Adam cleared of coup plot
Rising cost of basic education worries parents
Seventy-one thousand jobs in four years
Ga Mashie celebrates Homowo
Inland port to be relocated
Legon leads in phone vandalism …as Nima loses positive image
Daylight highway armed robbery!
Gold-ring on Aheampong’s finger
Seven Hundred billion cedis not booty for the boys
Akwamus want repeal of law on Volta River Authority
Seven bodies pollute Kpeshie Lagoon
Tettey-Enyo advises parents against beating wards
...And de Rocha also cautions
Goings-on at Ghana Air Force base
District Assemblies owe Democrat ¢44 Million
Thirty vie for NPP posts
Adam cleared of coup plot
A Tamale-based contractor, Ex-Sgt. Karim Salifu Adam, who was arrested
and charged for allegedly plotting to violently overthrow the government in
1994, has been freed.
According to the Public
Agenda, Adam was freed after the Attorney General filed an application of
"nolly prosequi" to indicate that the government was not longer
interested in continuing with the prosecution of the case, at an Accra High
Court.
The "nolly
prosequi" application does not, however, mean that the case cannot be
brought up again if fresh evidence is found to incriminate him. Adam has
therefore been discharged but not acquitted.
Ordering the freeing of
Adam, who was in jail for seven years without bail, on Monday, July 30, 2001,
an Accra High Court presided over by Justice Apaloo directed that Adam should
not be charged again on the same facts.
Adam was released after
his counsel, Akoto Ampaw, filed a bail application on July 17 to get Adam out
before this year's legal recess.
Counsel's application was
however not without frustration, which characterized efforts to get Adam freed
during the seven years he was behind bars.
Initially, counsel was
asked by the Court Registry to go and file the application at the same court,
which was trying Adam. The Registry bowed only after counsel convinced the High
Court that he could file the application in any High Court anywhere in the
country and not necessarily the same court, which was trying the now freed
Adam.
Adam who got his freedom
on Monday, July 30, 2001 was arrested in 1994 and charged for treason. He was
accused of recruiting and giving military training to 21-men in Burkina Faso as
part of a bigger plot to overthrow the then government.
Adam's trial was beset
with many problems, some still inexplicable. Adam's docket vanished for over a
year for reasons that remain still unclear. During this period he was still
jail.
In 1997, the judge
presiding over the case, Justice Kurankyi died at the end of the trial just
before a verdict could be announced.
More…/
Rising cost of basic education worries parents
The Public Agenda writes that the steeply rising cost of education, particularly at the basic level against the generally high cost of living is beginning to draw some angry reactions from parents.
Even on holidays, private
school owners are insisting that pupils and students attend holiday classes.
But in all cases it is not for free. You either pay or your child fails. Teachers will not go over topics treated
during the holidays when schools resume.
Fees for these classes are
independent of the fees paid for the regular school sessions. The fees being
charged for the holiday classes range between ¢10,000 and ¢100,000 per pupil.
Some parents reject the
classes outright. Other parents, especially those who work for long hours send
their wards to these classes not because they endorse the fees. Rather, they
hope their children would be kept under some sort of supervision in their
absence.
Public schools are barred
from organising holiday classes but some in the Accra-Tema metropolis are
organising classes for final year students, often for a token, compared with
their counterparts in the private schools.
But by far, it is the fees
some private schools will charge for the 2001/2002 academic year that has
shaken parents from their slumber. Government adjusted workers salary by just
16 per cent after the minimum wage sent up to ¢5,500 from ¢4,200.
Yet some schools have
increased their fees several times above the government approved rates. Some
schools are also charging for facilities under construction or yet to be built.
The Ministry of Education
has clearly spelt out criteria for determining how much fees schools should
charge, depending on facilities they provide.
Some parents have
questioned the quality of facilities in certain schools as against fees
charged. Some have no laboratories, playing fields, nor qualified staff, yet
they claim grade "A" status.
So far, beyond calling on
owners of schools to charge the Ministry's approved fees, the Education
Ministry has done little about these violations.
