Statistical Service rejects claims by Muslim Coalition
NDC calls on Police to stop harassment of its members
Sunyani (Greater Accra) 10 January 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor arrived in Sunyani this morning to attend the burial and funeral rites of the late Right Reverend James Kwadwo Owusu, Catholic Bishop of Sunyani.
The presidential jet carrying the President and his entourage touched down at exactly 9.10 A.M. The President inspected a guard of honour mounted by 90 officers and men of the Third Garrison in Sunyani under the command of Major George Agbe.
Mrs Cecilia Bannerman, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment and Mr Gabby Nketsiah, Personal Assistant to the President, were among the entourage.
At the airport to welcome the President were the First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, Mr J.H. Mensah, Senior Minister and Member of Parliament for Sunyani East, Professor Christopher Ameyaw-Akumfi, Minister of Education, Mr Kwadwo Adjei-Darko, Minister of Mines and MP for Sunyani West and Mrs Anna Nyamekye, Deputy Minister of Environment and Science who had arrived earlier to participate in the wake keeping for the late bishop on Wednesday night.
Others were Mr Ernest Debra, Brong Ahafo Regional Minister and his deputy, Mr Yaw Adjei Duffour, Brigadier George Ayiku, General Officer Commanding the Northern Command, Monsignor Joseph Marfo Gyima of the Sunyani Diocese, The Very Reverend Osei Agyeman, Administrator of the Sunyani Diocese and The Very
Reverend Stephen Adu Kweni, Vicar General of the Accra Archdiocese.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 10 January 2002 - Brigadier George Ayiku, General Officer Commanding the Northern Command, on Wednesday commended soldiers of the Fourth Infantry Brigade (4N) for not beating up any civilian last year.
Speaking at the Annual WASSA get-together of the 4BN in Kumasi, he said no case of a soldier brutalising or molesting a civilian was recorded last year.
He called for more civic action programmes from the Battalion this year to further strengthen the cordial relationship with their civilian brothers and sisters.
He asked Ghanaians to see soldiers as brothers and friends whose business was to protect the society and ensure the economic and social development of the country. Brigadier Ayiku said the military would, however, not allow acts of lawlessness, ethnic clashes such as the Bawku conflict, civil unrest and other acts to undermine the peace and stability of the country.
The Armed Forces is owned by Ghanaians and, therefore, needs the support of the public to rid the country of undesirable elements, he said.
Brigadier Ayiku commended the Battalion for the maintenance of peace, security, stability law and order in Ashanti through the conduct of effective operations to stop crime and other anti-social activities that undermined the orderly economic growth of the country.
He reiterated that the Military would defend democracy at all corridors, support and assist vital state institutions to ensure the maintenance of democracy in the country.
Lieutenant-Colonel George Biah, Commanding Officer of the Fourth Battalion of Infantry, said the Unit would rededicate itself to their professional duties and continue to co-operate with sister security services in the region while their loyalty to the government and people of Ghana remained unshaken.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 January 2002 - The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) on Thursday rejected claims by the Coalition of Muslim Organisations that the final figures of the 2000 Population and Housing Census were not correct.
Dr Kweku A. Twum-Baah, Acting Government Statistician, told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Thursday that the coalition had no basis to reject the figures.
The coalition said at a news conference on Wednesday that Ghana's population of 18.8 million was incorrect and should be about 21 million. Also, the Muslim population was more than the 15 per cent the Ghana Statistical Service had put across.
The GSS said it was impossible and erroneous for the country to have a population of 21.3 million. "This implies that Ghana's population has been growing at about three per cent per annum. But the situation on the ground does not reflect what they are saying."
The 2000 Population and Housing Census put Ghana's population growth rate at 2.6 per cent, the lowest in Africa and projected that if the growth pattern continued to decline, "Ghana's population is likely to reach a number less than 24 million in 2010."
Fertility rate since the last census (1984) has dropped from 4.5 per cent to 2.4 per cent in the 2000 census.
