Govt Statement on Missing Vessel
Ghanaian-born soldier fighting in Iraq
NPP "buying" votes - NDC Regional
Kingpin
Kwame Nkrumah Park to be revived
Minister's billion cedis country home
NPP spent ¢10bn on Navrongo by-election?
US County security chief under fire...
Another Passport change expected
Factions in EP Church to come together
Dan Lartey ready to join Kufuor’s
government
Govt Statement on Missing Vessel
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Media,
On
I am of course referring to the report on the movement of the oil tanker MT Asterias I with an approximate cargo of 73,701 barrels of crude oil valued, at current prices, at about US$2m. We have, in keeping with our practice of transparency and good governance already tasked the appropriate agencies to commence investigations into the matter.
We were very mindful of the potential criminal nature of the incident and therefore when we brought the matter into the public domain by the initial press statement, a conscious decision was taken to recognise the need to avoid interfering with the due process of investigations.
Nevertheless and although it is premature to do so, we have been compelled by the various insinuations and innuendos that are being cast by sections of society and peddled even on the international arena to take this opportunity to provide the requisite clarifications and trust that you will receive all the requisite information that you need to have a fuller understanding of the whole affair and of course judge for yourselves if there has been any element of misconduct on the part of Government.
Ladies and Gentlemen: the facts with respect to the missing tanker including a chronology of events are as follows:
The Saltpond Field is located some 12km offshore the Saltpond Basin of Ghana. It spans an area of 5 sq/km and was discovered in 1970 by Signal/Amoco Group. It was developed and put into production in 1978 by Agripetco. The estimated recoverable reserves were 4.9 million barrels of oil and 34 billion cubic feet of gas. Production started at 4,800 barrels of oil per day. All gas produced with the oil was flared (burnt).
The field was shut-in in 1985 when production had declined to 580 barrels per day. The cumulative production at the time of shut in was 3.57 million barrels of oil and 14 billion cubic feet of gas had been flared. It was estimated that the remaining reserves is about 1.2 million barrels of oil (mmbo) and 20 billion cubic feet of gas. The platform (rig) named “Mr. Louie” that was used in the production was left at the location to be decommissioned.
In 1998, a presentation was made to GNPC then headed by
Tsatsu Tsikata, by a Nigerian service company, ‘Oil Data’ on how GNPC could
revitalise the field at minimal capital cost. In January and February 2000
however, Tsatsu Tsikata, on behalf of GNPC, purported to enter into a number of
contractual arrangements with Lushann International Energy Incorporated of
1) An Agreement whereby the GNPC Management sub-contracted the redevelopment of the said field to Lushann International.
2) A Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) entered into by GNPC and Lushann Eternit Energy Limited, (Ghana) a registered subsidiary of Lushann Eternit Energy Limited (Nigeria) which is also a subsidiary of Lushann International Energy Incorporated (USA) to form a company, Saltpond Offshore Producing Company Limited (SOPCL) for the purpose of redevelopment of the Saltpond Field in which GNPC had 40% and Lushann 60%.
3) A deed of transfer of ownership of the said production platform to SOPCL for the purposes of using it as collateral for a loan.
The JVA was based on an initial capital of US$3m. GNPC was to pay for its shares with assets and services and to this end, the production platform was valued by Lushann and the then Management of GNPC at US$500,000 and put in as the initial capital for GNPC. Ironically no scientific basis was provided for the valuation of the rig.
I must point out that none of the these purported agreements above were approved by the GNPC Board or the Ministry of Energy as required by the Petroleum Exploration and Production Law, PNDC Law 84 of 1984 and the GNPC Establishment Law, PNDC Law 64 of 1983.
On assumption of office in 2001 the NPP Government set up a
committee to review these arrangements, the terms and conditions of which it
was dissatisfied with. The Committee concluded that a proper Petroleum
Agreement complying with the relevant laws of
For your benefit, let me clarify the previous package as follows:– The GNPC interest of 40% equity in the SOPCL joint venture provided for a 60% - 40% sharing of oil after all deduction including production deductions and debt service payments had been made. There was no explicit statement about Government taxes nor royalties. In addition, the assets of GNPC on the field at the time, in the form of production rig, oil wells, seismic, geological and engineering data were all valued at a measly US$500,000.
