THE Upper West Regional Director of the Department of Women, Mrs Catherine Bob-Milliar, has called for a multi-disciplinary approach to address the deteriorating moral standard and indiscipline among the youth in the society.
Speaking at the 31st annual national convention of the lajna imaillah of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Women Association in Wa, Mrs Bob-Milliar, therefore, called on women, particularly mothers, to begin to see every child as their own and correct them where they fell short.
She said the time had come for mothers to correct the children of their neighbours when they went wrong, politicians must also play their part, while the media, the security agencies and law enforcers also need to collaborate with all the stakeholders “to correct this anomaly which is eating up our youth and engulfing our society today”.
The two-day event was on the theme: “Curbing moral decadence in the society- The role of the Muslim woman”.
Mrs Bob-Milliar stated for instance, that indecent dressing of young women and men alike cast a slur on mothers because it was a reflection of the kind of upbringing of the young man or woman, and therefore advised mothers to be more assertive and support the crusade against immorality and indiscipline.
The Sissala East District Chief Executive (DCE), Madam Alijata Sulemana, noted that irresponsible behaviour on the part of mothers greatly influenced their children hence the need for parents to be obedient, disciplined and upright in all their endeavours.
The Upper West Regional Minister, Alhaji Issahaku Saliah, who was on his first formal assignment since his assumption of office, said if the society continued to glorify wealth irrespective of one’s conduct “then we could be well assured of an indisciplined society.”
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Sunday, August 8, 2010
DON'T PUSH GIRLS INTO EARLY MARRIAGE — VEEP (PAGE 11, AUGUST 7, 2010)
THE Vice President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, has cautioned parents against pushing their female children into early marriages. He pointed out that the practice hampered their development and affected their efforts to develop their full potential and to achieve their ambitions.
He said it was therefore necessary for parents to change their attitude towards the education of their daughters and collaborate effectively with teachers and other school authorities to ensure their proper development.
Mr Mahama gave the advice when he addressed the fourth speech and prize giving day of the Islamic Senior High School in Wa, in the Upper West Region.
He said studies show that girls have gradually formed a significant proportion of the population of many institutions of higher learning in the country and many of them were doing very well, adding that, for these reasons that they must be encouraged to pursue their education with all seriousness to unearth their talents.
Mr Mahama also advised parents to discourage children from engaging in street hawking at the expense of their education, pointing out that the lukewarm attitude of parents who left the responsibility of the upbringing of their children, solely to teachers in schools without paying attention to their school work and educational needs, must change.
“The moral decadence rearing its head in our society could be arrested if all parents, teachers, politicians and all other stakeholders collectively work together in that direction” Mr Mahama stressed and said “Posterity would not forgive us if we are not able to tackle this social canker”.
He indicated the resolve of the government to improve the lot of teachers through the provision of incentives, allowances and infrastructure, especially in deprived areas.
He also commended the Islamic Senior High School and Muslims for embracing secular education which he said, had a lot of positive implications and advised students to be disciplined and concentrate on their books in order to achieve academic excellence.
Mr Mahama further advised students to respect their parents and teachers.
The Headmaster of the School, Mr Sulemana Alhassan, revisited the issue of the use of mobile phones in schools and urged parents and guardians to partner school authorities to ensure that their wards did not come to school with mobile phones.
He mentioned inadequate accommodation for both students and teachers as a major challenge facing the school, and said there was also the need to construct a wall for the school to curb the frequent visit to town by the students.
He said it was therefore necessary for parents to change their attitude towards the education of their daughters and collaborate effectively with teachers and other school authorities to ensure their proper development.
Mr Mahama gave the advice when he addressed the fourth speech and prize giving day of the Islamic Senior High School in Wa, in the Upper West Region.
He said studies show that girls have gradually formed a significant proportion of the population of many institutions of higher learning in the country and many of them were doing very well, adding that, for these reasons that they must be encouraged to pursue their education with all seriousness to unearth their talents.
Mr Mahama also advised parents to discourage children from engaging in street hawking at the expense of their education, pointing out that the lukewarm attitude of parents who left the responsibility of the upbringing of their children, solely to teachers in schools without paying attention to their school work and educational needs, must change.
“The moral decadence rearing its head in our society could be arrested if all parents, teachers, politicians and all other stakeholders collectively work together in that direction” Mr Mahama stressed and said “Posterity would not forgive us if we are not able to tackle this social canker”.
He indicated the resolve of the government to improve the lot of teachers through the provision of incentives, allowances and infrastructure, especially in deprived areas.
He also commended the Islamic Senior High School and Muslims for embracing secular education which he said, had a lot of positive implications and advised students to be disciplined and concentrate on their books in order to achieve academic excellence.
