Defence Minister interacts with security agencies
Asante
United Front appeals to Local Government Minister
Tamale (Northern
Region) 14 October 2002 - The government on Saturday donated assorted items
valued at 20 million cedis to security personnel operating in the Dagbon State.
They comprised 50 bags
of rice, 20 bags of maize, five bags of sugar, two bags of salt, 10 cartons of
key soap, five cartons of Lux soap, 10 cartons cooking oil, 20 pieces of
students mattresses, two baskets of smoked fish and 50 plastic buckets.
Presenting the items
on behalf of the government, Mrs Gladys Asmah, Minister of Women and Children's
Affairs, expressed government's gratitude to them for working relentlessly to
maintain peace, law and order in the Dagbon State even under difficult
conditions.
She appealed to them
to appreciate government's gesture and continue to work hard to promote peace.
Receiving the items on behalf of the security agencies, the Deputy Northern
Regional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Alhaji Ismail Saakah, and
Captain Nicholas Paintsil, Acting Officer Commanding the Six Battalion (Rear),
thanked the government for the offer.
They assured the
government that they would give of their best for the maintenance of peace in
the area, and called on the people to co-operate with them to enhance the
cordial relationship existing between them.
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Sekondi (Western
Region) 14 October 2002 - District Level Elections which were indefinitely
postponed in seven electoral areas in the Suaman Traditional Area because of
chieftaincy disputes, would take place only when the security services declared
the areas safe.
John Amihere, Western Regional
Director of the Electoral Commission (EC) told the Ghana News Agency in an
interview Sekondi. He said: "the EC would organise the elections when the
security services give the go ahead".
Amihere said the seven
out of the 30 electoral areas in the Aowin-Suaman District where the elections
could take place were: Domeabra, Nana Bullu, Nyamebekyere, Yaw Parekrom,
Kwasuokrom, Karlo and Toya.
He said candidates in
the affected electoral areas filed their nomination papers and mounted
platforms but the people in those areas prevented the staff of the EC from
conveying voting materials there.
Amihere said there
would not be re-opening of nominations before the elections are held.
He said District Level
Elections were held in 21 electoral areas in the district while two others
returned their candidates unopposed.
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Tepa (Ashanti Region)
14 October 2002 - The Acting Ashanti Regional Manager of Quality Control
Division of COCOBOD, Nana Karikari Addo has called on cocoa farmers to desist
from aiding unscrupulous people who pose as purchasing clerks to smuggle cocoa
out of the country.
He said apart from
these people depriving the country of needed revenue they cheated the farmers
and prevented them from getting bonuses and scholarship for their children's
education.
Nana Addo, who was
speaking at a farmers' rally held at Tepa in the Ahafo-Ano North District, said
that the smugglers operate with hanging and mobile weighing scales, have no
licensed company's trade mark neither do they have any depot within the
district of their operations.
He advised farmers not
to sell their cocoa to such people and report them to the nearest Police
Station or District Chief Farmer. For Ghana to maintain its position as the
leading producer of quality cocoa beans, Nana Addo urged them to ensure that
cocoa beans sent to the sheds were well dried and free from foreign materials.
Akwasi Adu-Poku,
District Chief Executive, pledged government's continued assistance to them in
the form of higher producer price, mass spraying and payment of bonus to them
and asked them to reciprocate by maintaining their farms regularly.
Nana Kwadwo Fordjour,
District Chief Farmer, appealed to the farmers to weed their farms periodically
and monitor spraying gangs to derive maximum benefit from the mass spraying
exercise.
He appealed to
commercial and rural banks to ensure that farmers' cheques were promptly
honoured to prevent them from selling their cocoa for cash.
In a welcoming
address, Mr Pan Amoateng, District Quality Control Officer, urged the farmers to
continue to produce quality cocoa beans for the world market. To this end, he
advised them to space cocoa trees on their farms, weed at regular intervals,
pluck cocoa pods fortnightly and allow the beans to ferment six days before
drying.
The rally was held
under the theme: "Maintaining Good Quality Ghana cocoa". More than
300 cocoa farmers in the Ahafo-Ano North District attended.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 October 2002 - Barnerman Baah Ntim, People's National
Convention (PNC)
Presidential running mate in the 2000 elections on Sunday returned home from
the United Kingdom (UK) "to help build the party towards wining power in
the 2004 elections."
