Straight News

  The communicators for the umbrella fraternity, New Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Upper West Region has on a press release dated 28th January, 2022 demanded for the immediate reinstatement of the military personnels attached to Rt. Hon. Alban Sumanah Kingsford Bagbin. The release came out after a letter from the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) dated 11th January 2022, surfaced demanding for the withdrawal of the military attached to the Rt. Hon. Speaker with effect from 14th January, 2022 in order to "regularize their attachment". In the release, they described Hon. Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu's utterances in the quest to defend the act by the Ghana Armed Forces as an indication of his hatred to the Rt. Hon. Speaker. The aggrieved communicators also expressed their dissatisfaction, according to them for the military to join hands with government to fight political battles because they do not understand why after four days of the withdrawal of the speaker's military personnels...

  Naturally, everyone comes from a family. The bonds between family members is so relatively intimate that it pains not to have one. To lose a family comes with an indescribable pain.  According to Ashley Brown (2021), life has changed so much for most of us in the modern world. With the advancement of technology, changing cultural norms, new priorities, and new forms of communication fueled by the internet, it is natural to wonder what the importance of the family is. Many other modern perspectives question the relevance of belonging to family because of the complexities of modern societies, making life survival of the fittest. It is my opinion, however, that economic, educational and global situations should not detach us or make us question the essence of belonging to a family.  In Ghana, especially the northern belt, the family system is predominantly extended even though people by chance of their work, education, death and other circumstances are living with their nu...

The subject of corruption has always featured predominantly in our political and public discourse. Indeed, it is the most talked about subject by politicians during electioneering period, especially. Politicians are often in a haste, in one way or the other, to mare one another with corruption allegations. A good number of these allegations end up as palpable lies well calculated to destroy others, politically.  We cannot discount the fact, however, that political corruption continuous to swallow a chunk of our national cake, denying the ordinary citizen the needed development. I do remember vividly how the former president John Dramani Mahama was accused, vilified and persecuted on daily basis on allegations that later proved to be outright lies or exaggerations or both. Most of these accusations came from Nana Akufo Addo and his NPP surrogates while they were desperately looking for political power. For them, voting for Nana meant that corruption was banished from the country. Th...

  A " Hello'' accompanied by a smile is a gesture you will not miss, a gesture which is intricate part of his attitude. Very calm and knowledgeable, a character that exudes a lot of confidence and good -will. A good public speaker and an eloquent figure, action oriented and Strong-willed person by name Suleman Baako wishes to vie for the Upper West Regional Youth Organizer for the New Patriotic Party (NPP). His humble demeanor depicts an affable gentleman with a big heart for the love of people.   He is a "political animal', a gentleman that has immerse understanding of services to fellow men. It is imperative to know that Mohammed Suleman is a young educationist (teacher) cum businessman. A very hardworking man with sheer conviction and dedication to succeed in the struggle for God and country. His keen interest and contributions to the students wing of the great NPP and the Region are enourmous which therefore gives him the zeal and the passion to do more hence...

  The latest poor and abysmal performance of the Ghana Black Stars in the ongoing Afcon in Cameroon has gotten Ghanaians from all walks of live expressing their frustration, disappointments and misgivings about Ghana Football. As a country with a lot of passionate football fans, it is quite understandable to wake up to all manner of views and opinions being shared  and expressed on the performance of the Senior National Team and how Ghana Football is being managed now. As a passionate football fan and a staunch supporter of the Ghana National Teams, I share in most of the sentiments shared by the good people of Ghana on how we could help uplift and take Ghana football back to its glory days. Narrowing it down to my beloved Upper West Region, it is really a saddening and sickening situation to witness for one's self how football and talent development is being (mis)treated. It is a fact that our dear region is blessed with an abundance of raw, God-given sporting talent as witne...

