Ya Na had foreknowledge of his murder - Witness
Four Billion cedis lost through disasters in Kumasi
Clergyman remanded for issuing dud cheques
Door to door delivery of mails to be expanded
Work on Ghana’s press centre starts in two weeks
Campaign against HIV/AIDS stepped up
Student arrested with examination papers
Security agencies restore calm at Bawku
Determination, mother, 17 takes baby to examination centre
Government urged to increase Assembly fund
Journalists asked to move beyond playing watchdog role
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2002- The Fast Track High Court (FTHC), a division of the High Court, resumes sitting on Tuesday, 16 July, following the 6 - 5 review decision of the Supreme Court on 26 June. Mr Emmanuel Boadi, the FTHC Manager, told the Ghana News Agency on Thursday.
He said all cases pending before the three established FTHCs had been listed for hearing from that date, beginning with the Quality Grain case involving two former Ministers of State high-ranking government officials.
Sittings of the FTHC were held in abeyance following a five-four decision of the Supreme Court declaring it alien to the 1992 Constitution on 28 February. The Supreme Court (SC) by a six-five-majority verdict on Wednesday 26 June reversed its earlier decision on the constitutionality of the FTHC.
The court awarded a cost of 10 million cedis against Tsatsu Tsikata, former Chief Executive of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), who brought the application, challenging the constitutionality of the FTHC.
Tsikata was arraigned at the FTHC for wilfully causing financial loss of 2.15 billion cedis to the State. He allegedly circumvented laid-down corporate objectives of GNPC, when he by-passed the Board and on his own, committed the GNPC to guarantee a loan.
The amount, 5.5 million French Francs was granted by Caise Francaise de Developpement, a French Aid Agency to Valley Farm, a private cocoa-growing company, in which GNPC held initial equity shares of 17.39 per cent.
Distressed, Valley Farm defaulted in the repayment of the loan and without prior approval of the GNPC Board; Tsikata allegedly paid out of its operational funds, the principal amount plus interest, all totalling 6,919,123.23 French Francs. This action adversely affected the financial status of GNPC, hence a loss to the State. Tsikata did not plea to the charge and the trial judge, Mr Justice Julius Ansah entered a plea of not guilty for him and admitted him to a 500 million-cedi self-recognisance bail.
In his application before the Supreme Court Tsikata stated that the FTHC had no jurisdiction to try him. By a majority of five to four, the Supreme Court on Thursday 28 February granted a motion brought before it by Tsikata, challenging the constitutionality of the FTHC. Five of the judges upheld the action, while four dissented. The court, however, deferred its reasons for the ruling to Wednesday,
20 March.
Tsatsu filed the motion at the Supreme Court on Monday, 11 February seeking constitutional interpretation in respect of the FTHC because in his view the "Constitution in making provision for the administration of justice, does not establish any court known as FTHC."
He argued that since the FTHC was not known to the Constitution, it could not try him. Tsatsu, therefore, prayed the Supreme Court to ensure that on a true and proper interpretation of the Constitution, "any attempt to launch a prosecution in an unconstitutional forum must be prevented through the exercise of the powers of enforcement of the Constitution that are conferred on the Supreme
Court."
Reacting to the Supreme Court's ruling on Tsatsu's motion that the FTHC, which was trying him was unconstitutional, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo, Minister of Justice and Attorney - General said it had become necessary to try Tsatsu at another court.Nana Addo said, even though, he respected the Supreme Court's decision, he disagreed with it.
He stated that it was the same Supreme Court that dismissed the appeals of Mallam Isa and Victor Selormey and ordered that their trials should continue at the FTHC. Nana Akufo Addo subsequently filed for a review of the verdict.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) 05 July 2002- Mr Abdulai Andani, a driver at the Dagbon State Technical School at Yendi on Thursday told the Wuaku Commission that the late Ya-Na Yakubu Andani II, had foreknowledge about his murder. "The Ya-Na told us to go far away from him and if he is killed, then, we perform his funeral," he said.
Andani, who referred to the late Ya Na as "my senior brother," was testifying as the 60th witness at the commission's sitting at Sunyani. He added that the Ya-Na was certain about what was going to happen to him and told them on Monday, 25 March, to be prepared to organise his funeral.
The witness told the commission that he stayed at home and never went to the palace throughout the conflict period. Explaining in an answer to a question by the commission as to why he did not go to defend the Ya Na, he said; "we were not prepared for war because the Andanis don't fight.
