We don't owe them …say hospital authorities
Prisons choked with suspects
Ministry to halt rot
4 envoys receive letters
NDC campaign gets vicious
Bar keepers to boycott sale of beer
Reject NDC
Soussoudis again!
NDC, EGLE clash over Cape Coast seat
Govt. delays cash to Judiciary
World Bank supports Ghana
Photo ID for all given a push
The Ghanaian Times in its lead story reports the authorities of the Korle- Bu Teaching Hospital as saying that they do not owe the hospital’s nurses any additional duty allowance.
According to the Times they maintained that all ADH allowances due deserving nurses from August to December were settled last year.
The paper says Dr. H.A Holdbrook Smith, Executive Director of the Hospital said in a statement that 272 nurses got paid in August, 172 in September, 280 for October and 204 were paid their allowance in November, adding that those who did any extra hours in December had also been paid.
Dr. Holdbrook Smith's statement is said to be in reaction to a story carried in the Wednesday edition of the Times in which nurses complained that they had not received any allowances, and urged the government to pay them before any action is taken.
Meanwhile the paper says, the junior nurses of the hospital yesterday began an indefinite strike to back their demand for extra duty allowances.
The Times reports that by late morning the wards were virtually empty. It says many accident victims and other patents had to leave expressing disappointment at the situation.
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In another front page story the Times reports that ten months after the Commissioner for human rights and Administrative Justice, Mr. Emil Short, called on the Judiciary to expedite trails to reduce the number of remand prisoners in the country, the situation is getting worse.
According to the paper this was affirmed by Brigadier Alexander K. Djangmah, Director General of the Ghana prisons Service, who was guest of honour at a workshop on "The Prevention of Crime and the treatment of Offenders" organised by the United Nations.
The paper says he cited as an example of the James fort prison in Accra where 640 prisoners have been crowded into space meant for 300 prisoners. Out of the number, he is quoted as saying, "612 are remand prisoners from Accra alone". The Nsawam Prisons supposedly the most modern Prison in the country contains 2100 inmates, well above its 600 capacity.
Brigadier Djangmeh is said to have blamed the judicial system for the problem, saying, "if someone steals 50 cedis worth of Kenkey and he is fined 500,000 cedis how can he pay the fine? If he had that much he would not have stolen the Kenkey in the first place".
The Times story continues that, he called on the judiciary to introduce sentences such as community service, probation or judicial supervision and parole to assist in decongesting the prisons.
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The Government yesterday directed that no contractor was required to begin work on any new project or on- going project in the country without a certificate authorising the work to start, reports the Daily Graphic.
According to the paper a statement signed by Mr. Kofi Opoku Manu Chief Director of the Ministry of Finance said tender boards have been directed to award contracts that have been approved in the annual budget.
The statement is reported to have said the new measures have been necessitated by the detection of widespread irregularities in the award and execution of contracts and the government's willingness to stop these practices.
It added that project titles should be specific on the type of projects being executed and said no open-ended projects will be approved for commencement of work. Furthermore, it said the scope of each project should be clearly stated while MDA's are to keep strictly to financial limits set in the budget for the project execution.
The statement explained that in spite of the existence of approved authority limits, on variation order should be formally approved by the tender board with prior concurrence of the Ministry of Finance and that evidence of the approved variations should be attached to each interim payment certificates of the affected project.
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4 envoys receive letters
Another story in the Graphic says President Rawlings yesterday presented letters of credence to four envoys accredited to four Ghanaian missions abroad.
The names of the four were given as Nana Effa Apenteng, who goes to New York as the Ghana’s permanent Representative; Mrs Ellen Nee-Whang , High Commissioner to South Africa; Mr. Kobina Wudu, who goes to Geneva as Ambassador to Switzerland and European office of the United Nations and Mr. Fritz Poku, Ghana’s ambassador to Ethiopia and the OAU.
