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.

Monies are not refunded by utility providers – Consumers cry

Some consumers in the Northern region are complaining bitterly that utility providers have not refunded their monies, despite government’s instructions to do so.
Most of these consumers wondered why the Volta River Authority (VRA) has refused to abide by the instructions by government, hence describing it as a deceit and palpably signifies a sabotage of the ruling government in pursuing its better Ghana agenda.
In October last year, the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission permitted the Volta River Authority and Ghana Water Company to increase their billing rates by 78.9 and 54 percentage points respectively.
This “wham-bam” bulk increase in utility tariffs met a public outcry across the country which compelled the government to absorb the increment by subsidizing the utility tariff by 25 percent.
Consumers were now to pay 59.18 percent instead of the 78.9 percent increment announced.
Despite the 25 percent subsidy, others were not enthused saying it will not make any difference in mitigating cost of operation especially in the small scale businesses.
However, on 18^th November, 2013, at a news conference, officials of the VRA assured consumers they will be refunding monies due them.
October monies according to them were to be in December while December’s own will be refunded this month. But this has not been the case.
Speaking to the Public Relations Manager of VRA, Alhaji Mohammed Siam, admitted that some category of customers have not received their monies as a result of technical challenges.
According to him, such category meters did not come with their software which is making it very difficult for an immediate refund of the monies.
Meanwhile, this problem has been known by them and they went ahead to announce that all customers will be receiving their refund without specifying which category of customers.
Customers are also raising questions as to why if there is an increment it affects immediately and the refund is unable to do so.
However, Alhaji Siam therefore rendered an unqualified apology to their clients and appealed to them to exercise restraint as they are working to refund their monies to them.
He said the Chinese consultants are currently in town to rectify the problem.
By: Saaka Alhassan/Fiilafmonline.com/Ghana

Communities within Tamale Metro lack portable drinking water and sanitation

Over ten communities within the Tamale Metropolis still lack portable drinking water and sanitation facilities

compelling residents to commute several kilometers to get access to drinking water.
This has also resulted to residents in these communities to engage in indiscriminate defecation which is posing a danger to their health.
Humans and livestock struggles for same water for life in these communities.
Fiila News’ visit to Zoozugu, Chesei, Datooyili, Dohini, among several communities revealed that the residents lack portable drinking water and sanitation. All the above named communities depend on Dams for their socio-economic activities which are almost at the verge of drying up.
In an exclusive interview with Madam Hawabu Alhassan, a house wife at Zoozugu, bemoaned the spate of the water crises in the area saying, they have no option than to drink water mixed with urine and excreta of livestock.
She indicated that the peak season for the water crisis within the area is mid-February through March onwards where women have to commute over six (6) to seven miles for water for the upkeep of their families.
During this period, Madam Hawabu says women can only go thrice to fetch water either in the central business district of Tamale or other communities which would not even be enough for cooking not alone bathing.
Even though, how dirty and milky the water seems to look, some residents cherished it to pipe-borne.
According to WaterAid in Ghana, a Non Governmental Organization in water, sanitation and hygiene, 10.5 million women and girls lack safe and adequate sanitation. 2.3 million out of this number do not have access to toilets at all. 4.8 million Ghanaians are said to practice open defecation or “free range” everyday.
According to a World Bank Water and Sanitation Programme (WSP) report released in 2012, Ghana’s economy loses 420 million cedis each year due to poor sanitation. This is estimated to be 1.6 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
Meanwhile, the Mayor of Tamale, Abdul-Hanan Rahman Gundadoo indicated that attempt has been made to get some of the communities with portable drinking water.
Gundadoo says the assembly has made some funds available in this year’s budget to enable the Ghana Water Company to extend electricity to some of the communities.
By: Saaka Alhassan/Fiilafmonline.com/Ghana

Media urged to focus on positive reportage in the north

President of the Northern Regional Chapter of the Ghana Journalist Association (GJA), Caesar Abagali has urged Journalist in the region to focus their reportage on the positives of the region and turn a blind eye on the negative sides.
He said other sectors or regions in the country are more volatile than the northern region but because the media in those regions want to propagate positives for accelerated development, they neglect the negativity in their reportage.
According to the GJA president, portraying only the negativity of the region drives investors away which subsequently relegate the development of the region to the “back burner”.
He said some media house because of their ignorance and bad perception towards the north always wants to report only on the negativity of the region. This he said must be stopped to pave way for development.
The president of the GJA said this on the New Year day at the Buipe Wura Mahama Jinapor II’s palace during a press soirée organized by the BuipeWura to fraternize with the media in the region.
Mr. Caesar Abagali on behalf of the media in the region pledged their commitment and support to the Buipe Wura and the development of the region.
On his part the Paramount Chief of the Buipe Traditional area, BuipeWura Abdulai Jinapor commended the media for their support through the times of his difficulties till when issues became calm in the traditional area.
It would be recalled that the Buipe Wura was deskinned by the Paramount Chief and the entire Gonja traditional council for allegedly pulling a trigger during a meeting at the Gonja Traditional Council meeting in Damongo somewhere in 2010 which resulted to his immediate deskinnement and a subsequent installment of his successor from the Lebupe gate.
After years of legal battle and media war over his legitimacy as Buipe Wura, later last year he was reinstated due to several dialogue and apologies.
However, he therefore assured people of the traditional area, his peaceful coexistence with the Gonja traditional council and his defunct successor from the other gate.
He also disclosed the establishment of a development cum educational fund in his traditional council to spearhead development and accelerated education standards and performance in the area.
By: Saaka Alhassan/Fiilafmonline.com/Ghana