Ban these drugs…They pose health hazard - Surgeon
Tony Yeboah, Kuffour 'duped' 160 million cedis…Over land transaction
Bishop Sarpong speaks out…'Bible doesn't allow accusation of witches'
Foreign firm exposes Ghana government
Malaysians schemed out of GCB…Denied 160bn cedis London branch
KMA rebels desperate…In their bid to remove 'Okumkom'
Lotto Receivers' Union threatens strike action
Ban these drugs…They pose health hazard - Surgeon
The Daily Graphic reports a Ghanaian Veterinary Surgeon as making an urgent call on the government to ban importation of veterinary drugs containing certain chemical substances which, he said, cause infertility in both human beings and animals.
The paper, in a front page banner headline story, says Dr Mark Tetteh, a Public Health veterinarian in Accra, said the presence of the chemicals, "lipoplastic chlorinated hydro carbon", in drugs for animals does not only cause infertility in the animals but has also been scientifically proved to be a major cause of infertility in women and low sperm count in men.
Dr Tetteh is reported as saying that human beings are affected through the consumption of animals treated with drugs containing those chemicals, which have been banned in Europe.
He cautioned that if they are not banned in Ghana, its continued intake could cause serious health problems for the country.
The Veterinary surgeon was delivering a talk at a forum for livestock farmers on "the effects of chemicals on animals and their adverse effects on human beings"…
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Tony Yeboah, Kuffour 'duped' 160 million cedis…Over land transaction
IN another story on its back page, the Graphic says that two Germany-based Ghanaian professional footballers, Anthony Yeboah and Samuel Osei Kuffour, 'have blown the whistle' on what they believe is a syndicate out to cheat enterprising sportsmen of their landed property.
The paper says the two, have in separate actions, filed writs at an Accra High Court seeking recovery of over 160 million cedis they paid for the acquisition of parcels of land but which have not been delivered.
According to the Graphic, the writs filed on behalf of the two footballers by their solicitors, Quansah and Co., an Accra legal firm, and dated August 3, 1999, are against some family heads in the Teshie and Nungua areas, two estate agents and an official of the Lands Valuation Board.
Tony Yeboah, the paper says, is also seeking interest in the said sum of 100 million cedis at the prevailing bank rate from November, 1997 to date of final payment, and costs.
Similarly, the defendants in the case by Osei Kuffour, are being held jointly and severally for the recovery of 60.5 million cedis, being money paid to them by Osei Kuffour as purchase price for the sale of land at Baatsonaa, Accra, "the consideration for which has failed".
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Return to top Ghanaian Times
Bishop Sarpong speaks out…'Bible doesn't allow accusation of witches'
In its lead story, the Ghanaian Times reports that the Right Reverend Peter Kwasi Sarpong, Catholic Bishop of Kumasi, has blamed religious leaders who accuse people of sorcery, for being the cause of social unrest in many homes.
Thousands of people are under threats in various parts of Ghana just because so-called evangelists, pastors, prophets and apostles, have branded them witches and demons", he is quoted as saying.
He stated categorically that true Godliness does not allow the accusation of any witchcraft Wondering where in the Bible did Jesus Christ accuse anyone of being a witch, Bishop Sarpong is reported as declaring, "these so-called pastors and prophets have abused the true religion".
Bishop Sarpong was responding to a question on witchcraft, at a forum on "political and religious tolerance", organised by the national Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), in Kumasi yesterday.
The Catholic Bishop is said to have expressed concern about what he described as "so-called democracies" which are not interested in the mass of the people.
He observed that democratic governments are in practice, governments of interest groups and politics of pressure with the people at the periphery, neglected and manipulated in spite of promises to improve the quality of their lives.
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Foreign firm exposes Ghana government
The Free Press says the hypocrisy of the Ghana government has been exposed by an Indian firm which had been accused of supplying inferior medical products to the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital in Accra and other leading hospitals in the country.