  The National Democratic Congress is currently rolling out series of activities across the country to re-organize and re-energize its grass-root to make the party more formidable for election 2024. The last two weeks have seen an outreach program in the Upper West Region as various teams comprising national and regional officers of the party engaged various constituencies to discuss various pertinent issues relative to the reorganization. The National Democratic Congress in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa Constituency held their outreach programs on Saturday, 22nd January, 2022 at the following centers; Bussie, Fian, Daffiama, Issa and Kojokpere. The program provided the platform for various stakeholders including branch executives, constituency executives, former constituency executives, former appointees and party elders to deliberate on how the base of the party could be made formidable.  They were two teams facilitating the discussions. Team A comprised General Marcus Rahman, De...

   The wife of Lawyer Wahid Iddrisu Bampuori, Juliana Oduro earlier today Donated 3 Motorbikes to the National Democratic Congress .This was in fulfillment of a promise made last year to support the women’s in the party. Receiving the bikes on behalf of the The Regional Women’s wing,  the Regional Chairman of NDC thanked Juliana Oduro for her kind gesture and promised her that they were going to put the bikes  into good use by ensuring that the bikes are always available for party work. The female lawyer has called on the NDC to remain focused and united  towards victory in 2024. Lawyer Wahid on his part advised  both Regional and constituency executives to work has a team and eschew internal factions since that has the tendency to mar our chances for victory in 2024. Source: Bampuori Jnr

The Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana, Rt Hon Alban A K Bagbin has called on all Ghanaians to open their doors to people affected by the tanker explosion at Apaite near Bogoso. The Speaker in a statement, condoled with the families of the affected and expressed his shock and sadness over the news the tragedy. Below is the full statement released by the Rt Hon Speaker. Press release For Immediate release January 21, 2022. STATEMENT ON THE APIATE EXPLOSION BY RT HON ALBAN SUMANA KINGSFORD BAGBIN, SPEAKER OF PARLIAMENT I received with shock and sadness news of an accident that resulted in the tragic loss of lives, varying degrees of injury and the loss of property in the town of Apiate, near Bogoso in the Western Region. I offer my condolences and prayers to the victims and their families. Their pain and grief is unimaginable. But “the Lord is near to the broken hearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” (Psalm 34:18) I entreat all Ghanaians to remember them in their prayers. I also encou...

  Wing Commander Eric Dakurah, an ex military officer and former District Chief Executive (DCE) for the then Nadowli district under the watch of His Excellency John Agyekum Kuffour, has declared his intention to contest the 2024 Parliamentary seat for the Nadowli-Kaleo constituency. Speaking to Barrister Enoch, the morning show host of Tumpaani 88.5 FM, during his morning show, the former DCE states emphatically that he has not completed his developmental plans for the district before he left office as a DCE and so he is willing to come back and complete his plans for the district, for he has his district at heart but can no more solicit for support for the district if he is not put into any office hence his intention to contest the 2024 Parliamentary seat. However, his ability to come back and complete his plans for the district lies in the hands of the people he added. When been quizzed on his take in previous DCEs not using the DCE's bungalow after he left office, he said every ...

The Member of Parliament for Jirapa Constituency Hon. Cletus Seidu Dapilah has on Wednesday 19th January 2022 Donated 70 street light bulbs to the municipal Education Service and municipal Health directorate respectively. The law maker said the lighting situation in the various institutions is not encouraging and therefore calls for urgent attention, hence the need for the provision of street lights. This will also enhance security in the various institutions, he added. Out of the 70 street light bulbs, 40 are for the Education sector and the remaining 30 for the health sector.   The institutions to benefit the street light include; St Francis Girls, Ullo Senior High School, Jirapa Senior High, and Hain Senior High, thus for the Education sector.  With respect to the health sector, Jirapa Community Nursing, Jirapa Nursing training college and Hain polyclinic will also benefit from the initiative. Each institution is to receive 10 street light bulbs, he added. The Member o...

