Board for commemoration of stadium disaster
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - Two people have been injured following exchange of gunfire between supporters of the Andani and Abudu gates to Ya-Na Skin of the Dagbon Traditional Area.
The District Chief Executive Of Yendi,Mr Mohammed Habibu Tijani Told the Ghana News Agency in a telephone interview that the two have been admitted to the Yendi Government Hospital. He said the two sides exchanged fire for about five minutes. Mr Tijani said he was going round the town to access the situation adding that no one had been arrest yet.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Takoradi (Western Region) 26 March 2002 --A group at the Takoradi Polytechnic calling themselves "Very Concerned Polytechnic Students" on Monday called on policy makers not to allow themselves to be influenced by politics when considering grievances of polytechnic students.
A press release from the group signed by Miss Felicia Asare, spokesperson and Mr. Emmanuel Arthur, deputy spokesperson, said it is bad to mixed politics with genuine problems of students and an act of cruelty to be insensitive to the plight of students.
The group said it fully supports the leadership of the Ghana National Union of Polytechnic students (GNUPS) and endorsed its efforts in addressing problems of polytechnic students.
It said the introduction of Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in polytechnics has brought in its wake problems such as academic progressions, job placements and infrastructural development for HND students and graduates.
The group said attempts to solve these problems with the educational authorities and stakeholders of education have proved futile and have resulted in strike actions by HND students almost every year.
The group said GNUPS has always heeded the pleas of opinion leaders and identifiable groups to call off the strike action while negotiations continue to get problems solved.
"As soon as the students go back to the lecture halls, authorities seem to forget the plight of HND students as if they were just interested only in having them back into the lecture halls", it said.
The group advised executives of Students Representative Councils of the polytechnics that they were elected by the students to push forward their interest so they should stop serving their personal interests and not to allow politicians to use them for their own ends.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 – A 10-member board has been inaugurated for the commemoration of the May 9 stadium disaster in Accra.
The board, made up of the Ministry of Youth and Sports, Asante Kotoko Sporting club, Hearts of Oak Sporting Club, State Protocol, Christian Council of Ghana, among others, is expected to nominate representatives to serve on the May nine anniversary planning committee.
A statement issued on Monday said Mr. Kofi Sakyiamah, Chief Director of the Ministry of Information and Presidential Affairs, who inaugurated the board said the committee would plan and organise a football match between Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko.
It is also to organise an inter-faith religious service at the Accra Sports Stadium to mark the anniversary. He said cash donations to the Stadium Disaster Fund were about three billion cedis, adding that contributions were still coming in. Mr. Sakyiamah urged the board members to work hard to the collective credit of government and the people of Ghana.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
PEN condemns plot to harass Journalists.
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - The Ghanaian Centre of International PEN (GCIP) on Monday said it supports the call on the government by the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to immediately investigate allegations of harassment of certain journalists by supporters of the former President Jerry Rawlings.
A statement signed by Mr. Frank M. Anim-Appiah, President of GCIP commended the government for its strong condemnation of the so-called group and its assurance for a quick action.
The PEN says it believed that the deep public anger over the harassment of journalists in the previous administration and the spontaneous demonstrations of support for Parliament on the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law, should serve as signals to those who think they are "more Ghanaians than others," it added.
"Whilst we accept that Journalism is a dangerous profession, entered into voluntarily, the determination of journalists and writers to do their jobs in the most difficult circumstances, deserves active and engaged support of most, if not all Ghanaians."
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - The National Security Council (NSC) on Monday announced a temporary closure of the La Pleasure Beach from March 25 to March 29, for safety and security exercise.
A statement from the NSC urged the general public to comply and co-operate with the directives to ensure that the exercise was completed within reasonable time to allow for normal operations of the Beach during the Easter festivities.
