TIG Post

Author: Persis

  • R&B singer R. Kelly sentenced to 30 years in prison

    Disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly was sentenced to 30 years in prison Wednesday, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, following his conviction last year on federal racketeering and sex trafficking charges stemming from his efforts over years to use his fame to ensnare victims he sexually abused.

    Prosecutors had asked the judge to sentence Kelly, 55, to more than 25 years behind bars, while his defence attorneys asked for 10 or fewer, saying prosecutors’ request was “tantamount to a life sentence.”

    Kelly, whose full name is Robert Sylvester Kelly, wore a tan prison uniform, dark-rimmed glasses and a black mask at Wednesday’s hearing, which survivors in the case also attended. The court heard impact statements from seven of Kelly’s victims, including Jane Doe 2, who testified at trial.

    “It’s been 23 years since we knew each other, and you’ve victimized a lot of girls since then,” she said, addressing Kelly. She later added: “Now it’s your turn to have your freedom taken from you.”

    A jury convicted Kelly last September on nine counts, including one charge of racketeering and eight counts of violations of the Mann Act, a sex trafficking law. Prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York accused Kelly of using his status as a celebrity and a “network of people at his disposal to target girls, boys and young women for his own sexual gratification.”
    The five-week federal trial in Brooklyn included testimony from witnesses who said they were sexually and physically abused by Kelly. The court also heard from people involved with orchestrating the disgraced R&B singer’s 1994 marriage to the late singer Aaliyah when she was just 15 years old and he was an adult after she believed she’d gotten pregnant.
    “No one can undo the harm that has been done to these victims,” attorney Gloria Allred, who represented three victims who testified, told reporters Wednesday outside court. “But at least it’s time for Mr. Kelly to be accountable.”

    Defense attorneys and prosecutors argued Wednesday in court over whether Kelly even could pay a fine. The defense said he is “pretty close to indigent” and could not. Prosecutors disagreed, saying money from the sale of some of his music rights and millions of dollars in royalties held by Sony could cover any fine.

    In the nine months since his conviction, Kelly has replaced his entire legal team with Jennifer Bonjean and her firm. Bonjean is the attorney who helped Bill Cosby get his sexual assault conviction overturned and also represented Cosby in a civil case he lost this month at trial.

    Kelly is being held at a federal detention facility in Brooklyn and, once sentenced, was expected to be moved back to Chicago, where he faces another federal trial in August on child pornography and obstruction charges.
    Childhood trauma revealed

    In over 14 hours of interviews with psychiatrist experts, Kelly said his closest relationship growing up was with his mother. His earliest memories were watching his mom perform as a singer in a band called “Six Pack,” and he would often accompany her to McDonald’s where she would drink coffee and they would share a pastry.

    Kelly had never met his father and described his mother’s death as the most tragic event of his life, saying he would go to McDonald’s frequently to smell the coffee and remember her, according to a letter filed by Renee Sorrentino, a clinical assistant professor at Harvard Medical School.

    “To me, the ‘M’ stands for mom. Going to McDonald’s is always being around my mother,” Kelly said.

    But his childhood was also marked by trauma.

    Kelly saw a childhood sweetheart drown when he was a little boy. And people interviewed by psychiatrist experts say Kelly was repeatedly sexually abused beginning when he was a 6 or 7-year-old boy, his attorney wrote, saying he was abused by his older sister and also a landlord, at times on a “weekly basis.”

    Sorrentino said in her letter Kelly’s childhood sexual abuse may have contributed to his “hypersexuality,” or difficulty controlling sexual urges, and believes it was a factor in his criminal convictions.

    While Kelly was convicted of sexual exploitation of a child, Sorrentino refused to diagnose Kelly with pedophilia because he told her his “sexual behavior has never involved prepubescent individuals,” she said.

    Faith, another woman who testified at Kelly’s trial, countered that defense argument Wednesday in her victim impact statement, saying her own father had also been sexually abused as a child but “never molested me.”

    Support for the singer

    Among the letters asking for a shorter sentence for Kelly is one written by Diana Copeland, Kelly’s former assistant who testified as a government witness and said she wrote a letter in support of Kelly because it was the “right thing to do.”

    “God doesn’t want us to throw humans away,” Copeland wrote. “If we have the audacity to care for the perpetrators as well as the victims, we can all rise.”

    Joycelyn Savage, who was considered a victim of Kelly’s by prosecutors, also remains a supporter.

    “Robert and I are deeply in love and it breaks my heart that the government has created a narrative that I’m a victim,” Savage wrote. “I’m a grown woman, and can speak for myself which is why I wanted to provide this letter to the court.”

    In her letter, Savage revealed she is now engaged to Kelly.

    Prosecutors faced threats

    Ahead of the sentencing, a Chicago man who had attended Kelly’s trial in Brooklyn was arrested and charged for making threats against the three US attorneys who prosecuted Kelly, a copy of his arrest warrant shows.

    Christopher Gunn was arrested Saturday for allegedly posting threats to kill or seriously injure the female prosecutors.

    According to the arrest warrant, Gunn posted video to his YouTube channel in October, shortly after Kelly was found guilty, that showed an image of the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York where the women work. Prosecutors believe a voice narrating the video is Gunn’s, and he says, “That’s where they at. That’s where they work at … We’re going to storm the office,” saying each of the three prosecutors’ names.

    “If you ain’t got the stomach for the sh*t we ’bout to do, I’m asking that you just bail out,” he allegedly said in the video.

    Prosecutors also analyzed a CashApp account linked to Gunn that shows multiple transactions from February 26, 2021, to June 1 that indicate Gunn “engaged in the sale of firearm ammunition in relation to the Kelly matter,” they said. Transactions included payments for $20 with descriptions saying “30 rounds.. free R kelly.” CNN has reached out to an attorney for Kelly for comment.

    Prosecutors believe Gunn was planning to attend Kelly’s sentencing on Wednesday after he posted another video saying he had a “spot” for supporters to meet up near the courthouse.

    CNN has reached out to an attorney for Gunn, who is expected to have a detention hearing Wednesday.

    Source: edition.cnn.com  

  • LIVESTREAMING: Arise Ghana group demonstrates against economic hardship, others

    Arise Ghana is set to hold its historic two-day demonstration, #KromAyeShe, today, June 28, 2022.

    The protest is primarily to protest against persistent and astronomical hikes in fuel prices by the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, which has imposed excruciating economic hardships on Ghanaians.

    In a statement by Sammy Gyamfi, it adds that the protest is to also oppose the imposition of the obnoxious E-Levy on the already-burdened Ghanaian people by the insensitive Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government and demand a full-scale and bi-partisan parliamentary probe into COVID-19 expenditures.

    Others are to protest the grabbing of state lands by officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government, particularly the de-classification of huge portions of the Achimota Forest Reserve.

    The rest are to protest the increased rate of police brutalities and state-sponsored killings of innocent Ghanaians, as well as the growing culture of human rights abuses under President Akufo-Addo and Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, and demand the total cancellation of the fraudulent “Agyapa” deal.

    The group planned to start the series of demonstrations on June 28, 2022, starting from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle Interchange/Obra Spot and ending at the frontage of the seat of government.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • BoGs supply of dollars to BDCs drops from 85% to 21% CBOD

    The Ghana Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors (CBOD), has called on other players in the foreign exchange supply market to step up their efforts to ensure the demand for US Dollars by Bulk Distributing Companies (BDCs) is met.

    This, according to the CEO of the Chamber, Senyo Hosi, is important as the quantum of US dollars supplied by the Bank of Ghana has dropped drastically.

    The Bulk Distributing Companies are licensed to import crude oil and finished products, store and distribute to oil marketing companies, among other functions.

    For a long time, the BDCs were struggling to get access to enough foreign exchange at affordable rates to procure their products, a situation that led to some level of uneasiness within the industry.

    In an attempt to resolve the issue of a lack of US dollars for the BDCs, whose work influences the final price of fuel at the pumps, the Bank of Ghana earlier this year, introduced a foreign exchange forward auction program for the BDCs.

    Despite the success of the intervention, the quantum of dollars supplied by the Central Bank, according to the CEO of the Chamber of Bulk Oil Distributors, Senyo Hosi, has been dropping alarmingly over the past few months.

    “The BoG has actually reduced the quantum of its intervention in real terms and also in ratio terms relative to requirements. When we started, [during] the first window, we got $114 million and another $100 million, bringing the amount we got from the BoG in April to $214 million. Then in the next month, the amount that was made available was $125 million and then in June we are seeing $100 million.”

    “Cumulatively, their intervention has been 40% of the requirements that have been submitted over the period. On a month-on-month basis however we have seen a very significant drop from 85% in April to 50% in May, and now we are seeing 21% in June,” he added.

    Mr. Hosi thus highlighted the need for other players in the open market to support the efforts of the Bank of Ghana in the supply of foreign exchange for players that need it in the local petrol sector.

    Source: citinewsroom

  • Ghana to experience 25 per cent drop in cargo berths

    The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) anticipates a possible drop between 20 and 25 per cent of cargo berths at the port this year, especially cargoes that come into the country from the Russia-Ukraine regions.

    “Data gather from shippers indicates that due to the effect of the Russia-Ukraine war, cargo traffic into the country would dip as about 25 per cent of wheat and fertilizer import to the country were from Ukraine and Russia,” Mr Michael Luguje, GPHA Director-General stated.

    Mr Luguje stated during the seventh meeting of the Port Management Association of West and Central Africa (PMAWCA) Harbour Masters, and Port Facility Security Officers (PFSOS) in Tema.

    The three-day meeting brought together port management, harbour masters and port security officers from Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, and Senegal among others in West and Central Africa to share ideas, identify common port challenges and adopt holistic measures to mitigate them.

    Mr Luguje, who is also the President of PMAWCA, called on importers to look for alternative places to import from, acknowledging, however, that sourcing from other places comes with additional costs, which would obviously lead to a reduction in quantities to import.

    He emphasised the need for port operators also to be resilient in their planning, by factoring in the risk of the extreme opposite of the current situation.

    “That extreme one could be you wake up one morning, and nothing is moving, how do you solve it, so now every budget we formulate we are assuming that we could wake up one day and have to deal with half of that budget how are we going to survive with the other half,” he said.

    The GPHA Director-General also charge port operators to develop a strategic plan and adopt measures in terms of cost planning, prudent management of revenue, and all the other remote resources including technology usage to ensure efficient operation.

    Mr Luguje also called for prudent efforts to minimize the use of fossil fuels and power and encourage port operators to consider investment in wind power, as well as develop an interest in electronic vehicles among others.

    Source: GNA

  • Roe v Wade: Inside an Arkansas abortion clinic on its last day

    There was a palpable change in the atmosphere at an abortion clinic in Little Rock, Arkansas the morning the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade.

    That was the moment everything turned upside down.

    The doors at the end of the hallway that leads to the patient area were instantly shut – behind them, you could hear the sound of sobs.

    The BBC has spent the last three weeks at the clinic, Little Rock Family Planning Services, interviewing the staff and patients who come through its doors. Usually, we’ve been greeted with joyful hellos.

    But when the decision came down, we were asked to leave immediately so they could have time alone to process.

    The escorts at the clinic, who have stood in the Arkansas heat day in and day out to accompany patients through the throng of anti-abortion protesters who often gather outside, held a group hug.

    “I thought that this country would still care about people. Would still care about women,” said Miss Karen, the lead escort.

    Outside, anti-abortion protesters celebrated, but said there was more that needed to change.

    “It will be a day of celebration, but we will not fully celebrate until abortion is eradicated from our land,” Hoyt Plunkett told the BBC.

    “You are on notice!” shouted another protester, at people still parking their cars at the clinic. They hadn’t heard about the decision yet.

    “My suggestion is for you to turn around and leave this place of sin, this place of inequity, this evil place,” the protester said.

    Escorts hug staff on the last day of Little Rock Family Planning Services

    Across America, clinics like the one in Little Rock are shutting their doors, presumably for the last time. Arkansas, along with 12 other states in the US, has a so-called “trigger” law banning abortion should Roe v Wade be overturned. When the Supreme Court issued their decision on Friday morning, giving states the authority to restrict abortion, these trigger laws began to come into force.

    While some states, like Texas, had written waiting periods into the law, delaying the inevitable, Arkansas had written its trigger law to come into force as soon as the state’s attorney general – its top lawyer – certified that the Supreme Court gave them the power to do so.

