Reform Party receives final certificate
NDC Angry with Mills
No food for verandah boys and girls. Woman delegate collapses from hunger
Students warn Barclays Bank
Robbers' queen surrenders
National Land policy launched
"Saga Of a Drowning Town …Keta Sea Project: A revelation"
"J.J’s man warns of blood bath … if Rawlings is punished after handing over
Reform Party receives final certificate
The paper carries on its front page a story titled "Reform Party receives final certificate". According to the story, the National Reform Party (NRP) has received its certificate of registration from the Electoral Commission (EC) to operate as a full fledged political party.
The paper said with the receipt of final certificate by the NRP, the number of parties that will contest the 2000 elections has shot up to nine.
Mr David Kanag, Deputy Chairman of the Electoral Commission who presented the certificate to Mr. Peter Kpordugbe, interim national chairman of the Party, expressed satisfaction that the NRP has complied with the Political Parties Law.
Mr. Kanga asked the party officials to furnish his outfit with detailed reports of their expenditure and contributions from members, 60 days after receipt of the said certificate and charged them to go to congress early to elect substantive officers.
Mr. Kpordugbe has described the receipt of the final certificate of registration as a dream come true, while Mr. Mije Barnor one of the party's leading members said: "this marks the beginning of the actual work of the party, the Graphic said.
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NDC Angry with Mills
The paper flashes a banner headline which reads "NDC Angry with Mills". According to the paper, a few NDC supporters are not happy with what they termed the "transparent handling of the stadia probe report" by Vice President John Evans Atta Mills.
Some NDC elements see the institution of the probe by the Veep as an attempt to score political points, and they refer to the way and manner in which he received the report and quickly gave it to the media.
The paper stated that, some NDC members felt the veep should have just collected the Report and allowed the government to issue a statement on its views.
The NDC members were pleased with the Tagoe report in view of the time and pressure involved but conceded that certain vital issues were not addressed. One of them, was the way the committee was silent on the contradictory nature of how the consultancy contract was taken from the Architectural and Engineering Services Limited (AESL).
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No food for varanda boys and girls. Woman delegate colapses from hunger
A banner story on the front page of the paper reads "no food for verandah boys and girls. Woman delegate collapses from hunger". In this story a woman delegate is said to have collapsed around 4:00 pm when delegates at the inauguration of the Eastern Regional branch of the Verandah boys and girls club charged on their organisers for none payment of the ¢2000 promised them and for not being given food.
According to some of they promised and food and ¢2000 for attending the ceremony but the organisers failed to honour their side of the deal which led to chaotic scene as the hired audience demanded to have see terms of the contract honoured.
In the end some of the organizers had to be whisked away from the premises of the Eredec Hotel, Koforidua where the function took place for of being lynched by the mob.
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Students warn Barclays Bank
In another story on page three the papers reports: "Students warn Barclays Bank". The story says that the students representative council of the University of Ghana Legon (SRC) has appealed to the Barclays Bank not to allow itself to be used by the university for implementing the increase in fees of students for the next academic year.
The students described as unfortunate the intention of the University authorities to use the bank as a vehicle to implement what they described as the astronomical increases in fees of the students.
They noted that directions to freshmen as contained in admission letters for 1999/2000 academic year indicated that freshmen are to deposit an acceptance fee of ¢300,000 by August 6 1999 with the Barclays Bank as a point of collection.
The SRC sees the increase from ¢50,000 to ¢300,000 as not being justified and has vowed to resist its implementation.
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The lead story of the Ghanaian Times with the heading 'Robbers' queen surrenders'
says the female live wire behind two recent Ashanti region armed robbery cases, Akosua Serwah, has surrendered the police.
The paper says Serwah, who is 50 and operates a popular chop bar, "Abotare Ye", reported herself to the Police Buffalo Unit of Kumasi at 2 p.m. on Monday July 26.
Serwah is alleged to have released a KIA Pick-up, AS 7418 P and Opel Pick-up AS 9398 E to the robbers for their operations.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Yaw Adu Gyimah, Ashanti Regional Commander is reported by the Times as saying the fate of Serwah, as to whether she would be taken to Accra or not for further interrogation would be decided by the Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC).