There was absolutely no provisions for the payment of Royalty, Carried Interest, Training Allowance and Annual Surface Rentals which are more or less mandatory under the Petroleum Laws of Ghana.
Lushann initially fiercely resisted all these on grounds that they had a legally binding contract with GNPC. However, when Government insisted that no enforceable arrangement could be entered into outside of the framework of the Petroleum Regime Lushann agreed to subject their agreement to the appropriate prerequisites.
A Draft Petroleum Agreement incorporating terms which are
much more improved and favourable to
a) Government Royalty ……. 3%
b) GNPC Carried Interest ….. 15%
c) Government Income Tax …… 30%
d) Annual Training Allowance …… US $50,000 per annum.
e) Annual Rental of ……… US $50 per sq km/year.
We have also increased our equity stake in the SOPCL Joint Venture from 40% to 45%.
In effect Government now stands to benefit technically from a total interest of 72% as against a 40% originally contracted.
In addition the assets of GNPC on the field in the form of the rig, wells, data, structures etc. is now valued at $10 million dollars as against the original US $500,000. This is treated as a loan to the Joint Venture which was to be repaid from the sale of crude oil or with oil equivalent.
To further secure the interest of the State, the Board of the Joint Venture Company (SOPCL) has been reconstituted with the Chairmanship in the hands of GNPC.
Lushann will also be responsible for the decommissioning of the rig after production. This is a very vital responsibility, which was curiously omitted from the original agreement.
It should be noted that prior to assumption of office by the NPP Government Lushann had already entered the fields and started work over on the wells. For technical reasons, the company was allowed to continue with its operations having agreed in principle to enter into a proper petroleum agreement.
Meanwhile test production of oil from the field started in
June 2002 and by December 2002 had produced 32,093 barrels which was sold by
the Joint Venture to meet expenses after Government’s royalty entitlement had
been settled. Production continued through to the
It is important that at this point I provide a clearer insight as to the utilisation of oil tankers such as the MT Asterias I at the Saltpond Oil Fields. As oil is extracted from the fields, it is pumped directly via a floating hose into the tanker, which is moored at about 200 metres from the oil production platform. The tanker thus serves as temporary storage for the oil produced. Whenever the tanker is full, it is disengaged and another one immediately connected to receive more oil. The Oil from the disengaged tanker is then sold commercially on the market.
Meanwhile, pending the issuance of the operating petroleum license and to ensure the proper accounting for the sale of any crude oil from the Saltpond fields, it was agreed that a bank account with a reputable bank in Ghana, or an acceptable international bank into which proceeds of the oil could be paid, be opened before disbursements are made in accordance with the terms of the Petroleum Agreement and the Joint Venture Agreement.
Lushann Eternit explained to the management of GNPC that, it was their plan to refinance the loan they took from Continental Trust Bank (CTB) of Nigeria with finance from HSBC Bank with whom they had had preliminary discussions and that plans were far advanced to open an account with the London Branch of that Bank. GNPC agreed and asked them to forward the relevant account opening and mandate forms for study and execution. This was in February 2003.
Regrettably, instead of the HSBC forms, Lushann Eternit
forwarded to GNPC account opening and mandate forms from Continental Trust Bank
of Nigeria (CTB). This was naturally refused. GNPC again in the spirit of
protection of the interest of the state, went ahead to obtain forms from the
Ghana International Bank, London (GIB) and invited Lushann Eternit to complete
the formalities for the opening of the account. A meeting was to have been held
on
Sadly we have been overtaken by the events of the weekend.
At about 10.00 p.m. on Friday, 28 March 2003, the GNPC representative on the production platform telephoned the Director of Operations of GNPC to advise that the storage vessel had disengaged and set sail eastwards with the accumulated crude oil. The Director of Operations immediately informed his Managing Director and the Chairman of the GNPC Board.
GNPC immediately informed the Eastern and Western commands of Ghana Navy to assist in arresting the vessel, which had no authority to set sail.
The Chairman of GNPC further contacted the Chief of Staff, Office of the President, as well as the Director of Military Intelligence and informed them of what had happened, and requested them to contact the Ghana Navy to ensure that they acted on GNPC’s request promptly.
