Mr John Akparibo Ndebugre, an independent parliamentary candidate for Zebilla Constituency in the Upper East Region in the 2008 election, has joined the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
According to Mr Ndebugre, the national executive of the People’s National Convention (PNC), his former party, have failed to organise the party in conformity with the ideology of the founding fathers of the party, as well as the constitutional requirement for the formation of political parties, which demands that each political party has to practise internal democracy.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic, Mr Ndebugre said he was reading the statement on behalf of the executives of the 30 wards and 100 polling stations for the 2004 and 2008 elections.
He said it was for the practice of internal democracy, provision of information on party’s ideology and to sponsor candidates for elections that the late Dr Hilla Liman formed the PNC. However, these ideologies had been abandoned by people “who have imposed themselves as national executive on the people”.
He said the unconstitutional actions of the “so-called national executive” resulted in the abysmal results of the party during the last two elections.
Mr Ndebugre added that the national executive committee that was elected in May 2004 was unconstitutionally ousted in December 2007 by people who used illegal means to impose themselves as national executive on the party.
He said the illegal executive members failed to follow the laid down procedure for organising congress because they neglected the rule that demanded that parties held constituency and regional elections prior to the national congress.
He said the national delegates congress which elected the national executive and presidential candidates for the 2008 election did not have the mandate of the members of Zebilla, as well as some other constituency executives in the country.
Mr Ndebugre said the members and executive of Zebilla still considered the national executive of the party who were elected in 2004 as the substantive officers and were the very people who advised him to contest the 2008 elections as an independent parliamentary candidate.
He said after considering the consistent illegal behaviour of the “so-called national executive”, the members and the executive of Zebilla decided that they had to part ways with the party.
He said because they could not stay aloof in the face of the socio-economic and political happenings in the country, they decided to join forces with the NPP.
Mr Ndebugre said the defecting members had had discussions with the executive of the NPP on how to contribute to strengthen the NPP at the constituency to recapture political power in 2012.
Reacting to the defection, a leading member of the PNC, Dr Sontim Tobiga, described the move as “their individual choice which must be respected, because they have the freedom to associate with any political party of their choice at any time.”
He said in recent times Mr Ndebugre had not acted in any way in the interest of the party, including contesting the 2008 elections as an independent candidate at Zebila where the PNC had a parliamentary candidate.
However, the National Chairman of the NPP, Mr Peter Mac Manu, speaking via phone from Norway, where he is attending the national conference of the Conservative Party in Oslo, described the defection as good news and welcomed Mr Ndebugre to the NPP fold.
He said Mr Ndebugri being an experienced politician had come to realise the need to be part of the political party whose values and ideology bordered on respect for the rule of law, fundamental human rights, free speech and special respect for the poor and the vulnerable.
Friday, 8 May 2009
Thursday, 7 May 2009
PEACE C'TTEE FOR BAWKU INAUGURATED (PAGE 3)
THE government has inaugurated a 10-member Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee comprising both Kusasis and Mamprusis to broker a permanent peace in the Bawku municipality and its environs.
The terms of reference to guide the committee include the opening up of genuine, constructive and effective dialogue among the people of Bawku, especially the major protagonists in the conflict.
It is also to help educate the general populace on the need for peaceful co-existence, placing emphasis on commonalties that unite the people, instead of the insignificant differences dividing them.
It is to delve deeper into historical antecedents that unite the people and commit themselves to exposing all those who want to derail the peace process for the law to take its course.
The committee is also to help educate the populace of Bawku to separate criminal acts and activities from those related to the conflict and allow the law to take its natural course on those acts.
It is to make useful suggestions and recommendations to the Municipal Security Committee on ways of managing the conflict in the municipality and finally propose to the Regional Security Committee when the curfew on Bawku should be lifted.
Inaugurating the committee, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, said as a result of the conflict in that part of the country over the past one and half years, the government and the municipal assembly had been compelled to redirect scarce resources to manage and maintain peace and order, to the detriment of development projects in the area.
He said to worsen an already bad situation, most development partners who obviously felt unsafe working in a volatile and risky environment had also abandoned the area and left the people to their fate, culminating in the area lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of development.
“There is the need for us to stop for a moment, reflect and give peace a chance,” Mr Woyongo said.
The regional minister said he was convinced that members of the committee would live up to expectation and prove equal to the task ahead in order to restore peace in Bawku.
He commended the security agencies for the tactical manner in which they nipped in the bud the April 30, 2009 incidence in which some unidentified gunmen attacked some individuals at the Kariyama Cattle Market and stole some cattle which were later retrieved.
“That was needless and very irresponsible on the part of whoever might have orchestrated it,” he said.
Mr Woyongo tasked the security agencies to tighten their intelligence network and enhance their surveillance activities at public places to avoid such incidents in the future.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Mr Musa Abdulai, said the absence of peace in Bawku was hampering the effective development of the area and appealed to members of the committee to work assiduously to see how best to bring permanent peace to the area.
“Nobody, apart from us, can bring peace to Bawku. We should, therefore, see dialogue as the best way to address our differences,” Mr Abdulai said.
A representative of the Mamprusis, Mr David Molie Belko, observed that what was unfolding in Bawku, with the inauguration of the committee, was a laudable process which promised to be of immense benefit to the people of Ghana.
For his part, Mr Thomas Abilla, who spoke on behalf of the Kusasis, said the inauguration of the committee would enhance dialogue among the feuding factions and lead to evolving best ways of resolving whatever differences that might exist among them.
Members of the committed are Messrs Mohammed Tahiri Nambe, David Molie Belko, Bashiru Salifu, Ziblim Adam and Alhaji Ibrahim Kobila, representing the Mamprusi side.
