COMBINED TEAM OF MILITARY/POLICE IN GUSHIEGU TO PROTECT FULANIS

THE NORTHERN Regional Security Council (REGSEC) has deplored heavily armed Military and Police personnel to Gushegu and the Konkomba areas of the Gushegu Ditrict to protect lives and properties of the Fulani settlers in the area.

The Fulani herdsmen on Wednesday 7^th December 2011 came under heavy attack from some irate Konkomba youth who were purportedly wielding offensive weapons and succeeded in killing at least 13 Fulanis and inflicting cutlass and bullet wounds on 11 others.

The Northern Regional Police Commander, ACP George Tuffour told Savannahnews the Police and the Millitary are currently having over 150 Fulanis including women and children under their protection at the Gushegu District Police Station whiles the Gushegu District Assembly is also providing shelter for over 500 others with food, water, and other essentials.

According to him, even though no arrest had been made so far, the Police and the Military had commenced their investigations and interrogations that would lead to the arrest of the yet to be identified perpetrators. The irate youth are said to be from Zamanshigu, Sogu, Tooti and Damanko.

On the other hand, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Gushegu, Alhaji Fuseini Alhassan in an interview with Savannahnews said the incident took the people of the area “unaware”.

The DCE could not immediately tell the cause of the violence, but suspected that it was as a result of the nefarious activities of the Fulanis in the area.

Somewhere last year January 26, 2010 this paper reported about how the activities of the alien Fulani Herdsmen was threatening the security of the residents in and around the Gushegu District of the Northern Region.

These aliens were alleged to be the brain behind major robberies, indiscriminate rape of women and the burning of farms leading to considerable loss of farm produce stored in the farm houses and those yet to be harvested.

They are also believed to be engaged in the cutting down of economic trees in feeding their animals which was making the area more prone to desertification.

Residents on several occasions had engaged in confrontation with these herdsmen and raised concerns over their continuous stay in the district and had therefore called on the authorities to as a matter of urgency eject them or closely monitor their activities.

Many had blamed them for the poor harvest which had impacted negatively on the food security of the district regarded as one of the bread baskets of the region.

In that report the DCE for the area, Alhaji Alhassan Fuseini in ensuring maximum food security and protection of the investments of the farmers in his area, issued a stern warning to Fulani Herdsmen in the area to behave themselves.

Hon Fuseini disclosed that majority of the farmers usually store their produce in large quantities in the farm due to unavailability of transport to convey them to the market centres or to await good market prices.

The DCE, who announced plans by the District Security Committee (DISEC) to closely monitor the activities of the Fulanis, said a stiffer punishment would visit any of them who would cause any devastating havoc in the district this year.

He disclosed that majority of the farmers who cultivated rice, maize, groundnut and yam in commercial quantities, took loans from the banks, credit unions and other institutions which they were supposed to repay in due cause.

However, the DCE said there is calm in Gushegu at the moment and assured the rest of the Fulanis of their safety in the land.

THREE UNIT CLASSROOM BLOCK FOR ZOOZUGU COMMUNITY

THE SOS Children’s Village in Ghana, one of the International Children’s Homes specially designed to see to the upbringing and the wellbeing of orphans and other deprived children in society is currently constructing a three unit classroom block for the Zoozugu Community, one of the most deprived communities in the Tamale Metropolis.

The GH¢36,000.00 project is purposely to support the large number of school going children in the community to have access to quality education in order to become responsible and useful citizens in future. The Project is being financed by Plan Pool Ghana, Frankatson Limited, Management and Staff of SOS Village and Akua Kwakwa Company Limited.

The Zoozugu Community which is several kilometers away from the Central Business District of the Tamale Metropolis has so many children of school going ages but the lack of educational facilities in the area continues to deprive them of their rights to even basic education.

The Only muddy structure which was constructed several years ago by the community members was raised down by a heavy storm some four years ago. Ever since, majority of the children of the village who were in school had withdrawn from school and others are supporting their parents on the farm, while the few others who were able to stay in school are now being hosted under trees.

Cutting sod for the construction of the three Unit classroom block at Zoozugu, the National Director of the SOS Children’s Village, Mr. Alexander Kakula said that the SOS Village had a great responsibility of securing a better future for all underprivileged children across the globe.

According to him, the structure is being put up to save the innocent school children and their teachers from continuing to suffer the bad weather condition under which they studied. The children and their teachers always run for cover anytime there was heavy downpour or storms and also end classes abruptly.