    Leslie Rutledge, Arkansas’ Republican attorney general, told the BBC she supported the trigger law and the Supreme Court’s decision.

    “I think many of us didn’t think it would perhaps ever happen in our lifetimes,” she said.

    Abortion is only legal to save the life of the mother – there are no exceptions for rape or incest.

    “This is an innocent life that we’re talking about. And that innocent life that begins at conception,” Ms Rutledge said.

    “(Just) because it was formed under evil circumstances doesn’t make that innocent child evil.”

    Now, people in Arkansas who are facing an unwanted pregnancy have fewer options. They can go out of state to have an abortion—the closest clinic in a state that allows abortion is 5 hours away—or they can decide to keep their child.

    The state has no paid family leave, and Medicaid – publicly funded health insurance – only covers low-income mothers for 60 days after they give birth.

    Ms Rutledge said the government of Arkansas has “always been there to support those mothers”, but that they “always need to look for more ways to provide for parents who want to be loving parents, and to make sure that we take care of those children”.

    Jenifer Thompson
    Jenifer Thompson, a patient and then an employee, says the clinic saved her life

    The staff at Little Rock Family Planning spent the morning calling patients to cancel appointments and help them rebook in different states..

    Ashli Hunt, a registered nurse, broke down in tears this morning and immediately had to run outside to catch her breath.

    “No matter how hard we prepare for bad news, when it finally hits, it hits HARD. Having to call these patients and tell them Roe V Wade was overturned is heart-breaking,” she said a few hours later, after she had time to process the news.

    She’s worked at the clinic for 14 years. Ashli said she’s heartbroken for the patients who are losing their choice, but also that for herself.

    “Not only are they taking the choice, away from women, but they’re taking what I feel like I should be doing away from me,” she said. “You know what my choice is included in that.”

    Jenifer Thompson, who first came here as a patient over a decade ago before becoming a member of staff, said the clinic helped save her life.

    She said that after getting an abortion here, and help getting contraception, she was so impressed by the care they offered that she began to volunteer. She eventually became a paid staff member, and got her nursing degree. Struggles with alcohol led to her getting fired, but she said “the best boss in the world” gave her a second chance by re-hiring her after she began recovery.

    Pro-choice protesters outside Arkansas state house
    Pro-choice protesters outside Arkansas state house

    Now, she says she is devastated she will no longer be able to help women as she was once helped.

    I have to tell them, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do for you. I’m sorry that your boyfriend beats you every day, and that he rapes you all the time, you’re gonna have to find somewhere else to go,” she said.

    “I mean, I can give them information to help try, but it’s heart-breaking man, like, you know, this place saved my life literally, multiple times.”

    Later Friday evening, about 1,000 protesters gathered outside the state house, mostly to condemn the Supreme Court’s decision.

    One of the clinic’s escorts was there.

    “Today we mourn. Tomorrow we fight,” she said.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • NYA engages youth on menace of teenage pregnancies

    The Western Regional office of the National Youth Authority has organised a training workshop for selected youth activists across the region on the socio-economic affects teenage pregnancy has on society and the individual.

    “Teenage pregnancies do not only delay the fortunes of the girl child, but also serves as a barrier in achieving future desired lifestyle,” the workshop noted.

    The workshop, with support from the United Nations Fund for Population Activities (UNFPA) therefore targeted youth from the various Districts in the Region to educate them to enable them to make informed choices and serve as peer educators.

    Mr. Edwin Amponsah, Regional Director of the National Youth Authority, addressing the participants, said the youth often relate well with their peers, hence the focus on them to serve as conduit to deal with the menace of teenage pregnancies.

    The situation, he said, was cardinal in perpetuating poverty and eroding the quest for the general empowerment agenda of womanhood.

    Ms Mavis Appiah, a Health Facilitator, said the transition in adolescence brought in its wake fascinating emotional and psychological thrillers which required the right knowledge to overcome.

    She therefore charged parents and society in general not to overlook the responsibility of helping the youth at that crossroad.

    Ms Setina Aboagye, from Domestic Violence and Victim Support (DOVVSU) said laws were available to protect the individual from abuses.

    “When you are harassed wrongly by the opposite sex without consent, you can always report to institutions responsible for such incidents such as DOVVSU and CHRAJ,” she said.

    Mr Nelson Owusu Ansah, Deputy CEO of the National Youth Authority, who graced the occasion, said the fast-growing rate of teenage pregnancies has become a huge worry for the Government, Law Makers and Programmes and Policy Implementers in finding ways and means of eradicating the problem.

    ” Though teenage pregnancy is a health issue, today it is more than just a health issue, rather a developmental problem because these young ones who are vulnerable are being taken advantage of by elderly men in society who are supposed to protect young ones,” he added.

    Source: GNA

  • This is not the time for a National Cathedral President of Catholic Bishops’ Conference

    President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, has joined calls by many Ghanaians for the government not to prioritise the National Cathedral of Ghana project.

    According to the Archbishop, building a National Cathedral should not be a priority for the country, given the current hardships Ghanaians are going through, newswiregh.com.

    “Naturally, at this time, I will agree with you and many other critics that when you look at the economy and things that had to be destroyed in order that the Cathedral may come on, we can say that it is definitely not a priority,” Archbishop Naameh is quoted to have said in an interview with NewsWire GH.

    He further stated that since the National Cathedral was President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo‘s promise to God, the president was expected to find the money for the project rather than using taxpayers’ money for it.

    “The whole thing started with the president who said he had a vision, and he made a promise to God that if he was elected president, this is what he would do for God. And so everybody expected that he was going to look for the money, and he has also promised that he was not going to use the taxpayer’s money for it. So, these are facts that are on the table, but I wouldn’t want to comment on them now.

    “But to say that at this present stage it is not a priority, that one I can say. We will prefer to be quiet until we receive the statutes which will contain the management and all that which we have requested for,” he added.

    The President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference, who is also the Archbishop of Tamale, clarified Most Rev. Charles Gabriel Palmer-Buckle, the Vice Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral, is not representing the church but was selected by President Akufo-Addo to be part of the project.

    The government has come under a lot of criticism by Ghanaians for its insistence on going on with the National Cathedral project even though the country was going through a lot of challenges. Some Ghanaians are saying that the National Cathedral project is Akufo-Addo’s personal promise to God and that there should not be a priority for the government.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • We need stronger systems to fight cybercrime Speaker

    The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, has said that Ghana could win the fight against cybercrime activities if stronger systems are in place.

    According to him, those engaged in cybercrime activities are always improving upon their modus operandi, insisting that it is only stronger systems that could counter and triumph over them.

    For instance, he said that Ghana’s cybersecurity machinery should be linked to the Information Communication Technology Department of the Parliament of Ghana, believing that would contribute to curbing the menace.

    “As we move towards a cashless economy, there is the need to build stronger systems to counter cybercrime. This is very important as we develop as a country”, he noted.

    The Speaker made this observation when a delegation led by the Executive Director of the Center for Cyber Watch and Data Protection paid a courtesy call on him.

    Commenting further on the issue, Rt. Hon. Bagbin said there is also the need to work on the mindset of Ghanaians and as well, raise awareness in order to bring change.

    His comment follows a report by the Director of the Center for Cyber Watch and Data Protection, Abubakar Issakar, that cybercrime activities were on the rise in the country.

    As a part of the measures to curb the menace, Mr. Issakar proposed the need to build a cybersecurity system for Parliament.

    Further to that, he proposed the need to scale up advocacy for cybersecurity and capacity building for medium and small-scale enterprises.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • Full text: Finance Ministers statement to Parliament on governments Covid-19 expenditure in 2020

    Mr Speaker, on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organisation declared COVID-19 as a pandemic. This moment has marked a defining moment in world history and its impact still reverberates globally.

    Mr Speaker, here in Ghana, we recorded our first two cases on March 12, 2020. H.E. President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, immediately put together a task force which spearheaded the development of a bold, comprehensive, and decisive strategy to ensure that we are not overwhelmed by the pandemic. In line with this strategy, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of Ghana was assessed and measures were designed to address its immediate impacts.

    However, the impact of the pandemic was even more severe than anticipated both globally and domestically. It has upended and exposed the weaknesses in critical structures and systems in education, health, economic life and communities. The pandemic triggered a sharp and heavy disruption in global supply chains as lockdowns and restrictions led to reductions in demand and production levels.

    Mr Speaker, this has required us to undertake major fiscal measures beyond what we programmed prior to the pandemic. To finance the additional expenditure such as support to households, engagement of additional health personnel deployment of security personnel at our borders to enforce the CoVID-19 protocols, as well as the procurement of personal protective equipment, government has had to adopt major fiscal measures to accommodate the increased expenditure and the shortfalls in revenue. Though our response was bold, decisive, and compassionate, it has also been costly.

    Mr. Speaker, you may recall that on 30th March 2020, I made a statement to Parliament on the Economic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Economy of Ghana, following which the implementation of the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme (CAP) commenced.

    Hm Statement to Parliament on Covid 19 Expenditure 2020 to 2021 Rev 22.6 Crt (3) by The Independent Ghana on Scribd

    Source: myjoyonline.com

  • Ebola outbreak in the Northern Region: Reports false – GHS

    Viral news suggesting  a possible Ebola outbreak in the northern parts of Ghana is untrue, theindependentghana can confirm.

    Reports that made rounds on online news portals and social media platforms had it that Ebola, a deadly virus, had broken out in the northern part of Ghana, but the Ghana Health Service(GHS) refuted those claims.

    The Service, in a tweet, urged the general public to disregard such reports.

    About Ebola

    The Ebola Virus Disease, also known as EVD, is a highly contagious illness that can be fatal in both humans and nonhuman primates.

    It was first described in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Since then, the virus has emerged periodically and infected people in several African countries.

    Symptoms of the virus may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus, with an average of 8 to 10 days.

    The course of the illness typically progresses from “dry” symptoms initially (such as fever, aches and pains, and fatigue), and then progresses to “wet” symptoms (such as diarrhoea and vomiting) as the person becomes sicker.

    Primary signs and symptoms of Ebola often include some or several of the following:

    Fever, Aches and pains, such as severe headache and muscle and joint pain, Weakness and fatigue, Sore throat, Loss of appetite, Gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting, unexplained haemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising.

    Other symptoms may include red eyes, skin rash, and hiccups (late-stage).

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Ebola outbreak in the Northern Region: Reports false – GHS

    Viral news suggesting  a possible Ebola outbreak in the northern parts of Ghana is untrue, theindependentghana can confirm.

    Reports that made rounds on online news portals and social media platforms had it that Ebola, a deadly virus, had broken out in the northern part of Ghana, but the Ghana Health Service(GHS) refuted those claims.

    The Service, in a tweet, urged the general public to disregard such reports.

    About Ebola

    The Ebola Virus Disease, also known as EVD, is a highly contagious illness that can be fatal in both humans and nonhuman primates.

    It was first described in 1976 near the Ebola River in what is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

    Since then, the virus has emerged periodically and infected people in several African countries.

    Symptoms of the virus may appear anywhere from 2 to 21 days after contact with the virus, with an average of 8 to 10 days. The course of the illness typically progresses from “dry” symptoms initially (such as fever, aches and pains, and fatigue), and then progresses to “wet” symptoms (such as diarrhoea and vomiting) as the person becomes sicker.

    Primary signs and symptoms of Ebola often include some or several of the following Fever, Aches and pains, such as severe headache and muscle and joint pain, Weakness and fatigue, Sore throat, Loss of appetite, Gastrointestinal symptoms including abdominal pain, diarrhoea, and vomiting. Unexplained haemorrhaging, bleeding or bruising. Other symptoms may include red eyes, skin rash, and hiccups (late-stage).

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • In today’s papers

     

     

  • National Cathedral: Sole sourcing contract to David Adjaye illegal Kobina Ata-Bedu

    A Procurement expert, Kobina Ata-Bedu, has questioned the basis on which the architectural design contract for the National Cathedral was sole-sourced to Sir David Adjaye and Associates Limited.

    According to him, sole-sourcing the contract to Mr. Adjaye was illegal, since the contract did not qualify for that.

    “I (want to) ask why the Public Procurement Authority (PPA) CEO and board approved the contract because, from an architecture point of view, it does not qualify under any circumstance for sole sourcing,” he said on JoyFMs Super Morning Show, on Monday, June 20.

    His comment follows the allegation by Vice President of IMANI Africa, Bright Simons, that the architecture work for the National Cathedral project was sole-sourced to Sir David Adjaye and Associates Limited at $22 million.

