31 Legon students dismissed for forging results
NPP
condemns "March for Survival"
GJA
marks Press Freedom Day in Accra
Road
accidents discourage tourists - NGO official
Accra (Greater
Accra) 06 May 2003 - A video tape recording of a wedding reception for Miss
Juliet Cotton, the Black-American woman at the centre of the Quality Grain case
has provided evidence of how she squandered millions of dollars meant for the
production of rice in Ghana.
Joy News has
obtained a recording of Miss Cotton’s speech at her wedding reception during
which she made a cash donation of $100,000 to her pastor and his wife and
boasted that Ghana’s former president, Jerry Rawlings, was her best friend.
The video
recording of Juliette Cotton’s testimony at a thanksgiving service has surfaced
at a time when a debate is still raging over the sentencing of two former ministers
of state and a public official to jail for their role in the Quality Grain
affair. But the video tape may well put the lid on the argument as Miss Cotton
is captured in her moment of excitement as she recounted how God had been good to
her in awarding her a rice production contract worth $20m.
Miss Cotton told
the congregation at her Atlanta Georgia church that God had blessed her to
become a multi-millionaire even though she didn’t have $46 when she started her
business. Miss Cotton interjected her narration with shouts of “God is good” to
a rapturous response from her audience.
She told of how
she began a project in Ghana to grow 20,000 acres of rice in spite of warnings
from her friends not to go to Africa and how God gave her favour with Ghana’s
former president, Jerry Rawlings, stressing that she was best friends with the
President.
"Let me tell
you how good God is. Let me tell you how this came about. I do business in rice
fields in developing countries all around the world-the Quality Grain Company.
We were doing a project in Ghana in West Africa to grow 20,000 acres of rice.
We first started the project with like $4.2m and everybody kept telling me you
can’t go to Africa, how are you going to go to Africa? But God bring people to
me.
God gave me favour
with the President of the country who is equivalent to the President at the
White House. God is so good to me, I mean the President and I are best friends.
I tell you, God said I give you favour with Kings and with men. Hallelujah!"
Miss Cotton
further talks about how God’s miracles followed her throughout her negotiations
with government officials. According to her, God’s divine favour helped her
secure $7m from an initial request of $5.9m. We were in a meeting and with one
of the top officials of the government and he said we aren’t giving you that
amount of money directly. We want to give it directly to the suppliers. And I
said well no problem, my suppliers will take care of me anyway. We were in a
meeting getting ready to sign all the documents and at this point we like at $5.9m
and I said we need about $6.5m.
One of the chief
directors said whatever you want we’ll give it to you, I said wow that was
really very nice. Then after that meeting out of the minister’s office as I went
down the corridor, the holy ghost begun speaking to me and I said I think we
need $7m so I went back and said, Minister you know what I will like think we
need 7 million dollars. He said give her whatever she wants. So I asked he gave
it to me. God is good to me. Hallelujah. I always gave my tithe and my
offering. I always gave to the Lord and he supplied my need.
Mrs Cotton is
currently serving time in jail after she was convicted essentially of stealing
money that was to be used to purchase equipment for the rice mill project at
Aveyime in the Volta region. She was convicted of bank fraud, making false
statements and money laundering. Mrs Cotton is not the only casualty in the
Quality Grain affair. Former finance minister, Kwame Peperah, former agric
minister, Alhaji Ibrahim Adam, and a former legal director at the finance
ministry, George Sipa Yankey, have been sentenced to various jail terms for
causing the state to lose more than $20m in the rice project.
FULL TEXT OF COTTON'S STATEMENT
Let me tell you
how good God is. Let me tell you how this came about. I do business in rice
fields in developing countries all around the world-the Quality Grain Company.
We were doing a project in Ghana in West Africa to grow 20,000 acres of rice.
We first started the project with like $4.2m and everybody kept telling me you
can’t go to Africa, how are you going to go to Africa?
But God bring
people to me. God gave me favour with the President of the country who is
equivalent to the President at the White House. God is so good to me, I mean
the President and I are best friends. I tell you, God said I give you favour
with Kings and with men. Hallelujah! We were in a meeting and with one of the
top officials of the government and he said we aren’t giving you that amount of
money directly. We want to give it directly to the suppliers. And I said well
no problem, my suppliers will take care of me anyway.
