Trouble in Nkrumah's Land 22.02.2007
Disturbing signals are pouring in from Nkroful, the birthplace of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the man who championed the "independence now" agenda against the "Independence in the shortest possible time" schema and really landed Ghana in the land of political freedom on March 6, 1957, which further complicates the multiple hiccups of the Ghana @50 Secretariat.
Already, citizens of the town have given clear indications that barring any reconsideration of their current position, which was adopted after a meeting last Monday, they would not be part of the Independence anniversary.
The decision, according to prominent citizens of the town, is in protest against what they perceive as "the neglect of the hometown of the nation's founder, at this memorable period of the country's political history".
John Nkum Asmah, Assembly member of the Ebanso electoral area in Nkroful insisted in an interview with The Chronicle yesterday that citizens of the town held a meeting on Monday and resolved to boycott the anniversary.
The paper's interview with the assemblyman was just after he had had verbal exchanges with the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Mr. Joshua Kwajah-Ellimah, on Peace FM, over the authenticity of the decision said to be taken by the townfolks to boycott the anniversary celebration.
An amount of ¢4.6million had earlier been taken by the assemblyman from the District assembly for the organization of a proposed Durbar of Chiefs at Nkroful, which was to form part of the activities marking the anniversary celebrations in the district.
The question of why the money had not been returned by the assemblyman after the town decided to boycott the event, brought out a significant revelation that went undisputed by the DCE- the money was given without a receipt covering it- drawing into sharp attention, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom's quest for accountability and the Chief of Staff's assurance that there was going to be accountability.
The assemblyman insisted that the boycott decision was a collective one but the DCE said it was a section of people in the town who had taken the decision and promised to visit the town this morning; the DCE's word against that of the assemblyman.
Nana Addo Nredoh V is the Chairman of the @50 planning committee of the Nzema East District Assembly and the chief of Azulenloanu, a community about 7 kilometers from Nkroful.
Nana Nredoh confirmed to the paper in a subsequent interview yesterday that people in the town had indeed resolved not to take part in any activity connected to the 50th independence anniversary due to what they perceived as the neglect of the town despite its historical relevance in the whole celebrations.
The Chairman further revealed that indeed, nothing had been done in the town as part of the celebrations. "There is still no toilet in Nkroful.
We proposed that by January ending we should have put up two toilet facilities in the town. But as I speak now, I don't know what is happening.
The usual excuse has been that there is no money and this is where the question of the $20million comes to mind," he said.
Earlier in the week, the second Assemblyman in the town, Nana Bulumia-Twum Kwesi, had confirmed that there were plans by the chief and people of the area to boycott the anniversary celebration.
The awful NDC, NPP legacies at Nkroful Since the exclusive expose of the devastating state of the birthplace of Nkrumah, by the Chronicle weeks ago which publication attracted mass public attention and prompted a BBC dawn broadcast live from the town, political commentators and spokespersons of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress have been accusing each other of not doing much in the town.
The NDC say the Kufuor administration should have uplifted the town especially in the face of the anniversary celebrations but NPP supporters have always been quick to do a mathematical calculation to arrive at a 6:19 ratio. The formula is explained to mean that if members of the main opposition party expected the NPP administration to improve upon the state of the town within the six years of its administration, then the PNDC/NDC governments should have done better in its 19-year rule.
During a recent trip to the town, the question did not escape The Chronicle's team.
The prominent persons in the town who spoke to the paper did not commend the two regimes for anything.
To a question of what had been the legacy or major contribution of the NDC to Nkroful, the quick answer from Nana Bulumia-Twum was, "the taking away of the body of Nkrumah." He insisted during rounds with the team through the town that, that was the only legacy of the NDC in the town but later admitted that some roads in the town were rehabilitated by the NDC government. That was what the NDC did for the town as far as the Assemblyman was concerned.
For the NPP, mention was made of the construction of a Health Centre for the town and the rehabilitation of the 3-kilometer road from Esiama to Nkroful. And that was it for the NPP too.
The abandoned Mills project Just beside the family house of the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, is a housing project that was said to have been started by Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, former Vice President and flagbearer of the NDC. According to family members of the late leader, Mills wanted to put up the house to serve as a new place of abode for them since the one they were currently occupying, had been in ruins for years.
The project was abandoned just after the foundation was laid and continues to be at that level. Family members of Dr. Nkrumah who spoke to the paper said they were told the reason for abandoning the project was mainly lack of funds.
Yesterday, when Professor Mills was contacted on phone, he said he could not readily recall embarking upon such a project. He said he would have to crosscheck to find out if he ever had such a project started. The NDC flagbearer said he would call the paper after doing the checks on the matter but as at the time of going to press, the paper could not establish contact with him.
All hail Kutu Acheampong General Ignatius Kutu Acheapong, Ghana's Military leader from 1972-78 is the hero of the citizens of Nkroful as virtually all the social facilities in the town were said to have been executed during his regime.
Most basic schools, provision of beds at the state motel in the town and renovation of other several facilities, according to the people in the town were witnessed during the regime of Acheampong.
In fact, little was said about the contributions of the government of Dr. Nkrumah himself but the people would quickly add that, that was the case because, "the man had a commitment to develop the whole of Ghana and not just his home town."
The praise for General Acheampong was in fact, crowned by a comment by Mr. Eduku Arizi, the almost hundred-year-old cousin of Dr. Nkrumah. "If the people of Nkroful have any thanks to offer any Ghanaian leader, then that should be to Acheampong. He was the one who even bought the coffin for the burial of Nyaneba, Nkrumah's mother who passed away in 1977."