GRi…/
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Seventy-one thousand jobs in four years
A total of 71,000 jobs are to be created in the next four years
following the introduction of two initiatives - the Integrated Programmed for
Cassava Starch Production and the Export Action Programme for Export of
Garments and Textiles by the government.
The Daily Graphic reports
President J.A. Kufuor as saying in a speech read on his behalf at the 12th
National Awards for Export Achievements in Accra on Saturday that the initiatives will also help the government
to realise $3.4 billion during the same period.
The awards for export
achievement was instituted in 1998 to honour hard working exporters. So far
more than 400 individuals and organizations have been honoured.
The cassava starch
programme, he said, is expected to provide about 25,000 jobs in the farming
communities, for the production and export of starch whiles the export action
programme is directed at the export of textiles and garments to the United
States market.
President Kufuor
reiterated the government’s commitment to make the private sector the engine of
growth.
More…/
Ga Mashie celebrates Homowo
The Chiefs and people of Ga Mashie in Accra on Saturday celebrated
their annual Homowo festival.
Homowo, meaning hooting at
hunger, is celebrated by the Gas in remembrance of their ancestors who, in the
course of migration to their present home, faced severe hunger.
The Ga Mashie Division is
made up of seven clans, Gbese, Sempe, Abola, Otublohum, Asene, Ngleshie and
Akugmaje.
A Radio Ghana news item
reported by the Daily Graphic said, in a goodwill message, the Sempe Mantse and
acting President of the Ga Traditional Council, Nii Adotey Obuor, appealed to
Gas to pool their resources for the establishment of an educational fund to
support education in the area.
More…/
Inland port to be relocated
The Inland Port Project, which was originally sited at Fumesua near Kumasi, is to be relocated at Boankra, 30 kilometres from Kumasi on the Accra-Kumasi road, according to The Daily Graphic.
This is because the
implementation of the project delayed for seven years because of land
litigation at Fumesua.
The Ministry of Transport
and Communications has, therefore, directed the Ghana Shippers Council, the
agency in charge of the project that it relocates the project at Boankra.
The project estimated to
cost $10.3 million is expected to create about 1000 jobs when completed.
According to Samuel
Feguson Laing, Ashanti Regional Head of Ghana Shippers Council, the necessary
survey work has been completed for a 400-acre land at Boankra for the project.
He said the formal
acquisition process and necessary compensation arrangements would be worked out
in the course of time for construction work to begin.
GRi…/
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The Volta River Authority (VRA) continues to make monumental
operational losses whiles the ordinary consumers of hydroelectric power are
saddled with high electricity bills at a time when imminent increases in power
tariffs are expected, writes The Independent.
The VRA from 1997 to 1999,
incurred a colossal loss of ¢447 billion cedis, representing net losses for the
period stated.
According to the annual
reports and accounts statements of the VRA for 1997, 1998 and 1999 available to
the paper, the nation’s sole generator of hydroelectric power in 1997 recorded
a net loss of ¢58.6 billion.
The 1997 loss rose steeply
to ¢105.2 billion with that of 1999 being ¢283.2 billion. The report explained
the net losses as occurring …after charging depreciation on fixed assets,
exchange fluctuation on foreign debt and loan interest and commitment charges.
For the same period (1997 – 1999), the VRA on the contrary made a
net operating profit of ¢158.1 billion with the breakdown as follows: 1997,
¢61.2 billion; 1998, ¢18.7 billion and 1999, ¢79.2 billion.
GRi…/
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Legon leads in phone vandalism …as Nima loses positive image
The Pay Phone Department of Ghana Telecom has revealed that since the
introduction of pay phone service in 1994, the University of Ghana has
consistently remained the highest classified zone prone to vandalism and
fraudulent activities against it, reports the Dispatch.
Using methods such as the
insertion of foreign bodies into the card reader, tapping of lines, misuse of
certain key knobs on the phones and other manipulations, some users of pay
phones on the University campus have always attempted to gain free access to
the facility and this has resulted in the destruction of 26 phones to date.
Mr. Samuel Kwesi Ainsoh,
General Manager of the Pay Phone Department, in an exclusive interview with The
Dispatch, said the practice has since spread to the rest of the country causing
Ghana Telecom an annual loss of about ¢1.2 billion.