We were in a
meeting getting ready to sign all the documents and at this point we like at $5.9m
and I said we need about $6.5m. One of the chief directors said whatever you
want we’ll give it to you, I said wow that was really very nice. Then after
that meeting out of the minister’s office as I went down the corridor, the holy
ghost begun speaking to me and I said I think we need $7m so I went back and
said, Minister you know what I will like think we need $7m. He said give her
whatever she wants. So I asked he gave it to me. God is good to me. Hallelujah.
I always gave my tithe and my offering. I always gave to the Lord and he
supplied my need. – JoyOnLine
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Accra (Greater
Accra) 06 May 2003 - Jude Arthur, a Professional Banker and Managing Director
of the First Atlantic Merchant Bank have been appointed as the new Chairman of
the National Communications Authority (NCA).
A statement issued
and signed by Albert Kan-Dapaah, Minister of Communications and Technology in
Accra said President John Kufuor appointed Arthur who would bring to the
appointment, his tremendous experience in various fields including
international finance and banking, management and industry.
It said Arthur's
appointment was part of the strenuous efforts being made by the Government to
strengthen the NCA with the capacity to undertake the important role it has to
play to ensure equitable and effective regulation of the sector.
The NCA was set up in 1996 under the NCA Act 1996, Act 524 to regulate the telecommunications sector.
The statement said
in pursuance of the objective under which the NCA was established, various appointments
up to Director levels have been made in key operational areas such as
Regulations and Licensing, Frequency Management, Legal and Finance and
Administration.
It said the
Directors would however, report to the Acting Director-General who operates
under the direction of the seven-member Board to be chaired by Arthur.
GRi.../
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Accra (Greater
Accra) 06 May 2003 - Thirty-one Level 100 students have been dismissed from the
University of Ghana, Legon, from the University of Ghana, Legon, for using
forged results of the Senior Secondary School (SSS) examination conducted by
the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) to gain admission during the
2002-2003 academic year.
Twenty-four of
them are pursuing the Bachelor of Arts Degree and they are: Ababio Alice,
Marvin Fiifi Sam, Dopaak Patience, Agblekpor Jerry, Tetteh Sandra Naa, Sakyi
Priscilla Asumadu, Brown Leslie Ebo, Konadu Matilda, Bediako Muriel Danso,
Cudjoe Aisha, Boateng Edmon and Kumi Edith Ayokor Naa.
The others are
Ofori Duncan, Susuasey Paul, Dzidzah Davidson, Asomaning Gottfied Obeng, Asiedu
Eric and Aziz Abdul Nuhu. The rest are Oduro Andrew Osei, Awuah Darfour,
Painstil Philemon, Saaed Yakubu, Bediako Ohenewaa Regina and Fuseini Annatu.
Miss Nti Abigail
who is pursuing a degree course in the Bachelor of Administration was among the
dismissed students. There were two dismissed students reading the Bachelor of
Agriculture and they are Afriyie Jonah and Obeng-Boateng Ernestina Nana.
Four students from
the Biological Sciences were also dismissed and they include Adu-Asere, Safo
Akwasi, Attakpa Anthony Cudjoe, Ohemeng Kingsley Siaw and Osae Eric. A letter
dated 30 April 2003, and signed by the Deputy Registrar for Academic Affairs, T.
Tabi, warned other analogous Universities in Ghana to monitor the names of
these students against any future admission.
GRi.../
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NPP
condemns "March for Survival"
Accra (Greater Accra)
06 May 2003 - The General Secretary of the NPP, Dan Botwe says the planned
demonstration by the NDC tomorrow is not justified. He said instead of soberly
reflecting on the $20m of the tax payers' money wasted on the Quality Grain
project, they have rather decided to organise a demonstration without any
justification. Botwe who was addressing an Eastern Regional NPP rally at Begoro
in the Fanteakwa District on said the money given to Renee Cotton, despite
several warnings about her inability to handle the project could have provided
boreholes to many rural communities.