The Times report recalls an earlier swoop by the REGSEC in which six of the gangsters were nabbed.
National Land policy launched
In another front page story the Times reports that a national land policy to address problems associated with land management was launched on July 27 in Accra with concerns being raised by President Jerry John Rawlings over the large volume of land legislations.
The paper quotes President Rawlings, in a message read on his behalf, as saying there are overlaps and conflicts in the administration leading to land acquisition.
President Rawlings, according to the Times, called for the encouragement and strengthening of existing departments and agencies such as metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to vigorously exercise their responsibilities to instil order in land matters, adding that copies of the document should be given to chiefs, MP’s assembly members, Ministers and investors among other opinion leaders.
President Rawlings praised the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu the Second on his speedy resolution of out of court cases involving Kumasi Divisional chiefs and asked other traditional leaders to follow suit.
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"Saga Of a Drowning Town …Keta Sea Project: A revelation"
Writing under the headline "Saga Of a Drowning Town …Keta Sea Project: A revelation" on its front page the Ghanaian Chronicle reports that a new fact that has emerged could further slow down the process of the Keta Sea Defence Project.
The Chronicle report says even as Parliament debates on the $ 94 million loan agreement with Eximbank for the Keta Project, it has emerged that the PNDC earmarked ¢ 700m with a foreign component of ($9m) in 1984 for the same project.
The paper says the revelation could deepen the controversy surrounding the project leading to claims and counter claims.
The report quotes a Daily Graphic report November 3, 1984, in which the former PNDC Secretary for Works and Housing Dr Abubakar Alhassan stated in a speech in the presence of PNDC Chairman Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings that an amount of ¢700 m had been earmarked for the project.
The Chronicle says the story included a declaration from Rawlings that the government would not sit down and allow the sea to destroy life and property at Keta. According to the Graphic of that time Dr. Alhassan said so far ¢75 has been spent on the first phase of the project.
It alleges that the Office of the President which was asked to comment on the credibility of the said Graphic report this year dismissed aspects of the report that said the money had been voted for the project.
In a written response to the Chronicle’s queries in April this year, Nana Opuku Acheampong, Deputy Director of the Public Affairs Secretariat, said is reported as saying "the Daily Graphic report of Nov. 5 1984 captioned Big Vote for Keta Sea Defence is misleading. What the then Secretary for Works and Housing actually said was that "an amount of ¢700 m has been earmarked for the Keta Sea Defence Project. He did not say these monies had been voted for the project. The PNDC Secretary’s statement was based on estimated cost of the project extracted from proposals submitted to the Ministry in 1984 by a potential local contractor"
Although Dr. Alhassan was unavailable for comment the Chronicle says Professor Mawusi Dake, a widely acclaimed expert on the Keta Sea Defence Project, who also served as Secretary for Works and Housing during the PNDC ear and came almost after Dr. Alhassan interpreted the castle’s apparent contest of vote as a reflection of the lack of commitment of the then PNDC government of solving the problem.
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"J.J’s man warns of blood bath … if Rawlings is punished after handing over
"J.J’s Man Warns Of Blood Bath … If Rawlings is Punished After Handing Over" is the screaming banner headline on the front page of the Weekly Insight.
The report says Mr. Clement Sangaparee, a hard line loyalist of the Rawlings regime has warned that there would be a bloodbath in Ghana if any attempt was made to punish his mentor for the excesses of his rule.
Sangaparee is said to have declared that (P) NDC will emerge victorious after the blood bath and will rule Ghana for 3000 years.
In a letter to the Insight Mr. Sangapare is said to have written "Let me assure you that there would be a blood bath worse than Rwanda, Liberia, Kabila’s Congo, Somalia, or Serria Leone, for it will be fire, fire where the winner will take all forever.
Take it from me and nobody, nothing, I mean nothing, no dog can touch Rawlings if he leaves the political scene because he is a gem and must be preserved at all costs.
No government too will be allowed to restrict his movement or dismiss his supporters or malign him with disgrace like the PNP government did to him and his supporters in 1980 for our role in June 4, 1979," the Insight quotes Sangapare as saying.
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