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Ghana Lawmaker Eulogises Ex-President JJ Rawlings on 74th Posthumous Birthday

Published

4 years ago

June 22, 2021

Eric

STATEMENT ON THE 74TH BIRTHDAY OF LATE FORMER PRESIDENT JERRY JOHN RAWLINGS BY KOFI ADAMS, MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT FOR BUEM ON TUESDAY 22ND JUNE,2021.

Mr. Speaker,

Thanks for the opportunity given me to make a statement on the birthday of former President JJ Rawlings.

On November 12, 2020, Ghana was struck by a massive earthquake that shook its very foundations and uprooted a giant oak tree. Former President Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings, bade farewell to his beloved country, sending shock waves across the length and breadth of the globe.

It is less than one year of his passing to eternity. Mr. Speaker, I am honoured that as a former special aide of this great statesman, you have offered me the opportunity to eulogise him on the occasion of what would have been his 74th birthday.

Former President Rawlings was admired locally and globally for his charisma, sincerity, passion, drive, patriotism and commitment to the pursuit of the anti-corruption agenda.

Since he led an uprising against the political and economic decay confronting the country 42 years ago, Chairman Rawlings, as he was then known, never wavered in his pursuit of the ideals of freedom, justice, probity and accountability.

His avowed pursuit of these ideals brought him into conflict with some, but also won him mass acclaim not only in Ghana but globally. In our own region, Nigerians are never tired of expressing their regret that Ghana had such a personality leading her instead of their country. Indeed after his sudden demise, Nigerians wept as hard as Ghanaians. They were equally bereaved.

Chairman Rawlings founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), which remains a huge force to reckon with in Ghanaian politics. Mr. Speaker, you and 137 members of Parliament are direct descendants of this political force whose birth changed the political dynamics of Ghana and has contributed to the most stable political period in our country’s history.

President Rawlings is seen as the father of the Fourth Republic and has been celebrated for his willingness to hand over power when his tenure of office ended. With that singular act, he created the precedent that has blessed this country with three more seamless leadership transitions. The peace and tranquility we enjoy today is a legacy of this hero who, as a young man, won the coveted Speed Bird trophy during training to become one of Ghana’s most celebrated Air Force pilot.

Post-Presidency, His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings continued to pursue his ideals with the firm belief that if we all put our hands on deck and pursued our agenda with sincerity and integrity, we will develop our country in the right direction and ensure that we are all beneficiaries of social justice.

Ghana’s road to economic and political recovery after the retrogression of the 1970s was initiated by His Excellency Jerry John Rawlings, when he launched the pragmatic Economic Recovery Programme to revive the financial health of Ghana and engender economic growth and sustenance.

As a leader, his objective was to institutionalise participatory governance that allowed people at the local level to determine their own developmental priorities. To quote him, “Our objective is to end, once and for all, the parasitic relationship that enables the urban elite not only to live off the sweat of the rural dweller, but to dictate to him the conditions of his existence.” Today, the District Assembly concept is a reality, and that was engineered during the tenure of this illustrious son of Ghana.

J. J. Rawlings focused on human-centred policies in order to improve the all-round status of Ghanaians and Ghana. The list of projects during his tenure as Chairman of the PNDC and President of Ghana under NDC are endless. With food security as his priority, Ghana recorded a food production growth of 148 per cent for the period 1995-1997, ranking third after Jordan and China.

Under his leadership, the Ghana Export Promotion Council was created in 1994 to help diversify exports in Ghana and promote incentives.

President Rawlings is recognized for literally bridging the divide between northern and southern Ghana with the construction of major roads that have today ensured that traveling to or from those parts of the country is not a multiple-day journey. Electricity distribution was expanded across Ghana, bringing in its wake a whole new dimension to the cause of rural and national development.

His Excellency Rawlings was not only Ghana-oriented. He remained committed to peace and stability on the African continent and pursued a policy of nurturing neighbourly relations. He contributed to conflict resolution in countries such as Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Liberia. In 1994, he became the ECOWAS Chairman during the first Liberian war. Under his chairmanship, the Akosombo Accord and Accra Peace Agreement were signed. Liberians are forever grateful for the effort Ghana made to help end the civil war in that country.