The rest are Messrs Patrick Adakurugu, Thomas Abilla, Richard Ayabillah, Naba Adams Awinu and Madam Grace Nkaw, representing the Kusasis.
The terms of reference to guide the committee include the opening up of genuine, constructive and effective dialogue among the people of Bawku, especially the major protagonists in the conflict.
It is also to help educate the general populace on the need for peaceful co-existence, placing emphasis on commonalties that unite the people, instead of the insignificant differences dividing them.
It is to delve deeper into historical antecedents that unite the people and commit themselves to exposing all those who want to derail the peace process for the law to take its course.
The committee is also to help educate the populace of Bawku to separate criminal acts and activities from those related to the conflict and allow the law to take its natural course on those acts.
It is to make useful suggestions and recommendations to the Municipal Security Committee on ways of managing the conflict in the municipality and finally propose to the Regional Security Committee when the curfew on Bawku should be lifted.
Inaugurating the committee, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, said as a result of the conflict in that part of the country over the past one and half years, the government and the municipal assembly had been compelled to redirect scarce resources to manage and maintain peace and order, to the detriment of development projects in the area.
He said to worsen an already bad situation, most development partners who obviously felt unsafe working in a volatile and risky environment had also abandoned the area and left the people to their fate, culminating in the area lagging behind the rest of the country in terms of development.
“There is the need for us to stop for a moment, reflect and give peace a chance,” Mr Woyongo said.
The regional minister said he was convinced that members of the committee would live up to expectation and prove equal to the task ahead in order to restore peace in Bawku.
He commended the security agencies for the tactical manner in which they nipped in the bud the April 30, 2009 incidence in which some unidentified gunmen attacked some individuals at the Kariyama Cattle Market and stole some cattle which were later retrieved.
“That was needless and very irresponsible on the part of whoever might have orchestrated it,” he said.
Mr Woyongo tasked the security agencies to tighten their intelligence network and enhance their surveillance activities at public places to avoid such incidents in the future.
The Municipal Chief Executive for Bawku, Mr Musa Abdulai, said the absence of peace in Bawku was hampering the effective development of the area and appealed to members of the committee to work assiduously to see how best to bring permanent peace to the area.
“Nobody, apart from us, can bring peace to Bawku. We should, therefore, see dialogue as the best way to address our differences,” Mr Abdulai said.
A representative of the Mamprusis, Mr David Molie Belko, observed that what was unfolding in Bawku, with the inauguration of the committee, was a laudable process which promised to be of immense benefit to the people of Ghana.
For his part, Mr Thomas Abilla, who spoke on behalf of the Kusasis, said the inauguration of the committee would enhance dialogue among the feuding factions and lead to evolving best ways of resolving whatever differences that might exist among them.
Members of the committed are Messrs Mohammed Tahiri Nambe, David Molie Belko, Bashiru Salifu, Ziblim Adam and Alhaji Ibrahim Kobila, representing the Mamprusi side.
The rest are Messrs Patrick Adakurugu, Thomas Abilla, Richard Ayabillah, Naba Adams Awinu and Madam Grace Nkaw, representing the Kusasis.
Wednesday, 6 May 2009
BAWKU CONFIRMS ABDULAI AS DCE (PAGE 16)
The Bawku Municipal Assembly has confirmed Mr Musa Abdulai, a development worker, formerly with ActionAid Ghana as its Municipal Chief Executive.
At an emergency meeting held at Bawku, 45 out of the 46 assembly members present voted in favour of the nominee, while one person voted against in an election supervised by the officials of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Mr Abdulai thanked the assembly members for the honour done him and promised to cooperate with all stakeholders to develop the municipality.
He called for the support of all the people in the municipality to work hand in hand with him in the search for permanent peace in the area and return Bawku to its former state as a bustling commercial town.
He noted that although some remarkable success had been achieved in the search for peace by the various stakeholders, more remains to be done.
Mr Abdulai, therefore appealed to the assembly members to support him in his quest to bring peace to the area.
“Until those of us who are sons and daughters of this municipality commit ourselves and energies to it, much cannot be done by the peace brokers. In other words peace cannot be imposed on us from outside”, he said.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo bemoaned the recurrent nature of conflict in Bawku and renewed his appeal to the assembly members to assist in the peace building efforts, adding that development cannot take place when there is no peace.
He disclosed that for the last Samanpiid festival celebrated a few days back,an amount of GH ¢10,000 was spent to beef up security and maintain the peace in the area,stressing that the conflict in the area was having a toll on the finances of the region.
Mr Woyongo expressed government’s determination to ensure that a permanent solution was found to the problem before the end of its term and called for the support of the assembly members in that direction.
The regional minister announced that the Regional Security Council intended to form a joint committee of opinion leaders from the Mamprusis and Kusasis to meet and discuss and advise the REGSEC when it should lift the curfew on the area.
“We want that decision to come from the people. We have come a long way and I do not think that we want to go back. Because the conflict is retarding the progress of this beautiful town”, he said.
Mr Woyongo said the government was committed to reducing poverty in the region and to that end, had evolved so many intervention programmes under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority to help bridge the development gap between the north and south.
He therefore called for the support of the people to bring all that into fruition.
Rev. Fr Jacob Ayeebo, a member of the Council of State, commended the assembly members for the overwhelming support given to the President’s nominee and encourage them to continue to work together towards the development of the area.
At an emergency meeting held at Bawku, 45 out of the 46 assembly members present voted in favour of the nominee, while one person voted against in an election supervised by the officials of the Electoral Commission (EC).
Mr Abdulai thanked the assembly members for the honour done him and promised to cooperate with all stakeholders to develop the municipality.
He called for the support of all the people in the municipality to work hand in hand with him in the search for permanent peace in the area and return Bawku to its former state as a bustling commercial town.
