KUMASI Asante Kotoko assistant coach, Johnson Smith, has quit the club to begin a new life as head coach of Berekum Arsenal.
The man, who was widely expected to remain with Kotoko after major changes in the managerial and technical division a couple of weeks ago signed a two-year contract with Arsenal last Saturday.
“We completed everything with him today (Saturday) and I can confirm to you that Smith is now with us,” Arsenal CEO, Alhaji Yakubu Moro, told the Daily Graphic on telephone from his base at Berekum.
The CEO would however not disclose the monetary details in the deal but said the two parties were satisfied with everything.
Smith’s departure had come as a surprise to Asante Kotoko who claimed that the coach did not inform the club before leaving.
A source at Kotoko told the Daily Graphic that Kotoko would have wished that the assistant coach gave them prior information about his decision to leave. That notwithstanding they would still wish him the best in his endeavours
Until his departure, Smith, who had been in and out of Kotoko on few occasions, was expected to remain as the assistant to newly appointed coach, Ebo Mends.
His departure means, Ebo Mends would have to start looking for an assistant at Kotoko.
Incidentally, Mends was also with Arsenal last season and left the club to join Asante Kotoko this season.
Alhaji Yakubu said Arsenal had a lot of confidence in Smith to carry the club to another significant level.
He said the club want to take the next season with all seriousness that was why an experienced coach in the person of Smith had been appointed.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010
SOCIAL WELFARE PRESENTS BICYCLES TO LEAP (PAGE 35, JULY 8, 2010)
THE Department of Social Welfare has presented a number of bicycles to boost the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) and the Elimination of Worst Forms of Child Labour in selected beneficiary communities in the Ahafo-Ano North District.
Communities that benefited included Mango, Mobbing, Kyekyewere, Katapei, Ankaase, Suponso and Sikafrebogya.
The rest were Boagyaa No. 1, Olumankrom, Boagyaa No. 2, Pokukrom, Jacobu, Alhassankrom and Dotaem.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the Department, Mr Anthony Agyemang, who made the presentation on behalf of the department, said the two programmes were very dear to the heart of his outfit.
He noted that any programme that was pro-poor must be supported to enable it achieve its goals.
Mr Agyemang commended the district assembly for supporting the two programmes.
He asked the beneficiary committees to use the bicycles for the purpose for which they were donated.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr David Addae Amankwah, noted that the two programmes were components of the National Social Protection Strategy.
He said the government was doing everything possible to eliminate the use of children in cocoa production because the practice tended to ruin the future of the children.
Mr Amankwah said mobility was an essential element in facilitating the work of the committee members.
Consequently, he asked them to make good use of the bicycles donated to them.
Communities that benefited included Mango, Mobbing, Kyekyewere, Katapei, Ankaase, Suponso and Sikafrebogya.
The rest were Boagyaa No. 1, Olumankrom, Boagyaa No. 2, Pokukrom, Jacobu, Alhassankrom and Dotaem.
The Deputy Ashanti Regional Director of the Department, Mr Anthony Agyemang, who made the presentation on behalf of the department, said the two programmes were very dear to the heart of his outfit.
He noted that any programme that was pro-poor must be supported to enable it achieve its goals.
Mr Agyemang commended the district assembly for supporting the two programmes.
He asked the beneficiary committees to use the bicycles for the purpose for which they were donated.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr David Addae Amankwah, noted that the two programmes were components of the National Social Protection Strategy.
He said the government was doing everything possible to eliminate the use of children in cocoa production because the practice tended to ruin the future of the children.
Mr Amankwah said mobility was an essential element in facilitating the work of the committee members.
Consequently, he asked them to make good use of the bicycles donated to them.
GOVT DISTRIBUTES EXERCISE BOOKS, UNIFORMS TO PUPILS (PAGE 35, JULY 8, 2010)
THE government has presented 46,076 exercise books and 2000 school uniforms for distribution to pupils in the Amansie West District of the Ashanti Region.
The Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, who made this known,said the items were the first consignment to be presented to the district this academic year and gave the assurance that the next consignment would be delivered in the course of the year.