Dr Twun-Baah said: "It is very misleading for a group on their own accord to come out to reject a whole national exercise without recourse to any scientific basis. "It is unfortunate that anyone will think that the Ghana Statistical Service will deliberately do anything to justify the claims of the coalition. If the group is claiming that Muslims number 45 per cent, they should tell us, 45 per cent of what sample size?"
He expressed concern about the slant given to the claim, saying "it does not augur well for the smooth development of the country and the continued co-existence of Muslims and other religions."
The coalition on Wednesday claimed Muslim population was 45 per cent of the population and "vehemently disputes the census figures, especially those regarding the population in terms of distribution of religion."
Dr Twum-Baah said the GSS had never done any census work with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and had no idea where the 45 per cent the coalition quoted on the CIA website emanated from.
He asked the coalition to provide a comprehensive scientific evidence for its claim, adding that the reference to a previous census or statistical data quoting a higher figure was wrong since there was no census figure on Muslims in the 1984 census. "The last one with figures on the Muslim population was the 1969 census."
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 January 2002 - The police have arrested two persons for allegedly murdering a 44- year old woman at Oshwie near Weija in March last year.
The victim, Aku Davordze, a mother of four, was found half naked just as the victims of Charles Quansah, the self-confessed serial killer.
Mr David Asante-Apeatu, Officer in charge of Criminal Investigations Department, told the Ghana News Agency that even though, the modus operandi appeared similar to that of Quansah they realised there was something wrong somewhere.
"This is because at that time Quansah was in our custody and he had confessed to be a killer and how he killed his victims." The two suspects Kofi Medaho, 30 and Kofi Asembri, 33 both masons from Kpalime, in Togo lured Aku from where she had been selling iced water into an uncompleted building where they reside and murdered her.
Other accomplices, who knew of the act but failed to report to the police, have also been arrested. They are Geofrey Medaho, a brother of the Medaho, Christian Adudor and Djaba. Mr Asante-Apeatu said the police was keen on unravelling the murder since Quansah was in their custody after realising that the perpetrators were just copycats.
He stated that "Quansah was acting alone, killing is a very simple act when you know what to do". Meanwhile, Police said Thursday that the girl, whose body was found in a sack dumped in the Densu River at Weija last June, was Golda George, a 25-year old first year student of the University of Ghana, Legon.
Mr David Asante-Apeatu, Officer in charge of operations at the Criminal Investigations Department of the Police Service said the victim, who hailed from Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region, was identified through physical evidence gathered at the crime scene and her family.
He said the prime suspect involved in the crime had been identified but did not disclose the name. Mr Asante-Apeatu, however, hinted that the suspect was on the run.
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Kumasi (Ashanti Region) - The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on the Police Administration to act to stop the physical assault, intimidation and harassment of its members by a group of supporters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at Akomadan in the Offinso North constituency.
The party expressed concern about what it perceived to be the inaction of the Police to bring to order "The lawless NPP supporters".
Nana Kwadwo Appiah-Kubi, the Offinso North NDC Constituency Chairman of NDC, who was addressing a press conference in Kumasi, cautioned that if the situation was allowed to persist it could explode into something nasty. He spoke of instances where their members had allegedly been brutalised and the party's flag vandalised by the NPP activists.
Nana Appiah-Kubi said on the mid-night of last December 31, an NDC supporter, whose name he could not readily provide, who he said attempted to usher in the new year by raising the flag of the party was set upon by some NPP supporters and mercilessly thrashed.
He said a day after, an NDC flag hoisted on a long pole in front of the party's office at Akomadan was pulled down by the same group and in the process the falling pole hit a pregnant woman supporter of the party.
The NDC Chairman said in all those cases formal complaints were made to the local Police at Akomadan but they had not made any attempt to bring "the perpetrators of the savage acts of political terrorism to face the law.
