According to President Akufo-Addo, government is dedicated to ensuring that the insurgency in Burkina Faso is brought to a close.
Nana Akufo-Addo says the Burkinabees who are fleeing their country have identified Ghana as a safe haven.
Speaking at a meeting with the German Finance Minister, Christian Lindner at the Jubilee House in Accra.,
Nana Akufo-Addo says the government of Ghana is committed to ensuring the insurgency in Burkina Faso is brought to an end.
“We are talking about a substantial number of people who are already coming southwards as a result of the difficulties in Burkina Faso. We have a direct, important and strategic interest in doing whatever we can to bring this insurgency to an end and help stabilise the issues in Burkina Faso.”
Ghana and Burkina Faso have reaffirmed their commitment to work together in fighting terrorism in the sub-region.
Ghana’s National Security Minister Albert Kan-Dapaah disclosed this to journalists in Ouagadougou on Wednesday 21st December 2022 after conveying a message from President Akufo-Addo to the Burkinabe leader, President Ibrahim Traore.
Mr Kan-Dapaah led a high-level delegation from Ghana which also included Security chiefs and officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration.
Flanked by the Burkinabe Foreign Minister Madame Olivia Rouamba, Mr Kan-Dapaah said “the two countries reviewed the strong cooperation between them and clarified to their mutual satisfaction recent reported discussions between Ghana and the United States with regard to the needed partnerships for sustainable peace in the region”.
The Minister indicated that both countries have reaffirmed their support for a common fight against terrorism, welcoming early operationalization of the Accra Initiative to enable Burkina Faso to defeat the terrorists who have brought untold hardship and pain to the Burkinabe people.
“In that respect, we discussed concrete support that Ghana has advocated for Burkina Faso in the Accra Initiative and ECOWAS and called on the West African States to act expeditiously on the matter,” he said.
The two countries also highlighted the importance of building resilience in vulnerable communities and support for those that have been displaced or lost livelihoods and called for genuine partnership with the international community in this regard.
Ghana and Burkina Faso committed to holding more regular consultations.
Earlier Mr Kan-Dapaah and his delegation were welcomed by a retinue of religious and traditional leaders.
Together, they reaffirmed the common histories and traditions of Ghana and Burkina Faso and agreed to explore the possibility of periodic visitor exchange with their counterparts in Ghana.
Doctors at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital have temporarily postponed their planned withdrawal of services due to 13-month salary arrears.
The group earlier threatened to withdraw services to the Outpatient Department as well as elective surgeries and procedures at the hospital from February 6-10 if management does not come up with a clear roadmap for payment of the arrears.
It warned that emergencies would be refused till all in-patients are discharged if nothing was heard from management from February 13.
But speaking to Citi News, the Chairman of the Korle-Bu Doctors Association, Dr. Frank Owusu-Sekyere said the withdrawal of services which was to begin today, February 6 has been suspended following an agreed timeline with management for the payment of the salary arrears.
“Management came out with a letter spelling out the timelines they think they can pay the rest of the arrears. So we just had a meeting as an association, and we have agreed to the timelines management has given praying that they will stick to their side of the bargain, so there is no threat to it before it is paid. So come the end of March, 25 percent of the arrears will be paid and then by end of June, another 25 percent will be paid”, he said.
In an earlier protest letter, the doctors accused the management of discrimination in the payment of the arrears of the 13th-month salary for doctors working in Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
The doctors also claimed that the communication to the management not to pay the 25% of the arrears until a clear agreement on the timelines for the remainder of the arrears has gone unheeded.
They added that the payment of the arrears seems to have also been ceded to the departments instead of payment from a central pool.
According to the doctors, by decentralizing the payment, doctors working in financially challenged departments would be disadvantaged.
Today, February 6, 2023, Yagbonwura Tuntumba Boresa (I), the deceased Overlord of the Gonja state, will be laid to rest.
This follows his passing on Saturday, 5th February 2023 at Damongo after 12 years of reign on the Yagbon throne.
The burial ceremony is scheduled to happen at the Gonja Kings Mausoleum at Sonyonwura Adamu Bakari Kanyiti near Bole in accordance to Gonja customs and traditions.
To act as Head of State and President of the Gonja Traditional Council until the enskinment of a new Yagbonwura, the Chief of Sonyo, Sonyonwura Adamu Bakari Kanyiti has moved into the Jakpa Palace at Damongo in accordance with Gonja traditional arrangements.
The Sonyowura will also be responsible for all preparations for the customary and traditional royal burial of the Yagbonwura at the royal mausoleum for Gonja Kings at Mankuma near Bole.
The body of the Yagbonwura has since been moved to Nyange – the first traditional capital of Gonja. Here, other traditional rites will be performed before the body is moved to Mankuma through a path that was used for movement from the Bole area to Nyange.
Yagbonwura Sulemana Jakpa Tuntumba Boresa (I) was enthroned as King of the Gonja Kingdom in March, 2010.
He was the Kusaguwura of the Kusaguwura before becoming Yagbonwura.
In 1986 Yagbonwura Tuntumba was enskinned the Salaa-wura of the Kusawgu Traditional Area.
A monetary donation of GH8,000 has been donated to the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital’s occupational therapy office by a few concerned students and the Students Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law.
The amount, which was raised in collaboration with the Concerned Students of the Ghana Law School, was an idea initiated by one of the students, Morris Adjei, whose son has been receiving therapeutic care at the facility for some time now.
The SRC President of the Ghana School of Law, Odupong Agyapong Atta-Agyapong, who led a team to donate, thanked Morris Adjei for bringing the need of the occupational therapy department to their attention.
“I want to sincerely thank Mr. Morris Adjei for granting the students of the Ghana School of Law the opportunity to give towards this important project to save the kids,“ Odupong said.
He also stressed how for him, children are special gifts from God, who require utmost care and attention.
He used the occasion to wish the kids on admission a speedy recovery and prayed for God’s divine healing for them.
In her remarks to receive the donation, the administrator of child health at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Esther Tetteh, expressed her gratitude to the SRC and the entire student’s body for the support.
She also singled out Morris Adjei for mention, stressing that he has led the way as a parent and that she hopes that other parents, as well as individuals, schools and other benevolent organizations, will emulate the gesture by the Odupong-led SRC.
The administrator, who was in the company of two occupational therapists, Nancy Agyei and Elizabeth Miretina Oti, as well as a representative from the public relations unit of the hospital, gave the assurance that the money will be used for its intended purpose.
She asked for God’s blessings for the SRC and the concerned students, saying they have contributed to laying the foundation for the children who are the future leaders.
There has been an increase in enrolment across the country since the Free Senior High School concept was introduced in 2017.
The increased enrolment also led to increased demand for furniture, accommodation and other resources to facilitate effective teaching and learning.
It is based on this that the President Akufo-Addo-led government has since 2017 donated thousands of furniture and other resources to schools to promote effective teaching and learning at the pre-tertiary education sector.
The Press Secretary at the Education Ministry, Mr Felix A. Baidoo, who disclosed this said the government has since 2017 distributed a total of 1,155,240 pieces of furniture to Senior High and Basic Schools across the country.
He stated that out of the number 925,793 were distributed to SHS while the remaining 229,447 went to Basic Schools in the country.
Demand-driven supply
Again, he stated that the demand-driven furniture distribution, is aimed at creating enabling and conducive environment in the classrooms.
Mr Baidoo disclosed this after accompanying a team of media personnel to Benje Furniture Company Ltd at Weija in the Weija Gbawe Municipality in Accra on Friday where 5,000 dual desks were being dispatched to the Kpandai District in the North East region.
The trip to Benje Furniture Company Ltd was geared towards providing evidence that the government’s readiness to distribute furniture to schools is real and not a rhetoric.
Ongoing distribution
According to the Press Secretary, the loading of the 5,000 pieces of furniture to Kpandai District was part of 40,000 pieces of furniture being distributed to schools which have requested additional furniture across the country.
He explained that although the government desired to distribute the right quantity of furniture to schools, that depends on the demands of schools at a particular point in time.
This, he said is to ensure that the furniture went to the right institutions or schools which need them most to avoid sending the furniture to schools which did not need them while others which needed them have not been supplied yet.
Mr Baidoo indicated the government’s preparedness towards supplying the needed resources to all schools across the country towards enhancing the development of education.
Exercise restraint
He appealed to all schools yet to be supplied with furniture and other resources to exercise restraint as the right processes are being followed to ensure that all resources reached those who need them.
The Chief Executive Officer of Benje Furniture Company Ltd, praised the Education Minister, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, for procuring the furniture from the local market since such a move would help boost the operations of local companies.
He explained that the procurement of the furniture locally would also help empower local industries to do more towards strengthening their operations.
The CEO pledged to ensure that all the furniture would be delivered within three weeks so that the beneficiaries would be able to use it for its intended purpose.
Records
Records available at the Education Ministry indicate that a total of 65,779 pieces of furniture were supplied to Basic Schools in the country in 2018, 54,000 was supplied by District Assembly Common Fund in 2020, 69,459 in 2021 while the distribution of 40,000 to Basic Schools for this year is currently underway.
The SHSs also received 65,779 furniture in 2018, 54,000 in 2020, 69,459 in 2021 while the distribution of 40,209 for this year is ongoing.
The distribution of furniture to the schools usually comes in the form of dual desks, teacher’s chairs and tables, library tables and chairs, common room tables and chairs, KG chairs, cupboards, notice board, dining hall tables, dining hall benches, computer lab chairs and bunk beds among others.
In a spellbinding and thrilling competition for the crown in the 2023 edition of Spelling Bee between N’Adom Darko-Asare and Mychelle Kumah, the former emerged champion.
Having gone through the ranks to emerge winner in the 2022 Spelling Bee competition, she chose to create and break a record in the 16-year history of the Spelling Bee Competition in the country, one which she effortlessly did.
With a mastery of the English language and an unwavering determination, the victor, N’Adom Darko-Asare navigated through the challenging words, earning applause and admiration from the packed audience.
As the final word was pronounced and the correct spelling confirmed, the crowd erupted in a chorus of cheers, congratulating her for retaining her title as the best speller for two consecutive years.
N’Adom Darko-Asare is a pupil of the DPS International Ghana. Consistently she spelt correctly her words to the 17th round and with a brazen smile on her face, spelt her championship word, “DOUROUCOULI”.
