Paul Osei-Tutu in Accra, reviews the Ghanaian press. The stories have not been verified and therefore we cannot vouch for their accuracy.
'Ultimatum To GRC' reads the banner headline of the Daily Graphic. According to the story, the Akuapim South District Assembly had given the Ghana Railway Corporation (GRC) up to 15th March to clear the refuse heaps it dumped on portions of the Accra-Nsawam rail line or face legal action.
The ultimatum, the paper said, was given in a letter dated February 26, this and addressed to the stationmaster of the GRC in Accra.
The assembly indicated in the letter it takes a critical view of the situation due to the fact that the refuse dumps located about 20 metres from the Densu River, will contribute to the pollution of the river and pose a threat to the health of the people.
Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency, in a report issued after inspecting the site where the refuse was dumped has described it as 'completely unacceptable,' the paper added.
Another headline reads, 'Freeze on awards for servicemen.' The accompanying story says that the government has frozen the national awards in respect of security service personnel as announced concerning the 42nd anniversary of Ghana's independence. The freeze will remain in place until the submission of a fuller and more comprehensive list of deserving security service personnel for the awards. All the other national awards recently announced, however, remain in valid.
The Graphic quoting a statement issued by the Secretary to the President, Mr J.L.M. Amissah, Said the President has subsequently directed the Ministers of Defence and the Interior to take immediate steps to re-appraise the list of personnel of the security services submitted by the National Awards Committee for the conferment of national awards.
The banner headline of the Chronicle reads: 'Ex-Minister for probe on judges murder. According to the story, a former member of the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC), Mr Johnny Hanson, has said he supports the call by Mr Kwabena Adjepong, son of the late Justice K.A. Adjepong, for setting up a commission to probe the unexplained aspects of the abduction and murder of three High Court judges and a retired army officer in June 1982.
Mr Hansen who was secretary of the Interior at the time, said one of the gray areas Surrounding the infamous episode in Ghana's history was whether Sgt. Alolga-Aakatapore, a former member of the PNDC was framed up. Justices Cecilia Koranteng-Addow, K.A. Adjepong, and F.P. Sarkodie, and Major (rtd) Sam Acquah were brutally murdered on June 30, 1982 at Bundase, near Accra. Hansen's call was prompted by a statement made by sgt. Aakata-Pore in London, alleging that, he Hansedn, was part of a conspiracy to implicate him in the murder of the judges and the retired army officer, the Chroncile says.
Another front-page headline says: 'Tony Aidoo's progress - with a little help from the Dep. Speaker.' The story says that the vetting of the controversial hatchet-man of the NDC, Dr J. Tony Aidoo, received a major boost yesterday, following the denial of the Chairman of the Appointments Committee, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah, to allow a subpoena for the records of the candidate from the Cape Coast University, where he worked from 1980 to 1991. Hon Dzirasah claimed that he had not received any information on Dr Aidoo concerning his Record at the university and surprisingly declared that he was not going to instruct that a subpoena should be issued to the university authorities. Buoyed up by that knowledge, the deputy Minister for Defence-designate breezed through a vetting that was full of Tony Aidoo's own sound-bites and extremely low on credible questions even from three member of the opposition, the paper stated.
'GFA Fires back - But Times stands by its story' The story says: 'It is now known that afterall, the seats for the rehabilitated Accra Sports stadium were not imported from Germany as claimed by Nana Sam Brew-Butler, former GFA chairman and director of Arab Contractors, in January this year.
At a hurriedly organized press conference by the GFA yesterday in reaction to the 'Times' publication on the disappearance of a vital witness in the stadia contract awards probe, the project manager of Arab Contractors Ghana Ltd., Mr Mohammed Amgad Samir said that they only came to give technical advice.
At this point, Nana Butler cut in to say that the experts came to Ghana at no cost to the nation; 'they paid for their own fares, hotel accommodation and other expenses whilst in the country.' The story says that on January 1 But the 'Times' recalls that on January 15 this year, Nana Butler told a press conference at the Accra Sports stadium that 'the seats had been ordered from the Republic of Germany and that as at the time he was talking, the first consignment of 10,000 had arrived in the country waiting to be cleared; the second batch was expected the following week,' the Times quotes and refers readers to page 11 of its 16 January edition with headline 'No cause for alarm' =96 Nana Brew Butler.