Andani said while returning from Tamale with his school headmaster after attending a meeting at the Ghana Secondary School (GHANASCO) at about 4.30pm on 25 March, he saw some fighters from the Abudu Gate in local bullet proof attire and holding guns. He identified two of the fighters as "No Way" and one Odartey, who was a cook at the Yendi Secondary School, when pressed to do so by counsel for the Commission, Mr George Owoo.
Andani stated that at home he was informed that the Yendi town-ship had not known peace that morning due to sporadic firing. Witness said on Tuesday, 26 March when he went to work, fighting resumed and the headmaster was compelled to ask them to go home in order not to be hit by stray bullets, witness added.
Andani said in the morning of 27 March, eight persons, who claimed their houses had been burnt, took refuge in his house.Witness said they were discussing the calamity that had befallen the town when one Yakubu Yusif, alias "Leftie," who was riding a motorbike, came to tell them that, "we have cut off your leader's head."
He added, however, that Yusif was not carrying anything at the back of his motorbike.
The Commission called Yusif to the witness box at this point and asked Andani if he knew him (Yusif) to which he replied in the affirmative.
When leading counsel for the Andanis, Charles Hayibor took over the cross-examination he asked Andani where he knew "No Way". He is a "lotto seller" and lives at Yendi, Andani replied.
Counsel: how did you understand Lefty's statement that "we have cut-off your leader's head?"
Andani: I understood it to mean that they had killed the senior one, the Ya-Na.
Counsel: How was he (Leftie) dressed?
Andani: He was wearing a T-shirt over trousers.
Witness told the Commission when counsel for the Abudus, Nana Obiri Boahen took over the cross-examination that they did not challenge Yusif when he informed them about the statement he made "because we were frightened."
Nana Obiri Boahen: you did not see Yusif (Leftie) on 27 March and neither did he tell you anything?
Andani: He came there, my lord, and gave us the information.
Nana Boahen: You were among a group of Andanis who set off to attack the Bolen-Lana's house.
Andani: That is not true, my lord.
Andani stated that he did not know that the Andani fighters had occupied
Nayirifo (palace area) One and Two between 25-27 March in answer to a question from Nana Obiri Boahen.
He added that it was not true that both the Andanis and the Abudus were defending their leaders, maintaining his earlier statement that the Andanis were not prepared for war.
Commission: When Yusif (Leftie) told you about the death of the Ya-Na, was he informing you or boasting?
Andani: He was boasting.
Commission: Why didn't you go to work on Wednesday, 27 March?
Andani: Because everybody was running away and I stayed in my house throughout.
Yusif, who is a Yendi-based building contractor, broke down in tears at the tail end of his evidence when Mr George Owoo, Counsel for the Commission, compelled him to mention the names of members of his family whom he said he took refuge with at the Guest- house of the Northern Regional Rural Integrated Programme.
Yusif, 61st witness, continued to shed tears over the allegation levelled against him by Andani, even after his discharge by the Commission. Andani had alleged in his evidence that on Wednesday, 27 March, Yusif came to him in the morning on a motorbike with the information that the Abudus had decapitated their (Andani) leader.
Yusif on resuming his seat in the audience remarked to some of the Abudus that, "this man is making false allegation against me whilst I have been taking care of his two daughters who have stayed with me since the death of his wife."
Yusif told the Commission in his evidence that he left Yendi at 9.30 am on Monday, 25 March for Bumbonayiri, a town in the Yendi District, where he was constructing a nurses' bungalow and remained there till the evening.
He said he learnt of the firing at Yendi between the two gates through a market woman who informed him at his project site that pandemonium had broken out in Yendi. Witness said on his way back at about 6.30pm, the information about the clash was confirmed when he realised that the Yendi-Gushegu barrier was deserted by the security men on duty.
For fear of my life, I did not even go to my house but proceeded to the house of my friend, Suleman Danlardi Alhassan, and convinced him to accompany me to seek refuge at the NORRIP Guest House, he said.
Witness added that, that night he managed to go for his two wives and children to join them at the Guest- house. Yusif told the Commission: "I actually did not witness the hostilities because I remained at the place (Guest House) till around 12.30pm on Wednesday when I left for my house."
When Mr Charles Hayibor, Leading Counsel for the Andanis suggested to Yusif that all those who sought refuge at the NORRIP Guest House arrived there in the morning of Monday, 25 March, witness replied that he could not know "because at that time I was in Bumbonayiri."