Ntim left for the UK
soon after his party had supported the NPP during the run-off to unseat the
NDC, where he studied Political Party Organisation. He also organised and
solicited support from the UK branch of the party.
He told the Ghana News
Agency in an interview soon after arrival at the Kotoka International Airport
that PNC was sure of victory, considering current events in the country.
He said "Besides
the NPP's inability to deliver, the PNC has a sizable membership in the UK and
other parts of the world, who are willing to pool resources to support the
party win power in 2004 to save the suffering of Ghanaians".
"At the moment
the NPP is finished because it has failed Ghanaians in many ways; the people
can not go back to the NDC and the alternative choice is the PNC". He said
the PNC was always talking about quality health care delivery, transportation
and education for all and that the PNC would live to its promise if the people
gave them the "test" by voting for the party.
He commended the
government for stabilising the cedi but was quick to point out that, the people
could not feed themselves despite the stabilisation and urged the government to
help reverse the situation.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14
October 2002 - British Minister for Africa, Baroness Amos has expressed her
appreciation for the work of the Economic Community Of West Africa Countries
(ECOWAS) mediation team to resolve the crisis in Cote d'Ivoire.
She said although she
was aware of the setbacks in the attempts to negotiate a ceasefire, the best
hope for a peaceful settlement still laid with the sub-regional body.
In a solidarity
message released at the weekend, Baroness Amos urged ECOWAS Executive Secretary
Mohamed Chambas and his colleagues to continue with their efforts.
"They had the
full support of the UK and we are confident that, although the process would
not be easy, they could achieve a successful conclusion," She said and
called on the Ivorian President, Laurent Gbagbo, to cooperate with the ECOWAS
mediators.
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Accra (Greater Accra) 14
October 2002 - Former President Jerry Rawlings on at the weekend called for
national unity, transparency and truthfulness within the body politic to
concretise democracy and good governance.
He noted that
truthfulness was paramount and important for nation building and called for
"vigilance and objective mind to recognise truth from lies and good from
bad. "Whether in the NDC or NPP, bad is bad and good is good," he
said.
Ex-President Rawlings
expressed these sentiments when he called on the family of the late Baba Seidu,
former Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East, who died on 26 June 2002. The
visit coincided with the performance of Adua, a special Moslem prayer for the
dead.
In an interview with
the Ghana News Agency, Dr Ahmed Mustapha, MP for Ayawaso East, noted that the
loss was irreplaceable but urged the family members to continue with his good
works.
He called on the youth
to help change the negative tags in the media about Nima by re-directing their
energy, wisdom and knowledge towards productive ventures.
Dr Mustapha expressed
concern about the negative tags, which most often painted the people black and
appealed to the media to throw more light on positive developments in the
community to encourage the youth.
Other member of the delegation
included the Dr Farouk Briamah, former MP for the constituency and Deputy
Minister of Environment, Science and Technology, Ibrahim Adam former Minister
of Agriculture and E.T. Mensah, former Minister of Youth and Sports.
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Yendi (Northern
Region) 14 October 2002 - Security agencies operating at Yendi have complained
of lack of vehicles to carry them to their duty points. "Some of us
sometimes have to walk or go by passenger trucks to our duty points and this
does not augur well for the security situation at hand," they said.
These were made known
when the Defence Minister, Dr Kwame Addo-Kufuor interacted with them to find
out problems affecting their operations with a view to addressing them.
The security personnel
said vehicles they had were inadequate, adding that some of them lacked
communication systems.
They therefore
appealed to the government to support them financially to enable them to settle
their medical bills, especially drugs prescriptions outside the hospitals.
Dr Addo-Kufuor assured
them that the Ministry would do all it could to support them to deliver, and
appealed to them to continue with the good work that they are doing in the
area.
The Defence Minister
told them to let their ultimate goal be that of ensuring peace, law and order
in the Dagbon State to bring development to the people. The Army Commander,
Major-General Clayton B. Yaachie and Chief Director from the Ministry,
accompanied the Minister.
