Rescind decision…Salia appeals to EU
Don't go on strike
Students to pay 10,000.00 cedis to feed Education Trust Fund
NCCE will dismiss political staff
Doe Adjaho goes to court over rape allegation
'Revision exercise won't be extended'
Another mass demonstration on July 1st ?
NPP will storm Ho… says Dan Botwe
NDC will beat them all
Bribe fear grips police – Ghanaian film causes panic
You are crazy
Rescind decision…Salia appeals to EU
The Daily Graphic in its lead story says Ghana has called on the European Union (EU) to rescind its decision to allow the use of vegetable fats in the production of chocolate.
The paper reports Mr. Edward Salia, Minister of Roads and Transport as saying that the decision would lead to more deterioration in the world price of cocoa, and stall the measures that have been put in place to find solutions to the problems facing the economy.
Making the call at a reception in Accra to mark the 50th anniversary of the EU, he is said to have urged the Union to weigh the devastating effects that the decision will have on its developing partners and to review the policy accordingly.
"We expect more understanding from our European partners on this issue" he stressed.
The report says Mr Salia expressed satisfaction at the ACP and EU Partnership Agreement, which has replaced the Lome Convention.
On his part, the Head of Delegation of the European Commission in Ghana, Mr. Charles Brook, said under the provisions of the conventions, the EU member states, in their bilateral assistance, have contributed more than 937 million pounds or 3.8 trillion cedis, towards Ghana's development and its fight against poverty.
He expressed the EU's continued relationship with Ghana as it strives to achieve the goals the country has set itself in the context of the Vision 2020 programme, the report adds.
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Don't go on strike
In another front-page story, the Daily Graphic reports that the Ministry of Education has appealed to the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) to rescind its decision to embark on an industrial action to back its demand for improved conditions of service.
The Ministry urged UTAG to prevail on its members to desist from acts, which could derail or cause unwarranted commotion or disturbances on the university campuses.
The Ministry called on religious leaders, traditional authorities, parents, students, university administrators and all men and women of goodwill to encourage UTAG and its rank and file to choose the path of dialogue to address its problems.
The paper says the sector Minister, Mr Ekow Spio-Garbrah, made the appeal in reaction to a proposed strike action to be embarked on by members of the UTAG to press home their demand for better conditions of service.
The proposed strike action by UTAG is necessitated by an alleged negative intervention by the Ministry of Education on UTAG's request for a salary review presented to the Central Management Board (CMB), the governing body charged with reviewing any complaints against the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS).
The story, which is also given a front-page prominence in the Ghanaian Times, says UTAG has threatened a one-week strike action to begin on Monday, May 15, this year, and an indefinite strike action to commence on May 31, if their demands are not met.
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Students to pay 10,000.00 cedis to feed Education Trust Fund
The Ghanaian Times in its lead story, reports that the National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS) has directed that each tertiary student should contribute 10,000.00 cedis to the proposed Ghana Education Trust Fund (GEFT).
The NUGS would begin to levy tertiary students with the amount as soon as Parliament paves the way for the official launching of the GEFT. He added that the net would later be widened to include students in the second cycle institutions and that the NUGS is presently holding discussions with the various Student Representative Council (SRC) leadership in second cycle schools on how much levy should be paid by each student.
He is also said to have mentioned that apart from individual contributions by the students, NUGS would also seek international assistance for the fund.
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NCCE will dismiss political staff
The Ghanaian Times in another story, reports that the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) has warned that it would dismiss any staff, who gets involved in active party politics.
The commission has therefore cautioned the staff not to hold positions in political parties and also to go by the standing orders of the commission.
The report says Mr. Larry Bimi, chairman of the NCCE, gave the warning in an interview with the Ghanaian Times in reaction to allegations that some staff of the Commission are involved in party political activities which is against the standing orders of the Commission.
