Tangoba Abayage donates to Navrongo Central Prison, War Memorial Hospital to mark birthday

The Upper East Regional Minister, Tangoba Abayage, has marked her 56th birthday with a donation of food items and other supplies to the inmates of the Navrongo Central Prison and kids' ward of the War Memorial Hospital.

Ms Abayage donated items including bags of rice, canned tomatoes and fish, gallons of cooking oil and liquid soap, 300 pieces of nose masks, packets of tissue paper, alcohol-based sanitizers and a bull to the prison inmates.

To the kids' ward, Ms Abayage gave sacks of baby diapers, boxes of biscuits, cartons of malt, boxes of baby wipes, packets of tissue paper and gallons of liquid soap.

The Minister made the donation in the company of friends, members of her campaign team, some Municipal and District Chief Executives and some constituency executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

Notable were District Chief Executives for the Kassena-Nankana Municipal and West, Williams Aduum and Gerard Ataogye. The others were the Chief executive for the Bolgatanga Municipality, Joseph Amiyuure and Agnes Anamoo, District Chief Executive for Nabdam.

The NPP Constituency party chairman, Anthony Kofi Mensah, was also present at the presentations.

Presentation to War Memorial Hospital

The presentation of the items to the management of the hospital was brief. In her comments, Ms Abayage said the gesture was the third of an initiative she started in 2018 to donate to the kids ward on every birthday she lives to see.

She asked the hospital leadership to spread her love to the kids as she could not meet them due to the COVID-19 preventive protocols.

“Because of the protocols, we won’t go inside but in 2018 we made a donation. In 2019 we did too and Tuesday is my birthday but I won’t be here on Tuesday. So I decided to make the donation today. So you give it to the kids on my behalf as celebrating my birthday with you,” she said.

The hospital’s Administrator, Bentie Abubakari, receiving the items expressed gratitude to the Minister for having the kids on admission at the facility in mind. He assured to extend the donation to the kids, hoping that they will one day remember her for the kindness.

“Thank you very much for making it a point that every year you come to celebrate your birthday with them. It is a blessing and when they get well and they grow up, they will be told that on this day when they were on admission, the Honourable Regional Minister came and celebrated her birthday with them”.

Presentation to Navrongo Central Prisons

Ms Abayage later moved to the Navrongo central Prison where she handed her donation to the management of the correctional facility. There, she told management that her desire to put smiles on the faces of the 260 inmates as she celebrates her birthday and victory in the recent primary, is the reason for the kind gesture.

Ms Abayage pledged to give more support to the facility in the form of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to help fight the spread of the coronavirus among inmates. She assured the management of frequent visits to acquaint herself with their challenges.

ASP Oscar Piuyire, Officer-in-charge of welfare received the items on behalf of management. He said the donation was timely, adding that the PPEs, especially, would help the facility fight the spread of the COVID-19.

He assured the Minister the items were going to be put to judicious use. ASP Piuyire added that the facility would continue to do the best in ensuring adherence to the safety protocols against the COVID-19.

Thanksgiving service

Earlier that same day, the Minister, the two Chief executives of the Kassena-Nankana Areas, party constituency leadership, friends and the party faithful joined congregants at the Navrongo Minor Basilica to hold a thanksgiving service to God for victory and the peaceful conduct of the Parliamentary primary.

There, Ms Tangoba Abayage in her comments used the opportunity to call for peace and unity, urging party members in the constituency to use the period to mend the cracks to make it formidable. She also used the opportunity to express her respect for Joseph Kofi Adda for the primary that came off without chaos.

Ms Abayage implored the congregants to continue to pray for the development of the constituency, region and country as a whole.

She made a donation of items and an undisclosed amount of cash in support of church activities.

Rector of the Minor Basilica, Reverend Paul Kapochina, who celebrated the mass urged Christians to seek the welfare of one another. He urged the congregants to do good to people irrespective of their backgrounds, saying it is one of the surest ways to please and draw closer to God.

Rev. Kapochina urged the congregants to choose peace and unity in every sphere of their lives and desist from acts that can destroy them.

He prayed for and thanked the Minister and her entourage for the donation.