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Asante
United Front appeals to Local Government Minister
Kumasi (Ashanti
Region) 14 October 2002 - Asante United Front (AUF), a pressure group dedicated
to protecting the interest of Asanteman, has appealed to the Minister of Local
Government and Rural Development to resolve differences among members of the
Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA).
An open letter signed
by Nana Asare Bediako, the Front's Public Relations Officer, to the Minister
and copied to the GNA, said one conflict after another had taken the better
part of the KMA's work to the disadvantage of the good people of the
Metropolis.
The Front said many
thought that the change of government was going to end the many disturbing
conflicts at the KMA, but regrettably that had not happened rather they had
assumed more serious dimensions.
It cited the election
of the Presiding Member as a typical case and, said the refusal of the candidate
with the least votes to pull out after the first round of voting made it
impossible for anyone to be elected.
The Front asked the
assembly members to realise that at the end of the day, their actions and
inactions would form a good part of the evaluation of the performance of the
New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the Metropolis.
"If out of sheer
selfishness and greed, honourable assembly members make themselves the
obstacles to the development of the Metropolis, posterity will not forgive
them".
The Front said the
attempt to link the election of the Presiding Member to the issue of
privatisation of public toilets in the Metropolis by the assembly members to
say the least was a big shame, adding that the assembly members could not
demonstrate such indifference at the poor running of the public toilets.
"We would like to
appeal strongly to all honourable members to approach the election in a most
objective manner to give the people the best." The Front suggested that
should all attempts fail, the assembly should be dissolved and an Interim
Management Committee (IMC) put in place to develop the Metropolis.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 October 2002 - The Methodist Church of Ghana on Sunday made
politico-religious history when it hosted President John Kufuor, a Catholic and
Vice President Aliu Mahama, a Moslem at a solemn service, at which the Church's
13th Lay President, Mr Ato Essuman, was inducted into office.
The Service, conducted
by Presiding Bishop Samuel Asante-Antwi, with 13 Diocesan Bishops in
attendance, was held at the Wesley Methodist Church in Accra, the oldest Methodist
Cathedral in the city. It took about 40 years to build the Cathedral, which has
existed for more than 40 years.
First Lady Theresa
Kufuor, Chief Justice Edward Wiredu, Chief of Staff, Kwadwo Mpiani, Ameer of
the Ahamidiyya Mission, Maulvi Wahab Adam and a number of Ministers of State
were also at the Service, where the Bishops of Cape Coast, Kumasi and Akyem Oda
were consecrated.
The induction of a Lay
President is an important event on the Church's agenda as the position is the
second in the Command Structure of the Church, after the Presiding Bishop. The Lay President would serve a four
year-term, during which he would direct the non-Ministerial Affairs of the
Church, with its organisations.
It was, therefore, no
surprise that the 1000-seater Cathedral turned out to be not big enough to
accommodate all the worshippers who turned up for the four-hour service that
started at 0900 hours.
In accordance with
Methodist tradition, the Service proceeded methodically, with the induction
following the scripture readings, after which the consecration took place with
other activities such as the Communion following.
The Choir, Singing
Band and the Christ's Little Band strongly registered their presence when they
joyously interspersed the Service with good old Methodist hymns, popular gospel
music and some Abibindwom (indigenous Christian Fante lyrics), characteristic
of a Methodist Service.
So encouraged was Dr
Asante-Antwi that he invited President Kufuor to the Church's Crusade to be
held from December3 to December 8 at the Independence Square.
He said: "I am
told that 8th December is your birthday is that right?" When the President
responded in the affirmative, he continued; "I am inviting you to our
national crusade on that day and Former President Rawlings would also be
invited so that we can promote reconciliation." The message was received
with cheers and applause.
It was not only the
Clergy, who were pleased, but also the worshippers, who did not only dance with
pleasure to present their offertory, but pledged generous sums of money toward
the three billion cedis Methodist University Hostel.
Former Speaker of
Parliament Justice Daniel Francis Annan and Former Sports Minister Enoch Teye
Mensah were also at the Service.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 October - President John Kufuor at a Church Service on Sunday urged Ghanaians
to back the leadership of the nation with their prayers, saying without a
divine force it would be difficult for them to drive the nation to success.