In another front page story, the Times reports President Jerry John Rawlings, yesterday described The death of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Opoku Ware the Second, as a great loss to him as well as the nation. He was speaking at the Castle, Osu, when a delegation from the Manhyia Palace in Kumasi, Called on him to formally inform the government of the Asantehene's death. The delegation, led by Odenehono Oduro Numapau the second, Essumajahene, presented Customary drinks to the President to formally announce the death, which occurred in Kumasi on Thursday, February 25. President Rawlings, who was overtaken by emotion, said 'the Asantehene's death is a great loss, not only to the Asante people and chiefs, but a personal loss to me,' the Times quotes President Rawlings as saying.
Minister Admits '89 of Us Are Too many' is the banner headline of the Dispatch. The paper reports that there are encouraging signs for observers of government policies that President Rawlings will keep his word to reduce the number of Ministers of state. The paper says this will reduce government expenditure and claims that informal interviews conducted with some of the ministers had one of them blurting 'My man I agree that 89 of us are too many. The President needs to cut down the number'. Others are said to have disagreed with the assertion that maintaining this number of ministers raises state expenditure since they get fringe benefits such as houses and cars. According to the paper, one dissenting Minister asked, ' are you guys serious? The President hires and fires and if he thinks all of us can do the job why not? He however acknowledged that a sizable number of them are doing the work of some civil servants. The list of Ministers includes 20 Cabinet Ministers, 2 non-Cabinet Ministers, 20 Regional Ministers and their deputies, 33 Deputy Ministers and 14 Ministers of State/ Presidential staffers.
Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings, wife of President Rawlings must be stopped from getting near the center of power after the exit of her husband says the' Weekly Insight'. Headlined, 'Danger Stop This Woman!' the story attributes the warning to alleged wickedness. The paper avers that if she gets anywhere near power,
Ghanaians will continue to suffer more serious unemployment, hunger, illiteracy and excruciating poverty. According to the paper, Nana Konadu has been known to be the power behind the throne deciding the fate of activists and functionaries. The problem with Nana Konadu is that she used her position as first lady to exacerbate tension rather than bring reconciliation it continues. Among her, many faults listed are that the first lady sent back a Christmas card sent to her by the staff and management of the Ghanaian Chronicle, a privately own newspaper. Nana is reported to have refused to shake hands with some members of the opposition in Parliament. Further in 1989 or thereabouts her own sister was suspended by the Ghana Broadcasting Coporation (GBC) for not getting up when she appeared for an official visit. The paper also states that she dragged her brother in law Haruna Atta then editor of 'The Statesman' to court for contempt. Huruna ended serving a month prison term along with Mr. Kweku Bako, Jnr. The paper concludes that Nana's power behind the throne has not improved the standard of living of the people of Ghana in any way. It accuses that in spite of the failure of the government, in which she has been one of the most powerful people, Nana Konadu is showing some keen interest in the presidency of Ghana.
Nana Konadu who told BBC's Caroline Swinberg that she would run for the presidency, is said to stand for all the horrible things which have happened to the people of Ghana and it is the responsibility of all well meaning Ghanaians to nip her ambitions in the bud.
The Free Press Carries two stories that make interesting read on its front page. The first reports the activities of a group of students suspended indefinitely from the Suhum Secondary School where they allegedly went riot with firearms. The eight students of the Suhum Secondary Technical School are said to have gone to town in the middle of the night and engaged in a quarrel with a group of boys in the town over a girl. The paper says in the ensuing confrontation one of the students pulled out a pistol and aimed at the nose of his 'rival' whiles the others started giving warning shots. The students described as rowdy are said to have returned to the schools premises and plundered the electricity supply system and plunged the whole school into darkness apparently to cause mischief and cover up their behaviour in town. Though the boys denied they possessed firearms, ammunition and AK 47 pistols were found concealed in balls of Ga kenkey when they were searched. A Koforidua Tribunal, which remanded the students, has released them pending further investigations. The free Press report has it that one teacher noted that suspending or dismissing them won't solve the problem, but then the police must do their best and retrieve the rest of the ammunition and culprits.'
The second Free Press Story headlined 'Extra Duty Allowance... Paramedics Threaten Strike Action On March 12 If.... ' has it that the consultative Group of Health professionals have threatened to completely withdraw their services by Friday if they are not paid the extra duty allowance promised them by the ministry of health. This is reportedly the outcome of a meeting held on March 4 this year, by a group which comprises the Ghana Association of Registered Nurses, the Government Hospital Pharmarcists Association and the Ghana Society of Radiographers and Radiological Technicians among others. The threat is styled to follow an alleged discrimination meted out to the group concerning the implementation of the extra duty allowance. In a letter reported to be copied to the Minister of Health, the President and other authorities, the group pointed out that after the government had given approval for the allowance, it singled out the Ghana medical Association for payment.