To another suggestion that none of those who ran to the Guest House left the place till Wednesday evening, Yusif said, "I cannot know because I am not the watchman nor a security personnel at the place."
Hayibor: "It was when you left NORRIP that Andani said he saw you?"
Yusif: "No, I never saw Andani throughout the period of the fight, it is not true." Witness replied in an answer to a question by the Commission that he heard of the Ya-Na's death on the radio in the evening of Wednesday, 27 March.
Yusif, who described himself as only a sympathiser of the Abudus explained to the Commission that "all those who are not royals of the Abudu Gate, but mere sympathisers are referred to as "Alugutee". Non-royals of the Andani Gate but who are the gate's sympathisers are also called "Churuu", he added.
Witness explained that in Dagbani parlance, each of the two sympathising groups, are regarded as leaves, "meaning that, without them, the Dagbon State would continue to exist."
Mr Alhassan Mohammed Yusif, alias King Hassan, a Principal Storekeeper at the Yendi Secondary School, who also appeared before the Commission said that although he knew about the conflict he did not take part. He was alleged to have killed one Fuseini Kuma during the conflict when Iddrisu Yakubu testified before the Commission earlier.
Alhassan, the 58th witness, also denied knowing Nantogmah Alhassan Andani, son of the late Ya-Na who testified that he saw him (Alhassan) holding a gun during the crisis. He said all allegations levelled against him were false since he was nowhere near where the fight took place.
The witness said he lost his mother on 11 March and after she had been buried the following day he left for Accra to welcome his uncle, Alhaji Lukeman Iddris who had returned from Mecca. He said he returned to Yendi in the evening of Sunday, 24 March and engaged two masons to work on his building in preparation towards the final funeral rites of his late mother.
Alhassan stated that it was when he was supervising the masons on the morning of Monday, 25 March, that he heard gunshots in town and this forced them to close at 1pm. He said although they went to continue with the renovation on Tuesday, 26 March they had to abandon the work because of the intense firing.
Alhassan said he stayed indoors on Wednesday, 27 March till about 1pm when calm had restored. Asked why he gave his statement to the police as late as 2 July, witness said it was because that was the time police approached him to do so.
Counsel for the Andanis, Mr Hayibor, suggested to witness that he was seen riding a motorbike with a gun on Tuesday, 26 March, heading towards the Bolen-Lana's house but witness replied that it was not true.
Hayibor: I put it to you that you actively participated in the mayhem in Yendi.
Alhassan: It is not true since I cannot fight whilst still mourning my dead mother.
Commission: Did you know there was tension in town?
Alhassan: I heard about the curfew but it was lifted.
Commission: Why didn't you go back to work after the burial of your mother?
Alhassan: Because I obtained permission from my employers.
Commission: So you weren't moved by the tragedy after the conflict and continued to work on your building? Did you lose a relative?
Alhassan: No, my lord.
Iddrisu Yakubu, 57th witness, told the Commission that on his return from Tamale at about 5pm on Monday, 25 March, he went to the Gbewaa Palace where a lot of people had gathered, adding that some youth told him that the Andanis were attacked by the Abudus in the morning.
He said they were at the palace around 10am on Tuesday when they heard gunshots been fired at the palace of the Ya-Na by the Abudus. "Around 10am on Tuesday too, we heard gunshots towards the palace from the Abudu Gate and one Musah, a youth in the palace was hit in the leg by a bullet."
Witness said they became trapped inside the palace and did not know what to do because of the sporadic shooting by the Abudus. Yakubu also told the Commission that he later risked his life and left the palace to inform his father who was sick and in the house about the intensity of the shooting by the Abudus.
When the Commission's Counsel asked him why he left the palace when their lives were in danger, witness replied that he wanted to take his father to the palace where he felt was safer. Yakubu continued that when his father left the house, one Kwame Akyiri, who had hidden himself at a corner near their house, shot at his father, but he managed to proceed to the palace.
He said while fleeing with a colleague, Fusheni Kuma in the evening, they saw a group of people who had taken positions behind the Gbewaa palace.Witness alleged that Alhassan, a member of the group, shot at Fusheni, who was in front of him but missed his target because he (Fusheni) managed to hide in the cemetery.