The first runner up, Mychelle Kumah, who is a pupil of Soul Clinic School, Accra put up a fierce battle and is tipped to win the next edition should she contest again.
One hundred and four students contested for the 16th edition of The Spelling Bee -Ghana on Saturday, February 4, 2023. The national finalists were made up of 46 boys and 58 girls representing 8 cities in Ghana.
The competition, which began in March of 2022, saw over 500 hopefuls aged between 7 and 13 receive training before being assessed through the Preliminaries, Quarter and Semi Final levels, where all 104 National Finalists emerged.
Wa West MP, Peter Lanchene Toobu, has stressed the need for leadership in the country to consider the Bawku conflict as a national problem.
According to Mr. Toobu, the protracted conflict is not only having a negative impact on Bawku in the Upper East Region but also on Ghana at large, therefore, calling for a national dialogue on the matter.
Speaking on Anopa Bofo morning show, the security expert who served under three different successive Inspector General of Police (IGP), said the recent happenings there in relation to the matter, indicate a new measure is required to curb it.
“I plead with Ghanaians to be awakened over this Bawku matter, it is not about Bawku, but it is Ghana… it can move from Bawku to Agbogbloshie, to Nima, and to Kumasi… and by the time we realise then the conflict has turned into a national conflict because we might had refused to act on it accordingly,” he told show host, Kojo Oppong Kyeremeh.
The former Executive Secretary to the Inspector General of Police, also said the more the conflicts lasted, the higher the insecurity it brings to the country as it could provide a fertile ground for terrorists from neighboring countries to radicalise Ghanaian youth in the north.
Peter Lanchene Toobu made the comments after the Interior Ministry beefed up security in Bawku with military presence following renewed clashes that claimed some lives.
The security expert is of the view that the continuous deployment of security personnel would not be the ideal solution to the Bawku situation.
“See, we can prefer to deploy about 5,000 military men and 5,000 policemen to Bawku but if we don’t find a lasting solution to the main issues at hand, this security personnel will continue storming the area but will end up not yielding any positive results on the matter,” he projected.
The MP believes tackling chieftaincy issues demands some dynamism and approach beyond just security, particularly, the Bawku crisis owing to the fact that the issues had been in existence since time immemorial.
The 37 Military Hospital in Accra has handed the summary report of a Board of Inquiry to the couple, who claimed one of their twins was allegedly ‘stolen’ at the hospital shortly after delivery and told them to proceed to court if not satisfied.
The Chief of Staff (COS) at the General Headquarters (GHQ) of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) – Major General Nicholas Peter Andoh, on Monday, handed the summary report of the incident, to the family of Mr. Daniel Naawu, at the Burma Camp in Accra.
Maj. Gen Andoh insisted he was very convinced about the upshot of the five-month investigation, urging the couple to seek redress in court if they were still not content with the report.
“I have gone through the report thoroughly and I’m convinced nothing untoward happened. However, if you are unsatisfied, you may go to court.”
According to the eight-page report which was jointly signed by Captain (GN) Paul Yegbe and Major Alfred Toppar, President and Secretary of the Board of Inquiry respectively – a copy of which is in the custody of the Ghanaian Times, 16 persons were interrogated and their statements taken on oath during the inquiry to establish the facts of the case.
Those interrogated were the lead surgeon Dr. Ali Saine, Dr. Sheryl Adongo (Assistant Surgeon), Dr. Charles Buckman (Head of the Team), Dr. Davies Adedze (Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Department), Group Captain Rosalind Asiedu (Senior Resident Radiologist), Dr. Margaret Mpetey (Radio Resident), Major Samuel Adade (Anaesthetist), SNO Roberta Anokye Bempah (Scrub Nurse) and Lieutenant Frederick Kunkpe.
The rest were Sub Lieutenant Nida Asiedu (Midwife), Chief Petty Officer Jennifer Boateng (Maternity Ward Master), Lance Corporal Linda Osei Bonsu (Midwife), Major Naomi Oppong (Nursing Officer In-charge of Maternity), DDNS Deborah Boateng (Deputy In-charge of Maternity), Miss Audrey Agyapong (Client) and Mr. Samuel Kotei Dsane (Client father).
Ms. Agyapong, the report stated, reported for ante-natal care booking at the 37 Military Hospital when she was 26 weeks, having earlier done a scan at a facility in Accra at 20 weeks of pregnancy which reported twin gestation.
It said a repeat scan done at the 37 Military Hospital on July 21, 2022, at 31 weeks also showed twin pregnancy.
“She was booked for a Caesarean section because she had two previous Caesarean sections and a medical condition. The surgical team made all preparation to receive the twins in the theatre. However, the surgeon realised it was a singleton and this was communicated to the patient and her family.
“The patient and her family disagreed and petitioned the hospital, alleging that their second twin baby was missing,” the report added.
It said the Board of Inquiry sought opinions of independent experts including a consultant radiologist and obstetrician from the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital – all of whom agreed that there could be a misdiagnosis of multiple gestation with the ultrasound scan.
The report stressed that the average weight for a singleton was about 3kg to 3.2kg, whilst the average weight of twins was about 2.5kg to 2.9kg.
“It is, therefore, rare to have a twin weighing more than 3kg unless there are other maternal conditions like diabetic mellitus.”
The baby delivered weighed 3.1kg.
During its findings, the report said the radiologist at the 37 Military Hospital who did the ultra-sound scan made a misdiagnosis, having been influenced by the patient’s information that she was carrying twins.
“Madam Agyapong and the attending health workers at the 37 Military Hospital assumed that she was carrying a twin gestation, purely influenced by two ultrasound scan reports until delivery,” it stated, adding that 10 people who were present at the theatre during the delivery had been interviewed, “all testifying that it was a single foetus with a single placenta and single cord.”
It said a single placenta was delivered with a single cord.
“This cannot be the situation if Madam Agyapong was carrying twins. Even for twins who share the same placenta, the cords must be attached to the placenta.”
The report said as part of investigations, the placenta was sent to the Police Forensic Laboratory (PFL) for analysis to establish that it was what was delivered by Ms. Agyapong.
“The PFL took a piece of the placenta tissue and oral tissue from Ms. Agyapong and sent the sample outside the country for the DNA analysis and we are waiting for the results.”
The Board of Inquiry’s report concluded that “the matter is an unfortunate situation of misdiagnosis of a singleton pregnancy for twin pregnancy influenced by late (second and third) ultrasound scan reports.”
Meanwhile, the father of the baby, Mr. Naawu, has expressed disappointment at the report, saying they would take a second look at it to know the action to take next.
“We have gone through a lot of trauma since September 8, last year, when my wife was delivered of a baby instead of two.
“The Chief of Staff has asked us to go to court if we were still not satisfied with the report, and we shall soon take a decision on what to do next,” he told the Ghanaian Times yesterday.
In a painstaking investigative story carried by the Ghanaian Times on Wednesday, January 18, 2023, a couple narrated how they went to the 37 Military Hospital expecting twins only to be handed one baby after delivery and thus suspected foul play.
Ultra-sound checks done 31 weeks into the gestation period at two medical facilities, including the 37 Military Hospital, showed that one Ms Agyapong was carrying two live foetuses (twins).
A second ultrasonic scan done at the 37 Military Hospital on July 21, 2022, and signed by Drs M.T Mpetey and R.Asiedu, a Resident and Senior Physician respectively, confirmed results of the earlier scan with twin A weighing 269g and B weighing 261g.
“In all, we did four different scans, all showing I was carrying live twins and it is baffling that one could disappear at birth,” Ms. Agyapong told the Ghanaian Times.
Explaining further, she said on September 7, 2022, when her gestation period was 38 weeks, she was admitted at the 37 Military Hospital where her vitals were taken with two foetal heartbeats confirmed as normal.
In a follow-up story by the Ghanaian Times on Wednesday, January 25, last month, the 37 Military Hospital apologised to the couple, insisting that its ultrasound twin diagnosis was flawed.
President Akufo-Addo has shown the desire to combat corruption in the nation, according to Palgrave Boakye-Danquah, the government’s spokesperson on governance and security.
In the 2022 Corruption Perception Index (CPI) released by Transparency International, Ghana ranks 72 out of 180 countries with a score of 43 out of 100 which is a repetition of its marks for the two previous years.
With the CPI score being the perceived level of public sector corruption on a scale of 0-100, where 0 means highly corrupt and 100 means very clean, it means Ghana has not improved in the anti-graft fight.
The report highlighted the need to address the canker since corruption is a major contributor to the current economic woes of the nation.
However, commenting on the report on Starr FM Weekly Review Program, the government spokesperson on Governance and Security, said this government has been the most committed against graft.
He said contrary to the CPI report anti-graft institutions in the country have been better funded to work effectively.
“This is perception and it means that it’s the perception that people have. Now the government has sought to tackle corruption at the very base than any government in this country since Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. It took President Nana Addo Danquah to set up the office of the Special Prosecutor. Which is one of the major steps into tackling corruption,” the spokesperson stated.
Mr. Boakye-Danquah further explained that the government’s budget since 2017 focuses very largely on anti-corruption agencies such as the Special Prosecutor, EOCO, CHRAJ in tackling corruption.
He however added that there are some challenges with the office of the Special Prosecutor that the government is fixing.
A member of parliament for Jomoro, Dorcas Affo-Toffey, is requesting that government takes decisive action in response to the death of Shadrach Arloo, which occurred last week at the West Hills Mall.
She is calling for a multi-pronged probe into the issue with the view to serving justice to the family and loved ones of the deceased.
The MP addressed a press conference on February 4, 2023 to drive home the quest for justice for Arloo, a native of Nzemaland, specifically Jomoro.
As part of immediate actions, she appealed to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to issue a statement on the incident just as he did in June 2020, in the aftermath of the case of George Floyd, a victim of police violence in the US.
“Just as the President issued a statement in the case of George Floyd, a black American who was killed in a similar way … we expect and demand that H.E Nana Addo Danquah issues a statement to commemorate with the family of Shadrach.”
Shadrach’s death
The incident that led to Arloo’s death took place at the West Hills Mall on January 30, 2023.
According to a Graphic.com.gh report sighted by GhanaWeb, 32-year-old Shadrach Arloo was scheduled to travel to Germany barely 24-hours before his untimely death.
This report is corroborated by a sister of the deceased who told the newspaper in an interview that her brother had gone to town to purchase some items in preparation for his travel when he got into a situation with the police leading to his death.