    Mr. Simons had insisted that the $22 million agreement amounts to 10 percent of the total cost to be incurred for the National Cathedral project.

    In a tweet shared on June 16, 2022, the Honorary Vice President of IMANI added that Sir David Adjaye and Associates Limited were paid $6 million even before they commenced work.

    “To build its national cathedral, Ghana decides to single-source just the architecture to Adjaye & assoc for $22m (10% of project cost!) And pay $6m upfront!,” portions of the tweet read.

    Mr. Ata-Bedu also stated that Mr Adjaye had not been inducted into the Architecture register at the time when the contract was awarded to him (which was a prerequisite for awarding the contract), therefore, he was not qualified for the contract.

    What the Law says about sole sourcing

    Section 40 of the Public Procurement Act (act 663) says that;

    (1) A procurement entity may engage in single-source procurement under section 41 with the approval of the Board,

    (a) where goods, works, or services are only available from a particular supplier or contractor, or if a particular supplier or contractor has exclusive rights in respect of the goods, works or services, and no reasonable alternative or substitute exists;

    (b) where there is an urgent need for the goods, works or services and engaging in tender proceedings or any other method of procurement is impractical due to unforeseeable circumstances giving rise to the urgency which is not the result of dilatory conduct on the part of the procurement entity;

    (c) where owing to a catastrophic event, there is an urgent need for the goods, works or technical services, making it impractical to use other methods of procurement because of the time involved in using those methods;

    d) where a procurement entity, that has procured goods, equipment, technology or services from a supplier or contractor, determines that

    (i) additional supplies need to be procured from that supplier or contractor because of standardisation; (ii) there is a need for compatibility with existing goods, equipment, technology, or services, taking into account the effectiveness of the original procurement in meeting the needs of the procurement entity; (iii) the limited size of the proposed procurement in relation to the original procurement provides justification;

    (e) where the procurement entity seeks to enter into a contract with the supplier or contractor for research, experiment, study, or development, except where the contract includes the production of goods in quantities to establish commercial viability or recover research and development costs; or (f) where the procurement entity applies this Act for procurement that concerns national security and determines that single-source procurement is the most appropriate method of procurement.

    2) A procurement entity may engage in single-source procurement with the approval of the Board after public notice and time for comment where procurement from a particular supplier or contract or is necessary in order to promote a policy specified in section 59(4)(c), (d) or 69(2)(c)(i), and procurement from another supplier or contractor cannot promote that policy.

    Touching on this, Mr. Ata-Bedu insisted that the contract does not meet any of the above requirements mentioned for a contract to qualify for sole-sourcing.

    Source: Myjoyonline.com

     

  • Yumvita thrills mothers at the second edition of the Yumvita Mommies Workout

    The second edition of the Yumvita Mommies Workout came to a successful end after participants were given an enthralling intimate experience by the Yumvita brand. The event, which was organized in partnership with Decathlon Ghana and My-Health-Corp, was graced by mommies from different parts of the city of Accra.

    Yumvita Mommies Workout is an annual activity by the brand which is geared towards promoting the culture of healthy living as well as celebrating and honouring mothers in general. Under the event, mothers were taken through a fun filled workout session interspersed with health talk, music and dance.

    Speaking on the theme, Motherhood; moving beyond the narrative of childbirth, Brand Manager for Yumvita, Mrs Emmeline Tagoe extended her message of gratitude to all mothers and women in general for the major role they play in the upkeep of the home. “Yumvita is a brand that has mothers and women in general as a major stakeholder in its operation, we believe that motherhood goes beyond a woman who is either pregnant or has given birth.

    Every woman is either a Mother, an Aunty, a niece, a cousin or a sister and one thing that is common in all of these, is that motherly instinct, which is exhibited through love, care, providing for the home and making sure that the family is happy. To this, Yumvita celebrates all of you as mothers, especially for the sacrifices you have made and keep making for the home.” Mrs Tagoe said.

     Under a colourful Yumvita theme ambience at the venue grounds, participants were given a good treat to healthy fruit-based smoothies, breakfast snacks made out of Yumvita and varying options of fruits for everyone.

    They were also given gift vouchers from partners, hampers, product and souvenir packages from Yumvita. On their part, Decathlon expressed their joy about the success of the event and further encourage mothers to make time for themselves and engage in activities that improves their mental and physical wellbeing.

     

     

  • Thomas Partey makes U-turn on name change

    Ghana and Arsenal midfielder Thomas Partey has made a U-turn by claiming he has changed his name from the initial Muslim name Yakubu to Thomas.

    The 29-year-old dominated the local and international media after it was reported that he has changed his name after marrying his Moroccan girlfriend Sara Bella.

    Partey in the video said he changed his name to Yakubu following his recent marriage to Moroccan Sara Bella.

    “I have a girl I love, I know my side chicks will leave me but it’s no problem,” he joked in an Instagram video posted by Ghanaian journalist Nana Aba Anamoah.

    “I grew up with Muslims so at the end of the day, it’s the same thing. I’m already married and my Muslim name is Yakubu.”

    However, in a post reacting to the reports, Partey posted: “Eei chale I was enjoying it but now am back to Thomas again ????????”.

    Source: footballghana.com 

  • Akrobeto’s most-talked-about interview with Dortmund FC legends

    Actor and host of ‘Real News’, Akrobeto, has earned the tag as the “biggest fan of BVB in all of Africa” by the former Borussia Dortmund captain, Roman Weidenfeller.

    Some legends of the German club in June paid a visit to Ghana for a football and coaching clinic and met with the comic actor in the studios of United Television for an interview.

    Abrobeto was joined by Jan Koller, a former professional footballer for Dortmund and Roman Weidenfeller, who expressed their delight in the actor’s promotion of their club on his show.

    According to Jan, they always “go crazy” when they see his comic news of the team’s performance on their Black and Yellow channel.

    “Nice to meet you, it is a pleasure. We are very proud to be here and right now you are our biggest fan in all of Africa,” Weidenfeller disclosed

    Borussia Dortmund legends and some African football legends by Abedi Pele played a charity game on Saturday, June 11 at the Accra Sports Stadium. Dortmund’s first to the African continent to be precise Ghana was inspired by the sporting values it shares with its Ghanaian partners Shooting Stars FC.

  • Were not going to increase transport fares now – GPRTU

    The Industrial Relations Director for GPRTU, Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim Moro, has stated that the GPRTU will not increase transport fares now despite the hike in fuel prices.

    The Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) stated earlier that it would hold a crunch meeting next week to deliberate on a “possible” upward adjustment of transport fares.

    The Union said the meeting had become necessary due to what they described as “significant hikes” in fuel prices over the past few weeks.

    Prices for petrol and diesel have shot up by 7.3 per cent and 9.7 per cent respectively, in the last month.

    Currently, petrol is trading at an average of GH¢10.10 per litre, while the national average for diesel is pegged at GH¢12.20 per litre.

    Transport fares went up by 20 per cent last month.

    As of May 9, 2022, when the new fares took effect, petrol and diesel were selling at a national average of GH¢9.41 and GH¢11.12, respectively.

    Speaking on Atinka TVs Ghana Nie morning show with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Alhaji Abbas Ibrahim Moro said if the fuel price continues to increase, the GPRTU will be forced to raise transport fares.

    Meanwhile, he said the Union was going to educate the public on the fuel increment.

    “It is not that we are going to increase lorry fares now, with transport operation, it takes a lot of fuel to run but with where the fuel prices have gotten to, it is alarming, and so now we are sensitizing the people for them to know that it is not our fault, but if it continues, then we will also change the fares immediately,” he said.

    He continued,” For now, we will not increase it, but we have a threshold, and when we reach there, we can increase it. We will sit down and talk about it and put down some measures. We want to analyze everything so that we come out with something; it will sit well with all Ghanaians.”

    Source: atinkaonline.com

  • Vehicle transporting 3 chiefs to Ellembelle set ablaze by unknown assailants

    A private vehicle conveying three chiefs from Agyambra to Ellembelle has been set ablaze by unknown assailants.

    The victims are, Nana Anokyi IV, Chief of Anokyi, Nana Akpanye Armo II, Chief of Awiaso, and Nana Blaychie, Chief of Ekpu in the Ellembelle District of the Western Region and the driver,  Kwame Mensah. 

    The tragic incident is said to have happened when the traditional rulers of Ellembelle together with their driver were returning to their residence after gracing a successful installation of a new chief of Agyambra, Nana Amenkyi Fabin V.

    Narrating his ordeal, the driver of the vehicle, with registration number GR 2304-12, Kwame Mensah, told Ghana News Agency that a road block had been mounted around the rubber plantation at Agyambra en route Nyamebekyere popularly called 32.

    In an attempt to clear his path, he got out of his car but was ganged up by a group of five men who emerged from the bush.

    One of the men, he said, was holding a gallon of petrol and without any confrontation, poured the substance on the vehicle and set it ablaze.

    The victims who managed to escape the incident sustained burns but have been rushed to the St. Martin De Porres Hospital at Eikwe in the Ellembelle District for treatment.

    Meanwhile, the Ahanta-West Municipal Police Commander, DSP Valentine Akposu, has told the GNA that the Command has launched an investigation into the matter.

     

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • Truck driver plying Ejisu-Kumasi stretch without back tires in viral video arrested

    Police in the Ashanti Region have arrested the driver of a DAF truck with registration no. AS 7324- 12, seen in a viral video plying the Ejisu-Kumasi road, without his back tires, an official statement has confirmed.

    The Ghana Police Service said in a statement that the suspect driver, Kofi Nkansah, was arrested today (June 12, 2022) at Ejisu.

    “The vehicle has been impounded and the suspect will be arraigned tomorrow 13/06/22,” the statement said.

    The police commended the person who spotted the person, took the footage and alerted the police for further action.

    “We wish to urge others to endeavour to bring such issues to the attention of the Police for immediate action. Let us continue to work together to ensure discipline on our roads”, the police said.

    Ejisu accident kills three

    This latest development comes after a driver ran into pedestrians, killing three of them at Ejisu-Besease, late last month.

    Justice Adjoyi, 30, crashed his Honda CR-V vehicle with registration number AS 2221-22 into Hamidu Mohammed, 62, Abdul Rahman Mohammed, 50, and their brother in-law Masawudu Nacro, who were standing by the roadside about a week ago.



    Police prosecutors say Adjoyi did not exercise caution when he dangerously overtook a vehicle ahead of him.

    He subsequently lost control and killed his victims whilst driving on the Konongo Ejisu section of the main Kumasi-Accra road.

    The suspect driver is in custody assisting police investigations.

    Chinese owner and driver of Ejisu timber carrying skidder convicted

    In another development, the Efiduase Magistrate Court convicted two persons implicated in a case where a skidder was seen dangerously carrying a timber log through traffic at Ejisu in the Ashanti region.

    The convicts, the Chinese owner of Hiltons Wood Processing Company at Ejisu, identified only as Sunny and the driver of the equipment, Dauda Mohammed, were each slapped with a 100-penalty-unit fine, equivalent to ¢1200.

    They pleaded guilty to charges of causing danger and road obstruction to other road users and abetment and were convicted on their plea.

    The two were arrested by the Motor, Traffic and Transport Department (MTTD) of the Ejisu Divisional Police Command led by ASP Francis Mireku, the MTTD Commander, on January 27, 2022.

    Residents of Ejisu were thrown into a state of shock when a heavy-lifting machine was seen carrying a huge timber at a busy traffic intersection on the Kumasi-Accra highway.

    Source: dailymailgh.com

  • Matron of Ofoase Senior High caught stealing Free SHS foodstuff

    The police have taken into custody a matron who worked at Ofoase Senior High Technical School (OSHTS), which is located in the Atwima Kwanwoma District of the Ashanti Region.

    According to the report, the matron was caught stealing food that was intended for OSHTS and using it for her own personal use instead.

    In an interview with Kingdom FM, the Principal Witness and former Assembly Member for Ofoase Electoral Area, Mr. Tweneboah Koduah, also known by his initials TK, stated that the suspect conspired with a taxi driver, brought the taxi cab onto the school grounds, and loaded the goods with the assistance of some shadow staff members working at the school.

    Mr. TK continued by saying that he had been tipped off by a gang of young people and that he had subsequently located and detained the suspect.

    “There was a tip-off that the lady had hired a cab to carry the supplies that were just granted by the government for the school. The foods were destined for the school.

