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Nigerien causes stir…. attacks mallam at K’si Central Mosque
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A female migrant from Niger who was looking for a place to lodge at the Central Mosque at Aknatialine, Kumasi, threw decency to the wind and attacked one of the elders from the Zongo Community who she considered a stumbling block to her cause.
This nearly disturbed the relative peace in the area.
The migrant, whose name was not readily available, went to the Central Mosque last Friday with her belongings to look for a place of stay for a while as her colleagues do when they come to Ghana.
The migrant’s anger however reached its peak when the elder, Mallam Gariba Bolga approached her and said that there was no accommodation for her in the premises of the Central mosque as all the female migrants who lodged in the place earlier had already been driven away.
That did not go down well with the woman who fiercely pounced on the elder, pinned him down, amid insults.
The incident happened in the presence of The Spectator Reporter at about 8:30pm, when he saw lot of the youth trooping to the scene.
”Had it not been because the woman was carrying a little child on her back, the youth would have subjected her to severe beatings, though she was not spared some knocks for pouncing on the old man.”
“Allah, she was very fortunate she had a baby, she would have been taught a lesson,” a barber, Sky B, told this reporter.
Some residents of Akwatialine, particularly those close to the Central Mosque had always lived in anxiety following the influx of the migrants from Niger in the wake of the spread of COVID -19.
The number of migrants keeps soaring every day and residents doubted whether they had been tested against the COVID-19.
Niger is bordered by Libya in the North, Benin and Nigeria in the South, Burkina Faso in Southeast, Mali in the West and Chad in the East.
With the closure of the Nigerian border, it is possible for the migrants to come to Ghana through Burkina Faso and the question many of the residents are asking is whether they were tested for COVID-19 before entering.
Residents’ anxiety stemmed from a recent video that went viral on social media of foreigners entering the border at Paga with no official attending to them.
The migrants, mostly women, some nursing mothers and children aged between three and four, “hijacked” the walkway leading to the entrance of the Central Mosque, which they turned into a “kitchen” and a “bathroom”, especially in the evening.
It was in view of this that the elders and opinion leaders decided to sack them from the place.
”They are here in Kumasi as beggars and they are seen mostly “doing serious business” along the Amakom traffic light begging for alms, said a resident.
It is recalled that a sister paper, the Ghanaian Times, in its August 2, 2019 edition, carried a similar story titled, “Migrants Take over Walkway to Kumasi Central Mosque”.
In fact, from 4:30 pm throughout the night, the place was very busy as cooking and washing of clothes and bathing of little children became the order of the day, while they used the porches of the stores close to the mosque as their “bedrooms”.
They wash their clothes and hang them on the fence wall of the mosque.
Earlier, in a chat with some of them, who declined to mention their names, they claimed Ghanaians are religious, easily give alms, and would not harm them.
From Kingsley E. Hope,Kumasi
Minister for Education Haruna Iddrisu has questioned why Ghana continues to import toothpicks despite having the resources to produce them locally.
Speaking in Parliament, Mr. Iddrisu, who previously served as Minister for Trade and Industry, said he feels ashamed that the country still depends on imports for such a basic product.
“I have been Minister for Trade and Industry before and I carry the shame. How come that in Ghana we cannot produce toothpicks and we have to import them?” he asked.
According to him, Ghana has enough resources to support local businesses to manufacture products such as toothpicks instead of relying on imports. He said the country should encourage private sector investment in manufacturing to create jobs and reduce dependence on foreign goods.
Mr. Iddrisu alleged that some people who received government support under private sector initiatives failed to use the funds for their intended purpose.
“If you want, Honorable Kojo, because you… I can’t go there. There are people who took money in the name of the private sector and said they were going to farm. That money never went to their farms. You know that,” he told Parliament.
On job creation, the Education Minister said he agreed with the views expressed by a colleague on the need to create more employment opportunities. However, he argued that the One District, One Factory (1D1F) programme did not provide the solution to Ghana’s employment challenges.
Mr. Iddrisu made the remarks during parliamentary proceedings while contributing to discussions on job creation and the country’s industrial development.
By: Jacob Aggrey
New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications officer, Dennis Miracles Aboagye, has dismissed reports linking him to an alleged GH¢55 million case, insisting that no such issue was raised during his detention by the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO).
In a Facebook post after his release from EOCO custody, Mr Aboagye stated that at no point during his detention was he questioned about any GH¢55 million.
“For the records: There was no discussion of any GH¢55 million with me by EOCO. None,” he wrote.
According to him, he was detained for four days, a day after announcing his intention to contest for the position of National Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party.
Mr Aboagye alleged that false narratives were circulated about his arrest but expressed confidence that the truth would eventually prevail.
He thanked NPP supporters who demonstrated and called for his release, saying news of the protests reached him while he was in detention and encouraged him.
Mr Aboagye indicated that the support shown by party faithful strengthened his resolve and reaffirmed his commitment to serve the NPP.
He maintained that his detention had not discouraged him from pursuing his political ambition.
“If the intention was to break me, it has failed. If the intention was to scare me, it has failed spectacularly,” he stated.
Mr Aboagye expressed appreciation to his legal team, the leadership of the NPP and all supporters who stood by him throughout his detention.
He reiterated his determination to lead the party’s Communications Directorate, declaring that he remained “ready to win” and committed to what he described as the party’s mission to “command the narrative.”
By: Jacob Aggrey