According to Perpetual Didier who is a known gospel musician, her brother her brother was allegedly beaten and tased to death during an incident with a police officer and a private security guard at the mall.
Meanwhile, the Sowutuom District Court remanded the shop Manager of Max Buy Ghana Limited, dealers of electrical Appliances within the West Hills Mall, Boafo Osei Kwame in connection with the death of Shadrack Arloo.
The manager who is now a suspect in the death of the deceased is said to have used a Taser to shock a 33-year-old man leading to his death.
The District Court at Sowutuom presided over by His Worship Stephen Tebiri, remanded him into police custody to reappear on February 16.
In court on Thursday, February 2, his plea was not taken after the charge was read to him and the brief facts presented to the court.
Akufo-Addo statement on George Floyd murder
Black people, the world over, are shocked and distraught by the killing of an unarmed black man, George Floyd, by a white police officer in the United States of America. It carried with it an all too painful familiarity, and an ugly reminder.
It cannot be right that, in the 21ST century, the United States, this great bastion of democracy, continues to grapple with the system of racism.
On behalf of the people of Ghana, I express my deep condolence to the family and loved ones of the late George Floyd.
We stand with our kith and kin in this difficult and trying times, and we hope that tragic death of George Floyd will inspire a lasting change in how Americans confront head on the problem of hate and racism.
A lawyer, Martin Kpebu, has criticized President Akufo-Addo for failing to keep majority of the commitments he made to Ghanaians during his presidential campaign.
Mr Kpebu believes it is disappointing that in spite of the president’s remarkable promises, it does not appear that he is actively working to honour them.
The legal practitioner’s criticism is due to Ghana ranking 72nd in the 2022 edition of the Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) report issued on Tuesday, January 31.
Further details indicated that the country scored 43 out of 100 per Transparency International (TI) score, which means that Ghana has not made any progress on the CPI score consecutively for three years now.
It is for this reason that Mr Kpebu believes that the CPI score demonstrates that, contrary to the president’s pledges, not much is being done by President Akufo-Addo to curb corruption.
The lawyer, therefore, alluded to 18 of such pledges made by the First Gentleman of the land, as a reminder to him that Ghanaians have not forgotten.
“Let me mention some of the notable things Akufo-Addo said, which today he has not lived up to, and he thinks we have forgotten. He needs a quick reminder that this thing has to stop,” the legal practitioner said on Newsfile on Saturday:
Mr Kpebu listed the unfulfilled promises as follows:
“1. I shall protect the public purse,
2. I’m too old to steal your money; I have my money already,
3. ‘Yɛ te sika so, nso ɛkɔm de yɛn,’
4. Try me and see,
5. I’m not corrupt, and will never be corrupt,
6. I can develop Ghana without borrowing money from anywhere; the money is here,
7. I will transform Ghana in 18 months,
8. I will not operate a family and friends government,
9. I will fight corruption with the Anas principle,
10. I will make the Korle lagoon and the ɔdɔ river a tourist site,
11. I will build a factory in every district,
12. I will give each constituency GH₵1 million every year
13. I will arrest the dollar
14. The hike in fuel prices will be a thing of the past,
15. I will make Accra the cleanest city in Africa,
16. I will build 111 hospitals,
17. 350 secondary schools
And then 18, the almighty, we will never go to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for a bail-out.”
Additionally, he implored the President to pass an act of Parliament that ensures that appointees of government account for their wealth before leaving office.
Mr Kpebu’s final request is that President Akufo-Addo “should act with dispatch. When you see a simple case, don’t say due process, then for almost seven months, it’s even one year. Remember Sulemana Alhassan—Dr Anamzoya— he petitioned in January last year. One year on, and people are still in office. No. We can’t do that…” the legal practitioner stated.
The Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls’ new accomodation policy is allegedly discriminatory, according to the Old Vandal Association, who also claim that management is shifting responsibility.
Aggrieved students of the University of Ghana on Friday, February 3, 2023 embarked on a demonstration on the streets of Accra against the new accommodation policy and increase in fees.
They are demanding an immediate reversal of the new accommodation policy which prevents continuing students from residing in both the Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls.
The students also want the government to direct the university to rescind its decision to increase fees more than the 15 percent directed by Parliament.
Commenting on the development on Starr Today with Joshua Kodjo Mensah, a member of the Old Vandals Communication Team, Eugene Kweku Boadu said they will not allow the university authorities to truncate the education of the Ghanaian youth with the accommodation policy.
According to him, they believe that education represents the best medium through which the nation can galvanize the intellectual talent base of the country and direct it to development.
“The University has gone ahead to implement a policy that is discriminative against male continuing students with Mensah Sarbah Hall and Commonwealth Halls. They claim that there were some clashes and they have not been able to identify the people who were involved in the clash.”
“Indeed some members of the University have spoken to the media and admitted that some of the persons so far identified were not even students. Now if you are undertaking an investigation and you have not concluded that investigation then what basis are you implementing a residential policy that you claim is punitive?” Mr. Boadu asked.
He continued: “These clashes that seem to happen from time to time in the University campus actually points to low level of security on the campus. So if management has failed to provide adequate security on the University campus and it leads to a situation that clashes come up every now, then you are now shifting responsibility and shifting attention from your incompetence and mismanagement and rather seek to punish students for it.”
He added that the new accommodation policy is threatening to end the education for a number of continuing students in the Mensah Sarbah and Commonwealth Halls.
“They are moving students from the traditional halls which are very affordable and play a key role in the educational accessibility for people coming from humble backgrounds. It is cocoa farmers money, fishermen and farmers money that were used in building those traditional halls. These halls have for a long time provided financial support to students coming from poor backgrounds. You are seeking to remove all these people on very discriminatory and dubious grounds. And forcing them into hostels that are three or four times the price of the traditional halls.”
Thirty of the total of 34 sex workers who appeared before the Tema Magistrates Court were given GH5,000 bail each with two sureties on Tuesday for allegedly engaging in prostitution in the Tema Metropolis.
This was after they pleaded not guilty to charges levied against them.
The four, who pleaded guilty, were discharged and cautioned to stay away from prostitution by the court.
The accused, believed to be Ghanaians, Liberians and Nigerians, were rounded up by the Tema Regional Police Command through an intelligent-led operation on Tuesday at Subin Valley, Community 7, Viena City, Community 8, Sabrina Hotel, at Site 17, Community 1, and Datus School Complex Area, also at Community 8.
Detective Corporal Richard Owusu –Asante told the court presided over by Ms. Siran Mahama that the accused were arrested soliciting clients in the metropolis.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Energy Security, Nana Amoasi VII, has called on the government to provide more clarity on the gold-for-oil policy to erase doubts in the minds of Ghanaians.
Speaking on the Big Issue on Citi TV on Saturday, Nana Amoasi VII said the entire policy lacks transparency hence government must come clean on the entire deal.
“I think at this point we are all clear that the deal lacks transparency, it is not just shrouded in secrecy, but there are a lot of inconsistencies and confusion.
“We think that the government can come out clear and give indications to everybody not just where we are sourcing the fuel from but who is the intermediary in this transaction, how was he elected or selected, on what basis and how much is the intermediary earning per every metric tonne deal that we do.
“Who is buying the gold and how much did you sell it for? We think that a lot of clarity can be brought to bear on this deal so that we can all be convinced it will give us that value that we crave.”
The Minority in Parliament and former President John Mahama have also called on the government to provide details on the policy to clear the doubts surrounding the deal.
Meanwhile, the former Member of Parliament for Okaikwei North Constituency, Fuseini Issah, believes that the gold-for-oil policy has led to a marginal drop in diesel prices at Goil fuel stations across the country.
Goil announced a 4% reduction in the price of diesel, resulting in a litre selling at ¢15.25.
However, the price of petrol remained unchanged at ¢15.25.
Speaking on the Big Issue, the former MP told host Selorm Adonoo that the reduction was influenced by benefits associated with the ‘Gold for Oil’ programme.
Mr Fuseini Issah added that prices of fuel will be impacted more significantly if more consignment arrives in the country soon.
The National Road Safety Authority (NSRA|) has urged government to prioritize the dualisation of major roads in the country in order to reduce the frequency and severity of traffic accidents and head-on collisions.
Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of NRSA, Martin Owusu Afram stressed the need to take measures including tackling human behaviour to reduce the number of road crashes across the country.
“When we looked at research on road crashes, we can conclude that over 90 percent of road traffic crashes are due to human behaviour. It is interesting because people think it is the road, but the road contributes a minimal percentage and the condition of the vehicle also contributes a minimal percentage. This is because, if your vehicle is not very strong or has a defect and you the human being behind the wheel is able to adjust accordingly, you will be able to save some lives.”
Martin Owusu Afram further enumerated a number of factors that are responsible for the substantial crashes on our roads.
“We have destructive driving, drunk driving, and wrongful overtaking being key contributory factors to road crashes in the country. One other thing I want to add is that the Road Safety Authority has been advocating that our roads should be dualised.”
According to the Authority, its data shows that dualisation of the Nsawam section of the Kumasi-Accra Highway has massively brought the road crash figures on that stretch down, and wants similar ones to be done on various highways.
“We did a preliminary study with regard to dualisation of our roads, and we found that by dualising Nsawam to Apedwa Junction in the Eastern Region, it has considerably reduced road traffic crashes, injuries, and deaths on that corridor.”
“If we are able to dualise Accra to Kumasi road, the number of crashes and deaths we are going to get will be minimized,” Mr. Afram added.
A candidate for the New Patriotic Party’s (NPP) presidential nomination, Alan Kyerematen, has acknowledged that the party is finding it challenging to develop a message for the 2024 general elections as a result of the deteriorating economy.
Speaking during a visit to the Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Council as part of his campaign tour, the former Trade and Industry Minister hailed the performance of President Nana Akufo-Addo but stated that the poor state of the economy will make it difficult for the NPP to convince Ghanaians to retain them in the 2024 general elections.
“Akufo-Addo has done well, when the NPP came, there was no free SHS, but we have brought it, planting for food and jobs, we have brought it, One District, One Factory, we have brought it, I can recount a number of the policies, but we all know that times are hard. We are all in difficulty, we have worked hard but due to the economic hardship, our key message for campaigning as a party for the 2024 election has become difficult for us.