Mr Mahama further advised students to respect their parents and teachers.
The Headmaster of the School, Mr Sulemana Alhassan, revisited the issue of the use of mobile phones in schools and urged parents and guardians to partner school authorities to ensure that their wards did not come to school with mobile phones.
He mentioned inadequate accommodation for both students and teachers as a major challenge facing the school, and said there was also the need to construct a wall for the school to curb the frequent visit to town by the students.
Friday, August 6, 2010
YWO TO DIE BY HANGING (MIRROR, PAGE 20, AUGUST 7, 2010)
From Chris Nunoo, Wa
Two Burkinabe nationals and a Ghanaian have been convicted of murder and manslaughter respectively by a Wa High Court presided over by Justice George Koomson.
The two Burkinabe convicts, Salou Bari 28 and Draman Yewana 26, were convicted on charges of murder and were sentenced to death by hanging, while Kobina Tangba, the Ghanaian, was also sentenced to 25 years in prison.
They were convicted by a seven member jury.
A Principal State Attorney, Mr Robert Beke who briefed The Mirror, said Bari, who was serving his sentence for some other offences in Ghana was handed over to the Burkinabe security in 2006 but managed to find his way back into Ghana two years ago to murder Abdul Sambo, a Fulani man at Han in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region.
He said Bari confessed that the deceased, Sanbo, was the one who gave him up to the police which led to his incarceration in Ghana.
Mr Beke said sometime last year, Yewana also murdered a woman at Fatchu in the Gwollu District when he attempted to rape the woman after she had resisted him.
He said Yewana got infuriated by the womans’ actions and pulled a club which he used to hit her head, resulting in her death.
He said he was subsequently arrested and put before court.
The Principal State Attorney said in the case of Kobina Tangba, who lived with his stepmother at Konjokala in the Nadowli District, he returned from the farm one evening and found out that the entrance to his room was wet, indicating someone had poured water at his doorstep.
He said he suspected his stepmother and therefore, confronted her. In the ensuing confusion, the stepmother pulled a pestle but he collected it and in an extreme provocation hit her, leading to her death.
Two Burkinabe nationals and a Ghanaian have been convicted of murder and manslaughter respectively by a Wa High Court presided over by Justice George Koomson.
The two Burkinabe convicts, Salou Bari 28 and Draman Yewana 26, were convicted on charges of murder and were sentenced to death by hanging, while Kobina Tangba, the Ghanaian, was also sentenced to 25 years in prison.
They were convicted by a seven member jury.
A Principal State Attorney, Mr Robert Beke who briefed The Mirror, said Bari, who was serving his sentence for some other offences in Ghana was handed over to the Burkinabe security in 2006 but managed to find his way back into Ghana two years ago to murder Abdul Sambo, a Fulani man at Han in the Jirapa District of the Upper West Region.
He said Bari confessed that the deceased, Sanbo, was the one who gave him up to the police which led to his incarceration in Ghana.
Mr Beke said sometime last year, Yewana also murdered a woman at Fatchu in the Gwollu District when he attempted to rape the woman after she had resisted him.
He said Yewana got infuriated by the womans’ actions and pulled a club which he used to hit her head, resulting in her death.
He said he was subsequently arrested and put before court.
The Principal State Attorney said in the case of Kobina Tangba, who lived with his stepmother at Konjokala in the Nadowli District, he returned from the farm one evening and found out that the entrance to his room was wet, indicating someone had poured water at his doorstep.
He said he suspected his stepmother and therefore, confronted her. In the ensuing confusion, the stepmother pulled a pestle but he collected it and in an extreme provocation hit her, leading to her death.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
TEACHER JAILED 7 YEARS FOR RAPE (BACK PAGE, AUGUST 3, 2010)
A 31-YEAR-OLD Social Studies teacher of the Kanton Senior High School in Tumu in the Sissala East District of the Upper West Region has been sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment with hard labour for raping a final-year female student of the school.
Richard Banousin pleaded not guilty to the offence but the Wa High Court, presided over by Mr Justice George Koomson, found him guilty of raping the student in his room.
A Principal State Attorney, Mr Robert Beke, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said some time last year, the convict invited the female student to his residence to collect an item which had been seized from her during an inspection exercise in the school.
Unknown to the victim, the convict had other ideas and so when she got to his house, he invited her to his room.
He said the convict then started making advances at the student but she resisted and indicated her resolve to leave the room if he would not stop.
He said the convict quickly rushed to lock the door when the student decided to leave the room, after which he forcibly had sex with her.
