Editorial
My Ghana card at last!
Dear Editor,
About two weeks ago, I wrote about the “needless hustle” citizens were going through in order to acquire the Ghana Card. Well, my persistence paid off last Friday, March 18, 2022, after I spent another week “chasing” the card at the registration centre in my district.
The officer at the centre found the card on Monday, March 14, 2022 after I submitted my details but I could not do the biometric verification that day as there were many other residents in a queue.
Friday morning, however, was less busy for me so I managed to spend about an hour in a queue until it was my turn to take my card. Capturing my fingerprints (also known as biometric verification) took less than five minutes after which my card was given to me.
I left the centre again wondering why we must spend several hours in a queue when, indeed, the verification and issuance of the card did not take much time to complete.
While in the queue, I heard an officer express worry over the thousands of cards that had not been picked up by the owners. I asked myself: “how would they pick them up when they have to spend many hours or even a whole day in a queue?”
I believe the National Identification Authority can do better and ensure there is no undue delay when registrants show up at various centres to pick their Ghana cards. Their details had already been captured at the initial stages off the registration, therefore, issuance of the printed cards need not become another hurdle.
Prince Opoku-Gyamerah,
Teshie–First Junction.
The recent floods in Accra and the neighbouring areas, which were brought on by a heavy downpour, were very catastrophic and caused loss of lives and property damage.
Similar severe flooding and downpours were also reported in other regions, which has caused anxiety and dread whenever it rains.
In a short period of time, the floods had a dangerous effect on entire communities and landscapes. Because of this, a lot of people are now temporarily putting up with friends or family members.
Videos that went viral on social media showed cars and other valuables being swept away by the floodwaters with little to nothing being done to stop them.
Certain organisations, including the New Times Corporation (NTC), publishers of The Ghanaian Times and The Spectator, were not spared because the flood level damaged important documents and swamped their premises.
Even locations outside of flood-prone zones were inundated by the floods.
The rains would intensify along with thunderstorms, according to the Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet), which is tasked with observing, analysing, and disseminating weather and climate information to protect lives, promote economic planning, and maintain public safety.
It is important to remember that increased evaporation and atmospheric moisture due to climate change might intensify rainfall. Furthermore, more catastrophic floods are caused by heavy rainfall and shifting topography.
We discussed the causes of floods and mitigation strategies in our earlier editorial, “Accra floods necessitate change in attitude.”
Although the current flood situation is dire, safety can be greatly improved by being ready and understanding what to do.
The Spectator encourages the public to make an effort to be well-informed about weather predictions and take the required precautions to stay safe because the GMet is now providing accurate forecasts.
Make excellent use of the alert services that you can sign up for these days to get notifications on your phone.
Water, non-perishable food, a flashlight, batteries, prescription drugs, crucial documents in waterproof containers, and first aid supplies should all be prepared and kept readily available.
Safeguard your house and offices, relocate valuables to higher floors, and raise electrical appliances off the ground.
Avoid coming into contact with floodwater whenever you can since it might be tainted with chemicals, sewage, and other dangerous substances and also reptiles.
To make sure your neighbours are secure, it is crucial to check on them, especially if they are elderly, disabled, or living alone.
Additionally, parents need to make sure their children do not play in or close to floodwaters.
Let us be careful as there are floods everywhere.
Dear Editor,
I wish to plead with the Motor Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) to dispatch personnel to some of the flash points when it rains.
What happened last Monday and Tuesday at major transport terminals must not be something that must be repeated.
I wish to first of all commend the Interior Minister, Mr Muntaka Mubarak for the swift intervention by announcing the ‘holiday’ that gave workers and school children a relief.
It was such a tough moment for workers driving and those not driving. The situation at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange and other transport terminals forced workers to walk long distances.
Apart from the lack of public transport, pedestrians had to navigate through mud, making it difficult to move around.
I believe that with the presence of police personnel, the traffic situation can be well managed to ease the huge traffic congestion to make travelling a lot easier.
Frank Amoah,
Kasoa
