
The prosecutor further said the applicant was not arrested during departure formalities but got arrested inside a Delta Air plane for which reason the plane had to be delayed for the applicant’s luggage to be removed.
It also turned out that the applicant changed his return flight date to an earlier date for which he had had to pay a penalty.
When the luggage of the applicant was searched, two Canadian and Ghanaian passports were found inside with one of the passports having expired.
Also retrieved were a digital camera, documents of a house, a laptop, an ipod, a Motorola phone battery, two phone chargers and two pen drives, all belonging to the victim.
The prosecutor said earlier, the plane ticket the applicant bought for the flight from Tamale to Accra was purchased with the name as that of the applicant’s brother-in-law.
He also said a new piece of cloth the victim bought to be presented to his mother on Mother’s Day celebration in May, 2007 was found in the possession of the sister of the applicant, who said her brother had given it to her.
Mr Abdul-Quddus further said that earlier, when the room of the victim was searched after his sudden disappearance, an amount of 3,000 euros, 700 pounds, cheques for GH¢750 and GH¢500 were found.
PRESIDENT INAUGURATES FOOD BAZAAR IN TAMALE (Page 29)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
President J.A. Kufuor has inaugurated a food bazaar for visitors who are in Tamale to witness the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament there.
Ghana Telecom, operators of Onetouch cellular phone, provided 50 branded canopies for the food vendors.
The company also donated 5,000 tournament brochures on tourists’ sites in the Northern Region.
The total cost of the two items is about GH¢30,000.
The market is located near the Nyohini Roundabout and the new stadium, where the matches are being played.
The President, who received the canopies from the Northern Regional Manager of the Ghana Telecom, Mr Stephen Aduama-Danso, urged residents of the metropolis to continue to extend the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality to their guests.
He also advised the traders to prepare good quality food for sale in order to maximise sales.
Mr Aduama-Danso said their gesture was part of Ghana Telecom’s social responsibility to the community. It was also to support the Tamale Metro Assembly (TAMA) to successfully host the tournament.
The Northern Regional Sales Representative of the company in Tamale, Mr Iddrisu Abdul-Majeed, urged beneficiaries of the canopies to take good care of them and also maintain them regularly.
The Mayor of Tamale, Mr Mohammed Amin Adam Anta, thanked Ghana Telecom for its support and called on both residents and visitors in the metropolis to patronise the market which was strategically located.
President J.A. Kufuor has inaugurated a food bazaar for visitors who are in Tamale to witness the ongoing African Cup of Nations tournament there.
Ghana Telecom, operators of Onetouch cellular phone, provided 50 branded canopies for the food vendors.
The company also donated 5,000 tournament brochures on tourists’ sites in the Northern Region.
The total cost of the two items is about GH¢30,000.
The market is located near the Nyohini Roundabout and the new stadium, where the matches are being played.
The President, who received the canopies from the Northern Regional Manager of the Ghana Telecom, Mr Stephen Aduama-Danso, urged residents of the metropolis to continue to extend the proverbial Ghanaian hospitality to their guests.
He also advised the traders to prepare good quality food for sale in order to maximise sales.
Mr Aduama-Danso said their gesture was part of Ghana Telecom’s social responsibility to the community. It was also to support the Tamale Metro Assembly (TAMA) to successfully host the tournament.
The Northern Regional Sales Representative of the company in Tamale, Mr Iddrisu Abdul-Majeed, urged beneficiaries of the canopies to take good care of them and also maintain them regularly.
The Mayor of Tamale, Mr Mohammed Amin Adam Anta, thanked Ghana Telecom for its support and called on both residents and visitors in the metropolis to patronise the market which was strategically located.
MAN NABBED FOR STEALING PHONE ...(Page 29)
Story: Zakaria Alhassan, Tamale
A 22-year-old man who went to seek a job as a security man to help protect life and property of prospective clients rather turned out to be the one who needed to be watched.
The seemingly innocent but desperate young man did not only prove to be ungrateful but also exhibited the negative act for which he went to seek employment - to prevent crime in society - by stealing the mobile phone of a female employee of the security company, who was assisting him to get the job.
The suspect, Kamaldeen Abdulai, who resides at Choggu, a Tamale suburb, is now in the grips of the police.
According to the owner of the phone, Ms Alhassan Zenab, the suspect brought an application letter to the company to be recruited as a security guard last week Thursday.
Ms Zenab then asked the suspect to wait while she forwarded the letter to her director at his office.