He noted that although some remarkable success had been achieved in the search for peace by the various stakeholders, more remains to be done.
Mr Abdulai, therefore appealed to the assembly members to support him in his quest to bring peace to the area.
“Until those of us who are sons and daughters of this municipality commit ourselves and energies to it, much cannot be done by the peace brokers. In other words peace cannot be imposed on us from outside”, he said.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo bemoaned the recurrent nature of conflict in Bawku and renewed his appeal to the assembly members to assist in the peace building efforts, adding that development cannot take place when there is no peace.
He disclosed that for the last Samanpiid festival celebrated a few days back,an amount of GH ¢10,000 was spent to beef up security and maintain the peace in the area,stressing that the conflict in the area was having a toll on the finances of the region.
Mr Woyongo expressed government’s determination to ensure that a permanent solution was found to the problem before the end of its term and called for the support of the assembly members in that direction.
The regional minister announced that the Regional Security Council intended to form a joint committee of opinion leaders from the Mamprusis and Kusasis to meet and discuss and advise the REGSEC when it should lift the curfew on the area.
“We want that decision to come from the people. We have come a long way and I do not think that we want to go back. Because the conflict is retarding the progress of this beautiful town”, he said.
Mr Woyongo said the government was committed to reducing poverty in the region and to that end, had evolved so many intervention programmes under the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority to help bridge the development gap between the north and south.
He therefore called for the support of the people to bring all that into fruition.
Rev. Fr Jacob Ayeebo, a member of the Council of State, commended the assembly members for the overwhelming support given to the President’s nominee and encourage them to continue to work together towards the development of the area.
Tuesday, 5 May 2009
AFRIKIDS DONATES TO BOLGA POLY DISASTER FUND (PAGE 20)
THE Staff of Afrikids Ghana, a non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating in the Upper East Region, has donated GH¢300 towards the Bolgatanga Polytechnic disaster fund.
The money was raised from personal contributions by 16 members of staff of the NGO to help ameliorate the pain of the students, some of whom lost everything in a fire outbreak that razed a hostel block down in February, this year.
The hostel, a one storey-block consisting of 12-room apartment, which was originally meant for classrooms, was converted into a residential facility to accommodate the students.
The acting Head of External Affairs of the NGO, Mr Raymond Ayinne, assisted by three of his colleagues, Ms Sandra Dordaa, Ms Irene Asaana and Peter Ayariga, presented the money to the management of the Polytechnic at a brief ceremony on campus.
Making the presentation, Mr Ayinne stated that he and his colleagues were deeply touched by the plight of the students hence their decision to contribute their widow’s mite to help lessen the pains they were going through.
He said the presentation did not represent a corporate donation but individuals who were deeply touched by the plight of their brothers and sisters.
Mr Ayinne expressed the hope that other individuals and organisations would emulate the gesture to help the students.
Receiving the cheque, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Paul Tanzubil commended the staff of the NGO for the gesture.
He said he was particularly pleased that it was coming from individuals of the NGO, adding “This is an exemplification of what your organisation really stands for”.
Mr Ayinne expressed the hope that the gesture would go a long way to rekindle a fruitful working relationship between the polytechnic and the NGO.
The money was raised from personal contributions by 16 members of staff of the NGO to help ameliorate the pain of the students, some of whom lost everything in a fire outbreak that razed a hostel block down in February, this year.
The hostel, a one storey-block consisting of 12-room apartment, which was originally meant for classrooms, was converted into a residential facility to accommodate the students.
The acting Head of External Affairs of the NGO, Mr Raymond Ayinne, assisted by three of his colleagues, Ms Sandra Dordaa, Ms Irene Asaana and Peter Ayariga, presented the money to the management of the Polytechnic at a brief ceremony on campus.
Making the presentation, Mr Ayinne stated that he and his colleagues were deeply touched by the plight of the students hence their decision to contribute their widow’s mite to help lessen the pains they were going through.
He said the presentation did not represent a corporate donation but individuals who were deeply touched by the plight of their brothers and sisters.
Mr Ayinne expressed the hope that other individuals and organisations would emulate the gesture to help the students.
Receiving the cheque, the Rector of the Polytechnic, Professor Paul Tanzubil commended the staff of the NGO for the gesture.
He said he was particularly pleased that it was coming from individuals of the NGO, adding “This is an exemplification of what your organisation really stands for”.
Mr Ayinne expressed the hope that the gesture would go a long way to rekindle a fruitful working relationship between the polytechnic and the NGO.
ADDRO LAUNCHES DOMESTIC VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAMME (PAGE 20)
ADDRO stands for the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Office now known as the Anglican Diocesan Development and Relief Organisation. ADDRO is an initiative of the Anglican Diocese of Tamale and it covers the three regions of the Northern part of Ghana, namely the Northern, Upper East and Upper West regions.
The diocese believes in a holistic ministry of saving not only the soul but the body as well, it has initiated a number of development projects in many rural communities, especially in the Upper East Region.
ADDRO started its first mission in 1971. It was an irrigation-farming project intended to support the people involved to produce crops and vegetables during the dry season so that they could improve their standards of living.
In 1978, a new development took place and the Anglican Church Agricultural Project (ACAP) was launched to meet the needs of the poor. All the projects started through private, clergy or parish initiative and were unco-ordinated, scattered and “everybody was doing their own thing”.
The efforts of those projects were not co-ordinated to maximise the effects on the receivers.
However, in 1996, the diocese took a bold and decisive step and consolidated its development work through the establishment of the diocesan development and relief office“ADDRO”.
Over the years, ADDRO developed from a well -willing missionary approach into a professionally based organisation with state of the art equipment, well trained and professional staff members.