“But you see, one of our main challenges as a country is how successive governments abandon policies they inherit from another government. This is what has derailed our development efforts. So I would wish that for the first time in the history of the country, allow the NPP to continue, so our policies can gain roots while we do away with the bad policies. If we mean well for the country this is what must happen,” Mr Kyerematen said in Twi.
Mr Kyerematen also urged the Chiefs to advise the delegates to select a flagbearer who would be acceptable to the entire country.
“The country is expecting a turnaround based on a big vision to be delivered with competence,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen said the overreliance on the government to build industries to create jobs needed to change to a more efficient way of empowering the private sector to create jobs for the people.
Mr Kyerematen noted that as Minister for Trade and Industry under President JA Kufuor, he initiated the Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI) in four different sectors of the economy, which could have yielded over $60 billion a year to the country, had the NDC not terminated them after taking over in 2008.
As a result of sharing his opinions on the Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa and Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng controversy, president Akufo-Addo‘s counsel, Kow Essuman, has been criticized on social media.
Ablakwa, who is the Member of Parliament for North Tongu has defended his decision to publish publicly private details of Kusi Boateng, a member and secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral project.
The Reverend has in turn sued for defamation and obtained a 10-day restraining order in the High Court against further publication of his personal private information.
In offering his opinion, Kow Essuman anchored his views on the issue of privacy and reputation and how a democratic society protects same.
“The case between Rev. Kusi Boateng and Hon. Okudzeto Ablakwa has gained significant public attention; but for me it raises important questions about the protection of an individual’s privacy and reputation in a democratic society.
“What safeguards do we have in our society to protect the privacy, personal data of individuals, especially persons who venture into public service?,” his second tweet read.
“Should it be so easy for a private citizen to access the personal data of another citizen held by state institutions, without the consent of the affected citizen, a court order or a RTI response from the state institution holding the personal data of the affected citizen?” he quizzed.
For most people interacting with his tweets, he was off the mark for different reasons, among them that the reverend had become a public figure and was subject to all necessary scrutiny.
“Did you loose your voice or your line of thought missed the bigger picture? Data privacy yes, but what of the issue of how the NPP government registered the same person as a trustee with a different name and a diplomatic passport another name? Your concern is secondary!” Tweep @Adwoabo submitted
@Ekowskareannan cued in: “If you want a private life, you have no business being in political service Once you benefit from the taxpayer, we deserve to know I’m surprised you’re arguing on this tangen.”
@deemperor tweeted: “You prefer his privacy to his double identity???? No be your fault.”
Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram has stated that parliamentarians are among the most indebted persons in the country.
Contrary to popular belief, the outspoken MP revealed that entry into the lawmaking chamber almost always comes with a rude awakening from the perception that Parliament is a land of milk and honey.
“If you come to Parliament, that is when you will know that MP-ship is all but packaging…I don’t think that there is any profession that owes bank loans like MPs,” he said in an interview on Accra-based Joy News last week.
“All the V8 that we drive is from loan. I know MPs who go home with less than 1,000 cedis because people have to take loans,” he stressed.
In a 2021 interview, Sam George said MPs take home an amount of GH¢11,000.
According to him, the GH¢11,000 is the salary MPs in the eighth parliament will be receiving until the salaries and emolument committee has been set up by the president to determine the salaries of Article 71 officeholders.
“The salary of an MP in the last Parliament is around GH¢29,000 a month and that is gross. By the time they finish the deductions, you’ll go home with GH¢11,000,” he explained.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Member of Parliament for the North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region has stated that the truth concerning his “Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal” expose’ concerning the National Cathedral and its governing board would not be buried and that justice would be meted out to all found culpable.
Reacting to a restraining order secured by Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng to prevent him from publishing new content on the findings of his investigation, Okudzeto Ablakwa stated that he has been advised by his lawyers on what to do, however, he is assuring all that truth and justice with regards to the scandal would not be buried.
“ One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal. My lawyers duly instructed. Truth & Justice shall not be buried,” parts of his tweet read.
The 10-day restraining order secured by the founder and Head Pastor of Power Chapel Worldwide International, Rev. Kusi Boateng otherwise known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, against Ablakwa prevents him from making public any “disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the applicant” for the next ten days.
This comes after a video showing the lawmaker kicking documents served him by a bailiff emerged online.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was forced to kick out the document after the bailiff tried to force the document into his car on the compound of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show.
Mr. Ablakwa has in the last few weeks mounted a spirited campaign against Rev. Kusi Boateng whom he accused of having a double identity.
Some people on social media, particularly pro-government voices, are demanding the arrest of Member of Parliament for North Tongu for acts deemed disrespectful to the judicial arm of government.
According to them, the manner in which Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa treated court documents served on him by a bailiff in the morning of February 3, 2023 was an affront to the authority of the court.
Ablakwa was sighted in a viral video purportedly rejecting service of a restraining order document from the secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa gets down from his car and kicks the document after the bailiff tried to force it into his car on the premises of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show – he was a guest on the programme.
Below are some of the demands for his arrest and the need for him to be cited for contempt:
Court issues restraining order on Ablakwa concerning the Prophet’s private matters. Apparently he had been dodging till they caught up with him at Metro tv. This is unfortunate ???? pic.twitter.com/u5SIdT7bTM— Besiaba AbaMansa (@BesiabaAM25) February 4, 2023
Okudzato ablakwa,Member of Parliament for North Tongu,kicking,and stamping an order of interim injunction secured by Kwabena Adu Gyamfi…. How can Ablakwa be so disrespectful to the court,very useless MP#ShamelessAblakwapic.twitter.com/AaIMyvF5jq— Nana Ansah Obofour (@NanaAnsahObofou) February 3, 2023
Court issues restraining order on Ablakwa concerning the Prophet’s private matters.Apparently he had been dodging till they caught up with him.
Man have been dodging All this while till he was caught up today,If you know everything you’ve been saying is the truth then why dodge? pic.twitter.com/oqX6aBhpoI
GHANA MATTERS: This is SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA, a Member of Ghana’s Parliament kicking the court papers served on him like a football. He has no respect for the court. Seems maturity is distantly many oceans away from his mindset. Unruly and indisciplined. Just Boyish. pic.twitter.com/S7tKck6Fjf— Augustine Agbenaza (@august4551) February 3, 2023
Ablakwa wants the rule of law to work yet he is trying to destroy the injunction. What’s a parliamentarian? Kai.— Sarfo Collins (@Sarfoc19) February 3, 2023
Brief of what transpired
A man initially approached the lawmaker as he was just about to sit in his car after the show, the two were captured having a conversation after which a document was presented to him.
The lawmaker did not take the document but went ahead to seat on his car, just as he opened his car, the bailiff tried to force the document into the lawmaker’s car but he immediately threw it out, kicked the document away from his car and drove off.
Rev Kusi Boateng secures restraining order against Ablakwa
The secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has secured an order of interim injunction against the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The order restrains Okudzeto Ablakwa from publicly sharing any document belonging to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for the next 10 days.
The MP who disclosed this in a tweet shared on Friday, February 3, 2023, said that he was served the order after his appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on the same day.
“One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal,” parts of the MP’s tweet read.
The MP shared a picture of the order he was served which read: “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the 1″ Respondent, SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA is restrained from making further public disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant (Adu Gyamfi).”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this interim order will lapse after Ten (10) days,” it added.
Background
The latest corruption exposé on the National Cathedral by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, suggested impropriety on the part of the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
On January 16, 2023, the MP made some allegations against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
In an earlier revelation about the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said a whopping GH¢2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited.
Further investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.
Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa dug deeper in a bid to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi was the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
A three-year-old child has met his untimely death after nurses at the Breman Brakwa Polyclinic in the Central Region allegedly refused to attend to him when he was seriously sick.
According to a report gathered by Kasapa News, Yaw Boagyan, the grandmother of the deceased brought the sick child, Reginald Nkrumah all the way from Breman Eshiem to Breman Brakwa Polyclinic for treatment around 6am Friday, February 3, 2023.
But upon reaching the hospital, the nurses were said to be having a staff meeting and even when information got to them about the boy’s condition none of them got out of the meeting to attend to the dying little boy.
According to the woman, she requested the child’s folder to enable her to attend another hospital but the nurses refused to give it to her till the child died while lying on the floor at a time the nurses were having refreshments after the meeting.
The Hospital administration after seeing the lifeless body of the child reportedly begged the family of the child not to report it to the police.
The body of the child has been deposited at the Mortuary for preservation and autopsy.
The case has been reported to the police for investigation.
All attempts to get the hospital authorities to comment on the matter proved futile.
Meanwhile, when the District Director of Health, Mr. Cletus was reached he said the issue had not come to his attention.
Divisional chiefs of the KUSAUG Traditional Area are calling for an independent and non-partisan investigation into alleged shootings and killings of some residents in their jurisdiction.
Residents of Bawku on Wednesday, February 1, 2023, accused the military deployed to Bawku of allegedly killing some civilians which allegation the military denies.
But the divisional chiefs of the KUSAUG traditional area are demanding compensation for the bereaved families and urgent investigations to unravel the perpetrators of last Wednesday’s killings and appropriate punishment meted out to them to serve as a deterrent.
Following the alleged military killings of almost ten civilians in Bawku, residents say they live in a state of fear and panic.
Divisional chiefs and residents of KUSAUG bemoaned the prolonged acts of violence and criminality in the area and thus called for a lasting solution.
They described the acts of alleged military killings in the area as unprofessional and unwarranted in a democratic dispensation.
They expressed worry at the excesses of the military indicating that, persons who come into conflict with the laws of the land ought to be arrested and prosecuted but not killed.
At a press conference in Bawku, the divisional chiefs, want government to as a matter of urgency commission an independent inquiry into the incident, punish persons found culpable, and compensate the bereaved families.
Patrick Adakurugu who is the spokesperson for the KUSAUG traditional council said: “our overlord has constantly admonished us to prevail on our subjects to be peaceful. But for his exceptional patience and commitment to peace, the conflict in Bawku would have escalated to unimaginable proportions. It is in this context that we wish to express our deep concern over the spate of lawlessness and the killing of innocent civilians by the military personnel deployed to the township to protect lives and property.”
“While we remain loyal and committed to the orders of our overlord, we wish to point out that there is a limit to what the patience and the peace commitment of our overlord can do to restore peace in Bawku. This is why we are calling for urgent steps to be taken to bring an end to the criminal acts of violence in our traditional capital,” Mr. Adakurugu.