Mr Beke said the student, after gaining her freedom, quickly rushed to inform her parents at home and they, in turn, reported the conduct of the teacher to the school authorities and the police.
He said the convict was subsequently arrested in July last year and the case brought before the Wa Office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) for further investigations.
He said the police, after investigations, charged the tutor with the offence of rape, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Mr Justice Koomson, before convicting the suspect, asked him if he had anything to say.
He said the convict pleaded that the court should deal leniently with him since he was married and was the breadwinner of his family.
Mr Beke said the judge, in his response, said he took all of that into consideration but was also of the view that teachers inculcated good morals in children and so for him to have turned round to abuse the girl was very unfortunate.
Justice Koomson further told the court that the law would deal with such people appropriately.
Richard Banousin pleaded not guilty to the offence but the Wa High Court, presided over by Mr Justice George Koomson, found him guilty of raping the student in his room.
A Principal State Attorney, Mr Robert Beke, who briefed the Daily Graphic, said some time last year, the convict invited the female student to his residence to collect an item which had been seized from her during an inspection exercise in the school.
Unknown to the victim, the convict had other ideas and so when she got to his house, he invited her to his room.
He said the convict then started making advances at the student but she resisted and indicated her resolve to leave the room if he would not stop.
He said the convict quickly rushed to lock the door when the student decided to leave the room, after which he forcibly had sex with her.
Mr Beke said the student, after gaining her freedom, quickly rushed to inform her parents at home and they, in turn, reported the conduct of the teacher to the school authorities and the police.
He said the convict was subsequently arrested in July last year and the case brought before the Wa Office of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) for further investigations.
He said the police, after investigations, charged the tutor with the offence of rape, to which he pleaded not guilty.
Mr Justice Koomson, before convicting the suspect, asked him if he had anything to say.
He said the convict pleaded that the court should deal leniently with him since he was married and was the breadwinner of his family.
Mr Beke said the judge, in his response, said he took all of that into consideration but was also of the view that teachers inculcated good morals in children and so for him to have turned round to abuse the girl was very unfortunate.
Justice Koomson further told the court that the law would deal with such people appropriately.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
FORUM DISCUSSES UN REPORTS ON CHILDREN'S RIGHTS (PAGE 11, JULY 29, 2010)
Participants from various institutions and agencies, have attended a day’s consultative workshop in Wa to seek the views of stakeholders for the preparation and compilation of Ghana’s reports to the United Nations (UN) committee on the rights of the child.
They were made up of representatives from the security agencies, traditional rulers, the media, district assemblies, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Issues that featured were rights of children in the country to quality education, health, good nutrition and juvenile justice among others, which were described as negative factors militating against all the efforts made to improve the lot of children.
The forum therefore, called for realistic policies and a quick response to address issues affecting children in the country.
The participants were of the view that despite the government's Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), there was still a wide gap between rural and urban children as far as education for children was concerned, and they mentioned inadequate infrastructure and human resource, as some of the challenges.
They said although the provision of free school uniforms and free meals under the School Feeding Programme were meant to improve on school enrolment and to ease the burden on parents, these policies have been over-politicised, while some parents have also shirked their responsibilities to send their children to school.
The Head of Research at the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Mr Sylvester Kyei Gyamfi, however expressed optimism that with a concerted effort by all the parties working to promote the rights of children, more positive results could be realised.
He mentioned the passage of the Domestic Violence Act, Child Trafficking and the Juvenile Justice acts, as some of the breakthrough made with respect to protecting the rights of children.
He said access to quality education, quality healthcare and good nutrition, children’s involvement in commercial sex work and child-trafficking among others, were some of the outstanding issues being dealt with by the MOWAC.
Madam Florence Ayisi Quartey, a resource person, catalogued some of the challenges confronting MOWAC and mentioned lack of funds and inadequate human resource but gave the assurance that everything possible was being done to address the problems facing children.
She stressed the need for proper data collection and record keeping on children in order to gather accurate facts about children and their activities.
They were made up of representatives from the security agencies, traditional rulers, the media, district assemblies, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) and the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU).
Issues that featured were rights of children in the country to quality education, health, good nutrition and juvenile justice among others, which were described as negative factors militating against all the efforts made to improve the lot of children.
The forum therefore, called for realistic policies and a quick response to address issues affecting children in the country.
The participants were of the view that despite the government's Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE), there was still a wide gap between rural and urban children as far as education for children was concerned, and they mentioned inadequate infrastructure and human resource, as some of the challenges.
They said although the provision of free school uniforms and free meals under the School Feeding Programme were meant to improve on school enrolment and to ease the burden on parents, these policies have been over-politicised, while some parents have also shirked their responsibilities to send their children to school.