In the area of tourism and Panafricanism, former President Rawlings ensured that under his tenure the concept of the Panafrican Historical Theatre Project (PANAFEST) was given life when in 1992 the first PANAFEST event was held. The event which together with the Emancipation Day have become regular commemorative days in this country, have also helped to boost tourism tremendously. Prominent African-Americans such as Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick, Isaac Hayes and Jermaine Jackson have all taken advantage of the celebrations to visit Ghana. What is now rechristened as the Year of Return took place long before today.

In 1993, he received the Prestigious Hunger Award and donated the $50,000 cash prize as seed money for the establishment of the University of Development Studies. Today the University is one of Ghana’s major Universities, with campuses in Tamale, Wa, Nyankpala and Navrongo.

President Rawlings was never inactive. He commented on social and political issues without fear or favour.

The list of awards, honorary doctorates and citations is endless and will take a whole day to list here. But we cannot forget his contribution to the easing of the conflict in Somalia as the African Union’s High Representative for Somalia. We cannot also forget his role as United Nations Eminent Person on International Volunteerism.

As part of his 70th birthday in 2017, a symposium was held under the theme “Protecting and Safeguarding National Environment for Future Generations”. Experts from academia; individuals and other state actors spoke extensively on Climate Change in Ghana; Small Scale mining; Sustainable use of our Coastal and Marine environment drawing particular attention to vulnerable communities.

This brave, affable, passionate and proud advocate would have been 74 today.

I am proud to inform the House that the Rawlings Foundation, established to build on the legacy of this great son of Ghana and Africa, will this coming weekend organise a tree-planting project at the Achimota School, his alma mater, to mark his birthday and to immortalise the environmental credentials of the greenest of Ghanaian leaders.

Mr. Speaker, Jerry John Rawlings, came, saw and conquered and his legacy should be one that this house should encourage the youth to emulate.

In the end, despite his political ideologies and leanings, our brothers on the other side did not hesitate to court his counsel and friendship. His talismanic political prowess was admired by all.

The legend lives on! Rest in Peace, Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker for this honour.

Headline

Peddle Drugs and Die: NAFDAC Goes for the Jugular

Published

3 days ago

February 10, 2025

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

Drug peddlers and their sponsors are in for a harder time if recommendations and proposal of death penalty, by the Director General of the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Mrs Mojisola Adeyeye, sails through.

The formation of NAFDAC was inspired by a 1988 World Health Assembly resolution requesting countries’ help in combating the global health threat posed by counterfeit pharmaceuticals

Speaking bitterly at a live television show on the hard-heartedness of peddlers, whose actions, direct and indirect, have caused the deaths of not a few Nigerian children, and in some cases, adults.

According to the Director-General, only stiff penalties will deter peddlers, especially when it leads to the death of children.

She noted that “Somebody bought children’s medicine for N13,000 or something like that, another person was selling about N3,000 in the same mall,” the NAFDAC chief said on Friday’s edition of Channels Television’s The Morning Brief.

“That raised an alarm. Guess what? There was nothing inside that medicine when we tested it in our Kaduna lab. So, I want the death penalty.

“Because you don’t need to put a gun on the head of a child before you kill that child. Just give that child bad medicine,” Adeyeye said.

The NAFDAC DG is also seeking the cooperation of the judiciary and the National Assembly to make such a move a reality. According to her, the agency is open to partnering with lawmakers and other stakeholders on the matter.

“You cannot fight substandard, falsified medicine in isolation. The agency can do as much as it can but if there is no deterrent, there’s going to be a problem,” she said.

“Somebody brought in 225mg of Tramadol that can kill anybody, fry the brain and you give a judgment of five years in prison or N250,000. Who doesn’t know that that person will go to the ATM and get N250,000?

“That is part of our problem. There are no strict measures to deter [people] from repeating the same thing. We can do as much as we can but if our law is not strong enough, or the judiciary is not strong enough to stand up, we’re going to have a problem.

“So, our judiciary system must be strong enough. But we are working with the National Assembly to make our penalties very stiff. But if you kill a child by bad medicine, you deserve to die,” she said.

While NAFDAC has a lot on its plate in stemming drug peddling, Adeyeye decried the shortage of manpower in the agency.

She believes with about 2,000 staff members nationwide and limited funding, NAFDAC is constrained in carrying out its activities.

“So, when it comes to staffing, you’re right on the point. We are short-staffed and I am hoping things will be better,” the NAFDAC DG said.

