18 flats for one person …SSNIT sees nothing
wrong
Department of Lotteries owes VAT ¢3 billion
Communication authority cautions public against
AM-GSM
Don't withhold Common Fund arrears
Two factions clash at Oshieye
Fetu Afahye hurt by fumbling chiefs
Ministry of Media Relations has only 3
computers
'Breach of the VAT law is stealing'
‘Benefits’ from HIPC …Japanese cancel loans
Ghana Telecom’s legacy of waste
P.V.
Obeng on HIPC
Good
news for AIDS patients
Ex-Deputy
Minister warns Government
Ghanaian officials for Berger-Esperance match
Crisis talks ahead of Hearts-Kotoko big match
Louis undergoes operation
Amankwah Mireku starts training
18 flats for one person …SSNIT sees nothing
wrong
The Evening News says at a time when workers in
the country have been severely hit by high rents of landlords, the Social Security
and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) sees nothing wrong with giving a whole
block of 18 flats to an individual.
According to Mr Osei-Bempong, Head of the
Public Affairs Department of SSNIT, the sale of a block of 18 flats to Al-Haj
Abdallah Ahmed, Managing Director of Progressive and Modern Company Ltd., does
not contravene the laws of the Trust that govern the allocation of flats.
At the time of the purchase, Al-Haj Abdallah
was the Brong-Ahafo Regioanl Chairman of the National Democratic Congress and
he bought the said block for ¢608 million ostensibly for his company's staff
but was later found to have allocated them to his children.
Mr Bempong said the Trust sells flats to
anybody or institution provided they have the money to pay for them.
"That is why we build market places for
traders who do not contribute to the fund, because they use their own monies to
pay", he said, adding that the structure in question was applied for by
Al-Haj Ahmed for his company and staff.
The Evening News says it is difficult to
understand how a private organisation had its request to purchase the block
granted, when there exists a tall list of applicants within the public service
hoping for just one flat to occupy with their families.
The transaction, said to have taken place under
former Director General of the Trust, Mr Henry Dei's administration brings to
the fore some of the Social injustices that went unchecked, according to the
paper.
More…/
Department of Lotteries owes VAT ¢3 billion
The Department of National Lotteries as at 31st
July 2001, owed the VAT Service a total of ¢3.8 billion, according to the
Evening News.
The amount represents mandatory VAT deductions,
which the department failed to pay to the VAT Service from its operation,
Joseph F. Blankson, Commissioner of VAT, said in a questionnaire sent to him by
"The Evening News".
He said the debt owed by 21 private lotto
operators in respect of VAT during the period under review amounted to
¢463,134,293 (including assessment and compounded interest).
Although he did not mention the names of the
operators involved, Mr Blankson gave the regional breakdown as follows, Volta,
¢4.612,411; Western, ¢16,629,532; Central ¢117,101,740; Tema ¢65,552,223;
Ashanti, ¢59,760,601 and Accra ¢199,477,786.
He said Immediate Demand Notices (IDNs) had
been sent to all defaulting private lotto operators to pay up by 20th
July 2001.
GRi…/
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Communication authority cautions public against
AM-GSM
The Daily Graphic quotes the National
Communications Authority (NCA) to have stated that it has not licensed any
agency by name AM-GSM, to operate GSM network in the country.
The NCA has, accordingly, advised members of
the public not to patronize a purported promotional launch of AM-GSM service.
Major R.K. Tandoh, acting Director-General, of
the NCA, gave the caution when he was shown a copy of the letter distributed to
numerous prospective customers in the country, by the Graphic for his reaction.
The agency sought to defraud unsuspecting
prospective GSM mobile phone users with a dubious promotional strategy.
Its mode of operation is by writing to
prospective clients, informing them that they are “lucky winner in a pre-launch
promotional draw to introduce GSM mobile phone network in Ghana".
It claims in the letter that the client was
picked in a draw organised by its UK office with support from key players in
the telecommunications industry.
The agency claims further that as one of the
200 winners, the client is to receive a "free 900-compatible mobile phone
and discounted (almost free) connection to our GSM network".
The company attaches a coupon to the letter,
which is said to qualify the supposed winner for a draw out of which 100 of the
200 people will win various AM-GSM souvenirs.