The NSC in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and the La Traditional Council expressed their regret for the inconveniences that the exercise might cause to programmes lined-up during the period of closure. The statement, however, assured the public that the beach would be opened to the public on Good Friday March 29.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - Sixty selected Police Detectives drawn from the regions to participate in a five-day course in Criminal Intelligence and Crime Statistics were on Monday drilled in the conference room of the Ghana Police College for lack of discipline and sense of purpose.
This followed a poor self-introduction by the Detectives, who were attending a course to equip them to create special criminal intelligence unit in every region to serve as information gathering point to enhance the Police analysis and evaluation of crimes, criminals and their associates.
"Let us see that you are Policemen and Policewomen before we go out from here," Mr Kwesi Nkansa, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration, told the participants.
"Your drills are poor. It seems you have forgotten about your depot training as Police officers. You must go back and rehearse," he added. Mr Nkansa, who ordered for the drills, said the officers lack of understanding of basic rules on self-introduction was unacceptable and, therefore, a demonstration of poor discipline.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Asamankese (Eastern Region) 26 March 2002 - The National President of the National Associations of Local Authorities of Ghana (NALAG), Mr. Akwasi Asare Ankoma, has suggested that the one-third appointees to the district assemblies by the government be scrapped.
The appointees system has been politicised and therefore, defeated its purpose of bringing in some professionals and technocrats into the assemblies, he said. Mr Ankoma made the suggestion at a forum organised by NALAG at Asamankese to educate the members on the objectives and functions of NALAG.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - The Inspector General of Police, Mr Ernest Owusu-Poku, on Monday ordered the creation of special units in the Criminal Intelligence Units of the police force to efficiently collect, collate and evaluate information on crimes and criminals in all the regions.
"If the intelligence apparatus of the Police had been effective as we desire, we would have thwarted the efforts of most armed robbers and other syndicated criminals in the country," Mr Owusu-Poku said in a speech read for him by Mr Kwasi Nkansa, Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Administration, at the opening of a five-day course on Criminal Intelligence and Crime Statistics for 60 Police Detectives drawn from all the regions.
The units, he said would assist the Criminal data services Bureau (CSDB) of the Police to beef up its strength in collating and storing data on crime intelligence and crime statistics.
The Inspector General noted that credible statistics would enable the Service to pursue new trends of monitoring criminal activities more vigorously adding, "it will also help us to measure our own performance and redirect our resources towards areas where we are deficient".
The time had come for the Police to open up their data on criminal activities to enable the ordinary citizen know and appreciate their efforts in combating crimes. "We must stop keeping our cards too close to our chests, otherwise the general public will not know our strength and weaknesses."
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - The Foreign Minister, Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyemang left Accra on Monday for Abuja, Nigeria at the head of a four-man government delegation to attend the second Heads of State Implementation Committee meeting of the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
Briefing journalists at the Airport, Mr Simon Nyameke, Deputy Director at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, said the meeting would review progress made since the last heads of state meeting and also discuss conflict prevention, management and resolution mechanisms as well as good political governance.
Mr Nyameke said the heads of state would consider NEPAD's relationship with the secretariat of the Organisation of African Unity, discuss economic co-operation, capital inflow, debt cancellation and foreign direct investment. The Foreign Minister is representing President John Agyekum Kufuor.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Prang (Brong Ahafo) 26 March 2002 - A group of five young men, on Friday stormed the two voters' registration centres at Prang in the Atebubu District and violently seized all the registration materials in protest against the involvement of an alleged NDC sympathiser in the exercise.
The group accused Mohammed Gariba, a deputy returning officer in Atebubu North constituency during the 2000 general elections of a bias attitude in favour of the NDC. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Mr. Benignus Cephas Bediako, Atebubu District Police Commander told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that the police later retrieved the materials.
Some of the registration forms and an ink could not, however, be accounted for, he said. The group has since refused to respond to a police invitation. Mr. Bediako described the incident as unfortunate but added that the action of the group stemmed from ignorance. He noted that ignorance about national issues was a major problem for some people in the district.
