'We don't recognise the title of Sarkin Zongo' - Chiefs
ARCC organises seminar for journalists on elections
NDC introduces new mode of selecting parliamentary candidates
Unicef multi-million dollar country programme underway in the North
Police statistics show a downward trend in sexual offences
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 May 2000
The Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation Company Limited (BOST) has shut down the sampling point system of the Accra Plains depot, the largest depot in the country, for routine maintenance.
The shutdown is to allow the relocation of pipelines from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) to the storage depot, Mr. James Lindsay, Depot Manager, said and gave the assurance that the exercise will not disrupt the distribution of petroleum products as adequate measures have been taken to ensure constant supply.
Speaking at Tema on Thursday when members of the Federation of Environmental Journalists (FEJ) paid a familiarisation visit, Mr. Lindsay said arrangements have been made with TOR to complement BOST's distribution by supplying petrol and other petroleum products to the market during the period. The tour took the journalists to the Mami Water and Akosombo depots of BOST.
GRi.../
Awutu-Bawjiase (Central Region) 27
May 2000
Youth leaders of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) in the Central Region have pledged to ensure a re-sounding victory
for the party in the region in the December general elections.
They said members of the youth
wing would work hard to win at least 95 per cent of the parliamentary seats and
ensure a landslide victory for the presidential candidate of the party, Mr.
John Agyekum Kufour.
Regional Youth Organiser At an
emergency pre-campaign meeting at Awutu-Bawjiase to formulate electioneering
strategies Mr. Muhammed Musah-94, called on members of the Progressive Alliance
to stop soiling the reputation of the NPP flalgbearer in the media.
He said that no amount of
convincing would make the youth of the party in the region to defect to the NDC
adding, "we will forever remain solid and very firm behind the NPP to
enable it to win the December elections".
Mr. Musah-94 said that the
allegation that Mr. Kufour had described the people of the Central Region as
"jokers" is false and meant to cause disaffection against him and the
NPP in the region.
He said that leaders of the NPP
are matured politically and would not indulge in activities that could affect
the party's chances of winning the elections.
GRi.../
Kumasi (Greater Accra) 27 May 2000
Members of the Council of Zongo Chiefs in Kumasi have stated categorically that they do not recognise the title of "Sarkin Zongo" and have asked the newly outdoored Hausa Chief of Kumasi, Malam Ibrahim Dan Tsoho, not to hold himself as Sarkin Zongo.
Speaking at a press conference attended by all 27 members heading various ethnic groups in Kumasi on Thursday, Alhaji Ahmed Ibrahim, Chief Wangara and Chairman of the Council, said: "we fail to see why we should continue to live under an old title that has outlived its usefulness".
"The situation where the head of the Hausa community designates and imposes himself as leader of the Zongo and assumes superpower status in his relationship with the other ethnic heads can no longer be tolerated," he added.
Alhaji Ibrahim pointed out that the Hausas constitute just about 10 per cent of the entire Zongo population while the other ethnic groups make up the remaining 90 per cent adding that each ethnic head is responsible and owes allegiance to the Asantehene through his chief priest, the Nsumankwaahene.
Alhaji Ibrahim said apart from the Asantehene, they would neither accept nor entertain anyone parading under the title of Sarkin Zongo, a title that was abolished as far back as 1961, as their overlord.
He condemned the activities of some past Sarkin Zongos and their elders that led to the creation of disunity and conflicts in the Zongo and mentioned the Grummah, Fulani, Busanga, Chamba, Chokosi and Moshie chieftaincy disputes as living testimonies of the mischief of the so-called Sarkin Zongos.
Alhaji Ibrahim debunked the claim that the Council of Zongo Chiefs selected and outdoored Malam Tsoho, the Hausa head as Sarkin Zongo on Sunday, May 7, this year, saying that it was a purely Hausa affair and that they were not in any way involved.
He said the Council of Zongo Chiefs is a registered body composed of recognised heads of the various ethnic groups aimed at organising the heads in a more democratic manner to tap their experiences and knowledge for the benefit of development.
Alhaji Ibrahim advised the new Hausa Chief to apply for registration as a full member of the council because they are not in any position whatsoever to entertain him as their overlord.
GRi.../
ARCC organises seminar for journalists on
elections
Fumesua (Ashanti Region) 27 May 2000
Mr. Samuel Nuamah-Donkor, Ashanti Regional Minister, on Thursday said the success of the presidential and parliamentary elections would largely depend on how well the electorate are informed and educated on issues raised by the political parties.
He said journalists, therefore, have a great responsibility to ensure that the peace and stability the nation has enjoyed so far is not disturbed.
"You can do this if you make it a commitment to uphold the ethics of your profession". Mr. Nuamah-Donkor said in his keynote address at the opening of a two-day seminar organised by the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (ARCC), for 50 journalists in the region at Fumesua near Kumasi.
The capacity building seminar on electioneering coverage for media personnel in the Ashanti region was under the theme "Election 2000, the nation's future, role of the media".
The Regional Minister said during the campaign, journalists are expected to discharge their duties fairly, without fear or favour, "for when objective reporting is sacrificed at the alter of partisanship, it can be harmful".
Mr. Nuamah-Donkor said the Regional and District Security Councils are alert to nip any political upheaval in the bud, and asked the electorate and supporters of political parties should abide by the rules of the elections.
GRi…/
NDC introduces new mode of selecting parliamentary candidates
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 May 2000
The National Democratic Congress (NDC), has come out with new modalities for selection of the party's parliamentary candidates for the December 2000 elections.
Under the modalities, adopted at a special meeting at Ningo in the Greater Accra region recently, a Special Standing Committee comprising 13 members, shall be established in every constituency to receive names of aspiring parliamentary candidates.