Mr Opoku-Manu,who was speaking at various meetings with the chiefs and people as part of his tour of the district, said the government was committed to the development of the country,adding that education featured prominently on the development agenda.
The minister also inaugurated and inspected some development projects and also explained government policies and programmes to the people.
At Manso Nkwanta, he inaugurated a health centre financed by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Government of Ghana.
The Minister also inspected the district assembly hall project at Manso Nkwanta and a six-classroom block at Manso-Suntreso.
Addressing various meetings with the chiefs and people,Mr Opoku-Manu said the government would vigorously pursue its development agenda,especially in the rural areas.
He called on the people to support the government in its efforts to improve their lot.
Mr Opoku-Manu asked staff at the new health centre to eschew negative activities that could threaten the health of the people.
The Omanhene of Manso-Nkwanta, Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah, commended the government for keeping faith with the people by seeing to the completion of the health project.
He appealed to the government to establish a district hospital at Manso Nkwanta to enable the people in the district access quality healthcare.
The Omanhene also made an appeal to the government to improve the road network in the district.
The District Director of Health Services, Mr Joseph Adomako, noted that the completion of the health centre would help address some of the health needs of the people.
The Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu, who made this known,said the items were the first consignment to be presented to the district this academic year and gave the assurance that the next consignment would be delivered in the course of the year.
Mr Opoku-Manu,who was speaking at various meetings with the chiefs and people as part of his tour of the district, said the government was committed to the development of the country,adding that education featured prominently on the development agenda.
The minister also inaugurated and inspected some development projects and also explained government policies and programmes to the people.
At Manso Nkwanta, he inaugurated a health centre financed by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Government of Ghana.
The Minister also inspected the district assembly hall project at Manso Nkwanta and a six-classroom block at Manso-Suntreso.
Addressing various meetings with the chiefs and people,Mr Opoku-Manu said the government would vigorously pursue its development agenda,especially in the rural areas.
He called on the people to support the government in its efforts to improve their lot.
Mr Opoku-Manu asked staff at the new health centre to eschew negative activities that could threaten the health of the people.
The Omanhene of Manso-Nkwanta, Nana Bi-Kusi Appiah, commended the government for keeping faith with the people by seeing to the completion of the health project.
He appealed to the government to establish a district hospital at Manso Nkwanta to enable the people in the district access quality healthcare.
The Omanhene also made an appeal to the government to improve the road network in the district.
The District Director of Health Services, Mr Joseph Adomako, noted that the completion of the health centre would help address some of the health needs of the people.
PROVIDE ADEQUATE RESOURCES FOR NCCE (PAGE 35, JULY 8, 2010)
THE Krontihene of Manso-Atwere in the Amansie West District, Nana Owusu Antwi, has called on the government to provide adequate resources to the National Commission on Civic Education (NCCE) to enable it honour its constitutional obligations.
He said it appeared the NCCE had been neglected in terms of budgetary support, a situation, which had prevented it from carrying out its constitutional mandate to the fullest.
Nana Antwi was speaking at a district forum on the review of the Constitution at Manso-Nkwanta.
He said the decision to review the Constitution was a good idea because after 18 years, there was every indication that the document was crying for review to meet the challenges of the time.
Among suggestions that came up at the forum included the need for the review of the retirement age from 60 to 65 to prevent the practice where pensioners were engaged on contract.
Some participants also suggested that the constitutional provision that allowed the biggest percentage of ministers to come from Parliament should be reviewed since the practice was counter productive.
Another suggestion that came up was the need to elect Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
In a welcoming address, the District Chief Executive, Mr Charles Oti Prempeh, stressed the need for the District Assemblies Common Fund to be reviewed from the current seven per cent to 10 per cent to enable the assemblies implement their development programmes.
He was confident that the Constitutional Review Commission would do a good work, which would benefit the nation in its democratic and development initiatives.
In his remarks, the counsel for the commission, Mr Ernest Owusu, said the review of the constitution represented good housekeeping project for the nation and an attempt by the people to fashion out home-grown solution to the nation’s challenges.
He said it appeared the NCCE had been neglected in terms of budgetary support, a situation, which had prevented it from carrying out its constitutional mandate to the fullest.
