GRi Newsreel Ghana 14
- 05 – 2001
Ghana rounds off mourning with inter-faith service
Kufuor urges Ghanaians to foster unity to overcome
tragedy
Government launches Stadium Disaster Fund
Hospitals releases bodies of stadium disaster from
Monday
REGSEC and two others set up joint committee
Ghana requires a knowledgeable breed of envoys
-Asante
PYC commends women on Mothers' Day
Former MP denies receiving 52 million cedes
Twenty-seven graduate from Valley View University
Ghana rounds off mourning with
inter-faith service
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 May 2001
Several hundred mourners, including President John Agyekum
Kufuor, attended a memorial service at the forecourt of the State House on
Sunday in honour of some 126 soccer fans, who died in a stampede at the Accra
stadium last Wednesday.
The memorial service was held to round off three days of
national mourning declared by the government in the aftermath of the tragedy in
which more than 50 people were also injured. It was also used to launch an
Accra Sports Stadium Disaster Fund.
Also at the forecourt, about 200 metres east of the stadium,
were the Vice President Aliu Mahama, Speaker of Parliament, members of the
Cabinet, MPs and diplomats in addition to scores of bereaved families and
relatives and the public.
President Kufuor laid a wreath in the memory of the victims and
addressed the solemn gathering, paying tribute to the victims and appealing for
calm.
The clergy, drawn from various religious groups, prayed for the
injured, bereaved, health practitioners, the security services and the
government.
The Ghana Armed Forces Central Band sounded the last post while
the congregation sang "Abide with me". The Winneba Youth Choir also
sang.
There has been disenchantment with the Police by a section of
the public, who blamed policemen deployed at the stadium for triggering the
stampede last Wednesday when they fired teargas to ward off some hooligans that
were then throwing plastic chairs and bottles onto the field of play.
The incident happened during a premier league match between the
country's leading clubs - Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko. Hearts won
2-1.
The anti-Police feeling became widespread and a section of the
youth from Nima attempted to storm the local Police station last Thursday.
In an apparent measure to forestall an unprecedented attack on
the Police, scores of military personnel have been deployed to assist the
Police at vantage point in the Metropolis.
Three tanks were positioned at the main entry points while military
Police patrolled with sniffer dogs.
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Kufuor urges Ghanaians to
foster unity to overcome tragedy
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 May 2001
President John Agyekum Kufuor on Sunday said Ghanaians need to
foster a sense of unity, fellowship and human solidarity to overcome the Accra
Sports Stadium tragedy.
"That is our tradition, our way of doing things and there
is no reason to abandon such a virtue," he was speaking at a national
inter-faith service for victims of the disaster at the forecourt of the State
House in Accra.
Clad in a Kuntunkuni (mourning cloth) and traditional sandals,
he led the hundreds of mourners, including Ministers of State,
Parliamentarians, Politicians, Members of the Diplomatic Corps, football fans
and bereaved families to observe a minute silence for the deceased.
He also laid a wreath on behalf of the government and people of
Ghana.
He appealed to all and sundry to exercise maximum restraint
during these trying times and allow the proper procedures for the
identification and punishment of all those found to be responsible to take
place.
President Kufuor said the enormity of the catastrophe is too
much for mortals to understand and many have cast their eyes around looking for
something or anything to which they could direct their dismay and anger.
This, he said has resulted in violent incidents in some parts of
Accra leading to the spread of fear, insecurity, wanton destruction of property
and general condemnation of the Ghana Police Service.
"It is important that we do not reject a vital institution
of state simply because it has failed to function properly on a number of
occasions.
"We should rather use the sad occasion to try and transform
and reinvigorate the Service to meet our needs and expectations."
President Kufuor said it is equally important that Ghanaians
resist all attempts by fringe elements, who would seek to politicise the
tragedy, adding, "this nation has come through many trying episodes and
when we have triumphed, it has been because we have stood together as one
people."
He said the time for the healing process has begun and
therefore, Ghanaians should come together and resolve that never should their
acts or omissions allow such a disaster to befall the nation again.
President Kufuor said for the past four days, the eyes of the
world have been on Ghana watching to see how solid and resilient the society is
and whether it could withstand the strains of this adversity.
"I know we can, and I know that with your support and
fortitude we shall emerge from this dark night a stronger and more united
country."
Mr Ernest Thompson, an executive member of Accra Hearts of Oak
Football Club, called for an end to acts that would add more pain to the grief
in the country.
Mr Herbert Mensah, Board Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko, said
the tragedy has not affected only the two teams but the entire nation.
He said the circumstances under which it occurred could have
been prevented if the security personnel had been circumspect in their
operations.
Prayers were said for the departed, injured, bereaved families,
the medical officers, nurses, paramedical staff, the media, security services
and the nation.