    Watch Full Video Below:

    Source: ghbase.com

  • COVID-19 Trust Fund: GH¢62M received; GH¢50M disbursed Sophia Akuffo

    The COVID-19 National Trust Fund says a total of GH¢62 million has so far been received by the Trust since its establishment in March 2020.

    Chairperson of the Fund, Madam Sophia Akuffo says out of the GH¢62 million, GH¢50 million has been disbursed to hospitals, health centres and other agencies helping them fight COVID-19.

    Madam Sophia Akuffo was speaking at a forum in Accra.

    “The COVID-19 Trust Fund has received a total amount of GH¢62,333,591. At the same time, the Trust Fund has disbursed an amount of GH¢50, 000,000 in support of health preventive, detective and curative areas also to support education on preventive measures”, she said.

    TheCOVID-19 National Trust Fund has received many donations and contributions from businesses and individuals to complement the efforts of the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    It has consistently been asking for more support to enable it to meet the many demands for assistance.

    So far donations have been received from cooperative organisations, institutions and individuals across the country since its establishment.

    Some have been used to purchase Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for health facilities leading the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and the provision of other packages as reliefs to individuals and groups.

    Last week, the COVID-19 National Trust Fund advanced an amount of GH¢1.8 million to the Centre for Plant Medicine Research for the possible production of herbal medication for coronaviruses.

    The fund says the use of unorthodox medicines has become important following the spike in COVID-19 cases.

    Sophia Akuffo, said herbal remedies will be needed to fight COVID-19.

    “The purpose of this financial support is to fund research into the development of herbal products against the SARS COVID-2 virus, the COVID-19 virus.”

    Source: citinewsroom.com 

  • National Cathedral Secretariat offers 3,500 LIMITED membership slots from GHS7,000-GHS79,000 for priority entrance, others

    Did you know, you could be enlisted as a founding member of the much talked about National Cathedral upon completion? Yes, the National Cathedral secretariat, according to their website  nationalcathedralghana.org is offering a limited 3500 member slot to individuals willing to sign up and “solidify” their “spot amongst the select few founding members of the National Cathedral of Ghana”

    ​All signatories will have amongst other benefits; a lifetime entrance to the museum and gardens, lifelong recognition on our Founding Member Wall, a special viewing of all exhibits before being open to the public, free admission to paid exhibits, priority entrance and VIP tickets to all grand opening events, amongst other benefits.

    The Secretariat offers three levels of membership, namely; Limited Founder Membership, Limited Presidential Founder Membership and Limited Chairman Founding Membership.

    Each Level of Membership, renewable yearly, has a limited quantity available.

    The Limited Founder Membership, which has 2,000 slots and goes for, USD1,000/approximately GHS 7,999.36, offers a;

    • Lifetime entrance to the museum and gardens
    • 10% discount at the gift shop and restaurant
    • Priority Entrance
    • Reduced price on fee-based exhibits
    • Invitation to annual celebration banquet
    • Recognition on the Founding Member Wall

    The Limited Presidential Founder Membership, has 1,000 slots and is priced at USD5,000/approximately GHS 39,996.8. It comes with a;

    • Lifetime entrance to the museum and gardens
    • 10% discount at the gift shop and restaurant
    • Priority Entrance
    • Free admission to fee-based exhibits
    • Invitation to annual celebration banquet at a reduced price
    • Viewing of special exhibits prior to being open to public
    • Recognition on the Founding Member Wall

    The Limited Chairman Founding Membership, has an exclusive 500 slots and is priced at USD10,000/approximately GHS 79,993.6. It offers;

    • Lifetime entrance to the museum and gardens
    • 10% discount at the gift shop and restaurant
    • Priority Entrance
    • Free admission on fee-based exhibits
    • Invitation to annual celebration banquet for two
    • Invite for two to the private reception following banquet
    • Viewing of special exhibits prior to being open to public
    • Recognition on the Founding Member Wall
    • Priority listed for all Exploration trips
    • Limited edition memento
    • VIP tickets to all grand opening events

    The National Cathedral will comprise 3 main areas namely; A Cathedral, The Biblical Museum of Africa and The Biblical Gardens of Africa.

    • 5,000 permanent seat auditorium

    • Auditorium expands to 15,000 seats

    • Baptistery Chapel

    • Conference Center

    • Grand Ballroom and Restaurant

    • Music and Choir Areas

    • National Crypt

    • Chapels

    The Biblical Museum of Africa will comprise “the Bible in the African Church and the African influence in the Bible; Africa and The New Testament; and Africa and The Old Testament.”

    THEATRE OF AFRICA
    THE BIBLE IN AFRICA

    OLD TESTAMENT PAVILION
    OLD TESTAMENT PAVILION

    The Biblical Gardens of Africa

    On March 6, 2017, President Akufo-Addo cut the sod  to signify the beginning of the National Cathedral’s development. Having it situated close to the State House in Ghana’s capital, the president described the Cathedral as a non-denominational worship space and a thanksgiving gesture to God. He has since held to his, desire to, complete the project as his way of honouring  a promise he made to God concerning his 2016 victory.

    Many Ghanaians have questioned the validity of building a Cathedral at the expense of other development projects that need urgent attention.  Others like Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Hon Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa are more concerned by the President’s means of funding the project especially considering the nation’s current economic difficulties.

    The MP in Twitter thread purportedly that the President has since 2020 disbursed close to, GHC200million towards the development of the project and suggesting a misappropriation of state funds. While the government is yet to respond to these allegations, there have been several platforms created after the launch of the project aimed at encouraging donations from Ghanaians home and abroad. Since then, some individuals and organisations have donated huge sums towards the project.

    Source:  backend.theindependentghana.com

  • Putin and Peter the Great: Russian leader likens himself to 18th Century tsar

    Vladimir Putin’s admiration for Peter the Great is well known, but he now seems to have ideas of “Great”-ness himself.

    He has openly compared himself to the Russian tsar, equating Russia’s invasion of Ukraine today with Peter’s expansionist wars some three centuries ago, and making his strongest acknowledgment yet that his own war is a land grab.

    Mr Putin’s apparent empire-building ambitions bode ill for Ukraine and have irked other neighbours, including Estonia, which called his comments “completely unacceptable.”

    Russia’s president was meeting young scientists and entrepreneurs when he made the remarks. Before talking IT and tech development, he talked politics and power: the new battle he sees for geopolitical dominance. In that, he told his select audience that Peter the Great was a role model.

    “You might think he was fighting with Sweden, seizing their lands,” Mr Putin said, referring to the Northern Wars which Peter launched at the turn of the 18th Century as he forged a new Russian Empire.

    “But he seized nothing; he reclaimed it!” he said, arguing that Slavs had lived in the area for centuries.

    “It seems it has fallen to us, too, to reclaim and strengthen,” Mr Putin concluded, with a near-smirk that left no doubt he was referring to Ukraine and his aims there.

    Peter’s rule, he suggested, was proof that expanding Russia had strengthened it.

    Putin spoke of Peter the Great as a role model during the meeting

    Mr Putin has taken to citing Russia’s past a lot lately, always carefully curated to suit his present-day cause. Several months before he attacked Ukraine, he produced a giant essay in which he essentially argued away the country’s historical right to exist.

    When Russia invaded its neighbour on 24 February, Putin falsely claimed it was a “special operation” limited to the eastern Donbas region to “de-Nazify” Ukraine and reduce the supposed threat to Russia.

    But even as he was uttering those words, his troops were moving on Kyiv and bombing land even further west. More than 100 days later, a fifth of Ukrainian territory is under Russian military control, with puppet administrations who talk of referenda on joining Russia.

    And now Putin feels bold enough to admit that his “operation” is in fact an occupation.

    He also seems to believe the West will ultimately accept the reality his troops are fighting to create on the ground.

    At the time, “not one European country” recognised Russia’s claim to the land where Peter created St Petersburg as Russia’s bold new capital, Mr Putin said. Now they all do.

    His comments have also rattled the Baltic countries. The Estonian foreign ministry summoned the Russian ambassador to condemn his reference to Peter the Great’s assault on Narva, now in Estonia, as Russia “reclaiming and strengthening” its territory.

    Peter the Great in disguise
    Getty Images Peter travelled incognito through Europe to get inspiration for modernising Russia

    Putin’s use of history is selective.

    Peter the Great, though a ruthless autocrat, was a huge admirer of Western ideas, science and culture, famously building St Petersburg as a “window on Europe” and travelling that continent thirsty for knowledge to help drag Russia towards modernity.

    Putin’s increasingly repressive rule slowly closed that window on the West; the war on Ukraine has slammed it shut. The idea of the Russian leader touring Holland or Greenwich in search of ideas and inspiration, as the Tsar once did, now seems impossible.

    As Putin lectured the young entrepreneurs on an 18th Century tsar, a series of words flashed up behind them: ‘future’, ‘confident’, ‘victory’.

    Russia is determined to project defiance in the face of Western condemnation and sanctions and Putin himself certainly appeared relaxed rather than beleaguered.

    But perhaps there is another lesson from the history books.

    Peter the Great did eventually conquer land from the Baltics to the Black Sea. But Russia was fighting its Great Northern War for 21 years.

    Source:  bbc.com

  • Capitol riot hearing: Trump dismisses daughter Ivanka’s testimony

    Former US President Donald Trump has hit back at his daughter Ivanka after she distanced herself from his unfounded claims of mass voter fraud.

    A probe into the 2021 US Capitol riots on Thursday aired a previously unseen clip of Ms Trump rejecting the claims.

    Mr Trump said Ivanka had not been looking at election results and “had long since checked out”.

    Democrats argue the mob attack on Congress was the culmination of a months-long attempted coup by Mr Trump.

    Graphic footage and testimony of the 6 January 2021 raid on the Capitol in Washington, DC was televised on Thursday by the US House of Representatives select committee.

    The prime-time hearing drew 20 million viewers on the TV networks.

    The broadcast included a clip of testimony by former US Attorney General Bill Barr saying he had repeatedly dismissed the outgoing president’s claims that mass voter fraud had caused him to lose the election.

    Another excerpt was aired of Ivanka Trump’s interview from April with the committee, when she was asked about her reaction to Mr Barr’s assessment.

    “It affected my perspective,” Ms Trump said. “I respect Attorney General Barr, so I accepted what he was saying.”

    Mr Trump responded on his social media site, Truth Social, on Friday, labelling the inquiry a “WITCH HUNT!”

    “Ivanka Trump was not involved in looking at, or studying, Election results,” he added.

    “She had long since checked out and was, in my opinion, only trying to be respectful to Bill Barr and his position as Attorney General (he sucked!).”

    The president also lambasted Mr Barr as a “coward”, while continuing to insist the election was “rigged”.

    Ms Trump was a presidential adviser in her father’s administration and accompanied him to the rally that he hosted outside the White House just before the US Capitol attack unfolded.

    A handful of voter fraud cases have been prosecuted since the November 2020 election, but no concrete evidence has emerged of such criminal activity on any scale that could have swayed President Joe Biden’s victory.

    The House select committee will hold another five hearings over the coming fortnight.

    Next Monday’s session will attempt to show that Mr Trump and his inner circle knew he had lost the election, but spread claims of voter fraud anyway.

    The panel has conducted 1,000 interviews and gathered 140,000 documents over the year-long inquiry.

    Source: bbc.com 

  • How much Akufo-Addo, Bawumia, Oquaye, others reportedly took as ex-gratia for their 2017-2020 tenure

    When the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV, made public the details of his ex-gratia and the reasons he decided to return the GH¢365,392.67 paid him as ex-gratia for his role as a member of the Council of State between 2017 and 2020, it gave Ghanaians a fair idea of exactly how much is paid to such beneficiaries.

    In a new list made available by Joy 99.7 FM on Twitter and sighted by GhanaWeb, it lists out the amounts paid to all the other Article 71 officeholders in the country.

    For clarity, aside from the president and his vice, the rest of the Article 71 officeholders are Members of Parliament (MPs), political appointees, and public servants with salaries charged to the Consolidated Fund but enjoying special constitutional privileges.

    The list below details who got what as ex-gratia for serving within the period of 2017-2020:

    President

    GH¢659,392

    Vice President
    GH¢549,492

    Speaker of Parliament
    GH¢488,456

    Cabinet Minister (MP)
    GH¢464,032

    Cabinet Minister (Non-MP)
    GH¢457,928

    Member of Parliament
    GH¢390,768

    Member, Council of State
    GH¢366,340

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Justin Bieber reveals facial paralysis after shows cancelled

    Singer Justin Bieber has revealed he is suffering from facial paralysis after cancelling shows this week.