One area of concern to this religious organisation is gender discrimination and health education.
Since 2006, Addro has been collaborating with CordAid, a Netherlands-based charity organisation to combat the gender discrimination and violence against women inside and outside their homes.
The aim of that programme was to contribute to the elimination of gender-based discrimination and to promote the reproductive health rights of women. It is targeted at a change of behaviour at the regional, district and community levels in northern Ghana.
Although many people might think that women have equal rights compared to men, especially in the three northern districts of Ghana, practice proves completely otherwise. Child labour, low girl-child education, widowhood rites and property inheritances are socio-cultural issues that need serious attention.
ADDRO wants to be of help with regard to those issues by creating awareness and understanding at all levels in the Ghanaian society, especially in the Upper East Region.
The implementation strategy includes community mobilisation, sensitisation, awareness creation and the empowerment of targeted individuals and groups through workshops to have the capacity to combat gender based discriminations and to promote the rights of women and children.
The organisation has made a great impact on the beneficiary communities and districts which are contributing massively to the reduction of gender based discrimination and its related consequences.
In terms of gender relations in northern Ghana, inequality stemming from traditional norms and beliefs is pronounced. Despite the fact that women provide over 65 per cent of the farm labour and about 85 per cent of the marketing of agricultural produce, they are still discriminated against when it comes to ownership of assets and productive resources.
Women are not expected to be owners nor custodians of productive resources like land, economic trees, or even cattle or bullocks.
Ownership of assets by women is limited to personal effects like cooking utensils, clothing, among others. Women are, therefore, unable to take their destinies into their own hands, as they do not often have control even over their own economic assets. This limits the exercise of their much-needed freedom to live and enjoy life as human beings.
Furthermore, women are discriminated against in matters of education as a result of the literacy level among women compared with that of their male counterparts, which is very low. This high level of illiteracy among women has incapacitated them and limited their exposure to development opportunities to initiate, plan, implement and manage self-help small enterprises on a sustainable basis, leaving them with less economic, social and political power as compared to men.
Besides the above mentioned negative inequalities, gender based violence is prevalent in the area affecting mostly women and occurring at personnel, domestic, community and state levels with its many varied manifestations. The use of violence by men against women is to prevent women from realising their rights, be they economic, social, political or sexual.
The problem is not only widely spread geographically, but its incidence is also extensive, making it a typical and accepted behaviour, widely ignored and so little understood.
It is for this reason that ADDRO has launched a GH¢200,000 Domestic Violence Intervention Programme. The programme is funded by CORDAID and it is to be started by ADDRO in selected communities in the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Bawku West district for the next two years.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, the Co-ordinator for Gender and Development of ADDRO, Mrs Esther Amoako, said domestic violence was on the increase in the area in view of the perception held by the people about the rights of women and children in the family.
She said the gross abuse of the rights of women and children by husbands, denying women basic rights to own property, forced marriages in the name of upholding the tradition had contributed immensely to the increasing poverty situation in the area.
The programme co-ordinator said the trauma women went through when they were abused was so alarming that there should be several interventions to nib the problem in the bud.
Mrs Amoako added that what was even more dehumanising was that wives were sometimes prevented from speaking to their fellow women while others were prevented from seeing family members and other relations.
The Executive Director of ADDRO, Very Reverend Dr Jacob Ayeebo proposed a comprehensive collaboration programme with NGOs working in the areas of human rights-related issues, especially domestic violence, to map up a clear-cut strategy to ensure speedy reduction in domestic violence-related cases in the three northern regions.
He stated that northern Ghana could overcome poverty, “the key enemy in this part of the country, if we work together with seriousness against ignorance and accept the simple education we get from service providers such as ADDRO, we would cross a hurdle in achieving a poverty free system”.
Reverend Dr Ayeebo said battery, physical abuse of especially women and children, economic deprivation of women, sexual abuse and emotional torture of women and children were unacceptable in the 21st Century Ghana, and that such actions were criminal and infringed on the fundamental rights of women and children who are most vulnerable.
Reverend Dr Ayeebo who is also a Member of the Council of State, further called on the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Departments of Women and Children, the Centre for National Culture (CNC) as well as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), to collaborate effectively at ensuring that they combine education and action in eliminating the phenomenon.
A Senior Investigator with CHRAJ in the Upper East Region, Mr Mohammed Tiamiyu, who presented a paper on “Domestic Violence and the Law,” said domestic violence in families was not limited to only the battery of women, but that child abuse whether verbal or physical, abusive and offensive words against partners, among host of unhealthy grudges in the family, constituted elements of domestic violence.
He added that physical abuse including forceful confinement or detention of another person, deprivation of a partner or a member of the family from accessing the necessities of life, subjecting one to cruel and inhuman treatment, sexual and economic abuse as well as emotional and psychological exploitation of a family member, constituted domestic violence.
Mr Tiamiyu stated that domestic violence was a human rights issue which was treated strictly as such under the Domestic Violence Law, Act 732, adding that the various laws enforcement agencies would treat such cases with the necessary attention they deserved irrespective of who the offenders were, whether it is the man or the woman.
The diocese believes in a holistic ministry of saving not only the soul but the body as well, it has initiated a number of development projects in many rural communities, especially in the Upper East Region.
ADDRO started its first mission in 1971. It was an irrigation-farming project intended to support the people involved to produce crops and vegetables during the dry season so that they could improve their standards of living.
In 1978, a new development took place and the Anglican Church Agricultural Project (ACAP) was launched to meet the needs of the poor. All the projects started through private, clergy or parish initiative and were unco-ordinated, scattered and “everybody was doing their own thing”.
The efforts of those projects were not co-ordinated to maximise the effects on the receivers.
