GRi Press Review 15 - 01 - 2002

The Chronicle

Big boost to reconciliation as Amedeka is to show up

Heckled minister denies cash & carry promise

Public Agenda

2002 Budget must take care of the poor

The Ghanaian Times

Chambas outlines vision for ECOWAS

Three arrested for ritual murder

Daily Graphic

10,000 “ghost” names expunged from Education Service list

Bawku riots - 45 granted bail

‘Don’t organize events on Saturday’ - Adventists

The Crusading Guide

Obed Asamoah is our credible candidate - Sese group

The Evening News

'Reject reconciliation law'

The Statesman

Scrap disaster body now - former operations officer

Radio Eye at last

Ghana Palaver

Osafo Maafo lied at the People’s Assembly- Adjaho

Ghanaian Soldier at Lome coup anniversary

 

 

The Chronicle

Big boost to reconciliation as Amedeka is to show up

 

Lance-Corporal Amedeka, the man in the centre of the murder of three High Court Judges and a retired army officer, in 1982, has braced himself up to testify before the reconciliation commission when it starts sitting.

 

Amedeka, who was sentenced to death in absentia, has started talking to some government officials in the neighbouring country of Benin. The Chronicle team in Coutonou has finally found out the plush hotel (name withheld) that Amedeka has been lodging for two months now.

 

Credible reports have it that Amedeka’s hotel bills, covering food, accommodation and entertainment, as well as his personal security, are being picked up by some patriotic citizens who are resolved to have the true story of the murder of the judges told.

 

Chronicle also gathered that last year, Amedeka decided to spill the beans and therefore relocated from Nigeria to Benin, waiting to appear before the National Reconciliation Commission.

 

Chronicle intelligence at the hotel also confirmed that some prominent and concerned citizens have had several contacts with Amedeka. It was learnt that throughout these cross-border meetings, Amedeka had disclosed substantial information to these citizens.

 

About the guarded information that he had hinted, Amedeka has reportedly dropped names of some top former government officials who personally took him to the residence of the victims, before they were abducted and brutally murdered in cold blood.

 

Lance-Corporal Amedeka hit the headlines in 1982 during investigations into the gruesome murder of three High Court Judges: Justice K.A. Agyepong, Cecilia Koranteng-Addow and Poku Sarkodie and the retired army officer, Major Acquah, in the heat of the Rawlings revolution.

 

Together with his other ranks colleagues, Tony Tekpor, Dzandzu and Hekli, he effected the abduction of the judges and the army officer on the night of 30th June 1982, and subsequently murdered them at the Bundase shooting range, off the Accra-Aflao road.

 

A Special Investigations Board (SIB) set up by the then Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) under the chairmanship, of Justice Azu Crabbe recommended the trial of Amedeka and his colleagues, and a former PNDC member, Joachim Amartey Kwei, for the murder of the judges and the retired army officer.

 

A special public tribunal chaired by Mr George Agyekum tried the accused persons, but before the trial could be completed, dissident soldiers broke into the Nsawam and Ussher Fort prisons in June 1983 and released some of their colleagues, including Lance Corporal Amedeka, who has since been living in neighbouring countries.

 

Amartey-Kwei, Tony Tekpor, Dzandzu and Helki were all found guilty of murder, sentenced to death and executed by firing squad.

More…/

 

Heckled minister denies cash & carry promise

 

Dr Kwaku Afriyie, MP and Minister of Health, was heckled with an avalanche of questions on the cash and carry system over the weekend by anxious members of the public at the Western Region version of the people’s assembly.

 

He was first peppered with questions on the poor conditions of service for nursing staff and the exodus of Ghanaian nurses to foreign countries. He said his ministry is considering the possibility of establishing another nursing training school at Tarkwa in the Wassa West District to train more nurses.

 

On the nurses conditions of service, most of the people who attended the forum agreed they were bad and noted that was leading to their migration from the country after training. Dr Afriyie said his ministry is working on that, but noted that the government could not take their case and treat it in isolation since that would also lead to agitation for better conditions of service by the other professional groups.

 

Touching on the ubiquitous cash and carry system, which was instituted by the previous NDC government, the health minister apparently worried with the number of questions being directed at him on the subject, went this time on a slight offensive, saying that nowhere in the NPP manifesto did they state that the cash and carry system would be abolished within the first year after coming into office.

 

Brandishing a copy of the manifesto in his right hand after reading the portion that deals with the abolition of the cash and carry system, Dr Afriyie said his party did not give a time frame during which it should be abolished, adding that the system has been entrenched for a long time, therefore, its total abolition would have to be done with care.

