Lack of Logistics delay response to Bunkprugu floods victims - NADMO Coordinator

The reason for the long standing silence by the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) to respond promptly to the plight of the recent floods victims in Bunkprugu district is however due to lack of logistics by the organization in the Northern region.

The Northern Region Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO), Alhaji Mahama Abdulai Silimbomah disclosed this in an exclusive interview with Fiila Daybreak News on Wednesday.

According to Alhaji Silimbomah, the organization had run out of wares in their stores hence the need to depend on the national level for assistance which is resulting to the delay in response. 

He said the organization is challenged with resources but however hopeful that the victims will soon receive some relief items since his outfit is yet to receive the needed assistance from the national office.

The Alhaji Silimbomah is also confident that by the end of the week relief items will come from the nation’s capital to complement efforts to leverage the plight of the affected persons. 

Yesterday GOIL donated assorted items worth twenty thousand Ghana cedis to the affected victims in Bunkprugu. 

The donation by GOIL was as a result of distress calls by the victims to government and benevolent organizations to come to their aid. 

The recent flood has displaced over 5,592 residents in Bunkprugu with a resident confirmed dead.

Bunkprugu is one of the deprived districts in the northern region of the country and has since been bedeviled with its own share social issues ranging from conflicts, poor education and health.

GOIL donates to Bunkprugu floods victims

Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL) has made a donation of assorted items worth twenty thousand Ghana cedis to the affected victims of Saturday’s floods victims in the Bunkprugu-Yunyoo district of the Northern region.

The items includes, 100 bags of rice, 20 students mattresses, 60 gallons of cooking oil and 50 cartons of GOIL-tox.

The donation was also part of the company’s corporate social responsibilities and also to respond to the plight of the victims in the area.

About 5,592 people have so far been displaced in the area after torrential rains submerging several houses while several lost valuable properties. One person has so far been confirmed dead.

Our reporter Kwabena Ntow who visited the area yesterday reported that the displaced people currently have nowhere to lay their heads as all their belongings have been swept away by the heavy down pour in the area. 

The responds by GOIL however emanated as a results of pleas from victims of the flooding to government and benevolent organizations to come to their aid. 

Donating the items, the Northern sector Zonal manager of GOIL, Michael Lagble indicated the company’s readiness to assist the needy in the society saying that the donation is part of its corporate social responsibility.

He urged the victims not to channel the items to areas that will not alleviate their plight.

Receiving the items on behalf of the affected victims the Member of Parliament for the area, Solomon Namliit commended GOIL for the quick response since government and NADMO could not response quickly as they had done.

He assured that the items will get to the rightful people.

Bunkprugu is one of the deprived districts in the northern region of the country and has since been bedevilled with its own share social issues ranging from poor education to health.

Meanwhile, since the incidence happened GOIL is the first organization to respond to the plight of the people. Government has since remained adamant about the issue.    

GHS launches Measles-Rubella vaccination in Tamale

Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched the new Measles and Rubella (MR) vaccine yesterday in the northern regional capital Tamale as part of a roadmap to achieve the target of accelerated measles elimination in the country.

The launch is also in line with achieving the Millennium Development Goal 4 by 2015.

The new Measles-Rubella Vaccine is a combination of measles and rubella vaccine, which will protect against the viruses of the two diseases. Speaking at the national launch in Tamale under the theme; “Prevent Measles and Rubella with one vaccine; Vaccinate now”, the National Programme Manager of the Expanded Programme on Immunization, Dr Antwi Agyei, said although Ghana has been carrying out vaccination against measles since 1978, studies had established that Rubella was endemic in Ghana and that no specific intervention had been put in place to address it.

Rubella, also called German Measles is a generally trivial infectious disease that has similar symptoms as measles. Like measles, Rubella can be transmitted from person to person when droplets containing the rubella virus discharged from a patient’s mouth or nose when he/she coughs or sneezes and are inhaled by another person.

Dr. Agyei noted that only a marginal cost will be added to measles elimination campaign to address the Rubella and this had informed the decision to bring the campaign forward to 2013 instead of 2014 and assured Ghanaians that the vaccine was safe and effective.

It has been noted that most outbreaks of measles occurred in the northern region. In 2011, measles surveillance data by the Ghana Health Services showed that out of 1,744 suspected cases that were reported 120 were confirmed positive.

By 2012 about 1,120 suspected cases were reported and 174 were also confirmed positive.

The Northern Regional minister, who gave the keynote address, expressed the hope that the new vaccine will help save lives of children in the region.

He urged the public to join in the campaign to end the spread of measles-rubella virus among children.  

Life bounces back to normalcy in Tamale after SC verdict

Life has returned to normalcy in the Tamale Metropolis and surrounding communities as businesses begins to spring back after the Supreme Court verdict on the election petition last Thursday. 

A day before, during and after the verdict Fiila News observed that the principal streets of the town were deserted by the usual hustle and bustle by hawkers to sell their wares to their clients.

The 3-day period saw Tamale dead, as most people remained indoors, shops closed, some agencies declared such days as holidays for themselves for fear of untoward circumstances.

The day which saw a heavy security presence at all corners of the metropolis seems to have been one of the reasons why the spontaneous jubilation seem not to last as it usual by the victors.

Even though, life has bounced back to its normalcy the security agencies would not live any stone unturned as the Northern regional police command still continue its 24-hour patrols in the Metropolis and some hot spots in the region.

Fiila News surveillance at the weekend at some hot spot in the Tamale Township can attest that the security is on top of issues.

Meanwhile management of Fiila Fm has commended residents of Tamale metropolis and the Northern region in entirety for once again proving the outside world wrong.

The Business Development Manager, Yirsob Bowan therefore called on the corporate world to resurface for more business packages as any fruitful business thrives in a healthy and peaceful environment.

Mr. Bowan urged residents to eschew anything that would heighten tensions and focus on contributing towards national development.

He also commended the security for the sense of professionalism the exhibited before, during and after the verdict to maintaining law and order in the metropolis.