“This promotion aims at introducing our service
to the first 200 prospective customers. It is also intended to test our
coverage and rectify any possible faults before a full-scale subscription
begins,” it explains.
The letter requests prospective customers to
make a choice between three different phones, Siemens C25, Nokia 6110 and
Ericsson A1018s and directs that the lucky winner should detach and complete an
attached coupon and mail it together with a substantially reduced subscription
fee of ¢50,000 in postal orders, payable to AM-PROMO, using a given address.
The agency lists hosts of towns where it says the
launch will cover, as a way of enticing people to part with money.
More…/
Don't withhold Common Fund arrears
Mr Modestus Ahiable, the leader of the Volta
Parliamentary Caucus of the National Democratic Congress, has questioned the
rationale behind the withholding of the payment of District Assemblies Common
Fund (DACF) arrears, to the detriment of development activities.
According to the Graphic, he told a press
conference held by the Volta Parliamentary Caucus at Ho to review the
social-economic and political situation in the country, that the district
assemblies constitute an important agent of development and, therefore, any
attempt to stifle them of funds will not be in the interest of the people.
He said development activities of the
assemblies have come to a halt because the payment of the Common Funds is in
arrears for three quarters.
The press conference, the second held by the
group since January, this year, covered issues such as reconciliation,
harassment of NDC functionaries and the state of the economy. Nine out of the
19 Members of Parliament attended.
Honourable Steve Akorli attributed the
stability of the cedi to prudent measures adopted by the NDC in 2000. According
to him, imports fell by $72 million.
He indicated that though inflation has reduced
from 40.5 to 36 per cent, it has not registered any impact on the pockets of
Ghanaians, describing the seeming improvement in the economy as artificial
because there has been a drastic cut in development projects by the NPP
Government, which he said is stifling growth and does not reflect the true
value of the cedi.
More…/
Two factions clash at Oshieye
The Daily Graphic says, nine people sustained
severe cutlass wounds while eight houses were set on fire, in a renewed
violence between the two factions in the chieftaincy dispute at Oshieye, near
Accra at weekend.
A chop bar, a tailoring shop, a corn mill and
an electrical appliance shop were also razed to the ground in the clash.
A team of armed policemen have been over the
fishing community, to restore peace and order, particularly between the Nii
Kofi Akrashie and Nii Afadia Annor factions in the dispute.
The disturbances began on Friday, soon after
the faction of Nii Afadia Annor installed a new Gyasetse, at a ceremony, which
was witnessed by chiefs from the nearby communities of Bortianor, Kokrobite and
Gbawe.
The two factions threw stones at each other,
and onto the roofs of houses of residents for several hours. Then late in the night,
the feuding factions drew petrol from their canoes, and used it to set the
houses on fire.
It was when the residents were fleeing from
their burning houses that the youth from both factions allegedly inflicted
cutlass wounds on the people.
Nii Kofi Akrashie, told the Graphic that, he
was at his wife's house when a group of young men from the rival faction,
numbering about 60, attacked him and subjected the entire household to severe
beating, compelling him to call in the police.
When contacted, Superintendent Al-Haji Ismail
Saaka, Accra West Police Divisional Commander, said the police are firm on the
ground, and well equipped to contain the situation. He said the police team
would remain at Oshieye until further notice.
GRi…/
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Fetu Afahye hurt by fumbling chiefs
The Chronicle carries that this year's Fetu
Afahye Festival was nearly marred by the lateness of Nananom whose procession
from the Mfantsipim school junction to the durbar ground at the "Victoria
Park", a distance of about 2 kilometres, took about 5 hours.
As a result of the snail pace with which
Nananom, the Asafo companies and cultural groups took to undertake the
procession, President J.A. Kufuor who was the Guest of Honour reported at the
durbar ground on two occasions between 1:40 pm and 2:10 pm only to return
because the procession of Nananom had not arrived at the Victoria Park.
On the second occasion when the President left
the durbar ground, he was reported to have met the procession on the way and
was compelled to prompt the Omanhene to hurry up because he (President) had
another engagement in Accra in the evening.
The procession had traditionally been long, and
the opinion is that the Central Regional Minister should have kept the
President informed and kept him at his official residence long.
Following President Kufuor's intervention, the
Omanhene was forced to detour from the procession to the durbar ground leaving
the rest of Nananom and the Asafo Companies in their snail pace procession.
