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Keep environment clean – Essikado Queen tells school children
Nana Ekua Kodua II (middle) assisted by Madam Mary Perpertua Kwakuyi (right)
and Madam Flora O. Kwafo jointly planting a seedling
School children all over Ghana have been asked to be good ambassadors of the environment in order to enjoy the country tomorrow.
School children must preach cleanliness and the protection of the environment to avoid people from throwing plastics and other pollutants indiscriminately to protect the environment from further destruction.
The Paramount Queen of the Essikado Traditional Area in the Western Region, Nana Ekua Kodua 11 told school pupils at the celebration of the World Environment Day at Essikado in the Western Region under the theme “Beat Plastic Pollution”.
She said today’s pollution was caused by the handling of many different plastics which were used to contain items bought in stores and market areas.
She said after reaching their destinations, the proper disposal of these plastics were not adhered to but rather thrown away anyhow and the least wind and rain water would convey all these plastics to other lands and water bodies thereby causing an eye sore.
A representative from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Mr. Ben Franklin also said children should be able to spread the good news to protect the environment and preserve it for the benefit of the future.
The Headmistress of St. Mark Anglican Basic School, Madam Flora O. Kwafo said tree planting would give shade and protect the school buildings from being blown off by the wind.
She was grateful to Goshen Global Vision for embarking on tree planting to protect the environment and promised to make the pupils develop interest in protecting the trees around the school and in their communities.
The Executive Director of Goshen Global Vision (GGV), Madam Mary Perpetua Kwakuyi said 8,250 different species of tree seedlings including fruit trees would be shared to various institutions including Takoradi Technical University and other tertiary institutions for planting.
She urged the pupils to carry the message everywhere in order to bring drastic changes in the way plastics were handled.
Madam Kwakuyi told the pupils to develop a habit of picking all plastics around the school compound and their communities to reduce the pollution taking place throughout the country due to the poor handling of plastic materials.
She told the pupils to talk to their parents to refuse taking many plastic materials from the market areas and the stores when they went shopping in order to reduce the plastics always brought home.
Some refuse containers were donated to the schools for use.
From Peter Gbambila-Essikado
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
