GRi Press Review Ghana 27 - 09 - 2000
Oil - Ghana strikes deal with Nigeria govt /
Fuel problem worsens in Accra
TUC urges govt to defreeze ESB
Ghanaians in Libya massacred
Owuraku Amofa vacates his post
Artistes up in arms against Akufo Addo
Terrorism in Ghana
The Daily Graphic
Oil - Ghana strikes deal with Nigeria gov't /
Fuel problem worsens in Accra
The Daily Graphic in a banner headline says
Nigerian has expressed its readiness to provide Ghana with crude oil under a
long-term credit facility pact reached by a team headed by the Vice Presidents
of the two West African states, Prof. John Atta Mills of Ghana and Nigeria's
Atiku Abubakar.
The two sides agreed that officials from the
Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) and the Nigeria Petroleum Corporation should meet and
speed up modalities for delivery to begin immediately.
The meeting, according to the story, touched on
bilateral issues with special focus on the two countries' leading role to
fast-track integration of the West Africa region.
In another front-page coverage, the paper says
that the fuel situation in Accra continues to deteriorate as most filling
stations do not have stocks and are not sure when their next allocation would
be supplied.
According to a survey undertaken by the paper
at a number of filling stations on Tuesday, most of the stations had their last
supply of fuel on Monday evening, but described it as "woefully
inadequate" to meet the demand of motorists.
The normal allocations for major filling
stations range between 25,000 to 40,000 litres a day.
Mr. Simon Abingya, Deputy Minister of Mines and
Energy was quoted as saying that the apparent shortage, notably petrol, was due
to a financial hold-up by BP Amoco and European Bank in Paris, in respect of
letters of credit for TOR.
He however indicated that the problem has been
resolved and TOR has started to pump in the product.
GRi…/
The Ghanaian Times
TUC urges gov't to defreeze ESB
The Ghanaian Times reports that the Trades
Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to, as a matter of urgency,
defreeze end-of-service benefits since it forms part of the Collective Agreements
of workers.
In an 18-point resolution issued after its
Sixth Quadrennial Delegates Congress in Kumasi earlier this month, the TUC said
the freeze had contributed to the worsening plight of retired workers.
The resolution noted that even though the freeze,
which contravened ILO Convention 98, was in place, the government paid
end-of-service benefits to "some privileged workers such as ACDRs,
Ministers of State and Parliamentarians".
The unionised body called for an increase in
the worker representation on the Board of Directors on the Social Security and
National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for better worker participation in its
activities while it urged for prompt payment of benefits or retired workers.
GRi…/
The Ghanaian Chronicle
Ghanaians in Libya massacred
The Ghanaian Chronicle says scores of Ghanaians
have been roasted and others beaten to death by marauding bands of Libyans in
Tripoli, although official sources in the government are refusing to give exact
figures.
"No clear reason has been fathomed but
there has been consistent reports that an increasing crime wave in the country
has caused Libyans to look at black Africans in general and Ghanaians in
particular as criminal elements because on some occasions,
Ghanaian passports have been found at crime
scenes." The paper said.
Investigations by the paper, on Tuesday
indicated that emergency preparations were underway by the government to
evacuate all Ghanaians in Libya back home.
Ghana's ambassador to Libya, Alhaji B.A.
Fuseini, strongly recommended the urgent evacuation from the North African
Country in an SOS message telexed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after
about 1,000 Libyans attacked Ghanaians at the El-Zawia camp and set it on fire.
GRi…/
The Free Press
Owuraku Amofa vacates his post
Free Press writes on its front-page that Deputy
Minister for Communications and chairman of the Egle Party, Mr. Owuraku Amofa,
has reportedly left the country unceremoniously with a firm resolution not to
come back.
Mr. Amofa according to the story, departed from
the country following an alleged clash he had with the President Flt. Lt. J.J.
Rawlings.
"He left not because he was afraid of
anything but as a means to register his protest against some measures of
disgruntlement meted out to him and the Egle Party", the paper quoted a
source close to the party as saying.
An alleged hot argument involving the Egle
chairman and President Rawlings resulted in Owuraku leaving the Castle in his
car and later flying out of the country with his family following suit
afterwards.
Free Press says its information was that
Owuraku Amofa's action was not the first, having done so on a couple of times
except that the leadership of the Progressive Alliance, to which the Egle
belongs, had been persuading him against that cause for the alliance's sake.
GRi…/
Ghana Palaver
Artistes up in arms against Akufo Addo
Prominent musicians, artistes, poets and
comedians are demanding an apology from Nana Akufo Addo, for making demeaning
statements about them, the 'Ghana Palaver' stated.
Nana Akufo Addo, in reference to the decision
by Grace Omaboe, the popular Mammie Dokono, to contest this year's election,
was reported to have stated that such persons were not fit to be
Parliamentarians.
According to Palaver the anger sparked off by
Nana's statement is initiating a general meeting of all artistes to demand an
explanation from him.
It adds that Nana's party, the NPP, an
offspring of the United Party (UP), has no respect for the ordinary citizen,
almost making it a policy to load its executive with the elite.
It said that even in present days, special
meetings by the 'book men' are arranged to turnover decisions, taken by general
meetings, mixed up with members, who have not read 'Greek and Latin'.
Palaver recalls that during the Busia-led
Progress Party government, more than three quarters of their time was used on
definition of words, as a result of which nothing could be done during their
short period in office.
"The best they could do was to dig up
holes in Accra", the paper said.
GRi…/
Weekly Insight
Terrorism in Ghana
The Weekly Insight reports in its lead story
that the shadowy para-military group, FARIGHAN is threatening to unleash
violence on all the apparatus of President Jerry John Rawlings if he refuses to
hand over power after an opposition defeat.
FARIGHAN, which carried out a series of bomb
explosions in Accra and Tema after the 1992 election says it is ready for a
fight.
A letter that the Insight says it received from
the group's apparent leader, Alhaji T.B. Damba, indicated that the Togo,
Nigeria and Burkina Faso based body does not see any mechanism getting
Rawlings' party out from power except the gun.
Alhaji Damba, who said, he was writing from
Burkina Faso stated that he was worried about the fact that the Rawlings
administration has refused to grant unconditional amnesty to all exiled
Ghanaians.
Damba intimated that President Rawlings who is
scared of facing similar consequences as he meted out to Akuffo under the SMC,
would surely eliminate them on their return into the country for which they
have sworn to do so only when he has been arrested and tried.
He insisted that he is not a terrorist as the
government of Ghana sought to portray, adding that he and his group were
fighting for the restoration of genuine democracy.
GRi…/