Food prices to go down
Ball back to E.T., Jawula
Police near breakthrough
Special ID numbers for taxis, others
Akatsi NDC petitions Prez
Ashanti/Fanti man to run with Kufuor
‘Mourners’ invade NDC headquarters
Assasie-Gyimah dares Agyepong on what Amartey Kwei said
J.J. and Nana for court
Food prices to go down
The Daily Graphic reports in its banner story that the Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) has predicted a drastic decline in the cost of food staples by September, this year.
MOFA is reported as saying in its second quarterly report that was issued by the Statistics Research and Information Directorate (SRID) that although the outset of the rains was delayed, there has been widespread replanting of maize and vegetables in areas, which experienced initial poor rainfall distribution.
“It is therefore envisaged that the food harvests will result in the price of a bag of maize, which is currently about ¢175,000 declining to about ¢80,000 per bag by the next harvest season.
The report indicates that comparing prices of key staple foodstuffs for the second quarter of 1999 to this year's prices show a rate of change between 32 to 67 per cent.
The paper says the report, however, predicted the cost of maize is expected to decline by 33 per cent while prices of yam, tomatoes and cassava would fall by 46, 47 and 2.5 per cent respectively.
More.../
Ball back to E.T., Jawula
Graphic reports on its back-page that Cabinet has asked the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to hold discussions on the fate of Italian headcoach of the Black Stars, Guiseppe Dossena,.
The paper says, Cabinet, in a statement signed by Mr. John Mahama, Minister of Communications, said the Sports Ministry and the GFA have responsibility for sports and football administration and should, therefore, be able to take a decision in the best interest of the nation, on the coach’s contract.
The story has it that the issue of Dossena’s future after July has generated heated debate among Ghanaians, compelling Black Stars Captain Charles and his deputy Samuel Osei Kuffour, to seek clarification from Vice President Professor J.E.A. Atta Mills, two weeks ago, on the matter.
Dossena is recalled to have guided the Stars to a 5-0 thrashing of Sierra Leone in a World Cup qualifier in Accra on July 9.
GRi.../
Police near breakthrough
“Two weeks after the murder of Anita Abban, 26, in Accra, the Police seem to be making some headway in their search for her murderer or murderers” says the Ghanaian Times.
Times says Police sources indicate that vital information that could lead the police to her assailants had been gathered.
The story says the security service have gathered that the night before Anita’s death she, together with two other girls were standing in front of the Multichoice offices near Randolph Motors at the Accra suburb of Asylum Down. One of them, according to the police, was earlier picked by a vehicle leaving Adoley and Anita who was next picked.
“Consequently, it is believed that Adoley could be of much help to the police in getting the identity of the vehicle and the occupant(s) who took Anita away,” the story said.
The Times says the police have therefore appealed to Adoley to come forward and help them in their investigations into the death of her friend.
More.../
Special ID numbers for taxis, others
The Ghanaian Times in another front-page story reports that Taxis and certain types of commercial vehicles will soon carry special identification numbers in addition to the normal registration numbers.
Drivers of such vehicles, according to the paper, would also be requested to boldly display their photo identity inside.
The paper quotes the Minister responsible for National Security, Mr. Kofi Totobi Quakyi, as saying during a meeting with the Accra and Tema branch executives of the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) that the exercise, to begin with taxi cabs within Accra and Tema, is aimed at ensuring that vehicle numbers are not changed easily.
He is reported as saying that the security agencies have discovered that a number of criminal gangs operated taxis and other commercial vehicles during which they monitored the movement of their prospective victims and said the introduction of the new numbers and photo IDs would lead to quick identification.
GRi.../
Akatsi NDC petitions Prez
The Evening News in a lead story writes that some executive members of the Akatsi district secretariat of the NDC have petitioned President Rawlings to withdraw Mr. Doe Adjaho, the Majority Chief Whip, as parliamentary candidate for Avenor in the December elections in the supreme interest of the party.
The executives are alleged to have accused Mr. Adjaho of a questionable character for which he should not be allowed to contest the seat again because of the embarassment it would cause to the party.
The paper says a statement, signed by Mr. P.O.C. Babbah, propaganda secretary and Mr. Vincent Gassor, district party father claimed that: “Mr. Adjaho has failed the electorate and has been implicated in a sexual immorality case.”
