Don’t polarise nation – NDC urges ruling govt
GNPC’s assets without insurance cover
NDC ready to refund ESB
45% satchet water infested
Quashigah ‘weeps’ at sight of Pwalugu Tomato factory
Kufuor & Co Eat 30m cedis a week
Otumfuo declares war on chiefs
Hamidu was told of June 4 coup
I have no regrets about ’79 executions – Rawlings
Omanhene flees into exile
PANAFEST in court
The ‘showbiz’ birthday party that slipped Accra
Don’t polarise nation – NDC urges ruling govt
The banner story of the Daily Graphic says the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the government to refrain from pursuing actions that would further polarise the nation and prevent the reaching of the requisite national consensus to move the nation forward.
“Policies are being deliberately twisted, correspondence is being wilfully misinterpreted, programmes are being adopted without attribution and projects are being commissioned without acknowledge.
“Worst of all, it appears there is a deliberate strategy to cause the disintegration of the NDC as a party through misinformation, disinformation, fabrications and outright lies,” the NDC stressed.
The call was made at a press conference in Accra on Thursday which was addressed by Professor John Evans Atta Mills, former Vice-President of Ghana and the flagbearer of the Progressive Alliance, led by the NDC in the December 2000 general elections, to enable the party make its position on a number of national issues public.
According to the former NDC flagbearer, whilst it would have been ideal to accord the new NPP administration the customary 100 days political honeymoon to settle down, it has largely failed to materialise because of an avalanche of attacks and accusations the party and its functionaries have been subjected to by the NPP.
GRi…/
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GNPC’s assets without insurance cover
Chronicle investigations into activities of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) have revealed that all the corporation’s exploration and production assets both within and outside the country are without insurance cover.
Chronicle intelligence gathered that the insurance cover of all GNPC assets was terminated early this year by the international insurers because of non-payment of premiums for more than five months running into thousands of dollars.
Attempts by the Ghana Re-insurance to get its brokers convince the international insurers of the multi-billion cedi exploratory company to reinstate the protection of the trouble laden corporation have failed as Chronicle learnt that the international insurers would only reconsider their decision if the GNPC paid all outstanding premiums.
The local insurers, another troubled institution which was rocked by seriously scandals, the State Insurance Company (SIC) has raised its hands in despair since it cannot contain the situation, a source hinted the Chronicle.
Official sources are tight-lipped over the issue, even though an official confirmed it on unofficial capacity.
GRi…/
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NDC ready to refund ESB
Prof John Atta mills, former Vice-President and NDC presidential candidate in last year’s presidential elections, says he and his NDC colleagues are prepared to refund any excess ex-gratia awards paid them if it is established by any committee that they have been overpaid, reports the Weekend Statesman.
Addressing his first press conference since his defeat in last year’s presidential elections, Prof. Mills said, if any overpayment is detected, then it in the moral responsibility of the recipients to refund the monies to the state. He, therefore, welcomed the reported moves by the NPP government to have the matter resolved.
Prof. Mills said most of these issues have come about as a result of the inability of the Transitional Team to finish its work. It is important, he said, for the Transitional Team to meet again to discuss issues to ensure transparency, adding that he would be the first to comply with any recommendations made.
Prof. Mills said it was rather unfortunate that ex-President Rawlings and his Ministers and appointees were accused of unjust enrichment by being improperly paid ex-gratia awards, when these were authorised under Article 71 of the Constitution. Given the present numerical strength of the NDC and the NPP in Parliament, and the global economic situation, he said, one would have expected co-operation, consultation and consensus, at least in the first few months of the NPP administration.
GRi…/
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45% satchet water infested
Research conducted by the Food and Drugs Board (FDB) has revealed that some disease – causing bacteria are present in 45 per cent of sachet water on the Ghanaian market, reports the Ghanaian Times.
The FDB maintains that even though it is not possible to tell the number of cases reported to the health authorities as a result of drinking contaminated water, it is even more concerned about unreported cases and sees education and the enforcement of rules as a solution to the problem.
These came to light during a training workshop for 60 sachet water producers in Accra. It was on good manufacturing and hygienic practices in the production of sachet water.
The workshop aimed at educating the water producers on the consequences of not observing good manufacturing practices and the need for proper labelling and adhering to the requirements for registration with the board.
Recent post-market surveillance has identified 212 producers of water sachet in the country.
Out of the number, 82 have made their activities known to the board and 77 have been inspected so far in the Greater Accra Region.