According to Mr. Bimi, the report says, the Commission dismissed three of its staff in 1996 when they became involved in party politics and stressed that "the NCCE will not hesitate to take similar actions against any member who will be caught engaging in such practice.
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Doe Adjaho goes to court over rape allegation
The Independent reports that the Member of Parliament of Avenor and Majority Chief Whip, Edward Korbly Doe Adjaho has gone to court over allegations that he raped a married woman on the night of March 27, 1999.
According to the report, in a writ filed at the High court in Accra, lawyers of the MP accused Mr. P.O.C Babbah of Avenorkpehe of defaming the character of Hon. Doe Adjaho in a letter headed "Mr. E.K.D. Adjaho Avenor Constituency Member of Parliament and Majority Chief Whip in Parliament committed rape" and distributed widely on the 24th of December 1999.
The report says in the said letter, the defendant who was described as an unemployed assemblyman, is reported to have written that "Mr. Adjaho wilfully decided to rape and raped a married woman on the night of Sunday, the 27th of March, 1999."
Calling for disciplinary measures to be taken against the MP to serve as a deterrent, the defendant is said to have written that the "disgraceful crime committed by no mean a person than an MP holding such highly respectful and sensitive position in government cannot be over looked".
In his statement of claim, the paper says Hon. Doe Adjaho said he has not raped any woman, has never been found guilty of the crime, or been convicted by any court for the offence of rape and that the defendant had "no basis whatsoever for making the references, accusations and allegations" against him.
The report quotes him as saying, the letter has caused him great embarrassment, inconvenience, and discomfort.
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'Revision exercise won't be extended'
The Evening News reports the chief director of the Electoral Commission, Mr. Kwame Damoah-Agyemang, as having stated that the 10-Day period for the revision of the voters' register will not be extended.
He therefore advised Ghanaians who have attained the voting age to take advantage of the period to register to enable them exercise their franchise.
Mr. Damoah-Agyemang is said to have explained, in an interview with Evening News, that the exercise is basically for new applicants and those who want to change their voting centres and that the decision not to extend it is to help capture accurate data and process it before the period for the exhibition of the voters' register.
Commenting on the bloating of the voters' register, he is quoted as saying, "there is nothing like that and if it happens, as expressed in some quarters, then it would be blamed on political parties and not the EC" since all the parties have their agents at all the 20,000 polling stations in the country.
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Another mass demonstration on July 1st ?
The Crusading Guide reports in a front page story that a freedom fighter and political kingpin has observed that since the economic conditions that gave rise to the nation-wide "kume preko" demonstrations five years ago still remain, there is the need for all Ghanaians to come together once again and go out on the streets to protest against the austere economic situation.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with the Crusading Guide in Accra on Tuesday, the freedom fighter, Dr Charles Wereko-Brobby, who is presidential candidate of the United Ghana Movement, is said to have underscored that "instead of celebrating
Republic Day on July 1, we should organise a massive nation-wide demonstration that will say to the people of Ghana that today is Republic Day, but Ghanaians are in no happy mood to celebrate because the economic conditions of the ordinary people of Ghana are absolutely serious and there is nothing to celebrate".
Dr Wereko-Brobby pointed out that the front that would mobilise the suffering people of Ghana into such a massive demonstration should comprise the Trades Union Congress (TUC), The Association of Ghana Industries (AGI) and the Private Enterprises Foundation (PEF) among others, in other to forestall the impression that some one wants to use the demonstration to score some political points, the report added.
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NPP will storm Ho… says Dan Botwe
The Guide says NPP General Secretary, Mr. Dan Botwe, has stated that the party will definitely hold its congress at Ho andf dismissed suggestions that the venue has been changed.
"Ho, as planned and will carry the message of change for the better to the people there. We are going there not to imitate the NDC but to review the party's activities and strategies for the few months ahead of us to enable us win the elections hands down", he said, adding that the date for the congress is yet to be fixed.
The report says Mr. Botwe stated that the NPP is never perturbed by the flamboyance of the NDC's Congress, which is the usual trick of the party that may be far from the reality on the ground.
