Accra: Legislators in Ghana's Parliament have made a strong case for government to procure about 10,000 life jackets for communities along the Black Volta River in the Upper West Region following the drowning of seven Lawra SHS students on Saturday.
According to Ghana News Agency, the lawmakers argued that most of the residents along the Black Volta River used canoes as a means of transport to their farms and that they needed life jackets to ensure their safety and security.
The members of Parliament (MPs) made the call when contributing to a statement made on the floor of Parliament by Mr. Bede Ziedeng, the MP for Lawra, following the tragic incident. The Lawra lawmaker said he had personally procured 10 life jackets to assist the residents living along the Black Volta River to aid them to cross safely during daily routine activities. He, however, appealed to the government to construct a bridge along the river for the safety and security of the residents.
Mr. Ziedeng described the tragic incident as 'Black Saturday' in the lives of the residents of Lawra Municipality and the entire region. He emphasized the need for the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to urgently procure life jackets for communities along the river. The lawmaker also urged NADMO to intensify public education on wearing life jackets before crossing the river. He entreated all students to avoid any behaviour that could endanger their lives.
The legislator expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and management of Lawra SHS. The MPs observed a minute of silence in honour of the seven Lawra Senior High School students who drowned in the Black Volta, near Dikpe community in the Upper West Region.
The deceased were part of a group of 16 students from Lawra SHS cadet corps, who were on a routine morning jogging exercise. Ten of them decided to cross the river on a boat to the Burkina Faso side of the river. Unfortunately, upon reaching the middle of the river, water swamped into the boat, causing it to capsize, leading to the drowning of seven of the students onboard.
Meanwhile, the Minister of the Interior, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak, is scheduled to appear before Parliament next week to answer questions on measures the government is putting in place to procure life jackets for residents along the Black Volta River.