‘‘On my return, I saw the suspect opening my purse, which I had left behind,’’ she said.
Ms Zenab said that after checking her purse, and satisfying herself all the items, including cash, were intact, she allowed the suspect to go away.
She said after some time, she realised that her phone was nowhere to be found. With the assistance of her colleagues, they pursued the suspect who was apprehended by some personnel of the community police in town.
Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted stealing the phone and explained that possessing a mobile phone had been his dream but since he could not afford it, he decided to steal that of the lady.
A 22-year-old man who went to seek a job as a security man to help protect life and property of prospective clients rather turned out to be the one who needed to be watched.
The seemingly innocent but desperate young man did not only prove to be ungrateful but also exhibited the negative act for which he went to seek employment - to prevent crime in society - by stealing the mobile phone of a female employee of the security company, who was assisting him to get the job.
The suspect, Kamaldeen Abdulai, who resides at Choggu, a Tamale suburb, is now in the grips of the police.
According to the owner of the phone, Ms Alhassan Zenab, the suspect brought an application letter to the company to be recruited as a security guard last week Thursday.
Ms Zenab then asked the suspect to wait while she forwarded the letter to her director at his office.
‘‘On my return, I saw the suspect opening my purse, which I had left behind,’’ she said.
Ms Zenab said that after checking her purse, and satisfying herself all the items, including cash, were intact, she allowed the suspect to go away.
She said after some time, she realised that her phone was nowhere to be found. With the assistance of her colleagues, they pursued the suspect who was apprehended by some personnel of the community police in town.
Upon interrogation, the suspect admitted stealing the phone and explained that possessing a mobile phone had been his dream but since he could not afford it, he decided to steal that of the lady.
TUNISIA, ANGOLA MAKE IT ...To the quarter-final round (1b)
Story: Zackaria Alhassan, Tamale
THE Carthage Eagles of Tunisia and the Palancas Negras of Angola secured the qualifying places in Group D for the quarter-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations following their goalless draw tie in Tamale yesterday.
Both teams were tied on four points before the game, and their draw meant they qualified ahead of their counterparts from Senegal and South Africa, since the outcome of their match would be inconsequential.
By virtue of their points build up in their previous two matches, both Tunisia and Angola, who finished five points apiece sailed through at the expense of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa and the Terranga Lions of Senegal who also drew 1-1 in Kumasi, leaving them with two points each.
It comes as the first qualification for the Angolans beyond the group stage after three straight campaigns ended in first round elimination.
Both Tunisia and Angola played it cautiously without any urgency of winning as they played the ball among themselves and wasted a lot of goal scoring chances.
Angola exhibited glimpses of team cohesion and individual skills but made heavy weather of their chances in both halves. With only keeper Hamdi Kasraoui to beat, their striker, Baptista Nsimba, messed up opportunities at certain points.
Nsimba, who was voted the man of the match, was truly wasteful, but equally guilty was the Tunisian danger man, Amine Chermiti, who failed to convert glorious opportunities in 15th, 19th and 43rd minutes.
Alonso Carlos of Angola took the Fair Play Player award.
THE Carthage Eagles of Tunisia and the Palancas Negras of Angola secured the qualifying places in Group D for the quarter-finals of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations following their goalless draw tie in Tamale yesterday.
Both teams were tied on four points before the game, and their draw meant they qualified ahead of their counterparts from Senegal and South Africa, since the outcome of their match would be inconsequential.
By virtue of their points build up in their previous two matches, both Tunisia and Angola, who finished five points apiece sailed through at the expense of the Bafana Bafana of South Africa and the Terranga Lions of Senegal who also drew 1-1 in Kumasi, leaving them with two points each.
It comes as the first qualification for the Angolans beyond the group stage after three straight campaigns ended in first round elimination.
Both Tunisia and Angola played it cautiously without any urgency of winning as they played the ball among themselves and wasted a lot of goal scoring chances.
Angola exhibited glimpses of team cohesion and individual skills but made heavy weather of their chances in both halves. With only keeper Hamdi Kasraoui to beat, their striker, Baptista Nsimba, messed up opportunities at certain points.
Nsimba, who was voted the man of the match, was truly wasteful, but equally guilty was the Tunisian danger man, Amine Chermiti, who failed to convert glorious opportunities in 15th, 19th and 43rd minutes.
Alonso Carlos of Angola took the Fair Play Player award.
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