However, in 1996, the diocese took a bold and decisive step and consolidated its development work through the establishment of the diocesan development and relief office“ADDRO”.
Over the years, ADDRO developed from a well -willing missionary approach into a professionally based organisation with state of the art equipment, well trained and professional staff members.
One area of concern to this religious organisation is gender discrimination and health education.
Since 2006, Addro has been collaborating with CordAid, a Netherlands-based charity organisation to combat the gender discrimination and violence against women inside and outside their homes.
The aim of that programme was to contribute to the elimination of gender-based discrimination and to promote the reproductive health rights of women. It is targeted at a change of behaviour at the regional, district and community levels in northern Ghana.
Although many people might think that women have equal rights compared to men, especially in the three northern districts of Ghana, practice proves completely otherwise. Child labour, low girl-child education, widowhood rites and property inheritances are socio-cultural issues that need serious attention.
ADDRO wants to be of help with regard to those issues by creating awareness and understanding at all levels in the Ghanaian society, especially in the Upper East Region.
The implementation strategy includes community mobilisation, sensitisation, awareness creation and the empowerment of targeted individuals and groups through workshops to have the capacity to combat gender based discriminations and to promote the rights of women and children.
The organisation has made a great impact on the beneficiary communities and districts which are contributing massively to the reduction of gender based discrimination and its related consequences.
In terms of gender relations in northern Ghana, inequality stemming from traditional norms and beliefs is pronounced. Despite the fact that women provide over 65 per cent of the farm labour and about 85 per cent of the marketing of agricultural produce, they are still discriminated against when it comes to ownership of assets and productive resources.
Women are not expected to be owners nor custodians of productive resources like land, economic trees, or even cattle or bullocks.
Ownership of assets by women is limited to personal effects like cooking utensils, clothing, among others. Women are, therefore, unable to take their destinies into their own hands, as they do not often have control even over their own economic assets. This limits the exercise of their much-needed freedom to live and enjoy life as human beings.
Furthermore, women are discriminated against in matters of education as a result of the literacy level among women compared with that of their male counterparts, which is very low. This high level of illiteracy among women has incapacitated them and limited their exposure to development opportunities to initiate, plan, implement and manage self-help small enterprises on a sustainable basis, leaving them with less economic, social and political power as compared to men.
Besides the above mentioned negative inequalities, gender based violence is prevalent in the area affecting mostly women and occurring at personnel, domestic, community and state levels with its many varied manifestations. The use of violence by men against women is to prevent women from realising their rights, be they economic, social, political or sexual.
The problem is not only widely spread geographically, but its incidence is also extensive, making it a typical and accepted behaviour, widely ignored and so little understood.
It is for this reason that ADDRO has launched a GH¢200,000 Domestic Violence Intervention Programme. The programme is funded by CORDAID and it is to be started by ADDRO in selected communities in the Bolgatanga Municipality and the Bawku West district for the next two years.
Speaking at the launch of the programme, the Co-ordinator for Gender and Development of ADDRO, Mrs Esther Amoako, said domestic violence was on the increase in the area in view of the perception held by the people about the rights of women and children in the family.
She said the gross abuse of the rights of women and children by husbands, denying women basic rights to own property, forced marriages in the name of upholding the tradition had contributed immensely to the increasing poverty situation in the area.
The programme co-ordinator said the trauma women went through when they were abused was so alarming that there should be several interventions to nib the problem in the bud.
Mrs Amoako added that what was even more dehumanising was that wives were sometimes prevented from speaking to their fellow women while others were prevented from seeing family members and other relations.
The Executive Director of ADDRO, Very Reverend Dr Jacob Ayeebo proposed a comprehensive collaboration programme with NGOs working in the areas of human rights-related issues, especially domestic violence, to map up a clear-cut strategy to ensure speedy reduction in domestic violence-related cases in the three northern regions.
He stated that northern Ghana could overcome poverty, “the key enemy in this part of the country, if we work together with seriousness against ignorance and accept the simple education we get from service providers such as ADDRO, we would cross a hurdle in achieving a poverty free system”.
Reverend Dr Ayeebo said battery, physical abuse of especially women and children, economic deprivation of women, sexual abuse and emotional torture of women and children were unacceptable in the 21st Century Ghana, and that such actions were criminal and infringed on the fundamental rights of women and children who are most vulnerable.
Reverend Dr Ayeebo who is also a Member of the Council of State, further called on the Domestic Violence and Victim Support Unit (DVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service, the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), the Departments of Women and Children, the Centre for National Culture (CNC) as well as the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), to collaborate effectively at ensuring that they combine education and action in eliminating the phenomenon.
A Senior Investigator with CHRAJ in the Upper East Region, Mr Mohammed Tiamiyu, who presented a paper on “Domestic Violence and the Law,” said domestic violence in families was not limited to only the battery of women, but that child abuse whether verbal or physical, abusive and offensive words against partners, among host of unhealthy grudges in the family, constituted elements of domestic violence.
He added that physical abuse including forceful confinement or detention of another person, deprivation of a partner or a member of the family from accessing the necessities of life, subjecting one to cruel and inhuman treatment, sexual and economic abuse as well as emotional and psychological exploitation of a family member, constituted domestic violence.
Mr Tiamiyu stated that domestic violence was a human rights issue which was treated strictly as such under the Domestic Violence Law, Act 732, adding that the various laws enforcement agencies would treat such cases with the necessary attention they deserved irrespective of who the offenders were, whether it is the man or the woman.
Monday, 4 May 2009
GOVT'S 100 DAYS IN OFFICER ...Views from Bolga & Cape Coast (PAGE 31)
Salifu Amadu, Retired Educationist
I WOULD like to put the assessment of the government’s first 100 days under several headings. In the area of administration, I think everything is on course, even though certain ministries are without Deputy Ministers and some boards of public institutions are not in place. All in all, one can say, it’s a good beginning.
