Amarkai Amarteifio is first man
at Reconciliation Commission
NRC hears four cases in its maiden hearing
Stop
using "Camphor" to treat water
Amarkai Amarteifio is first man at Reconciliation Commission
Ironically, Amarkai’s submissions on Tuesday was not a redress from
abuse suffered under a military government, but what he said he suffered at the
hands of Ghana's first civilian government that he wanted the commission to
address. With his tentative words, the scene was set for more revelations,
sometimes pathetic, sometimes just bewildering.
As some of the victims got to
the climax of their narrations, many people in the packed hall of the Old
Parliament House, including the translator of the NRC sitting next to the
victims could not help but dip their hands in their pockets for handkerchiefs
to dab at what may have been wet eyes. Many shook their heads as they heard at
first hand aspects of the sordid unrecorded history of their country.
The malfunctioning central
air conditioners and public address (PA) systems at the main chambers of the
Old Parliament House added to the sense of pathos that had pervaded the hall.
Members of the security
agencies, civil servants, the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA),
international delegations, members of the diplomatic corps, traditional
leaders, the Ghana Bar Association (GBA) and the general public attended the
hearing which was preceded by a brief inaugural ceremony.
Amarteifio who alleged that he was unlawfully detained in 1958
at the age of twenty-two years said he and thirty-eight others were
incarcerated for seven-and-a- half years under the Preventive Detention Act
(PDA) 1958 without charge and trial.
He said after some few days
in prison, a piece of paper with the inscription "you were acting in a
manner pre-judicial and calculated to undermine the security of the state,
therefore your detention is necessary" was shown to him. He said he was
not given the opportunity to refute the allegations. "I was just kept
there for almost seven-and-a-half years."
Amarteifio said he was handed a paper while in prison to serve
for five years, however after he had completed his initial term in prison
"another paper came that I have to serve for another five years making ten
years". He recalled, "for more than five
years we were not allowed visitors".
He said later they were
divided to the various prisons in the country. Asked why he is petitioning the
commission, the former employee of VALCO said, "I want to be compensated
like those who were released in some other countries. To be treated humanly
like them".
Amarteifio thanked the government for setting up the NRC that
had given "people like us the chance to express my opinion about the
detention". He said it is very unfortunate that about 80% of the people he
served his unlawful detention with are "dead and today that you are giving
the chance to express ourselves. Only a few of us are alive".
The next to appear before the
nine-member commission chaired by a retired Supreme Court judge, Justice Amua-Sakyi, was Albert Kpakpo Allotey who alleged he was unlawfully detained in 1958.
He said he was a member of
the United Party (UP) who was arrested at the age of eighteen years old in
addition to the first witness under the PDA. Allotey who
spent seven-and-a-half years at the James Fort and Kumasi Prisons said he wants
to be compensated in any form because he lost everything including his parents
due to the ordeal he went through. "I want anything as compensation
because I look healthy but lifeless."
An ex-police officer who was
the first complainant to the NRC, Emmanuel Amartey
Adjei was the third to tell his story. He said he was working at the Police
Motor Traffic and Transport Union (MTTU) when he was transferred to the
residence of the first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah at the Flagstaff House.
He recalled that on
He said later he and others
were conveyed to the Police Headquarters and were subjected to serious torture.
"We were put down at the forecourt of the police headquarters and were
asked to remove our sandals and everything in the scorching sun and knelt down
and the torment lasted for sometime."
Adjei who wept while
narrating his ordeal said, "The headquarters of the police was then
covered with stone chippings so we were asked to kneel and move forward and
backwards and woe unto you if you complained [or asked] to attend to nature's
call".
Adjei who said he lost one of
his incisors during the torture said they were later conveyed to the Central
Police Station where they were subjected to more severe beatings. "From
there we were registered and taken to the Nsawam
Medium Prisons to begin another term of torture".
He said at the prisons where
he spent twenty-two months they were given double student beds "without
mattress". Upon release from prisons he was ordered to report at the
nearest police station every fortnight and was prevented from working with any
government institution for ten years. He was later employed at the Ghana
Publishing Corporation where his employment was terminated.
He asked the commission to
recommend compensation for him in the form of full SSNIT pension, which was due
him but was not given to him. The hearing continues today.