Nana Antwi was speaking at a district forum on the review of the Constitution at Manso-Nkwanta.
He said the decision to review the Constitution was a good idea because after 18 years, there was every indication that the document was crying for review to meet the challenges of the time.
Among suggestions that came up at the forum included the need for the review of the retirement age from 60 to 65 to prevent the practice where pensioners were engaged on contract.
Some participants also suggested that the constitutional provision that allowed the biggest percentage of ministers to come from Parliament should be reviewed since the practice was counter productive.
Another suggestion that came up was the need to elect Metropolitan, Municipal and District Chief Executives.
In a welcoming address, the District Chief Executive, Mr Charles Oti Prempeh, stressed the need for the District Assemblies Common Fund to be reviewed from the current seven per cent to 10 per cent to enable the assemblies implement their development programmes.
He was confident that the Constitutional Review Commission would do a good work, which would benefit the nation in its democratic and development initiatives.
In his remarks, the counsel for the commission, Mr Ernest Owusu, said the review of the constitution represented good housekeeping project for the nation and an attempt by the people to fashion out home-grown solution to the nation’s challenges.
KNUST CHALKS 60 YEARS IN NOVEMBER (PAGE 35, JULY 8, 2010)
THE Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) will celebrate its 60 years of existence in November 2010.
By Act 80, 1961, the Parliament of the First Republic gave the green light for the then College of Technology to be transformed into a university.
60 years in the life of a university would naturally come with successes and challenges but suffice it to say that KNUST has walked the journey with tenacity of purpose.
The Chancellor of the University, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, echoed the strides KNUST has made over the years when at the 44th Congregation ceremony at the Great Hall recently he stated, “We are proud, as a university, to have trail-blazed Ghana’s science and technology development this far”.
“60 years offers us the opportunity to showcase our achievements and tell our success story as the leader and premier institution of higher learning for science and technology education and training,” the Asantehene said.
Today, KNUST is ranked the best in the country and 12th in Africa, justifying the level at which it has gone in achieving its mandate.
At the congregation, the Asantehene called for an end to the over-reliance on the government for the funding of higher education in the country.
He noted that the “heavy dependency syndrome” was unsustainable as evident in the ever-dwindling government subventions to the institutions.
“ As a nation, we must vigorously continue with the pursuit for politically feasible strategies and mechanisms for the sustainable funding of higher education”.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu noted that education had become expensive the world over and this called for involvement of all stakeholders to get things going.
He appealed to the alumni, parents, organisations and well-wishers to go to the aid of the university to enable it survive the turbulent times.
“We invite you to establish academic chairs in our colleges. We welcome you to provide support and grants for applied and innovative research and development activities,” he added.
He also called for a review of the collegiate system at KNUST after six years of operation to establish the success so far made and to enable the authorities meet the changing trends of higher and international education of the 21st Century.
Otumfuo paid tribute to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, who would be exiting in August this year after serving his term for a job well done, and welcomed the incoming VC, Prof W.O. Ellis, pledging his unflinching support to him.
In his address, Prof. Adarkwa announced that the first commercial laboratory for aflatoxins analysis in the country has been established at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at KNUST.
It is intended to address one of the major food safety concerns in the food sector (aflatoxins) in the production and processing of maize, coconut and peanut, as well as the oil industry and industries that use these products as inputs for their operations.
Aflatoxin is a food contaminant, which is a potent carcinogen to both animals and humans and thus, requires constant monitoring within the food marketing cycle for certain agricultural commodities.
Prof. Adarkwa said the laboratory was established with the support of the Trade and Investment Programme for Competitive Export Economy (TIPCEE), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
He also mentioned that under the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF), KNUST was benefiting with the implementation of 43 projects at the cost of $4.4 million out of which 81 per cent had been disbursed to the university for various projects.
The VC disclosed that this year, the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology produced a PhD graduate whose research focused on the upgrading of the nutritional value of cocoa pod husk for use in animal feed, using biotechnological techniques.
While expressing the hope that the poultry industry would pick up the technology, Prof. Adarkwa invited entrepreneurs to collaborate with the university to commercialise it through a joint company.