The Winneba Youth Choir and the Ghana Armed Forces Band provided
music. The Armed Forces also sounded the last post.
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Government launches Stadium
Disaster Fund
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 May 2001
Mr Joseph Henry Mensah, the Majority Leader and Minister for
Government Business, on Sunday launched the Stadium Disaster Fund with an
initial sum of 40 million cedis donated by Ghana Telecom.
He said that the fund
would be used to establish an Endowment Fund to resettle families of the dead,
children and the injured.
Mr Mensah launched the fund at an inter-faith service attended
by a cross section of society, including the first and second families, MPs,
diplomats, families of the victims and the general public.
He said the fund is also to regulate and mobilise the
contribution of well-wishers to a common source for proper managing and
accountability and urged all who wish to contribute to make such contributions
into an account to be opened at all banks nationwide.
The Majority Leader, who is also the Chairman of the Funeral
Committee, said the hospital authorities have completed identification,
post-mortem, embalming and any other hospital requirements.
He urged the affected families to contact the hospital
authorities to arrange for collection of the bodies latest by June 9,
explaining that government would bear mortuary fees and other costs involved
within the period.
Mr Mensah said the long period of four weeks is to enable the
families arrange befitting burials for their departed loved ones and reduce any
pain, difficulties and other consequences on the families.
Mr Mensah said the affected families should inform the
government through their respective Regional Ministers for the necessary
representation and assistance.
Mr Mensah said the government has authorised the hospital
authorities to continue any medical needs of the injured, who have been
discharged but report back with complications at the expense of the state.
He reiterated that government has provided 300 million cedis to
the hospital authorities for the upkeep of all those on admission.
He said government has also decided to give 2.5 million cedis to
each bereaved family and appealed to those, who have already collected their
bodies to contact the funeral committee for payment with effect from Monday,
May 14.
Mr Mensah noted that arrangements for payment for all those, who
are yet to collect their bodies, would be announced in due course.
As part of the service, intercessory prayers were said for the
injured, the families and loved ones of the departed, the media, doctors,
nurses and paramedics.
President John A. Kufuor laid a wreath on behalf the government
and people of Ghana for the departed souls.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14 - 05 - 2001
Mr Enoch Teye Mensah, former Minister of Youth and Sports, is
not on hunger strike, the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) said on
Sunday.
Security sources told the Ghana News Agency that Mr Mensah took
breakfast and lunch on Sunday brought by his wife at around 07:00 hours, and
lunch later in the afternoon.
The source described his claim of being on hunger strike as
unfounded, saying, "the former Minister ate his meals without any
problem".
According to the source, Mr Mensah could not explain why he said
he is on hunger strike after taking his meal.
"It is an attempt by the former Minister and his friends to
deceive the public about investigations being conducted by the Bureau."
Mr Mensah had, later on Sunday told Joy FM that he was on hunger
strike in protest against his detention following riots by the irate youth
against the police for last Wednesday's stadium stampede.
"I am a prisoner of conscience. I have started a hunger
strike," I haven't eaten the whole day. This is not fair," Mr Mensah
told the radio station.
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Hospitals releases bodies of
stadium disaster from Monday
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 May 2001
Authorities at the 37 Military Hospital on Sunday said the
bodies of victims of the stadium disaster, who are not Muslims, would be
released to their families from Monday, May 14.
A hospital source told the GNA in Accra that the post-mortem
examinations, identifications and other medical requirements in such situations
have been completed.
The source said eight bodies have so far not yet been properly
identified as more than two families are claiming each, which makes it very
difficulty to determine the true family.
It said, "we believe with time each family would be able to
properly identify their relatives as the tension and anxieties reduce."
At least 127 people died on Wednesday when police fired teargas
into the stands at the Accra Sports Stadium as angry fans threw plastic chairs
and bottles onto the field during a premier soccer league match between Accra
Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko. Hearts won the match 2-1.
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REGSEC and two others set up
joint committee
Kumasi (Ashatni Region) 14 May 2001
The Ashanti Regional Security Council (REGSEC), in conjunction
with the Kumasi Traditional Council (KTC) and the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly
(KMA), has set up a 13-member planning committee to co-ordinate funeral
arrangements for those who died in last Wednesday's Accra Sports Stadium
stampede.
It is also charged with the additional responsibility of
ensuring the upkeep of the injured and to mobilise funds to support the victims
and their families.
A statement issued by the Regional Co-ordinating Council and
signed by Mr Edward Afari Gyem, the deputy Regional Co-ordinating Director in
Kumasi, advised all bereaved families to contact the committee as soon as
possible to enable it to work out a suitable programme for a regional mass
service scheduled for May 19.
It expressed deep sense of sympathy and heartfelt condolences to
the bereaved families and wished the injured speedy recovery.