It would be recalled that in times past, and in recent times, the deaths of children from medicine intake has been rift, prompting a form of emergency in the medical sector to checkmate the activities of the saboteurs, who are bent on reaping gains at the expense of life and wellbeing.

Mrs Adeyeye has promptly toed the lines of former NAFDAC DG, the late Dora Akinyuli, who declared an all out against drug peddlers and couriers.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is a federal agency under the Federal Ministry of Health that is responsible for regulating and controlling the manufacture, importation, exportation, advertisement, distribution, sale, and use of food, drugs, cosmetics, medical devices, chemicals, and packaged water established in 1993 under the health and safety law.

The establishment of NAFDAC was to counter the production and sales of adulterated and counterfeit drugs, which has become a menace in Nigeria, and to Nigerians. It would be recalled also that in one incident in 1989, over 150 children died as a result of paracetamol syrup containing diethylene glycol, among a list of other horrifying incidents.

At a certain stage, fake drugs issue was so severe that neighbouring countries such as Ghana and Sierra Leone officially banned the sale of drugs, foods, and beverage products made in Nigeria.

Headline

El-Rufai Lacks Capacity to Win Even Senate Seat – Presidency

Published

6 days ago

February 7, 2025

Eric

Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to the President on Policy Communication, has stated that the former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the lacks the influence to “unsettle” President Bola Tinubu.

Bwala made the remarks during an interview with TVC News on Thursday, stating that former Kaduna State governor does not have the capacity to win even a senate seat.

He emphasized that President Tinubu is not troubled by El-Rufai’s ongoing criticisms of his administration.

Bwala also noted that el-Rufai only gains political prominence when aligning with a strong, revolutionary leader, adding: “Let me tell you something about my elder brother, el-Rufai, and whether we should be concerned.

“There’s a dynamic around him. El-Rufai needs a solid revolutionary figure to thrive. On his own, El-Rufa’i might not even secure a Senate seat.”

Headline

Reps Propose Creation of 31 More States

Published

7 days ago

February 6, 2025

Eric

The House of Representatives Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution has proposed the creation of 31 additional states in the country.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, who presided over plenary on Thursday read a letter from the committee containing the proposed states.

If approved, this will increase the number of states in Nigeria to 67.

The letter read: “This is to inform members that the House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered), has received legislative proposals for the creation of states and local governments in the following order:

NORTH CENTRAL

1. BENUE ALA STATE from the present Benue State.
2. OKUN STATE from the present Kogi State
3. OKURA STATE from the present Kogi State
4. CONFLUENCE STATE from the present Kogi State
5. APA-AGBA STATE from Benue South Senatorial District
6. APA STATE from the present Benue State.
7. A 37th state, namely FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

NORTH EAST

8. AMANA STATE from the present Adamawa State.
9. KATAGUM STATE from the present Bauchi State.
10. SAVANNAH STATE from the present Borno State.
11. MURI STATE from the present Taraba State.

NORTH WEST

12. NEW KADUNA STATE and GURARA STATE from the present Kaduna State.
13. TIGA STATE from the present Kano State.
14. KAINJI STATE from the present Kebbi State.
15. GHARI STATE from the present Kano State

SOUTH EAST

16. ETITI STATE as the sixth (6th) state in the South East geopolitical zone.
17. ADADA STATE from the present Enugu State of Nigeria.
18. URASHI STATE as the sixth (6th) state in the South East geopolitical zone.
19. ORLU STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria.
20. ABA STATE from the South Eastern Region of Nigeria.

SOUTH SOUTH

21. OGOJA STATE from the present Cross River State.
22. WARRI STATE from the present Delta State.
23. BORI STATE from the present Rivers State
24. OBOLO STATE from the present Rivers and Akwa Ibom states.

SOUTH WEST

25. TORU-EBE STATE from the present Delta, Edo, and Ondo States.
26. IBADAN STATE from the present Oyo State.
27. LAGOON STATE from the present Lagos State.
28. IJEBU STATE from the present Ogun State.
29. LAGOON STATE from the present Lagos State and Ogun State
30. IBADAN STATE from the present Oyo State.
31. OKE-OGUN and IFE-IJESHA STATES from the Present-day Ogun, Oyo, and Osun states.

The request for states’ creation can only materialise if at least “the third majority of members of the Senate and the House of Representatives (National Assembly) and the House of Assembly in respect of the area, and the Local Government Council in respect of the area is received by the National Assembly.”