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NRC hears four cases in its maiden hearing
The
four were Amarkai Laryea Amarteifio,
Albert Kpakpo Allotey, both
of Kaneshie in
The
cases involved detention, unlawful dismissal, unlawful arrests and detention
and ill treatment and the petitioners said they bore no bitterness to their
offenders but demanded compensation for the violations they suffered.
Confident
but tearful Adjaye, 67, an ex-guardsman at the
Flagstaff House, was supported with tissue paper and a bottle of mineral water
as he narrated the ordeals he went through from
He
said at the Headquarters, they were beaten, made to kneel on stone chippings
and moved about forward, backward and to the sides and also prevented from freeing
themselves when nature called.
"In
the process, I lost a tooth. It was terrible. The ill treatment lasted the
whole day of the February 25. On that day we were conveyed to the Central
Police Station and locked in two apartments. Soldiers stampeded us down, and we
were at the brink of death when a policeman came to intervene", Adjaye said in sobs.
He
said the torture continued in Nsawam Prisons for
three months. They were kept in a cell with a "disintegrated" toilet
facility. "They gave us one ladle of "koko",
porridge prepared with fermented corn dough, and two cubes of sugar for
breakfast, and 16 ounces of gari a day for lunch and
supper with soup whose surface looked like a mirror. Meat was absent."
Adjaye, then a little above 30
years, and a father to a boy of two and a girl of eight months, said they were
not allowed any visits and only allowed to write three copies of letters, which
were censored. Adjaye, who incidentally was the first
to file a complaint to the Commission when it began work in September 2002,
said he was shuttled between Nsawam and Usher Fort
Prison before his release on
"I
wasn't paid anything, and there was no formal letter that I had been removed
from office. Adjaye spoke of subsequent employment
with the Ghana Publishing Corporation (GPC) upon his release, as Security
Officer Grade Two and rose through the ranks to the position of head of the
security. He said while still at office in January 1990, the GPC engaged
another person as head of security without informing him.
He
said he petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice
and after an unsuccessful legal battle, he was prematurely retired at the age
of 55 without the payment of any entitlements, which he said made life very difficult
for him and had to approach Kofi Totobi Quakyi, former National Security Co-ordinator for financial
assistance to enable his daughter go to secondary school. He said upon several
petitions the GPC had only paid him three million cedis with the remaining yet
to be paid.
Asked
what his petition to the Commission was, Adjaye said:
"Forgiveness is the law of love. I want to forgive all those who have had
a hand. I will be happy if something is given out as compensation. I lost all
my property in the barracks where I stayed."
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The weeklong
Forum is to be attended by other government and private sector officials. A
Statement signed by Mr Daniel Ampim Adu said the conference, which would be attended by 45 Ministers
of Trade around the world, would be co-chaired by
Dr. Apraku with US Deputy Minister for
Commerce. "There is an increasing importance of the
The statement
said in 2002, six separate business delegations visited
The main
objective of the forum is to assess progress and examine problems encountered
by the beneficiary Sub-Saharan African countries in the implementation of the
AGOA programme.
It would also
offer participating countries the opportunities to focus attention on their
developmental concerns and discuss how to improve upon standard of living and
reduce poverty using AGOA as the vehicle.
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Briefing
journalists at the
He said the
delegation noticed the impact of the socio-economic ramifications of the
conflict. Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu said the factions in the
crisis were urged to remain steadfast in their dialogue and negotiation towards
peace since that was the surest way to a lasting solution.
He said the
group appealed to the Ivorian leader, President Laurent Gbagbo
to be magnanimous and charitable in his reconciliation efforts, which were
important in solving the problem.
The government
of
Chief Emeka Chikelu, a member of the
group, noted that prospects for peace in that country was bright and hoped
discussions to be held in
He said
resolution by ECOWAS recognised the legitimate government of
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Dr Ken Agyemang
Attafuah told the GNA in
In all there
are nine commissioners. The Commission has zonal
offices in
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Accra (Greater
Accra) 15 January 2003 - The Patriotic Movement Of La Cote D'Ivoire (MPCI) on
Tuesday expressed its confidence in Ghana, saying it would continue to work
with her in the search for a durable, equitable and democratic solution to the
crisis in that country.