At about 11 p.m. on Friday night both the Director of Military Intelligence and the Chief of Staff confirmed that the message had been passed on to the Navy and that the Navy had dispatched patrol boats both from the Western and Eastern Naval Bases to search for the vessel.
The Captain of MT Astrias 1 refused to answer all radio calls from the Rig.
On
At about
In the morning of Tuesday 1 April 2003 GNPC received a copy of a letter addressed to the MD of SOPCL dated 31 March 2003 informing him that Ocean and Oil, the owners of the MT Asterias 1, had exercised lien over the cargo in the vessel for non-payment of accumulated charter fees amounting to US$1,915,428.61. This information was immediately furnished to Interpol. This has since been confirmed this morning by Reuters Newswire.
In the course of the day, i.e.
Finally we would like to note that our interest in the affair is the protection of the State’s interest in the operation of the Saltpond Oilfields through the GNPC/Lushann Joint Venture.
The crude oil that has been taken away by the tanker belongs to the Joint Venture. GNPC on behalf of Government manages the state’s interest of any proceed of sales of the crude oil from the fields. It would have been the case that had the oil been properly disposed through the joint venture, the SOPCL would have received funds to meet its operational and production expenses including the servicing of loans obtained by the company after payment of royalties of 3% of the gross value (approximately US$60,000) to Government.
Of course as shareholder, if the company were to make profits at the end of the financial year we would have been entitled to the payment of dividends as well as for the value of the assets on the field.
We call on all to be circumspect in their utterances on the
matter especially as the investigations are not completed. For now however, we
hold the technical managers of the project, Lushann Eternit, fully responsible
for this loss. Accordingly the Attorney-General has been tasked to commence
action to place a temporary lien on Lushann’s assets in
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Ghanaian-born soldier fighting in
The 1979 insurrection brought hundreds of his country's
infantrymen into
But even with all the bloodshed he saw there, the youngster was intrigued by the soldiers and their bravery. As an 8-year-old boy, he decided he wanted to be in the military, and he's been passionate about soldiering ever since.
When people meet Wakketsi, 31, now a staff sergeant
stationed at
But it is because he believes his soldiers can always do better that he'll train them tough -- to always be ahead of the enemy. It's a philosophy that might save the lives of his troops in Company A, 1st Battalion of the 327th Infantry Regiment.
"I train them hard now, so that they make it back to
Mama alive. I've seen the face of death in my hometown," Wakketsi said.
"The
His principles can be seen on a sign in his tent with a
picture of an al-Qaida fighter in
Below the picture are words for American soldiers to ponder: "They don't go on sick call, take (paydays off), have 4-day passes. He's ready to kill you. Are you ready for him?"
Drive to excel
Before Wakketsi came to the
"I was not pacified and taught to be a man at an early age," he said. "You learn to do things for yourself and what is important to you."
Because of his passion to absorb everything around him, Wakketsi was able to excel in American schools even when he didn't know the language.
"I think watching '
In 1989, Wakketsi joined the South Carolina Army National
Guard but he found it not challenging enough. So three months later he joined
the Marines and stayed for five years as a sniper. He became a
Then circumstances changed. He became a single father. He
decided to return to the Army in 1998 because he thought it would be more
family-friendly. His daughter, Katrina, 9, is staying with Wakketsi's mother in
'He trains them hard'
1st Lt. Billy Wilson, Wakketsi's platoon leader, wishes he had about five more noncommissioned officers like Wakketsi because of his attitude and leadership abilities.
"He's an absolute professional. He leads by example and
he takes care of his men. He trains them hard so they're able to accomplish the
mission,"
Wakketsi has been asked why he doesn't join the Special Forces, who could use his above-average intelligence, professionalism and his background in speaking an African language. It crossed his mind, he said, but it is not his calling.
"I love to be a mentor and I love teaching these soldiers. I enjoy one-on-one and interaction with the troops," Wakketsi said. He hopes to attend drill sergeant school when he returns to the States.
"I'm really proud to serve. I've been all over the
world.
NPP "buying" votes - NDC Regional
Kingpin
The Western regional organizer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Yaw Boateng Djan, has accused the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) of using what he described as their usual undemocratic tactics to entice voters to their side for the incoming Amenfi West by-election.