Source:
Ghanaian Chronicle
| THIS PAGE : 1.Trouble in Nkrumah's Land 2.Ghanaians have little knowledge about the sickle cell disease3.Kumasi benefit from KATH free medical care. 4.Textile industry disputes Ghana@50 claim Kumasi benefit from KATH free medical care.
Kumasi, Feb 22, GNA - Children and adults on Thursday benefited from free medical screening conducted by the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) at Kejetia in the Kumasi metropolis.
The programme was conducted by a 150-member medical team and many ailments including hypertension, diabetes, malaria, breast and cervical cancer, eye problems and others were screened and treated and drugs were provided free of charge.
The outreach programme under the theme "Helping to Build a Healthy Nation Through Regular Medical Check-ups" formed part of activities to mark the 50th anniversary of Ghana's independence. Dr. Patrick Eric Karikari, the Medical Director of KATH, told the GNA in an interview that he was surprised why many people with ailments refused to attend hospital.
He said KATH would continue to organize such programmes to help improve their health status.
Mr. Isaiah Offei Gyimah, the Director of Administration of KATH, said the massive response to the programme was a challenge to the hospital to step up its education for people to attend hospital regularly. Madam Yaa Agyeiwaa, a 50-year trader who benefited from the exercise, expressed her gratitude to KATH for its efforts.
Source:
GNA
Ghanaians have little knowledge about the sickle cell disease
Accra, Feb. 22, GNA - About 25 to 30 per cent Ghanaians carry genes, which they are not aware of and when passed on to their children could lead to Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), Professor George Ankrah-Badu Head of the Sickle Disease Unit of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital said on Thursday.
He explained that two per cent of babies born in Ghana have SCD and without medical diagnosis, they die by the age of five through malaria, chest infection and anaemia.
The main presentations in childhood were swellings of the hands and feet, chest infections, severe anaemia due to trapping to the red cells in the spleen, acute infections of the bone, ears and the brain. Prof Ankrah-Badu said this at a two-day media sensitization workshop on Non-Communicable Diseases in Accra that was to open journalists to various non communicable diseases, their causes, how to prevent them and the role of the media.
Prof Ankrah-Badu noted that the disease, being an inherited condition of the blood, caused anaemia and damage to some organs of the body, mainly bones, eyes, brain and the kidneys.
He explained that adolescent patients experienced bone pain crises, stunted growth, protrusion of the jaws, legs ulcers, non erotic persistent erection of their male organs and that delayed their sexual maturation.
The adults, he explained, experienced born pain crises and end-organ damage which might involve the hips, eyes, kidneys and gall-bladder.
He said sickle cell anaemia was the most severe followed by cell beta and the sickle cell Hb C disease and 70 per cent of the anaemia depended on the combinations of the gene types.
Giving the history of the disease, Prof. Ankrah-Badu explained that scientifically, it was discovered in 1910 by a Chicago Physician, Dr James Herrick who examined the blood of a dental student who had a severe anaemia with yellow eyes and saw a sickle shaped red cells and called it sickle cell anaemia.
A sickle cell clinic was then set up in Ghana in 1965 by Dr Felix Konotey-Ahulu, who also pioneered and managed the disease. Prof Ankrah-Badu noted that with Ghana having the largest clinic in the world, there were few clinics in the health system to manage sickle cell patients, adding the few are centred in Accra, Team, Koforidua, Kumasi and Sunyani with few health personnel trained to expertly handle patients in other parts of the country". He called for the need to equip hospitals and clinics with facilities for diagnosis, encourage new-born screening of babies to identify those at risk, set up clinics to manage patients and improve the knowledge, attitudes and practices of all health personnel in the country.
For SCD patients, Prof Ankrah-Badu advised that they register with a clinic for appropriate data to be compiled on the disease status, consult a doctor at the slightest sickness and they should also avoid cold baths, swimming, air conditioners, walking in rains and always wear appropriate clothing to avoid chills.
Dr Kwamina Beecham, President of the Ghana Diabetes Association giving an update of diabetes in Ghana said diabetes was on the rise due to the change in people's life styles.
He explained that diabetes had some relation with obesity, foot, eyes, kidneys and cardiovascular diseases and called for the need to raise the awareness that children of all age could suffer from the disease.
"Health facilities should be equipped to be able to do blood sugar testing and protocols and guidelines for management should also be developed", he added. 22 Feb. 07Source:
GNA
Textile industry disputes Ghana@50 claim 22.02.2007
Workers of local textile companies are accusing the Ghana@50 Secretariat of throwing dust into the eyes of the public.
Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Jubilee Planning Committee told a press conference on Tuesday that they had to import part of the anniversary cloth from China because the local companies did not have the capacity to meet the required quantity.
However workers of the local textile industry say that excuse is flimsy. According to them their companies including Printex, ATL and VLISCO Ghana, producers of GTP were presented with the anniversary design about three weeks ago, a period too short to produce the quantity that the Secretariat is demanding.
A check by an Accra-based radio station - JOY FM - at some of the textile companies corroborated the story that the designs came rather too late.
Abraham Koomson, the General Secretary of the Textiles, Garment and Leather Workers’ Union said t is a blatant lie to explain away the obvious flaw by citing capacity.
He said if the Secretariat really wanted the local companies to print the anniversary cloths, they would have arranged in good time and the Chinese procurement constitutes an endorsement of cheap imports and an indictment on the government.
“All along we’ve been fighting the dumping of Chinese cloths in our market and we know people are doing it illegally through smuggling and other means, and if government is seen to be involved in the importation then it implies that dumping is being officially endorsed and that is where our worry is,” said Abraham Koomson.
Source:
jfm
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