A statement
signed by Guillaume Soro, Secretary General, MPCI
said
Expressing
apologies to the Government and people of
It said as a
result of the series of meetings with the Ghanaian authorities, it is fully
convinced that
Last month the
MPCI during several press conferences held in
They also
accused
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"The
peace, unity, stability, prosperity, democracy and development of
OATUU commended
the peace initiative of ECOWAS that led to the signing of a ceasefire deal
between the government and the main rebel group, the Patriotic Movement of Cote
It also
commended ECOWAS and French initiatives that led to Monday's ceasefire
agreement in
The human and
political diversity of
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Accra (Greater
Accra) 15 January 2003- Vice President Aliu Mahama on Tuesday said Ghana would
work actively with others to implement the objectives of the African Union (AU)
and New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) to eradicate poverty,
ensure good governance, peace and stability on the continent.
The Vice
President said this when he received Mr Mohammed Tareq
Al Amudi, Ambassador of the Libyan People's Bureau at
the Castle, Osu. The newly
assigned Ambassador presented a formal letter of invitation from his Prime
Minister, Mr Embark El Shameg, to the Vice President
to visit
Vice President
Mahama lauded
On the
bilateral relations between
Gamudi said his country was content with the excellent
relationship between the political leadership of the two countries and would,
therefore, work to ensure that cordiality permeated down their peoples.
He said
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"The
Commission is not a court and it is not mandated to impose penalties or
sanctions on any person. Grounded in a victim-centred approach, the work of the
Commission is expected to result in recommendations, in appropriate cases, for
redress to victims of egregious human rights violations," he said.
Nana Addo made the remark at the opening of the public hearing
session of the NRC at the partially refurbished Old Parliament House in
The hearing
session of the Commission, expected to be a heated and passionate one, begun in
a literally heated atmosphere characterized by the absence of air conditioners,
which resulted in a view described as a sea of flyers as almost everyone at the
opening ceremony kept fanning himself with the program flyers till the end of
the ceremony.
Nana Addo noted that contrary to erroneous public perception
that the work of the NRC is to ensure that vengeance was visited on
perpetrators of human rights abuse, the Commission is mandated by law to
investigate and establish the truth about allegations of such abuses and make
recommendations for appropriate steps to be taken by the government and not the
law to resettle the victims.
He, therefore,
urged persons who would be invited to the hearing to disabuse their minds of
seeking justice against offenders. "The hearing should provide the
opportunity for victims of the past human rights violations to tell their
stories and for the public to acknowledge and empathize with their pain,
suffering and hurt," he said. "It should also provide a forum for us
to reflect on the past and resolve with one voice that never again shall this
be allowed to happen."
Nana Addo said that the process is not aimed at witch-hunting as
some have sought to create the impression, but it is to acknowledge publicly,
that thousands of Ghanaians have paid a very high price in the struggle for the
entrenchment of democracy and rejection of tyranny.
This, he said,
was necessary to affirm the dignity of the victims and survivors and also forms
an integral part of the healing of the entire Ghanaian society. He said
government would lend its total support to the Commission to discharge its
obligation successfully, adding that the government would continue to remain
committed to the independence of the Commission and allow it to work free till
the end.
The A-G called
on all Ghanaians to co-operate with the Commission to ensure the success of its
noble undertaking, saying that the success of the Commission was for all
Ghanaians.
Justice K. E. Amua-Sekyi, Chairman of the NRC also said the hearing
session was not a law court, adding that no one and no particularly regime in being
put on trial. "Every person who comes before the Commission come as a
witness to assist us to establish the record of human rights abuses which have
taken place over the years," he said. "Act 611 gives the Commission
the power to examine the record of abuse in the regimes other than the
constitutional ones."
He said the
sole aim of the members of the Commission is to promote national
reconciliation, adding that they are "not having axes to grind, no bones
to pick and no scores to settle with anyone".
Justice Amua-Sekyi assured the public that NRC members would seek
justice and pursue it at all cost. In one of several solidarity and good-will
messages diplomats, human rights activists and survivors of human right abuses, offered their support to the Commission.
Rev. Father
Matthew Kukah, Member of the Nigeria Human Rights
Violation Committee (HRVC) urged members of the NRC not to allow the Commission
to be used to visit vengeance on perpetrators of human right abuses, but rather
to promote peace and reconciliation.
