Eight People die in Multiple Vehicle Collision
Ghana Ports to reject knocked-down vehicles
Duaponkor constructs 38 million cedis Teachers' quarters
Chiefs blamed for land litigation
Chiefs advised not to interfere in rape cases
Mother of burnt child calls for assistance
Eight People die in Multiple Vehicle Collision
Accra (Greater Accra) 13 Oct '99
Eight persons died on the spot and about 30 injured when six vehicles collided at Ofankor, near the Reverend John Teye Memorial School along the Accra-Nsawam road in the early hours of Tuesday.
The dead, four men and four women are yet to be identified and have been deposited at the Police Hospital Mortuary.
About 30 are believed to have been injured and sent to the Korle Bu Teaching and the 37 Military Hospitals.
The police described the accident as a "combination of collisions as there was back to back, front to front and side to side crashes."
A Deputy Minister of Roads and Transport, Mr Steve Akorli and the Commander of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU), Alhaji Mustapha Garba, were among the large crowd who worked feverishly to rescue the victims.
Alhaji Hamidu Mahama, Deputy Commander of the MTTU, briefed the media. Recalling eyewitnesses' accounts, he said a mummy truck, carrying foodstuff broke down and while its cargo was being off loaded on to another truck, a bus belonging to Omnibus Service Authority (OSA), heading towards Accra crashed into them.
A driver of a van in an attempt to avoid the crash swerved into another lane where it crashed with a 23-seater bus.
A tipper truck, loaded with sand, ran into the van and the bus, leaving behind a mangle of metal and crushed humans.
Alhaji Mahama said the van driver died and majority of the dead and those severely injured were occupants of the bus.
Mr Akorli and Mr Garba attributed the deaths to the metal seats of the bus, which were not firmly fixed. The metal seats pierced their bodies.
Mr Garba said he had repeatedly warned against the local conversion of containers into passenger vehicles like the ill-fated bus.
He said owners of such vehicle fail to use the services of technically competent vehicle body builders.
Towing vehicles belonging to the police, the Fire Service and that of Bilfinger, a construction firm, towed the accident vehicles to clear the road for traffic, which had built up as early as 0600 hours when the accident occurred, to flow.
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Ghana Ports to reject knocked-down vehicles
Tema (Greater Accra) 13 Oct. '99
The Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) will with effect from 1 January, next year, handle only fully assembled motorable or towable vehicles at the country's ports of entry.
The decision is in view of the difficulty in handling partially knocked-down vehicles and the fact that the practice has been scrapped in international shipping.
Mr Paul Asare-Ansah, Acting Public Affairs Manager of the GPHA, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen at Tema on Tuesday.
He said the decision to discontinue this mode of shipping vehicles through the Tema and Takoradi Harbours, was taken in consultation with the Ghana Union of Traders' Association (GUTA).
Mr Asare-Ansah said on 3 June, this year, the GPHA met members of GUTA at the Tema Port to discuss the issue during which a consensus was reached on the issue.
He said some importers, particularly, those who bring in Korean cars have turned the ports into vehicle assembling plants, causing congestion at the ports.
He said the GPHA introduced a penalty of 500,000 Cedis for a 20-footer container and 700,000 Cedis for a 40-footer one, to discourage the packaging of knocked-down vehicles, but this measure did not work as the importers still found it cost-effective and still profitable to pay these charges.
Mr Asare-Ansah said the GPHA is also compelled by the Customs law to provide machinery for handling these imports and this has cost the GPHA millions of cedis, noting that handling of knocked-down vehicles involves frequent use of machinery.
In another development, the GPHA has decided not to allow any loaded vehicle that has been given the exit permit to continue to stay at the port.
Capt. Albert Cudjoe (rtd), Acting Chief Security officer of the Tema Port, said it has become the practice of some importers to use the harbour as their warehouses.
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Duaponkor constructs 38 million cedis Teachers' quarters
Duaponkor (Ashanti) 13 Oct. '99
The Duaponkor community in the Afigya-Sekyere District, is constructing a six-unit living quarters estimated at 138 million cedis, for teachers of the Local Authority Primary School.
The project, which started six months ago, is expected to be completed by the end of this year.
Mr Kofi Anin, Assemblyman for Duaponkor, said the project is being funded through a contribution of 5,000 cedis a man and 2,000 cedis a woman while the community is providing sand, water and communal labour.
Meanwhile, the district assembly has provided 30 bags of cement to support the Duaponkor community under the assembly's self-help initiative policy.
Mr Rexford Anokye, the District Chief Executive, presented the cement estimated at 450,000 cedis, to Mr Anin and commended the people for their self-help spirit.
Mr Anin expressed gratitude to the assembly for the assistance, but noted with concern, the deplorable state of the 5.6-kilometre feeder road linking the town and Kwamang.
He, therefore, appealed to the Department of Feeder Roads to assist the community to rehabilitate the road.
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Chiefs blamed for land litigation
Kumasi (Ashanti) 13 Oct. ’99
Apostle Daniel Kobina Arnan, Kumasi Area Head of the Church of Pentecost, has expressed concern about the alleged sale of one plot of land to several clients by some chiefs.
He said the Church of Pentecost is currently involved in four land cases with some chiefs, adding that this does not augur well for peace and unity in the society.
Apostle Arnan was speaking at a thanksgiving service in honour of the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, and the dedication of a 1.2 billion-cedi Ashanti Regional office complex of the Church at Asokwa in Kumasi.
The Regional Head appealed to the Asantehene to advise such Chiefs to desist from the practice, and pledged the support of the Church to Otumfuo Osei Tutu and all those who wield authority in the country.
Apostle Arnan spoke against such social vices as rape, drug abuse, robbery, and killing and advised women, both young and old to dress decently to bring some sanity into the society.
Apostle Samuel Kofi Ansong, Accra East Area Head of the Church, delivering the sermon, said Christians who do not understand the ways and works of God, easily fall into trouble at the least temptation.
He called on Christians to remain firm, humble themselves and refrain from undermining their neighbours.
Apostle Ansong urged the congregation to develop the spirit of patriotism, and hard work and to fight against corruption, nepotism, lies and anarchy to ensure peace in the society.
Apostle Ansong urged Ministers of the Church to win more souls by preaching repentance and forgiveness of sins rather than ''social evangelism''.
Mr Kojo Yankah, Ashanti Regional Minister said the nation requires courageous, committed and dedicated men in its administration and advised that all rumours should be properly investigated for the truth to be established.
He urged Ghanaians to tell the truth to avoid confusion in the society since any mishap befalling the nation would affect all the people.
Otumfuo Osei Tutu thanked the Church for organising the service to honour him six months on his ascension to the Golden Stool.
He expressed the hope that the Church would pray to God to give him the strength and power to help ensure peace and the development of the region and the nation as a whole.
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