GRi.../
Ashanti/Fanti man to run with Kufuor
The Ghana Palaver writes that Mr. J.A. Kufuor, the NPP flagbearer has embarked on a process of appeasement and atonement and has decided to select a Kumasi-based Fanti as his running mate for the December presidential election, although the National Executive Council of the party is yet to be briefed on the selection.
Palaver says in the front-page story says that its scouts gathered that the NPP flagbearer has decided on the Kumasi-based Fanti as a way of appeasing the people of the Central Region following the denigrating statement that the paper reported him as having made in the Brong Ahafo Region.
The story states that although on paper the decision sounds tactically correct, the strategy, according to Palaver scouts, would most likely backfire since the “Kufuor’s handpicked No. 2 has virtually lost all his contacts in the region except attending funerals of deceased family members once in a while.”
GRi.../
‘Mourners’ invade NDC headquarters
“An angry National Democratic Congress (NDC) supporters from the Gomoa West Constituency, wearing traditional mourning attire of red and black and singing war songs and shouting defiant slogans on Tuesday besieged the NDC headquarters in Accra and demanded the withdrawal of Mrs. Ama Benyiwa Doe, Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare as the party’s parliamentary candidate for the December 2000 elections” reports the Free Press.
The protesters, according to the paper, also demanded the removal of their District Chief Executive, Mr. Ishmael Arthur from office.
The Free Press says the protesters, confiding in the paper, alleged that for the past years, Mrs. Benyiwa Doe had not been performing well although she allegedly influenced the electorates with ¢25,000 each to vote for her.
“We are fed up with her,” a female demonstrator who said they were at the headquarters for the fourth occasion, is quoted to have said. She is reported as saying however that they are not being given hearing.
The Free Press report carries that some of the aggrieved members threatened to resign and join the NPP if the NDC remained adamant and go ahead to impose Mrs. Benyiwas Doe on them as the party’s choice.
General Secretary, Alhaji Huudu Yahaya, is reported to have given the assurance that he would carry their demands to the party hierachy but the angry party activists according to the paper could not be calmed by the promise.
The Free Press story carries that by press time on Tuesday, the demonstrators had “virtually taken the party headquarters hostage, waiting for Alhaji Yahaya’s message.”
GRi.../
Assasie-Gyimah dares Agyepong on what Amartey Kwei said
The Dispatch says it is becoming increasingly likely that the issue of who actually instigated the late Amartey Kwei and his gang of four to callously murder three High Court Judges and a retired Army Officer on June 30, 1982, could reach a climax soon.
The Dispatch reports further that Lt-Commander Baffour Assasie-Gyimah, Ghana’s Ambassador to Burkina Faso who was present at the time has now dared Mr. Kwabena Agyepong, son of one of the Judges on the assertion that the confession of Amartey Kwei on the eve of his execution allegedly “implicate President Jerry Rawlings and his wife.
According to the paper a reply from the Ambassador to Agyepong’s press statement which Dispatch published in today’s edition, considered Agyepong’s delivery as containing at best, as half-truths and at worst, a lot of lies.
He, according to the letter could not understand why up till now Mr. Agyepong, despite his claim of looking for evidence, has not searched for him.
Mr. Assasie-Gyimah, according his reproduced letter, had promised to on his return into the country, to look for the Dispatch for the next line of action.
Dispatch says it has waited until now before doing the story because Assasie-Gyimah is currently in Accra “and is prepared to tell the public what Amartey Kwei said at the Ussher Fort Prison Chapel.”
GRi.../
J.J. and Nana for court
The Weekly Insight reports that the President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, may not live in comfort forever as a number of Ghanaian families are looking for clues to the disappearance of an estimated 300 opponents to the Rawlings’ era of 1982 and 1986.
Insight writes that already, Mr. Kwabena Agyapong, son of late High Court Judge, Mr. Justice Agyapong, who was abducted and killed with two others plus a retired army officer is threatening to go to court in an attempt to establish the extent of involvement of the first couple or otherwise.
The paper says Amartey Kwei, a member of Rawlings’ government, confessed his involvement in the murders before a national public tribunal claiming the four were opposed to the Rawlings launched 31st December Revolution.
The story contained that soldiers who were closely associated with Rawligns were also found guilty of the murders and sentenced to death.
The paper writes that although the Ghanaian constitution of 1992 gives Rawlings and all his officials indemnity from prosecution, some legal experts say that the indemnity can only cover official acts and not actions which bother on criminality or are directly criminal.
Insight writes that Mrs. Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, the First Lady, has no indemnity under the constitution.
GRi.../