In terms of security, there has not been much change. Though there are prospects for better things in the foreseeable future.
In terms of the promise to prepare and present to parliament, legislation on various tax and tariff measures designed to provide relief for Ghanaians, we have seen a reduction of taxes on particularly petrol and diesel. However, I think the government dribbled Ghanaians by reducing the taxes by five per cent and turned around to increase the prices by 10 per cent. To me this is not an incentive to the generality of Ghanaians.
On the promise of ensuring effective waste management systems to deal with the appalling filth in our communities, I will say that if the emphasis was on the national capital, Accra, then the government has scored high marks but the situation across the nation is nothing to write home about.
I do agree that tackling the issue of sanitation is not an event but a process. There is a need for a strong policy directive to deal with the problem of sanitation. There should be a sustained effort and dedication from all Ghanaians to ensure that our environment is kept clean always.
We all need to put our shoulders to the wheel because one cannot sit in Accra and pretend to be cleaning the whole nation. It should be a policy for the district and municipal assemblies in the region to take up the issue of sanitation seriously. Once that is done we will be cutting down on the health bill, since most of the many people who report to our hospitals have their ailment related to poor sanitation.
But then, more importantly, we want money in our pockets and I think the government will do well to ensure that it lives up to the responsibility to improve on salaries. On the scale of 1 to 100, I will give the government 50.
Lukman Imoro, Founding Member, Bawku Literary
Society
For me the first 100 days have so far been good. Over the past three months, we have seen the commitment of government to continue with existing government programmes such as the National Youth Employment Programme, School Feeding Programme, and National Health Insurance Scheme. This I think is fantastic.
In the area of administration, I think the government had fared well in that within 100 days, the government has put in place a cabinet, a Council of State. With these vital institutions in place, Ghanaians can now be rest assured that the Presidency is now set to roll out its policies.
Again the fact that the government has been able to create the impression that the wrangling that is normally associated with the transition has been reduced drastically is laudable.
On the promise to establish a lean, but effective and efficient government by cutting out ostentation and profligate expenditure; rationalising ministries and ministerial appointments; promoting service, humility and integrity as canons of government, the Government has kept its word.
Now we have about 74 ministers compared to 87 in the last term of the past government. This is significant but what we are yet to know is how much each of those ministries that have been cut out will cost the nation in terms of running them and where these monies have gone to.
On the environment and sanitation, the fact that there has been some form of campaign going on is impressive. But I must add that the issues concerning the environment are more of attitudinal and that would be difficult to change within 100 days.
ODO ASAFUAHBA, FRUIT SELLER
It is too early to judge the President. People are complaining but we should give him time.
We should give him about six to seven months and see what he and his government can do for the country.
I know that there is no money in the system but we have to manage until we feel the change in our pockets. I know by four years he would have accomplished what he set out to do.
Lorry fares have not been increased and so it is good for us.
Zoomlion is working and we know the sanitation problem would be better.
Unemployment is still a problem.
Someone just stole my money because he is unemployed. Hawkers like us are suffering and there should be work avenues for us to benefit.
There should be a little relief for us to feel the change.
If we don’t feel any better change after the four years we would advise ourselves but if we are satisfied we would vote for him again.
Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Journalist
Judging by what has already been done in terms of putting in place a cabinet, a Council of State, appointment of Ministers of State and their deputies as well as nominations of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, I must say the president has done well within the first 100 days in office.
On the issue of sanitation, well the present government can be commended for instituting a nationwide clean-up campaign. But instituting such a day alone is not enough, what I think must be done is to ensure that all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies sustain the efforts with regular clean-up exercises to keep the environment clean.
On the media front, the government under the leadership of Prof. Mills has enjoyed some support in terms of access to information but in other parts of the country, some media houses have been left out of events organised by the state and this I think is not good.
I look forward to greater co-operation with the media by all officials of the government. Whatever it is you do not expect everyone to share your views. People will always differ on opinions and would not share the same philosophy.
On security, I will say so far, it has been encouraging. Citing Bawku for instance, security since the current government took office has been good. I pray that it will be improved so that Ghanaians will feel safe and secure to go about their legitimate duties devoid of fear and intimidation.
NICHOLAS NYAME, TRADER
We thank God for giving us a successful transition.
The President said there was no money in our pockets and that he would ensure that Ghanaians were living acceptable lives.
If the President, and for that matter the government, is doing well, Ghanaians should be the judges and not himself.
But now it is obvious that all of us are suffering. Even those in the NDC are complaining.
It is sad to note that the drivers who kicked the NPP out are those crying the loudest in these hard times.
The cedi is depreciating every day and those of us who sell we cannot even restock. Things are really difficult these days. There are no jobs in the system and young people are now turning into thieves. How can we survive a system like this?
Zoomlion had always been doing their work to keep the communities clean. All salaried workers who buy my wares are now complaining that they do not have money and are not buying like they used to. Four years will soon be here and we pray that things would change for the better.
We hope that it would get better. There should be money in the system and Ghanaians should be able to live their lives.
If the President and his government want to stay longer they should work harder.
KWABENA ASIEDU, COBBLER
When I look around not much has occurred after the President’s 100 days in office but I know things would get better.
I must say here that if the President would want to listen to everybody he better hand over the presidency.
He must continue to stay focused like he is doing and we believe with him things would change for the better.
He is on track and I am telling him to take his time and take the right decisions for us as Ghanaians and not be distracted by the things he hears.
In 100 days we all see that at least fares have not been increased and that is commendable.
It is also commendable that the President is appointing people from other parties to help solve the nation’s problems. That is good because we are all Ghanaians and that would help promote unity.
