Botwe says hard work won Bimbilla seat for NPP
Wa Upper West) 16 March 2002 - The Upper West Regional Executive Committee of Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government and the Tripartite Committee to expedite action on a realistic 2002 minimum wage by mid April this year.
It also called on the government to give priority to workers' incomes and conditions of service as important contributions towards the achievement of equity and social well being of workers.
The committee made this call in a five-point resolution at the end of their Regional quarterly executive meeting at Wa on Thursday.
The resolution, which was signed by Mr Paul K. Nwin and Alhaji Abudulai Bawa, chairman and secretary respectively regretted the inability of the government and National Tripartite Committee to determine a realistic national minimum wage before the 2002 budget.
It said in spite of an impressive micro-economic stability achieved last year, living conditions of workers were still deplorable and called on the government to develop new strategies that would cushion workers to give of their best.
GRi../
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Nyanyano-Kakraba (Central Region) 16 March 2002 - One person was killed and five others sustained gunshot wounds when a group of Muslim youth from Kasoa clashed with some residents of Nyanyano-Kakraba in the Central Region, over a piece of land.
The police at Kasoa gave the name of the deceased as Baba Dogo, a 23-year-old unemployed. Isaac Quainoo also known as Kwaku, who allegedly shot Dogo and K. Sammy, owner of the gun, which was used in the incident were helping the police in investigations.
According to the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP), Peter Diawuoh in charge of the Police at Kasoa a pregnant woman whose name was being withheld was severely beaten by the youth and was admitted at the Korle-bu Teaching Hospital.
ASP Diawuoh expressed outrage at the spate of clashes between landowners and land guards and warned prospective estate developers at Kasoa against engaging the youth as caretakers of their plots of land.
GRi../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 16 March 2002 - President John Agyekum Kufuor was the Special Guest at a Special Congregation of the University of Ghana, Legon that conferred honorary degrees on seven Ghanaians and a Kenyan for their contributions to education and their alumni at the Great Hall of the University on Friday.
The eight personalities, made up of four men and four women were, Professor Ali A. Mazrui, the Kenyan and a renowned African International Cultural Historian and Political Scientist, Professor Akilagpa Sawyerr former Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Emmanuel Augustus Badoe, a Surgeon and Mr James V.L.
Phillips, a Public Servant.
The women were Professor Florence Abena Dolphyne, the first woman Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University, Mrs Theresa Oppong-Beeko, a real estate developer and Managing Director of MANET, Mrs Emily Asaa Harlley, a Civil Servant and Mrs Stephanie Henrietta Baeta-Ansah, a Lawyer, Public Servant and Managing Director of the Home Finance Company (HFC).
They were decorated with their robes by Oyeeman Wereko Ampem II, Chief of Amankrom and Chancellor of the University, who was assisted by Professor Ivan Addae-Mensah, the Vice Chancellor.
Two other personalities would be honoured later during the year. They were Professor George Benneh, a former Vice Chancellor of the University who was absent because of ill-health and Mr Nelson Mandela former South African President who was being honoured for his contribution to World Statesmanship.
Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Addae-Mensah, said since the University's regulations did not permit it to confer honorary degrees on persons in absentia, the University was liasing with Pretoria to enable it to confer the honour on President Mandela, either in Ghana or in South Africa between now and the end of June.
The Vice Chancellor said the ceremony was part of activities for the 2001/2002 academic year, which marked the 40th anniversary of the University attaining its status of a sovereign and independent University from the London University.
Since 1963, 68 personalities have been conferred with honorary degrees by the University. They included Mr Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations and the late Dr Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister during the Second Republic.
GRi../
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Wa (Upper West) 16 March 2002 - The Board of Governors of the Wa Secondary School has warned all the 300 orthodox Muslim students who vacated the school last Wednesday to report back by Friday evening or consider themselves dismissed.
The students packed bag and baggage and left campus accusing the school authorities of earmarking them for persecution. This incident followed rioting and vandalism by a section of the students during which 14 of their colleagues were arrested on Tuesday and placed in police custody for questioning.
A misunderstanding between the Muslim students and the school's Sports master sparked off the disturbances. In the ensuing disturbances, a tutor's bungalow and a motorcycle were set ablaze and louvre blades were destroyed.
The Ghana News Agency reports Mr. Moses Donneyong, headmaster of the school as saying on Friday that some of the students had started trickling onto campus.
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Bimbilla (Northern Region) 16 March 2002 - Mr Dan Botwe, General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has said hard work and commitment by members won the Bimbilla seat for the party. The NPP was the underdog in the by-election because it had never won in the Bimbilla constituency, he noted.
The General Secretary told newsmen that lessons learnt from the by-election would help the party to strategise well in the Northern Region to win 18 out of the region's 23 seats in the 2004 general election. He said the people had rejected the NDC because it had performed very badly as a government during its 20 years reign.
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