He is also quoted as saying that "the NDC's claim that the Volta Region is still their 'World Bank' is a fallacy now since we know the efforts we are putting in there. They should wait and see whether at the end of the elections the region will still remain their 'World Bank' or not".
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NDC will beat them all
The Ghanaian Democrat says a cross section of Ghanaians interviewed over the past one week in some of the regional capitals have returned the verdict of another convincing victory for the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the progressive Alliance.
The paper, which carries samples of responses of some of its supposed interviewees, suggests that majority of the people will vote for the ruling NDC party in the forth coming elections.
The paper, quoting some of the responses obtained from interviews suggests that members and sympathisers of the NPP lack confidence in the NPP's ability to defeat the NDC in the forth coming general elections.
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Bribe fear grips police – Ghanaian film causes panic
The Accra Mail reports that a Ghanaian film titled, “SET ON EDGE”, touching on drugs and corruption by a drug baron, a police sergeant and some big shots, which was sent to the Censorship Board for certification after its completion and held in abeyance for implicating the police in bribery, remains with the board.
Mr. Tom Ribeiro, a leading cineastes and author and director of the film is reported to have jointly produced it with GAMA/TV3 last year, with a 30million cedis investment.
The paper describes the storyline of the film as simple - a police sergeant is aiding a drug dealer. His colleagues in the service, having caught on him and his corrupt relationship with the drug dealer, decided to trap him by involving him in a task force to arrest the drug baron.
Upon an injury inflicted on him by the druggist who suspected his betrayal, the sergeant revealed some secrets, mentioning the involvement of some ‘big shots’.
The Accra Mail says, the Censorship Board’s own daily confidential sheet dated 16/2/2000 said a decision on the film indicated that it was being held in abeyance until certain required changes were made. The changes, according to Accra Mail’s story have since been effected but the film is still being held.
Mr. Ribeiro, through a polite and pleading letter, sought assistance from the Minister of Communications but the Minister, according to the paper, who said observed that the film appeared to be too critical of the Police Administration and it would be unwise to pass it for public exhibition especially when weighed against the recent commendable performance of the police in the face of poor and inadequate equipment and other resources.
Mr. Ribeiro is reported to have petitioned the Commissioner for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) on the issue stating that although his film went to the Censorship Board, he was rather invited to the Ghana Police Headquarters’ Police Public Relations Directorate to see DSP Awuni.
“He told me point blank that he knows the police take bribe but they don’t take it openly so why should I portray them in that light, to disgrace them and if I don’t do anything to correct that impression, he would not append his signature to have the film released for exhibition. Since then I have made the changes four (4) times and on each occasion he has something to say”, Mr. Ribeiro was quoted by the paper to have said.
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You are crazy
A bewildered Psalm Adjetefio, the prominent television actor in the middle of a $5,800 controversy has described the 13-year old schoolgirl who claims to have given him the money as “the craziest fellow I have ever talked to”, the Graphic Showbiz said in a banner story.
“I’d like to state categorically here that I’ve never received any money from that girl and I will never do it to anybody let alone my student”, T.T., popularly known as ‘taxi driver’ in GTV’s drama series is quoted by the Showbiz to have told Metro TV in an interview.
The paper recalls 13-year old Elizabeth Adams’ story, carried by the Showbiz of March 23 edition, in which she claimed that Adjetefio was the recipient of the amount, which she had stolen from her parents. Her confession later to Anthony Adams, his father, led to a confrontation with T.T. and his subsequent arrest.
According to T.T. he was preparing to go to work one fine day when he had a call on his mobile phone from the girl indicating that she was coming for her money.
The story says T.T. expressed ignorance about the said money and could not even make out Elizabeth, who asked her to meet him at school to address the issue.
A few minutes after the call, the girl arrived with seven others and T.T., recognising her, questioned her about her claim and the girl was said to have insisted on her earlier claim.
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