President Kufuor said:
"One of the lessons I have learnt from this profession (politician) is
that it takes more than human effort to advance a vision. It was a higher force
that drove Moses and the other leaders to achieve their goals. As Christians we
need God to guide us to achieve our goals."
President Kufuor was
addressing more than 1,000 worshippers at a church service at the Wesley
Methodist Church in Accra, during which Ato Essuman a Consulting Director of
Funds and Procurement Management of the Ministry of Education was inducted as
the 13th Lay President of the Church.
Vice President Mahama,
First Lady Theresa Kufuor, Chief Justice Edward Kwame Wiredu, Ameer of the
Ahamadiyya Mission, Maulvi Wahab Adam, Chief of Staff Kwadwo Mpiani, some
Ministers of State attended the Service at which, the Right Reverend Isaac
Quansah, Right Reverend Nuh Ben Abubekr and Right Reverend Joseph Bondzie were
consecrated as Bishops of Cape Coast, Kumasi and Akyem Oda in that order.
President Kufuor
underscored the critical role leadership played in the advancement of people,
saying history had showed that it was the benchmark that moved human societies
forward.
On why Ghanaians
excelled everywhere they found themselves, while Ghana remained not developed,
President Kufuor said it was important to recapture the golden spirit and
humanity of the land, once called the Gold Coast to facilitate national
development.
The President, a
Catholic who attended a Methodist educational institution - Prempeh College, in
Kumasi - expressed admiration for Methodist institutions and with his family,
pledged a contribution of 20 million cedis towards the three-billion cedis
Methodist University Hostel Project.
Vice President Mahama
pledged 10 million cedis, Chief of Staff five million cedis, while the
Ministers of State pledged between two million cedis and one million cedis.
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Accra (Greater Accra)
14 October 2002 - The Most Reverend Dr Samuel Asante-Antwi,
Presiding Bishop of
the Methodist Church, Ghana on Sunday urged the leadership of the nation to
identify its visions and pursue them saying, “great leaders were visionaries”.
Most Rev Dr Asante
Antwi, who also tasked the Clergy to pursue their visions, said people moved
aimlessly and carelessly when their leaders lacked divine-inspired visions.
He said this in a
sermon on: "Visionary Leadership for Development," at the Wesley
Methodist Church in Accra, where the Church inducted its 13th Lay
President, Ato Essuman, a Director of the Funds and Procurement Management Unit
of the Ministry of Education and the consecration of three Bishops.
Essuman succeeds Mrs
Naomi Okine, the immediate Past Lay President for a four-year term.
Acknowledging that it was not easy to persuade others to pursue ones vision Dr
Asante Antwi, said pessimism could be overcome with determination, sense of
ownership, commitment and reliance on God.
"Winners don't
quit and quitters don't win," he said, adding that God provided strength
and ability to the achiever. He asked the new Bishops and the Lay President to
make leaders out of their congregation by leading exemplary lives. The Bishops
were the Right Reverend Isaac Quansah, Nuh Ben Abubekr and Joseph Bondzie
Impraim for the Cape Coast, Kumasi and Akyem Oda Dioceses in that order.
President John Kufuor,
the First Lady, Mrs Theresa Kufuor, Vice President Aliu Mahama, Chief Justice
Edward K. Wiredu and other Ministers of State attended.
Most Rev Dr
Asante-Antwi announced that a national Methodist Crusade to be held in December
at the Independence Square and invited President Kufuor to grace that occasion.
Essuman, the new Lay
President was born on 28 November 1953 at Saltpond in the Central Region. He
holds various academic credentials to his credit including an MBA in Management
from the American University of Hawaii, an Advanced Certificate in Management
Skills from the Institute of Technical and Further Education, Australia and a
B.A. (Hons) Social Science from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and
Technology.
He has also held
various positions in the Church including Auditor of the National Lay Movement
Council, member of the National Executive Council and also worked with eight
Lay Presidents of the Methodist Conference. His main duties would be the
overseeing of the Church's lay organization and administration.
With his induction to
the new office, Essuman brings to the church a combination of both local and
international experience covering the areas of project management, procurement
and funds management, business advisory services, productivity/operational
improvement systems, finance and accounting, among other things. Essuman is
married and has four children all males.
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