He said even though the Asankragwa water system broke down a long time ago, the NPP government never bothered to repair it, but immediately they heard that Hon. Kofi Asante who is the MP for the area had resigned from Parliament, officials were detailed to check the system which is now about to be repaired.
Apart from this, he said, NPP officials have also started distributing cement to the various communities in the constituency with the view of using it to entice the electorate, who are predominantly rural dwellers, to their side.
Speaking to the ''Chronicle'' in Sekondi, Boateng said this behaviour of NPP which they have exhibited in almost all the by-elections that have been held in the country of late, is very bad and must be condemned by all those who believe in proper democratic practice.
According to Boateng, another tactic that has been adopted by the NPP in some of the already held by-elections is the use of the vice -President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.
He said in the Navrongo by-election for instance, the police used the visit of the vice President to the constituency as a weapon to cancel all rallies that were to be held by the NDC.
Boateng noted that if the vice president should visit a constituency during the time of a by-election in his capacity as the second father of the country, and this should result in the cancellation of their rallies because of security reasons, they would have no cause to complain, but if he is coming as a politician to campaign, then his visit should not be used to stop other political parties from organizing their rallies since that would not give a level playing ground.
Boateng further said he is aware the vice would be visiting the Amenfi West constituency, so he is giving an advance notice to all democratic forces to ensure a level playing ground for all the parties contesting the by-election for the electorate to make their own decision.
The regional organizer, however, told this reporter that notwithstanding all the undemocratic tactics being adopted by the NPP, the Western regional secretariat of the NDC would definitely put a stop to the NPP by-election winning spree.
''Every napoleon has its own waterloo and I can assure you that NPP is going to meet its waterloo in this by-election, no doubt about that,'' he said and added that NPP would surely be given a good run for their money in the election that has been slated for 24 April this year.
Giving reasons why he is sure NDC would win the election to stop the NPP, Boateng said the electorates in the constituency are already fed up with the government because of the astronomical increase in the price of kerosene. He alleged that a gallon of kerosene is being sold for 25,000 cedis, which the people are finding very difficult to cope with.
Touching on the resignation of Hon. Kofi Asante which has actually paved the way for the by-election, Boateng said it is not true the constituency executives of the party threatened not to allow Hon. Asante to contest the election again on the ticket of the party because of his support for Dr. Botchway as is being alleged by some media houses.
He said contrary to the public perception, his constituency executives had actually agreed to allow Hon. Kofi Asante to contest the 2004 election unopposed, therefore, they were surprised when they heard that their MP has resigned from Parliament. ''In fact some of the constituency executives were in tears when they heard the bad news about his resignation, because they thought their MP had left them in mid stream,'' he added. - Chronicle
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The director of the park Robert William Hrisir Quaye
explained that most of his documents were kept by his biographer, who also sent
it to the
This is one of the numerous measures put in place to transform the cemetery-like park into a lively and attractive tourist site that would generate high revenue for the nation.
Most people do not patronize the park, which is where the late president declared the independence of the country and also serves as his burial ground.
Although the park serves as a tourist attraction site and a solemn place, it lacks the necessary recreational facilities that would urge tourists to revisit the park.
Explaining the situation to the ''Chronicle'', Quaye noted that African Americans often visit the site, but unfortunately they do not see anything different from what they see in their previous visits. That is what has made it necessary for the management of the park to carry out initiatives to promote public interest in the park.
Another measure being undertaken is the introduction of game into the park and especially parrots to be trained to respond ‘Nkrumah never dies’ when visitors mention ‘Nkrumah’ to them.
Quaye also hinted that live bands would soon be playing on weekends at the park, laying emphasis on the fact that only state-owned bands would play, not losing sight of the fact that only contemporary highlife songs would be played.
He hinted that a diplomat and a prolific composer Kwadwo Donkoh is working on a lot of pieces of highlife songs and he is at the moment arranging to play with Nkrumah’s stamp on them. - Chronicle
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Minister's billion cedis country home
Ajumako (Central Region)
The 44-year old Member of Parliament, who barely three years ago, was so destitute that he was forced to squat with friends at Adenta, told Chronicle investigators this fable when confronted with findings of weeks of covert investigations under our constitutional remit - we are to hold public office holders accountable to the public.