 

The regional minister, Hon Joseph Boahen Aidoo, on his part told the forum that the National Mobilisation Programme was dissolved based on the information the government received that most of the workers were not working yet they were receiving pay.

 

“We also received information, which was backed by the necessary evidence, that some of the workers were middle school leavers, yet they were taking sixth formers’ pay,” he said.

 

The Deputy Minister for Communication and Technology, Hon John Achuliwor, who also attended the forum, said in an answer to a question that it is not the aim of the NPP government to throw ex-NDC ministers into jail without following the due process of the law.

 

He said the fact that Victor Selormey worked under Kwame Preprah at the Ministry of Finance does not mean that Preprah should also be punished alongside him, when no evidence has been adduced to prove that he was involved in the deal that sent Selormey to jail.

 

Present were Mr Mac Manu, the regional party chairman, Mrs Grace Coleman, deputy Finance Minister, Ms Horner-Sam, deputy Regional Minister, Nana Kobina Nketia V, Omanhene of the Essikado traditional area and lecturer of the University of Cape Coast, who chaired the function.

GRi…/

 

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Public Agenda

2002 Budget must take care of the poor

 

The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC) has asked the government to formulate the 2002 budget around people especially, the weak and vulnerable in the country. It has therefore asked the government to reduce its focus on macroeconomic targets and rather talk about the development of the people.

 

Speaking to the Public Agenda, the Executive Director of ISODEC, Charles Abugre said an important indicator of good governance is not only the absence of corruption in a country but also how the weak, vulnerable, poor and the marginalized in society receive protection from government. “There is the need for the government to articulate this in the next budget,” Abugre said adding, “the budget should have human beings in it.”

 

The Executive Director said the 2001 budget like all previous budgets, focused on the intangibles such as reducing inflation and interest rates among others. “They are not the actual results of government policy…When they (Government officials) talk about employment, we want them to say this amount of employment was generated at this place and this is the kind of employment we are going to generate this year at so and so place with this amount of investment.”

 

He said measures should be taken to ensure that the poor are not worse-off in accessing education, health, vaccination, and medical treatment.

 

On the state of the economy, Abugre said the government should be in a position to tell Ghanaians where there has been an increase in employment generation…whether real incomes have increased and if there has been a shift of ownership of income from men to women and what percentage it was and how they intend to work at it this year round. “We want them to tell us that as a result of their policies on agriculture and prudent policies, soil quality improved with so much results in a particular place,” he said.

 

On the performance of the private sector and the government’s avowed Golden Age of Business, Abugre said the government has to inform the nation in its budget how small scale industrialists such as basket weavers, sculptors and their likes fared and not just talk about how the Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) progressed or how the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) achieved targets.

 

On Trade, the Executive Director said it is important to also focus on how Ghanaian young men and women who trade across the ECOWAS borders managed to do their businesses, with all its attendant problems.

 

“We want a renewed commitment from the government on the right of every citizen in the area of water education, health, public security and public goods.” He also asked the government to approach public goods with the same affection it approach the public security system.

 

“The police is said to be corrupt, but the government is going ahead to reform and equip the police. It is not privatizing the police so the same policy should be applied to public utilities such as water.” Abugre said, “Zero tolerance for corruption should be applied to water production and distribution as well to bring efficiency just as it is happening in the security services.”

 

According to Abugre, ISODEC was the first organization or NGO, which supported the government in its decision to access debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) when it was announced in last year’s budget.

 

“We do not have to throw the baby away with the bathwater,” Abugre said about HIPC, which generated a lot of public debate and furore with several Ghanaians annoyed with being described as poor.

 

He described the ‘bathwater’ as the conditionalities of IMF and the World Bank. To the layman, the decision to go HIPC constitutes an affront to the dignity of the country since culturally Ghanaians abhor being labelled as poor even if it is true that they are.

 

“I am happy that debate took place because we are indeed poor. A vast number of people living in urban and rural areas are very poor and have low real incomes,” he asserted. He said the anger and distress of the people was as a result of the development history between Ghana, the IMF and the World Bank and as such HIPC was perceived as the latest instrument to torture Ghanaians.

 

According to Abugre, the new government, which inherited empty coffers with huge debt servicing obligations was faced with hard choices. Any attempt to pay the debt or to cut public services or expenditure would severely affect the poor.

 

“ISODEC did not favour the option of cutting public expenditure or raising revenue from consumption taxes such as the VAT or printing money and as such supported the government’s decision to access debt relief under HIPC,” he said.