    The 28-year-old said in an Instagram video that the condition is due to a diagnosis of Ramsay Hunt syndrome.

    “As you can see, this eye is not blinking. I can’t smile on this side of my face… So there’s full paralysis on this side of my face,” he said.

    Ramsay Hunt syndrome is when a shingles outbreak affects the facial nerve near someone’s ears, say medical experts.

    Earlier this week, Bieber’s Justice World Tour – which began in February – announced three shows would be postponed.

    “It is from this virus that attacks the nerve in my ear and my facial nerves and has caused my face to have paralysis,” the Canada-born singer said in the three-minute video, indicating the right side of his face.

    He asked for his fans to be patient, and said of his forthcoming shows that he is “physically, obviously, not capable of doing them”.

    He also smiled and blinked, showing his 240 million followers how the right side of his face did not move.

    “This is pretty serious, as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case, but, obviously, my body’s telling me I’ve got to slow down,” he said. “I hope you guys understand. I’ll be using this time to just rest and relax and get back to a hundred percent so that I can do what I was born to do.”

     

    View this post on Instagram

     

    A post shared by Justin Bieber (@justinbieber)

    Bieber added that he has been doing facial exercises to “get back to normal”, but that he does not know how long it will take to recover.

    He had been due to play in Washington DC and Toronto earlier this week, with concerts also planned in New York and Los Angeles in the coming weeks.

    Bieber and wife Hailey on the red carpet

    According to the Mayo Clinic in the US: “In addition to the painful shingles rash, Ramsay Hunt syndrome can cause facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear.”

    The Mayo Clinic says that for most people, the symptoms of Ramsay Hunt syndrome are temporary, but can become permanent.

    The inability for patients to close one eyelid can also cause eye pain and blurred vision, the organisation says, adding that it is most common in people over 60 years old.

    In March, the singer’s wife, Hailey Bieber, was admitted to hospital due to a blood clot in her brain.

    She later said she had suffered a stroke and had undergone surgery to close a hole in her heart.

    Source:  bbc.com

  • I borrowed 12 cars, including Togbe Afede’s to show off at my wedding – Paul Adom-Otchere

    Paul Adom-Otchere has admitted that he borrowed a BMW 7 Series vehicle from the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, Togbe Afede XIV for his wedding in December 2005.

    According to him, the vehicle which he borrowed for two hours was part of a 14-car procession he used for his wedding because he wanted to show off.

    He said out of the 14 cars, two including a Mercedes Benz C-Class belonged to him and the rest were given to him by his friends including Dr Kofi Amoah, who also gave him a BMW 7 Series vehicle.

    “I was talking to Togbe Afede about this wedding, I told him that Kofi Amoah is giving me his car, BMW Seven series, for the wedding. This wedding, I had about 14 cars, two of them were mine, and the rest were given to me by people. When I said I was going to get married people blessed me; I was favoured,” Mr Adom-Otchere said yesterday on his show.

    “I said that Togbe, Kofi Amoah is giving me his BMW 7 series – Kofi Amoah’s car and Togbe’s car were exactly the same – so, I said I need your car so, that when the thing opens, the two BMWs will come then the Mercedes will follow. I just wanted to show off. My car was Mercedes.” he narrated.

    School fees

    Mr Adom-Otchere also admitted receiving a cheque from Togbe Afede XIV for part-payment of his Ghana School of Law fees. However, he stressed that at the time the fees were already paid.

    “…Do you know how many people have given me school fees money?,” Adom-Otchere quizzed.

    “So, what is the point about that? I don’t even get it but anyway people wanted me to react to it”.

    Source: GraphicOnline

  • Ghana Armed Forces explains viral video of soldiers involved in accident

    According to GAF, 16 military personnel sustained various degrees of injuries in the accident while on an operation (Operation Halt II), to stop illegal mining on some river bodies in parts of the Eastern Region.

    The injured were initially treated at the Anum Apapam clinic before being evacuated to the 37 Military Hospital for further treatment.

    The disconcerting video of the has some soldiers strewn about the accident scene, some with broken limbs, while their colleagues in a second vehicle attend to them offering First Aid as they awaited ambulance services.

    Voices in the video suggest the driver may have lost control of the vehicle after hitting a bad patch of the road.

    The accident vehicle, a pick-up truck marked 81, with registration number 76 GA 39, and said to belong to the Southern Command, is seen turned on its side with some of the soldiers seen searching it if anyone was trapped under it.

    Below is a statement issued by the Ghana Armed Forces Public Affairs Directorate, signed by Naval Capt. Michael A. Larbi, Director of Public Relations.

     GAF PERSONNEL EMBARKING ON OP HALT II DUTIES, INVOLVED IN ROAD TRAFFIC ACCIDENT AT ANUM-APAPAM

    In reference to a viral video depicting a road traffic accident involving some military personnel, the Ghana Armed Forces wishes to clarify that the personnel, drawn from the Southern Command, were embarking on an operation (Operation Halt II), to stop illegal mining on some river bodies in parts of the Eastern Region. The accident occurred on Thursday 9 June 2022, along the Suhum Anum Apapam Road when the military truck in which they were travelling suddenly developed a mechanical fault causing it to tip over.

    About 16 military personnel sustained various degrees of injuries and were initially treated at Anum Apapam clinic before being evacuated to the 37 Military Hospital for further treatment. The Military High Command has visited the personnel on admission and as at this morning, 12 out of the injured personnel had been discharged while the remaining four (4) are in a stable condition and responding to treatment.

    The Ghana Armed Forces wishes to express its appreciation to the residents of Anum Apapam and the surrounding areas and the Apapam Clinic Staff who came to the aid of the injured personnel, and also the National Ambulance Service for the swift evacuation of the victims to the 37 Military Hospital.

    GAF will continue to count on the support of all Ghanaians in curbing the illegal mining on our water bodies and also in the fight against all other illegal activities

    Signed
    MA LARBI
    Naval Captain
    Director Public Relations

    Source:  www.graphic.com.gh

  • Why should I criticize Akufo-Addo on TV when I have access to him? – Adom-Otchere to critics (VIDEO)

    Reacting to comments sent into the show yesterday, Mr Adom-Otchere said he was not obliged to criticise the government because he works for a private television station.

    He urged viewers who did not agree with his position to watch other broadcasters that do or criticise the President on their personal Facebook pages.

    “I support Akufo-Addo, you support John Mahama, there should be no problem. People write to me and say, ‘why don’t you use your programme to criticise the government?’ Is the programme for you?,” Mr Adom-Otchere quizzed.

    “Do your programme and criticise the government, I don’t understand it… Other people are criticising the government, watch that one. Today we all have media, If you like to go on Facebook and criticise the government, there is no problem with that.

    “The government ought to be criticised, governments are there so that they are criticised. I support Akufo-Addo because of my conviction and I feel there is something in there that is not good or not working well, I would not criticise him on this television because I have access to him, I would go to him and tell him…”.

    He also stated that some of the hardest critics of the President, always reach out to air their grievances.

    Source:  graphic.com.gh

  • Why Togbe Afede gave Adom-Otchere his BMW 7 series for his wedding

    After Paul Adom-Otchere‘s criticism of Togbe Afede XIV, the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, President of Asogli Traditional Area, some individuals who feel that the journalist was disrespectful to the traditional ruler brought out evidence of how he [Togbe Afede] has helped him [Adom-Otchere] in the past.

    Photos of Adom-Otchere’s wedding and Togbe Afede’s BMW 7 series vehicle went viral on social media, with people saying that Paul Adom-Otchere is ungrateful to Togbe Afede.

    Attached to the wedding photos was an indication that the Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State, President of the Asogli Traditional Area, also paid the school fees of the broadcaster while at the Ghana School of Law, Makola.

    Reacting to the claims on his TV show, Paul Adom-Otchere admitted that Togbe Afede’s BMW 7 series was part of the vehicles he had used for his wedding, but it was just for two hours.

    He explained, “when I was doing my wedding, I was a director at Citi FM we had set it up, I was doing Good Evening Ghana, I was already successful Togbe Afede was a great friend of mine.

    “I was talking to Togbe Afede about this wedding. I told him that Kofi Amoah is giving me his car, BMW 7 series, for the wedding. This wedding, I had about 14 cars, two of them were mine, and the rest were given to me by people. When I said I was going to get married, people blessed me; I was favoured.

    “I said that Togbe, Kofi Amoah is giving me his BMW 7 series Kofi Amoah’s car and Togbe’s car were exactly the same so, I said I need your car, so, that when the thing opens, the two BMWs will come then the Mercedes will follow…I just wanted to show off. My car was Mercedes…,” he narrated on his show.

    On the issue of Togbe Afede paying his Law School fees, Adom-Otchere narrated that he had a conversation with Togbe, who was a good friend, that he was now reading law at Makola and Togbe asked his assistant, a lady, to do a cheque for him to pay off some of his fees.

    “On the day that the money was ready, the lady called me and said, your cheque is ready. [I asked what cheque] and she said the money that Togbe said we should organise for your school fees. So, I said cheque de3 how; me I want cash. So, I went to Togbe and said, the lady said the thing is cash ooo; he laughed, and he was considering it, but the lady said they can’t do cash….”

    Adom-Otchere noted that the reason why he needed the cash was that at the time, his fees had been paid, but because Togbe had promised to pay part of it, he delivered on his promise.

    “What is the point about this?” Paul Adom-Otchere quizzed.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • ISWAP terrorists responsible for Catholic Church attack Nigerian Government

    The Nigerian government has said the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), formerly known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād is responsible for the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

    The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola disclosed this on Thursday while briefing State House Correspondents after the National Security Council meeting in Abuja.

    Gunmen had on Sunday attacked the church located on Owa-Luwa Street in Owo, the hometown of the State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, leaving many parishioners dead and several others injured.

    Aregbesola said that security agencies, particularly the police, had been directed to apprehend the terrorists.

    The minister equally noted that the attack had no ethnic-religious connection, as he asserted ISWAP activity was unrelated to any religious doctrines.

    The minister stated that the council was also worried about killings in the name of blasphemy and had directed the security agencies to go after perpetrators of both incidents that occurred in Sokoto State and Abuja recently.

    He added that enough security measures have been put in place ahead of the Ekiti State gubernatorial election taking place on June 18, 2022.

    SaharaReporters had earlier reported that ISWAP claimed responsibility for an attack on Kabba as the terror group kept moving towards the Southern part of Nigeria.

    The community is about 95 kilometres and less than two hours to Owo in Ondo State, where over 50 worshippers were recently killed during an attack by gunmen on St Francis Catholic Church.

    Several videos on social media had showed victims being killed and lying on the church floor in the pool of their own blood.

    An eyewitness said that the terrorists were throwing “bombs and shooting” at the same time.

    He said about 25 persons were taken to the hospital, while about 50 people are feared dead.

    According to him, when the gunmen stormed the church, they shot many people in the leg, and others at different parts of the body.

    Source: saharareporters.com

  • COVID-19 Trust Fund releases GH¢1.8m for research into coronavirus herbal medication

    The COVID-19 National Trust Fund has advanced an amount of GH¢1.8 million to the Centre for Plant Medicine Research for the possible production of herbal medication for coronaviruses.

    The fund says the use of unorthodox medicines has become important following the spike in COVID-19 cases.

    Speaking at a signing ceremony at the Jubilee House, Chairperson of the Fund, Sophia Akuffo, said herbal remedies will be needed to fight COVID-19.

    “The purpose of this financial support is to fund research into the development of herbal products against the SARS COVID-2 virus, the COVID-19 virus.”

    “This funding is intended to enable the CPMI [Centre for Plant Medicine Research] to undertake full-scale research and development of antiviral and immunomodulatory herbal products,” she said.

    The COVID-19 National Trust Fund has received many donations and contributions from businesses and individuals to complement the efforts of the government in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.

    But the fund is yet to publicly account for how much money it has raised since it was set up.

    Source:citinewsroom.com

  • Man shot, burnt to death in Pusiga

    One person has been shot and burnt to death by unknown gunmen at Nakom in the Pusiga District of the Upper East Region.

    The 46-year-old commercial driver, Yakubu, plied the Bawku-Cinkase route.

    According to one of the passengers on board the vehicle, the bandits blocked the road and ordered the passengers out before killing and burning the deceased.