The Head of Research at the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs (MOWAC), Mr Sylvester Kyei Gyamfi, however expressed optimism that with a concerted effort by all the parties working to promote the rights of children, more positive results could be realised.
He mentioned the passage of the Domestic Violence Act, Child Trafficking and the Juvenile Justice acts, as some of the breakthrough made with respect to protecting the rights of children.
He said access to quality education, quality healthcare and good nutrition, children’s involvement in commercial sex work and child-trafficking among others, were some of the outstanding issues being dealt with by the MOWAC.
Madam Florence Ayisi Quartey, a resource person, catalogued some of the challenges confronting MOWAC and mentioned lack of funds and inadequate human resource but gave the assurance that everything possible was being done to address the problems facing children.
She stressed the need for proper data collection and record keeping on children in order to gather accurate facts about children and their activities.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
NYC TO INTRODUCE YOUTH PARLIAMENTS IN SCHOOLS (PAGE 13, JULY 27, 2010)
THE Upper West Regional office of the National Youth Council (NYC) is to introduce youth parliaments in all second cycle and tertiary institutions in the region.
This is to serve as a regular platform for the youth to state their case as far as national issues and policies geared towards the youth were concerned.
The Regional Coordinator of the NYC, Mr Sulemana Mumuni, who announced this, appealed to policy makers to make the issue of youth empowerment a national issue of priority.
He said that was the only way to get many of the country’s youth into productive ventures so that they could be empowered.
Mr Mumuni was addressing the third of a series of regional youth dialogue in Wa in the Upper West region.
It was attended by students from educational institutions in the region and was on the theme: “Building regional capacities for youth mobilisation and effective coordination in a better Ghana agenda.”
“The development of every country revolves around its youth, therefore, it is about time we became realistic in our efforts at building their capacities and also empowering them,” he stressed.
Touching on the youth dialogue, Mr Mumuni expressed the hope that the workshop would address some of the peculiar challenges confronting the youth in order to pave way for reactivating and reorganising the Federation of Youth Associations of Ghana (FEDYAG) which, he said, was an umbrella body which coordinates the activities of youth associations in the region and the country at large.
He said the role of FEDYAG can not be overlooked as it collaborates with the NYC in its quest to seek the welfare of the youth of the country.
He was not happy about the lack of financial support for FEDYAG to be able to effectively carry out its mandate.
Mr Mumuni called on all stakeholders including opinion leaders, representatives of district assemblies and traditional leaders to liaise with the NYC to help develop the youth.
On the upgrading of the Youth Leadership and Skill Training Centre at Issa, the regional youth coordinator reiterated calls to the government to facilitate efforts at extending electricity to the institute to enhance academic work.
A representative of the Upper West Regional Minister, Madam Fati Koray, stressed the resolve of the government to improve the lot of the youth.
She said it was based on this that the government had introduced many programmes such as youth in agriculture and block farming, among other interventions, to empower the youth.
This is to serve as a regular platform for the youth to state their case as far as national issues and policies geared towards the youth were concerned.
The Regional Coordinator of the NYC, Mr Sulemana Mumuni, who announced this, appealed to policy makers to make the issue of youth empowerment a national issue of priority.
He said that was the only way to get many of the country’s youth into productive ventures so that they could be empowered.
Mr Mumuni was addressing the third of a series of regional youth dialogue in Wa in the Upper West region.
It was attended by students from educational institutions in the region and was on the theme: “Building regional capacities for youth mobilisation and effective coordination in a better Ghana agenda.”
“The development of every country revolves around its youth, therefore, it is about time we became realistic in our efforts at building their capacities and also empowering them,” he stressed.
Touching on the youth dialogue, Mr Mumuni expressed the hope that the workshop would address some of the peculiar challenges confronting the youth in order to pave way for reactivating and reorganising the Federation of Youth Associations of Ghana (FEDYAG) which, he said, was an umbrella body which coordinates the activities of youth associations in the region and the country at large.
He said the role of FEDYAG can not be overlooked as it collaborates with the NYC in its quest to seek the welfare of the youth of the country.
He was not happy about the lack of financial support for FEDYAG to be able to effectively carry out its mandate.
Mr Mumuni called on all stakeholders including opinion leaders, representatives of district assemblies and traditional leaders to liaise with the NYC to help develop the youth.
On the upgrading of the Youth Leadership and Skill Training Centre at Issa, the regional youth coordinator reiterated calls to the government to facilitate efforts at extending electricity to the institute to enhance academic work.
A representative of the Upper West Regional Minister, Madam Fati Koray, stressed the resolve of the government to improve the lot of the youth.