"They are walking the streets taunting and bragging that they cannot be arrested," Nana Appiah-Kubi added.
Mr Emmanuel Nti-Fordjour, Ashanti Regional Chairman of NDC, deplored what he said was the notoriety of NPP supporters in that town for acts of political violence.
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Parliament approves 126 million dollars
loan for Housing projects
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 10 January 2002 - Parliament has approved a loan of about 126 million dollars for housing development projects throughout the country, Dr Edward Baffoe-Bonnie, Member of Parliament for Asokwa East has said.
He said 41 million dollars of the amount from the Czech government would be used on a land to be acquired in Accra, while the rest would go to the various regions for similar projects in the regional capitals.
Dr Baffoe-Bonnie was contributing to a people's forum organised by the Ashanti Regional Co-ordinating Council (ARCC) in Kumasi on Tuesday as part of activities marking the First Anniversary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government.
The MP stressed that 100 acres of land was expected to be acquired in each regional capital and the lands serviced with water, electricity and other basic infrastructural facilities before the houses are constructed.
Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister called for political tolerance in the region hoping that non-members of the NPP would soon identify themselves with the government.
He indicated that the government was doing a lot for the country and there was therefore the need for all and sundry to give it the needed support to deliver the goods. "We may go wrong but you should not hesitate to point out our mistakes to us," he said.
Mr Kingsley Kwabena Kessie, Managing Director of Norsout Unique Products Limited (NUPL) called for pre-service light industrial areas to be created in many parts of the Metropolis for investors.
This he said would not only encourage investors both local and foreign but would also facilitate the establishment and acquisition of land for development.
He observed that the government's concern was always on major roads but said access roads to residential areas were also very important and asked that deplorable access roads in the metropolis should be reshaped, rehabilitated or tarred completely.
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Nkawie (Ashanti Region) 10 January 2002 - Mr Kwasi Danteh-Afriyie, Member of Parliament (MP) for Atwima Mponua, has asked the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to climb down from its entrenched position to support the government's efforts at reconciling the nation and heal the wounds of the past.
He noted that the country could not move forward when there was bitterness, acrimony, strong desire for revenge of past wrongs and ill feelings towards one another.
Mr Danteh-Afriyie was contributing to discussions at a People's Forum held at Nkawie in the Atwima District to mark the first year of the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) administration.
It was attended by a cross-section of people and provided an opportunity for them to ask questions and seek clarifications on issues ranging from the disbursement of the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF), Reconciliation Bill, education and the general development direction of the district.
The MP said it should not be lost on any Ghanaian that there could not be any other better place for him or her other than Ghana and for that matter all must work together with a common sense of purpose and understanding to build the country.
Mr James Adusei Sarkodie, MP for Atwima Nwabiagya, re-affirmed the government's determination to ensure financial discipline and prudent fiscal policies to facilitate the country's industrial takeoff.
He announced that he would use his share of the DACF to assist train the unemployed youth in the area to acquire employed skills in batik, tie and dye, soap and pomade making among other things to make them become self-supporting.
Mr Charles Yeboah, District Chief Executive, said the assembly had initiated moves to recover the 259 million cedis owed to it by defaulting beneficiaries of the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF).
He said following court action against some of the defaulters, the assembly had recovered 79 million cedis of the outstanding amount.
The District Chief Executive gave assurance that they would be fair in the disbursement of the PAF and would not be discriminatory.
Mr Yeboah said the district within the past year saw tremendous improvement on the development of school infrastructure, feeder roads and provision of health facilities and announced plans to replace the Cash and Carry System with a Health Insurance Scheme in the area this year.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 January 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Wednesday stressed the need for all to take the requisite precautions to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
He said many believed that they would not be the next victims even if they lived a reckless sex life, adding: "In a country whose daily rate of infection is 200 we cannot but insist that the requisite precaution is taken to prevent the disease".