The President is reported to have urged the new envoys to do their best to enhance relations between Ghana and their host countries, adding that they should put Ghana's name across to enable the country to get the needed assistance in her development efforts.
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The Independent’s lead story opens with, where is Regimental Sergent Major Tetteh, the personal bodyguard of President Jerry John Rawlings?
It continues that the rumour mill has churned out a rather distasteful dish, which suggests that the President’s most trusted guard is dead. The paper however says it’s investigations offer some respite, as indeed warrant officer Tetteh is only bed ridden with some disease.
The Independent says when it asked some of his fellow soldiers in the 64 battalion Unit, otherwise known as the Commando’s as to what they thought was wrong with him, they declined to comment saying that they had only heard rumours about his illness.
One of the ranks is said to have disclosed that RSM Tetteh is paying the price for not heeding to advice to be careful of some of his colleagues who were not happy about the treatment he meted out to them during Christmas.
The story has it that the Head of State gave some booty to his Castle Commandos during the last Christmas as a token reward for hard work.
The Independent says however that informed sources within the security circles disclosed that many of the soldiers accused RSM Tetteh of taking a larger chunk of the money and believe the aggrieved soldiers could have sought justice in the occult.
The paper states that officialdom is contemplating sending RSM Tetteh abroad for further treatment although it is not clear whether he would approve of it because of his unblemished belief in the underworld.
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In another story in the Independent says that using already prepared groundnut paste, ground pepper and tomato paste could be dangerous. According to the paper, there is mounting evidence that these items sold in our open markets contain suspicious amounts of powdered pear seeds, Kola dye for textiles and sawn-dust.
The report says the market women who prepare these at the mill add the kola and pear seeds so as to increase the quantities they have and to maximise profit. It was also discovered that bread sold at many popular lorry parks had been coloured extensively with unknown substances some of which are believed to be purely synthetic dyes for dying fabric and could have deleterious effects when consumed.
The Independent says its enquires from state regulatory agencies in the country indicate that none of these food colours have been screened for the safety of consumers. A source at the Accra Metropolitan Authority said the AMA has had a number of complaints but found it hard to do anything for lack of logistics to conduct tests on food items sold in the market.
The source is said to have lamented that it is unfortunate that the AMA is concentrating too much on sanitation thus relegating food hygiene in our local markets to the background.
The Standards Board, which is in charge of the evaluation of both food and beverage, is cash strapped and is also battling with obsolete equipment and sampling kits.
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The Free Press writes in its lead story that the crises within the Convention Party (CP) still rages on with growing discontentment among top notches of the party.
The paper says the latest salvo to be fired in a prolonged battle over the party’s proposed congress to elect its flag bearer for the December elections came from the General Secretary, Dr. Nii Noi Dowuona.
The general secretary is said to have said in a press statement that earlier media reports that the congress would be in May are inaccurate. He said, “the decision was taken by a few individuals who are bent on alienating the majority of party members for reasons best known to themselves”.
Dr. Dowouna is reported to have said certain critical issues within the party including what he called lack of comradeship, factionalism and phobia for elders needed to be tackled before a successful congress could take place.
The Free Press report says Dr. Dowouna claimed he has done everything within his means to point out the flaws and dangers inherent in the manner in which the recent central committee meetings were convened and the consequent marginalisation of some party members.
According to the paper the CP’s crises started last year when some aggrieved party members filed a writ at an Accra High Court to seek an injunction against the holding of the party’s congress in November, last year.
It says, although the case has been withdrawn from the court there is still growing discontent within the rank and file of the party.
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The Free Press also reports in a second story that the NDC Vice- presidential slot campaign is treading on what it called a ‘tight rope’ and could explode into ethnic and parochial violence.
According to the report the campaign has now degenerated into personal mudslinging and slander and caused deep cracks in the party hierarchy.