The May 7 incident, which claimed the lives of 126 soccer fans
and caused injury to more than 50 others, occurred during a midweek soccer
match between Kumasi Asante Kotoko and Accra Hearts of Oak.
This was after angry fans, who were apparently dissatisfied with
a decision of the referee, began tearing up plastic seats and hurling them onto
the pitch a few minutes to the end of the match, which ended 2-1 in favour of Hearts.
The police, in an attempt to stop the fans from causing further
damage to property, fired several volleys of teargas onto the stands that
forced the fans to run to safety.
In their bid to escape, more than 100 fans were trampled upon in
the resultant stampede while many others suffered various degrees of injury.
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Ghana requires a knowledgeable
breed of envoys -Asante
Ho (Volta Region) 14 May 2001
The government was on Sunday urged to appoint a breed of
Ambassadors with knowledge and understanding of the complex global situation.
Professor Sam K.B. Asante, a former United Nations Principal
Advisor made the call when contributing to discussions at an orientation
workshop for members of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs (PCFA)
at Ho.
It was under the joint sponsorship of the Friederich Ebert
Foundation (FES) and the Legon Centre for International Relations (LECIA).
Prof. Asante said, the challenges of present day diplomacy are
becoming complex and sophisticated and its practitioners must acquire an equal
level of sophistication, which can guarantee their ability to protect the vital
interests of the country.
He said Ghana's diplomatic stature and her focus on economic
diplomacy in particular, calls for diplomats whose performance can yield the
greatest economic dividend for the country.
Prof. Asante therefore suggested that the performance of the
country's diplomats should be assessed on a two-yearly basis while forums are
created for them to share ideas and experiences.
This, he said, would keep them abreast with the country's
foreign policy directions on a regular basis.
The workshop recommended to government to restore the allowances
to the country's Envoys. Their working conditions should also be improved to
commensurate with the stature of the country in the diplomatic community and
the complex responsibilities thrust on them.
It also observed that Ghana has the most diversified export to
the West Africa market and should therefore, focus economic diplomacy on
expanding this field.
Related to this is the need to expand the country's exports away
from the traditional European market to the Middle East through diplomatic
means as most of the country's exports to the traditional markets finally enter
the Middle East.
Laws on dual citizenship and their implementation should also be
tackled expeditiously to clarify the position of the country on the matter, in
view of its influence on investment.
Other recommendations called for adequate financial and
logistics for MOFA to undertake the type of economic diplomacy which the
country now urgently needs.
The Parliamentary Committee on Foreign Affairs (PCFA) should be
strengthened financially to enable it to send representatives on special
verification missions to where the country's interests are considered to be at
stake.
The recommendations called for new approaches to the country's
conduct of diplomacy as a tool for expanding and enriching the horizons of the
country's international economic relations.
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PYC commends women on Mothers' Day
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 May 2001
The Parish Youth Council (PYC) of the St. Paul Catholic Church,
Kpehe in Accra, on Sunday commended Ghanaian women for their numerous
contributions to national development on the occasion of Mothers Day.
The PYC also appreciated the creation of a Women's Ministry by
the government to see to the administration of women's activities and issues.
A statement issued in Accra and jointly signed by Ms Caroline
Afagbedzi, Acting President, and Mr. Francis Asamoah, Public Relations Officer,
called on women to welcome the new ministry and to co-operate in the smooth
implementation and running of the sector.
In another development, the PYC expressed shock over last
Wednesday's tragedy at the Accra Sports Stadium in which 126 soccer fans lost
their lives.
"The council expresses its deepest sympathy and consoles
the families of the deceased and wishes those injured a speedy recovery,"
it said.
The PYC also commended the media, the National Disaster
Management Organization, medical and para-medical personnel, among others, for
their timely intervention.
It urged all, irrespective of sex, religion or nationality, to
pray for the souls of the departed.
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Former MP denies receiving 52
million cedes
Gambaga (Northern Region) 14 May 2001
The former Member of Parliament for the Bunkpurugu-Yunyoo
constituency, Mr Joseph Labik has denied receiving 52 million cedis from the
East Mamprusi District Assembly this year as alleged by the incumbent MP, Mr
Namburr Berrick.
He said he only instructed the assembly in October last year to
use part of the MP's share of the District Assemblies' Common Fund to pay for
three grinding mills and accessories and 100 bags of cement he had ordered for
certain communities in his constituency.
Mr Labik, who briefed newsmen on Saturday after touring some of
the beneficiary communities, which included Gambaga, Najong Number One and
Yunyoo, said a cheque for 24.7 million cedis being the total cost of the items
was issued to the supplier last month.
"On no occasion has the assembly ever issued a personal
cheque to me," Mr Labik said.
