News
‘Sanity’ in commercial vehicles must continue
Dear Editor,
I have never felt very comfortable sitting in commercial vehicles, like I do these days.
Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, transport owners across the country were compelled to reduce the number of passengers on board their vehicles.
Drivers said they were losing revenue by complying with the new directive but passengers on the other hand seem to be reaping the benefit.
We have been aware over the years that most commercial vehicles that ply our roads were not originally designed to carry passengers. But somehow, vehicle owners had managed to convert them into carriers.
The inconvenience passengers endure in most of the rickety commercial vehicles cannot be understated. However, the past three months has provided enough evidence that there could be some sanity in commercial vehicle operations with regards to creating space and comfort.
‘Trotros’, especially those we call ‘207 Benz’ buses should not continue to carry four passengers on one row when they can actually pick three, and still make profit.
There is no point in condoning crowding in commercial “trotro” when we can indeed reduce the numbers, and control the spread of any other pandemic in future.
I suggest the Ministry of Transport, the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, and other associations of public transport owners would continue to maintain this ‘new order’ even after we are able to defeat COVID-19.
The time to act is now. Let us ride on the back of the novel coronavirus to introduce the much needed reforms in our commercial transport sector.
Martin Adu Akorsah
Asutuare
Nsakina community needs help
Dear Editor,
I write on behalf of residents of Nsakina, in the Amasaman Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.
Though, pipe-borne water was introduced in the community about five years ago, some residents still complain that they cannot afford to settle high water bills they recieve regularly.
Some residents operate convenience shops and drinking bars. Others are head porters, food vendors. The rest are unemployed.
Some of them say they spend about GH¢25.00 daily to access clean water. For this reason, they resort to stagnant water and water from broken pipes as their primary source for water.
They admit that these sources of water are not safe but they are compelled to use it due to their status.
Though some reliefs were granted recently, residents want the government to further subsidise charges on water in the area to enable households afford it.
Residents believe the construction of a community borehole will enable them access clean water more conveniently. Apart from water, Nsakina has poor feeder roads while the community clinic is losing its aesthetics.
They want government, non-governmental organisations and philanthropists to move in and alleviate their plight.
Selibel Fiawoo
Ghana Institute of Journalism
Troubled and anxious citizens in Damongo of the Savannah Region have expressed concerns about the number of young people, believed to be under the age of 18, involved in ‘shisha’ smoking in pubs and drinking spots within the township.
Eyewitnesses say the minors were seen patronising nightlife venues, where Shisha smoking happen in the open.
The situation has sparked renewed public concern over the enforcement of child protection laws and regulations governing the operations of entertainment centres in the municipality and country as a whole.
An eyewitness, who spoke to The Spectator on conditions of anonymity for security reasons, noted that the situation was becoming increasingly common.
“This is not a one-off incident. It is becoming very common, but residents like us cannot openly report or speak about it because our lives will be at risk,” he said.
Under Ghanaian law, minors were prohibited from patronising Shisha.
Public health experts have consistently warned that shisha use exposes users to harmful substances that can negatively affect brain development, respiratory health, and overall well-being, particularly among young people.
The residents believe the alleged incidents point to broader challenges relating to youth supervision, substance abuse, and weak enforcement of existing regulations and have called on municipal authorities, security agencies, and regulatory bodies to intensify monitoring of pubs and entertainment centres to ensure compliance with the law.
In an effort to address the menace, Mr Salisu Be-Awurbi, the Savannah Regional Minister, has led public education campaigns, engaged security agencies, and supported enforcement actions to address the rising use of illicit substances in the region.
Wura Kelly Seidu Boresah I, the Chief of Damongo, has also called on all stakeholders including parents, community leaders, institutions, and young people to actively support efforts to curb drug abuse, warning that the rising consumption of hard drugs poses a serious health threat to the future of the youth in the Savannah Region.
He also cautioned individuals involved in the sale and distribution of illicit drugs to immediately desist from the practice, stressing that offenders will face arrest and prosecution in accordance with the law.
From Geoffrey Buta, Damongo, Savannah Region
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Dr Theresa Baffour, an advocate for ending violence and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of SAHM SAHW Foundation, has said that society plays a critical and pivotal role in breaking the cycle of domestic violence.
According to her, domestic violence is a major contributor of making women, who are mostly the victims, mentally derailed and unable to engage in economic activities.
She said this when the foundation called on the Ga Mantse, Nii Tackie Teiko Tsuru II, to solicit support for the initiative by the “Strong and Healthy Minds, Strong and Healthy Women” (SAHM SAHW) to combat domestic violence within the Ga State.
The visit was occasioned by the fact that domestic violence cases have become quite prevalent in the Ga communities and is retarding growth.
According to her, the canker was an impediment to national development because the victims were usually tortured and would have to go through series of therapies to return to the right state of mind.
Dr Baffour mentioned that Gender-Based Violence (GBV) places a mental toll on women, and was, therefore, important to break the cycle through comprehensive mental health support, crisis intervention and empowerment programmes in communities with high rates of GBV.
This intervention, she underscored, would help in empowering the denigrated victim of domestic violence to soundly heal, build and thrive.
Dr Baffour added that the initiative would provide holistic, trauma-informed mental health care and advocacy for young women affected by domestic violence.
According to her, the above statement would create safe spaces for healing and equipping them with entrepreneurial skills for renewed hope and empowered life.
The Ga Mantse pledged his support for the laudable initiative to combat domestic violence and also acknowledged the need to address it in the Ga State.
Further endorsement came from Justice Julia Naa-Yarley Adjei Amoah, Chief of Staff at the Office of the Ga Mantse, as she commended the team of SAHM SAHW Foundation for taking a bold step to end the canker in the Greater Accra.
She added that it was a step in the right direction to save vulnerable women from torture, stress and emotional abuse.
By Alfred Nii Arday Ankrah
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