The larvae source management approach which involves the application of Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis (Bti) which has been recommended for larviciding by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as the efficient biological agent against mosquito larvae targets the mosquitoes at the larval stage and eliminates them before they develop into adult mosquitoes.

The Tema Regional Vector Control Officer, Mr. Enoch Mintah who is leading the team to undertake the exercise explained that prior to application of the BTI, mosquito breeding sites were identified and mapped for effective application of the bio-larvicide.

He said the team who are well-trained and with the technical knowledge have been deployed to Tema East, Tema West, Ashaiman, Kpone-Katamanso and Prampram to control the mosquito population by applying bio-larvicide to kill the mosquito larvae.

Mr. Mintah pointed out that ponds, stream fringe, water channels, rice fields, end of flood water among others are possible breeding sites for mosquitoes hence the need for the public to uphold good environmental sanitation practices to discourages the breeding of mosquito sites.

The Malaria Focal Person for Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, Ms Elizabeth Appiah Bonnah expressed satisfaction of the work done by Zoomlion Ghana Limited and optimistic that the exercise will be undertaken in all identified mosquito breeding sites within the Tema metropolis.

She said mosquito types such as Anopheles, Aedes, and Culex are of public health concern which needs to be managed effectively to help minimize the diseases they cause.

Mrs Bonnah said Malaria which is transmitted by the female anopheles’ mosquito is among the top ten recorded diseases in the Tema Metropolis and measures such as larvae source management among others will help reduce the population of mosquitoes.

She urged residents to regularly desilt drains and undertake good environmental sanitation practices to help keep their environments safe.

The EC has come under attack from some political parties and other groups over a proposed GH¢ 800 million expenditure to procure a new biometric Voters Register.

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Mr Nketia, speaking at a press conference organised by a group made up of the All Peoples Congress, People’s National Congress, NDC and other parties in Accra, also dismissed claims the current register is bloated.

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Watch Asiedu Nketia speaking at the press conference in video above:

General Secretary of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has revealed the history behind his name ‘General Mosquito’.

Speaking in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show Dwaso Nsem Tuesday, Mr Nketia, who is widely known as General Mosquito, said he was given that name by members of the New Patriotic Party when he was a parliamentarian.

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According to him, he was neither the Minority Leader nor the Deputy but emerged as the de-facto Minority Leader at that time due to his performance in the House during former President John Kufuor’s time.

Placing his ‘naming ceremony’ within context, he said on the occasion when he was given the name, Parliament was considering the nominees of former President Kufuor for appointment as ministers.

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 “By the time we got to the apex of the debate, I was alone. I was one man against 199 Members of Parliament (MP) but I stood my ground, fought on and got the guy disqualified and so they said I was a rebel leader,” he recounted.

Mr Nketia was the MP for the then Wenchi West Constituency for 12 years from 1992 to 2004.

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Listen to audio above:

National Democratic Congress (NDC) General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has replied the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, after he mocked him for graduating with a Master Degree in Defence and International Politics from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College.

According to him, Dr Bawumia was rather happy for him for completing the course, which was why he made those remarks.

Vice President Bawumia, who was the Special Guest of Honour for the graduation ceremony, set the auditorium of the College alive with the hilarious comments.

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Dr Bawumia remarked: “One of our graduands today, Johnson Asiedu Nketia… he is known as ‘General Mosquito’, and also the General Secretary of the NDC.

“I am told when he came into this institution, he left all his ‘ntua…tua’ behind the gate.

“As I shook his hands, I was wondering whether the physical training and exercises had added any more muscles to his…but it appears, it did not…am told he did not come here for the physical muscles…but came here to beef up the intellectual capacity of the NDC…and also enhance his case of being selected as running mate.”

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Reacting to the comment, Mr Nketia, popularly known in political circles as ‘General Mosquito’, said his good friend Dr Bawumia made those statements on a lighter side.

“So many people don’t know that Bawumia is a very good friend of mine. I know what he said was on a lighter side but I know he was very happy for me and that’s why he said those things,” he told Accra based Okay FM, monitored by Adomonline.com.

Mr Nketia said he was supposed to complete that course last year but had to defer because of his involvement in election related matters.

“I was supposed to complete this course last year. After writing my exam and getting ready for the dissertation, I had to write to them to defer me because I needed concentration for our presidential primary and other elections.

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“So I did my dissertation after the elections and that is why I am graduating now,” he added.

‘General Mosquito’ also revealed that he centred on corruption in Ghana as his research work.

“I did corruption as my research work because I wanted to know what the country has done to control or eliminate the menace. And I also focused on Parliament of Ghana and what they have done on the fight against corruption, whether it is good or bad,” he noted.

Source: Adomonline.com | Dorcas Abedu-Kennedy

Mr David Asante-Apeatu when addressing the media on Thursday at the police headquarters in Accra issued a stern warning to the leadership of political parties to disband all vigilante groups associated with them.

Mr Apeatu added that, the Police Service will deal ruthlessly with party supporters who engage in any form of political vigilantism.

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“Vigilantism is illegal and the collective condemnation has given the police impetus and we believe the public will stand with the police in enforcing the law without fear or favour. We will arrest and prosecute people who engage in political violence irrespective of their party affiliation,” he said.

But General Mosquito reacting to the comment accused the IGP and the government of compromising the integrity of the security services; hence his comment on vigilantism should not be taken seriously.

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According to him, Mr. Asante-Apeatu has failed to protect citizens of the country and therefore has no right to appeal to political parties to disband vigilante groups.

“David Asante-Apeatu has failed to act as a leader and all you could do is to hold a press conference appealing to us to disband vigilante groups. I think it was just a concert party press conference he organized. He only needs a band to play with because they are just playing with us” he said on Accra based Okay FM monitored by Adomonline.com.

Meanwhile, the NDC has softened its stance on the Commission of Inquiry investigating the Ayawaso West Wuogon by-election.

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But Mr. Asiedu Nketia said the party will not prevent its members, who were attacked at the by-election, from partaking in the commission’s activities.

The Commission has said it will invite some persons in the NDC despite their boycott of the process.

Mr Obiri Boahen who was commenting on the election of Mr Nketiah for the fourth time as the NDC’s general secretary said it was the same Mr Nketiah who superintended over the party when it was defeated by over one million votes in 2016.

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“We don’t have to bother our head over this because he was the general secretary with Koku Anyidoho as his deputy and the likes of Kofi Portuphy and Kofi Adams as party executives but they lost miserably [to the NPP].

“With my experience as a politician, I don’t think NPP should waste our head and think about the re-election of Asiedu Nketiah as a general secretary. It is not going to add anything to the fortunes of the NDC,” he noted.

READ ALSO: NDC Delegates Congress: Full results here

Nana Obiri who was speaking on Starr FM as monitored by adomonline.com emphasised that the NDC, even though the largest opposition party in Ghana, isn’t a threat to the NPP unless the NPP’s own members become complacent and decide not to be each other’s keeper by engaging in pull-him-down games.

Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketiah retained his general secretary position at the 9th National delegate’s congress of the NDC after he beat his contender Koku Anyidoho with about 5,000 votes to emerge the winner.