27 Slump In Ho
Yesterday’s parade at the Jubilee Park in Ho, the Volta regional capital, to mark the 56 th anniversary of Ghana’s independence recorded 27 casualties.
The Field Training Officer of the Ghana Red Cross Society in the Volta Region, Gershon Dzokoto, who confirmed this to DAILY GUIDE, said two persons out of the 27 conveyed to the hospital were responding to treatment.
The others, he said, just got tired and fainted but after receiving first aid and resting, they all recovered. The casualties comprised personnel of the security services, cadets and pupils who took part in the parade.
The parade was made up of 33 schools, six cadets, 13 officers and 250 men and women, commanded by Captain Larry Kwesi Boateng of the 66 Artillery.
The regional Taekwondo Association also thrilled the crowd with some martial arts.
The caretaker Deputy Volta Regional Minister, Henry Ametefe, who took the salute, read a speech on behalf of the President. Touching on the water, electricity and fuel crises in the country, Mr Ametefe appealed with Ghanaians to be patient as President Mahama found a lasting solution to the problem.
He also counseled the country to use water and electricity wisely.
A minute’s silence was observed for the late Henry Ford Kamel, former Volta Regional Minister and Etornam Gorni Attippoe, 14, of the Fiave SDA Preparatory School who collapsed and died during last year’s independence parade rehearsal.
Mahama Ladies
Although a lot of schools, institutions and organizations wanted to partake in the march past, none of them were given the opportunity, DAILY GUIDE has learnt. However, a group calling itself ‘John Mahama Ladies’ was interestingly allowed to partake in the march past.
According to DAILY GUIDE sources, the group, which was linked to the President and for that matter the ruling NDC, was not on the original list of those partaking in the march past. However, by the intervention of some ‘powerful’ members of the NDC, they were allowed to join.
The mammoth crowd at the Jubilee Park was astonished at the group’s involvement in the national event. A security chief who spoke to DAILY GUIDE wondered, ‘When will these people differentiate politics from nationalism.’
At the end of the parade, Sunrise Preparatory School, Prince Charles International School and Royal Praise Preparatory came first, second and third place respectively in the primary category. The Junior High School category saw Volta Barracks JHS, Dora Memorial and Christ Redeemer’s School coming first, second and third respectively.
OLA Girls was first in the Senior High School category, while Mawuli came second, leaving Sunrise SHS in third place. Mawuli SHS came first in the cadet category followed by OLA and Sunrise.
In a related development, the District Chief Executive of Agotime-Ziope, Michael Kobla Adzaho, has called on Ghanaians to use the anniversary to unite and build a stable and strong economy to ‘emancipate us from disease, illiteracy and poverty’.
He advised children to also contribute their quota by studying hard to become great future leaders.
Mr. Adzaho was speaking at the district’s parade. This year’s independence celebration is under the theme; ‘Partnership and Innovation for Building a new and better Ghana’.
From Fred Duodu, Ho