He disclosed that Maamobi
and Nima, whose youth went on a rampage on May 11 and destroyed ten phones,
four of which could not be recovered, were the most secured areas for pay phones
in the whole country until that incident. They were also among the heaviest
usage areas.
To serve as a deterrent to
others and for communities to be vigilant, Ghana Telecom has decided as a
policy not to replace any phone destroyed through such causes.
Mr Ainsoh stressed that
until the company accomplished its target of providing an additional 10,000 pay
phones between January 2001 and December 2003, no consideration would be given
to replacing vandalized phones.
GRi…/
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Daylight highway armed robbery!
The Free Press says following the recent 'war' declared on armed
robbers in the urban centers by the police and the military, the armed robbers
have changed their modus operandi.
They have now resorted to
robbing travelers on the nations highways and trunk roads and they are also
extending their activities to the small towns and rural areas where the police
are understaffed and under-equipped.
Within the past month,
they have robbed travelers on various roads including the Kumasi-Tamale,
Accra-Aflao and the Kumasi-Mampong.
The largest haul however,
occurred last Wednesday on the Asamankese-Nsawam Road when four armed robbers
made away with about ¢130 million belonging to an Asamankese-based female
trader.
The money was snatched from four employees of the woman, Madam Comfort Waadu, proprietor of 'Be Kine' Enterprises, a wholesaler and distributor at Asamankese in a daring daylight attack.
Narrating the horrifying
experience, Bismark Kyei, the son of Madam Waadu and store manager said that on
Wednesday August 8, 2001 he, together with three other store assistants, left
Asamankese at about 6.30am for Accra to pay for goods supplied to them and make
other purchases.
According to Bismark they
were traveling in an Opel Vectra Saloon car with the money, which was packed in
two cartons placed in the boot of the vehicle.
On reaching the outskirts
of Asuotwene a village about 18km from Asamankese they were overtaken by a
Hyundai Excel Taxi, which suddenly swerved into their path, forcing them to
stop.
In a twinkle of an eye
three armed men alighted from the taxi and demanded the keys to the vehicle
from them.
After firing several
warning shots to frighten them the robbers collected the keys, opened the boot
of the vehicle and took the cartons containing the money and fled in the
direction of Nsawam.
They managed to move the
vehicle and gave the robbers a hot chase until they got to Adeiso, where they
lodged a complaint with the police.
They further traced the
robbers to the Ofankor barrier, where the policemen on duty at the barrier
confirmed that such a vehicle had passed and that they had suspected the occupants
of being armed robbers but since they had no proof, they allowed them to go.
GRi…/
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Gold-ring on Aheampong’s finger
An unrusted piece of ring believed to be hard metal or precious mineral
like refined gold, was found stuck to the finger of one of the executed Heads
of State, late Gen. Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, during last Wednesday’s
exhumation exercise, according to The Daily Guide.
Some police and military
sources who witnessed the exhumation say apart from the gold ring, they found a
host of rings on the fingers of the mortal remains of the executed army
generals.
Gen. Acheampong had several
other rings on his fingers, some of which doggedly refused to rust.
The rings on the two other
former heads Gen. Akwasi A. Afrifa and Gen. F.W.K. Akuffo, were wedding ones,
stuck on their fourth fingers, according to the sources.
According to the sources
the secret manner in which the bodies of the executed generals were buried at
Adoagyiri near the Nsawam medium security prisons between June 26, 1979 and
later dates, has somewhat served a purpose, adding that had the generals not
been buried, secretly, some grave looters would have dugout their graves in
search of valuables as they do to the graveyards of notable and wealthy
individuals in the society.
GRi../
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Seven Hundred billion cedis not booty for the boys
The 700billion cedis Emergency Social Relief Programme (ESRO) launched
by President John Agyekum Kufuor, a week ago to assist specific poverty ridden
and underprivileged communities around the country, is not for supporters of
the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), writes The Ghanaian Chronicle.
The paper quotes Dr. Paa
Kwesi Nduom, Minister for Economic Planning and Regional Integration, whose
office houses the Secretariat of the Committee overseeing the implementation of
the ESRP, as saying that the amount is not meant for those who voted for the
ruling party in the December elections. “It is meant for people who qualify to
receive the needed assistance.”