At the invitation of the Commission, witness identified Alhassan at the auditorium as the one who shot Fusheni. Alhassan, however, denied knowing witness and said the allegation against him was false. Yakubu, who said Fusheni was now dead, told the Commission that the distance between him and Fusheni when the latter was hot by Alhassan was about 15.6 metres.
Alhassan Zakaria, a watchman at the Ghana Telecom Repeater Station in San, near Yendi, also gave evidence before the Commission as the 59th witness. He was alleged to have told the police that one Alolgah, an employee of Telecom and some people came to the station on Monday, 25 March to work on the telephone lines, which were down.
Zakaria who was scheduled as the first witness for the day refused to hold the Quoran to take the oath saying that he needed to "cleanse" himself before doing so. The Commission, therefore, had no choice but to allow him to "cleanse" himself and called other witnesses.
When Zakaria finally gave his evidence, he told the Commission that Alolgah and his maintenance team rather came to the station on Tuesday, 26 March and not Monday, 25 March. Witness said although he knew all those who came to the San Station with
Alolgah as staff of Telecom, he could not mention their names. Zakaria stated that the maintenance team told him that the trunk telephone calls to and from Yendi were not going through.
He said in reply to a question from the Commission that maintenance teams from Tamale frequently visited the station on routine maintenance duties. At the close of the sitting, Justice Wuaku advised witnesses not to get angry when counsel asked them questions since according to him they were doing their job.
He stated that any of the counsel could have appeared for any of the Gates and their job should not be seen as taking sides in the matter.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 05 July 2002- About four billion cedis was lost to the state in 400 disaster cases recorded in the Kumasi Metropolis during the past four years. Five people including three children were also killed in rainstorms, floods and domestic fire outbreaks.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Co-ordinator of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), Mr Yaw Oppong Kyekyeku said this when officials from the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) visited the Peter's Education Complex at Amakom in Kumasi, where classrooms and dormitories had been destroyed by rainstorm. No casualties were recorded but school property including, computers, laboratoy equipment, books and furniture were destroyed.
Mr Peter Kwaku Mensah, Proprietor of the school, said it would need about 500 million cedis to repair the damage. He said 700 pupils and students were being housed in a temporary structure at the school's old site.
Mr Mensah appealed to the assembly to assist the school with cement, iron rods, roofing sheets, mattresses and blankets. Mr Oppong Kyekyeku advised private developers to always plant trees around their properties to protect them and to install fire-fighting equipment.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Tema (Greater Accra) 05 July 2002 - A Circuit Tribunal at Tema on Thursday remanded a clergyman and a former officer of the Ghana Armed Forces for issuing two dishonoured cheques for 116 million cedis. The Reverend Captain John Bunyan Abeiku Sam (rtd) pleaded not guilty to two counts of issuing dud cheques and would re-appear on 11 July.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Robert Aganiba, prosecuting told the tribunal chaired by Mr Ringo Cass Azumah that sometime in August 2000, Sam approached Mr Bright Amlalo, a car dealer and bought five cars including Mitsubishi L 300, two Toyota Corolla, Opel Kadett and Sport Wagon, all valued at 200 million cedis.
He said the two agreed that the money should be paid by instalments, and Sam issued various post-dated cheques to cover the amount. ASP Aganiba said on October 25, 2000, Mr Amlalo presented the first cheque with a face value of 60 million cedis to be drawn at the Metropolitan and Allied Bank, Castle Road, Accra, but it bounced.
Efforts made to get Sam to pay the amount proved futile. On 8 March 2001, Amlalo presented another cheque of 56 million cedis to the same bank, and it was also dishonoured and when he traced Sam to his residence in Accra, he realised that he had vacated there and had gone into hiding.
ASP Aganiba said on 2 July 2002 acting upon a tip off, Sam was arrested at Nungua and was handed over to the Police at Tema. Sam admitted the offence in his cautioned statement to the police and pleaded with the police to allow him time to pay the amount in instalments.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Aflao (Volta Region) 05 July 2002-The arrival and departure halls of the Ghana-Togo border at Aflao would be modified as part of a beautification exercise at the border. Mr Kow Amissah-Koomson, Assistant Commissioner of the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) at Aflao, told the Ghana News Agency that designs were ready for the construction of an overhead concrete canopy to connect the arrival hall with the last check-point.