After the Omanhene had arrived, it took about
45 minutes before the long procession arrived at the durbar ground to take
their seats.
President Kufuor, contrary to regular norms
delivered his festival message to the thousands of people gathered at the
Victoria Park ahead of the Omanhene’s, owing to his time constraint.
More…/
Ministry of Media Relations has only 3
computers
Eight months after its creation by the Kufuor
administration and weeks after relocating to the former Ministry of
Communications building, the Ministry of Media Relations can boast of only
three computers.
Two out of the three machines are in good
working condition, with one already installed at the Minister’s office, while
the third is broken down. The other serves all the directors of the Ministry.
The ministry is also said to be with inadequate
in furniture at the Minister and Directors’ offices.
The ministry, headed by Ms Elizabeth Ohene,
Chronicle learnt, inherited a building stripped of all these items by the
Communications wing of the newly created Ministry of Transport and
Communications when it was moving out of the building in July.
They also carried along with them all the
computers used by the Y2K secretariat, which was established by the former
Ministry of Communications.
The Public Relations Officer of the Ministry,
Mr Mawutordzi Abissath who confirmed the story when reached by the paper however
disclosed that plans were a foot to re-equip and replace all the items taken
away.
More…/
'Breach of the VAT law is stealing'
The Non-compliance with the Value Added Tax
(VAT) law by companies and traders registered under the law is tantamount to stealing
and fraudulent breach of trust among other offences created under the VAT law
for which offenders are liable to prosecution in a court of law.
Companies and traders who are indebted to the
Service, one of the state’s revenue collection agencies, are to note that,
monies collected in the form of VAT from consumers belong to the state,
therefore they are only acting as agents to the VAT Service, the Chronicle
reports the Head of the Legal Department of the Service, James B. Benson, as
having cautioned VAT defaulters in Kumasi last week.
He was part of a team dispatched to the Garden
city by the Commissioner of VAT service, to undertake a week long special
exercise dubbed "operation pay tax," which is to ensure that all VAT
registered persons conform to the VAT and companies in arrears of payments
honour their obligations.
GRi…/
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‘Benefits’ from HIPC …Japanese cancel loans
The Ghana Palaver says as predicted, the
Japanese government has cancelled ‘road project’ loan agreements with Ghana as
a result of the NPP government decision in declaring the country as Heavily
Indebted Poor Country (HIPC).
The bombshell, according to the story, was
thrown by Muto Kaban, a Senator and former Japanese Foreign Minister, who led a
seven-member delegation to Ghana last week.
“This means that the Accra-Kumasi and
Accra-Yamoransa road projects, among others, have been put on hold despite their
economic importance to the country. Instead, a ‘serious’ exercise of ‘pot-hole
filling’ and ‘patching up’ is being undertaken on these roads, in place of the
expected first-class motorable ‘Apian Ways”, says the paper.
Kaban is said to have told the Kufuor
administration point blank that Japan has stopped giving loans to Ghana because
of the HIPC initiative, explaining that it is against his country’s laws to
grant loans to countries, which have adopted that initiative, as a matter of
principle.
He is however said to have promised some
grants, upon which, the Palaver says President Kufuor is also promising to
execute the projects.
GRi…/
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Ghana Telecom’s legacy of waste
The Crusading Guide says credible information
available to it indicates that 16,459 wooden poles, valued at ¢2.2 billion
bought by the Ghana Telecom between February and March this year are still
lying waste in Takoradi, the Western Regional Capital, at a place called
“Monkey Hill”.
It was discovered during the paper’s
investigations that the poles had been dumped in the middle of a forest reserve
along the Sekondi-Takoradi Fishing Harbour road at the mercy of termites, weeds
and weather conditions.
It was also realised that the poles had not
been treated with the necessary chemicals to prevent them from decaying.
When the Head of Corporate Communications of
Ghana Telecom, Mr Johnnie Tetteh-Addy at the Headquarters in Accra was
contacted, he said that Ghana Telecom would need more poles since those being
investigated were not enough.
“The 16,459 are just a peanut. Ghana Telecom
would buy about 100,000 poles more to enable it undertake a project based on a contractual
agreement with the government,” he said, adding that the contract’s magnitude
will require time to gather materials and everything.
A source close to Ghana Telecom is however said
to have challenged Tetteh-Addy’s assertions saying, “If it is really true that
the company needs 100,000 more poles, why should it neglect those ones in the
bush to waste away?”