He expressed excitement at the growing numbers of postgraduate programmes at the university, which now stands at 3,904.
Meanwhile, two projects financed at the cost of GH¢7.5 million by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), and internally generated funds of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been inaugurated at the university.
Each of the projects, which started about four years ago, included administration blocks and lecture halls for the College of Science and the School of Business.
At the inaugural ceremony, Prof. K.K. Adarkwa, said the projects would go a long way to address major accommodation problems facing the university.
He commended GETFund for supporting the university to address some of the accommodation challenges of the university.
The Akyempimhene of Asante, Oheneba Adusei Poku, said it had become increasingly clear that the government alone could not meet the educational needs of the nation.
It was, therefore, important for the private sector to come in to support to ensure that the nation continued to make significant strides in education.
By Act 80, 1961, the Parliament of the First Republic gave the green light for the then College of Technology to be transformed into a university.
60 years in the life of a university would naturally come with successes and challenges but suffice it to say that KNUST has walked the journey with tenacity of purpose.
The Chancellor of the University, Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, echoed the strides KNUST has made over the years when at the 44th Congregation ceremony at the Great Hall recently he stated, “We are proud, as a university, to have trail-blazed Ghana’s science and technology development this far”.
“60 years offers us the opportunity to showcase our achievements and tell our success story as the leader and premier institution of higher learning for science and technology education and training,” the Asantehene said.
Today, KNUST is ranked the best in the country and 12th in Africa, justifying the level at which it has gone in achieving its mandate.
At the congregation, the Asantehene called for an end to the over-reliance on the government for the funding of higher education in the country.
He noted that the “heavy dependency syndrome” was unsustainable as evident in the ever-dwindling government subventions to the institutions.
“ As a nation, we must vigorously continue with the pursuit for politically feasible strategies and mechanisms for the sustainable funding of higher education”.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu noted that education had become expensive the world over and this called for involvement of all stakeholders to get things going.
He appealed to the alumni, parents, organisations and well-wishers to go to the aid of the university to enable it survive the turbulent times.
“We invite you to establish academic chairs in our colleges. We welcome you to provide support and grants for applied and innovative research and development activities,” he added.
He also called for a review of the collegiate system at KNUST after six years of operation to establish the success so far made and to enable the authorities meet the changing trends of higher and international education of the 21st Century.
Otumfuo paid tribute to the Vice Chancellor, Prof. Kwasi Kwafo Adarkwa, who would be exiting in August this year after serving his term for a job well done, and welcomed the incoming VC, Prof W.O. Ellis, pledging his unflinching support to him.
In his address, Prof. Adarkwa announced that the first commercial laboratory for aflatoxins analysis in the country has been established at the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology at KNUST.
It is intended to address one of the major food safety concerns in the food sector (aflatoxins) in the production and processing of maize, coconut and peanut, as well as the oil industry and industries that use these products as inputs for their operations.
Aflatoxin is a food contaminant, which is a potent carcinogen to both animals and humans and thus, requires constant monitoring within the food marketing cycle for certain agricultural commodities.
Prof. Adarkwa said the laboratory was established with the support of the Trade and Investment Programme for Competitive Export Economy (TIPCEE), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),
He also mentioned that under the Teaching and Learning Innovation Fund (TALIF), KNUST was benefiting with the implementation of 43 projects at the cost of $4.4 million out of which 81 per cent had been disbursed to the university for various projects.
The VC disclosed that this year, the Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology produced a PhD graduate whose research focused on the upgrading of the nutritional value of cocoa pod husk for use in animal feed, using biotechnological techniques.
While expressing the hope that the poultry industry would pick up the technology, Prof. Adarkwa invited entrepreneurs to collaborate with the university to commercialise it through a joint company.
He expressed excitement at the growing numbers of postgraduate programmes at the university, which now stands at 3,904.
Meanwhile, two projects financed at the cost of GH¢7.5 million by the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund), and internally generated funds of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have been inaugurated at the university.
Each of the projects, which started about four years ago, included administration blocks and lecture halls for the College of Science and the School of Business.
At the inaugural ceremony, Prof. K.K. Adarkwa, said the projects would go a long way to address major accommodation problems facing the university.
