Court
cautions Prempeh Headmaster
Komfo
Anokye’s attacker remanded
Rural Banks
to be audited
Ghana ranks
Number two in accidents
NDC ejected
from chairman’s premises
Osei Kufuor
would have made a fine minister
Electorate
has regretted actions - NDC
Hamid
launches bid for NPP national organizer
'I was
asked to sign as director'
GFA bans
five players
Cabinet
approves Medical College
"Honour
Ako Adjei with overpass"
The
Minister of Youth and Sports, Papa Owusu Ankomah, has called on NPP supporters
not to deceive themselves that because the party won the 2000 elections they
can turn themselves into contractors overnight just to win government contracts
as was done previously, reports The Ghanaian Chronicle.
The NPP government is determined to
do away with the practice where contracts were awarded to the unqualified, thus
resulting in shoddy works as were experienced in the previous administration, Papa
Owusu Ankomah, told congress at Sekondi
constituency last Saturday, where new officers were elected to steer the
affairs of the party.
He said further told his supporters that the government
has decided to warn its mass followers because it is determined to ensure a
real positive change in the country.
According to him, NPP as a party
that can stay in power has decided not to use state resources in the attempt to
build the party for a long stay in office.
More…/
Court
cautions Prempeh Headmaster
Mr Justice
Abrahams, presiding over a Kumasi High Court, last Wednesday cautioned Mr E.A.
Sekyere, headmaster of Prempeh College in Kumasi, for misconducting himself
towards a bailiff of the court. He is said to have thrown the bailiff out of
his office and threatened him if he dared enter his office again.
The bailiff had gone there to serve him with a
notice of a motion instituted against him by two members of staff over the
suspension of their salaries and alleged harassment.
Hardly had Justice Abrahams adjourned the case
to enable the counsel for the plaintiffs to study the case when he told the
court that he had some bad news for Sekyere, the third defendant.
The news, according to Justice Abrahams, was
that his bailiff had complained to him that morning about Sekyere’s conduct
when he served him with a notice of hearing of the case. “You are reported to
have thrown my bailiff out and threatened him,” the honourbale judge told the
defendant.
Justice Abrahams said he believed the report of
his officer, but expressed doubts if a man of Sekyere’s calibre would stoop so
low to threaten a bailiff, whose only offence was discharging his duty. Sekyere
was cautioned not to repeat such misconduct or be made to face the full rigours
of the law.
Before the headmaster could react, Lawyer Kwaku
Djan, a member of the Education Council and friend of the court, apologised to
the court on behalf of the headmaster, the school and the board.
Sekyere, jointly and severally sued together
with three others, for general and special damages, was in the dock to defend
the charge brought against him by the plaintiffs, Messrs E.K. Frimpong and
William Ababio, Assistant Headmaster and Economics tutor of Prempeh College,
respectively.
GRi…/
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Komfo
Anokye’s attacker remanded
The
self-styled Evangelist, Kwame Sarfo, 31, who attempted to destroy the statue of
the legendary Komfo Anokye mounted in front of the Komfo Anokye Teaching
Hospital (KATH) has been remanded in prison custody, according to The Ghanaian
Times.
He pleaded not guilty to the charge
of causing unlawful damage to the statue, a national monument and will reappear
on August 7.
On Monday, the accused attacked the
statue with a hammer and broke off its right hand holding a whisk.
The tribunal chaired by Mr S.K.
Achina heard that Sarfo claimed he had a vision three years ago in which God
expressed total dissatisfaction with idol worshipping by a section of
Ghanaians.
Based on that, the accused left
Obuasi to Kumasi to condemn all idol worshippers, accusing them of being the
cause of the lack of progress in the country.
Armed with a hammer and a Bible, the
accused on reaching Bantama roundabout where the statue had been erected,
mounted a platform and used the hammer to hit it statue several times.
People who were attracted to the
scene asked him to stop but he continued until the right hand holding the whisk
broke off.
The mob attempted to vent their
spleen on him but he was rescued and sent to the Bantamahene, Baffour Awua V,
who directed that the accused be sent to the Regional Police Headquarters for
Investigations. The Bible and hammer were produced as exhibits.