  The youth of Pulbaa, a community of the Daffiama Bussie Issa (DBI) district in the Upper West region has on Tuesday January 18th 2022 donated relief items to the Ghana Education Service of DBI to be given to Pulbaa primary and Day Nursery during their "My First Day in School" ceremony. A representative from the office of the GES who received the items oh behalf of the school expressed his heartfelt gratitude for the benevolent work of the yourth of Pulbaa towards improving academic excellence in the community and also urged the available teachers to use the learning materials adequately for their purported aim. Speaking at the ceremony, the president for the association Mr. Laweh Bonzo Vincent established that the main reason for their support to the school is that, the school seemed to have been neglected by government. Because students do not have the required materials that will aid smooth teaching and learning. So they (youth of Pulbaa) took it upon themselves to suppor...

Best Gally, one of the popular artists in the Upper West region discloses how exultant he is for being a brand ambassador to Spicy Foodies, a descent fast food restaurant in Wa, the regional capital of the Upper West region. On a Facebook post sighted by StraightNews, the rapper, singer and numerous awards winner enumerated the testimonies residents of Wapaani, Suuriyiri and Fongo, suburbs of Wa gave concerning Spicy Foodies. This came up when he went around these suburbs of Wa to assess the services of the restaurant. He discloses on his post that, residents spoke of Spicy Foodies having a best brand, the affordability of their products as well as their good customer care services. "This is to tell everyone that Spicy Foodies remains the best restaurant in the whole region", he proclaimed. Filed by: Eric Dindobuo//StraightNewsGh

The recent credit rating downgrade of Ghana to B- has attracted comments from experts and government in which government officials have expressed dissatisfaction with comments on the debt unsustainability implications.  Prof. John Gatsi told  Metro TV that it is hard to believe that the Ghanaian economy is so strong that it is undeserving of the recent rating. The vulnerabilities in the Ghanaian economy have become pronounced in recent times and demand hard work and not unnecessary defense. Prof. John Gatsi advised the government  to work hard to come out of the debt distress because the Finance Minister at pages “456 and 457‘’ of the 2020 budget, accepted that Ghana is in debt distress. It is unfortunate to create the impression that Ghana is doing well in the face of fiscal storm. Prof. Gatsi referred Metro TV to the words of the Finance Minister, “Mr. Speaker, the outlook for Ghana’s debt sustainability shows that, the granularity in the risk rating is sustainable. How...

Yesterday, the 11th of January, 2022, the Member of Parliament for Daffiama, Bussie, Issa constituency, Hon Sebastian Sandaare visited the site for the construction of agenda 111 district hospital located at Issa. He described his visit as part of his monitoring and fellow up roles to keep the government through the minister of health, commit to the project. Speaking to the media, he expressed his worry that the contractor has since not being on site even though the minister of health in his answer to a question he filed, did promise that the project was starting in earnest. He called on government to give special attention to the people of Daffiama, Bussie, Issa, explaining that it is a district without a district hospital, affecting health delivery. Background. The President of Ghana, Nana Akufo Addo in 2019, promised to build 88 hospitals (agenda) within a year as an urgent response to covid-19.  After government had failed to deliver the projects within the promised timelines, ...

  The Member of Parliament for Daffiama, Bussie, Issa, Hon Sebastian Sandaare has handed over a number of boreholes to some communities in the constituency. The gesture, is the continuation of his "water for all" project that aims at providing portable drinking water to all in the Daffiama, Bussie, Issa Constituency. On the 10th of January, the people of Kanato, a farming community benefited from the project as the MP handed over a completed newly installed borehole to them. The people of Daffiama-Saaparee and Tuori Nuleekabon also had their shares respectively. Yesterday, 11th January, 2022, the people of Issa Tigni also had their share handed over to them. So far, about forty of such boreholes have been handed over to constituents since the beginning of the project in 2018.  Again, a number of old broken down boreholes in several communities are also being fixed to increase accessibility to portable water.