The subject was a magnificent mansion sited a few meters
away from
The mansion, dubbed ‘Edumadze Castle’ by locals, is a 12-bedroom edifice which began to take shape around the middle of last year, contrary to his strange claims, and is one of the multiple ‘spoils of office’ the minister has cornered in the space of two years as a minister.
His middle name ‘Eduasor’ literally means ‘top of the tree’ and it appears there is no stopping him in his non-stop ascent to the top of the gravy train of personal Positive Change. Conservative estimates suggest that the complex will exceed the billion cedis mark when completed.
And that is not all. Other projects we are probing, which bear his imprimatur includes pieces of earth-moving equipment from the Central regional Feeder Roads department. Some of his cronies have also appeared to be feathering their nest, as our extensive investigations show.
Chronicle has reason to believe, based on intelligence and cognitive assessments, that by this minute, as this news hits the public domain, there will be a swift and determined effort to cover up the trail unless the usually imponderable agency for investigations and enforcement moves fast to follow these leads.
Edumadze in a full interview with Chronicle after several hits and misses, admitted the construction of the mansion, but will not be drawn on costs. “The building is still under construction and I cannot tell how much it would cost me,” he said, adding, “it is neither 12 nor 13 bedrooms, it is 8 bedrooms!”
Chronicle investigators are already ruffling up his tax records to assess his liquidity status and plan to follow up and insist on records of his assets declaration - if he has filed one at all - as demanded by the constitution. Edumadze, who has received presidential reprimand more than once, is endowed with the gift of the gab and well known for manipulation.
He could not appreciate Chronicle’s incredulity at his capacity to own that property during the interview, but people who know him personally over the years, and interviewed randomly by Chronicle, were rather awestruck. One of them asked rhetorically: “If he was that rich why did he run his election campaign in a beat up ‘jalopy’ ‘chanchama’ Fiat? And also put up with a friend even after the elections?”
Another asked:“How much is his monthly income and allowances for him to put up such a building?”
Early last year, the minister acquired four plots of land, Chronicle gathered, engaged an architect called Stephen Appiah, and began to execute his dream mansion while his people were starving under the harsh economic circumstances.
By virtue of his position as Regional Minister, he was able to abuse his office by commandeering one of the Central regional Feeder Road Tipper Trucks with registration number GV 7432C to cart sand and stones to his project site.
Even though the building stands out as the prettiest among a row of new buildings springing up in the area, it is the first to grab one’s attention. From a distance, the expanse of the complex is not readily noticeable, but on closer physical inspection another block joins the main building, revealing the true expanse of a complex duplex.
Not even senior ministers like the two most humble achievers - Dr. Kwame Addo Kufuor and Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, with years of private practice behind them, have been able to put together property like this in two years.
Before getting into politics, the stocky minister was a junior level employee of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), though he claimed that he did well there and managed to put away some foreign exchange.
In September 2000, he said he travelled to
IRS’ Mrs. Janet Opoku-Akyeampong may have to explain herself the kind of levels of salaries that she singled out Edumadze for. Chronicle investigations are continuing. – Ghanaian Chronicle
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NPP spent ¢10bn on Navrongo by-election?
He however said the astronomic amount is not surprising to him because similar amounts were spent on previous by-elections. According to Dr Aryeh, the NPP used the money in providing electricity, telecommunication, building roads and a health post in the constituency during the campaign for the by-election.
The above evidence, he said covers the physical evidence and not the vote buying. Meanwhile, Dr Aryeh disclosed that the NDC spent ¢100m during the Navrongo Central by-election. The amount was spent on fuelling the party’s vehicles at Navrongo and campaign activities.
Dr Aryeh said his party is making every effort to educate Ghanaians to vote on issues rather than money, adding that the NPP’s conduct is like throwing money against a problem. – MyJoyOnLine
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Obed’s statement courts trouble for him
Accra (Greater Accra) 04 April 2003 - Tongues are wagging among the National Democratic Congress (NDC) activists such that the ongoing internal bickering has now deepened, just days after the national chairman of the party, Dr. Obed Yao Asamoah, exonerated the New Patriotic Party (NPP) from blame over the resignation of Abraham Kofi Asante, NDC MP for Amenfi West, Chronicle has gathered.
A source at the party’s national headquarters told this paper that the chairman’s assertion that he did not have the slightest suspicion that the NPP had a hand in the decision of Kofi Asante to resign from parliament has caused most members not only to mount vitriolic attacks on him but also call for his immediate resignation.