The value of the damage hand is yet
to be ascertained.
Asked by the Tribunal why he decided
to destroy such a national monument, Sarfo explained that God in a vision,
ordered him to destroy it, describing the statue as an idol.
Remanding the accused, the Tribunal
said that it should not be assumed that the accused had mental illness and that
religion could be attributed to mental illness. He referred the accused to the
Accra Psychiatric Hospital.
More…/
Rural Banks
to be audited
The Bank of
Ghana (BOG) has employed experienced bankers to relieve managers in rural banks
who have not taken their outstanding leaves for some years as a way to further
strengthen internal controls to afford an independent check on their operations
to minimise weaknesses and loopholes.
The acting head of the Banking Supervision
Department of the Bank of Ghana, Mr J.B. Clottey announced this at the 20th
annual shareholders meeting of the Akuapem Rural Bank Limited at Mamfe-Akuapem
at the weekend.
Mr Clottey said the action to relieve the
managers should not be seen as witch hunting on the part of directors and
managers since an annual leave is an important internal control tool.
He said that the BOG is committed to
supporting the steady growth and development of an efficient rural banking
system, capable of harnessing resources in the rural areas for rapid,
sustainable socio-economic development.
“The Bank of Ghana would therefore
continue to exercise its supervisory role strictly over the rural banks and
also provide the required assistance for them to achieve improved performance”,
he assured.
GRi…/
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Ghana ranks
Number two in accidents
The Free
Press says the forecast of the country’s vehicular population to hit 720,000 by
2005 at the present 10 per cent rate of increase annually, have implications on
the road safety in the country.
Further to this Ghana has been rated
the second highest road traffic accidents prone among six West African
countries.
Briefing the paper of road traffic
accidents in the country, Mr Noble J. Appiah, Executive Director of National
Road Safety Commission (NRSC) said a sample data conducted among the six
countries, Guinea rated highest with 121 deaths per every 10,000 road
accidents, followed by Ghana at 73 deaths per 10,000.
Nigeria is third with 65 deaths in 10,000 cases
and Senegal, Sierra Leone and Benin follow the order with 64, 21 and 14 deaths
in 10,000 respectively.
Mr Appiah noted that to curb the
soaring rate of road accidents in the country the Commission had put in place
certain measures to sensitise the people on the importance of observing road
regulations.
The measures include, awareness
strategies involving all the stakeholders in the transport operations have been
initiated - to meet the media occasionally, the general public and the
educational institutions, to sensitise them on road safety awareness.
Other long term measures are also
being initiated by the NRSC to ensure accidents reduction and prevention,
focusing on seven major problems such as children pedestrians, overspeeding,
drunken driving, black spot or hazardous spots, emergency or rescue operation
involving medical service and the professional driver.
More…/
NDC ejected
from chairman’s premises
The Free Press
carries that in a move, which has shocked the national executive of the NDC and
created consternation among the rank and file of the party, the regional
chairman at its stronghold, the Volta Region has ejected the party from his
premises.
Claiming non-payment of rent as the
reason, the chairman, John Koku Nunyure has ordered the party to remove all its
vehicles and paraphernalia including posters and flags from his residence
which, until the incident, was being used as party offices in the regional
capital, Ho.
Incidentally, the chairman’s wife,
Mrs Bertha Nunyure is also the party’s deputy women’s organiser for the region
and a founding member.
Available information indicated that
the NDC owed the couple rent arrears totalling over ¢4 million and has not
maintained proper sanitation in and around the building. The regional chairman
and the wife claim also that they had never benefited from the NDC rule and
that they spent their resources on the party.
When contacted, the regional
secretary of the party, Yao Kumah Adany pointed out that this situation was not
only adversely affecting the NDC but also their re-organisation at efforts to
recapture political power come 2004.
He denied that the party ever owed
the Nunyeres in rent arrears and said they had paid ¢5.4 million to them since
1992 to June 30, 2001.
GRi../
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Osei Kufuor
would have made a fine minister
The NPP MP
for Asunafo North, Ben Osei-Kufuor’s decision to decline his nomination as a
deputy Minister for Lands Forestry and Mines was at the instigation of the government,
according to The Daily Guide.