The Sunyani Traditional Council’s Chiefs and Queen Mothers have said that “God has decreed this as the moment for Alan Kyerematen to be president of Ghana.”
Nana Kwaku Sarbeng, Akwamuhene of the Sunyani Traditional Area, said he admires the patience and wisdom with which Alan had conducted himself since he conceded to let then-candidate Akufo-Addo go ahead of him for a shot at the presidency
Now, the traditional council believes it is the appropriate time for Mr Kyerematen to assume the country’s leadership and advised NPP delegates to choose their candidate for the 2014 general elections when they go to primaries later in the year.
Mr Kyerematen urged the Chiefs to advise the delegates to select a flagbearer who would be acceptable to the entire country.
“The country is expecting a turnaround based on a big vision to be delivered with competence,” he said.
Mr Kyerematen said the overreliance on the government to build industries to create jobs needed to change to a more efficient way of empowering the private sector to create jobs for the people.
Mr Kyerematen noted that as Minister for Trade and Industry under President JA Kufuor, he initiated the Presidential Special Initiatives (PSI) in four different sectors of the economy, which could have yielded over $60 billion a year to the country, had the NDC not terminated them after taking over in 2008.
He urged Ghanaians to ensure an NPP retains power in 2024 to consolidate the progress made under the current government, including the big industrial transformation project under the 1D1F, the Business Resource Centres, producing well-rounded entrepreneurs, the Technology Support Centres providing modern cutting-edge tools and Free SHS and TVET, among others.
All these initiatives have come to take advantage of AfCFTA, which is now making people describe Accra as the ‘commercial centre of Africa’, Mr Kyerematen said and urged Nananom to help the delegates take a good decision and select him as the candidate to continue the transformation on the foundation that the NPP government has built.
In conclusion, Nananom said they expected a natural progression from President Nana Addo to Alan, in the same way, they saw President Kufuor giving it to President Nana Akufo-Addo.
They further advised Alan to improve his slogan to “Alan Cash, Aduro wo so” since there was no doubt that God was on his side.
Colourful and informative children’s newspaper, Treasure Kids Newspaper, has been reborn to assist young learners to achieve their academic goals.
According to the curator and editor in chief, Miss Precious Kyei Bonsu, popularly known as the global teacher, the rebirth of the insightful newspaper will encourage more Ghanaian content, which will help young learners stay abreast with Ghanaian literature, culture, and heritage.
The launch, which took place at the WIT School on Friday, January 27, 2023, was attended by students from the WIT School, America International School, Light Academy, Mount Eye International, St. Mark’s School, and Espo School.
Speaking at the relaunch, Miss Precious, who is also the founder of The WIT School, explained that the newspaper is a monthly online and print publication based on subscription, which was necessitated by the alarming decline in the reading habits of kids today. The colourful 16-page paper targets children between the ages of 4 and 15, and features educational articles, puzzles, and tips, as well as other fun activities that will enrich the minds of kids, but in a fun and interactive way. TKN is the best newspaper for young and curious minds which will be out every last Friday of the month.
She said, “Still, with interesting and creatively tailored material, we can always generate an affection in them toward reading.” It is exactly what we intend to do with this newspaper. With exciting ideas that our team arrived at as a result of extensive research about the attitudes and peculiar patterns of absorbing knowledge, we are optimistic that the paper will be the change that we have so long desired, or at least set us on a decisive path, especially with such segments as History Lab, Kinder Lab, Exclusive Feature, Animal Facts, School of the Month, Fun Facts, Comic Corner, Mathemagician, Fun Factory, Dear Diary, Science Facts, Tech Lab, Special Feature, Did You Know, and other captivating content.
At the launch, the principal of the WIT School, Miss Baaba Spencer, also added that young learners should cultivate the attitude of reading and that patronising the new Treasure Kids Newspaper will help them master their reading ability.
She said, “Our world is evolving each and every day, and kids don’t absorb knowledge in the same ways and means anymore.” The paper is creatively put together and tailored specifically for today’s child. “This is a huge step in the right direction in ensuring that child literacy is improved,”
Graced and endorsed by key personalities and corporate entities, including the Daily Guide Newspaper, the Principal of AIS, and 1Promasidor Ghana (producers of Yumvita and Cowbell).
The event was fun and educational, with numerous prizes and giveaways from sponsors for the over 150 students who attended.
Ten illegal miners have been detained by the Kyebi District Office of the Forestry Commission for their activities in the Asiakwa section of the Atewa Forest Reserve in the Abuakwa South Municipality of the Eastern Region.
The 10 [ten] who were busily engaging in illegal mining at 2am on Friday [February 2, 2023] dawn were surrounded by the forestry guards who pounced on them after picking up intelligence about their illegal activities.
This latest arrest comes just a few days after the commission set ablaze an excavator and some mining equipment belonging to illegal miners who invaded the Segyimase portion of the Atewa forest reserve.7
The Kyebi District Forestry Manager Emmanuel Antwi who confirmed the arrest to Citi News said the commission will stop at nothing but ensure the prosecution of all encroachers.
“Upon previous encounter with illegal miners, one person died, and we also know that where somebody has died. For illegal miners they believe that the gold will still appear in numbers. So yesterday in the night at about 2:am I dispatched my field team to Asiakwa portion of the Atewa forest, especially where an illegal miner died. When my guys got there, they chanced on these people seriously mining. They were able to surround them, and were able to apprehend them,” Mr. Antwi said.
The MP for Bawku Central, Mahama Ayariga, has given an explanation of the reasons behind his request for the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to look into the alleged killing of Bawku inhabitants by some military personnel.
According to him, he chose that route because, the murder of the 10 residents is a human rights issue.
In the past, such incidents have been investigated by presidential commissions.
Speaking in an interview on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, he said “I don’t want the President’s hand in the investigations.”
“What have we gotten out of all of these commissions that were set up by the President in the past over these killings? What happened? Nothing happened,” he added when asked whether a commission should be set for it.
This, according to him, is to prevent the case from being politicised.
“I want the truth out, I don’t want some high-level exercise that will come to nothing. I believe the Human Rights Commission will do a good job of establishing what happened and they will take action to ensure that there are remedial measures,” he insisted.
The Bawku Central MP on Friday petitioned CHRAJ to investigate alleged killings of civilians by the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF).
He sought damages of GH¢500,000 each for the families of those who lost their life and adequate compensation for injured victims.
Narrating his account, he said he had information that there were gun fires on Tuesday night in Bawku.
He explained further that the military, as part of efforts to curt
In the Sekyere East District of the Ashanti Region, at Agona, a 40-year-old cab driver’s body has been discovered in a cocoa estate.
The deceased identified as Clement Asiedu was reportedly found on the farm with his legs and hands tied with a rope.
Speaking to OTEC News’ Jacob Agyenim Boateng on Friday, February 3, 2023, the brother of the deceased, Yakubu Yahaya, disclosed that, the lifeless body of the driver suspected to have been murdered by unknown assailants was discovered by some passersby with his mouth taped with glue.
“He went out to work with Toyota Vitz commercial taxi cab with registration number As-7304-22 on Wednesday, February 1, 2023 and never returned”
He added, “Prior to his demise, I spoke to him, he told me he was dropping a customer at Agona on the Mampong road but he took more than enough time to return”.
“We went to the area in search of him only to be told by police in the area that, he has been found dead”
The legislator for Akim Oda Constituency, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has revealed his deepest regret as a parliamentarian.
Mr. AKwasi Acquah said his quest to represent his constituents in the House to fight for their collective interest, became the bane of his private business.
According to him, “one accountant embezzled close to GH¢7 million” of his company funds while he pursued his dreams as a politician from the year 2018.
Weighing in on a matter during a discussion on Asempa FM’s Ekosiisen programme monitored by Angelonline.com.gh, he attributed the financial malfeasance to his waned monitoring which was occasioned by his myriad responsibilities.
“It is my biggest regret in parliament,” he confessed on the programme monitored by Angelonline.com.gh, adding “but it has been bottled up all this while”.
The businessman became aware of the wrongdoing after an audit was conducted and the report was presented to the House, he indicated.
“He [the accountant] has collapsed the business,” the MP said in despair and added that it was happening while they had bank loans and were servicing them.
He utilized the opportunity to call for a reform in the operations of banks, to seal loopholes often taken advantage of by dishonest people.
“It is about time banks transform their deposit slip…because what the guy [the accountant] really did was that he went to do a fake stamp: teller 1, teller 2, teller 3, teller 4. So he will go into his room and stamp the slips and when he is done, he will record them and enter them into the system, and I am supposed to keep the alerts but because I am overseeing many companies, I am unable to notice them,” Mr. Akwasi Acquah explained.
Meanwhile, the case has been referred to the relevant institutions to investigate the crime and recover the lost sum.
Private legal practitioner Martin Kpebu has urged all University Professors to speak out on the concerns they have regarding how the economy is being managed by the government.
He noted that some professors are unwilling to speak out despite having reservations about how the government is handling the economy.
Making reference to German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein who he said spoke on issues affecting the economy then despite not being an economist, he asked Ghanaian professors not to coil back out of fear.
You can be a Professor of chemistry but you have to speak out on how the economy is being managed, Albert Einstein spoke out, Kpebu said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, February 4.
Martin Kpebu accused the government of mismanaging the economy.
Dr. Amoako Baah, a prominent member of the ruling New Patriotic Party and a political analyst, has said that President Akufo-Addo is the reason why the party’s presidential and parliamentary primaries haven’t been scheduled yet.
Speaking to Selorm Adonoo on Eyewitness News, Dr. Amoako Baah said there “is a contention between the president and the party [with regard to the date for the primaries]. The president wants to hold the primaries in February next year which he said, his 2024 budget would have been passed by then. The MPs on the hand, also want the primaries held in August 2023, to give them enough room to do whatever it is that they have to do to keep the party in good sharp.”
He described it as absolutely absurd to have president Akufo-Addo to be deciding the timelines for the party.
“It doesn’t make sense and the party should not tolerate it, the party does not belong to the president and the party cannot go according to his timetable.”
Dr. Amoako Baah also alleged that the president has threatened to mastermind the defeat of some of the NPP MPs.
“Were you not there or have you not read when the Subin MP [Eugene Boakye Antwi] said the president threatened to mastermind his defeat, how can an outgoing president hold the whole country to ransom?”