“Any group of people that
thinks that they are just going to have their hands on some money so that they
can go and dish it out… are dreaming. It’s not going to happen! The President
is very clear on this. The golden age he’s been talking about is also intended
to benefit the poor and underprivileged as well,” Nduom stated in an interview
with the paper early this week.
“President Kufuor has
clearly indicated that he wants strict accountability on the project and he’s
holding the people involved accountable…”
More…/
Akwamus want repeal of law on Volta River Authority
After 30 years of non-compensation, after the construction of the
Akosombo dam which submerged greater proportion of their lands, he chiefs and
people in the Akwamu traditional area have now grown wild.
They now want President J.
A. Kuffour and the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government to repeal Act A6 of
1961, which established the Volta River Authority (VRA) as autonomous body in
order to allow for the Asuogyaman District Assembly to expand its revenue net.
Speaking to the Chronicle
at old Akrade in the Eastern Region, Nana Adjei Monsi, chief of the town, said
the extent of damage, both to human and material resources, in the Akwamu state
cannot be repaired.
Nana Adjei Monsi pointed
out that the people have not exhausted their patience and would do everything
to have the Act repealed.
He said it is so sad that
the inhabitants whose properties have been destroyed continue to swim in
poverty bowls while personnel of the VRA also bath in wealth.
According to the chief,
the fact that the VRA management pays certain proportion of market tools to the
Asuogyaman District Assembly does not mean the Akwamu state benefits from VRA
services.
Nana Adjei Monsi said
while the subjects of Akwamu traditional area and Ghanaians outside pay huge
electricity bills; VRA workers pay 24,000 cedis per month including
accommodation, which he described as cheating.
He stated that as at
August 7, this year, certain communities in the traditional area have still not
been hooked to the national grid for electricity supply, saying “these is naked
cheating”.
GRi../
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Seven bodies pollute Kpeshie Lagoon.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has named seven institutions
and establishments as responsible for the pollution of the Kpeshie Lagoon, near
Accra, a situation, which is affecting aquatic life in the lagoon.
The institutions
and establishments are the Burma Camp Sewage Facility, La Community, La Beach
Hotel Sewage Plant, La Palm Royal Hotel Sewage Plant, Korkor River, the Ghana
Trade Fair Company Sewage Plant and the La Pleasure Beach.
An assessment
carried out by the EPA on the level of pollution of the Kpeshie lagoon which
emptied into the Ocean at Kpeshie, revealed that a lot of faecal materials came
from the La Community while a relatively low faecal pollutions emanate from the
Burma Camp Sewage Facility.
The assessment revealed that
the La Pleasure Beach though provided with refuse container for waste disposal,
a considerable amount of solid waste generated during recreational activities
were dumped in the adjacent mangrove vegetation which eventually enter the
lagoon during high tides.
An EPA statement issued in Accra said among other things, that the
Lagoon that used to be a source of fish supply to the La Community and its
environs was no more effectively serving that purpose.
As a result of these negative factors, the EPA has put in place a
number of regulatory measures to curb this trend.
More../
Tettey-Enyo advises parents against beating wards
The Ghana Education service (GES) has advised parents to avoid the use
of physical punishment, insults and constant criticisms as a means of
correcting their children.
Alex Tettey-Enyo, Acting
Director-General of the GES, said the children are discouraged when such
methods are used, instead, alternatives like isolation and withdrawal of
privileges should be used.
Tettey-Enyo said in a speech
read on his behalf at the second Graduation, Speech and Prize-Giving Day of the
Holy Cross Centre, a pre-school at Dansoman in Accra and urged parents to
endeavour to pay more attention to their children and wards so as to help them
develop their character and confidence.
"Children must be
given a lot of opportunities to explore their environment through visits and
excursions to enable them to develop their potentials and skills,"
Tettey-Enyo stated.
He further advised parents
to cooperate with and assist care-givers and teachers to ensure that the best
was given to their children.