    “I was together with the man and three other people in the car. On our way back from our journey, we saw some men sitting by the roadside,” one of the passengers narrated.

    “They got up, picked up their motorbikes and followed our car upon seeing us. I told our driver that when we get to the police checkpoint, we should park the car because the guys were chasing us. But the driver told me I was telling lies”.

    “The guys crossed us and asked us to stop the car. They pulled out guns and told the man that it was his last day on earth. They shot him and shot him again and collected our bags and took our monies.”

    “They asked us to run out of the car, leaving the dead body. They brought out a gallon of petrol and poured it on the body and burned it together with the car,” she narrated.

    Source: citinewsroom.com

  • Rainstorms to hit Greater Accra, Volta, Western and Northern regions today

    The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) says its weather monitoring station has observed two rainstorms heading for the country on Friday, June 10.

    Areas within the coastal and northern sectors will be hit by heavy rainfall accompanied by strong winds and thundery conditions.

    The Greater Accra, Western and Volta Regions will be hit by the storm approaching from the Eastern Gulf.

    This is according to the forecast released at 6:00 am on Friday morning.

    Accra, Axim, Aflao, Ho and Saltpond are also expected to experience the storm.

    The forecast also project that another storm, observed over northern Ghana, is expected to produce thunderstorms and rain.

    In this regard, areas to be affected include; Kintampo, Tumu, Bole, Bawku, Yendi and Tamale.

    The Ghana Meteorological Agency (GMet) classified its warning as orange.

    An orange weather warning is second on the classification list of the level of risk to life and property. The Agency therefore warns persons living in the affected areas to be prepared for harsh conditions, should the storm occur.

    Communities captured in the coastal regions are expected to experience the extreme weather conditions between 7:00 and 10:00 GMT whilst the storm for the northern sector is expected to hit between 10:00 and 13:00 GMT.

    Source: myjoyonline.com 

  • Disregard videos on alleged plastic rice, they are false FDA

    The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has asked the public to disregard videos circulating on social media, the content of which is purported to be plastic rice, on the Ghanaian market.

    The Authority in a statement noted that the content of videos circulated on social media are false.

    FDA explained that “in 2017, the FDA based on these videos, investigated the claims and issued a press statement denying the existence of plastic rice. As part of that investigation, and through our nationwide market surveillance activities, the Authority obtained random samples and subsequently requested members of the public to assist our investigations by either submitting samples of the alleged plastic rice or giving information about where they could be found.”

    Source: MyJoyOnline.com

  • Nigerien authorities begin repatriation of compatriots from Ghana to Niger

    Niger’s nationals in Ghana are being sent back to their home country by the Niger Embassy in Ghana.

    This became possible after the leaders of the Niger Hausa Community contacted the Niger Embassy in Ghana, who subsequently reached out to the Niger President, Mohamed Bazoum.

    Speaking to the Media, the Chief Justice of Addarawa Community in the Ashanti Region, Abubakar Lamin, expressed gratitude to the various stakeholders for their assistance.

    “They took our worries to the Niger consulate here in Kumasi, and he also took it to the Niger Embassy, and they took it to the President.” “The President listened to them, and we had all these opportunities, so we can transport them back to Niger,” he said.

    Some Nigeriens who interacted with the media revealed that they fled their country to beg for alms in Ghana due to economic hardship.

    Saalaha Abdou who hails from Hawandawaki, stated that after her husband abandoned his family, things became difficult, therefore had to seek refuge in Ghana. She came to Ghana with her four children to beg for money on the street.

    Memuna Ado, another Nigerien, also attributed her decision to come to Ghana to economic hardship.

    “We came to Ghana to seek help. If we had money and food back home, we would not have come here. I have five children here with me in Ghana, and the other two are back home. I go with the children to beg for money and food,” she said.

    Meanwhile, Nigerien authorities have been urged to provide a means of livelihood to their returning citizens, so they do not end up begging for alms on the streets. 

    “Our President Mohamed Bazoum should help us. If there is help, we will not go anywhere to engage in begging.  We need help to be able to stop begging. Without help, we will be forced to go back into this venture,” Memuna Ado added.

    Source: The Independent Ghana



  • H3N2 Influenza: Ghana has no vaccines for treatment Anabah

    The Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Health Policy Research and Analysis, Dr. Thomas Anabah, has tasked the management of the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health to take steps to procure the vaccines for the treatment of H3N2 influenza in the county.

    According to him, Ghana currently has no single vaccine for the treatment of influenza.

    “There is the need for the health managers to start scouting for the vaccines to help curb the further outbreak of the disease in the country,” he said.

    He explained that Influenza has been prevalent in the West African sub-region for years but the country has not been able to procure vaccines for curing the disease.

    He added that there are vaccines for curing the disease but Ghana as a country has no vaccine.

    He noted that the disease is treatable but its vaccines are not readily available in the country like the Covid-19 vaccines.

    He called on the management of GHS and the Ministry of Health to start a vigorous campaign to secure the vaccines for the treatment of the disease.

    “There are vaccines for the treatment of the disease in Europe and the Americas even though they do not experience the outbreak of the disease as rampant as countries in the West African sub-region.”

    Dr. Anabah made the call in reaction to the outbreak of H3N2 influenza in some second-cycle schools across the country while speaking on the 6:00 am news on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, June 9, 2022.

    The Director-General of GHS, Dr. Patrick Kumah Abaogye at a press conference on Wednesday in Accra stressed that about 3,470 samples of H3N2 influenza have been taken, and 773 cases have been confirmed to be H3N2 influenza in Ghana.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • ECG to audit meters

    The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has issued a notice on their plan to begin an audit of all meters.

    The company in a statement said any customers who are caught stealing electricity after the moratorium will be charged with stealing in accordance with the law and “their names shall also be published widely”.

    Customers are to report to ECG’s District/Regional offices for any of the underlisted issues during the period of the moratorium:

    • Postpaid customers who have meters but do not receive bills
    • Prepaid customers who do not purchase electricity credits
    • Customers whose meters are faulty
    • Customers who have by-passed or tampered with their meters and are therefore not paying for the full cost of power usage
    • Customers who have engaged in any form of electrical illegality, etc.

    As part of the audit, teams of ECG officials will be deployed to update customer information.

    Below is a copy of the statement:

    Source: graphic.com.gh 

  • Consuming bush meat doesn’t spread monkeypox Kumasi traders insist

    Bush meat sellers in Kumasi have rejected findings that consumption can spread the monkeypox virus.

    This comes on the back of a warning by the Ghana Health Service cautioning against consumption of bush meat.

    The traders who will not grant a recorded interview say their products are inspected by the veterinary service before they are put on sale.

    For this reason, they believe their products are wholesome.

    Some of the traders described the warning against the consumption of meat amid a monkeypox scare as a deliberate attempt to collapse their businesses.

    They cited the warnings against their products during outbreak of the ebola virus for instance

    Meanwhile, Ghana has officially recorded cases of the Monkeypox virus.

    The Ghana Health Service says five cases have been confirmed in the Eastern, Bono and Greater Accra regions.

    In view of this, Myjoyonline.com explores ways you, our cherished reader, can stay safe:

    Origin

    The Monkeypox virus was first identified in the State Serum Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1958 during an investigation into a pox-like disease among monkeys.

    But it was first identified in humans in 1970 in Zaire (now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo) in a 9-year-old boy in a region where smallpox had been eliminated in 1968.

    In the spring of 2003, monkeypox cases were confirmed in the Midwest of the United States of America, marking the first reported occurrence of the disease outside of the African continent.

    Most of the patients had had close contact with pet prairie dogs.

    Infection

    Infection results from direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, or cutaneous or mucosal lesions of infected animals.

    Human infections have also been documented through the handling of infected monkeys, rats and squirrels, with rodents being the major reservoir of the virus.

    Eating inadequately cooked meat of infected animals is a possible risk factor.

    Transmission

    Transmission occurs primarily via droplet respiratory particles usually requiring prolonged face-to-face contact, which puts household members of active cases at greater risk of infection.

    Transmission can also occur by inoculation or via the placenta (congenital monkeypox). There is no evidence, to date, that person-to-person transmission alone can sustain monkeypox infections in the human population

    Secondary, or human-to-human, transmission can result from close contact with infected respiratory tract secretions, skin lesions (open wounds/injuries) of an infected person or objects recently contaminated by patient fluids or lesion materials.

    Duration

    The incubation period (interval from infection to onset of symptoms) of monkeypox is usually from 6 to 16 days but can range from 5 to 21 days.

    Monkeypox is usually a self-limited disease with the symptoms lasting from 14 to 21 days.

    Symptoms

    The infection can be divided into two periods:

    The invasion period (0-5 days) characterised by fever, intense headache, lymphadenopathy (swelling of the lymph node), back pain, myalgia (muscle ache) and an intense asthenia (lack of energy);

    The skin eruption period (within 1-3 days after the appearance of fever) where the various stages of the rash appears, often beginning on the face and then spreading elsewhere on the body.

    The face (in 95% of cases), and palms of the hands and soles of the feet (75%) are most affected.

    Risk Factor

    People living in or near forest areas may have indirect or low-level exposure to infected animals, possibly leading to subclinical (asymptomatic) infection.

    The case fatality has varied widely between epidemics but has been less than 10% in documented events, mostly among young children. In general, younger age-groups appear to be more susceptible to monkeypox.

    Diagnosis

    Monkeypox can only be diagnosed definitively in the laboratory where the virus can be identified by a number of different tests.

    The differential diagnoses that must be considered include other rash illnesses, such as, smallpox, chickenpox, measles, bacterial skin infections, scabies, syphilis, and medication-associated allergies.

    Treatment/Vaccine

    There are no specific treatments or vaccines available for monkeypox infection, but outbreaks can be controlled.

    Vaccination against smallpox has been proven to be 85% effective in preventing monkeypox in the past but the vaccine is no longer available to the general public after it was discontinued following global smallpox eradication.

    Prevention

    In the absence of specific treatment or vaccine, the only way to reduce infection in people is by raising awareness of the risk factors and educating people about the measures they can take to reduce exposure to the virus.

    Regular hand washing should be carried out after caring for or visiting sick people.

    Reducing the risk of animal-to-human transmission. Efforts to prevent transmission in endemic regions should focus on thoroughly cooking all animal products (blood, meat) before eating.

    Public health educational messages via the media broadcast, electronic and social is highly advised.

    Healthcare workers and those treating or exposed to patients with monkeypox or their samples should consider being immunized against smallpox via their national health authorities.

    Source:  myjoyonline.com 

  • Ghana records first cases of Monkeypox

    The Ghana Health Service has said five cases of Monkeypox disease have been recorded in Ghana since May 24, 2022.

    According to the Service, it detected 12 suspected cases that were investigated in the country.

    The recorded cases of Monkeypox were in three regions; Eastern, Western and Greater Accra.

    The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, at a press briefing on Wednesday, June 8, 2022, noted that “one of the cases was recorded in a Ghanaian who travelled from the United States of America to Ghana, so he might have picked it up from there.”

    Outbreaks of the virus have been found in Europe, Australia and America.

    Monkeypox symptoms often include fever and rash, but the infection is usually mild.

    Monkeypox is caused by the monkeypox virus, a member of the same family of viruses as smallpox, although it is much less severe and experts say chances of infection are low.

    It occurs mainly in remote parts of central and west African countries, near tropical rainforests.

    In those regions, there have been over 1,200 cases of monkeypox since the start of the year.

    There are two main strains of the virus, from West Africa and Central Africa.

    The milder strain is from West Africa, which is now circulating in other parts of the world.

    Source:  citinewsroom.com 

  • Dela Coffie turns himself in to Special Prosecutor

    The National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist, Dela Coffie, has turned himself in to the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

    This follows an earlier directive from the Special Prosecutor’s Office. In a statement dated June 3, 2022, the Office of the Special Prosecutor declared the National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist wanted for “corruption and corruption-related offences and forgery of official document.”

    In a follow-up statement, the Special Prosecutor said that Dela Coffie turned himself in the company of his lawyer.

    “The underlisted person, who was placed on the List of Wanted Persons by the Office of the Special Prosecutor on 3 June 2022, turned himself in at the offices of the Office of the Special Prosecutor at 6 Haile Selassie Street, South Ridge, Accra on 6 June 2022 at 12:50 p.m. in the company of his lawyer,” portions of the statement issued by the OSP read.