The MP last Friday, stopped a
Parliamentary vote on his nomination when in an emotional statement he declined
to pick up the appointment.
“That decision was however not personal, but
induced by the leadership of the party and the Presidency.”
According to the paper, some NPP colleagues of
Mr Osei-Kufuor in Parliament had earlier told him bluntly that his nomination
was holding up the work of Government.
The vote on Mr Osei Kufuor’s
nomination was delayed because Parliament was divided on whether allegations of
impropriety at his former workplace, the Mim Timber Company Limited was true or
not.
The NPP members staged a subtle
walkout on Thursday when the issue was put to a vote, creating a no-quorum
situation and the NDC side also decided on Friday not to enter the chamber to
help form the much-needed quorum.
President Kufuor, according to
reports stepped in and asked Osei-Kufuor to make the statement that he will no
longer do the job. That face-saving gesture was deemed more honourable than
having the appointment withdrawn.
The Chairman of the Appointments
Committee and First Deputy Speaker Freddie Blay says he was not surprised at
Ben Osei-Kufuor’s move because he was aware of pressure on him to decline the
position.
Mr Blay who led the panel that
investigated Mr Osei Kufuor’s background however noted that he would have been
an excellent Minister of State.
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Electorate
has regretted actions - NDC
The Daily
Graphic reports the Ajumako-Enyan-Essiam Constituency branch of the National
Democratic Congress (NDC) as saying that from all indications, the electorates
who rejected the party in the last general elections has regretted their action.
It has, therefore, called on the NDC
leadership and its rank and file to prepare to work hard to enable the party
recapture political power in the 2004 presidential and parliamentary elections.
At a meeting at Enyan Abaasa
recently, the branch said with the deterioration in the living standards of the
people in the last seven months “the same people are now saying that they want
the NDC back.”
Addressing the meeting, the chairman
of the Central Region Reorganisation Task Force of the NDC, Mr Samuel Vallis
Akyianu, tasked the constituency executives to initiate programmes to recruit
new members to join the party.
He also called on them to update
their knowledge on current developments in the country and elsewhere in order
to properly explain issues to the understanding and appreciation of the people.
More…/
Hamid
launches bid for NPP national organizer
Mustapha
Abdul-Hamid, 30, a past President of the Students Representative Council (SRC),
University of Cape Coast (UCC), on Tuesday launched his national campaign to
contest the position of National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party at its
national delegates conference slated for August 25.
Abdul-Hamid, who disclosed this at a
news conference in Accra, said he is capable of organising more people
especially the youth, to join the ranks of the NPP.
“I am in to prove that the youth who
show the requisite capability and competence have an equal chance to showcase
their abilities”, he said.
He said he believes he is the right person with
the requisite experience to handle the national organisation of the party since
his association with the NPP dates back to its formation in 1992.
“At no time in the party’s history
has it been provided with an opportunity to galvanise the support of the youth
and the entire nation than now”, Mr Abdul-Hamid said and appealed to the
leadership of the party to remain neutral so as to facilitate the choice of
candidates with the capacity and competence to strengthen its structures
throughout the 200 constituencies.
Abdul-Hamid, a Muslim, is a graduate
of the UCC with a Barchelor of Arts degree and is currently the Strategic
Planning Manager of an advertising agency.
He was the first secretary of the
UCC branch of the NPP, President of the Ghana Muslims Students Association,
UCC, and has been a member of the Northern Regional Campaign team of the party
since 1992.
GRi…/
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'I was
asked to sign as director'
The Evening
News quotes Mr Bismark Doku Nettey, President of the Ghana National Association
of Farmers and Fishermen, (GNAFF) to have told the Fast Track High Court in
Accra that he appended his signature to a document at the Registrar General's
Department as the director of Quality Grain Company Limited.
He told the court on Tuesday that Mr Ibrahim
Adam, the former Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA), introduced Mrs. Renee
Cotton (Woodard) to him as the Chief Executive of the Quality Grain Company and
based on that she asked him to sign as a director of the company.