He noted that
there was always three sides to a story in issues as the one facing the
Commission, the side of the victim, the side of the alleged perpetrator and the
actual truth, adding, " you must ensure to seek
the truth to ensure peace."
Rev. Kukah said more than 40 years after independence in Africa,
the democratic history of the continent still remain pathetic, adding that it
was therefore, important to visit our past and in doing so, learn from our
mistake and appropriate our collective strength for a better future.
He lauded the
inclusion of religious leaders in the NRC membership, in the persons of Rev.
Father Palmer Buckle, Catholic Bishop of Koforidua, and Maulvi
Wahab Adam, Leader of the Ahmadiya
Moslem Mission, saying that this should serve as an "anchor for the
establishment of the truth, which is paramount to the success of the
Commission's work".
Dr. Alexander Boraine, Vice Chairman of South African Truth and
Reconciliation Commission said truth is cardinal to the progress of every
nation and until the truth about the past is sought and established progress
into the future is usually challenged.
He, therefore,
urged members of the Commission to make the establishment of truth their
primary focus and assured the Commission of his support. In a televised
goodwill message, one Mr. Boakye Gyan,
a Ghanaian living abroad said on 19 June 1987, he was shot down by soldiers
around the Sankara Circle, but managed to survive and now remains the sole survivor of
the indecent among 40 persons who were shot dead that day.
He pledged his
support to the Commission in the bid to establish the truth about the past.
Mrs. Mary Robinson, Director of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees
(UNHCR) said the reconciliation process being undertaken by
She pledged the
support of the UNHCR in ensuring that healing, reconciliation and peace are
achieved and sustained at the end of the NRC's work.
Hearing continues immediately after the opening ceremony. Tuesdays, Wednesday's
and Thursdays have been set aside for public hearing and 15 cases have been
lined up to be heard every week.
So far the
Commission has investigated 100 out of 2,800 complaints of various abuses it
received during the first five months of its operations. Present at the opening
ceremony were the Chief Justice, Mr. Justice E. K. Wiredu, Ministers of States,
members of the diplomatic corps, members of the clergy and members of the
traditional councils.
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Ho (Volta
Region) 15 January 2003 - The Government will not sacrifice the development of
the country for political expediency, Major Courage Quarshigah,
Minister of Food and Agriculture (MOFA) said on Monday.
Addressing a
cross-section of the public at this year's Volta Regional Peoples Assembly,
Major Quarshigah said government would rather work to
usher in a new era of development, which is in the best interest of the
country.
The government
would, therefore, continue with projects, which were initiated by its
predecessor to ensure accelerated development and progress. "For
accelerated development and progress, we did not set aside any development
projects that were initiated by the NDC", he emphasised.
Major Quarshigah advised the minority parties not to "wish
the downfall of government, but offer prudent and constructive suggestions for
accelerated development".
The Minister
told the well-attended forum that multi-party democracy was like a relay race;
requiring a change of batons at a point, hence the need for the people in the
region to lend their full support to the government.
Major Quarshigah said proactive interventions instituted by his
ministry to make the sector scientific and technology-driven has started
yielding dividends. "It was time we domesticate", he said.
Joe Aggrey,
Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports said a-50 billion cedis revolving fund, set
up by government to offer skills training to the youth, would become
operational in March, this year.
He said his
ministry would soon establish a gymnasium in Ho to train amateurs and
professional boxers. Aggrey appealed to the 12 district assemblies in the region
to devote five percent of their District Assembly Common Fund towards the
development of sports.
Kwasi Owusu-Yeboa, Volta Regional Minister said the government has initiated
several projects in the region under the HIPC fund and the Ghana Education Trust
Fund (GETFUND) to improve road, health and educational infrastructure.
Nene Nuer Keteku III, Konor of Agotime called on the
people of the region to bury their political differences and work towards its
rapid development.
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Stop using "Camphor" to treat water
The medical
students were speaking during a Feed Back Durbar of a health survey conducted
at Mpoase, a suburb of
They added that
at the resultant end when the kidney is damaged, blood will be found in the
urine. The students called on Ghanaians to strain the water they drink instead
of using camphor for the treatment of water.
The feedback
durbar was part of the Junior Clerkship by the students studying Community
Health in the
The survey also
help the medical students to study the factors that affect the health of the
people in that community, learn how to plan, conduct health survey and to
provide feedback to the community on ways of improving their health status.