The electorate must see every national exercise as paramount to every other activity and differentiate between issues of national interest and those of partisan political and sectional interests, he said. The district commander however added that sanity had prevailed as the exercise was progressing smoothly.
Mr. Gabriel Dei, District electoral officer confirmed the incident but said the allegation was "baseless" because there was nothing like "returning officer" in the current registration exercise. The district electoral officer explained that Mr Gariba was not even a registration official in the exercise.
Mr. Dei condemned the action, saying that "no matter how genuine one's reasons may be, one has no right to obstruct the registration process or seize the materials", since it violated the constitutional instrument (CI) 12 under the 1992 constitution.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Accra (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - The International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) on Tuesday called on Parliament, the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs and the Ministry of Justice to support the promulgation of the domestic violence bill through Parliament.
The Federation also appealed to government to budget for and support educational programmes and the passage of the proposed private member's bill on domestic violence to protect women, adolescents and children from all forms of abuse.
Ms Gloria Ofori-Boadu, Executive Director of FIDA, said the objective of the Bill was to provide a comprehensive set of provisions, which specifically protects persons against domestic violence, through the issuance of civil protection orders.
She said FIDA in collaboration with the Gender and Children Committee of Parliament, the Attorney General's Department and other stakeholders had fine-tuned the original bill for presentation at the next sitting of Parliament as a private member's bill in spite of the constitutional constraints.
Ms Ofori-Boadu explained that the legal basis for seeking redress for violence against women and children laid mainly in the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Code (Act 29). "There is limitation in the remedies that these laws provide. Sometimes the punitive measures used, such as arrest and jail sentences, are not favourable for promoting the unity and welfare of the existing family structures," she emphasised.
She explained that most spousal-beatings were treated as cases of assault, which could be punished by a term of imprisonment. However, what most spouses would prefer was not a jail sentence but simply for the assault and constant harassment to stop.
Ms Ofori-Boadu also noted that victims of domestic violence might not be prepared to go through long and bureaucratic mechanisms of law enforcement before getting redress.
What most victims needed was prompt, cost-effective and less traumatic means for redress, which the bill intends to offer, and a broader set of remedies, including civil protection orders that extended beyond the mere criminal sanctioning of the perpetrators of violence.
Mrs Ernestina Hagan, FIDA President, also said the proposed Bill, when passed into law, would regulate the attitude of the family, community and society and engender general respect for women and children.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com
Tema (Greater Accra) 26 March 2002 - Mr Isaac Quarshie Asibon, a Tema businessman accommodated his houseboy for years in his house but did not know that he was living with an enemy, until he conspired with a gang of armed robbers to rob him.
Daniel Nyaba, the houseboy informed his gang of six others that his master had just returned from abroad with lots of dollars and armed with Mr Asibon's own pump action gun and a toy pistol, they attempted to rob him on March 18.
The suspects are Stephen Nyaba, a gardener, who is also Daniel's younger brother, Thomas Ayoka, a gardener, Kwabena Bobasa alias "Kafui", a baker, Edward Nafisa, a student, Sumaila and Kofi Duku, both unemployed.
Mrs Agnes Sikanartey, Tema Regional Police Commander, told newsmen that all the suspects gathered in the house of Mr Asibon at about 9am and Daniel Nyaba went for Asibon's gun together with eight rounds of ammunition from the guestroom and gave them to Ayoka to go into action.
Daniel also armed Sumaila with a toy pistol. With these weapons, Ayoka and Sumaila climbed upstairs to the second floor where Mr Asibon and his wife were at that time, while the rest took positions on the ground floor.
Mrs Asibon, who opened a door and saw the two armed-men, quickly locked the door behind her and phoned the Police but the suspects took to their heels leaving behind Daniel Nyaba, who was arrested when the Police went to the house.
Nyaba admitted his complicity and mentioned the names of the other suspects. Thomas Ayoka, who was arrested later, led the Police to retrieve the gun. Sumaila and Nafisa are on the run.
GRi../
Send your comments to viewpoint@ghanareview.com