GRi…/

 

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The Ghanaian Times

Chambas outlines vision for ECOWAS

 

The ECOWAS Executive Secretary elect, Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, has said that he would work towards the realization of a single currency, a common passport and visa for the sub-region during his tenure of office.

 

Besides, he would do everything possible to reduce the frightening levels of poverty, hunger, disease and ignorance that afflict the people of the sub-region. Dr Chambas said these in Accra at the weekend at a durbar organized by the Muslim Community in his honour for his assumption of office as the new ECOWAS Executive Secretary.

 

The durbar, organized under the auspices of the office of the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu, was also to honour Dr Ibn Chambas for his outstanding and distinguished contribution to the community.

 

The function was attended by Ministers of State, Members of Parliament, the Diplomatic corps, Chiefs and a large number of Muslims. Dr Chambas said his election as the ECOWAS Executive Secretary was a victory for Ghana and not for any group or political party. He described his new position as a call to mobilize human, financial and material resources for the social, economic and political liberation of our people.

 

He commended President Kufuor for his tireless enthusiasm, unparalleled dedication and commitment to “my successful election to the position of Executive Secretary of the Sub-Regional body.

 

Dr Chambas thanked the Muslim community for the honour done him and gave the assurance that he would work hard to justify the confidence reposed in him. He was presented with a gift by the Muslim community.

More…/

 

Three arrested for ritual murder

 

Three people have been arrested by the Wenchi Police for allegedly murdering a 60-year old farmer for ritual purposes.

 

The three, Ayumah Agyaka, Kwaku Ahorger and Atsu, who are in police custody, were said to have murdered the old man, Daxede Shitor, at Akrobi and dumped his body at Yoyoagya, a cottage near Akrobi.

 

Police sources told the Times in Wenchi that the body was found under a tree covered with leaves with the back of his skull widely opened. The suspects were arrested upon a tip-off.

 

The sources said the incident happened last December 31. The deceased was said to have left for his farm in the early hours of that day but never returned. A search team that was dispatched could not find him. It was after a week that a farmer chanced upon the corpse and informed the police.

 

The suspects, on hearing of the discovery of the body, fled the village but a neighbour spotted them at Yoyoagya and alerted the police who arrested them at the weekend.

 

The body has since been deposited at the Wenchi Methodist Hospital Mortuary for an autopsy. According to police source, the suspects would be prosecuted after the post mortem.

GRi…/

 

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Daily Graphic

10,000 “ghost” names expunged from Education Service list

 

The Ghana Education Service (GES) has saved ¢24 billion since last July as a result of a special head count exercise conducted by the service to do away with “ghost names” on its payroll.

 

The number of names that had been deleted from the payroll by July last year was more than 10,000. A highly-placed source at the Ministry of Education said the head count began in May, 2000 when there were about 196,883 personnel, including teachers, non-teaching staff and officials at district, regional and national headquarters of the GES.

 

It said before last July when more than 10,000 names were deleted, the total number of personnel on the payroll stood at 210,669. The number on the payroll at last July was 199,539.

 

The source said the exercise, which is ongoing, will lead to the deletion of more names from the payroll and hinted that the payroll expenditure, which will indicate the total number of staff on duty at now, will be provided by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department this week.

 

It expressed optimism that the exercise will lead to what he called “the exorcising of ghost names” from the payroll of the GES. The source said in the year 2000, a total of 3,750 made up of pupil teachers, new graduates, among others, which were added to the payroll, increased the total number of staff of the GES to 200,663 from 196,883 as at May 2000.

 

It stated that additional 7,500 first year trainees and 5,846 pupil teachers engaged by the service in 2001, raised the number to 213,979. It said in 2000 and 2001, a total of 2,910 members of staff were retired, while 400 died.

 

A document from the ministry titled “The activities and achievements of the Ministry of Education in the year 2001’ confirms the story. According to the document, following the national head count exercise conducted last year, approximately 10,000 names have been expunged from the GES payroll.

 

This the document said “translates to savings of approximately ¢4 billion a month for the Ghanaian taxpayer” and added that the exercise is ongoing. It will be recalled that government recently mounted a campaign to remove “ghost names” from the payroll of all public institutions in the country. The Minister of Finance, Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, recently announced that about ¢300 billion is lost to ghost workers annually.

 

He subsequently directed the Auditor-General’s Department to carry out a head count of staff of all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as district assemblies.