A concrete wall has been constructed in place a wooden fence that hitherto demarcated the departure hall from the open space. Mr Amissah-Koomson said coconut seedlings were being planted along the beach where some shanty structures were recently demolished. He said the objective of a new wooden fence wall, built along the beach from the STC-VANEF bus terminal to the departure hall, was to regularise the movement of people.
Other projects that Mr Amissah-Koomson listed as going on were the demarcation of the diplomatic car park, painting of the residential blocks of CEPS personnel and removal of solid waste. He said the exercise was being undertaken by CEPS to facelift the border to suit its gateway status.
Mr Amissah-Koomson said the exercise was not part of the major changes planned tobe undertaken by government and that the current facelift was being funded through levies of 10,000 cedis on haulage vehicles which used the frontier. He appealed to the government to complete the VIP lounge for the hosting of dignitaries, who passed through the frontier.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2002- Thirty Military Officers from Sierra Leone on Thursday graduated from the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College (GAFCSC) after undergoing a 12-week Special Staff Course at Teshie, near Accra. The course was to make the officers to understand clearly the role of the military and their own responsibility toward supporting democratic values of their country.
The Special Staff Course, which is the third in a series organised by the GAFCSC for Officers from Sierra Leone, is collaboration between the governments of Ghana, Sierra Leone and the United Kingdom.
The students undertaking the course are expected to be Junior Staff Officers of Captain or equivalent rank. It is to equip them to make positive and informed contributions at Sub-Unit Command Level to advise their superiors and to make them competent in staff appointments. It was first organised in June 2000 by the British Military Advisory Training Team (BMATT) for West Africa at GAFCSC.
Mr Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, who was the guest of honour, lauded the peace and stability Ghana has been able to attain and maintain, saying, "without peace and stability, nothing else is possible".
He said Sierra Leoneans, like Ghanaians, have chosen multi-party democracy as their preferred method of government and praised the smooth elections that closely followed the disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration of ex-combatants. "We all must now make the democracy work", he said.
Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey told the officers that their training should make them ambassadors of their country and that they should hold themselves in the proudest traditions of the military for their professionalism to be an example for their fellow countrymen and women.
He told them that the perception of soldiers as molesters should give way to an image of the military as the guardian of national and individual liberties and rights. "Given the events and effects of the tragic civil war, you have a great burden in this area. You will need to play a positive role in building a reliable civil/military relations," he told them. He tasked the graduates to go back to their country as "healers" and "unifiers" and to utilise their training for the good of their nation.
The Minister presented awards to students, who excelled in the course. The Overall and second best student award went to Flight Lieutenant Michael Kamara and Flight Lieutenant Hassan Coomber respectively, while the third best student award went to Captain Seidu Conteh.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2002- The door-to-door delivery of mails project is to be expanded over a five year period to cover other regional and district capitals that have proper layout with well demarcated numbered buildings.
The delivery of mails was introduced in 1999 as a three-year pilot project by Ghana Post Company Limited in the Regimanuel Gray, Sakumono, Golden Gates, Manet and Parakuo estates to meet the growing demand from customers to receive their mails in their homes.
Mr Felix Owusu-Agyapong, Minister for Transport and Technology, said this in Parliament on Thursday in an answer to a question asked by Mr Ransford Yaw
Agyepong, NPP-Suhum, as to what plans the ministry had to deliver mails to homes, at least in the regional and district Capitals.
He said following the success and positive results of the project, it would be extended to other areas and communities, which have well-demarcated and numbered housing units to ensure easy delivery of mails.
Mr Agyepong asked the Minister when the ministry would link with GP to consider the naming of streets and houses and the Minister said it was the work of the district assemblies but it would need co-operation from other sectors to make it successful.
Mr Edward Salia, NDC-Jirapa asked what positive results had so far been achieved by the project and the Minister said the people had expressed satisfaction about the early delivery of their mails and more people were patronising it. Mr Kofi Attor, NDC-Ho Central asked whether project had a cost of benefit to the GP and the Minister said so far they were not incurring losses so it meant they were making profit.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareiew.com
Work on Ghana’s press centre starts in two
weeks
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2002- Mr Kawbena Adjei, Managing Director, Kasapreko Company, on Thursday donated 20 million cedis to the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) in support of its building project.
Mr Adjei in presenting the cheque for the money to Mr Bright Blewu, GJA Secretary, said the donation was in accordance with the company's desire to assist local institutions that sought to make Ghana a better place by promoting and consolidating its democracy.