The paper recalls its publication of August 21st
– 27th in which it reported that in two months (February and March)
this year, Ghana Telecom bought 16,459 wooden poles, costing 2.2 billion from
one company, Nobco Ltd. in Takoradi, which it (paper) had described as “a
culture of frivolous expenditure and mismanagement”.
GRi…/
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P.V.
Obeng on HIPC
Mr.
Paul Victor Obeng-one-time pseudo Prime Minister of the Republic of Ghana has
noted that the decision to send Ghana HIPC, was due to the mismanagement that
had bedevilled the economy.
Mr.
P.V. Obeng former Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) member and prime
minister as well as head of Governmental Business at one time under PNDC and at
another, during the teething stage of the NDC administration, made the observation
when he launched the Appeal for Funds for the Otumfuo Education Fund (OEF) at a
fundraising dinner dance held at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra,
at the weekend.
Mr.
Obeng, in who the patron of the Fund, is quoted as saying “although I am not
the one who sent Ghana to the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC)
initiative, the decision was taken to send Ghana HIPC owing to mismanagement of
the Ghanaian economy at the time the new administration under the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) took office.”
Hear
him, “it’s my President Mr. J.A. Kufuor and Mr. Yaw Osafo Maafo the Finance
Minster, who took that decision”, this declaration by Mr. P.V. Obeng provoked
an instantaneous applause from the numerous dignitaries that graced the OEF
Dinner with their presence.
GRi…/
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Good
news for AIDS patients
The
Statesman reports that HIV/AIDS patients will soon have a sigh of relief when
on-going negotiations are concluded between the Ministry of Health and the
Manufacturers of anti-retroviral drugs, which prolongs the life of infected
persons.
According
to Dr, Richard Anane, Minister of Health, as part of the negotiations, the
Ministry in collaboration with World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Ministry
of Public Health of Thailand, is planning to manufacture the drugs in Ghana.
Dr.
Anane who revealed these at a launching of the journey of Hope, a new HIA/AIDS
educational tool in Accra, caution that the drugs are not meant to cure the
disease but rather to enable HIV/AIDS patients to enjoy a longer life.
He
also said that efforts were being made to scale down the rate of mother child
transmissions of the disease.
The
Ministry has therefore, placed an order for Nevirapine, the drug which when
administered to infected mothers during labour can significantly reduce
transmission. The drugs are expected to arrive in the country early next month.
GRi../
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Ex-Deputy
Minister warns Government
Mr.
Lee Ocran, former deputy Minister in the erstwhile NDC government has warned
the NPP administration not to bow to World Bank pressures to privatise or sell
business in the strategic sectors, which must be under the control of the state
as a sovereign nation.
According
to The Independent, he mentioned in particular businesses in the strategic
sectors of finance, energy and utility. These include the Ghana Commercial Bank
(GCB), Tema Oil Refinery (TOR), Water and Electricity Companies.
Mr.
Ocran, a member of the NDC Re-organisation Committee was addressing Western
Regional Constituency representatives at a meeting at Sekondi on Friday August
24, 2001.
The
meeting offered the representatives the opportunity to hear and reappraise
reports on the activities of the regional re-organisation committees, charged
with the responsibility of strengthening and broadening the base of the NDC to
recapture power in the 2004 elections under the motto “SANKOFA”
Mr.
Ocran argued strongly in support of the NDC opposition to the government
decision to sell TOR, stating that the NDC believes that the state should have
control over its own commercial bank, oil, electricity and water, which as
vital assets, should not be surrendered to private individuals.
“If
they (NPP Government) sell these vital assets of the state, we (NDC) will
retrieve them when we come to power,” Mr. Ocran said, adding that the party had
set up an ideological committee to propagate the party’s ideological stand on
the country’s socio-economic issues among its members.
GRi…/
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The Ghanaian Times carries on its sports page
that Mike “Bomber”, Kizza the Ugandan boxing opponent of Ghana’s Joseph Agbeko
arrived in the country last Sunday ahead of their September 7, WBF bantamweight
fight.
The 12 round title fight tops an eight-bout
bill being promoted by Life Time Boxing Promotion and Management Syndicate.