The drug menace is also being controlled by the government and crime I think is on the decline.
He has done well for now and we know that Ghana would be better off after the four-year term.
I want to see so many of the unemployed youth with employable skills and also Ghana being a safe place to live by the end of his term.
RICHARD MENSAH,
BUSINESSMAN
We have always enjoyed peace in this country and we are happy that the government has worked to sustain the peace.
All I have seen in these 100 days is the clean-up campaigns and for that we are happy about it.
The difference between the former government and this one is great and we all feel the difference.
If Ghanaians would be truthful we would say that things are not going the way we expected.
The President has not met our expectations considering his promises during the electioneering. We expect better days ahead.
Credit crunch or no credit crunch we are here in Ghana and we voted for a President who can make our lives better so he should please do well to do that.
There should not be any excuse.
Once his government is in place I hope that they would start serious work to ensure that Ghanaians feel the change.
I WOULD like to put the assessment of the government’s first 100 days under several headings. In the area of administration, I think everything is on course, even though certain ministries are without Deputy Ministers and some boards of public institutions are not in place. All in all, one can say, it’s a good beginning.
In terms of security, there has not been much change. Though there are prospects for better things in the foreseeable future.
In terms of the promise to prepare and present to parliament, legislation on various tax and tariff measures designed to provide relief for Ghanaians, we have seen a reduction of taxes on particularly petrol and diesel. However, I think the government dribbled Ghanaians by reducing the taxes by five per cent and turned around to increase the prices by 10 per cent. To me this is not an incentive to the generality of Ghanaians.
On the promise of ensuring effective waste management systems to deal with the appalling filth in our communities, I will say that if the emphasis was on the national capital, Accra, then the government has scored high marks but the situation across the nation is nothing to write home about.
I do agree that tackling the issue of sanitation is not an event but a process. There is a need for a strong policy directive to deal with the problem of sanitation. There should be a sustained effort and dedication from all Ghanaians to ensure that our environment is kept clean always.
We all need to put our shoulders to the wheel because one cannot sit in Accra and pretend to be cleaning the whole nation. It should be a policy for the district and municipal assemblies in the region to take up the issue of sanitation seriously. Once that is done we will be cutting down on the health bill, since most of the many people who report to our hospitals have their ailment related to poor sanitation.
But then, more importantly, we want money in our pockets and I think the government will do well to ensure that it lives up to the responsibility to improve on salaries. On the scale of 1 to 100, I will give the government 50.
Lukman Imoro, Founding Member, Bawku Literary
Society
For me the first 100 days have so far been good. Over the past three months, we have seen the commitment of government to continue with existing government programmes such as the National Youth Employment Programme, School Feeding Programme, and National Health Insurance Scheme. This I think is fantastic.
In the area of administration, I think the government had fared well in that within 100 days, the government has put in place a cabinet, a Council of State. With these vital institutions in place, Ghanaians can now be rest assured that the Presidency is now set to roll out its policies.
Again the fact that the government has been able to create the impression that the wrangling that is normally associated with the transition has been reduced drastically is laudable.
On the promise to establish a lean, but effective and efficient government by cutting out ostentation and profligate expenditure; rationalising ministries and ministerial appointments; promoting service, humility and integrity as canons of government, the Government has kept its word.
Now we have about 74 ministers compared to 87 in the last term of the past government. This is significant but what we are yet to know is how much each of those ministries that have been cut out will cost the nation in terms of running them and where these monies have gone to.
On the environment and sanitation, the fact that there has been some form of campaign going on is impressive. But I must add that the issues concerning the environment are more of attitudinal and that would be difficult to change within 100 days.
ODO ASAFUAHBA, FRUIT SELLER
It is too early to judge the President. People are complaining but we should give him time.
We should give him about six to seven months and see what he and his government can do for the country.
I know that there is no money in the system but we have to manage until we feel the change in our pockets. I know by four years he would have accomplished what he set out to do.
Lorry fares have not been increased and so it is good for us.
Zoomlion is working and we know the sanitation problem would be better.
Unemployment is still a problem.
Someone just stole my money because he is unemployed. Hawkers like us are suffering and there should be work avenues for us to benefit.
There should be a little relief for us to feel the change.
If we don’t feel any better change after the four years we would advise ourselves but if we are satisfied we would vote for him again.
Ebo Bruce-Quansah, Journalist
Judging by what has already been done in terms of putting in place a cabinet, a Council of State, appointment of Ministers of State and their deputies as well as nominations of Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives, I must say the president has done well within the first 100 days in office.
On the issue of sanitation, well the present government can be commended for instituting a nationwide clean-up campaign. But instituting such a day alone is not enough, what I think must be done is to ensure that all metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies sustain the efforts with regular clean-up exercises to keep the environment clean.
On the media front, the government under the leadership of Prof. Mills has enjoyed some support in terms of access to information but in other parts of the country, some media houses have been left out of events organised by the state and this I think is not good.
I look forward to greater co-operation with the media by all officials of the government. Whatever it is you do not expect everyone to share your views. People will always differ on opinions and would not share the same philosophy.
On security, I will say so far, it has been encouraging. Citing Bawku for instance, security since the current government took office has been good. I pray that it will be improved so that Ghanaians will feel safe and secure to go about their legitimate duties devoid of fear and intimidation.
NICHOLAS NYAME, TRADER
We thank God for giving us a successful transition.
The President said there was no money in our pockets and that he would ensure that Ghanaians were living acceptable lives.
If the President, and for that matter the government, is doing well, Ghanaians should be the judges and not himself.
But now it is obvious that all of us are suffering. Even those in the NDC are complaining.
It is sad to note that the drivers who kicked the NPP out are those crying the loudest in these hard times.