President Kufuor in a speech read on his behalf at the first quadrennial national conference of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) at the University of Ghana, Legon, said in certain Eastern and Southern African countries, the proportion of teachers with HIV positive or who have full-blown AIDS was quite substantial.
He said since the health delivery system was facing human resource, logistics and financial problems, "we need to be prudent in order not to complicate the dangers associated with this disease whose cause we can prevent either through abstinence, sticking to one's partner or use of the Condom".
He therefore urged the GNAT to liaise with the Ghana AIDS Commission for the necessary assistance to educate its members.
President Kufuor also urged teachers to be conversant with information technology skills in this digital age.
The theme for the three-day conference is: "Fifteen years of New Educational Reforms-The way forward".
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Wineaba (Central Region) 10 January 2002 - The Agona Swedru Division of the Ghana Police Service has within the past 11 months recorded a total of 33 armed robbery cases, Mr John K. Ackom, Divisional Crime Officer, said on Wednesday.
Speaking at a meeting to show two armed robbers and their victim to the press at Wineaba, he said six of the robbers had been arrested and four had been put before the courts.
The two robbers, Michael Sarpong alias Short, a 25 years old truck-pusher and Steven Dzapaku, a used clothes dealer, both of Kasoa were arrested by Mr Joseph Adzinyo, a businessman also of Kasoa.
He said efforts were being made to extend the coverage of the Swedru Panther Unit to Wineaba and Agona, Gomoa and the Awutu-Effutu Senya Districts.
Mr Ackom urged the people of the three districts to intensify their neighbourhood watchdog committee activities to assist the Police to combat the increased crime wave in the area.
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Ejisu (Ashanti Region) 10 January 2002 - Construction of the Inland Port at Boankrah would start soon, Mr Yaw Ahenkora Afrifa, Ejisu/Juaben District Chief Executive announced at Ejisu on Monday.
He said since the project was of international importance and very crucial to the district, the assembly would not tolerate any impediments.
He told a People's Assembly as part of activities marking the first anniversary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, that proper layouts were being prepared for Hwereso to Besease to facilitate the implementation process.
This, he said, was to forestall any haphazard development around the port and make the area attractive for other investors. The people's assembly was attended by a cross-section of people including traditional rulers, assembly members, traders, educationists, workers groups, Christians and Muslims.
Mr Afrifa expressed concern about the haphazard development currently taking place in the Ejisu Township and said the assembly would solicit the views of the people as to what to do about the situation.
The DCE said, even though, the assembly had the power to demolish unauthorised structures, it would seek the opinion of the public in view of the fact that people readily apportioned blame for certain actions taken when they even knew that they were at fault.
He said the assembly would review its property rates and warned that legal action would soon be instituted against rate defaulters. He said out of the 19 million cedis of the Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) disbursed, the assembly had recovered 15 million cedis.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 10 January 2002 - The death was reported of the Gushie-Na Bawa Andani Yakubu and a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) on Sunday January 6. He was 78 years.
A statement issued by the Public Relations Directorate of the Ghana Police Service and signed by Police Inspector Kwame Tawiah said the deceased has already been buried in his hometown, Gushiegu.
The statement said a government delegation led by Alhaji Malik Al-Hassan Yakubu and the Northern Regional Minister Prince Andani attended the burial ceremony. It said final funeral rites would be announced later.
As a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Gushie-Na Yakubu was appointed a member of the National Liberation Council (NLC) after the 1966 coup d'etat from February 24, 1966 to August 29, 1969.
He was honoured with the Member of the Order of the Volta in 1969. Gushie-Na Yakubu was appointed Commissioner of Police (Administration) and later the IGP on September 27, 1969 until June 12, 1971.
He was enskinned Gushie-Na, Chief of Gushiegu in the Northern Region at the age of 48, in February 1971 by the Ya-Na Abdulai Mahama IV, Paramount Chief of the Dagomba Traditional Area, to succeed his late brother Gushie-Na Sugri Issah, who died in 1969.
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