Renewed hope for ECOWAS
No cells for female Ho suspects…
Kufuor faces no confidence vote…
Ridge Hospital privatised
Love birds caught in the act
Exposed!…Secret torture
Renewed hope for ECOWAS
The Daily Graphic, in a front-page screaming headline story, reports that the 22nd summit of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) opened in Lome yesterday amidst renewed optimism that the original aims of economic integration and monetary union that engendered the formation of the community, could now be pursued and achieved.
The Graphic says that this new optimism, is largely informed by a slide in conflict situations in the West African sub-region with the situation in Liberia and Sierra Leone significantly drawing to a calm. According to the paper, experts say that sub-region loses two per cent potential growth due to conflicts and even countries that are relatively peaceful, suffer from what the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) calls 'unsafe neighbourhood effect'.
The Graphic says that ever since the Liberian civil war began in 1989, ECOWAS has made efforts to resolve the conflict and its fall-out, pushing vital economic issues to the background. The paper says that the Togolese President, Gnassingbe Eyadema, who opened the summit, spoke of a new vision for ECOWAS.
It said President Eyadema, who is the current chairman of the sub-regional grouping, last July led the peace talks that finally reconciled the warring factions in sierra Leone. The Togolese President is reported as saying that with the problems over, there is more opportunity to tackle economic issues and work towards integration.
GRi../
No cells for female Ho suspects…
In its top story, the Ghanaian times reports that some police women at the Ho Central Police Station in the Volta Region, are being compelled to share their living quarters at the barracks with female criminal suspects. This is because the station has no cells for women.
They are kept behind the counter. The Times says that since it is forbidden for female suspects to share the same washroom with their male counterparts the task falls on the police women to provide their suspects with those facilities. But the paper says that the problem is becoming very serious with the soaring number of female suspects at the station.
According to the story, with a daily average of three female suspects in their custody, the policemen and women at the counter are detracted by the suspects' requests to visit the washroom. It says and as the situation could lead to the suspects escaping from lawful custody, the policewomen are being compelled to take them into their homes.
The Times quotes what it describes as 'a very reliable source' at the station as saying that a spacious room had long been earmarked for use as a female cell, but some items seized during the Northern conflict in 1994, are still being kept there. "We are waiting for an order from the Police Administration to clear them before we can have a cell for female suspects", the paper quotes the source as saying.
GRi../
Ghana Palaver
Kufuor faces no confidence vote…
The Ghana Palaver, in its lead story, reports that exactly a year to the 2000 presidential and parliamentary elections, the NPP presidential candidate, Mr J.A. Kufuor, is battling to retain his position as he is being threatened wit a vote of no confidence by a section of the party, made up of some of the old guards and young executives within the party.
According to the Palaver, contrary to the provisions of the party's constitution, some top NPP men have planned to pass a vote of no confidence in "J.A. Kufuor for failing to honour his election pledges to provide campaign logistics". The Palaver says that the top party men, who have not been identified, are said to include the general secretary of the party, Dan Botwe, who has been described as 'a subversive person' by a leading member of the NPP, and also accused of having 'smuggled' Mr Kufuor's invitation to Nana Akufo Addo, without discussing the issue with any top party member.
The paper says that the anti-Kufuor group within the party, who are working on the vote of no confidence, include 'a body of youth or young executive who grew up in the traumatic period of Ghana's history, who have no sense of belonging and hence are not prepared to listen or learn'.
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Ridge Hospital privatised
The Weekend Statesman reports in its top story that the Ridge Hospital in Accra, which recently escaped being handed over to the military, has privatised its laboratory section. The beneficiary being Elan Laboratories, which is said to be charging some exorbitant fees several times what was being charged at the original Ridge Laboratory. Elan Laboratories is said to have moved into the hospital a few days after the departure of the short-lived military administration and this is seen as a move to privatise the hospital.
The paper says that patients who go to the Ridge Hospital are complaining bitterly about the rather high laboratory fees. The new fees, according to the story, ranging between 10,000 cedis and 30,000 cedis or more, depending on the nature of the test, represent an increase of more than 100% over the 4,000cedis, 8,000 cedis and 12,000 charged at the Ridge Laboratory. Elan Laboratory is said to be owned by a returnee United States-based Ghanaian medical practitioner, who went to the hospital ostensibly to install modern laboratory equipment.
The Weekend Statesman says that the equipment have, indeed, been installed and the company has engaged the hospital's laboratory technicians, under an agreement, said to be of the 'gentlemen's kind between Elan and the Ridge Hospital management.
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Love birds caught in the act
In a back page human interest story, the Free Press reports that residents of Aflao at the Ghana-Togo border, were shocked to the marrow, when they saw a man and a woman embraced in a sexually compromising position, being pulled along the ECOWAS road on December 1, 1999, between 4.30 p.m. and 5.00 p.m.
The story says that this unusual scene attracted a very large crowd from Aflao and its environs, Agbozume, Keta, Adina, Denu and Tokor, who out of curiosity, thronged the residence of the paramount chief, Togbe Fiti V, to catch a glimpse of the two love birds, who were taken there for spiritual assistance.
The Free Press quotes an eye-witness as saying that the couple, who were believed to be members of the Jehovah's Witnesses sect, were locked up spiritually in the middle of an amorous act at their meeting place called the 'Kingdom Hall'. According to the eye-witness, workers at the chief's palace sought the assistance of a member of a 'juju' cult at Aflao to spiritually unlock the pair. The paper says that the two 'love birds' have since gone into hiding.
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The Ghanaian Chronicle
Exposed!…Secret torture
The Ghanaian Chronicle reports in its lead story that several Ghanaians and national of other African countries living in Germany, have been secretly arrested on unsubstantiated charges, tortured and deported to Ghana by the German government in a joint agreement with Ghana Airways, the national carrier, and the Ghana Armed Forces.
The paper says the deportees include Nigerians, Gambians and Camerounians. According to the story, the deportation exercise, which started late last month, continues unabated as several Ghanaians and nationals of other countries are languishing in police cells in Germany awaiting deportation to Ghana.
The paper says those who arrived at 2.30 a.m. on December 4, spoke of ill-treatment at the hands of the German Police, who arbitrarily arrested many blacks on sight on charges of drug dealing and/or engaging in some illegal activity. Some of the deportees, the Chronicle says, indicated that tension is mounting in Germany among all blacks since the German Police are indiscriminately arresting all blacks in Germany and deporting them to Ghana.
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