News
‘Ejected daughter’ gives birth …still rejected by mother
The 17-YEAR-OLD first year student of Akorme Senior High School who was kicked out of home by her mother for getting pregnant twice in a year has given birth to a baby girl.
She is now determined to go back to school and concentrate on her studies.
The teenager says she wants to serve in the Ghana Army after completing Senior High School.
However, her angry mother who is single has refused to accept her back home.
As a result, the girl with her new born baby is still perching with a compassionate member of the school’s Board of Governors.
The Ho West District Director of Education, Madam Celestine Korsi-Agordo told “The Spectator” at Dzolo-Kpuita on Monday that the Ghana Education Service (GES) was still negotiating with the girl’s mother to take her back to enable her to return to school.Since she (student) had learnt a bitter lesson.
According to the District Director, the lactating mother was expected to return to school within six months, “and we hope she catches up with her mates rather than repeating the class.”
Madam Agordo described the teenage mother as “academically brilliant with bright prospects of continuing her studies and achieving her ambition to become a soldier.”
She said that the girl first got pregnant at Pig Farm in Accra while in Junior High School and was supported by her mother through ante-natal care until she gave birth to a baby boy.
It was when she got pregnant again in the SHS that her mother got angry and sent her packing out of the house.
“Meanwhile, the father of the second child who is a Muslim has refused to accept the responsibility of the child,” Madam Agordo disclosed.
“We are all happy with her strong determination to go back to school and we will continue to talk to her mother to accept her back home,” the District Director of Education assured.
she explained that depriving a girl of education on the basis of giving birth would amount to an irreversible injustice because there were other girls who had gone back to school after terminating several pregnancies.
“A child who makes a mistake must be helped to do the correction and not to be treated like an outcast or a criminal,” she added.
This paper carried a news item on its front page of Saturday, May 22, 2021, with the headline “Mother ejects daughter from home… for gething pregnant twice within a year.
Pix: Ho West District Director of Education – Madam Celestine Agordo
News
Oguaa goes gay with Fetu Afahye
The ancient city of Cape Coast, one of Ghana’s historical cities, witnessed a showcase of the rich cultural heritage of the Oguaa people with an exciting, colourful, and traditional event to mark the celebration of the 61st annual Fetu Afahye.
Themed “Innovate to elevate: Harnessing the creative economy for sustainable growth”, the festival featured a vibrant lineup of events, interspersed with several cultural performances showcasing the traditions which depict the traditional, historical and ancestral heritage of the land.
It witnessed a colourful procession of chiefs and various Asafo companies from the Mfantsipim School junction through the principal streets of the town to the Jubilee Park, accompanied by drumming and traditional dances.
The chiefs and members of the asafo companies were adorned in regal attire symbolising the pride and unity of the community.
Fetu Afahye demonstrates Oguaa’s resilience, unity, and cultural pride as the town welcomed indigenes both within and outside, as well as people from far and near, desirous of participating in the festival.
Various public spaces, including eateries and pubs, attracted patrons, and streets within the town witnessed bustling events with music blaring from the loudspeakers that had been placed by the roadside.
Bakatue
Prior to the durbar was the Bakatue regatta, a canoe race on the Fosu Lagoon, organised by ATL, a campus-based radio station located within the University of Cape Coast (UCC) in collaboration with the Oguaa Traditional Council.
The event saw a thrilling spectacle as the three Asafo companies, Nkum No. 4, Bentsir No. 1, and Anaafo No. 2, battled aggressively on the Fosu Lagoon. Nkum No. 4 earned nine points to clinch the trophy, medals, and a cash prize. They were followed by Anaafo No. 2 with five points, while Bentsir No. 1 finished third with four points.
Orange Friday
Friday witnessed what has come to be known as the biggest street carnival in Ghana, known as ‘Orange Friday.’
It drew hundreds of people across the country. Clad in orange attires, the patrons gathered and moved through the streets of the town, creating a gridlock.
The Paramount Chief of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osaberimba Kwesi Atta II, at the durbar of chiefs to climax the festival acknowledged the unifying factor in relation to culture among Africans and stated the need for Africans to take their destinies into their own hands.
He explained that festivals such as Fetu Afahye offer an opportunity for Africans to remind themselves of the future by working hard and embrace the future in order not to be taken by events.
The Vice President, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, in a speech read on her behalf, noted that the festival was far more than a ritual or an annual duty, saying, “It is an affirmation of an identity, a homecoming and a powerful testimony to the wisdom and fortitude of our forebears”.
In his remarks, the Special Guest of Honour, the Olu of Warri State in Nigeria, Ogiame Atuwatse III, indicated that, the only thing holding Africans back was Africans themselves, which he said, was in the area of an African identity, and acting on that identity.
From David O. Yarboi-Tetteh, Cape Coast
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News
Chief Imam issues disclaimer on unauthorised petitions
The Office of the National Chief Imam has warned Muslim organizations and individuals against issuing statements and petitions to the Government in his name without permission.
In a statement, the Chief Imam said he had observed that some groups had been circulating petitions, including a recent one on Hajj, using his name without authorization.
He stressed that such actions were unlawful and cautioned those involved to stop or face the law.
The Chief Imam reminded the public that on October 4, 2022, he, together with the National Imams of all Muslim sects, signed a deed and presented it to the Government at the Jubilee House.
The agreement recognised the National Muslim Conference of Ghana as the official body representing Muslims in their dealings with state institutions.
He urged that any petitions meant to be sent to the Government in his name should go through the National Muslim Conference of Ghana with the approval of the Advisory Board of his office.
By: Jacob Aggrey