Even though the SOS Children’s Village as the name depicts is largely depended on supports from donor agencies and on divine providence for its survival, it has been able to mobilize funds to the tune of GH¢36,000.00 to support other equally underprivileged children in the deprived community of Zoozugu.

Mr. Alexander Kakula who was flanked by the Director of the Tamale SOS Village , Mr. Christopher Lugutera and other officers, therefore appealed to parents in the community to take advantage of the new school building and enroll their children rather than sending them to the farm.

The Assemblyman for the Area, Abu Haruna commended the management of the SOS Village for not considering their own vulnerability and their little resources, but to extend that support to the children in Zoozugu community. He said the facility would not benefit only the children of the Zoozugu but those in its surrounding areas.

The Assemblyman also assured the financiers of the readiness of the youth in the community to assist the contractors with the needed labour to complete the work in time.

IRAN SUPPORTS DEV’T IN KUMBUNGU

THE GOVERNMENT of the Islamic Republic of Iran is supporting its counterpart in Ghana (Government of Ghana) with funds for the construction of a Community Center Complex for the Chiefs and people of Kumbungu in the Tolon-Kumbungu District of the Northern Region.

The Project which cost over fifty thousand dollars (US$50,000) would serve as a centre for the exchange of culture, a museum and a community or social gatherings. When completed, the Kumbungu Community Center would have a well furnished ICT centre to enhance the learning of ICT in the area, offices, restaurant and guest house for visitor to the area.

Cutting Sod for work to begin on the project, the Foreign Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Mumuni who lobbied for the project during his visit to Iran commended the Iranian government and their Ambassador in Ghana, H.E. Mohammed Sulemana for the support.

He outlined how relevant the relation between Iran and Ghana had immensely benefited the people of Kumbungu and the rest of Ghana . According to the Minister, it took good lobbying efforts on his part to get the Iranian government to bring the support to the people and urged the people to own it.

Alhaji Mumuni assured the Chiefs and people of the area of more of such interventions from government and its partners.

The Paramount Chief of Kumbungu, Kumbu-Naa Iddrisu Abu commended the Minister, the government of Ghana and the Iranian government for the project. According to him, the people of the area started dreaming for a Community Center some decades ago, and that the sod cutting ceremony alone was a dream come through.

He called on the Minister and the Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Alhaji Yakubu Imoro who are all natives of the area to collaborate strongly to bring more of such development.

The MP, Yakubu Imoro also called on the youth in the area to embrace peace and support the NDC government to smoothly implement its Better Ghana Agenda.

INVOLVE CHILDREN IN HIV/AIDS CAMPAIGN ...To Serve As Ambassadors

The Northern Regional Coordinator of the Partners for Africa Communities Development (PACE), Mr. Anani Ben Mawusi has called for the campaign against the spread of the deadly HIV/AIDS to be moved down to school children in the country to serve as ambassadors into the future.

According to him, Ghana could easily overcome the spread of the disease in the near future if children and the youth are well sensitized and equipped with the requisite information about the HIV/AIDS and its negative effects on individuals, families and the nation.

Speaking at this year’s World AIDS Day Celebration at Nanton in the Savelugu-Nanton District of the Northern Region organized by the Partners for Africa Communities Development (PACE) in collaboration with the Ghana Health Service, Mr. Ben Mawusi encouraged the government and its local and international partners to commit more resources to schools for the procurement of adequate learning materials to enable the children have access to the needed information on HIV/AIDS.

The Celebration which was preceded by a well attended road march was under the theme: “Zero Stigmatization and Discrimination”. Hundreds of students drawn from the various schools in the district for the road march wielded placards with several inscriptions.

The PACE Regional Coordinator hinted that Ghana in the last decades had strived hard to overcome the spread of the HIV/AIDS which continues to turn out so many orphans, widows and widowers and also affecting the socio-economic development of the nation, but the desired result was yet to be achieved . Even though prevalence rate of the disease has seen some drastic decline in the last few years, he believed it was not yet a victory for Ghana.

However, the Savalugu-Nanton District Director of Health, Mrs. Joana Quarcoo decried the devastating effects of the HIV/AIDS especially among the energetic youth of this country. She therefore called for change in sexual behaviours of the youth and also warned against the practice of multiple sex partners.

She noted that the Ghana Health Service had over the years used diverse ways to combat the spread of the HIV/AIDS and assured the nation new approaches in the coming years.

