HAVE WE MANAGED WASTE EFFECTIVELY? (MIRROR, PAGE 31)

Justina Siebi Gomez,
Resident, Takoradi

Ghanaians have developed some bad attitudes when it comes to the generation of waste and its disposal. Throughout our daily chores and socio-economic activities, waste is generated but unfortunately many people do not want to become responsible for the proper disposal of the garbage so created.
In February this year, the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly organised a clean-up exercise and I was surprised to see many young men and women actively involved in cleaning the environment. Everybody I saw was happily cleaning up. This came as a surprise and I wondered why we allow the environment to get dirty in the first place.
The exercise was patronised so well. I hope this affection for cleanliness would continue. It was therefore no surprise that the President commented on the exercise in Sekondi/Takoradi in his sessional address to parliament and commended the people for responding to a worthy cause.
I pray that the exercise does not become a nine-day wonder. It is important that corporate bodies and institutions are roped in to lend their support. A lot of education will also have to take place to educate the people on the negative impact that a dirty environment has on their health.
Most of the cases that are reported to hospitals could be avoided if we kept our surroundings clean.
One place that seriously needs to be tidied up is our markets. It is rather unsightly to see market women selling foodstuffs and other wares besides stinking and choked gutters.
The activities of hawkers who sell on our streets also pose another aspect of unhygienic conditions that prevail in the various communities as waste from their activities end up in gutters.
One cardinal message of the Ghana Health Service is that wealth can be created through good health. Flowing from this is the idea that productivity can increase if only people will practice good health. The country needs healthy people to contribute positively to socio-economic development and ensuring clean surrounding is one sure way to achieve that aim.
It is in this direction that I think that the President’s determination for a clean Ghana within his first 100 days in office is very laudable and must be supported.
The Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) must do all they can to sustain a clean environment by enforcing its bye-laws against indiscriminate littering.



Monica Minner,
Resident, Takoradi

The declaration of war on filth by the President of the Republic of Ghana within its first 100 days in office was a very welcome and laudable move. This means that the President is not happy with our attitude towards waste disposal.
Though the assembly’s bye-laws on littering is known to all and sundry, not much attention is paid to it because it is poorly enforced. What is worse is that though waste bins have been provided at vantage points, people still refuse to do the right thing and go ahead to litter the environment.
The president has declared war on filth, it is up to the district, metropolitan and municipal assemblies to enforce their laws and ensure that people are made responsible for their actions.
The twin-city of Sekondi/Takoradi as I understand is among the cleanest metropolis in the country, there is nonetheless more work to be done.
The solution to getting rid of waste would depend to a large extent on the change of attitude of the Ghanaian insofar as waste generation and proper disposal are concerned.
For the most part residents in our cities and towns prefer the use of communal waste containers provided for traders in the market places as their point of dislodging refuse as against the use of door-to-door collection which to me is a more effctive way of dealing with waste matter.
In the recent past, the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) had expressed displeasure about people not making use of the door- to-door collection and has agitated for the practice to stop.
Unfortunately the waste bins provided at the market places are always full and overflowing and so the addition of refuse from residents compounds the problem.
In my estimation if proper procedures are followed, and the right things are done, dirty and stinking environments should be a thing of the past.



Isaac Baiden,
Accounts Officer, Takoradi

Much as we talk about the need to keep our environment clean, it is also important to let the people know the positive effects to which waste can be put.
The Vice-President, John Dramani Mahama, made a brilliant submission at the launch of a plastic biodegradable project in Accra that gave me some hope that at least there is some form of attention being given to the issue of filth in our country.
This is because, while the chief executive officer of the land has declared war on filth, his vice was also telling Ghanaians that waste could be processed for other uses.
The president must instruct the yet to be appointed metropolitan, district and municipal chief executives to be stern when it comes to ensuring cleanliness of their communities.
They should strictly enforce bye-laws on littering and also encourage them to seek assistance to recycle some of the waste generated into products such as fertilizers and electricity that would go to benefit the society.
If we are able to generate electricity from waste and the people are aware that part of their electricity or gas was domestically produced from the waste generated, they would be encouraged towards better management of the their waste.
In many instances it is children who are sent to dispose of refuse and the children just dump them anyhow. It is important therefore for adults in households to set good example for the children to follow.
Children must be taught to make proper use of waste bins while attention is paid to paying a little amount to garbage collectors who dispose off refuse. When this is done children would learn from this and will always remember to put up the right attitudes.
It is my view also that waste management education would be taught right from the kindergaten so that children would grow up with good habits of disposing off refuse properly.