According to the Promoter, Mr Tommy Okine, as a first time attraction, ¢100,000
ticket owners for the bout, which takes place at the Kaneshie Complex, will be
privilege to have places to park their cars.
In a brief chat with the Times on arrival,
Kizza described himself as an accurate and powerful puncher who expects a tough
fight from Agbeko.
‘Bomber’ Kizza, who arrived with his trainer
and manager, Abbey Arum Mugayi, also a Ugandan assured Ghanaian boxing fans of
a good fight, urging all to come and witness.
More…/
Ghanaian officials for Berger-Esperance match
Four-time Ghanaian Referee of the Year, Alex
Quartey, will be in action this weekend when he enters the pitch as middleman
in the Julius Berger-Esperance Club de Tunis CAF Champions League match.
Justice Yeboah has also been appointed alongside, to officiate on the lines.
According to the CAF Secretariat, the two will
be supervised by Liberia’s Mark Dormoh while Major (rtd) George Lamptey, a
CAF/FIFA Ghanaian referees instructor, will be the match commissioner for the
Asec Mimosa-El-Ahly game in Abidjan on Sunday.
GRi…/
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Crisis talks ahead of Hearts-Kotoko big match
The Graphic Sports carries that twelve clear
days ahead of their potentially volatile clash with traditional rivals, Kumasi
Asante Kotoko at Kumasi, Accra Hearts of Oak have served notice for the
intervention of the Minister of Youth and Sports to avert another soccer
tragedy.
Hearts have written to the Hon Minister of
Youth and Sports and MP for Sekondi, Papa Owusu Ankomah, appealing to him to
convene a meeting with all interested parties to discuss the September 16 clash
“with the view to creating the right atmosphere for an incident-free match.”
According to Hearts, current events in the
ongoing Star Premier League point to a heightened tension similar to that
before the May 9 tragedy and should serve as early warning signs of what might
happen if steps were not taken to lower the football temperature.
Hearts catalogued in the letter dated August
28, several reported incidents that visiting clubs and officials to Kumasi had
encountered and recalled the attack on their Dong Bortey by Kumasi fans during
a national assignment with the Black Satellites.
The letter said in view of the apparent
volatile situation, coupled with the fact that both teams are running
neck-to-neck in the league, with only a point separating them, something should
be done to ensure an incident-free match.
The Hearts letter said the suggested meeting
could help avoid recur of the May 9 disaster.
GRi…/
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Louis undergoes operation
Injured Asante Kotoko striker, Joe Louis last
Friday successfully underwent an operation to fix his torn fibula, reports the
club’s mouthpiece, the Asante Kotoko Express.
Louis was reported to be hale and hearty after
the operation, but is expected to be in and out of hospital for another four
weeks.
Club physiotherapist, Omono Asamoah told the
paper that Louis had a metal fixed into his leg to support his lateral bone (fibula),
which was injured through a fateful challenge on August 26 in their match
against Obuasi Adansiman.
Omon said Louis was responding well to
treatment and will start minor leg exercises on his hospital bed from today.
According to him if all goes well the player should be able to attend to
physiotherapy sessions at the gym after four weeks.
Meanwhile, left full back Godfred Yeboah who
was carried off the pitch during Kotoko versus RTU match at Kumasi last Sunday
is reported to be fit to play in the next league match on Wednesday.
GRi…/
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Amankwah Mireku starts training
Wild cheers greeted the surprise presence of
full back Yaw Amankwah Mireku of Accra Hearts of Oak when the defender
resurfaced at the club’s training grounds after almost three months lay off due
to a hand injury, writes the Hearts News.
Mireku, dressed in a Black Stars all yellow
outfit, undertook light training, consisting of mainly warm ups and muscle
conditioning, helped by team mate and goalkeeper, Eben Dida.
Speaking to the paper at the end of the
session, the soft-spoken defender indicated that he had been training on his
own for the past 3 weeks to keep his form and was now reconditioning himself to
meet the physical rigors of the game.
Asked if he had received any compensation from
South African authorities, he said no such thing has happened but was aware of
interaction between Hearts officials and the South African FA.
Mireku fractured his hand about four months ago
when he was hit by a falling object at the hotel where they were lodging in
South Africa during a four-nation Vodacom Cup tournament involving Hearts and
Kotoko of Ghana and South Africa’s Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs, won by
Chiefs.
GRi…/
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