  It took the timely intervention of the Member of Parliament for Daffiama, Bussie, Issa Hon Dr Sebastian Sandaare to save a pregnant woman who was in a critical condition and this is how it happened. The MP went to Challa in the morning of Firday, 7th January, 2022 to meet a women group on their invitation. After meeting the group, he had a call to immediately come to the facility. On getting there, he was informed about a pregnant woman whose condition has become critical at the point of delivery.  In his smock, he quickly assessed, set line for some infusion and recommended immediate referral to the nearest hospital.  He further requested the midwife to call the ambulance. Sadly however, the ambulance service personnel lamented complete lack of fuel to render service to the woman.  The Ambulance Service personnel further requested that the husband of the expectant mother sends money via Momo to buy fuel at Issa to enable them come and pick the woman.  Havin...

1. Exactly a year today, a thespian of parliament cum governance cognoscenti( the very Rt Venerable Hon Alban S.K Bagbin) ascended to the throne of Speakership in our "Umuofia" chiefdom!  Many political pundits, harbingers, "senior journos" and touch screen analysts never saw the very Rt Venerable Hon Bagbin ascending to the Speakership throne in their crystal ball because almost everyone in this our "Umuofia" chiefdom believed in the executive arm notoriety in having its way in everything and all time in this chiefdom because, and unfortunately many believed, that once one had countless silos of cowries, that's the prime route to heaven and so very much less looking for Speakership portfolio. 2. Many of these political harbingers, touch screen analysts and the everyday singers of the so-called independent, fearless and credible media failed embarrassingly to factor in the unassailable fact, that building a formidable, credible, knowledge, experience ...

The Member of Parliament for Daffiama, Bussie, Issa, Hon Sebastian Sandaare yesterday, 4th January, 2022 donated five HP laptops to the Daffiama, Bussie, Issa Health Directorate to improve data collection and E-health. This was made after the Directorate had made the request to enable them strengthen data collection and storage especially to facilitate the operations of the National Health Insurance Scheme.  Delivering the laptops to the staff, the Member of Parliament, thanked workers for their hard work and commitment and said the donation was to meet the request of the directorate. He stated that, the health delivery service has gone technological and requires  computers and as such, he was happy to meet the request of the Directorate.  He promised he will continue to give his little support to them, to enable them provided the needed services to the people.  The Legislator who is also a medical doctor by profession added that he will continue to collaborate with ...

  The the dream of the Bussie Volleyball ball town team of seeing a standard volleyball court in Bussie, is almost realised as the Member of Parliament has cut the sod for the construct of a standard volleyball court for the team.  In a short ceremony yesterday at the site, the Member of Parliament, Hon Sebastian asserted that it is sports that keep the youth active and united, apart from the potential to unearth talents. He therefore pledged his commitment to do everything within his strength to improve sports in the constituency. He indicated that the court need to be a standard court to attract the youth. "The court should be the beginning of having a formidable volleyball team in the district". He added.  He cuts the sod by donating 50bags of cement for the start of the construction and promised to provide everything needed to have the court and formidable team.  The representative of the team Master Ferdinand, expressed their appreciation to the MP for the bold ...

  The youth of Dakpaa has showered praises on the Member of Parliament for Daffiama, Bussie, Issa, Hon Sebastian Sandaare for his sterling performance as a Member of Parliament. The youth through their president, Francis Donyiri, yesterday, 3rd January, 2022 recounted what the MP has done for Dakpaa community. The thank him for his intervention at supplying furniture for their JHS block, providing borehole,   plastic chairs and providing a shade for the youth Parliament, among others.  The youth leader louder the effort of the legislator added that more need to be done in the Dakpaa community. Master Francis mentioned that the the long standing dilapidated teachers quarters needs to be renovated to enable teachers stay in the community to improve learning.  He also demanded for an additional borehole for an outskirts section of the community, Jamane. Speaking to the group, Hon Sebastian Sandaare,   assured the youth that the problems of the community w...