Mrs. Quarcoo observed that the spread of the disease would reduce if people and communities show compassion, love and care and also desist from discrimination and stigmatization against people living with the disease.

She said HIV/AIDS patients would have a very prolonged live if they were treated with respect and love.

The Ceremony was graced by the District Chief Executive for Savelugu-Nanton, Mohammed Askia who also pledged government’s commitment to assist the AIDS patients with the needed support especially in providing Anti-retroviral drugs.

BIBIR-GHANA ASSESS PERFORMANCE OF SCHOOLS IN TAMALE THROUGH QUIZ COMPETITIONS

BIBIR-GHANA, a local non-governmental organization (NGO) with interest in child health and education has organized a quiz competition for two Junior High and three Primary Schools in Kpanvo, a suburb of Tamale to assess their performance after supporting them with learning materials under its library project for two weeks.

For instance, the Tamale Metropolis has a human population of over 350,000 residents (2000 PHC). Besides, there are currently about 800 basic and senior high schools in the city, yet there is only one state owned public library which serves students from all these educational institutions.

Although there are a few other privately owned libraries, those ones including the state owned one, cannot meet the reading needs of the fast growing population in the city.

It is against this background, that Bibir-Ghana which has been operating in Tamale since 2005 established a library to complement the effort of the government to provide schools and pupils with learning materials to boost the quality of education in the area.

According to the Executive Director of Bibir-Ghana Joseph Charles Osei, the library is mainly targeting pupils and students from poor background, but also served the general public as well.

The goal of this project, he said, was geared towards raising the children's educational standards through reading and the provision of quality education, which in turn would bring about improvement of the living standard of people in the Northern Region of Ghana.

Currently, the Bibir library also provides internet services for people who want to do research and further reach out to schools by way of mobile library (taking story books to schools for a period of time and go back for them).

The NGO also donate exercise books, pencils and pens, school uniforms, and school bags to brilliant but needy pupils as well as renovate old school buildings for deprived communities and organize remedial classes for students who are not able to pass all their subjects at the WASSCE.

Meanwhile, Pohim Memorial School Complex emerged winner in the JHS contest with 70.5 points beating Souf-Watul Islamic JHS which obtained 63 points.

Anwar-Rahim Primary School also won the primary school contest with 43 points beating Kpanvo Presbyterian Primary and Souf-Watul Primary which obtained second and third positions respectively with 38 and 26 points.

Individual contestants received prizes comprising of school bags, exercise books among others. The ultimate prize which is a desktop computer, football and notebooks went to the overall winners, Pohim Memorial School Complex.

MTN-GHANA STEP UP EFFORTS TO IMPROVE QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN NORTHERN REGION

As part of its corporate social responsibility program (CSR), mobile telecommunication giant MTN, has commissioned a newly constructed six-unit classroom block with office and store at Zujung, a peri-urban community in the Tamale Metropolis.

The project, that was executed by Haminsco Construction Company at a total cost of GH¢155,000.00, was intended to create a conducive environment for effective teaching and learning, and also encourage enrolment of children from the Zujung community into the school.

According to Ms. Cynthia Lumor, Executive Director of MTN Ghana Foundation (an agency established to handle CSR activities of the telecom company), MTN was proud to partner with the Ghana Education Service to achieve two of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

She explained that, MDGs two (2) and eight (8) sought to “Achieve universal primary education” and “Developing a global partnership for development,” respectively by the year 2015.

Thus, Ms. Young disclosed that, the Foundation since 2009 till date, rolled out 49 education projects totaling GH¢7,898,513.41 as well as other health and water projects across the country worth several millions of Ghana cedis.

Projects which include improving literacy and numeracy in five (5) basic schools in Tamale, construction of KVIP, streetlights, and presentation of sporting equipment to Tamale Senior High School, 20 sitter ICT centre with a full office set-up for the Tolon community and the construction of a six-unit classroom with office and store, all in the Northern Region have also been constructed by the Foundation.

In a related development, the MTN-Ghana Foundation also performed a ground-breaking ceremony at Kanvilli Presbyterian Basic School where it would construct a three unit classroom block and an ICT centre for the school.

According to officials of the school, the construction of the three unit classroom block comes at a time each class has as much as 110 students per teacher and the situation posed serious health hazards to the children and also affects quality of tuition and learning.

Meanwhile, statistics from the Ghana Education Service showed that, in the 2009 and 2010 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), the Tamale Metropolis obtained the 89^th and 103^rd positions in terms of rankings among all 170 Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) nationwide.

