Akwatia NDC wants the party’s Action Forum
disband
Okyenhene vows to crush illegal timber
operations
Civil societies urged to speak out on
government policies
Security Foundation wants arms and
ammunitions law amended
Foreign Minister on Nordic-African
consultative forum
Did the dead man buy his coffin?
Akwatia NDC wants the party’s Action Forum
disband
Akwatia (Eastern Region) 14 January 2002 - The Akwatia branch of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) on Monday appealed to the National Executive Committee of the party to, as a matter of urgency, dissolve a group calling itself NDC Action Forum in Kumasi to avoid creating problems for the party.
A statement signed by Mr Isaac Ahimah, Constituency Secretary, said the party was surprised to hear the Forum making allegations against Dr Obed Asamoah and calling for his suspension from the party.
The statement said that if the National Executive could not stop the so called Forum groups in the country particularly in Kumasi, it would be a clear indication that some top men of the party were behind the groups in order to gain personal advantage.
The statement said Dr Asamoah was a member of the party and he has every constitutional right to contest for any post in the party and that those who did not like him could also come out with a candidate of their choice to contest with him.
The statement urged members of the party to stop undermining each other especially the top hierarchy and try to re-organise the party to reclaim power in the 2004 General Election.
The statement reminded Ghanaians that Dr Asamoah informed the executives of the party about the missing 100 million cedis and made a report to the Police and the matter was now before the courts.
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Okyenhene vows to crush illegal timber
operations
Kyebi (Eastern Region) 14 January 2002 - The Okyenhene Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin has warned of an imminent confrontation between his people and individuals, who have vowed to continue their illegal timber operations in the Abuakwa Traditional Area.
He said the people of Abuakwa would not sit down for few selfish individuals to thwart the efforts of the Abuakwa Traditional Council to protect the forest for the future generation.
The Okyenhene gave the warning after a number of people had expressed concern about the rampant chainsaw and illegal timber operations in the area at a Peoples' Assembly held at Kyebi on Sunday.
Most of the contributors alleged that there were prominent personalities behind the illegal timber operations in the area and called on the government to support the Council to deal with the problem to save the forest from further destruction.
Osagyefo Amoatia further warned chiefs in the area, who were colluding with the illegal timber operators, to desist from the practice or face severe sanctions by the Council.
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Civil societies urged to speak out on
government policies
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 January 2002 - The MP for Okere in the Eastern Region, Mr. Brandford Adu, on Saturday urged the civil society to speak out frankly and constructively on any defects of government policies, its impact on the economy and living conditions in the country.
"This will help shape the government's policies on putting the shattered economy back on course towards achieving better results and relief for all," Mr Adu said in an interview in Accra. Mr. Adu stressed that people in authority needed to know the hard truth and realities on the ground through constant constructive inputs from the people.
"The NPP government has learnt from the mistakes of others who failed to listen to the aspirations of the governed, implemented policies that although meaningful and progressive, failed to quantum its projected impact on society."
He said the People's Assembly concept, "which forms part of the first anniversary of Positive Change is the NPP government's demonstration of good governance through real mass participatory.
The concept is a double-edged sword for the government to explain and account for its stewardships, and also for it to solicit views of civil societies and other organisations on ways to review and consolidate the modest economy gains.
Mr Adu stressed that, "as much as the government appreciates the praises being showered for its modest economic gains over the past 12 months, the People's Assembly would be more meaningful if participants offer constructive and even hard criticisms over the period and suggest ways forward."
The Okere MP, who is also the President of Ghana Re-Estate Developers Association (GREDA) said the government's initiative and prudent policies would not yield any positive results unless the citizenry seize the opportunity to articulate and utilise the opportunities.
He, therefore, appealed to civil societies, private sector developers and all stakeholders to take full advantage of the opportunities offered by the government to make their views and comments known.
By this way, civil societies would establish themselves as important partners in policy formulation, he said. Mr. Adu suggested that district assemblies, ministries, departments and agencies, companies and institutions should adopt the People's Assembly concept for management to interact with the people, especially the workforce.
This would reduce tension, acrimonies and suspicion that often exist at workplace for lack of communications. On his projections for the housing industry, Mr. Adu said GREDA would be revamped through education of members on new construction techniques and overcoming structural defects.