He said the "Kasapreko" company wanted to be associated with the noble and important project, especially knowing that the GJA was the mouthpiece of the people of Ghana in ensuring that fundamental human rights and freedoms were protected. This latest donation brings contributions the association had so far received from donors to 400 million cedis
Mr Blewu announced that work on the 5 billion cedis project would start within the next two weeks and that the contract had been awarded to a Chinese construction firm. The first phase would be completed by September next year to enable the GJA move from its current rented premises near the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.
The building fund was launched in March this year and the site for the project is located at Osu Ringway Estate, adjacent to the Ghana Institute of Journalism. It is envisaged to be a media complex comprising an administrative block, a 100-seater seminar hall, 50-seater indoor conference hall, 120-seater in door pavilion and conference hall.
It will also include an Internet Cafe, a library and resource centre, 21-room hostel, 80-seater restaurant, offices to cater for GJA and other media related organisations and a storeroom for gadgets and equipment.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.ccom
Tamale (Northern Region) 05 July 2002-The main thrust of the Ghana Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS) is to intensify the campaign against HIV/AIDS and to support persons living with the disease, Mr Issah Ketekewu, Deputy Northern Regional Minister, said on Thursday.
Opening a three-day capacity building workshop on HIV/AIDS, Mr Ketekewu said there would be the need for more resources for the implementation of the programme. The workshop was organised by the Assemblies of God Relief and Development Services (AGREDS) for its pastors in the Northern, Upper East, Upper West and Brong-Ahafo Region in Tamale.
It would enable participants to be abreast with current ways of HIV/AIDS prevention, care and support services, identify the social economic and demographic implications of the disease and to develop a sustainable programme to prevent the disease.
Mr Ketekewu said government recognised the shortcomings of the district assemblies in dealing with the disease hence the need to increase support for non-governmental organisations that were committed to fighting the pandemic at the grassroots. He said there was the need for trade unions, traditional leaders, religious bodies and the media to collaborate their efforts at fighting the disease.
The deputy minister noted that the best solution to the AIDS menace was for people to avoid sexual promiscuity and urged the churches to educate their members on the effects of the disease. He said it was unfortunate that the church had become a refuge for criminals, rapists, murders and thieves.
The AGREDS HIV/AIDS Programme Co-ordinator, Mr Danikuu Alexis Derry disclosed that it was aimed at developing and supporting a country-wide network of faith-based response to affect positive behavioural change and provide care and support for those infected. He appealed to the Church to assist in the fight against HIV/AIDS since according to him they had strength and credibility and were found in every community.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Cape Coast (Central Region) 05 July 2002- Graduate teachers in the Central Region have embarked on an indefinite strike action to back their demands for salary adjustment. Mr Kwame Alorvi, Central Regional Chairman of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) announced the strike action in an interview with the GNA on Thursday.
He said the GES and the Controller and Accountant General's Department and the Ministry of Education have failed to honour their promise to pay graduate teachers new salaries by the end of June, this year.
The Regional Chairman explained that the association with officials of the two institutions and the Minister of the Education on June 10 met to discuss the new salary issue and were given the assurance that they would receive it at the end of the month, but this was not done.
Mr Alorvi said the teachers would only go back to the classrooms when they were paid their new salary and that they have provided the necessary documents including the Integrated Personal Processing Data (IPPD), which were demanded by the Ghana Education Service (GES) to enable them to process the new salary five months ago.
He said the GES managed to adjust the salaries of all 'Certificate A' teachers but failed to do the same for graduate teachers adding: "If they are claiming that there are technical hold ups, how come they are able to pay other teachers their salaries?"
During a visit to some of the senior secondary schools (SSS) in the Cape Coast Municipality, the GNA saw students in groups studying on their own, some were in their dormitories whiles others were roaming about on their campus.
Mr Jonathan Blankson, Assistant Headmaster of Mfantsipim School said the decision by the graduate teachers was unfortunate because it would greatly affect the final year students in the region, who had already lost some time due to the water crisis that hit Cape Coast and its environs, recently.
He noted that if striking teachers failed to return before the start of the SSS examinations "It would be a disaster", since most of the 78 teacher-population of the school were graduates and appealed to them to reconsider their decision and go back to the negotiation table and seek redress.