Some of the
results gathered during the week-long survey at Mpoase
revealed that, Mpoase community needed more refuse
collection bins at vantage points in the township to prevent the breeding of
mosquitoes and house flies which spread malaria and dysentery.
The Mpoase community needed to increase the number of the only
two public toilets in the township to prevent defecating at the beaches and
surroundings, which enhances the spread of gastro-intestinal diseases.
The drainage
system in the township needed to be increased to prevent stagnated water within
the environment, which breeds mosquitoes. The medical students also appealed to
Ghanaians not to shun HIV/AIDS patients but rather accept them into the community
in which they leave.
They also
recommended to mothers to exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first six
months. On family planning, only 32 per cent of Mpoase
inhabitants use family planning and this has resulted in the increase of birth
rate in the community with attendant socio-economic implications.
Two-thirds of
the pregnant women in the community do not attend ante-natal clinic care
delivery, resulting in the death of a significant proportion of children at a
very early age due to preventable diseases.
In an interview
with the GNA, the MP for the South Ablekuma, Ms. Theresa Ameeley
Tagoe, said it was true that the Mpoase
township in the Ablekuma constituency had no refuse collection bins and
explained that most of the land-lords do not allow the bins to be cited on
their plots and she was trying hard to locate them at a place she had already
earmarked in the area.
On the drainage
system, she said work was on-going on their construction. Ms. Tagoe said she has accessed some money from the European
Union to construct water-closet toilets in each of the communities. She added
that she would arrange for a small health post to be built for the community to
help the sick during emergencies, especially during the night.
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Accra (Greater
Accra) 15 January 2003- Dr Alex Glover-Quartey, the Newly appointed Head of the
Civil Service (HOCS) on Tuesday pledged to tackle head-on the corrosive plagues
of information leakages, indiscipline, corruption and waste in the Service.
He said this
would be done through teaching and strictly applying the Civil Service Rules
and Regulations and ensuring that Civil Servants conduct themselves in
conformity to the Code of Conduct and the Code of Discipline.
Dr
Glover-Quartey made the pledge after swearing the oath of office and secrecy to
President John Kufuor at the Castle, Osu.
Before his appointment last month, Dr Glover-Quartey was the Chief Director at
the Ministry of Manpower Development and Employment.
He said,
"I intend to generalize the use of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) throughout the Service to ensure speedy delivery of services
and provide better quantitative data for decision-making.
The Head of the
Civil Service said through these and other strategies, he would endeavour to
build a corps of professional, dedicated, well-trained, well-resourced and
highly-motivated officers capable of increasingly raising productivity and
meeting the demands of all their customers in a competitive and global market.
"The Civil
Service being the nerve-centre of the public sector, such major positive
changes in its structure and modus operandi would without doubt have a
multiplier effect on the entire development of the nation,” he added.
President
Kufuor urged Dr Glover-Quartey to provide the inspirational leadership required
to transform the Service in the country. Dr Glover-Quartey holds a Bachelor of
Arts (B.A. Hons.) Degree in French
Studies from the
He also holds a
Masters in Public Administration from the University de Droit,
d'Economie et de Sciences Sociales de Paris and a Doctorate in Public Management from
the University of Paris-Val de Mame (PARISXII).
Dr
Glover-Quartey has worked on consultancies for the World Bank, the United
Nations (UN), and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
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Accra (Greater
Accra) 15 January 2003- President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday, stressed the
need for a dynamic, modern and disciplined Civil Service to transform the economy
and improve upon the lives of the people.
He said "there
is nothing to be gained from hanging on to outdated and archaic practices and
excessive bureaucracy.
President
Kufuor made the call when he administered the oaths of office and secrecy to Dr
Alex Glover-Quartey, the newly appointed Head of the Civil Service (HOCS) at
the Castle, Osu.
Until his
appointment, Dr Glover-Quartey, was the Chief Director at the Ministry of
Manpower, Development and Employment. President Kufuor said an unfortunate
impression had emerged in the Donor Community that Ghana was good on ideas but
not so good on implementation, adding" this is a challenge for the country
and especially the Service and I urge you Dr Glover-Quartey to provide the
inspirational leadership that is required".
He said it was
time for the HOCS and the Civil Service Council, to critically examine each and
every one of the inherited practices that were taken for granted in the light
of the present day administrative practices and with a view to accelerating the
implementation of policies.