Rosina Mefful,
Businesswoman,
Takoradi

The inability of the STMA to enforce its bye-laws on littering inspite of the many litter bins that have been provided is one factor that has contributed to improper waste management.
The people, particularly passengers on commercial vehicles, must be educated not to throw litter from moving vehicles but rather keep them till they get to the lorry stations and then dispose of them properly. I believe that people have the mentality that the street belongs to the government and as such it is the assembly’s duty to keep the environment clean. Therefore they care very little for the environment as they see the work of ensuring cleanliness as someone else’s job.
In the more developed countries cleanliness of the environment is strictly enforced and wrongdoers are brought to book. When one is caught littering the one is given a ticket that instructs him to pay a fine for doing the wrong thing. Failure to pay the fine may result in a jail term.
It is important that inspite of the President’s call for environmental cleanlines within his first 100 days in offce, the people would also make conscious efforts to sustain the momentum and ensure cleanliness all year round.
Though I do not ask for people to be jailed for creating filth, all the same stricter fines must be imposed to serve as disincentive as well as a source of revenue for the assembly, which spends huge sums of money trying to get our surrounding clean.
It is paramount that the nation declares war against filth from our midst.


Georgina Owusu,
Resident, TakoradI

The president’s declaration for a clean Ghana should inspire us to stop our old ways of disposing of waste and take up the challenge.
Waste management is expensive and it is important that we ensure better practices so as to save money.
Assembly bye-laws on littering should be strictly enforced. The spectre of indiscriminate dumping of refuse has brought about the menace of black polythene strewn all over the place.
People have returned from abroad to speak of how beautiful the place look. I believe if the proper structures are put in place Ghana can also look as beautiful if not more.
However, many people have put on a lukewarm attitude when it comes to the issue of waste generation and disposal.
The law should not be twisted to suit certain people. Whoever is found guilty must be made to face the full rigours of the law ispite of his or her standing in society.
The municipal assemblies all over the country must be up and doing and ensure that the various communities are made clean such as to attract visitors and investment to propel the nation’s development.




Esther Hagan,
CEO, House II,
Takoradi

I am a service provider who gets people visiting my premises everyday. As a result a lot of waste is generated and so I make sure there is a proper disposal system by providing litter bins in order to protect the health of my customers and workers.
Whenever I drive through the streets and see all the rubbish that has been generated, including black polythene bags and ‘pure’ water bags, my heart aches. What is even more disturbing is to see people eating by the wayside next to gutters overflowing with garbage.
The wrong impression has been created that it is the duty of the government to collect rubbish and clean the environment. But that is not so.
It is everybody’s duty, whether adult or young, to ensure that waste is correctly disposed off at properly designated places. It then becomes the responsibility of the government to empty the refuse containers at landfill sites that have been earmarked for the purpose. It is when the government fails in this duty that it can be taken to task. Until then, we have to do our part by ensuring that our environment is always clean.
Elsewhere, disposing off chewing gum or spitting indiscriminately is not allowed and would attract a fine when caught. Fortunately, many people from this part of the world visit these places, conform to the rules and come back to tell nice tales but once back home the story is different.
Under the circumstances, it will be prudent that we put our act together and make sure that we cultivate the habit of cleanliness. We must take the charge as given by the President to keep our environment clean, not only for a period but all througout our lifetime.
With the oil boom, the metropolis is likely to receive more visitors. The assembly should therefore, make sure that the its bye-laws are enforced to create the needed atmosphere for business to flourish to transform the twin-city of Sekondi -Takoradi into a modern metropolis.