GRi…/
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...And de Rocha also cautions
The Accra Mail says Mr B.J. da Rocha, a legal expert, has explained that the repeal of sections of the criminal libel law from the Criminal Code is no licence for journalists to indulge in recklessness.
Mr da Rocha, a Senior
Fellow of the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) said what Parliament did was
to remove from the statute book certain provisions of the Criminal Code 1960
(Act 29) which were seen as inimical to the freedom of speech and expression.
But that did not mean journalists couldn't be held accountable for unruly
reportage.
Mr da Rocha was delivering
a lecture on "Defamation and the Freedom of the Media" in Accra last
Thursday. The discussion was part of efforts to chart a new path for
journalists in the wake of the repeal of criminal libel under which some
journalists were facing trial during the administration of the NDC government.
Under the criminal libel
provision of the code, if found guilty, one could have been jailed for up to
ten years. The Attorney General entered a "nolle prosequi" early this
year to declare the trials null and void.
"If the publication of
a libel is no longer a crime, does it mean then, that a person can be defamed
with impunity?" Mr. da Rocha enquired of his audience, which was made up
of academics, media practitioners, lawyers and diplomats.
With everyone silent, de
Rocha replied, "The answer is certainly no."
GRi…/
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Goings-on at Ghana Air Force base
The National Democratic Congress mouthpiece, the Ghanaian Democrat
carries that the proceeds on leave order that has characterized the seven-month
old NPP administration has now been extended to the Ghana Armed Forces
resulting in the disbandment of some units.
“The anti-hijacking unit
at the Airforce Base, Burma Camp has been scrapped. The unit known as the
Special Training Squad (STS) is no more. Most of the soldiers who were affected
by the disbandment are in a fix. They do not know what to do,” according to the
paper.
A substantial number of the
personnel, especially the senior staff have reportedly, tendered in their
resignations out of frustration.
Democrat says its further
probe led to revelations that the disbandment is premised on the belief that
most of the STS personnel have for a long time been associated with the NDC
government and the disbandment will prevent them from doing anything fishy on
flight.
More…/
District Assemblies owe Democrat ¢44 Million
Contrary to what the government of the NPP would like Ghanaians to
believe, it is rather the District Assemblies who are owing the Ghanaian
Democrat a total of ¢44 million, being an outstanding amount which the various
districts who are supplied with copies of the paper could not pay before the
change of government at the end of last year.
As a result the various
bills were passed on to the District Assemblies Common Fund through the
Ministry of Local Government for payment.
Democrat says it has
actually submitted invoices for the amount being the cost of the newspapers
supplied and are expecting payment to be effected.
It recalls a Chronicle
report that said Revalap Publishers and Suppliers Ltd, publishers of the Ghana
Palaver had been ordered by the Auditor-Generals office to refund ¢52 million
wrongfully paid it as subscription fees to the newspaper by the administrator
of the District Assemblies Common fund.
It says contrary to what
the Chronicle story purports to imply, there is no illegality in the
transactions, which covers payments over an eight-month period.
In the case of The
Ghanaian Democrat, the amount owed represents outstanding balance due from the
various regions.
Subscription to copies of
the newspaper started a couple of years back and payments have been received
from the regions on a regular basis over the period without a hitch until now.
GRi…/
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Thirty vie for NPP posts
The NPP News says nominations for National Office positions in the NPP
closed last Saturday with thirty candidates officially registered to contest at
the National Delegates Conference on August 25, 2001.
The thirty are those who
returned their application forms out of an initial thirty-three who took the
forms.
The breakdown of the candidates
list showed six for the positions of National Chairman with twelve vying for
the three slots of National Vice chairman.
The position of General
Secretary has the lowest number of candidates, with 30-year-old Rans Agyemang
Prempeh challenging 44-year-old incumbent Daniel Botwe.
The post of National
Treasurer has four candidates going for it while six personalities are now in
the race for National Organiser.
The oldest contestant is
69-year-old Michael Dugan for the position of National Treasurer while the
youngest is 29-year-old Mohammed Musa who is contesting the National
Chairmanship.
According to the Election
Officer, Mr Kwadwo Afari, with the official closure of nominations, a committee
will be set up to vet the applications so far submitted.
GRi…/
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