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Quashigah ‘weeps’ at sight of Pwalugu Tomato factory
The Ghanaian Times in another story says, the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Major Courage Quashigah (rtd) was deeply disturbed on Thursday when he visited the Pwalugu Tomato Factory in the Upper East Region which has been closed down for no good reasons.
The only explanation the workers had for the close down was that the factory was under divestiture. Yet, their appeal to be allowed to run the factory was ignored.
The Minister could not control his emotions when he was further told that the factory was in good working condition but was forced to close down.
In reaction, he stated that all those who had a hand in the running and administration of the factory would be held responsible for all the lapses associated with its operations.
Therefore, all those who were involved in the running of the factory, including the Nsawam Industrial Holdings, “no matter how old they may be by now, will have to account for how they plundered the factory in particular and the nation at large.
GRi…/
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Kufuor & Co eat 30m cedis a week
The expenses of President J. A. Kufuor on food alone for Presidential Staffers, ordered from the Golden Tulip in Accra, now stands at 30 million cedis a week, reports the Ghana Palaver.
This, it is said, is to cater for visitors who call on the Presidency, even after work. The highest expenses, ever incurred by the Presidential household during the “long” tenure of office of ex-President J.J. Rawlings was about 4 million cedis a week.
When shown the figures, an internal auditor questioned whether part of the food is also being used to feed Elephants.
Meanwhile, the weekly expenses on food, when added to the huge expenditure being-borne by the state in the renovation works being undertaken in President Kufuor’s house perhaps, gives cause to the reason why the President would want to stay in his own house, quite a distance away from the “filth” of the castle, Osu.
For with the carting of new items, on Government vehicles, almost on daily basis, the total household expenditure might have already crossed the 500 million cedis mark.
According to eye-witnesses, every item, from toilet facilities to dining tables and air-conditioners are being replaced.
But for lack of space, we would have been heading towards the “installation” of a Buckingham Palace in Accra, with Ghana’s Royal Highness sleeping in comfort there, HIPC or no HIPC!
GRi…/
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Otumfuo declares war on chiefs
The Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II has categorically stated that any Ashanti chief who corrupts his position and allows money to influence his sense of judgement would be made to face the full rigour of the law, says the Free Press.
At the latest meeting of the Kumasi Traditional Council, the King was emphatic that some chiefs have formed the habit of accepting bribes from their subjects and litigants with the promise that they could influence cases, which had been reported to the Manhyia Palace.
The Asantehene said that information which reached him indicate that some particular chiefs had created the impression and made other people believe that it was normal to pay bribe through them if he (the Asantehene) would have to rule in their favour.
The Asantehene expressed regrets at the fact that on numerous occasions, he had entrusted the investigations into certain issues and cases in the hands of the chiefs only to find out that some of them have twisted the results to the investigations.
“They always have the audacity to throw dust into my eyes since I am not always around during the investigations. All in all, the truth about such cases, when they resurface, touch on the integrity of these chiefs”.
The Asantehene advised the chiefs to abstain from the practice whereby they encourage litigants to visit their palaces at odd hours. He said that the tendency to get influenced at those hours could be very high, adding, anybody who gives money to any chief with the motive that the chief will influence the course of events at the Manhyia Palace will be handed over to the police.
GRi…/
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Hamidu was told of June 4 coup
Many Ghanaians are anxiously waiting for urgent reaction from General Joshua Hamidu, the President’s National Security Advisor, when he returns form a visit to Northern Ghana to allay their fears to claims that he Hamidu was privy to the plot to violently overthrow the SMCII regime because he had been given information that troops were massing to strike in a coup d’etat but failed to take action, as he did not consider the information credible.
One Colonel Kofi Abaka Jackson, a Military Secretary and Minister for Works and Housing in the Acheampong Regime, who made the allegation has expressed great doubts about the security prowess or capability of the General.
Jackson said Hamidu was given the tip off at a meeting with intelligence officers, but he had retorted by asking who the informant was. He was then told that an in-law of Jackson who lived at Tema, had heard two soldiers in conversation in a trotro.
One soldier in uniform was telling his colleague in mufti, that they would strike soon. Jackson said he told the meeting, chaired by Hamidu who was Chief Of Defence Staff.
Hamidu’s reaction, according to Jackson was that the conversation between the two men was only ‘big talk’, which implied that he the General did not believe it. Jackson said Hamidu later asked him to provide the names of all officers who had been on secondment since the 1966 coup because he was going to institute a probe and wanted those details on his desk by June 1st.
Unfortunately 3 days later the soldiers struck on June 4. This, he said created a lot of speculation within the armed forces about his loyalty especially as he was later appointed by the AFRC to become its liaison officer, while he Jackson wondered if the coup was the probe that Joshua had been referring to.