The paper says in a fax message to its agents in Ghana, Rona Chemists Limited, the Indian firm, Sunu International Pvt. Limited of Sona Udyog, Bombay, was categorical about the quality of 'Foleys Catheters' supplied to the hospitals through Rona Chemists Limited.
"We are confident that there is no problem with the product and strongly believe that the problem is somewhere else", the fax message is quoted as saying.
According to the Free Press the Indian firm's reaction was in response to a complaint from Rona Chemists Limited to clarify the claim by authorities at Korle-Bu and health officials that the firm's products were of inferior quality unfit for use by hospitals in Ghana.
To confirm the quality of their products, Sunu International Pvt. Limited is said to have added copies of testing certificates to Rona Chemists Limited.
The paper says strangely enough, the same officials of the Ministry of Health, who challenged the quality of the items, ordered 126 cartons of the same goods from Sunu International for use in Ghanaian hospitals.
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Return to top The Ghanaian Chronicle
Malaysians schemed out of GCB…Denied 160bn cedis London branch
The Ghanaian Chronicle says a Malaysian company 'Denko BHD', which manufactures condoms and 'PVC' pipes, and was the Ghana government's choice of a strategic investor to acquire the 30 per cent shares of the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB), has been schemed out of the purchase by the government.
According to the paper, the company, after paying a commitment fee of 10 per cent of the total purchase price in December 1996, and signing a sale and purchasing agreement, the government hived off the profitable Fleetwood Street (London branch) of GCB, estimated at 160 billion cedis, which the Malaysians had wanted to sue as a beachhead, to the British financial market and convert it into Ghana International Bank, a United Kingdom limited liability company.
The Chronicle says the loss of the possible access to the London financial market shocked Denko, which subsequently pulled out of the acquisition on January 4, this year.
The paper says earlier attempts by the Malaysians to enter the United Kingdom financial market had been rebuffed by the Governor of the Bank of England, Sir Eddie George.
The Malaysians, the paper says, tried to find another route to hit the London financial market and the GCB strategic shares offer provided the right opportunity they had been waiting for and Denko, therefore, 'hit the ceiling with excitement' when the offer came up for grabs, hoping that they could still enter the London market, through the London branch of GCB.
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Ghana Palaver
KMA rebels desperate…In their bid to remove 'Okumkom'
The Ghana Palaver says in a final desperate bid to remove 'Okumkom' Nana Akwasi Agyeman from office as the Metropolitan Chief Executive of Kumasi, the 46 members of the assembly, who oppose his tenure, have now filed a writ at the Kumasi High Court, claiming among other things, a declaration that that a on a true and proper interpretation of section 5 (1) (d) of the Local Government Act, 1993, Act 462, the government appointee component of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly, shall not exceed 20 persons.
The 46 members, the paper says, are also seeking an order of the court directing t he government/President to withdraw the excess number of government appointees and a perpetual injunction to restrain the assembly from conducting any business as it is currently constituted
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Lotto Receivers' Union threatens strike action
The Weekend Statesman reports on its back page a contemplated strike action by Lotto Receivers' Union. The paper says members of the National Lotto Receivers' Union in the Western Region, have Threatened to go on strike if the government does not increase their commission on the sale of lotto tickets.
They say they want nothing less than a 10 per cent increase on their 20 per cent commission which has not been increased since 1992.
The Weekend Statesman says issuing the threat the union's general meeting in Takoradi,the regional chairman, Mr A.P. Gaisie, criticised the government for neglecting lotto receivers, whereas the Executive keeps increasing the salaries of public servants every now and then.
"Don't lotto receivers buy from the same market as other workers and are we, too, not affected by the increases in the price of petroleum products, school fees and medical bills", he is quoted as saying.
According to Mr Gaisie, apart from the 7.5 per cent deducted from their commission by the government as income tax, the members are also obliged to pay 3,000 cedis for each booklet they collect from the Department of National Lotteries.
Their conditions of service, he said, are in sharp contrast to those of their counterparts in the 'banker-to-banker' operations, who are given free stationery to work with, in addition to their 35 per cent commission.
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