Mr Leonard Acquah, Assistant Headmaster of Saint Augustine College, said graduate teachers, who were currently invigilating in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) were still at work. He was also not happy about the strike action and echoed the concern that a lot of time had already been lost as a result of the recent water crisis and stressed that as teachers, they had a moral responsibility toward their students.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Sekondi (Western Region) 05 July 2002- Nana Asare Bernard, a 19-year-old former student of Osei Tutu Senior Secondary School at Akropong, near Kumasi, has been arrested and placed in police custody at Sekondi for attempting to sell fake examination question paper to final year students of the Juabeso Senior Secondary School in the Western Region.
Nana Asare was alleged to have gone to the School and offered to sell at 70,000 cedis each, Integrated Science examination question papers, which he claimed to be for the forthcoming Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination (SSSCE) to be written in August. The suspect who completed the school in 2000, claimed to be a student of Koforidua Polytechnic on his arrest but investigations proved otherwise.
Mr. John Amidini, West African Examinations Council (WAEC) Western Regional Controller and Mr. Christopher Klomegah, of the Regional Police CID, who confirmed the arrest, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that, the suspect arrived at the school and attempted to sell the papers to some of the students.
He had told them that, it formed part of the question papers for the forthcoming SSSCE, which he got from the WAEC Head Office in Accra. The students alerted their headmaster, Mr. Jacob Taylor and the suspect was arrested and handed over to the police at Juabeso.
Mr. Klomegah said initial investigations proved that the papers, which the suspect offered for sale, were invalid. He advised headmasters, students and parents to be vigilant and help to arrest fraudsters, adding that, stringent measures had been put in place to check any examination leakage. The suspect would be put before court as soon as investigations were completed, Mr Klomegah said.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Bawku (Upper East) 05 July 2002-The security agencies have been able to restore calm at Bawku after a skirmish between Kusasis and Moshies over the ownership of a piece of farmland on Wednesday. The timely intervention of the Military and the Police prevented the situation from escalating into a conflict.
Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) P. G.A Dokyi, Acting Commanding Officer of the Ghana Police Service in the Bawku East District, told the Ghana
News Agency that one Abdulai Harruna, alias Blaise, a Moshie reported to the Police that one Usman Sibido, a Kusasi was working on a piece of land at Tinsungu, a suburb of the town, on which a court placed an injunction in 1996.
He said some Policemen and Harruna went to the site to invite Sibido to the Police Station but a misunderstanding ensued during which the complainant was assaulted and a cutlass wound was inflicted on his head.
ASP Dokyi said the Moshies at Possum another suburb of the town, on hearing of the incident attacked all Kusasis they came across. When the news got to the Bawku Market people started running helter-skelter because they thought the Bawku conflict had erupted again people who were at the market started fleeing for their lives.
In the midst of the pandemonium, four men sustained cutlass injuries at different stages of the fight and were admitted at the Bawku Presbyterian Hospital. Two were treated and discharged while the other two were responding to treatment.
ASP Dokyi said a DAF cargo truck belonging to one Bukari Muhamadu, a Kusasi, had its windscreen vandalised while a bus belonging to Mother Theresa
International School at Bawku also had part of its windscreen smashed.
He said the Police had sent in reinforcement from Bolgatanga to assist in containing the situation. Mr Ibrahim Alhassan, District Co-ordinating Director and officials of the District Security Committee at separate meetings with the Kusasis and Moshies appealed to them to co-exist peacefully to promote the development of the area.
Mr Alhassan advised them not to take the law into their hands but to report offenders to the security agencies.At the time of filing this report calm had been restored and people were going about their normal business.
GR…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Kwae (Eastern Region) 05 July 2002- A 17 year-old junior secondary school pupil, who sat the Basic education Certificate Examination (BECE) at Kwae in April when she was pregnant has now delivered and is re-sitting the examination.
In between her papers she breastfeeds the baby. Mr A. W. Yiadom-Boakye, Kwaebibirem District Chief Executive met the girl during his tour of the examination centres in the district and commended her for her determination. The young mother is among 243 candidates sitting the examination at the Ghana Oil Palm Development Company complex schools at Kwae.
Five pupils did not turn up for the examination at the centre, three girls who are pregnant, a boy who is dead and another boy who dropped out. The District Director of Education, Mr Twumasi Ankrah and an Assistant Director of Education at the District Directorate of Ghana Education Service (GES) and a member of the monitoring team toured the examination centres.