Continuing, the source said Dr. Asamoah, who has reached the pinnacle of his political career and has wisely been playing the low key in the party, is seen as throwing a spanner into the on-going reconciliation wheel in the party.
When the former
According to him, if the chairman had reached Kofi Asante before making the comments, it would have won credence, but coming out publicly to clear the NPP was unfair.
“It seems therefore curious that the chairman who has not been able to talk to the individual to know the influences, pressures and reasons in detail, but he finds it necessary to exonerate the NPP, I find it to be quite incongruous.”
He contended that it would be clear for one to know the reasons and those who might have influenced Kofi Asante when you spoke to the person. “You have not spoken to the person. How can you come out publicly to clear the party that was alleged to be the brain behind the act?
The individual in question is not even in the country, he is outside and there are speculations this way and that and if somebody comes out to make such a categorical statement to the effect that NPP was not involved, it is rather unfortunate and unethical,” he intoned.
The NDC scribe stated that for the statement to have credence it would have been prudent on the part of the chairman to talk to the individual, but to say he tried to get the individual but to no avail suggests something else.
As to whether the failures of the party could be attributed to the lack of funds but not the perceived friction between the chairman and the founder of the party, Dr. Aryeh had this to say: “Division is the bane of all politics. We all know the axiom ‘divide and rule.’ What that means in practice is that if you split the party in half, its strength is diminished, it is divided.”
He argued, “If any organisation or party that is not united, the collective strength of the party is divided and if there is a split between two key figures in the party, the split is bound to have its consequences. But if you say that individual differences and opinions cannot affect the party in any way it is wrong because it is going to affect the decision taking process.”
He said the issues of the ongoing feud and the lack funds should be tackled or forced out through fundamental shake-ups, stressing that the more the issues are left unresolved the more the problem intensifies.
The general secretary blamed the chairman for not helping the Finance Committee (FC) of the party, which is mandated by the constitution, to raise funds for the party, and thus causing the NDC to lose two major seats it held in parliament.
In an answer to a question about whether the party is really broke, Dr. Nii Aryeh replied in affirmative, saying it is outrageous for the party’s chairman, whose responsibility is to help the FC to adopt means of raising funds for the party, to continue to coil in his shell, not contributing towards the party in terms of funds and logistics.
“We have failed in two by-elections, so far, and as far as I am aware, the FC has not made any contribution and if they have decided not to work, they have certainly crippled the party and I think it is outrageous,” he continued, adding “If you have an organisation that has a whole constitutional mechanism for raising money and when that organisation is faced with money problems, then we are told that that mechanism is not a mechanism to raise funds, then what mechanism is that?” “It means that the members are not performing,” he added.
When he was quizzed about speculations that the chairman has abandoned the party and that he is not performing, Dr. Aryeh responded in affirmative.
As to what is to be done to change the situation for the better, the general secretary said, “If somebody has got his office legitimately or illegitimately and is not performing, one cannot wait for his term of office of two years for the problem to be repeated like a platitude and the only solution is to step down or there should be a vote of no confidence to ensure that the party keeps going.”
Touching on the resignation of the minority spokesman on Energy, Abraham Kofi Asante, the vocal don said it is common to parties in opposition for their members to jump ship when their differences are irreconcilable.
He said jumping of ship is necessary to “separate the men from the boys, the fighters from the cowards and those who have the real cause in their hearts from those who are just looking for luxury opportunity in politics,” stressing that the NDC, or any opposition party, for that matter, needs fighters with fires in their belly to fight the battle.
Reacting to some derogatory comments made by some of the party executives about the ex-MP, Dr. Aryeh said it was unfortunate that people keep such comments bottled up within them only come out immediately the person has jumped ship.
“In my opinion, I believe that if you have been voted by people in your constituency, then there are certain expectations that you just don’t jump ship without assigning reasons and without regard to those who have voted for you. It will be fair if he gives reasons for his resignation to both the party and his constituency electorate,” he pointed out.