The cedi is depreciating every day and those of us who sell we cannot even restock. Things are really difficult these days. There are no jobs in the system and young people are now turning into thieves. How can we survive a system like this?
Zoomlion had always been doing their work to keep the communities clean. All salaried workers who buy my wares are now complaining that they do not have money and are not buying like they used to. Four years will soon be here and we pray that things would change for the better.
We hope that it would get better. There should be money in the system and Ghanaians should be able to live their lives.
If the President and his government want to stay longer they should work harder.
KWABENA ASIEDU, COBBLER
When I look around not much has occurred after the President’s 100 days in office but I know things would get better.
I must say here that if the President would want to listen to everybody he better hand over the presidency.
He must continue to stay focused like he is doing and we believe with him things would change for the better.
He is on track and I am telling him to take his time and take the right decisions for us as Ghanaians and not be distracted by the things he hears.
In 100 days we all see that at least fares have not been increased and that is commendable.
It is also commendable that the President is appointing people from other parties to help solve the nation’s problems. That is good because we are all Ghanaians and that would help promote unity.
The drug menace is also being controlled by the government and crime I think is on the decline.
He has done well for now and we know that Ghana would be better off after the four-year term.
I want to see so many of the unemployed youth with employable skills and also Ghana being a safe place to live by the end of his term.
RICHARD MENSAH,
BUSINESSMAN
We have always enjoyed peace in this country and we are happy that the government has worked to sustain the peace.
All I have seen in these 100 days is the clean-up campaigns and for that we are happy about it.
The difference between the former government and this one is great and we all feel the difference.
If Ghanaians would be truthful we would say that things are not going the way we expected.
The President has not met our expectations considering his promises during the electioneering. We expect better days ahead.
Credit crunch or no credit crunch we are here in Ghana and we voted for a President who can make our lives better so he should please do well to do that.
There should not be any excuse.
Once his government is in place I hope that they would start serious work to ensure that Ghanaians feel the change.
CALM RETURNS TO BAWKU MUNICIPALITY (PAGE 23)
Calm returned to the Bawku Municipality yesterday after violent skirmishes at Kariyama lastThursday, which claimed one life and led to the injury of, at least, three others.
In an interview at Bolgatanga yesterday, the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo told the Daily Graphic that soldiers and police personnel had been deployed to the area and reinforcement was expected to bring the situation under control.
Mr Woyongo, who is also the Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), said he had directed the security agencies to ensure that the culture of impunity was dealt with once and for all to bring the recurrent violence in the area under control.
Giving the details of the attack that took place last Thursday, Mr Woyongo said one man went to the animal market at Kariyama on a motor bicycle in the company of another person.
He said an unidentified gunman aimed at the rider but missed the target. Unfortunately the bullet hit the passenger who sat behind him causing injury to his left hand.
As a result of the volatile nature of the area, word quickly went round and soon after there were reprisal attacks. In the process, a 50 year old man was killed while another was shot at the ankle and some others sustained knife wounds.
The regional Minister said the Municipal Security Committee quickly convened an emergency meeting during which a decision was taken to impose a 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on the town.
According to Mr Woyongo, due to an improvement on the security situation in the area, MUSEC had wanted to revert to the normal curfew hours of 12 midnight to 4 a.m.
However, he indicated that the police had received information about the people behind last Thursday’s act and were closing in on them.
Mr Woyongo said a meeting had been scheduled between leaders of both Mamprusis and Kusasis on Tuesday May 5, 2009 to deliberate on the way forward towards securing the fragile peace in the area.
He said they would like to listen to them, but if they think that the curfew should continue, they wouldn’t mind, but if they recommend that we should lift the curfew we will do it and then put the responsibility on them to ensure that we do not go back to those dark days”, Mr Woyongo said.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCOP), Alhaji Mahama Hamidu said the security agencies had intensified their patrols of the area and were making efforts to arrest all those connected with last Thursday’s disturbances.
In an interview at Bolgatanga yesterday, the Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo told the Daily Graphic that soldiers and police personnel had been deployed to the area and reinforcement was expected to bring the situation under control.
Mr Woyongo, who is also the Chairman of the Regional Security Council (REGSEC), said he had directed the security agencies to ensure that the culture of impunity was dealt with once and for all to bring the recurrent violence in the area under control.
Giving the details of the attack that took place last Thursday, Mr Woyongo said one man went to the animal market at Kariyama on a motor bicycle in the company of another person.
He said an unidentified gunman aimed at the rider but missed the target. Unfortunately the bullet hit the passenger who sat behind him causing injury to his left hand.
As a result of the volatile nature of the area, word quickly went round and soon after there were reprisal attacks. In the process, a 50 year old man was killed while another was shot at the ankle and some others sustained knife wounds.
The regional Minister said the Municipal Security Committee quickly convened an emergency meeting during which a decision was taken to impose a 5 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew on the town.
According to Mr Woyongo, due to an improvement on the security situation in the area, MUSEC had wanted to revert to the normal curfew hours of 12 midnight to 4 a.m.
However, he indicated that the police had received information about the people behind last Thursday’s act and were closing in on them.
Mr Woyongo said a meeting had been scheduled between leaders of both Mamprusis and Kusasis on Tuesday May 5, 2009 to deliberate on the way forward towards securing the fragile peace in the area.
He said they would like to listen to them, but if they think that the curfew should continue, they wouldn’t mind, but if they recommend that we should lift the curfew we will do it and then put the responsibility on them to ensure that we do not go back to those dark days”, Mr Woyongo said.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police, (DCOP), Alhaji Mahama Hamidu said the security agencies had intensified their patrols of the area and were making efforts to arrest all those connected with last Thursday’s disturbances.
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