He commended GETFund for supporting the university to address some of the accommodation challenges of the university.
The Akyempimhene of Asante, Oheneba Adusei Poku, said it had become increasingly clear that the government alone could not meet the educational needs of the nation.
It was, therefore, important for the private sector to come in to support to ensure that the nation continued to make significant strides in education.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
HRAJ ORGANISES WORKSHOP ON CODE OF CONDUCT FOR OFFICIALS (PAGE 14, JULY 7, 2010)
THE Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) has organised a day’s training programme on the code of conduct for 35 public officers drawn from the Western Region.
They were taken through topics such as the importance of a code of conduct for public officers, general overview of the code of conduct for public officers, role of public officers in the implementation of the code of conduct for public officers in Ghana, the role of National Ethics Advisory Committee and tools for monitoring compliance with the code of conduct at the workshop held in Sekondi.
In an address read on his behalf to open the training, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said Chapter 24 of the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution enjoined public office holders to eschew unethical behaviours or conducts, such as conflict of interest, illicit enrichment and all other improper conducts.
He said the quest for a code of conduct among public officers remained the major preoccupation of government and civil society organisations.
“It will be very undesirable if public officers use their positions to manipulate power, abuse both public management and professional authority for personal benefit, regardless of their status or that of the institution”, he added.
Mr Aidoo said the code of conduct became more important if we were to win the battle of eradicating corruption, adding that “this is rightly so because in a developing country like Ghana which has myriad of problems militating against the provision of quality education, health, infrastructure, agriculture and other services, it is incumbent to ensure that every resource is judiciously used to improve these services for the benefit of all.”
In the performance of duties, he said public officers must uphold public interest, regard public service as a public trust requiring employees to place loyalty above private gains.
The minister said public officers should not engage in transactions, use confidential information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private gain.
Also, he said public servants should not concur in the use of public funds contrary to existing laws, discard favouritism or nepotism and avoid furthering interests of foreign countries to the detriment of the motherland.
“We should adhere to maintain codes as prescribed to promote a strong public image and strive to operate with the utmost of integrity and honour,” he stressed, adding: ”As public officers, we should be able to confront the challenges that we meet on a daily basis in the line of duty such as potential conflicts of interest, mismanagement of contracts and agreements.”
The Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mr Richard Quayson, noted that a code of conduct for public officers was extremely important in any democratic society.
He said a code of conduct for public officers increased the probability of public officers behaving in ways generally acceptable to the society.
According to Mr Quayson, public officers were expected to be persons of high moral character and integrity since all provisions in the constitution upheld the integrity of a public office.
“The Constitution expects public officers to do right to all manner of persons,” he stressed.
He explained that the code was a generic one based on which all ministries, departments and agencies were required to develop codes of conducts specific to them within the framework of the code, adding that “the code of conduct for public officers is a generic document setting out the minimum standards required of all public officers.”
They were taken through topics such as the importance of a code of conduct for public officers, general overview of the code of conduct for public officers, role of public officers in the implementation of the code of conduct for public officers in Ghana, the role of National Ethics Advisory Committee and tools for monitoring compliance with the code of conduct at the workshop held in Sekondi.
In an address read on his behalf to open the training, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, said Chapter 24 of the 1992 Fourth Republican Constitution enjoined public office holders to eschew unethical behaviours or conducts, such as conflict of interest, illicit enrichment and all other improper conducts.
He said the quest for a code of conduct among public officers remained the major preoccupation of government and civil society organisations.
“It will be very undesirable if public officers use their positions to manipulate power, abuse both public management and professional authority for personal benefit, regardless of their status or that of the institution”, he added.
Mr Aidoo said the code of conduct became more important if we were to win the battle of eradicating corruption, adding that “this is rightly so because in a developing country like Ghana which has myriad of problems militating against the provision of quality education, health, infrastructure, agriculture and other services, it is incumbent to ensure that every resource is judiciously used to improve these services for the benefit of all.”
In the performance of duties, he said public officers must uphold public interest, regard public service as a public trust requiring employees to place loyalty above private gains.
The minister said public officers should not engage in transactions, use confidential information or allow the improper use of such information to further any private gain.