Mr Adu stressed that his administration would set up a strong lobbying force to deal with government on housing policies and to implement housing policies that would favour employees.
GREDA would research into low income housing for the benefit of workers, review existing information, update and incorporate into housing programmes. He said GREDA would also study other low cost housing technologies of other countries and "select the best that suits our conditions or modify to meet the nations peculiar circumstances."
He said regional interest of concentration of new developments would be enforced to encourage business to spread out beyond Accra and other major cities.
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Security Foundation wants arms and
ammunitions law amended
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 January 2002 - The Foundation for Security Development in Africa (FOSDA) on Sunday called for the amendment of the Arms and Ammunitions Decree 1972, in view of the serious security implications caused by the proliferation of arms in the country.
"Peace and security would elude Ghana and the West African sub-region until governments control the proliferation of small arms, Ms. Afi Yakubu, Associate Executive Director of FOSDA said in an interview in Accra.
"The campaign against circulation of small arms in the hand of non-state actors must be intensified to ensure personal security and reduce tribal conflicts and cross border crime with arms."
Ms. Yakubu, said statistics indicate that over eight million small arms are circulated annually through the hands of non-state actors, "this makes the region volatile for conflicts." She said Ghana could not pretend to be an inland of peace in the mist of the proliferation in the sub-region and called for a review of the over 30-year-old Arms and Ammunitions Decree, 1972.
She said recent conflicts in the north and other parts of the country revealed the use of highly sophisticated arms by non-state actors. "This is a dangerous phenomenon in view of the increasing rate of armed robbery, and the seemingly inadequate Police Force to combat crime wave."
Ms. Yakubu stated that the decree deals with the method of registration, change of ownership or possession of arms or ammunitions, expiry of permit, control of imports and exports, offences and manufacture of arms and ammunitions.
She said penalty for contravention of the decree was not stiff enough to serve as a deterrent. The FOSDA Executive Director stressed that the requirement for registration of arms or ammunitions, including explosives was outmoded and needed immediate modifications.
A copy of the form available to the GNA shows that an applicant requires for registration: full name and address, nationality, date of birth and place, description and quality of arms and ammunition.
Other requirements are: date on which arms and ammunition were acquired and the source, purpose for which the applicant requires arms and ammunitions and full particulars of all other arms and ammunitions held by the applicant.
Ms Yakubu said research by FOSDA indicates that arms and ammunition dealers were flouting stringent rules, regulations and procedures on the purchase, possession, transfer and the use of arms and ammunition.
She explained that it is an offence to purchase and keep arms and ammunition from dealers and other persons without a permit from the police. The FOSDA Director stressed that police force needs to be strengthened to combat the proliferation of arms.
Ms. Yakubu noted that although it is a serious offence for any blacksmith or any person to manufacture any type of arms, there are numerous such manufacturing centres in the country.
There is the need for immediate laws and measures to check the system in view of the fact that some of them are manufacturing sophisticated weapons.
She advised against the notion that people could take over arms and ammunition of their dead relatives as part of property bequeathed to them without taking steps to have these arms properly transferred as required by law.
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Foreign Minister on Nordic-African
consultative forum
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 January 2002 - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hackman Owusu-Agyemang, returned home last night from Stockholm, Sweden, where he attended the Nordic-African Consultative Forum.
Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal, Benin, Botswana and Mali represented Africa. Speaking to newsmen at the airport, Mr Owusu-Agyemang described the forum as fruitful and productive, saying it was used to brief the Nordic countries on peace, security, the economic development and the democratic process in Africa.
The African group also briefed their Nordic counterparts on the New Partnership for African Economic Development (NEPA) blueprint the OAU adopted. Mr Owusu-Agyemang said the forum underscored the need to promote conflict prevention on the continent adding that the situation in the Mano River and the Great Lakes regions also came up for discussion.
He said members of the Nordic group expressed their willingness to assist Africa to consolidate peace and democracy. There was also the need for poverty reduction to be undertaken on the continent.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang said he held talks with his Swedish counterpart on bilateral issues and that Stockholm promised to resume aid to Ghana to support the construction of roads and bridges in the northern part of the country. They also promised to resource the Kofi Annan Peace Academy at Teshie and also support the training of Ghanaian peacekeepers.
