Prof.
Mills served with writ - under nomination challenge
We
did not throw shit-bomb - NDC
SSNIT
headed for collapse
Workers
money in danger
New
look for Kotoka Airport
The Daily Graphic / The Ghanaian Times
Let's
forge close links / Mbeki: Africa, unite
Woman
arrested with six voter ID cards
Best
teacher picks house, saloon car
Prof.
Mills served with writ - under nomination challenge
The
Evening News reports in a banner story that the High Court bailiffs on Tuesday
served a writ on Professor Atta Mills, the Vice-President and the NDC
flagbearer in the case in which his nomination, which was endorsed by Mr. Dan
Markin of the DPP, has been challenged.
Deputy
High Court Registrar, Mr. J.B. Bannerman, confirmed this when the paper
contacted him on Thursday.
Also
served with writs, were Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, Chairman of the Electoral
Commission and Mr. Markin, with all the respondents given seven days within
which to enter appearance and 14 days to file their defence before the case
would be ripe for full hearing.
According
to the paper, one Mr. Isaac Kwadwo Obeng, who describes himself as a voter, on
September 25, filed the writ seeking a declaration that the presidential
nomination forms of Professor Mills were incompetent due to the presence of the
signature of Mr. Dan Markin of the DPP.
The
writ states that Mr. Markin lacked the capacity to act as a representative of
the DPP in the Progressive Alliance.
GRi…/
We
did not throw shit-bomb - NDC
The
Guide reports that the National Democratic Congress has categorically deny that
it was in anyway involved in the pouring of human excreta on the doorsteps of
the Crusading Guide, a private newspaper in Accra edited by Mr. Kweku Baako
Jnr.
In
a statement to the media, the party stated:
“it is not the style of the NDC to smear the offices of the mass media.
No matter what they say about us, we only have to confront them with the
factual issues."
The
Guide recalls the undercover smearing of offices of the Crusading Guide by
unidentified persons early this week, which it says, has received round
condemnation.
While
Mr. Kwesi Pratt of the Weekly Insight, spoke on behalf of his party, the
Convention People's Party that the act could emanate from those in power for
the past 20 years, Kabral Blay Amihere and Ben Ephson of 'The Independent' and
'The Dispatch' respectively, have used cartoons to finger possible
perpetrators.
GRi…/
SSNIT
headed for collapse
The
return on investments made by Social Security and National Insurance Trust
(SSNIT) with monies compulsorily collected from Ghanaian workers, is zero,
reports the Ghanaian Chronicle, which submits further that the true record
actually, indicates subzero.
The
paper explains in the banner story that SNNIT, by that position, is making so
much losses that for every billion cedis they invest, they lose millions, a
phenomenon which will ultimately make it impossible for the Trust to pay
contributors their pensions in the not-too-distant future.
The
shocking revelation, was reportedly contained in a report produced two years
ago, by PCL Consulting, (now Ernst and Young Ghana), an independent accounting
and consulting company, reputed for detail and precision.
The
issues addressed by the report include structure of the Trust, its cash flow,
work in progress, compliance with the regulatory framework, Management
Information Systems, Investments and irregularities among others.
Chronicle
says the heart-breaking findings that directly impacts all workers states
categorically that SSNIT is posting "negative returns" as far as
their investments go, adding that "this does not augur well for the future
viability of the scheme".
Highlights
of the 18-page executive summary, reportedly, include the issue of the
deterioration of the ratio of contributions to pension payment, the ratio of
contributors to pensioners, the financial position of the Trust and findings
about contributions.
GRi…/
Workers
money in danger
The
Free Press writes in its lead story that if immediate steps are not taken to
streamline the operations of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust
(SSNIT), workers in Ghana would wake up one day to find out that all the money
they have contributed to SSNIT fund has vanished.