Two different meetings held by the National Council of the NPP to set a date for the primaries ended inconclusively.
Pressure is mounting on the NPP to announce a date for its two most important internal elections on its calendar.
A bloc within the party made up of some MPs is pushing for an early Congress whilst others want the party to abide by the provisions of its constitution.
Per the NPP’s constitution, the party is supposed to elect its flagbearer 12 months to an election when in power and two years when in opposition.
MultiChoice Ghana has urged its clients to embrace the new prices it is charging for Dstv services.
The multinational firm said increased operational cost, soaring inflation, taxes among others warranted its decision to increase its prices.
Dstv has been trending on social media this week after MultiChoice Ghana announced a 19% rise in its subscription charges effective February 15, 2023.
The increment generated an uproar among Dstv customers.
But Multichoice in a statement issued on February 3, 2023, explained that the last time it increased its tariff was in April 2022.
It added that, inflation at the time was 23.6%, but the figure has ballooned to over 54%.
It noted that inflation, cedi depreciation and other economic conditions have pushed its cost of operations to worrying levels.
“As a business operating in Ghana, we appreciate the current difficult economic condition the country is facing and hence we understand your concerns. MultiChoice has considered various factors including the current economic pressures facing customers while considering its price adjustments”.
“Year on Year (non) inflation as at end of December 2022 is 54.1% versus the April 2022 number of 23.6%. The various adjustments we have announced are an average of 19% increase which is significantly below the current YoY inflation which has increased by 30.5 percentage points. It is important to also note that our subscription price build-up includes various taxes such as VAT-15%, NHIL-2.5%, GETFund Levy-2.5%, Covid levy-1% and Communication Service Tax-5%.”
“With all the above considerations, we have had to do an adjustment on average 19% yet significantly below what is required to cover the increase in our cost of operations with inflation currently at 54.1%. With the above considerations, we have had to make an adjustment in our prices and continue to strive to see that the increase faced by our customers is as low as possible. Over the past 30 years, MultiChoice has worked tirelessly to ensure it provides an unrivalled bouquet of channels to watch and platforms to view them on for the entire family,” Multichoice assured in the statement.
Paying a landlord more than six months’ worth of rent is not illegal, according to Emmanuel Kporsu, Public Relations Officer for the Rent Control Department.
He said it only becomes an offence if the landlord made the demand for the tenant to pay for more than 6 months.
The PRO explained that the law prohibits landlords from demanding one to two years of rent from tenants.
However, it is not an offence if the tenant decides to pay for one to two years when the landlord has not requested it.
He was speaking about the department’s involvement in the Rent Assistance Scheme, which Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia announced last week.
He stated that the scheme is intended to pay rent advances to applicants between 6 months and two years.
Applicants who meet the criteria may have their applications approved for a maximum monthly rent of GHC1,500 for a period of two years.
It was then questioned why they would pay two years in advance when the law forbids it.
At this point, he explained that the law only prohibits landlords from making tenant demands.
However, if the tenant pays the rent for more than six months, the landlord will not be in violation.
Mr. Kporsu stated “Section 25 subsection 5 of the existing law states that during a short tenancy, the landlord should not demand more than two months’ rent in advance. If the tenancy is longer than six months, the landlord should not demand more than six months’ rent in advance. However, it is not a crime if the tenant pays the landlord for more than the approved number of months.”
If the landlord makes the demand and you have evidence, you can report the landlord and the law will take care of the situation,” he said on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm.
However, Dr. Benjamin Otchere-Ankrah, a Governance Lecturer at the Central University has vehemently dissented to the GII proposition.
According to the organization, the protocol list creates loopholes for people to cheat and stressed there should be equal and fair opportunity in the placement system.
Reacting on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” panel discussion programme, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah stated emphatically that abolishing the protocol list system can never work.
He explained that there are some people who commit huge resources to the development of their schools, hence found the GII recommendation condemnable.
Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, Dr. Otchere-Ankrah said; “I don’t agree with them. I will never agree with them today, tomorrow or next year. I went to Aggrey Memorial Secondary School. We have built a domitory but for 26 solid years, it’s still not complete . . . I have not seen this in any school except Aggrey; for 26 years, it’s still under construction. Is it not shocking to you?…If we are to solicit monetary help from stakeholders…and it’s completed and the benefactor says he wants to bring his child to the school, you are telling me we should refuse it. I disagree with those peddling this agenda to stop the protocol”.
“You have built your school on someone’s land and you are saying you won’t give the Chief in the area protocol. The school land belongs to someone. Even at Legon, KNUST, there is protocol; why is it that when it comes to Secondary School, you are saying we shouldn’t do protocol?”, he added.
At his home in Maamekrobo, in the Kwahu Afram Plains South District of the Eastern Region, 54-year-old farmer Kwasi Ahoku is said to have been shot dead by police.
The incident occurred on Friday, February 3, 2023, around 6:30am.
It is alleged that the police are the cause of the death after firing several shots into the house of the deceased in an attempt to force him out for interrogation after a Fulani herdsman claimed that his cattle has been gunned down by a farmer suspected to be the deceased.
A resident who is the former Chairman of the Afram Plains Farmers Association, Mathew Afrani in an interview on Agoo FM Morning revealed that about fifteen bullets were fired at the deceased residence, leaving several gunshot marks on the wall of the house.
“After the gunshots, the police forced and broke into the room of the suspect and found him dead with gunshot wounds on his body in a pool of blood,” he said.
Speaking on the matter, the District Chief Executive (DCE) of Kwahu Afram Plains South District Assembly, Evans Kyei Ntiri expressed his displeasure with the devastating incident which has occurred in his district.
He explained that he had a call from the District Police Commander who informed him of the incident.
He said, according to the Police, the deceased (Kwasi Ahoku) tried to face off with the policemen when the police got to his residence.
“He challenged the police that he is also in possession of a gun which escalated the tension and resulted in many warning shots released in the skies. As the police broke into the room, they saw the man dead lying beside his gun. We are still investigating the matter to know the actual root of the incident,” Mr Ntiri said.
Police say the matter is under investigation and will be receiving persons who are willing to help out with information on the said incident.
A video depicting how Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member of parliament for North Tongu, dismissed a restraining order document from the secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has surfaced online.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was forced to kick out the document after the bailiff tried to force the document into his car on the compound of Metro TV after the Good Morning Ghana show.
A man initially approached the lawmaker as he was just about to sit in his car after the show, the two were captured having a conversation after which a document was presented to him.
The lawmaker did not take the document but went ahead to seat on his car, just as he opened his car, the bailiff tried to force the document into the lawmaker’s car but he immediately threw it out, kicked the document away from his car and drove off.
Rev Kusi Boateng secures restraining order against Ablakwa
The secretary to the board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, who is also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has secured an order of interim injunction against the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
The order restrains Okudzeto Ablakwa from publicly sharing any document belonging to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for the next 10 days.
The MP who disclosed this in a tweet shared on Friday, February 3, 2023, said that he was served the order after his appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on the same day.
“One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal,” parts of the MP’s tweet read.
The MP shared a picture of the order he was served which read: “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the 1″ Respondent, SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA is restrained from making further public disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant (Adu Gyamfi).”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this interim order will lapse after Ten (10) days,” it added.
Background
The latest corruption exposé on the National Cathedral by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, suggested impropriety on the part of the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
On January 16, 2023, the MP made some allegations against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
In an earlier revelation about the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said a whopping GH¢2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited.
Further investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.
Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa dug deeper in a bid to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi was the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym K
Dr. Kofi Amoah, a well-known economist and businessman, has claimed that the government will though the Bank of Ghana to print additional money in order to support its Gold-for-Oil agenda.
In a tweet shared on Friday, February 3, 2023, Dr Amoah said that the government has no savings to purchase the gold for this policy and thus will resort to printing more money.
He said that the printing of money will fuel inflation which will further heighten the hardship ordinary Ghanaians are facing.
He added that Ghanaians who can afford to leave the country should do so before it collapses totally.
“The NPP has stepped into the Capitalistic Culture they’ve no clue of. Pls get out whilst you can b4 Ghana drowns completely
“Govt n BOG have no money saved so they’ll print new money to buy the gold for the barter which will fuel inflation n Cedi depreciation,” parts of the tweet read.
The economist made these remarks while reacting to an article by GhanaWeb on the government’s Gold-for-Oil policy.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, in November 2022, announced the government’s plan to undertake the gold-for-oil initiative. The deal was hinged on buying oil products with Ghana’s gold instead of the US dollar.
Dr Bawumia, in a post shared on Facebook, explained that the usage of gold to purchase oil would address Ghana’s dwindling foreign reserves as well as reduce demand for US dollars by oil importers.
“It will fundamentally change our balance of payments and significantly reduce the persistent depreciation of our currency,” the vice president earlier wrote.
Under the policy, the government believes that using gold to purchase oil products would also bring stability to the exchange rate market and ensure domestic oil operators do not solely depend on foreign exchange to import products.
View the tweet below:
The NPP has stepped into the Capitalistic Culture they’ve no clue of
Pls get out whilst you can b4 Ghana drowns completely
Govt n BOG have no money saved so they’ll print new money to buy the gold for the barter which will fuel inflation n Cedi depreciation
Sam Nartey George, the representative for Ningo Prampram, has called the God-for-Oil policy government is enforcing a hoax.
According to him, the aim of the policy is to reduce the prices of oil products but the prices of these items are set to increase again this February.
Speaking in a Good Morning Ghana interview monitored by GhanaWeb, Sam George added that just like the Sinohydro deal, which was said to be a barter trade deal, the God-for-Oil policy will end up increasing the country’s indebtedness.
“The whole concept that has been built is simply part of the sloganeering of the NPP. They have built a smoke screen and behind the smoke screen are individual interests aligned with the NPP… at the expense of ordinary taxpayers.
“Dr Bawumia promised us that the God-for-Oil will give us cheaper products but this week, the prices are going up… it is obvious and clear that this God-for-Oil is a scam,” he said.
The MP added that the policy is shrouded with a lot of inconsistencies and a lack of transparency with most of the parties involved in it not known to the people of Ghana.
“We need to know who is the intermediary, and how was the intermediary selected. Who are those we are buying the product from? At what price are were being given the product, are they higher than spot price or are they market premium prices or are they lower than the market premium prices,” he said.
Background:
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, in November 2022, announced the government’s plan to undertake the gold-for-oil initiative. The deal was hinged on buying oil products with Ghana’s gold instead of the US dollar.