Reacting to how the absence of Asante will affect the party, the don said the party is galvanizing itself and will ensure it becomes stronger as ever before “with the fighters who are politically hungry” to turn its fortunes around. – Ghanaian Chronicle
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Ekanem, who is under investigation by the district
attorney's office, was placed on paid administrative leave Feb. 3, leaving the
county without its top expert on protecting computer systems from intruders
while the nation is on heightened alert against terrorism. Among other actions
that violate some of the very policies he wrote, a search warrant says Ekanem
e-mailed internal documents to a former county employee in
Assistant District Attorney Karyn Sinunu said a decision about whether to file charges will be made “shortly.” A separate administrative review also is concluding, which may result in Ekanem's termination, county officials said.
Ekanem's absence has set back the rollout of the security policy he developed, said Chief Information Officer Satish Ajmani. But Ajmani added that the ``guiding principles'' he wrote have not changed, and an outside contractor is now implementing the plan.
Ekanem said he could not discuss his situation.
His co-workers in the information services department first raised the alarm in an internal review that ``uncovered evidence of a potential compromise of county information security,'' the affidavit states.
Ekanem has reportedly engaged in long personal calls during
work hours and pursued a master's degree on county time without employer
authorization. Ekanem - one of only two people in the county to possess a
written report of every weakness and vulnerability within county computer
networks - listed his county cell phone number as his contact for a property he
rents in
In his own security policy, Ekanem wrote that employees should expect their e-mail to be monitored and that the county specifically forbids use of the network ``for personal profit or running a business.''
Ekanem, who is 44 and earns $106,000, also is charged with
sending internal county documents by e-mail to a former colleague in
In his 18-month tenure, Ekanem wrote the county's information technology security policy, which set up a security system to protect the confidentiality of personal information about taxpayers, such as Social Security numbers, medical records, birth and death certificates. The 245-member department he works for supports all the county's computer networks, including data kept by the hospital, law enforcement and social services.
Where trouble began
Problems first arose early this year, when Ekanem's co-workers alerted administrators in the information services department that he appeared to be spending an excessive amount of time on personal calls. That led to a review of Ekanem's cell phone bill and his e-mail correspondence, which raised more alarms.
County officials remain tight-lipped about the case, citing
employee confidentiality. But they did release a copy of one document Ekanem is
said to have e-mailed to a former information services department employee,
Kwaku Nsiah, while Nsiah was in
The two men are believed to have exchanged a series of e-mails, including discussions about the county's disaster preparedness and recovery plan.
Nsiah, a former senior information technology project manager, was fired for incompetence in May during his probationary period. One of the documents Ekanem later sent him was a highly technical report from KPMG Consulting, laying out how it would structure the county's e-government service, if awarded a contract.
One expert's view
It is rare to have a security officer lose his post for a
violation of information system rules, said Kevin Dickey, chief information
security officer for
“Simply put, the guy should have known better,” he said. “Security is accountability, integrity and confidentiality, so if your job is to secure those things for your organization and you compromise it -- well shame on you.”
Dean Hipwell, an information security consultant and
professor of computer science at
“There are a couple of cases where a network administrator was fired by their organization and, of course, contractors are notorious for not observing the rules,'' he said. “But I still cannot recall a security officer being placed on administrative leave.''
In August 2001, a
Finding a new security officer is a top priority for the information services department, but filling the post will not be easy in these times of budget cuts and a countywide hiring freeze.
Ekanem was praised as highly qualified when he was hired. He received special thanks in March 2002 from the California County Information Services Directors Association for his participation in a ``Best Practices'' information security forum.
The forum was held to shore up county information systems,
including telecommunications, networks and facilities, ``in light of the
horrific events of
Part of the policy to which Ekanem contributed includes this piece of advice: ``Protect people as well as data. Don't forget that people can make or break a policy.'' – Associated Press
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Another Passport change expected
The Director, Ministry of Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation, Mrs. Irene Maamah, who disclosed this during an interview with The Heritage last week, said the Foreign Ministry is working closely with the government on the project.
Mrs. Maamah said the introduction of the ECOWAS passport would enable the sub-region to realise its age-long dream of free movements of goods and services.
According to her the process of the ECOWAS passport harmonisation is to offer Ghanaian citizens as well as those in the sub-region the opportunity to acquire the said passport by 2005 when a common ECOWAS passport is expected to be in operation.