The committee shall comprise a representative of the party's National Executive Committee (NEC), as Chairman or Co-ordinator, two representatives from the Regional Executive Committee and three representatives from the constituency.
Other members of the Standing Committee are two representatives from the Progressive Voluntary Organisations (PVOs), and one each from the Youth Wing, Women's Wing, the Democratic Peoples Party (DPP), EGLE party and a female community worker for the community.
According to the document, the committee will discuss exhaustively and screen all candidates to get four of them for the final selection at every constituency.
Their names will further be sent to the Constituency Conference, which will elect two persons. This election process, it said, shall be deemed to be the correct interpretation of the endorsement process mentioned in Article 15 sub-section five "B" of the party's Constitution.
Guidelines for the constituency conference shall be issued by NEC in respect of the parliamentary candidate selection process.
The two elected persons shall then be forwarded to the NEC, which together with the Consultative Committee, will choose and approve one name out of the two previously endorsed by the constituency.
Under Article 22 sub-section six "d" of the party's constitution, the NEC has the final Authority in such issues. It, however, said before coming out with a single candidate, the NEC shall have a lot of consultations with as many people in the constituency as possible including opinion leaders and civic groups in order that the candidate can become a consensus candidate.
GRi…/
Unicef multi-million dollar country
programme underway in the North
Tamale (Northern Region) 27 May 2000
Six districts in the Northern and Upper East regions are to benefit from a 60 million dollar country project of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), which aims at improving child protection and health education activities.
The four-year community based development programme, which will start next year will also focus on other activities like water and sanitation, nutrition, food security, district planning and co-ordination.
The programme co-ordinator, Mr Johannes Wedenig said in Tamale on Thursday that 40 per cent of the programme's estimated money value will go to the beneficiary districts of Tolon-Kumbungu, Yendi, Savelugu-Nanton and Zabzugu-Tatale in the Northern region.
The rest are Bawku East and Builsa districts in the Upper East region. Mr. Wedenig made this known during a courtesy call on the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Mr. San Nasamu Asabigi.
GRi…/
Cape Coast (Central Region) 27 May 2000
The Central Regional branch, of the 31st December Women's Movement and the regional Women's wing of the NDC, have called on Mrs. Gladys Asmah, MP for Takoradi, to render an unqualified apology to the first lady for addressing her as 'Ewuraba Konadu Agyeman' at a press conference held by the NPP on 23rd May, 2000.
The two groups said, for a recognised married woman to be addressed as "Ewuraba" is unacceptable in Akan custom. "It means Mrs. Asmah does not recognise that the first lady is legitimately married to President Jerry John Rawlings" they said.
At a press conference organised by the two groups at Cape Coast yesterday, their spokeswoman, Miss Serah Yeboah, who is the regional organiser of the movement, said Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings is held in high esteem both locally and internationally.
"The MP should not use her quest for power to damage the reputation the first lady has taken many years of dedicated service to build."
On Mrs. Asmah's assertion that she has not seen any development in the country, Miss Yeboah referred the MP to the asphalt road in her constituency and the bridge at Beposo, the Bosomtwi Sam Fishing Harbour in Sekondi, the phase lift given to Takoradi main harbour and the rehabilitation work on Effia Nkwanta Hospital, by the government.
On Mrs. Asmah's view that the country's hospitals have become death centres, Miss Yeboah said facilities in the hospitals have rather been upgraded to the extent where people from other countries now come to Ghana for medical treatment.
Miss Yeboah said the DWM movement, will continue to enjoy internal and external support because of its judicious use of loans and aids.
She said the NDC will retain power in the December elections because it has pragmatic programmes to improve the living condition of the people.
GRi…/
Police statistics show a downward trend in
sexual offences
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 May 2000
Police country crime statistics for the first quarter of this year indicates a downward trend in the number of sexual offences as compared to the number of cases reported during the last quarter of 1999.
The last quarter of 1999 recorded a total of 483 cases with 353 for rape and 130 for defilement while the first quarter of this year recorded a total of 429 with 282 for rape and 147 for defilement.
Mr. Peter Nanfuri, Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Friday said the picture painted by the statistics should however not lull the public into thinking that all is well.
He said although the total figure shows a reduction, those for defilement is on the increase adding "the police is working very hard to check this ugly crime in our society.
Mr. Nanfuri was closing a two-week course in Sex Crime Investigation for 30 Detectives drawn from the Criminal Investigations Department, the Women and Juvenile Unit (WAJU) and Class Instructional Unit all over the country.
GRi…/
Accra (Greater Accra) 27 May 2000
Former South African President Nelson Mandela made a 45-minute stopover in Accra on his way home from France where he was a special guest of honour at a sports awards ceremony.
At the ceremony, held in Monaco, Mr. Mandela presented the Laureus Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sports to the legendary Pele of Brazil.
President Jerry John Rawlings met him at the Kotoka International Airport. The former South African President, who is now mediating peace in the Great Lakes region, told reporters that there is peace in sight among the feuding parties in the Burundi conflict.
Mr. Mandela said a lot of work has been done to restore peace among the people which has paved the way for the final signing of a final peace pact involving some 19 political parties signed in Arusha, Tanzania, soon and invited President Rawlings to join a host of heads of state to witness the ceremony.
"There is need to invite President Rawlings due to his immense contributions to peace negotiations within the West Africa sub-region", he said.
Other leaders expected to witness the signing include Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Namibia's Sam Nujoma, South Africa's Thabo Mbeki, Mozambique's Joachim Chisano and all the heads of state in the Great Lakes region.
Mr. Mandela took over mediation efforts of former Tanzania President, Julius Nyerere who died last year.
GRi…/