Thus, the Coordinating Director of the Tamale Metropolitan Assembly Mr. John B. Atogiba commended MTN-Ghana Foundation for their efforts to bridge the poverty gap between the North and South of the country through formal education.

Journalists Asked To Exercise Tactfulness During 2012 Polls

Journalists in Northern Ghana have been asked to exercise maximum tactfulness and responsibility in their reportage as a way of calming any confusion or violence that might occur before, during and after the 2012 general elections.

The call comes amid fears that the recurrent and protracted pockets of violent conflicts, which dot around the north with regrettable loss of human capital and property, might take a turn for the worse next year especially if media practitioners unduly entertain reckless political activists and individuals.

Leading the call during a media-centred capacity building workshop in Tamale, Alhassan Imoru, Media Director of the Rural Media Network (RUMNET), said: “The timing of the workshop couldn’t have come at a better time than now as journalists are bracing up for the 2012 general elections.

The workshop was designed to have an intended outcome — the reporting that will reduce conflict among citizens before, during and after election 2012. Rather than merely informing, the media should be able to make choices of what stories to report on and how to report them”, he stressed.

Organised by RUMNET in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for 45 media personnel from the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions, the two-day workshop saw participants updated on topics such as the UNDP Human Security Projects, Conflicts Analysis, Rumour Management and Conflict Reduction through Peace Reporting.

Mr. Imoru observed with worry that “words, pictures and public statements” had become the arms and ammunition of politicians and warmongers in a bid to achieve their parochial interest or political gains.

He emphasised that journalists, as agents of peace whose crucial role was to shape public understanding about conflict through information dissemination, should bear in mind that they bore a heavy responsibility about what they wrote and broadcast.

The RUMNET Media Director warned: “As the country approaches election 2012, media practitioners should lift themselves above the political divide and politicisation of news in order not to heighten the already tense political atmosphere nationwide. Elections have unfortunately become major sources of conflict and political violence and journalists should not be part of the problem by beating the war drums.”

Mr. Imoru noted that media practitioners would go a long way in minimising violent conflicts in the North if they actively acted as “advocates of peace” in areas of growing vulnerability such as poverty, illiteracy, poor health, low incomes and unemployment among others. “Media practitioners have a role to play in reducing political tension in the country before, during and after the Election 2012,” he added.

A UNDP representative, Ernest Asigri, who briefed participants on the United Nations Joint Programme on Human Security, highlighted the need for government to begin to tackle conflicts in Northern Ghana from a human security perspective rather than the National Security standpoint.

He recommended human security as a better approach in guaranteeing peace, development and human rights “because it is people-centred, comprehensive, prevention-oriented, context-specific and multisectoral.”

Whilst advocating for stakeholders in human security to pull resources and expertise together to achieve a common goal in an integrated manner, Mr. Asigri entreated the media to also use their pens and microphones persuasively and responsibly to rescue the vulnerable populations from the various forms of insecurities facing them.

“For Government to bring about security in totality, it should go beyond national security to human security: a life with dignity, free from conflict, proliferation of small arms, crimes, poverty, infectious diseases, hunger, environmental degradation, intimidation and identity-based discrimination,” he pointed out.

Touching on Conflict Analysis, a Board Member of the West Africa Network for Peace-building (WANEP) Ghana, Theophilus Ibrahima Dokurugu, said though media practitioners had a role to play in conflict management, they equally had to understand the conflict thoroughly before intervening by way of their reportage.

“A thorough conflict analysis provides a basis for determining interventions that will have increased possibilities of success. Every thorough peace-building process is expensive, but it pays in the end when the desired result is achieved in the interest of the general society. Do more research on conflict analysis, and when in doubt, crosscheck, refer and ask. Be circumspect in your reportage. And never take it for granted whenever you hear of rumours about conflict, no matter whom the report is coming from — little children or lunatics. What they say just might be an early warning signal,” he stressed.

He noted that the conflicts that were peculiar to the North could have been managed successfully by the royals involved alone but for the interruptions from what he described as “the interfering shadows” that kept influencing the conflict from a distance.

Mr. Dokurugu stated that stakeholders, particularly the media, must pay attention to good public education and poverty reduction as part of the primary measures by which a number of Northerners could be detached from conflict-thirsty influential people who “take advantage of their ignorance, gullibility and poverty” to trigger all sorts of violent conflicts.