The
warning according to the Free Press, came from Dr Kofi Konadu Apraku, the New
Patriotic Party (NPP) shadow Minister on Finance in an interview with Joy FM,
an Accra private radio station, on Thursday.
He
suggested as an option, the investment of the fund in government security to
safeguard it, in view of the reported dissipations by the board and management
of SSNIT.
Dr
Apraku expressed concern about the said mismanagement, inefficiency and
corruption in the operations of SSNIT and hinted that an NPP government would
review all the investments made by the Trust since 1991.
GRi…/
New
look for Kotoka Airport
The
Weekend Statesman says the Kotoka International Airport is to undergo major
rehabilitation and expansion under the second phase of its refurbishment
programme. The major landmark there, the Kotoka statue, has been removed as a
result.
The
project, said to be part of a medium term plan to modernise the entire airport
terminus to international standard, involves the expansion and construction of
arrival and departure terminals and complete modification of the road network
of the area.
It
will also include beautification work as well as speed up passenger arrival and
departure procedures.
The
Director-General of the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) said during a
work-start ceremony at the forecourt of the airport that the de-mounting of Lt.
General Kotoka's statue was not for its destruction but to facilitate the work.
The
statue, he said will be kept at the National Museum and will be relocated when
the project is completed.
GRi…/
Let's
forge close links / The Ghanaian Times
The
Daily Graphic and 'The Ghanaian Times' have their banner stories focused on the
launching of the Ghana-South Africa Business Chamber in Accra on Thursday by
visiting South African President, Thabo Mbeki, who is in the country for a
four-day official visit.
President
Mbeki, according to Graphic, stressed the urgent need for African governments
and the private sector to forge closer working collaboration to tackle the
debilitating issue of the continent's underdevelopment.
He
said Africa would have to use the same zeal and unity it used in fighting
colonialism and apartheid to break the shackles of underdevelopment, adding
that
the
continent need to stick together and collectively work its way to prosperity.
In
its story, 'The Ghanaian Times' quotes Mr. Mbeki as saying that the realities
facing Africa are that of poverty, hunger, diseases and underdeveloped health
delivery systems that have seen many people debilitated and said there is the need
for Africa to unite and pursue a common agenda.
More…/
Woman
arrested with six voter ID cards
The
Graphic in another front-page capture says the Eastern Regional Police have
arrested a 31-year-old woman at Akim Oda for allegedly possessing six thumb-printed
voter identity cards.
Esi
Sarfoa was arrested when she allegedly gave one of the cards bearing the name,
Faustina Mensah, to a 17-year-old girl to exchange it for a photo one.
A
source close to the Regional Police Command, which made this known to the
Graphic said on September 21, Esi was spotted with a number of laminated and
non-laminated cards, when registered voters were having their photographs taken
in a school at Sorodae, a suburb of Oda.
Having
sighted the 17-year-old girl, she gave her one and asked her to get it
processed by the cameramen but the girl, fearing its consequence informed her
elder sister leading to the arrest.
More…/
Best
teacher picks house, saloon car
The
Times again reports that a 42-year-old teacher of the Obrachiere D/A JSS at
Awutu in the Central Region was on Thursday adjudged the overall National best
Teacher of the year 2000.
Daniel
Tetteh Kwao took home a Nissan Sunny Saloon Car and a two-bed room house, both
valued at 200 million cedis, a television set and a video-deck, at the Sixth
National Teachers Awards Day held at Ho in the Volta Region.
Quao
will also undergo one-month studies in the US.
36-year-old
Emmanuel A. Kudjoe of Tema Secondary School in the Greater Accra Region was the
first runner-up and had as his prize a Nissan Saloon car worth 87 million
cedis, a television set while he will also undertake a four-weeks study tour of
the United States.
Third-placed
Ms Edith Quaye, 34, was given a television set and video-deck, and will visit
Japan for one month.
The
President, Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings who graced the occasion with his presence
reportedly paid the car winners tribute by giving them rides in their cars.
GRi…/