Botwe declared
that the NPP is aimed at winning 140 out of the 200 parliamentary seats in the
2004 general elections. The General Secretary listed the Fanteakwa seat as one
of the seats saying that as a bastion of the UP tradition from which the NPP
developed, the constituency should not be in the NDC power anymore.
The Eastern
Regional Minister, Dr Francis Osafo-Mensah, pledged the determination of the
NPP to capture the Fanteakwa seat among the five others in the region under the
NDC in order to give the party more power in pursuing developments in the
region. He denied that victories in the by-elections were due to its
exploitation of incumbency, saying it is rather because the NDC stole the
previous verdicts in 1992 and 1996 while in power.
The Parliamentary
Majority Leader, Eugene Owusu Agyapong denied accusations levelled against the
government by some NDC functionaries over the verdict of the Quality Grain
case, and reminded them that it was the NDC-dominated Parliament, which passed
the law under which the former Ministers were convicted. He said if they now
find it a bad law, they can table a motion for its review.
He also dismissed
the fears that the NPP by-election victories could turn the country into a
one-party state, saying that if this should happen then it will not be the
fault of the NPP but the blame should go to the opposition parties for their
lack of dynamism to win the electorate to their side.
GRi.../
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Accra (Greater Accra) 06 May 2003 - Leaders of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the police administration have reached a compromise on routes for Tuesday’s demonstration by the party. The party will start the demonstration from the Kwame Nkrumah Circle through certain undisclosed streets of Accra and finish at the Accra Hearts of Oak Park near the Arts Centre.
The meeting became
necessary after the Greater Regional Police command suggested a route change
for the demonstrations dubbed ''March For survival''.
NDC leader and
flagbearer of the party, Prof. John Atta Mills told Joy FM that feedback from
the meeting was successful. He assured supporters that the Chairman of the
party, Dr. Obed Asamoah will join in the demonstration but dispelled rumours
that the party was collaborating with the GPRTU to convey participants to join
the March.
Professor Mills
expressed concern about anti-demonstration propaganda being carried out in
certain parts of Accra to discourage people from participating in the march.
''This is supposed
to be a peaceful demonstration but propaganda vans are going round telling
people not to attend the demonstration because it is going to be bloody and so
they should not come out to join''.
He did not
disclose those carrying out the propaganda but said he has information that
vans are going round misinforming people. ''We will not tolerate this. A lot of
Ghanaians are suffering A lot of Ghanaians cannot make ends meet …As opposition
we think it is important that we draw attention to the plight of the ordinary
Ghanaian''.
Asked whether he
is spearheading the demonstration because of reports that former President
Rawlings is unhappy with his performance so far, Prof Mills laughed and said
''they can draw their own conclusions because this is the right time to do
it''.
GRi.../
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Ho (Volta Region) 06
May 2003 - As the dust in the Ho central constituency of the NPP was about
settled, another ugly violence had erupted. This time, it is no mean person
than the acting regional chairman Kenwood Nuworsu, Johnson Avweteh, the
regional organiser and Mawutor Goh the Ho District Chief Executive who
violently descended on Alex Fata Dogoe a patron of the party and violently
attacked him at the Hon Total Filling station where he went to buy fuel.
His offence
according to investigations was his presence at the Ho central constituency
congress held on Saturday 12 April 2003. The congress was sanctioned by the
regional Minister Kwasi Owusu Yeboah and supervised by the regional secretary
Kwame Atta and the Ho District electoral commission led by the District officer
George Atama.
The congress
elected Seth Kwaku Anyadi a Ho based contractor as its chairman. It was a nasty
scene for these senior members of the party to be disgracing themselves at public
places. Investigations have revealed that it was the second time the group
attacked Dogoe. The first was around Ray Makossa shop on the big market road.
Had it not been the timely intervention by Dr Addo and Dr Appiah Koranteng
these senior members of the party would have ridiculed the NPP the more by
lynching Dogoe.
As if that is not
enough the former constituency chairman Van Seshie Torblu who is disqualified
on grounds that he was an ex-convict also violently attacked the regional
secretary Kwame Atta in his own residence threatening to terminate him life by
means of juju for presiding over an illegal elections according to him. Mr Paul
Abba the former constituency youth organiser was Kwame Atta’s saviour. Both
Kwame Atta and Rex Dogoe confirmed the attacks on their lives but said they are
not deterred in the least about the threats.