4 DIE IN SEGE ACCIDENT (PAGE 3)

Four persons died on the spot, while eight others sustained various degrees of injury, when a Hyundai Grace mini bus on which they were travelling from Aflao to Accra collided head-on with a cargo truck at Sege in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.
The dead included the driver of the mini bus, with registration number GW 680 Z, as well as two men and a woman who are yet to be identified.
The injured were rushed to the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
When the Daily Graphic got to the scene, policemen from the Crime Scene Unit of the Ghana Police Service were there helping to control traffic and also convey the dead bodies to the morgue.
According to eyewitnesses, the accident occurred when the driver of the mini bus, on reaching the Ada Secondary Technical School Junction, attempted to overtake a taxi in front of him.

USE LANDS TO TO INTO PARTNERSHIPS (PAGE 34)

Chiefs in the Western Region have been advised to enter into partnerships with investors using their lands as tools instead of selling them off outright.
The President of the Western Regional House of Chiefs, Awulae Attibrukusu, who made the call, said by selling large tracts of land out to the people who claimed to be investors, they were mortgaging the future of generations unborn.
He said the regional house of chiefs would soon come up with measures to take back lands that some chiefs had sold out.
Some people parading as investors are taking advantage of the oil find at Cape Three Points in the Western Region to acquire large tracts of land for their businesses.
“Instead of land, ask them for partnerships with the land as your tool but do not sell it to them for immediate gain.”
He was speaking at his office when the Western Regional Minister called to introduce himself and to discuss the way forward for the region.
Awulae Attibrukusu, who is also the Omanhene of Lower Axim, said most of the people bought hundreds of acres and claimed they were going to build hotels and other hospitality businesses on them.
“But if I may ask, how many plots do the Golden Tulip, La Palm Royal Beach hotels and other huge facilities in Accra occupy for one person to acquire more than 500 acres of land; that is mind boggling and unheard off,” he said.
He said the land did not belong to chiefs and that as traditional rulers they held the resource in trust for the people and advised them to manage the resources for the benefit of generations unborn.
“As required by the laws of the country all mineral resources on land, under the earth, at sea and in the air are vested in the President of the Republic of Ghana in trust for the people and so it is in the case of lands within the jurisdiction of any chief to hold it in trust for their subjects,” he said.
Awulae Attibrukusu said it was very unfair for the future of generations unborn to be morgaged up to people who were not from the region.
“If that happens, we are not leaving any legacy for our children but papers that empowered investors to control our wealth,” he said.
He said the sad aspect of the issue was that the land was not demarcated and the chiefs who engaged in this unjustifiable sale did not have the technical knowledge to measure as the buyers themselves employed the services of private surveyors to demarcate the boundaries they wanted.
The regional house of chiefs president named Princes Town, Egyambra, Aketekyi and some other parts of the region as the worse culprits and reminded them that the future was more important than the present.
“What they fail to know is that the land is even enough to form partnerships with companies [and] individuals that would be expressing interest in investing in their areas. It is a sad development that some chiefs just give out their future to people who were not even from the region,” he stressed.
On his part the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aiddoo, said it was about time the people of the Western Region took interest in investing in the various sectors of the local economy.
He said the region had gold, cocoa, timber, bauxite, and recently oil, among others resources, but asked how many of the indigenous people were into the production of a crop like cocoa.
He said it was very important that the indigenous people also developed interest in investing in some of these areas.
“It is about time we refocus and see how best to chart the path of development as one people to position the region as one which provides most of the country’s natural resources,” he said.

JUDAS STILL MISSES SANTO (GRAPHIC SHOWBIX, BACK PAGE)

By Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu

It’s almost seven years now since comedian and actor Santo died but his best friend and fellow actor, Abusuapanyin Judas, is yet to get over his death.
Judas, whose real name is Korankye Ampabeng, misses the late actor so much that it has affected his zeal to act again. Though he has featured in some movies since Santo’s death, they are so few that he could count them on his fingers.
A lot of people fell in love with Santo and Judas who brought them laughter through radio plays, live stage appearances and movies in the late 1990s. They were close friends and partners in performances for over 14 years.
In a chat with Judas when Graphic Showbiz chanced upon him at the Essipon Staduim last weekend, he said “ I miss my friend and brother Santo very much. We had planned so many things together. I am sad he is gone forever. I have no one to share ideas with. I know it’s been almost seven years since he’s been gone but I must admit I am yet to get over his death.
“We had a dream to produce our own movies. I write good scripts and currently have hundreds of them ready to be produced but my biggest challenge is funding. Santo used to be in charge and with him gone, so much has changed. I have been cheated for too long and I believe what I need now is a manager who will strike good deals for me.”
Describing his late friend as irreplaceable, he said “ he was one of a kind. We shared a special bond which I don’t think I will ever find with anyone. It was natural. We gelled so well that he wouldn’t accept to be part of a production I wasn’t part of. I miss the calls I used to get from Santo to discuss a script before we went on location,” he said.
Reminiscing on their friendship, Judas said “ I met Santo (real name John Evans Bosompim) in 1988 and he got me to join the African Brothers Band. We, however, left the band in 1994 to form Omintimminim Concert Party. The group, led by Santo, performed at the Key Soap Concert Party series”, he said.
They began to get roles in several video productions after they had established their popularity in concert party theatre circles. Some of the productions they appeared in are Double Sense, 419 I and II, Banker to Banker, Marijata and Asem. They also featured on TV drama series Efiewura.
Judas, who recently returned from Italy after shooting a new movie, Judas in Italy said “I did go off acting but I haven’t given it up. I have so much in me that I just can’t let it go. I have a lot to communicate to society through acting”, he said.
He said Judas In Italy, which will be released soon in Ghana has a lot of lessons for movie lovers. “ A lot of social and moral issues have been well captured in the movie”, he said.

FOUR POLICEMEN INTERDICTED (PAGE 49)

Four police officers attached to various divisions in the Western Region have been interdicted for offences of assault, rape and threat.
Constable Wilson Azantilo attached to the Rapid Deployment Force (RDF) in Takoradi was alleged to have contracted a sex worker for her services but when the woman demanded her money before the service in the hotel room, he refused and assaulted her physically, forcibly had sex with her and inflicted wounds on her.
Lance Corporal Eric Kissiedu and Corporal Kojo Anin of Sefwi-Wiawso also allegedly assaulted a taxi driver at Tarkwa until he collapsed in June, last year, and Corporal N.O. Siaw allegedly threatened a colleague with a rifle.
The police administration has made it clear that it will not shield any officer who misconduct him/herself to dent the image of the Ghana Police Service.
According to a police source, Constable Azantilo contracted a commercial sex worker for her service, but decided to go for some alcoholic beverages before moving to the agreed hotel room that night.
The two allegedly became intoxicated and upon reaching the hotel room, the lady demanded that the constable paid her the agreed fee of GH¢5 before the act.
The constable was said to have told the victim that he had bought enough drink to satisfy the two of them and, therefore, he was not going to pay her for her services.
The constable was said to have persuaded the woman but she also insisted that until he paid her she would not allow him to have sex with her.
The insistence of the woman was said to have angered the policeman, who pounced on the woman, brutally assaulted and had sex with her and left her in the room.
The lady was said to have managed to gather some strength and reported the conduct of the constable to the police.
In Tarkwa, another police officer was also arrested for threatening a co-tenant with an AK47 rifle if she did not remove the DStv dish she had installed close to his window.
According to police sources, the officer became envious of the fact that his colleague had procured the DStv when he could not afford one.
Siaw was said to have asked the colleague to remove the dish because he believed there was a device in the dish that was monitoring his movements.
It said when after days and weeks the lady officer failed to remove the dish the suspect went to book for a rifle for duty and went straight to the lady’s door, cocked the rifle and ordered her to remove the dish or he would shoot her.
Angrily, Siaw was said to have escorted the trembling lady to his window, forced her to climb the wall to remove the dish in the full glare of the people in the barracks.
His conduct was later reported to the police leading to his interdiction.