 

The source said indications are that the ongoing exercise has started showing positive signs of achieving the desired results and appealed to all to give the task force conducting the headcount their maximum co-operation.

More…/

 

Bawku riots - 45 granted bail

 

Forty-five people who were arrested in connection with the recent Bawku riots have been granted bail in the sum of ¢10 million with a surety each to be justified by the Bolgatanga Tribunal.

 

Three others, Issifu Braimah, Alidu Salifu and Issaaka Amidu were, however, discharged on the grounds that there was a defect in the charges preferred against them. Those on bail, all of whom pleaded not guilty, are facing charges of discharge of firearms, causing damage and assault.

 

The tribunal, chaired by Major Justice Ntow Agyekum (rtd), adjourned the case sine die. Messrs John Ndebugre and John Ajet-Nasam, defence lawyers, in applying for bail for them, drew the tribunal’s attention to the various defects in the charge sheets.

 

The Chief State Attorney, Mr S.A. Ashrifie, who is leading the prosecution, did not object to the application for bail and submitted that the docket on the case is at the Attorney-General’s office at Bolgatanga for study.

 

He said the police are still conducting investigations into the case and that statements are yet to be taken from some witnesses. After listening to the submissions by counsel and the prosecution, the tribunal chairman recalled that the accused were arraigned before the tribunal a couple of weeks ago to be remanded in prison custody, which the tribunal accordingly did.

 

Major Agyekum pointed out that the tribunal was granting bail to the accused persons in the interest of justice and to enable the prosecution to continue with its investigations. The 45 people, mostly teenagers, include students, farmers, traders, carpenters, truck pushers and mechanics.

More…/

 

‘Don’t organize events on Saturday’ - Adventists

 

The Seventh Day Adventists (SDA) Church has petitioned the government not to organize any national event on Saturdays as it infringes on their freedom of worship.

 

The church mentioned in particular the 2000 general elections, which were fixed on Saturday, as a typical example of how such national events infringe on their freedom of worship.

 

According to the church, during the elections about five hundred thousand members of the church were not able to participate fully in the elections, since they had to observe the Sabbath.

 

Pastor Peter Osei Mensah, President of Ghana Union Conference of the church, made the appeal at the 10th Central Ghana Conference and ordination service of the church at Agona-Ashanti at the weekend. He urged government to take a critical look at the situation in future because it affects their participation in such national events.

 

Pastor Mensah observed that during the last elections, numerous appeals were made by the church to the Electoral Commission (EC). He said at the moment, examinations in most of the core subjects for the November/December Senior Secondary School certificate candidates have been fixed for Saturday, which is invariably affecting Adventist students, who would like to observe the Sabbath.

GRi…/

 

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The Crusading Guide

Obed Asamoah is our credible candidate - Sese group

 

The Sese Group, an affiliate body of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) party based in the Greater Accra Region, has stated clearly that they support the candidature of Dr Obed Yao Asamoah for the position of National Chairman of the party.

 

According to them, Dr Asamoah is a hardworker, and has a wealth of experience that pre-dates the era of ex-President Rawlings in Ghana's political history, stressing that when given the opportunity he could help move the NDC forward.

 

This was contained in a release issued and signed by Alhaji Saidu Sulley, President of the East Ayawaso constituency branch of Sese Group. Members of the group condemned the "smear campaign against Dr Obed Asamoah by the so-called Action Forum of Ashanti".

 

In their view persons with genuine interest in a political party would not engage in the "anti-party programme of undermining the integrity of its leading members." The statement added that, "Ghanaians, especially members of the NDC, must ignore the baseless attack on Dr Asamoah because there is no merit in the case involving the theft of party monies from his residence."

 

The Sese Group noted that, "this is part of a campaign aimed at undermining Dr Asamoah's bid for the chairmanship of the party". According to them, the Action Forum's comment that Dr Asamoah could not be entrusted with high office, was a blatant lie since he had been an ex-Member of Parliament, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Attorney General as well as Minister for Justice for over a decade during which period he meticulously discharged his duties.

 

On the Action Forum's call to suspend Obed Asamoah over the alleged missing ¢100 million at his residence, the Sese Group stated, "Neither common sense nor the regulations of the NDC justify the claim of the so-called Action Forum that Dr Asamoah should have been suspended from the party and debarred from holding office because of the theft of ¢100 million party funds from his residence."

 

The group dismissed the allegations that Dr Asamoah was a bully who did not respect his colleagues including ex-President Rawlings. "It is not true that the former Attorney General is bully and does not respect his colleagues," they retorted.