President
Kufuor said the Service required dynamic leadership to inspire and rebuild self-confidence
and job pride among civil servants to attract and retain the brightest and the
best in the land that would take pride in their work.
On the
activities of the Service, He said it was not meant to be run for those who
were employed in the Service but to serve the public and this should be
instilled into the work force.
President
Kufuor said whilst the Service must provide continuity for the machinery of
state, it was crucial that it kept pace with the priorities and speed of the
elected government of the day.
"Civil
Servants are not required to identify with the party of the government or show
their personal party political biases, but they are obliged at all times to
implement as efficiently and competently as possible the policies and plans of
the government', He added.
President
Kufuor said unfortunately, the leaking of confidential government documents,
the deliberate slow pace at which many Civil Servants work and the inability or
reluctance to change meant that they dragged down the pace of government
activity.
He said"
this government has determined that the Private Sector should be the engine of
growth of the economy, therefore, when the paperwork for a businessman is held
up unnecessarily in the Ministry, when officials demand bribes before doing
work for which they are employed and paid, then such officials are sabotaging
government and there should be no room for them in the Ghana Civil
Service".
"The
government has a right to demand loyalty from Civil Servants", he added.
President Kufuor said the success or otherwise of government depended on how
efficient the Civil Service performed and although the Service had seen better
days in the past it could not be described now as efficient.
He said there
could not be modernization in Ghana unless the Service was modernized through
training and re-training of personnel which should be an integral part of the
Service, adding" it cannot service the Private Sector unless it adopts the
modern methods that the Private Sector has embraced".
President
Kufuor said competitiveness was the order of the day in all sectors of life and
the Service could not be immune to it, therefore, promotions in the Service
should not be automatic or based solely on length of service but must be
related to performance.
He said in
addition, the Service had to pay particular attention to the management of
time, the maintenance of government property and equipment and the cleanliness
and orderliness of their work environment, adding" this would provide a
measure for the productivity in the Service".
President
Kufuor said the only way for a meaningful resolution of the issue of wages and
salaries and conditions of service was not for the
Civil Servants to continue to agitate for more pay without any improvement in
their performance.
Dr
Glover-Quartey said through years of neglect, the Civil Service of Ghana once
reputed to be the best in Sub-Saharan Africa was now riddled with inefficiency,
wastefulness, apathy, lethargy, indiscipline and corruption.
He said a
well-constituted and efficient Service was a sine qua non for any progressive
government or nation because the Service must still provide the vital and
indispensable administrative and executive support for implementing government
policies.
The New Head of
the Civil Service said the Service must also provide the regulatory framework
and create the enabling environment for the private sector to thrive
particularly in the Sector's role as the engine for economic growth.
Dr
Glover-Quartey said his vision for the Service was to transform it to become an
efficient, cost-effective, customer-oriented and modernised organization.
"I intend to do so by providing visionary, committed, transparent and
honest leadership that will fire the Service with enthusiasm and excitement to
help create the environment for innovation and creativity, initiative and
hard-work, transparency and integrity".
He said he
would endeavour to equip the Service with job-related competencies and skills
critical for improved performance and increased productivity and pursue
vigorously issues that affect their welfare such as remuneration, conditions of
service and work environment.
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Ho (Volta
Region)
Kofi Duku Arthur, Volta Regional Police Commander in an
interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) at Ho gave the names of those killed
as Mercy Kumah and Amegbu Bribiti.
He said a third
woman, Madam Comfort Mensah, who escaped with gunshot
is on admission at the Peki Government. The victims
were all above 60 years, Mr Arthur said. In another development earlier on
Thursday, January 9, unidentified assailants attacked and killed two children
of a settler farmer at Agorme, a farming settlement
near Anyirawase in the Awudome
Traditional area, which has been locked in a protracted land
dispute with the Pekis.
The assailants
allegedly escaped with the head of one of their victims. Arthur said initial
police investigations into the latest incident indicated that the three women
were fired on while in their farms on the disputed land on Monday morning.
He said a
search party from Peki discovered the bodies of Mercy
and Amegbu later in the bush. Arthur described the
situation in the area as "volatile". "We have to soak the ground
with security personnel, otherwise it would be a ding-dong affair between the
two sides," the Commander added.
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