Police charged to go beyond inspecting licenses on high ways

The National Road Safety Commission (NRSC) in the Northern region has charged the Motor Transport and Traffic Department of the Ghana Police Service to go beyond inspecting only licenses and insurances on the high ways and educate drivers on safety measures on high ways. The commission says the police should help ensure safety and clearing unworthy vehicles on the roads in the country. The police service was also asked to always inquire from passengers the conduct of drivers when they are stopped at the various check points to ensure safety on the roads. Mr. Alexander Ayatah, Northern Regional Manager of the Commission was speaking to Fiila News on the commission’s readiness towards the Christmas festive season in the region. In Ghana, the month December is noted to be recording the highest number of fatalities as jubilant people travelled across the country to celebrate the festivity.  According to him, if the road safety job is left on the shoulders of the commission alone, the war against indiscipline and carnages on the roads cannot be wage. Mr. Ayartah therefore called for collaborative efforts from stakeholders and citizens in the country to ensure discipline hence, reduce the souring accidents figures in the region. He also tasked passengers to report reckless drivers to the police, since it a contract between passengers and drivers to send them to their destination safely. On the festive seasons, Mr. Ayartah said education campaigns are ongoing at the various bus terminals across the region to help reduce the accidents situation in the region. Meanwhile, ninety-one (91) out of one hundred and fifty-five (155) people have been killed between January and September this year in the Northern Region alone through motor accident.

High apathy towards waste management by residents in Tamale

refuse heaps

The Tamale metropolis which was touted as one of the cleanest cities in the country has suddenly lost the prestige glory to other cities due to the apathy of residents towards waste management. It is sudden to observe that the third largest city most resident do not still see the need to keep their surroundings cleans, since some thinks the responsibility lies on the assembly. The Waste Management Unit of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly believes the high rate apathy among residents has contributed to the poor sanitary condition in the metropolis. The Deputy Coordinator of Waste Management at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Hamidu Luliwe said this in an interview on Fiila FM’s. Mr. Luliwe says waste management should be a collective responsibility since outbreaks of diseases are not discriminatory. He emphasized that residents have a role to play in the management of waste in a city like Tamale. Mr. Luliwe further called for attitudinal change among residents in the collection and disposal of waste in the metropolis. On the Naming and Shaming of Untidy Communities, Mr. Luliwe named Victory Cinema, a suburb of the Tamale metropolis as one of the untidy communities adding to Tishegu, Salamba, Nyohini and Gumbihini. He however revealed that the assembly is setting up a sanitation court to prosecute resident on poor sanitary condition.

Residents of Tamale urged to stop dumping light ashes into refuse containers

refuse container

The Deputy Coordinator of Waste Manage at the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly, Hamidu Luliwe is urging residents of the metropolis to stop dumping light ashes into communal refuse containers. According to him, the light ash damages their containers as well as destroys the land field site since it is an engineered land field site which is unfriendly to fire. Mr. Hamidu was speaking to Fiila News on the assembly’s periodic mass evacuation exercise of refuse heaps in the metropolitan area. The evacuation exercise which started somewhere last week has since clear refuse dumps in several communities in the metropolis. The Deputy Coordinator of Waste Management says the Assembly’s aims at clearing the city out of filth and is expected to use the entire week or more to evacuate all refuse heaps in the metropolis. On those refuse heaps that are on the blind site of the team, he urges the general public to endeavour to inform the assembly to take action. On the second edition of the National Sanitation Day, Mr. Hamidu announced that the exercise will take on Saturday 6^th December, 2014, saying preparations have been made and the various stakeholders have also been notified. He therefore urged residents to come out in their numbers to support the laudable course.

Security forces to conscientize residents of Tamale on sanitation

Residents of the Tamale Metropolis would soon be seeing security personnel at their doorsteps to conscientize them on the Metropolitan Assembly’s byelaws on sanitation and the need to ensure good sanitary conditions. This is to enable residents of the metropolis to buy into the need for good sanitary condition in the city. It is to also ensure the efficient and effective implementation of the byelaws on sanitation in the metropolitan area.  This would also make people to come to the realization that sanitation is not a fight that people have to toy with.

Mayor of Tamale

The Mayor of Tamale Abdul-Hanan Rahman Gundadow was justifying the inability of the assembly to implement its byelaws on sanitation.  The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly with the strict and coherent sanitation byelaws on sanitation is unable to implement them. Several measures have been outlined in the past to fight against poor sanitation. The assembly has also initiated plans such as the provision of litter bins at strategic locations, refuse containers, mass evacuation exercises and education campaigns, yet residents do not still see the need for good sanitary conditions.  But Mr. Gundadow Hanan believes with the security involved in the conscientization, residents will buy into it and keep their surroundings clean. He says after the conscientization, the assembly will fully implement the byelaws where offenders would be prosecuted and fine.

Cattle Market Commissioned at Gunayili

cattle market

The Tamale Metropolitan Assembly has commissioned a livestock market at Gunaayili, a suburb of the Tamale Metropolis. The commissioning of the market is to make the metropolis a hub of livestock and the largest livestock market in the West African sub-region. The project will also boost the livestock trade in the northern region. Speaking at the commissioning ceremony at Gunayili, the Mayor of Tamale Abdul-Hanan Rahman Gundado said there have several consultations with the various stakeholders before works on the project commence somewhere in 2008. He said the commission of the market is an opportunity for people across the country to do business as well as create an avenue for the assembly to expand their revenue base. He added that the livestock market will also position the assembly to wrestle competition with other districts which have similar markets. According to the Mayor, Tamale stands supreme with regards to the livestock markets since the assembly intends providing other auxiliary amenities aside the market itself to those who would be doing business in the market. The project funded by the District Wide Assistant Project (DWAP) an initiative that supports District Assemblies in the implementation of their own district development plans.  It supports the Government of Ghana in its efforts to reduce poverty in these northern districts, the poorest in Ghana. On security, the mayor of Tamale assured residents of Gunayili that the assembly in collaboration with the Metro Police Command will strategically position a police station at Gunaayili to enhance the security situation in the area. The chief of Gunayili, Gu Naa Zakaria Sasagri commended the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly for setting up such a facility under his jurisdiction. He hopes the market would help enhance the development of the area.

NPP Northern regional Secretary expresses gratitude to gov’t

The Northern regional Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sule Salifu has expressed gratitude to the NDC government for dedicating the second edition of the National Sanitation Day to the late Vice President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama. He says it was not surprising when the day was dedicated to the late Vice president, since he stood for greater discipline in his life time as well as championed campaigns on proper sanitary conditions among the citizenry. Mr. Sule Salifu expressed the gratitude in an interview with Fiila News during the second edition of the National Sanitation Day at the weekend. The late Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama in the past initiated a similar campaign to ensure cleaner environment and healthy conditions in the country. Members of the NPP in the region joined several youth groups, departments, Civil Society Organizations, the security services and the Aliu Mahama Foundation to clean the metropolitan area. Mr. Sule Salifu says the NPP as the largest opposition political party recon the need for good sanitation hence the need to lead the course for proper and cleaner environment in our societies. He urged Ghanaians to see sanitation as everybody’s business and embrace the initiative since diseases has no barriers. The Executive Director for the Aliu Mahama Foundation, Dr Samuel Kojo Frimpong says the recognition of the late Vice President is recognition of the fact that he has paid his dues not as a president alone but as a citizen who was concern about the ordinary Ghanaian. He hopes the exercise will not just end but be a habit for Ghanaians to ensure cleaner environment for the sake of our health.