STANCHART SUPPORTS EYE CINICS IN WR (BACK PAGE)

Standard Chartered Bank has provided new ophthalmology equipment, motorbikes and other medical items worth $150,000 for eye clinic projects in the Western Region.
The projects include the construction, rehabilitation and provision of equipment to satellite eye clinics in the region.
The focus of the project is to make eye care services accessible to people in the remotest parts of the region and also to ensure the training of health personnel in the region, which has only two ophthalmologists and 14 nurses.
It is being executed under the bank’s, “Seeing is Believing” programme, in partnership with Operation Eyesight Universal and the Ministry of Health (MoH), to provide referral eye care service centres to more than 300,000 people in the region.
The bank’s Head of Corporate Affairs in charge of West Africa, Nii Okai Nunoo, said it was important to focus on the avoidable causes of blindness by giving support to people who really needed such care.
The bank’s Chief Executive Officer for Ghana and Area General Manager for West and Central Africa, Mr Hemen Shah, said the bank was committed to its social responsibilities.
He said Stanchart was also committed to environmental protection, economic development and good governance, which formed the foundation for ensuring sustainability of its business.
Mr Shah said “using the bank’s core skills, service and talents, we want to make a positive contribution to society by building sustainable business strategy in response to the world’s changing needs”.
He said in the past, they had invested $500,000 in a similar project in the Eastern Region and it was now the turn of the Western Region to benefit.
The Regional Director of the Health Service, Dr Linda Van Otoo, who received the items, commended the bank for the support and said it was the focus of the health service to create wealth through health.
She said apart from the bank’s investment in eye care, the health authorities had also appealed to the bank to collaborate with them to improve on other areas of healthcare services.

OUR MOTIVATION WAS CHAN CUP NOT MONEY (PAGE 16)

Black Stars youthful defender Samuel Inkoom is still rueing his team’s failure to win the maiden African Nations Championship(CHAN) which ended recently in Cote D’Ivoire.
The local Stars, an overwhelming favourites before the final, against expectations of most Ghanaians lost 0-2 to DR Congo in the final after beating the same side 3-0 in the last match of Group B.
Speaking to the Graphic Sports at the weekend, Inkoom revealed that at that stage nothing more than the history of ascribing their names as the first winners of the CHAN was their greater motivation.
This was contrary to rumours that a decision to reduce their winning bonuses from $5,000 to $4,000 by the handlers contributed to the Stars uninspiring peformance against the Congolese in the final.
“To tell you the truth, our focus and expectations were the same as that of the whole nation and we were also so conscious of the joy that the win would bring to the 22 million Ghanaians with expectation in their hearts and the people who love the team Ghana.”
“This was unfortunate and not expected of a team which was the favourite to win the ultimate and we must always feel sorry for the disappointment and just hope for another opportunity to make amends.”
“For us the competition provided us the platform to show our potential to the outside world and also positioned the country stronger on both the African and the world  ranking,” he added.
Inkoom who was instrumental in the recent conquest of the Satellites in the Africa Youth Championship said the exposure of the players, the expectation of the people of Ghana and the people scouting for players are more important than the bonuses that they stood to earn saying , “we went there to win and not to lose and our focus was not money, nobody talked or thought of that.”
Inkoom said” for some of us the selection to play in the maiden edition of the tournament was even enough to motivate us, saying, “it was the wish of the team to come home with the cup, and the failure to bring the cup home was a huge disappointment.”
Inkoom said Ghanaian fans were right to expect nothing more than the ultimate because losing to a side that the Stars had so comprehensively beaten earlier was inexcusable.
“But the point is, if you have ever been beaten by somebody before, the next time you are paired with the same person, you are already motivated, knowing very well that your opponent has an urge over you,” he said.
Inkoom lauded CAF for instituting the CHAN, saying that there were great talents scattered all over the continent of Africa but were never given the opportunity to play in their national teams, and that the CHAN platform would also serve as a motivation to all local players.
“The players in the local teams who featured at the CHAN would not only be limited to the national league, but get exposure on the continent’s soccer platform.
“Its now behoves African countries to make sure there is enough support for the local league to be able to support clubs to produce enough for their national squad for future CHAN, he said.
This is crucial because the Africa leagues are always at the mercy of other lucrative leagues which poach the best players noting that former Asante Kotoko striker, Eric Bekoe and others, who started the qualifying series for the CHAN were no longer available when the Stars finally qualified because they had been signed by foreign clubs.
“As I speak, there are offers from foreign clubs to sign some of us, and there must always be ready materials to replace those who leave, he noted.
On his future, the youngster said his manager was handling the offers that they had received on his behalf and at the right time he would make the desired move but said at the moment he was with Kumasi Asante Kotoko, and would do everything to ensure that they move to the top of the league table.