Hamidu has however explained on other platforms that he took that position of working with the putschists in order to keep some sanity in the activities of Rawlings and his men.
GRi…/
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I have no regrets about ’79 executions – Rawlings
The recent request from the widows of the eight executed senior military officers, including three former Heads of State, that their bodies be released to them for decent burials, has sparked off public debate.
According to the Dispatch, a few people have said that the apologies by former Chairman of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Flt-Lt. Jerry John Rawlings, should close the chapter. The Dispatch says it can reveal that there have been instances that Flt-Lt. Rawlings has expressed his lack of regrets for the 1979 executions.
During the 17th anniversary celebration of the 31st December Revolution in 1998, President Rawlings said: “I have no regrets about it. We had to take responsibility for it. The point is that the bigger criminals were around and are still around. You can go and quote me.”
GRi…/
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Omanhene flees into exile
The Evening News reports that following the untimely death of three persons through gunshot wounds at the installation of Professor Kwesi Opon Boachie as Nsoatrehene nearly three weeks ago, citizens of the town living within Accra-Tema have called on him to step down.
“Evening News” sources indicate that since the incident, Professor Opon Boachie has been living in self-imposed exile until now and is unable to enter the town for fear of his life.
The citizens, speaking through their leaders, K. Addomah-Gyabaah, chairman, J.Y. Appiah, vice-chairman, F. Anane Agyei and K. Boadan Antepim, executive member and secretary respectively in a letter to the chief noted that what took place on March 5, “is a tragedy which has never happened in the history of the town.”
According to them, it will take a very long time to heal the wounds and pain inflicted by the conflict, which they believe could have been avoided if patience and tolerance had been allowed to prevail.
“Under the circumstances, we strongly appeal to you to step down from your bid to ascend the Nsoatre stool in the interest of peace and tranquillity in the town,” the letter said.
GRi…/
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PANAFEST in court
A Cape Coast High Court has ordered the seizure of two vehicles and some other movable items of value from the PANAFEST Secretariat to be auctioned to defray debt it owes a creditor in Cape Coast.
The creditor, Mr. Gustav Anokye Yeboah of Ganoyeb Centre, Pedu, sued the secretariat in December last year for failing to settle a debt of $4,900 being the total cost of boarding and lodging incurred by PANAFEST for its staff and guests for PANAFEST’99 in August 1999.
According to a source close to the court, the court sitting on January 10 this year, further awarded $2,940 being interest on the debt from August 1999 up to the date of final judgement.
In addition, PANAFEST is to pay 5 million cedis for failing to appear in court.
Consequently, two vehicles – a Daewoo Cielo with registration number GT 5678 P and another numbered GT 5176 N – and some other movable items, were seize on February 7, 2001. They are to be auctioned to defray the total amount of 59,096,000 cedis at a rate of 6,900 cedis per one US dollar.
However, according to a notice of claim filed by counsel for PANAFEST on March 7, 2001, the seized items belong to PANAFEST Foundation and not the secretariat.
PANAFEST, again in a motion filed on March 13, 2001, is seeking the court to set aside the default judgement obtained by Anokye Yeboah. It is also claiming that it has no contractual relationship with Mr Yeboah and has never asked him to do anything for it.
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The ‘showbiz’ birthday party that slipped Accra
The Graphic Showbiz says what most theatre lovers in Accra would remember the evening of Friday, January 12 for, is the premier of KSM’s hilarious comedy “Politically Incorrect”, which came off with a bang that night.
But while everybody was laughing ‘hilariously’ at the National Theatre, a relatively small group of about 150 guests were having a bigger celebration at a much smaller theatre in the home of Edwina Banda at the Airport residential area where the beau was throwing her 40th birthday party.
Although it is reported to have been such a big bash, only a few people not on the invite list got wind of it before … and after, including SHOWBIZ. The event slipped by largely unnoticed. But Ovation International magazine who flew staff from Lagos to cover the event, reports that “For the fabulously wealthy husband of Edwina, Alhaji Asuma Banda, the occasion provided an opportunity for showering love on his stunning wife. And nothing was in short supply.
The glitterati of Ghana came in droves, dressed to kill. The party would have passed for a royal dinner at the famous Buckingham Palace in London. The tables were meticulously laid out. Each, with a silver frame for the menu bottles of wine, silvery plates, sparkling cutlery and other eye-popping decorations.
The biggest surprise of the night was the arrival of Ghana’s brand new President who was barely five days old in power.
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