 

They noted that the defeat of the NDC in last year's general elections could not be laid at the doorstep of Dr Asamoah and the Verandah Boys and Girls Club. They argued that the reasons for the party's defeat were the sort of indiscipline and self-destructive tactics as being exhibited by the so-called Action Forum.

 

The Sese Group advised Dr Asamoah not to give up to blackmail since his bid to contest the chairmanship position would strengthen internal democracy in the NDC.

 

The Group urged the so-called action Forum to desist from such indiscipline acts and allow the party to carry out its activities in a more transparent manner "instead of supporting imposition of officers on the party which led to our defeat in the 2000 General Elections."

GRi…/

 

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The Evening News

'Reject reconciliation law'

 

The Western regional chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Mr Alex Nana Asamoah has said that the reconciliation bill which was recently passed into law by Parliament, is a recipe for violence. He said the bill in its present form is a possible disaster and must be rejected by Ghanaians.

 

Mr Asamoah was speaking at a press soiree organized by the party for media practitioners in the region. He said the bill was passed on a partisan basis since the minority NDC did not take part in the voting for its acceptance.

 

The regional chairman therefore urged religious leaders, traditional authorities and civil society to lead the crusade against the rejection of the bill. He commended the role of the media in ensuring democracy in the country, but regretted that the NPP government was using subtle means to woo the media to its side saying, "this is dangerous for democracy".

 

He gave the assurance that the 'cold war' between the party and the media was over and concerned that, that was part of the mistakes of the party, which led to its defeat in the last elections.

 

Mr Kofi Asante, Minority Spokesman on Energy, said the minority only took part in the debate on the bill to draw attention to some of the clauses of the bill that were in bad taste, but when we realized that the majority group was not paying attention to our criticism and suggestions, we withdrew at the voting stage to conform to what was expected of any minority group.

 

On the performance of the ruling NPP so far, Mr Asante said the government had not come to grips with the problems on the ground since the one year that it had been in office and therefore found governance a big problem.

 

He said the 'People's Assemblies' organized recently by the government were only to make people hail the NPP for the one year in office, even though their programme and promises had not had any positive effect on the people.

 

Mr Asante said accountability did not mean financial accountability, but also effectiveness of government and governance. For instance, they pointed out that the government has no energy policy nor energy security in the country, thereby making the picture in that sector very gloomy.

 

He said high electricity tariffs are knocking at the doors of consumers to aggravate the already distressed situation Ghanaian find themselves. He challenged the NPP to point out projects it had initiated and urged the government to give credit to projects initiated by the NDC.

 

Mr Asante criticized the NPP for halting road projects is the western Region especially the Bawdie-Asankragwa road project and called on the government to restore that project," which is the heartbeat of the people in the region." He praised the media in the region for publicizing the activities of the party.

GRi…/

 

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The Statesman

Scrap disaster body now - former operations officer

 

The beleaguered National Disaster Management Organisation NADMO should be scrapped because it was virtually nothing than a support-mobilisation organisation for the National Democratic Congress party set up and controlled by Dr Obed Asamoah, in a scheme, which involved that tacit involvement of the state-owned media, says former operations officer.

 

Dr Obed Asamoah, the source reveals, used to present Kofi Kportufe, the former head of NADMO with list of names coupled with an order to employ them. In fact, Dr Obed Asamoah even determined who joined NADMO at the district level, based purely on a person’s loyalty to the party. Pictures and news items of the organisation on disaster management missions were all part of a design to hide the real purpose of the set up.

 

Thus, the only disaster NADMO was supposed to offset was the electoral kind against the interest of the NDC, which going by the December 2000 results was hardly a success story.

 

The source, a highly placed official, who worked with NADMO right from the onset in 1996 until resigning two years ago, says that the workers at the grass root level did nothing than campaigning for the NDC and that the only disaster management undertaken by them was incidental because it only involved the delivery of relief items to the locals, accompanied with strict instructions from party headquarters to drum into the heads of the recipients that the items were given purely out of the benevolence of the then ruling party.

 

Any programme undertaken in disaster management would directly emanate from officials travelling from the headquarters in Accra, with no local input whatsoever. The source even poured scorn on the motive behind such treks, saying they had in place effective publicity machinery, which relied heavily on state-owned media, GTV cameras and sympathetic news papers reporters would be invited to follow NADMO on photo-opportunity trips to give the impression that NADMO meant business.

 

As to whether, perhaps, once the management is changed NADMO can be allowed to continue, the source dismisses that as being far from enough, arguing that those at the tail end have no purpose to be there since the NDC is not in power.