Dr Bawumia, in a post shared on Facebook, explained that the usage of gold to purchase oil would address Ghana’s dwindling foreign reserves as well as reduce demand for US dollars by oil importers.
“It will fundamentally change our balance of payments and significantly reduce the persistent depreciation of our currency,” the vice president earlier wrote.
Under the policy, the government believes that using gold to purchase oil products would also bring stability to the exchange rate market and ensure domestic oil operators do not solely depend on foreign exchange to import products.
According to Secretary General of the National Tenants Organization of Ghana, Mr. Fredrick Opoku, the union was not consulted before the government introduced the National Rental Assistance Scheme.
He explained stated that, the union represents the interest of tenants, so their opinion should have been sought.
He expressed his disappointment while speaking with the Ghana News Agency (GNA).
Mr. Opoku emphasized that, a major challenge tenants face is the unavailability of accommodation and affordable housing and urged the government to build more houses to support the scheme.
He also called for the development of a “rent-to-own” policy that will enable tenants to rent houses built by government and own later after an agreed payment scheme.
The Rental Assistance Scheme aims at providing safe, comfortable and affordable housing for lower income households and youth in the country. The Scheme will provide rent loans to eligible Ghanaians who are 18 years and above with a verifiable and regular income.
This loan is to be paid on monthly basis by the beneficiary (tenant), not exceeding 30% of his/her household income, to match the tenure of the rent.
Also speaking was the Executive Secretary of the Ghana Real Estate Developers Association, Mr. Samuel Amegayibor who indicated that the Scheme should address the rent law, which required tenants not to pay more than six-month advance rent.
“The intervention is not exactly in favour of the populace, it has implementation challenges with the rent advance timelines, which needed to be addressed”, he said.
He believes that government should rather prioritize the provision of affordable housing and not the introduction of such schemes.
However, some tenants and landlords have expressed their content and satisfaction with the scheme and called for it to be more sustainable.
Daniel Quarcoe, a landlord at Kaneshie, said the Scheme would relieve them of rent payment delays from tenants. He said it would address the challenges property owners had with tenants over the deadline of payment of rent.
Mr Eric Allotey, a Tenant at North Kaneshie, said the features of the Scheme on the internet should advertise houses available for rent. He said that would save them the stress of going to look for accommodation and challenges with middlemen.
Mr Yaw Manu, a Tenant at Osu, said the Scheme should not be limited to public servants or persons with well-structured income but all Ghanaians.
The flagbearer candidate for the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and Member of Parliament for Assin Central in Central Region, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has asked party followers and Ghanaians to have faith in his goals and objectives.
Though official nominations have not been opened, flagbearer hopefuls are moving and sending their campaign signals out.
Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, a businessman and politician, is one of them.
He appealed to Ghanaians to have confidence in him and make him the party’s flagbearer and the country’s president come 2024.
Mr. Agyapong made this appeal when he appeared on ‘Good Evening Ghana’ on Metro TV in Ghana.
According to him, he is a man who understands Ghanaian languages and problems and can also solve the problems of the people.
He also added that even if those who vote for him age, their children will largely benefit from their support for him.
Ken Agyapong added that he will exonerate himself from the case of Ahmed Suale’s death when he becomes president of Ghana. Though he affirmed that police investigations could not point fingers at him for the death of the investigative journalist, he will show interest in the case when he is voted President of Ghana.
On February 2, 2023, the Asokore Mampong District Court set bail at 2000 Ghana Cedis (GH2,000) for each of the 43 rioting Krobea Asante Vocational Training Institute pupils, with a guarantee that had to be approved by their guardians or parents.
The court presided over by H.W. Samuel Buabin Quansah also ordered the students to sign bonds and report to the Effiduase-Asokore Police Station with their parents or guardians once every week.
The student suspects have been slapped with provisional charges of conspiracy to commit a crime, to wit: rioting, causing unlawful damage, and stealing.
Police in the Effiduase district command arrested the senior prefect of Asante Kroabea T-VET and three others, thereby increasing the number of suspects to 43.
The case has been adjourned to March 2, 2023.
The students were arrested during a violent demonstration that resulted in the destruction of properties belonging to the school and other private individuals on campus.
The January 22 incident forced the Ashanti Regional Security Council to order the immediate closure of the school.
A five-member committee has also been tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding the violence.
Due to their participation in the exhumation of a body at the New Edubiase cemetery, two individuals have been placed into police prison for a period of two weeks.
According to an adomonline.com report, the two, Kwabena Okyere, aged 56, and Maxwell Ansah, 39, were arrested on Tuesday, January 31, 2023.
Details shared in the New Edubiase Magistrate Court showed that the attention of the police were drawn to the action of the two after they were reported by the traditional priest.
The priest, according to the report, reported the two after they tried to sell the exhumed human parts to him.
After appearing in court on Friday, February 3, 2023, the court ordered that they be remanded.
The next hearing of the case will be at a circuit court on February 14, 2023, the report added.
The North-Tongu MP, Mr Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has responded to Reverend Kusi Boateng’s injunction against him.
The MP says he has instructed his lawyers to take the necessary action on the case.
The Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral Secretariat, Rev Kusi Boateng on Wednesday, February 1, filed an order of injunction against the MP restraining him from further publications on him.
In a writ filed at the Human Rights Division of the High Court in Accra, Rev Kusi Boateng prayed the court for, “an order of interim injunction to restrain the 1ST Respondent/ Respondent from making further public disclosures of the private information, documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant; and for such further order or orders as this Court deems fit.”
Also cited in the writ is the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as 2nd Respondent.
Commenting on the new development, Mr Ablakwa in a Facebook post on Friday, said he was served with notice of the injunction at the premises of Metro TV after appearing on their morning show.
“After my appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show this morning, a gentleman supposedly from the courts brought to the precincts of Metro TV, court documents which suggest that one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order from February 1, 2023 seeking to prevent me from putting out further publications on the Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng/Kwabena Adu Gyamfi Conflict of Interest and Double Identity Scandal.
“I have promptly instructed my lawyers to take the necessary steps,” he posted.
The former Deputy Education Minister added that the “Truth and Justice shall not be buried.”
The secretary to the board of trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev Victor Kusi Boateng, also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, has obtained an order of temporary injunction against Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the member of parliament for North Tongu.
The order restrains Okudzeto Ablakwa from publicly sharing any document belonging to Kwabena Adu Gyamfi for the next 10 days.
The MP who disclosed this in a tweet shared on Friday, February 3, 2023, said that he was served the order after his appearance on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana programme on the same day.
“One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal,” parts of the MP’s tweet read.
The MP shared a picture of the order he was served which read: “IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the 1″ Respondent, SAMUEL OKUDZETO ABLAKWA is restrained from making further public disclosures of private documents, correspondence, communication and property belonging to the Applicant (Adu Gyamfi).”
“IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that this interim order will lapse after Ten (10) days,” it added.
Background
The latest corruption exposé on the National Cathedral by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, suggested impropriety on the part of the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana, Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng.
On January 16, 2023, the MP made some allegations against Rev. Kusi Boateng, who is the secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral of Ghana.
In an earlier revelation about the National Cathedral, Okudzeto Ablakwa said a whopping GH¢2.6 million was dished out to a company named JNS Talent Centre Limited.
Further investigations into the alleged payment led to the discovery of one Kwabena Adu Gyamfi as a director of JNS Talent Centre.
Having confirmed the identities of two out of three directors of the centre, Ablakwa dug deeper in a bid to discover the identity of the third director, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
According to his findings, citing a number of statutory documents, Kwabena Adu Gyamfi was the same as Reverend Kusi Boateng, who has allegedly been operating under the pseudonym Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
View the MP’s tweet below:
One Kwabena Adu Gyamfi also claiming to have an alias as Victor Kusi Boateng has secured a 10-day restraining order seeking to stop me from further publications on the Conflict of Interest & Double Identity Scandal.
The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) has voiced its displeasure with the rate of increase in the most recent major utility prices review for the beverage industry under Industry.
The association said they do appreciate the changes in the key determinants in tariff fixing and therefore reasonable changes in tariffs do not come as a surprise.
However, the said, notice the principle of equity was largely missing in the major tariff review conducted in August last year for water, where a particular customer category was being asked to bear a 316% increment in a single tariff review.
“Indeed, our beverage companies under Industry have always belonged to the Industry category of water users. Surprisingly, the last major tariff review in August 2022 saw an introduction of a new end-user category, Commercial Bottled Water and Drinks, quite alien to the PURC gazette. Indeed, the increment for this new consumer category alone was 316%, over and above the 21% average increment reported for water.
“This is the new category our Beverage companies within Industry are being unfairly re-assigned. We acknowledge the water tariff reduction from the 316% (Ghc45.94/1000 litres) to 172% (Ghc30.00/1000 litres) subsequent to our meetings with the PURC but this is still unbearable,” a statement said.
It added “We do not think the creation of a new Consumer category addresses the challenges in our water distribution system. Such astronomical tariff increment in a single revision is retrogressive and shows no empathy for Ghana’s ailing Industrial sector. We all need to wake up to the looming collapse of our local industries which hold the key to job creation and our economic recovery.”
“The AGI reiterated that a tariff increment of 316% and subsequently 172% for its beverage sector under Industry will have dire consequences for Industry and the Ghana Water Company (GWCo).
“Our Utilities risk of losing revenue if this trend ends up collapsing the companies. We think it is unfair for the PURC to demand a significant share of revenue from Industry, whose cost of service is cheaper. We urge the PURC to make public the real cost of service for each consumer category to engender transparency and fairness.
“Again, we notice a 48% increment in water tariffs for Industry effective this February, which is a significant deviation from the 8% average increment as announced. Within a period of less than six months, electricity tariffs have also shot up significantly on two occasions, 26.6% in September 2022 and 29.9% for this quarter, totalling a whopping 56.5%. Industries have been under pressure from an unstable business environment. Hoping to see signs of recovery this year, the situation is further worsened by this utility tariff increment, inflation at 54.1%, VAT at 21.9%, fuel prices inching up, and threats of excise duty increments, which pose a serious threat to employment prospects and survival of businesses.