In separate
interviews the two said since they had not contravene the party’s constitution,
the elections still holds and any attempt to bring division into their fold would
be resisted. “We shall do everything we can to bring discipline to bear on all
members of the party.” Kwame Atta bemoans the selfishness on the part of some
of their leaders and call for a radical shake-up in the regional party.
On his part Dogoe
said he will not allow himself to be intimated by the so-called wise men in the
party because they are doing more harm to the party than helping it. “Ho East,
west and central constituencies must say enough to these atrocities”, he
stressed.
GRi.../
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GJA
marks Press Freedom Day in Accra
Accra (Greater Accra) 06 May 2003 - The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), on Friday organized a flag-raising ceremony and a forum at the Ghana International Press Centre in Accra to mark the World’s Press Freedom Day.
The Deputy Minister
of Information, Asamoah Boateng, who presented a paper on behalf of Papa Owusu
Ankoma, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, said available UNESCO records
indicated that 523 journalists were killed worldwide between 1992 and 2002 for
various reasons.
This, he said,
included 374 who were murdered intentionally, 128 for their political opinions,
67 for having exposed corruption and 179 because they were in conflict areas
but were killed despite having identified themselves as reporters. Boateng said
society had a duty to promote press freedom and encourage journalists to go
about their duties without any fear. "As we celebrate World Press Freedom
Day, we need to remind ourselves of the dozens of countries where publications
are censored and journalists harassed, attacked, detained and even
murdered."
He said it was
refreshing that these distasteful developments had not been part of Ghana's
political life during the past 10 years, adding that the only exception had
been the threats issued to journalists who had expressed views that were not
liked by a section of the public.
Boateng said over
the past decade, the one-sided news reports presented by the state-owned media
in support of government have given way to a more balanced presentation, adding
that the press in Ghana today remained one of the vociferous and energetic on
the African continent.
However, he said,
one major problem had been inaccuracy of reports. As a result of this
unpleasant situation a number of petitions had been sent to the National Media
Commission, a body charged with the responsibility to ensure high journalistic
standards in the country. Boateng said to be able to do a more credible job the
media in Ghana needed to be abreast with issues through constant training.
Mrs Gifty
Affenyi-Dadzie, President of the Ghana (GJA), said it was not for fun or sheer
coincidence that the framers of the constitution dedicated a whole chapter
(Chapter 12) to the freedom and independence of the media critical to the promotion
of good governance and accountability.
GRi.../
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Road
accidents discourage tourists - NGO official
Accra (Greater Accra) 06 May 2003 - The frequent accidents recorded on four major roads in the country could impede the attainment of projections in the tourism sector, Fred Agbogbo, Director of the Agency for Sustainable Development (ASD) said on Monday. Agbogbo named the roads as Accra-Kumasi, Accra-Elubo through Cape Coast and Takoradi, Kumasi-Sunyani and Accra-Aflao.
''These roads lead
to three of the country's best tourist attractions and they accounted for 80
per cent of the fatal accidents in the country.'' He was speaking at a two-day
workshop organised by ASD, a Ho based non-governmental organisation, for 20
drivers under the theme; "Help Achieve a Zero Tolerance for Road Accidents
in the Volta Region and beyond."
He said these
accidents were a disincentive to the government's efforts to generate
substantial foreign exchange through tourism, the fastest growing industry in
the world.
Agbogbo, quoting a
National Road Safety Committee (NRSC) statistics for the first quarter of 2002,
said 579 deaths occurred out of 8,980 accidents. This worked out to 96 deaths
per month and three deaths daily. Agbogbo highlighted incompetence of drivers,
drunk driving, over-speeding, dangerous spots and pedestrian carelessness as
some of the major causes of road accidents in Ghana.
Vincent
Darkey-Mensah, Board Chairman of ASD, expressed regret about the Ghanaian
attitude of disregarding opportunities for refresher training in their fields
of specialisation.
GRi.../
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