Mrs. Maamah said the decision for
the single ECOWAS passport was reached in
Other decisions taken during that meeting included; the adoption and introduction of multi-country, Shengen-type visas, the removal of numerous roadblocks and security checkpoints on international highways to reduce delays, harassments and extortions as well as the elimination of the rigid border formalities and modernisation of border procedures through the use of passport-scanning machines.
On the effect of the ECOWAS passport on the existing
Ghanaian one, the Director saw no effect for the initial period. However, she
anticipated a problem in 2005 when ECOWAS passport will be in full force,
adding that the local passport would be phased out after
Meanwhile, information from
She further explained that, though
Madam Hawa said though the Commission has concluded discussions on currency unification that of the ECOWAS visa is yet to be completed.
On the significant of the said programme, Hawa noted that reduction of corruption on our roads, the harassment of our women and others. - Heritage
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“It is with a sense of loss and disdain that an incident of such criminal magnitude has to be our subject matter,” they said in a statement signed on their behalf by Henry Oppong Addae, consultant for Public Affairs and Government Business.
The statement said the theft was committed by the barge
owners, Ocean and Oil Limited of
The statement said that they received series of correspondence from Ocean and Oil Limited to the effect that Saltpond Oil Comany was heavily indebted to them in freight charges and that if by Saturday 29 March the debt was not settled they would invoke the “Owners lien” clause in the agreement with them.
It said “our stake in
The statement said in their view the act committed by Ocean and Oil Ltd is criminal, illegal, in bad faith and completely mars the relationship between them since they have previously used that company to lift crude oil for which they duly paid all outstanding sums.
“We completely dissociate ourselves from the act and condemn it as an act of robbery of international magnitude,” the statement said and gave the assurance that they will co-operate with the government and the GNPC to locate the vessel and recover the cargo.
The statement said their Takoradi office promptly reported the disengagement of the vessel to the GNPC and sought assistance from the Ghana Navy but they are yet to receive any report as to why the barge could not be intercepted.
“We also wish to state that we will continue to render our
unflinching support and co-operation towards the Interpol investigations
initiated by the government of
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Factions in EP Church to come together
They also decided to withdraw all court cases for amicable
settlement as a way of ensuring peace and reconciliation in the church. This
was contained in a communiqué issued at the weekend after a reconciliation
forum in
The forum, which was organised by some concerned members of the church, is aimed among others as having one formidable church, with “of” or comma removed from the name of the E.P. church.
In an address, Pastor Mark Kadjah, called on the leadership of the church to ensure peace and reconciliation in the Church. He expressed concern about the development in the church and called on members to bury their differences and come together as one body.
Vincent Kaledzi, who initiated the reconciliation move, expressed the hope that peace and unity will return to “the once united and respected church.”
“I believe we are yearning for reconciliation. Let us look at Christ our saviour and find amicable solution to the problem,” he said. He also expressed concern about recent rejection of funeral donations to the EP Church, and said this does not augur well for reconciliation.
Kaledzi also urged the
In a message, the Bishop of Ho, Most Reverend Francis Lodonu, said the greatest scandal in Christianity is the division in the body of Christ, adding that “all of us who are baptised in Christ belong to the body of Christ and we are obliged to maintain unity and love in that unity.
Brother King Akpalu, a Presbyter,
urged all individual members of the church to initiate peace move at every
congregation, adding that it is only through that a real peace and
reconciliation will be achieved. - Graphic
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Dan Lartey ready to join Kufuor’s government
The GCPP leader specifically mentioned agriculture as one
area where he would wish to put his expertise at the disposal of the NPP
government. Dan Lartey, a regular critic of the NPP government, who made the
offer on Fox FM radio in
He said the programme could be reactivated and implemented on a much larger scale to ensure that the nation attains food sufficiency all year round, with reserves for export. Dan Lartey commended the current Minister of Food and Agriculture, Major (rtd) Courage Quarshigah, on the success he has so far chalked, especially in the reduction of rice import adding: “It is not surprising that the President maintained him in his recent ministerial reshuffle.
The GCPP leader, however, criticised the President for ministerial changes, which he described as a mere juggling of ministers.”
He said that the President should be bold to fire non-performing Ministers, as this would serve as a check on other Ministers. Dan Lartey said the GCPP is joining forces with the NPP to win the Gomoa East by-election hands – The Statesman
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