“With the foregoing, AGI is calling on the PURC to maintain its beverage sector companies in their Industry category which has also seen an increment of 48% in water tariff. We believe Industries are a high-revenue customer for GWCo and deserve equity in the water pricing we see. We urge the Government to help stem the tide of our macroeconomic instability, which is a major trigger for some of the changes in tariffs levels and price hikes. AGI is looking forward to further engagement with the PURC and the Utility Service Providers in the coming days.”
Wa West MP Peter Lanchene Toobu has voiced concerns that the ongoing chieftaincy crisis in Bawku, Upper East Region, could serve as a breeding ground for terrorists to enter the sub-region and radicalize Ghanaian youth in the north.
The retired police officer’s concerns come after the recent killings of some civilians in the conflict-riddled area by the military.
The army, however, says it merely “neutralised” the civilians, who he described as criminal suspects.
Speaking to Nasaria Abdul Rahman on Class 91.3FM’s mid-day news 12Live on Friday, 3 February 2023, Mr Toobu said: “That issue in Bawku has the potential to engulf the whole region of West Africa,” warning: “Let’s rise up to it and say, ‘This is wrong, let’s stop it’ because it started in Mali and dropped down to Burkina Faso and it’s knocking on our door and we shouldn’t create that enabling environment to radicalise the youth and get them ready to join any group that can cause mayhem.”
He said: “Apart from the deaths, it is disgraceful. What is it that we can’t solve? Somebody must be a chief and because of that somebody should die? This is unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, the Upper East Regional Security Council has appealed to the ethnic factions in the Bawku conflict, “to desist from any attempt to engage the military in combat, since that will be catastrophic on the part of the civilians.”
“We should, therefore, be charting a peaceful map for Bawku,” a statement signed by Alhaji Abubakari Inusah, Chief Director, on behalf of the Regional Minister, said.
The Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) refuted allegations by some individuals in Bawku that soldiers deployed on Operation Gongong to restore calm in the area were killing innocent Kusasi youth and women in their homes and communities.
The army also said allegations that military personnel have seized Zoogin, a Kusasi community, is false and unfounded.
GAF, in a statement, explained that information received from the National Investigations Bureau (NIB) by its Operation Gongong Team early this week indicated that passengers on board a yellow KIA Grand Bird Bus with registration number AS 3672-21 travelling from Accra to Missiga were attacked by unknown gunmen around Kpawelga on the Bawku Highways.
The gunmen fired through the tyre and engine compartment of the vehicle.
The bus is currently parked at Asylum Down, Bawku Divisional Police Station, for an investigation to be conducted.
Also, one KIA Rhino truck with registration number AS 7093-17 was hit and the driver of the truck, Alhassan Abdella, aged 40, from the Gonja ethnic group, sustained gunshot wounds on the left foot.
He is currently receiving treatment at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital.
Again, GAF noted that on Wednesday, 1 February 2023, gunshots were heard around South Natinga in Bawku.
A patrol team rushed to the general area of the shooting where a suspect, Abdul Malik Haruna, aged 35, from the Mamprusi ethnic group, was arrested.
He has since been handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigation.
GAF, in the statement, said it must be placed on record that based on a tip-off by the Bawku Police on the hideout of the suspects alleged to be involved in the firing incident at Bawku, troops conducted cordon and search operations together with the Bawku police at Pateleme General Area.
Three suspects, Fatau Alhassan Binda, 42; Abubakar Iddrisu, 44; and Alhassan Mustapha Binda, 33; all from the Dagomba ethnic group, were arrested in a house at Pateleme.
They were handed over to the Bawku Police for further investigations.
In a separate incident, GAF further disclosed that sporadic firing was heard around the Sabongari General Area.
A patrol team dispatched to assess the situation spotted unknown armed men at the Gozesi-Valley side in Sabongari wearing black t-shirts with black hoodies.
Troops engaged them and neutralised six armed men.
GAF said during the engagement, some armed men took cover in a mud house within the immediate vicinity to engage the team.
One of the armed men attempted to attack troops with a cutlass but was disarmed in the process.
During the operation, a local woman found with a gunshot injury on the left hand was sent to Bawku Presbyterian Hospital by troops for treatment.
GAF said it is forced to disclose these outcomes in order to dispel false information and the wrong notion that a particular group is being targeted by troops in Bawku.
GAF has assured the general public of its commitment to protecting the citizenry at all times.
It is, therefore, soliciting the support of all peace-loving Ghanaians, especially indigenes of Bawku, to facilitate the process of bringing normalcy to the area and also to aid GAF in de-escalating tension in the interest of the needed peace and security for the socio-economic development of Bawku and the nation as a whole.
University of Ghana students who are dissatisfied with several administration decisions have gathered in Accra’s Obra Spot to protest.
Students of the university, especially residents of the Commonwealth and Sarbah Halls have been protesting the decision of the university to allow only level 100 students into those halls and relocate continuing students to other hostels.
The new directive to reassign the continuing students to other halls comes on the back of numerous clashes recorded between students of the respective halls in times past.
Hundreds of students who returned to school in January were prevented from entering those two halls and were asked to go to other halls.
The students are also accusing the university management of increasing fees by more than the 15% approved by Parliament.
Citi News‘ Charles Owusu Kumi who reported from the Obra Spot on Friday said the students who are in their hundreds said some of the decisions of the university are unfair and put a huge financial burden on the students.
The students who were clad in red and black bands called on the government to come to their aid and stop the university management from enforcing the unpopular decision.
According to an Energy Policy Analyst, the 40,000 metric tons of oil purchased by the government as part of the “Gold for Oil” deal came from a Russian Oil Trading Company (OTC) by the name of Lethasco SA and not the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as stated earlier by Vice President Dr. Mahamadu Bawumia.
Mr. Benjamin Nisah, the head of research at the Chamber of Petroleum Consumers (COPEC), made this revelation while reacting to the Deputy Minister for Energy, Mr. Andrew Egyapa Mercer, who said that the government used cash for the first batch of the Gold for Oil deal instead of gold.
Mr. Nsiah spoke on the 6 p.m. evening news on Accra 100.5 FM on Thursday, February 2, 2023.
He said the Gold-for-Oil deal is not the way to go, adding that the deal cannot resolve the country’s petroleum problems.
He said this is so because the price of oil is determined by the Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) on the international oil market.
He explained that even if the country had to use gold to purchase oil, it still had to purchase it on the international market.
He was convinced that the Gold-for-Oil deal was not the best way to reduce gasoline prices at the pump.
He stated unequivocally that the country’s ability to refine its own crude oil could lower gasoline prices.
James Klutse Avedzi, the head of Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee, has expressed alarm over COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah, the EOCO’s Executive Director, who has a history of failing to appear before the committee (PAC).
According to the chairman, he is not happy with COP Maame Yaa Tiwaa Addo-Danquah as it is the second time she has failed to appear before the committee, although she was scheduled to do so.
The chairman of the committee raised concerns when EOCO appeared before the committee.
“Last year she did not attend, and this year too she did not attend. We are taking note, and it should be communicated to her that the chairman of the committee is not happy that she is not coming or appearing before the committee,” he said.
The Public Accounts Committee has started public hearings on the report of the Auditor-General for Ministries, Departments, and other Agencies (MDAs) for 2022.
The Chairman of the Committee, James Klutse Avedzi, and the members of the Committee invite ministers, directors from various institutions, and officials from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to answer queries cited in the Report of the Auditor-General on the Public Sector Accounts of Ghana (General Government) for the year ended December 31, 2020.
More than 600 New Patriotic Party (NPP) delegates from the Krachi East Constituency have formally endorsed Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia for presidency.
The executives include Electoral Area Coordinators, Polling station Executives, Constituency Executives, and the former Member of Parliament (MP), Mr Michael Yaw Gyato.
Addressing the group at the Church of Pentecost Dambai Central Chapel, the former MP tasked the Executives to carefully weigh the merits of the Vice President’s flagbearership and vote for him to lead the party to victory in 2024.
He called on the rank and file of the party in the constituency to ignore the propaganda machinery of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party that describes the NPP as an Akan party.
Mr Gyato said the NPP has the most credible record of embracing every ethnic group in the country and tapping wide range knowledge of expertise from members and therefore would not reduce membership to only one ethnic group.
Speaking in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the former MP refuted the perception that the NPP is an Akan party. He said NPP cuts across all ethnic persuasions and always give opportunities to members in all its endeavours.
He explained that the founding fathers of the party were not only Akans and that the foundation of the party was built on solid inter-ethnic persuasion without any prejudice to ethnic groups.
Mr Gyato said the labelling of the NPP as an Akan party, especially by the people of northern decent and most instructively from the NDC was a smear campaign to create false impression to northerners that Akans in the NPP party dictated the pace in the party.
He thanked the National Muslim Conference and the various Muslim groups around the country and diaspora for allowing their son to bridge the religion in Ghana.
Some die-hard executives also believed that to “break the eight years” in office for political parties in the 4th Republic, the Vice President, Dr Mahamud Bawumia remains the preferred candidate for December 2024 polls.
The member of parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, continues to maintain that Reverend Victor Kusi Boateng received a Ghana Card that was fraudulently issued by the National Identification Authority (NIA).
Mr. Ablakwa had indicated that Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng, presented himself at NIA premises but was issued a Ghana Card bearing the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, with a different date of birth.
But the NIA in a statement said there is nothing mysterious about Kwabena Adu Gyamfi being issued with a Ghana Card.
In response to the NIA statement, Mr. Ablakwa said the NIA must come clean on the issue.
“The NIA is making a lot of grandiose claims about how the Ghana card is credible, and it is integrated with GRA and many banks. If this is true, how is it that they could not detect this all these years? ”
“Rev. Kusi Boateng has successfully dribbled NIA.”
The legislator in a series of posts on social media alleged that Rev. Kusi Boateng who is also the Secretary to the Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral had registered companies and had multiple passports which had the name Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
He also insisted that Rev. Kusi Boateng has two TINs produced on different occasions and in some instances, two different dates of birth.
Mr. Ablakwa has said he started digging into the double identity of Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng when he sighted in the incorporation documents that he was one of the contractors for the project, with registration name as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi.
Mr. Ablakwa said, during his investigative piece, he discovered that JNS Talent, which was paid GH₵2.6 million belongs to the appointed Secretary of the National Cathedral Board of Trustees, Victor Kusi Boateng.
The North Tongu legislator further said that the Secretary’s expired driver’s license also bears the name Rev. Victor Kusi Boateng which was used to incorporate him into the Secretariat Board of Trustees.