    Background:

    The Special Prosecutor Kissi Agyebeng said in a statement released on Friday that his office has secured “a warrant of arrest” for Dela Coffie.

    This was contained in an official notice from the Office of the Special Prosecutor, dated June 3, 2022.

    Reacting to this, Dela Coffie said it was reckless for the Special Prosecutor to issue an arrest warrant without any recourse to him.

    According to him, he will make himself available for any queries of law enforcement as he has nothing to hide.

    …Preliminarily, I want to state that I am available right here in Ghana and will submit myself to any queries of law enforcement agencies as I have nothing to hide. As regards context, my understanding is that the Special Prosecutor is linking me to a petitioner, who has lodged a petition before his office against former Minister Atta Akyea,” he said in a statement released.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • You can go to jail for up to 15 years if you demand digging fee from a land developer High Court judge

    The practise where some individuals randomly storm construction sites and extort money they describe as a “digging fee” from ingenuous landowners and developers is illegal, according to a High Court Judge, His Lordship, Justice Alexander Osei Tutu.

    Justice Alexander Osei Tutu explained on JoyNews’ The Law that once a land is leased out to an entity, the law presumes that the allodial owner of the property allows the leasee uninterrupted access until the agreement expires.

    “The law has some rights attached to them, they are implied. One of the implied covenants which the law provides is that the grantor is supposed to give the grantee quiet enjoyment of the land. That means that for the period that the person will be on the land, you will not disturb him and his occupation of the land.

    “So in this context, after alienating the land to a grantee, I do not see the authority that the grantor has to turn around to say that I am demanding this and that from you. In my view, it is illegal,” he said.

    The topic for discussion was, “Essential themes in Land Law: How to acquire and secure land.”

    He added that anyone who has fallen victim to these illegal activities can file for a restraining order to ensure they are solidly protected by law and thus prevent such persons from their properties.

    “You can go to court and get a restraining order which is different from the normal interlocutory injunction. So you can get a restraining order stopping them from coming unto the land and you can continue with your development,” he noted.

    Justice Osei Tutu then, Justice Osei Tutu urged everyone to report any occurrences of this nature.

    “The person can also report them to the police, it is now criminalised and it is a criminal offense. It is punishable summarily between 10 -15 years,” he added.

    Source: The Independent Ghana

  • ‘I have left home, can’t return to work’ – Lady in Wa flogging video recounts ‘torture’

    The lady filmed last week being flogged at the forecourt of the Wa Naa’s Palace has opened up about her ordeal.

    According to a TV3 report, the unnamed lady lamented the social and psychological impact of the beating that she received.

    She disclosed that what was captured in the viral video was only the second leg of her ordeal because the aggressors had beaten her all along after they picked her up to send her to the Palace.

    “When the young men came to me, they told me to go with them to the palace and while we were on our way, they kept beating me until we reached the palace,” she told a TV3 reporter.

    “Among the crowd, I could hear people yell, flog her, flog her. There was nobody to my rescue. I was severely injured with bruises and blisters on my back and buttocks after they flogged me 20 times,” she added.

    After her release from the Palace, she recounted having to bear the cost of her treatment and how the incident was affecting her because she is unable to return to her place of work.

    “I was left to my fate. I had to call a friend who took me to the Wa municipal hospital for treatment and paid for the treatment; I think it was between five hundred and six hundred cedis.”

    She told the reporter from her hideout that she has had to abandon her home too. The report noted that she was a ticketing assistant at the Wa Transport Terminal.

    “I cannot go back to the station and work after this humiliation and torture. I wish I could get a decent job elsewhere to cater for myself,” she added breaking down in tears during portions of the interview.

    The Police announced on June 1 that they had arrested three men in the viral video in which two persons tied to a pole were being flogged at the Wa Naa’s palace.

    According to the police, the suspects were arrested with the support of the Wa Naa and some community members and will face the full rigour of the law.

    “The Police have arrested three (3) persons in connection with a viral video in which some people were seen publicly flogging two people on the forecourt of the Wa Naa’s Palace. The suspects, Sidiki Osman, Bushiran Knigir and Issahaku Mahama, were arrested with the support of the Wa Naa and some community members. The three will be taken through the due process of the law,” the statement read.

    It added that “the Police are pursuing the remaining suspects to arrest them to face justice.”

    A viral video of the flogging incident showed the victim tied to a pole as two men flogged her in front of the palace of the Wa Naa in the Upper East Region.

    The footage received condemnation from some people citing a clear abuse of power, while others called on the police to take action and bring the perpetrators to book.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Ghana Institute of Foresters cautions against de-classification of Achimota Forest

    The Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) has cautioned the government not to go ahead with its plans to de-reserve part of the Achimota Forest as it could cause the country to lose more urban forest reserves.

    The Institute, instead wants the government to keep the urban forests as public lands to safeguard the vital environmental services they provide.

    According to the GIF, with most of Ghana’s forest reserves having not been compensated for, de-reserving part of the Achimota Forest will cause owners of other forest reserves to demand the release of their lands to them.

    In a statement issued by the GIF on June 1, 2022, the President of the Institute, Professor S.K. Oppong, admonished the government as to as matter of urgency, withdraw E.I, 144 that sought to de-reserve portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve.

    He explained that if the government de-reserve part of the Achimota Forest to its owners, there was no way the government could say no to other families whose lands had been turned into forest reserves.

    Achimota Forest land: Lands Minister demands transaction information from Owoo family, others

    “The de-reservation of portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve is troubling because it is setting a very precarious precedence. With most of Ghana’s forest reserves having not been compensated for, what happens if the owners come forward to demand that portions be released to them? How can the Government say no when the Achimota forest request has been granted? The owners have a case to cite when they initiate legal actions to demand their land. It is actually happening already with the Dede Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region where the owners are presently in court to demand compensation,” he explained.
    He said the country was already losing many of its urban forest reserves and needed to initiate emergency actions to prevent further decline of such key environmental facilities.

    “Apart from the Achimota forest which has drawn massive public concern, there are many other urban forest reserves in Ghana that are threatened by infrastructural aspirations. These include the Dede Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region, Kabakaba Forest Reserve in the Volta Region, Wa Town Plantation Forest, Tamale Waterworks Forest Reserve, Tamale Fuelwood Plantation Forest, Tamale GES Plantation Forest Reserve, Winneba Waterworks Forest Reserve, Gua Koo Forest in Pokuase among others. Kumasi city once had the Kumasi Forest Reserve, but it has completely been whittled away for infrastructural development,” Prof. Oppong bemoaned the situation.

    For him, “As our towns and cities continue to expand, it is only a matter of time that many more of our forest reserves will transition into the urban precinct, and become subjected to the infrastructural development threats the present urban forests face.

    An account of how the Owoo Family became part owners of Achimota Forest land

    Below is the statement

    GHANA’S URBAN FORESTS ARE DISAPPEARING AND WE MUST BE CONCERNED
    In the wake of the public outcry following the Government’s de-reservation of a portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve through an Executive Instrument (E.I. 144), the Ghana Institute of Foresters (GIF) wishes to draw attention to a bigger problem facing Ghana’s urban forests and why we should all be concerned.
    The associated issues that have necessitated the issuing of this release by the GIF, are as follows:

    1. Apart from the Achimota forest which has drawn massive public concern, there are many other urban forest reserves in Ghana that are threatened by infrastructural aspirations. These include the Dede Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region, Kabakaba Forest Reserve in the Volta Region, Wa Town Plantation Forest, Tamale Waterworks Forest Reserve, Tamale Fuelwood Plantation Forest, Tamale GES Plantation Forest Reserve, Winneba Waterworks Forest Reserve, Gua Koo Forest in Pokuase among others. Kumasi city once had the Kumasi Forest Reserve, but it has completely been whittled away for infrastructural development.

    2. As our towns and cities continue to expand, it is only a matter of time that many more of our forest reserves will transition into the urban precinct, and become subjected to the infrastructural development threats the present urban forests face.

    3. To be fair to the actors who encroach on urban forests for infrastructural aspirations, urbanization can increase the economic value of land so much that it could look economically irrational to continue to have such high value lands under uses that do not generate substantial economic returns. Obviously, the economic benefits that can be obtained from an acre of urban land under infrastructural investment such as housing, hotels and restaurants, far outweigh the tangible economic benefits that can be obtained from the land if put under traditional forestry or agricultural use. The flaw in this line of reasoning however is that it assumes that development is all about economic gains. But there is consensus among development experts that development is only truly sustainable when it also addresses social and environmental concerns.

    4. The big question then is: do the Achimota forest and the many other threatened urban forests of Ghana offer any vital environmental benefits that warrant them being maintained as forest lands in the urban landscapes? The simple answer is YES, and we justify this stance with only one of the many environmental services that urban forests provide, as it is one we can all easily relate to. Our urban areas continue to have increasing number of vehicles. Being mostly fossil-fuel powered, these vehicles continuously emit polluting fumes into the urban air. You may have heard of instances where people have died from fume inhalation because they left their generators working inside their rooms, while asleep for fear of theft. The fumes that the many cars in our urban environments emit on daily basis are not good for us. But the average car user is not really bothered about the fumes from his/her car, because even the visible dark smoke from badly maintained cars appear to disappear once it gets emitted into the urban atmosphere. Do these fumes from these many cars really magically disappear? The answer is no. It merely diffuses into the urban atmosphere and forms part of the urban air we breathe. But we do not suffer the fate of the persons who kept running generators inside their rooms because the emissions do not cause much harm to our health, when the concentration in the urban air is kept within limits. Now, how do we keep the concentration of vehicular emissions in the urban air within limits with our ever increasing number of vehicles? That is where urban forests become indispensable. They do an amazing job of absorbing huge quantities of pollutants from the urban air and in return contribute huge quantities of precious oxygen. They help clean up the urban air we pollute on daily basis. Without this important role that urban plants play, our urban air may have become unsafe to breathe by now. It is already happening elsewhere: Chinese cities have been known to have alarmingly high levels of air pollution, with effects that include over 1 million premature deaths in 20191. The Chinese Government is aggressively addressing the urban air pollution problem through measures that include prohibition on new coal-fired plants and shutting down of old plants in the most polluted regions; restriction on number of fossil-fuel powered cars on urban roads and active promotion of electric cars; and aggressive urban tree planting through which an estimated 35 billion trees have been planted across 12 provinces2. Do we in Ghana want to reach that level of urban air pollution to start appreciating the very vital air cleaning roles our urban forests play?

    5. We should all be worried with the Government’s de-reservation of portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve for several reasons. This action converts a public forest land into private lands subject to any private use. While urban forests play vital environmental services as explained, these services are largely intangible and not easily converted into monetary value. Nobody buys clean air in Ghana, at least not until the urban air becomes so polluted and unsafe that people would resort to breathing from purchased air bottles. Again, such an environmental forest service is a public good that cannot easily be privatized. Therefore, though highly essential for our wellbeing, there is no motivation for any rational private person to put his/her private urban land under traditional forestry land use when more money can be made from putting it under infrastructural investment. This explains why the remaining urban forests are mostly on public lands or communal lands. It is therefore imperative to keep the urban forests as public lands to safeguard the vital environmental services they provide.

    6. The official communications on the de-reservation from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources indicate that a total of 361.5 acres (146.3 ha) of the forest has been de-reserved by E.I. 144. The question that arises is what size of the original forest reserve will be left? Let us not forget that a large chunk of the original forest has already been lost to infrastructural encroachments. Further loss to infrastructural development facilitated by the de-reservation will severely hamper the ability of this forest reserve to continue playing the vital urban air cleaning role it plays. Figures provided in the communications from the Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources suggest that only about 30% of the original forest reserve will be left as a forest reserve with E.I. 144. This is troubling.

    7. The process employed for the de-reservation and the reasons given are troubling and raise several questions. Present day legal regime for Ghanaian forestry require that even Timber Utilization Contracts (TUCs) granted to timber companies for the harvest of specified quantities of timber should be ratified by Parliament. So how can a matter as serious as de-reserving a portion of a gazetted forest reserve be left to only the Executive arm of Government for determination? The de-reservation as communicated in E.I. 144 draws it legitimacy from CAP 157 (Forest Ordinance of 1927). E.I. 144 refers to CAP 157 as an Act. It is important to note that it is originally an Ordinance, as there was no Parliament in 1927 as we have today. An Act of Parliament ranks more supreme than an Ordinance which can be made without Parliamentary ratification. CAP 157 in its original sense gave the then colonial Governor powers to establish forest reserves and to declare them no more forest reserves through Executive Instruments. The question is: why would our democratically-elected President exercise such a colonial legislative provision that has obviously lost its place in our present democratic dispensation? Clement Kojo Akapame of the GIMPA Faculty of Law draws attention to a conflict between this colonial legislative provision and a provision of a newer Act of Parliament, the Land Use and Spatial Planning Act, 2016 (Act 925). Act 925 requires Parliamentary ratification for rezoning or change of use of a public space. Which provision reigns higher, the provision of Act 925 which requires Parliamentary ratification for such actions as de-reservation of a forest reserve or the colonial CAP 157, which authorized the colonial Governor to de-reserve a forest reserve without parliamentary ratification because there was no parliament in those days?