She said it was based on this that the government had introduced many programmes such as youth in agriculture and block farming, among other interventions, to empower the youth.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
WA POLICE ARREST 28 SUSPECTS (PAGE 22, JULY 24, 2010)
THE Wa police have arrested 28 suspects believed to be farmers from Domangile, near Nyoli in the Upper West Region in connection with the murder of one Munya Seidu, a 27-year-old Fulani herdsman.
Seidu was said to have visited his brother, Mr Dong Nayayiri, the complainant on April 13, this year at Nyoli and volunteered to send his brothers cattle into the bush to graze when he was allegedly murdered.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Roy Amuni, who briefed the media in Wa, said on April 13, this year, Seidu visited his brother, Mr Nayayiri at Nyoli and volunteered to guide the brothers cattle into the bush to graze.
He said after staying in the bush with the cattle for sometime, Seidu did not return home with the cattle but the animals found their way back home.
DCOP Amuni said Mr Nayayiri became worried and, therefore, organised a search party to trace Seidu in the bush.
He said after a fruitless search, Mr Nayayiri reported the matter to the Wa police the next day.
DCOP Amuni stated that the police immediately mobilised and accompanied Mr Nayayiri to the bush where they found the body of Seidu lying in a supine position with lacerations on his body, a swollen eye and a deep cut on the neck.
He said after preliminary investigations, the police suspected foul play and, therefore, requested for a post-mortem examination at the Wa Regional Hospital.
Mr Amuni said the post-mortem examination results revealed that the deceased died as a result of acute loss of blood (traumatic homicide).
He said the police intensified their investigations into the matter until the first week of this month when they had information that about 13 people from Domangile had a hand in the murder of Seidu.
He said the houses of those suspects were kept under surveillance until at about 1:30 am on July 14, 2010, when the police raided the houses of the suspects and arrested 28 men, all believed to be farmers and whose ages range between 20 and 55 years.
DCOP Amuni said a search conducted in the rooms of the suspects led to the discovery of a shot gun and a cartridge as well as a number of bows and arrows.
He gave the assurance that the suspects would be screened and those found to be connected with the crime would be charged with the offence and arraigned.
The Regional Crime Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Wisdom Lavoe, advised residents to regularly volunteer information to the police.
He said that would enable the police to clamp down on all criminals in the society.
Meanwhile, the regional police command has initiated moves to give the regional police headquarters a facelift.
To this end, an estimated GH¢2,500 has been earmarked to be used to fund the refurbishment, which included painting, replacement of old electric cables among other minor works.
Seidu was said to have visited his brother, Mr Dong Nayayiri, the complainant on April 13, this year at Nyoli and volunteered to send his brothers cattle into the bush to graze when he was allegedly murdered.
The Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Roy Amuni, who briefed the media in Wa, said on April 13, this year, Seidu visited his brother, Mr Nayayiri at Nyoli and volunteered to guide the brothers cattle into the bush to graze.
He said after staying in the bush with the cattle for sometime, Seidu did not return home with the cattle but the animals found their way back home.
DCOP Amuni said Mr Nayayiri became worried and, therefore, organised a search party to trace Seidu in the bush.
He said after a fruitless search, Mr Nayayiri reported the matter to the Wa police the next day.
DCOP Amuni stated that the police immediately mobilised and accompanied Mr Nayayiri to the bush where they found the body of Seidu lying in a supine position with lacerations on his body, a swollen eye and a deep cut on the neck.
He said after preliminary investigations, the police suspected foul play and, therefore, requested for a post-mortem examination at the Wa Regional Hospital.
Mr Amuni said the post-mortem examination results revealed that the deceased died as a result of acute loss of blood (traumatic homicide).
He said the police intensified their investigations into the matter until the first week of this month when they had information that about 13 people from Domangile had a hand in the murder of Seidu.
He said the houses of those suspects were kept under surveillance until at about 1:30 am on July 14, 2010, when the police raided the houses of the suspects and arrested 28 men, all believed to be farmers and whose ages range between 20 and 55 years.
DCOP Amuni said a search conducted in the rooms of the suspects led to the discovery of a shot gun and a cartridge as well as a number of bows and arrows.
He gave the assurance that the suspects would be screened and those found to be connected with the crime would be charged with the offence and arraigned.
The Regional Crime Officer, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Wisdom Lavoe, advised residents to regularly volunteer information to the police.
He said that would enable the police to clamp down on all criminals in the society.
Meanwhile, the regional police command has initiated moves to give the regional police headquarters a facelift.
To this end, an estimated GH¢2,500 has been earmarked to be used to fund the refurbishment, which included painting, replacement of old electric cables among other minor works.
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