Mr Owusu-Agyemang said Ghana had followed with interest developments in Zimbabwe and expressed the hope that the sub-regional meeting currently underway in Malawi would help restore peace to that country.
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Did the dead man buy his coffin?
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 14 January 2002 - The coffin of Baffour Awuah, the pauper who died at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, and was believed to have surfaced in Kumasi, was bought for 250,000 cedis, according to the vendors in Kumasi.
Awuah, 56, died on December 26 last year, was said to have been seen in Kumasi, bought a coffin and sent it through a driver for his own burial in Accra.
An accompanying note read: "Kinbus Garden Awuah Coffin" bore his signature. Baffour Awuah, whose body is still at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital morgue, was a squatter at the Kinbu Gardens until he was taken seriously ill and his friends sent him to the Ridge Hospital, where he died.
Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Kumasi at the weekend, the vendors Kwadwo Sarfo and Kwabena Sarpong said a man in an ordinary attire came to the shop on Thursday at about 10 a.m. and behaved as if he knew them and said he had come again to buy a coffin and that they should reduce the price for him.
They said after bargaining for some time, they sold it for 250,000 cedis so he told them that the money on him was not enough and that he was going to see an uncle whom he was travelling with for the rest of the amount.
They said after some time, the man came back paid for it without collecting receipt, telling them that he was sending the coffin, popularly called "Wawa Sprayed" to Accra and so he was going to Asafo Market for a vehicle.
Some minutes later, they said he came with a "207 Mercedes Benz Bus" which was full of passengers. The coffin was covered and placed on the carrier where the man wrote a note to the driver to be given to a receiver in Accra.
"The handwriting was not readable, so a colleague took the pen from him and re-wrote the whole thing for him", they explained. When the Ghana News Agency continued to the Kumasi-Accra lorry station at Asafo Market, Mr Yaw Baffoe, the Station Master said it was true that a man came to him on that day and asked for a car to send a coffin he has bought to Accra.
He said the man told him he would off-load it at a place near the National Lotteries and so he charged him 100,000 cedis, which he paid.
Mr Baffoe said it was three days later that the driver of the vehicle with the registration number "AS 4652 S" came to inform him that he had a problem with the coffin because when he got to Accra the man who was supposed to collect the coffin refused to do so with the explanation that the name, address and the inscription were that of a deceased.
He said the driver further told him that the matter was being investigated by the police in Accra. Nana Danso, a resident of Madina and a friend of the deceased for 20 years, told the Ghana News Agency that Awuah, who hailed from Kumawu in Ashanti, used to be in charge of the toilet at the Kinbu Gardens but was sacked.
His friends took care of him at the hospital and no help came from his relatives, who had written him off as a vagabond. Mr Danso said when Awuah died his friends met with representatives of the Greater Accra Regional Minister, who promised to give them a place for burial provided they could secure a coffin.
"We found it difficult to do this since we had no money." However, on Thursday the driver of vehicle number AS 4652 S, Karikari Acheampong, brought them a coffin saying Awuah had asked him to deliver it to them for his burial.
Mr Acheampong said that he was loading his vehicle bound for Accra at the Neoplan Station at Asafo in Kumasi when a man in his 50s approached him and said he had some cargo to be conveyed to Accra.
"When I asked what it was, he said it was a coffin. He then told me to pick it up at the Kumasi Labour Office on my way to Accra. Acheampong said when he got there Awuah assisted him to put the wrapped coffin onto the vehicle and he paid the charge of 100,000 cedis. The driver said after disembarking his passengers in Accra he then went to the Kinbu Gardens where he met the friends of Awuah.
After narrating how he came by the coffin and describing the person who sent it he was told that the description met that of Awuah, who was dead and his body was at the morgue at Korle Bu.
The driver and the friends then went to the Police Information Department at the Police Headquarters where the vehicle was detained overnight. On Friday morning when the coffin was open it was empty and the Police subsequently released it to the friends for the burial of Awuah. Osei Kwame, a businessman and a friend of the deceased, identified the handwriting on the note accompanying the coffin as that of Awuah. Mr Martin Amofa, Assistant Superintendent of Police, Operations, confirmed the story to the GNA.
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