    8. The main reason given for the de-reservation is that pre-reservation owners (named as the Owoo family in E.I. 144) have requested for portion of the forest land because they have not been compensated. This explanation does not sit well within the legal framework for Ghana’s forests because dedicating an area as a forest reserve does not change the ownership status of the land (particularly when no compensation has been paid, as in the case of the extended portions of the land that were acquired later for a woodlot. The land remains the property of the pre-reservation owners. Only the management shifts to the. designated Government authority (Forestry Commission). This explains why portions of revenues made from our forest reserves go to the land owning authorities as royalties. How can the pre-reservation owners of the Achimota forest reserve request to be compensated if they remain the owners of the land? Has this fact been made known to the Owoo family and has the family received royalties from any revenues generated from the forest? If the owners have never received royalties from any revenues generated from this forest, then this is where the real injustice to the owners has been, and which needs to be addressed. With the agenda to establish an Eco-park in the reserve; has the family been made aware that they would be entitled to portion of the revenues that would be generated from the Eco-park? Could this vital information change the stance of the Owoo family on claiming portion of the reserve land?

    9. Furthermore, the de-reservation of portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve is troubling because it is setting a very precarious precedence. With most of Ghana’s forest reserves having not been compensated for, what happens if the owners come forward to demand that portions be released to them? How can the Government say no when the Achimota forest request has been granted? The owners have a case to cite when they initiate legal actions to demand their land. It is actually happening already with the Dede Forest Reserve in the Eastern Region where the owners are presently in court to demand compensation.
    Against the points raised above, the Ghana Institute of Foresters calls on the Government to, as a matter of urgency, withdraw E.I, 144 that de-reserved portion of the Achimota Forest Reserve. There are ways to generate revenues from the forest, while maintaining its ecological integrity. In its present state, no significant revenue is being generated to benefit the owners. However, the proposed Eco-park idea is one that can raise revenue. Let us seriously explore such avenues to generate revenues from the forest, from which royalties can be paid to the owners so that it becomes a win for every interest in the land — the owners, Accra’s air quality, public space for leisure and other activities, ecotourism, biodiversity conservation, Ghana as a nation and indeed the world at large.
    As a nation, posterity will judge us all if we allow the private interests of few actors to override the common public interests in the Achimota forest.

    Source: Graphic Online

  • AMA issues 27 notices, 1 summon to shop owners in Accra with unclean frontages

    The Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has issued 27 notices to shop owners in the Central Business District (CBD) who have failed to keep the surroundings and drains abut their premises clean.

    Public Health Officers of the AMA at the Ashiedu Keteke Sub Metro served the notices on the shops on Friday following a directive by the Mayor of the City of Accra, Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, when she paid a working visit to Ga Mashie, Kantamanto, Makola, June 4th and Agbogbloshie markets among others.

    Out of the 27 notices, one was served on a dilapidated house for failing to keep their surroundings, drains and frontage clean, and 26 shops for failing to do same. The team also summoned a toilet operator for operating in bad hygienic conditions.

    According to the AMA Sanitation Bye-laws 2017, a person commits an offence if he or she fails to keep the drains around their premises up to the middle of the street clean, provide a standard container for refuse storage as prescribed by the Assembly, receive services from an unauthorized person or unregistered solid or liquid waste collector, indiscriminately dumps solid and liquid waste in open spaces, drains, gutters, or burns solid waste.

    The Ashiedu Keteke Sub Metro Director, Madam Mercy Odoi, who led the team cautioned all shop owners and residents in the city to keep their immediate environment clean.

    Head of Public Affairs at the AMA, Gilbert Nii Ankrah reiterated that the #BorlaInDrainsMustStopNow campaign is to ensure the free flow of rainwater and to prevent communicable diseases in the city.

    He noted that as part of the #BorlaInDrainsMustStopNow campaign the Mayor of Accra, Hon Elizabeth Kwatsoe Tawiah Sackey, had visited some communities and schools including the Saint Mary’s Girls Senior High School, Accra Academy, Richard Akwei Memorial Basic School among others to sensitize them on the need to clean their surroundings frequently.

    He noted that as part of the operation clean your frontage initiative the Assembly would compel all residents to desist from dumping into the drains and open spaces to keep the city clean by strictly enforcing the sanitation by-laws and prosecuting would-be offenders without fear or favour.

    Source: Accra Metropolitan Assembly

  • OSP cash-strapped, without governing board 9 months after Kissi Agyebeng took over – Report

    Nine months after Kissi Agyabeng was sworn into office as the Special Prosecutor, his office does not have a Governing Board.

    Mr. Agyebeng took Office in August 2021.

    Section 5 and 6 of the Office of Special Prosecutor Act 2017 and Act 959 task the Board to formulate policies for the object of the Office, ensure proper and effective performance of the functions of the Office, advise the Special Prosecutor on the recruitment and selection of various staff among other duties.

    The Board is also to consist of the Special Prosecutor, the Deputy Special Prosecutor, one representative each from the Audit Service, the Ghana Police Service, Economic and Organized Crime Office (EOCO), Financial Intelligence Centre, Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), a person nominated by the Minister for National Security, and one other person who is a female representing the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations.

    OSP cash-strapped, without governing board 9 months after Kissi Agyebeng took over
    Kissi Agyebeng

    The members of the Board, once appropriately nominated by their institutional heads, will then elect a person other than the Special Prosecutor or Deputy Special Prosecutor from among themselves as Chairperson of the Board.

    The President is then required to inaugurate the board members nominated by the institutions in accordance with Article 70 of the Constitution.

    But JoyNews sources say although the OSP has written multiple letters to the Presidency reminding it of the need to inaugurate the Board to ensure smooth operation of the Office, this has not been done.

    However, the absence of the Board is not the only challenge facing the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

    The other challenge is inadequate resources and the inability of the office to put contract workers on its pay roll.

    The OSP is said to have made a request for the approval of a GHS2 billion budget to set up the office, build a cyber security and forensic lab, cells to keep suspects and purchase other logistics.

    But available information indicates that the Finance Ministry committed about GHS170 million out of which only GHS10 million have been released.

    These challenges are not new to the office.

    It is interesting to note that the first Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu, while in office raised similar concerns.

    OSP cash-strapped, without governing board 9 months after Kissi Agyebeng took over
    Former Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu

    The Office of the Special Prosecutor is mandated to investigate and prosecute corruption and corruption-related offences.

    Source: MyJoyOnline.com

  • Platinum Jubilee: 70 years of the Queen in 70 seconds

    A quick look back at the Queen’s 70 years on the throne and her past jubilee speeches.

    This will be Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee. She celebrated her Silver Jubilee in 1977, her Golden Jubilee in 2002 and her Diamond Jubilee in 2012.

    Video produced by Daniel South

    Source: BBC News

  • ‘They need permission for an insurrection, not a protest’ – Manasseh on June 4 ‘armed’ protest

    Journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni has slammed organisers of a planned June 4, 2022, march stressing that demands being made by the organizers showed that they were planning an insurrection.

    In a social media post dated June 1, 2022; Manasseh stressed that the request by the group was unacceptable.

    “They need permission for an insurrection, not a protest. This is unacceptable,” his post read.

    News that the protesters wanted to contract a private security firm to provide them with security, allied with demands to picket at the Police Headquarters and GBC, has been roundly condemned.

    A key member of the organizers, Captain Smart stated in an interview on 3FM that he was against the purported request to carry arms during the protest, which has been cancelled by Police.

    Background to planned June 4 protest

    Leaders of the protest wrote to the Ghana Police Service seeking clearance to hold a three-day protest starting June 4th.

    The conveners include journalists Okatakyie Afrifa Mensah, and Captain Godsbrain Smart, one Benjamin Darko and lawyer cum activist Oliver Barker-Vormawor.

    The said letter noted that the protesters will employ the services of armed private security personnel during the march.

    They also communicated plans to picket at the Police headquarters and at the premises of the state broadcaster – where they expect to be allowed to express their concerns on LIVE TV.

    The Police, however, described the protest as inconsistent with the Public Order Act.

    A June 1, 2022 press statement signed by Chief Inspector Bright Kwabena Danso, Regional Public Affairs Unit, Ashanti Region, said the “nature and character” of the demonstration as intended was inconsistent with the Public Order Act.

    The statement stressed, “we are, therefore, unable to provide security for a demonstration, which is in flagrant violation of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 49) and has the potential to result in a breach of public order and public safety.

    “We wish to assure the public that in the interest of public safety and security, the Police are putting in place all necessary measures to ensure that unauthorised persons do not march the streets with weapons,” it added.

    Source: www.ghanaweb.com

  • Police injunct drivers’ naked demonstration

    The Ghana Police Service has secured a court injunction from the High Court of Justice criminal court 3 to restrain commercial drivers from embarking on a naked demonstration over petrol price hikes in the country.

    The commercial drivers were expected to embark on a naked demonstration today Wednesday, June 1, 2022, to register their displeasure about the incessant increment in petroleum products.

    The Concerned Drivers Association in a statement issued last night Tuesday, May 31, explained that:’The Ghana Police Service yesterday night served us with a court injunction from the High Court of Justice criminal court 3 restraining us from demonstrating with our cars as we agreed on with the police earlier.

    According to the association, this is a deliberate attempt by the government to prevent them from exercising their Constitutional rights as drivers in the country

    Below is the full statement:

    CONCERNED DRIVERS ASSOCIATION OF GHANA

    POLICE INJUNCTION ON OUR DEMONSTRATION.

    The Ghana Police Service yesterday night served us with a court injunction from the High Court of Justice criminal court 3 restraining us from demonstrating with our cars as we agreed on with the police.

    We know this is a deliberate attempt by the government to prevent us from exercising our Constitutional rightS

    We had earlier met with the Ghana Police Service and they agreed to our proposal, so why the sudden change.

    We are calling on our members to hold their fire but not to let their guns, as negotiations are still ongoing to reschedule another date for the demonstration.

    We apologize for any inconvenience caused by this injunction.

    Watch the latest episode of The Lowdown below:

    The Lowdown: Common misconceptions about the traditional religion in Ghana

    GhanaWeb Tv’s flagship programme ‘The Lowdown’ continues the series of analysing and understanding Ghana’s religious beliefs and practices with the Traditional Religion for the next episode of the show with host Ismail Akwei. A Ga Wulomo and the PRO for the Traditional Medicine Practice Council, Numo Blafo III carries us along with some of the teachings and rituals of people of the traditional worship in Ghana.

    Source: classfmonline.com

  • LIVE: Fix Ghana Now’s June 4th demo on extra-judicial killings; Press briefing

    Fix Ghana Now members are holding a news conference in Accra. They had planned to demonstrate on the streets of Accra for three days but were stopped by the Ghana Police Service.

    The group, includes individuals like #FixTheCountry convener, Oliver Barker-Vormawor and controversial media personality, Captain Smart.

    They are likely to discuss the Service’s denial of their request to protest with guns, among other things.

    They had earlier said;

    “We will bring our own security company to provide protection to demonstrators. All weapons held by demonstrators or by the contracted security personnel will be for personal protection only; and all weapons will be duly permitted in accordance with the Arms and Ammunitions Act, 1972 (NRCD 9) e) Proposed route and destination: We expect that the Demonstrators will gather at Circle,”.

    The police in response, denied their request citing the Public Order Act as being threatened should they be allowed.

    “We would like to assure the public that the Police Service is ready and willing to provide the necessary protection for any lawful demonstration in the country.

    “However, in this case, the Service is of the view that the nature and character of the demonstration as intended, is inconsistent with the Public Order Act.

    “We are therefore unable to provide security for a demonstration which is in flagrant violation of the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 49) and has the potential to result in a breach of public order and public safety,” the statement said in part.

    Source: The Independent Ghana