At Akyem Takyiman Methodist Junior Secondary School (JSS) centre, there were 316 pupils taking the examination with eight absentees as against four in the cancelled examination. At Asuom Secondary School Centre, out of the 492 registered candidates 12 were absent. Five hundred and sixty candidates were taking the examination at the Kade Secondary Technical School centre with four absentees.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.con
Cape Coast (Central Region) 05 July 2002- Professor Charles Kwaku Brown, Dean of Graduate Studies of the University of Cape Coast (UCC) on Thursday called on the government to increase the District Assemblies' Common Fund (DACF) to enhance rural development.
Professor Brown made the call in a lecture: "Strengthening The Decentralised System For Sustainable Rural Development In Ghana," at Cape Coast. The lecture formed part of activities marking the 40th anniversary celebration of the University.
He said the decentralisation system was laudable but it needed strengthening to ensure effective rural development because after 14 years of its implementation, most assemblies still faced problems of poor infrastructure facilities, untrained staff and low funding.
It was in this regard that it had become imperative to sufficiently equip the assemblies with the requisite personnel and to improve the infrastructure base to attract investors to the rural areas.
Professor Brown advised District Assemblies not to rely solely on the fund but to raise their own revenue to enable them to provide more amenities. He tasked them to especially re-examine their revenue collection mechanism and address any inherent lapses as well as educate taxpayers on the need to pay their taxes.
On the forthcoming District Assemblies Elections, Prof Brown expressed concern about the way some political parties and organisations were openly supporting and funding individual candidates even though the polls were supposed to be non-partisan.
Professor Brown, who holds a PhD. Degree in Sociology, joined UCC in 1989 as an associate professor and had among other positions been a consultant to the FAO, UNESCO and UNICEF and obtained full professorship in October 2000.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 05 July 2002- Dr Vladimir Antwi-Danso, Research Fellow of the Legon Centre for International Affairs, on Thursday called on
Ghanaian journalists to move beyond sensationalism and focus on issues that would ensure rapid national development.
He said it was time the media moved away from over-concentrating on playing a watchdog role and rather be committed to guiding and guarding the nation on its path of reconstruction.
Dr Antwi-Danso was speaking at the launching of a new bi-weekly, National Concord, in Accra on Thursday. The 12-page bi-weekly has the Gye Nyame symbol and edited by Mr Ebenezer Kese Antwi, a former columnist of the Ghanaian Chronicle newspaper, with a core group of breakaway reporters from the Ghanaian Chronicle newspaper.
Citing the invitation of private participation in the water industry, Dr Antwi-Danso said the media were not focused on a number of issues they report on, and said the lack of such focus in the reporting of sensitive national issues rather tended to confuse the citizenry. He said journalists must not use the media to castigate governance, but rather tell the people their role in governance and reduce the poverty that had plagued the nation.
Dr Antwi-Danso expressed the hope that while the National Concord would be "humorous, with piercing investigative news reports", it would also be focused and discuss pertinent issues that would ensure overall national development.
Mr Joseph Dottey, Deputy Executive Secretary in Charge of Finance and Administration of the National Media Commission (NMC), said he was not happy that many eight page newspapers were concentrated in Accra and Kumasi and said the lack of national circulation was not good enough for the citizenry to make informed decisions.
He suggested the merging of private newspapers to pool their resources and expertise to increase their pages, quality of printing, coverage area and circulation. According to him so much speculative journalism in the country would not help the nation in her developmental efforts and called on journalists to inject professionalism, credibility and truthfulness in the work.
The Managing Editor of the National Concord, Mr Antwi said the paper would be non-partisan and uphold the role of freedom, truth and justice. He said it would resort to consensus building and hold politicians within their constitutional bounds to ensure that power holders used resources effectively to attain higher standard of living for the people.
He said the national reconciliation exercise must be based on truth freedom and justice and pledged that the paper would pursue such ideals. Mr Gilbert B. K. Owusu, former Editor of the Christian Messenger newspaper, launched the newspaper. He said the proliferation of newspapers in the country must be sustained because it was a healthy sign for democracy. Mr Owusu said newspaper owners must give attractive salaries to journalists and commission researchers to monitor the impact of their papers on society.
He also asked for the revival of the guild of editors to meet regularly to cross-fertilise their ideas. The first 10 copies were auctioned for 8.6 million cedis. Dr Peter Omari, Managing Director of Omari Computers and Bookshop, bought the first copy for 1.5 million cedis.
GRi…/
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com