He was testifying in the case in which six
persons, including two former Ministers of State are being tried for conspiracy
and causing financial loss of more than 20 million dollars to the state.
Those on trial are Ibrahim Adam, Dr Samuel
Dapaah, a former Chief Director of the MOFA, Kwame Peprah, former Minister of
Finance and George Yankey, former Director of the Legal Sector, Private and
Financial Institutions Division of the Ministry of Finance.
The rest are Nana Ato Dadzie, former Chief of
Staff and Kwesi Ahwoi, Chief Executive of the Ghana Investment Promotion
Centre.
They have all pleaded not guilty to conspiracy
and causing financial loss of more than 20 million dollars to the state and
have been granted self-cognisance bail.
Mr Nettey further told the court presided over
by Mr Justice Kwame Afreh, an Appeal Court Judge that Mrs Cotton initially
convinced him that the state was going to gain a profit of ¢10 per bag of rice
produced.
More…/
Ghana Football
Ass. bans five players
Five
players have been banned by the Ghana Football Association (GFA) from featuring
in at least a league match of the Star Premier League.
Wonder club, Accra Great Olympics are the worse
affected with two players. They are defender Yaw Hammond and winger Isaac
Amponsah. Hammond has been banned for two matches including the match in which
he was expelled - a 11th week game against Kotoko in Kumasi - and a
fine of ¢100,000.
For Amponsah he has been banned for four
matches as he was red carded in their 10th week game against
Goldfields at the Accra Stadium. The young winger has also been fined ¢200,000.
Goldfields skipper Yaw Owusu will also miss
their game against Dawu Youngsters for receiving three yellow cards in week
seven, 10 and 11.
Good-old
Emmanuel Ampiah of King Faisal who was sent off in their 10th week
league clash against city rivals Kumasi Asante Kotoko has also not been spared
the disciplinary rod. Ampiah has been banned for four matches, the last game
inclusive and a fine of ¢200,000.
Lastly, Bofoakwa's Owusu Sarpong will also be
missing in action in their game against Liberty Professionals in Sunyani. Owusu
Sarpong is to serve a four-match ban starting from the ninth week and will pay
a fine of ¢200,000 in addition.
GRi…/
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Cabinet
approves Medical College
The
Minister of Health, Dr Richard Anane has announced a Cabinet approval for the
establishment of a Medical College as proposed by the Medical and Dental
Council, The Accra Mail reports.
Dr. Anane disclosed this at the
maiden Continuing Medical Education Seminar organized by the Medical and Dental
Council in Accra on Tuesday. The two-day seminar is under the theme 'Infectious
Diseases' with over eighty medical practitioners attending.
The Minister said the legal
framework of the college is being worked out for its take-off soon. He further
disclosed that the Ministry has created a website for the dual purposes of
communication and education. This, he said, will enable medical practitioners
to keep abreast with development in medicine through journals and exchange of
ideas and experiences on the Internet.
The Minister added that the Ministry
of Health has put in place an in-service training policy for staff in the
medical sector to provide quality care at all levels.
He said it is intended to meet the
constantly changing health needs of the country and is in line with the focus
of the Ministry's objective of providing quality care to all its clients.
Outlining the objective of the
training, Dr Anane said it is to put in place a more systematic continuing
education system that is linked to the delivery and practice of quality care,
and staff performance appraisal.
He said the Ministry is working on
revalidation and re-certification of medical practitioners, and continuing
professional development would be a pre-requisite for promotion and
continuation of practice.
More…/
"Honour
Ako Adjei with overpass"
A U.N.
Peace messenger has called on the government to honour the only surviving
member of the Big Six, Mr Ako Adjei, by naming the Sankara Overpass after him.
Mr Ako Adjei, who together with his colleagues championed the nationalist
struggles, that ultimately led to the country's independence in 1957, was one
of the close confidants of the late President Kwame Nkrumah.
Osoronko Nana-Yabani, who made the
call in an interview with The Accra Mail, is also an internationally renowned
poet.
He also asked the government not to
be complacent and behave as if coups are no longer possible by trusting the
military. The government, he went on, should treat matters bordering on
internal security with seriousness and not be cocky.
GRi…/
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