Also, he said public servants should not concur in the use of public funds contrary to existing laws, discard favouritism or nepotism and avoid furthering interests of foreign countries to the detriment of the motherland.
“We should adhere to maintain codes as prescribed to promote a strong public image and strive to operate with the utmost of integrity and honour,” he stressed, adding: ”As public officers, we should be able to confront the challenges that we meet on a daily basis in the line of duty such as potential conflicts of interest, mismanagement of contracts and agreements.”
The Deputy Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice, Mr Richard Quayson, noted that a code of conduct for public officers was extremely important in any democratic society.
He said a code of conduct for public officers increased the probability of public officers behaving in ways generally acceptable to the society.
According to Mr Quayson, public officers were expected to be persons of high moral character and integrity since all provisions in the constitution upheld the integrity of a public office.
“The Constitution expects public officers to do right to all manner of persons,” he stressed.
He explained that the code was a generic one based on which all ministries, departments and agencies were required to develop codes of conducts specific to them within the framework of the code, adding that “the code of conduct for public officers is a generic document setting out the minimum standards required of all public officers.”
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
2 BODIES RETRIEVED, 6 OTHERS SPOTTED (PAGE 3, JULY 2, 2010)
RESCUE workers at the mine disaster site in Dunkwa-on-Offin yesterday retrieved two bodies and spotted six others in a pit that had proved difficult to reach as of press time.
The breakthrough marked the first major success in the laborious task of reaching and retrieving scores of bodies believed to have been buried under the mass of water and mud in the vast and slippery area since Sunday.
The retrieved bodies were stuck deep in the pit, with their heads and hands protruding from the sticky mud.
One rescuer told the Daily Graphic that the condition of the bodies was such that any attempt to forcibly pull them out could result in dismembering them. As a result, the rescuers had been treading cautiously.
“It’s a terrible sight. I can’t believe what I’m seeing now,” a distraught Minister of Lands and Forestry, Alhaji Collins Dauda, who has been at the site since Tuesday doing everything to facilitate the rescue process, told the Daily Graphic in the morning of yesterday.
It was alleged that the buried miners had been operating in gangs of seven, with 18 groups in all operating on that fateful day.
Alhaji Dauda said the retrieved bodies were in their early stages of decomposition, as a result of which arrangements had been made to bury them immediately.
“They are going to be buried close to the pit where the disaster happened. Graves have already been dug and we are waiting for doctors to examine the remains before they are buried,” the minister said.
Alhaji Dauda said the police were waiting to see if family members could identify the bodies, adding that if that failed, the bodies would be buried.
Dozens of people have been crossing the Offin River in small canoes to get to the site to search for their missing relatives. Unfortunately, so far many of them have only been looking on helplessly as rescuers battle the mud and water.
The breakthrough marked the first major success in the laborious task of reaching and retrieving scores of bodies believed to have been buried under the mass of water and mud in the vast and slippery area since Sunday.
The retrieved bodies were stuck deep in the pit, with their heads and hands protruding from the sticky mud.
One rescuer told the Daily Graphic that the condition of the bodies was such that any attempt to forcibly pull them out could result in dismembering them. As a result, the rescuers had been treading cautiously.
“It’s a terrible sight. I can’t believe what I’m seeing now,” a distraught Minister of Lands and Forestry, Alhaji Collins Dauda, who has been at the site since Tuesday doing everything to facilitate the rescue process, told the Daily Graphic in the morning of yesterday.
It was alleged that the buried miners had been operating in gangs of seven, with 18 groups in all operating on that fateful day.
Alhaji Dauda said the retrieved bodies were in their early stages of decomposition, as a result of which arrangements had been made to bury them immediately.
“They are going to be buried close to the pit where the disaster happened. Graves have already been dug and we are waiting for doctors to examine the remains before they are buried,” the minister said.
Alhaji Dauda said the police were waiting to see if family members could identify the bodies, adding that if that failed, the bodies would be buried.
Dozens of people have been crossing the Offin River in small canoes to get to the site to search for their missing relatives. Unfortunately, so far many of them have only been looking on helplessly as rescuers battle the mud and water.
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