Mr Labik said for the past eight years as an MP, he ensured that
all purchase made with his share of the common fund went through the assembly's
procedures and that delivery to beneficiary communities was done by the
assembly's storekeeper.
The former MP attributed the delay in the payment for those
items to political sabotage because he was no longer contesting the 2000
election on NDC ticket.
Mr Labik was the NDC MP in 1992 and 1996 but went independent
when the NDC refused to retain him as their candidate.
He said the money that has just been released to pay for the
items was funds from the second quarter of last year and not from the third or
fourth quarter.
When the press visited the area, they saw structures put up by
the women of the beneficiary communities for the grinding mills, section of
which were falling apart.
The MP showed the press two other grinding mills at Binde and
Gilik, which he said he purchased from his own resources.
At Gambaga, the East Mamprusi District Co-ordinating Director,
Mr Hakeem Banda, showed the press a copy of the letter from the Administrator
of the Common Fund requesting the assembly to release the money to Mr Labik.
Mr Berrick had accused the ex MP of collaborating with the
district Co-ordinating Director to take the money to settle the debts incurred
by the former MP during his tenure of office.
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Twenty-seven graduate from
Valley View University
Accra (Greater Accra) 14 May 2001
President John Agyekum Kufuor on Sunday said his government
intends to give the necessary encouragement to facilitate the effective growth
of private tertiary institutions so that the youth could obtain the requisite
training that would enable them to contribute to the development of the nation.
This was in an speech read on his behalf by, Professor
Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Education, at the seventh Commencement
(Graduation) ceremony of the Valley View University (VVU), a private tertiary
institution of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church (SDA) at Oyibi, near Accra.
President Kufuor said private participation in education is very
essential because it has the benefit of supplementing the limited government
capacity and expanding educational opportunities as well as increasing
efficiency and innovation.
"I have, therefore, asked the Minister of Education to
create a forum for private providers of tertiary education to articulate their
concerns so that we can together come up with strategies to address and promote
private participation in tertiary education."
He said currently, students in private tertiary institutions
pursuing accredited programmes are entitled to Social Security and National
Insurance (SSNIT) loans as their counterparts in public tertiary institutions.
President Kufuor said his government is encouraging private
estate developers to put up students' hostels in private tertiary institutions.
President Kufuor called on churches, schools, non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and opinion leaders to join the government in educating
the public about AIDS and urged the youth not to mortgage their future for a
few seconds of fleeting "pleasure" because they are assets to the
nation.
President Kufour told the graduates that Ghana needs men and
women, who would exhibit integrity in their professions, trades and businesses.
"We need accountants, who are morally and ethically
correct, tradesmen whose scales are accurate, artisans, who complete their work
on schedule and businessmen, who will not cheat in their transactions."
He urged the graduates to be well equipped to face the
challenges that await them in the world outside the campus.
"The world now welcomes you to join hands with others in
making our country a better place to live in."
He told them that they are in an era of positive change - a
change in our economic circumstances, change in our social image and change in
the moral fibre of the country because Ghana is at the portal of economic
growth, social stability and moral regeneration.
"If we will get to where we want to go, it will certainly
depend on young people like you. Be
true to your aim, work hard and autograph your work with excellence.
"If you will be agents for change, you must be able to
stand for the truth, be faithful in your service and do not allow yourselves to
be corrupted by the system," he concluded.
In his welcome address, Dr Seth A Laryea, President of the
University, said the board has approved four degree programmes for the next
semester and the University will submit application to the National
Accreditation Board for additional degree and diploma programmes.
He said the ceremony this year marks the beginning of a steady
increase in the number of graduates. The University expects more than 100
students to graduate next year.
Dr Laryea said the University plans to operate an exchange
programme for both faculty and student.
He appealed to the Ghana Water Company to expedite work on the
proposed pipeline from Kpong, which is intended to supply water to the Adenta
area and the school. He also called on the Electricity Company of Ghana to
stabilize the supply of electricity in the area.
"We have lost valuable equipment as a result of power
fluctuation within the past month."
Valley View University established at Bekwai in 1983 as training
institute for SDA church workers was moved to Adenta before finally being moved
to Oyibi as a full-fledge University affiliated to Griggs University, Maryland,
USA.
VVU is accredited by the National Accreditation Board (NAB)
Ghana and Accreditation Association of SDA Schools, Colleges and Universities
(AAA), Maryland USA.
VVU which currently offers programmes of study in BA
(Theological studies), BA (Religious Studies), BA (Accounting Options) and
B.Sc. (Computer Science) has a student population of about 400 operates on the
semester system and there are two session each academic year. A third session,
which is optional, is run between the second and first sessions.
In all 27, including four females, that graduated, 24 were
Ghanaians, two Cameroonians and a Liberian.
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