Already, the solid wall of the Savannah club, a movement of the Zongo people and people of the three Northern Regions which was assuming the mantle of dormant ACDR’s is cracking by the vicious campaign, leaving a hole of uncertainty over the future of the club.
The paper says whiles one faction led by Alhaji Awal Mummuni had endorsed the Atta Mills and Obed Asamoah ticket, another faction describing itself as the National Executive Committee led by Alhaji Mohammed Tafoiru disassociated itself from the two.
According to the Free Press report, two recent demonstrations at the Kokomlemle NDC party headquarters and Tamale are a testimony that the situation could generate into violence.
It said it had gathered that some party gurus are fanning the trouble by manipulating the fanatics so as to cement the division in the ranks. High-ranking officials are said to be very upset by the way things have turned out.
One is reported to have said, “we are not against any individual using his or her democratic right to campaign for the Veep slot... what is unacceptable is a whole tribe ganging up to blackmail the party”.
According to the report a majority of party faithfuls and loyalists have come to the consensus that the bickering in the vice presidential campaign had the potential to do an irreparable damage to the image of the party and dangerously affect the 2000 electioneering campaign.
They claim that the attention engineered by the campaign would eat into the fortunes of the real campaign of the party, which had been sidelined by the publicity given to the search for Professor Mills Vice.
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The Evening News writes in its front story that as the political campaign gets heated up, positions of the sitting NDC Members of Parliament in the Upper West Region are being threatened.
It says while top ranking executives have acknowledged with great admiration the role played by some “sitting MPs,” especially Alban S.K Bagbin (Nadwoli North), and would retain him, his opponents feel that two terms are enough for him and would like to see him leave office.
However the Lambussie seat occupied by the only woman MP of the Region, Mrs Alice Boon is likely to be unopposed, says the paper.
According to the paper a highly placed source told it that Mr. Bagbin would be sorting himself out with his constituency chairman, Mr. Issaka Dapile and Dr. Daniel Baga a lecturer at the University for Development Studies Navrongo Campus, at the primaries to be organised soon.
Other seats to be contested include the Jirapa Constituency which has produced three names, Mr. Francis Korbie, MP for the area and Deputy Minister for Local Government and Rural Development, Madam Nancy Yelpoe and Mr. Issahaq Dakura.
The paper says the contest for the Nadwoli seat will be a do and die affair, with Mr. Emmanuel Zumakpeh and Mr. Mathais Pozaah. According to the paper, the Lawra constituency, the Wa Central seat, Wa East seat and the Sisalla Constituency seats are all up for grabs.
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The Weekend Statesman in a front-page story reports that the Ghana Drinking Bar Operators Association, Kwame Afreh Junior, has asked members of the association to vehemently resist any arbitrary increases in the price of beer imposed by the breweries.
He is reported to have consequently ordered the boycott of any products whose prices have been increased by the producers without consulting the association.
According to the report, Afreh is said to have mentioned in a statement issued in Kumasi that the association will no longer allow itself to be marginalised in the determination of the prices of beer and warned the breweries, which arbitrary fixed prices without prior consultation with stakeholder, to desist from the practice.
Afreh is also quoted to have said that in a serious breach of trust, the government increased the prices of beer products last year against assurances that it would confer with the association in determining prices when the need arose.
"Until the government respects its assurance and involves the association in the fixing of prices of beer products, as the GPRTU is consulted in the fixing of lorry fares, members will fiercely resist any imposition of high prices" he warned.
Mr Afreh however said that members of the association would support breweries that factor in economic trends in the country and consider the consumer by quoting fair and reasonable prices for their products.
Accra Brewery Limited (ABL) last week announced price increase of 13.5 percent on its products with effect from April 1. The company cited the sliding value of the cedi and high cost of petroleum products as the reasons for the increases.
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Reject NDC
The Weekend Statesman in another front page story reports that the Minority Spokesman on Finance and MP for Offinso North, Dr Kofi Kunadu Apraku, has called on Ghanaians to take their destiny into their own hands by rejecting the NDC and all that it stands for in the forth-coming general elections.