 

The source notes that initially NADMO was supposed to have only three regional members and each at district level, but it was soon flooded with card bearing NDC members, who had no clue about disaster management.

 

Whereas NADMO was attached to the Ministry of Interior, the organisation was controlled by the Attorney-General, who also headed the NDC’s financial team. Suspicions had long been raised about the political activity of NADMO but Dr Obed Asamoah’s direct involvement had not been made public.

 

Throughout its first five years of operation, relief items meant for victims of disasters were often distributed discriminatorily. Some recipients had to pledge their support for the NDC before becoming beneficiaries.

 

The source sees no reason why NADMO should continue to exist, but warns that the NPP government should not simply replace it with another party-political organisation disguised as government-driven social programme.

More…/

 

Radio Eye at last

 

“Radio Eye” which made great political history by becoming the first private radio to be banned by the NDC government in 1992 has now obtained official license to begin operation. Established by Dr Charles Wereko-Brobbey, nicknamed “Tarzan” in local political circles in those days, Radio Eye obtained its license last December 23, 2001.

 

Radio Eye was then conducting its test transmission when security agents scoop on its offices and seized its equipment. The NDC government stated at the time of its closure that the management of Radio Eye had no official licence to operate a private Radio under the laws of the then Frequency Board in those days.

 

It was not immediately known when a re-born Radio Eye will begin operation. In this era of “Positive Change”, it is not surprising that Radio Eye has been freed from a long thraldom.  

GRi…/

 

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Ghana Palaver

Osafo Maafo lied at the People’s Assembly- Adjaho

 

The Minority Chief Whip, Mr Doe Adjaho, has reiterated that Finance Minister, Osafo Maafo actually misapplied funds, approved for the Ministry last year. For instance, the Minister on his own, decided to divert funds, approved for projects, for other purposes, which he personally considered useful, without seeking parliamentary approval for such changes.

 

Mr Adjaho, who is also the MP for Avenor, therefore, accused the Minister of misinformation, when he dodged the issue at stake and merely claimed credit for performing within the overall budget limits, when he appeared at the “People’s Assembly” in Accra.

 

He lied to the people of Ghana, Mr Adjaho reaffirmed. Citing instances, Mr Adjaho said instead of 1.2 billion cedis approved for contingency in the first of the two “interim budgets”, the Minister went ahead to spend 122billion cedis, under the schedule, an excess of about 121 billion cedis.

 

In the case of Administration expenses, the Minister again spent 733 billion cedis, instead of the 469 billion originally approved by parliament. He said the minority detected the flaws, when the Minister presented his record “interim budget”, in which figures were thrown around, the way the Minister willed it and not what have been approved for use.

 

For instance, specific votes allocated for water, roads, health, education and other essential services were diverted and used under what was described as “Special Contingency. This is a case of clear breach of the constitution and the Appropriation Act”, which regulates the financial administration of the country.

 

Mr Adjaho said he had never said anywhere that the Minister has exceeded the overall budget limits. His references were made about the way the country’s funds were handled, under the Administration and Contingency categories. 

 

Mr Adjaho referred to Articles and clauses in the constitution, which allows a Minister to always go back to Parliament, to seek approval for supplementary estimates, whenever monies voted for specific purposes are found to be insufficient due to unforeseeable developments.

 

He said although there are cases, in which technically the use of via, could be restored to, that is when under the Development Sector, money voted for road can be diverted for water, one cannot use the same money for travelling purposes. “Otherwise, the term misapplication of public fund cannot exist”, he emphasised. If we allow this practice to stand, then you cannot hold anyone responsible for misapplication of funds”, he said.

More…/

 

Ghanaian Soldier at Lome coup anniversary

 

Ghanaian soldiers “stole the show” at a military parade held in the Togolese capital Lome to mark the 35th anniversary of the coup that brought President Eyadema into power.

 

The soldiers, a contingent of the Ghana Armed Forces Band, formed part of a high-powered Ghanaian delegation led by the Minister of Defence, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor, which participated in the coup anniversary activities.

 

It will be recalled that the first major outside assignment, undertaken by the President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, was his participation in the Togo coup anniversary activities during which he received a national decoration.

 

As a policy, the government has illegalised all activities in commemoration of all past coups in Ghana. An ordinary lecture, held in Accra, which coincide with the anniversary of the June 4 revolution last year, was seen as an act of illegality by the Kufuor administration.  

GRi…/

 

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