District Chief Executive for Shai Osudoku, Daniel Akuffo on Thursday, 23 April, 2020 on behalf of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Ishmael Ashitey and the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Miss Gloria Afua Akuffo donated handwashing and food items to the Shai and Osudoku Traditional Councils to help the fight against the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the Shai Osudoku District of the Greater Accra Region.

Each traditional council received 10 sets of handwashing items including veronica buckets, liquid soap, waste-bin, tissue and washing basin together with a stand, and food items including bags of rice, tin tomatoes, bags of gari and cartons of sardine.

The DCE, on behalf of the Minister for Justice, also donated 500 pieces of LED bulbs each to the Shai and Osudoku Traditional Councils as part of her contributions to the coronavirus fight.

Presenting the items to the two traditional councils at Dodowa and Asutuare Respectively, Mr. Akuffo said the gesture formed part of the two personalities’ ‘widow’s mite’ to complement the role being played by the traditional authorities to save lives in the country as the pandemic persists.

The DCE said the assembly had maintained the efforts aimed at combating the virus and maintained that the sensitization had been extensive.

“The fight is on, education has gone far,” said Mr. Akuffo, adding that the massive education had created enormous awareness to residents in the district.

“Even if you approached a child and asked if he has heard of the coronavirus, he will respond in the affirmative,” the Assembly Chief stated.
He however said though residents were fully aware of the safety precautions preached by the assembly, they paid very little heed to them which has become a matter of concern to him.

“Residents are very much aware of all the safety protocols to stay safe, the major problem is they don’t heed the protocols and that is a problem,” the DCE said with concern.

Mr. Daniel Akuffo identified social distancing as one of the key missing protocols in the everyday lives of the people.

Though directives of the President and the District Public Health Emergency Management Committee prohibits motorbikes from taking passengers on the motorbikes to observe the protocol, the DCE cited some motorbike riders of breaching the directive and thereby resulting in their subsequent arrest and the impounding of their motorbikes.

Market women in Dodowa, he added have also been segregated by relocating a section of the traders from the main Dodowa market to the old Ghanata school park.

The idea, is to prevent consumers and patrons from massing up at the main market and thereby breaching social distance directives.

He reiterated calls for the public to adhere to safety protocols to avoid infection, warning that obeying these protocols were the only way to combat the virus.

“Our lives are in our own hands in terms of the fight against coronavirus because that is the only way we can fight the virus,” he said.

Chief of Dodowa, Okukrubuor Tei Kwasi Agyemang, who spoke on behalf of the Shai Traditional Council, expressed his profound gratitude to the President, Nana Akuffo Addo, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, Miss Gloria Afua Akuffo and the DCE for Shai Osudoku, Daniel Akuffo for their immense support for the traditional council towards tackling the coronavirus pandemic.

As part of the Shai Traditional Council’s efforts to combat the disease, Okukrubuor Tei Kwasi Agyemang said chiefs had been encouraged to lead educational efforts in their various communities.

Though the chief expressed the desire of the chiefs and traditional council for massive propagation of their activities, he nevertheless said this could only be achieved with the assistance of other individuals, non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders and called for their collaboration to the efforts of the traditional authorities in its campaign.

Aadegbor Ngmogmowuyaa Kwesi Animle VI, Paramount Chief Osudoku Traditional Area receiving the items on behalf of the Osudoku Traditional Council highly commended President Akuffo Addo, the Attorney-General and Minister for Justice, and the DCE for for their kind gesture.

The Paramount Chief who is also President of the Osudoku Traditional Council expressed hope in the nation's ability to overcome the scourge of the virus due to the commitment of the President to the fight through massive education.

According to him, the traditional council together with the chiefs was collaborating with the Shai Osudoku District Assembly and the various assembly members in the campaign to raise awareness and enhance education among the public.

He was hopeful that no case of the virus would be recorded in the district.
He praised the DCE and the assembly for earlier donations to the chiefs including handwashing items where items donated were dotted at various locations in the traditional area to support the fight.