It is only through the concerted effort of all Ghanaians that the country's ailing economy can be salvaged from 20 years of mismanagement by the NDC, he is reported saying.
Dr Apraku is also reported to have said during a special party fund raising rally in Kumasi, that it is now time for Ghanaians to point out the misdeeds of Rawlings and his inefficient government and the way to do that is by voting massively against them.
The NDC government promised to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor, but is now spending lavishly on presidential jets and expensive cars at the expense of impoverished Ghanaians, he added.
According to the paper, Dr Apraku said it would be political suicide for Ghanaians to think that Rawlings' nominee could bring improvement in their living standards. What new ideas do Atta Mills have that he could not tell Rawlings all this while? He asked.
Dr Apraku is said to have consequently appealed to the electorates to give the NPP their mandate to enable them benefit, for the first time in 20 years, from the fruits of good governance based on true democracy.
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Soussoudis again!
The Chronicle has a front-page story in which Mr. Michael Soussoudis, co-founder of the Egle Party and a direct cousin of President Rawlings is reported as saying that the President is surrounded by over two thousand crooks and people of questionable character who feed him with nothing but lies.
Soussoudis, the story says, told the Chronicle in an interview that the situation has created problems for the President, adding that those who shouted probity and accountability at rooftops have now become averse to the very principles they espoused and championed.
The revolutions of 1979 and 1981were supposed to eradicate corruption and champion probity and accountability but regrettably, these noble objectives have been thrown to the dogs, he told the Chronicle.
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NDC, EGLE clash over Cape Coast seat
Another story on the back-page of the Chronicle says tension is brewing between the NDC and the EGLE Party, in electoral alliance for the two previous elections, over the selection of a parliamentary candidate for the Cape Coast Constituency in the forthcoming elections.
EGLE, described as the ‘junior partner’ in the alliance by the paper, is reported to have accused the NDC of imposing its candidate on the Progressive Alliance in violation of a decision taken by the national executives of the joint body.
According to the Chronicle it gathered from a dependable source within the EGLE that some time last year, the NDC held a constituency conference at the Cape Coast Town Hall to select a parliamentary candidate, at which EGLE executives were invited as observers.
The source, according to the Chronicle said EGLE, having accused their partners of their omission were asked to go to conference and make a choice for a later meeting to decide between the two. EGLE accuses their partner to have side stepped the decision.
Chronicle says a grassroots survey it carried in the constituency showed Mr. Sam Pee Yalley of the EGLE, one time Municipal Chief Executive and former Deputy Secretary of Social Welfare, Science and Technology in the PNDC era to be more popular than the NDC choice of Mr. Martin Ebo Odro, a political new face.
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World Bank supports Ghana
The World Bank has approved 490m dollars to Ghana under the Country Assistance Strategy (CAS) for the fiscal year 2001-2003, reports Dispatch on its third page.
The CAS, was presented by the government and Bank staff, and outlines the government’s strategy to reduce poverty.
The Dispatch says within this framework, the World Bank designed the CAS in consultation with its partners, including civil society, the business community and the government, to assist the implementation of this programme.
It says the new CAS is part of the comprehensive Development Framework, which calls for a holistic approach to development, to ensure equity and sustainability
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Photo ID for all given a push
The Ghana Palaver reports that all things being equal, the Ghanaian registered voters, especially those in the rural areas who voted without Photo I.D Cards in 1996 will do so in this year’s elections because the Electoral Commission (EC) is making efforts to make it a reality.
The story said Canada on 5 April signed a 5.6billion-cedi agreement with EC to support the electoral process with the issuance of Photo I.D and the revision of the voters register taking centre stage.
EC Deputy Chairman, Mr. Sarfo Kantanka is quoted by the paper as saying the government of Ghana would also make available 22billion cedis to support the elections.
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