Professor Kofi Agyekum, Dean of the School of Performing Arts of the University of Ghana, has cautioned parents against giving too much freedom to their children.null
Professor Kofi Agyekum, popularly called Opanyin Agyekum, speaking on the spate of current crimes in Ghana admonished parents to train their children well.
He noted that there is a vast difference between child rearing and child training, explaining most parents are rearing their children instead of training them.
He expounded that, with child rearing, the parents overpamper their children which encourages bad behaviours because of the little to no parental discipline.
“There is too much freedom today, so we have left the children,” he said on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’.null
Opanyin Agyekum also expressed worry over the over-indulgence of children on social media.
He wished parents could turn back to the primitive ways of disciplining children because too much copying from Western culture is spoiling them.
To him, parents should train the children to sift what they watch or concern themselves with on social media because the children learn a lot of things on social media, therefore should they be exposed to the bad ones, they will potentially turn into social misfits.
“We must inculcate the spirit of sifting in the children to tell them not everything on social media is for them to know or see,” he advised.
Mr Alban Bagbin, Speaker of Parliament, has called on the country to learn from the Denmark experience on involving the youth in its democratic governance for inclusive development.
He said Denmark had placed priority on its youth development and appointed some of them as advisers to Ministers to ensure social democratic governance.
Mr Bagbin said the sustainability and long-term vision of any democratic policy depended on the youth, and urged African leaders to give prominence to the youth to equally and effectively participate in all areas of leadership.
The Speaker of Parliament made the call on Wednesday at a webinar forum on “Inclusive Party Governance and the Future of Democracy” organized by the Institute for Democratic Governance in collaboration with the Embassy of Denmark and the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development.
He said it was imperative for leadership of political parties to engage the youth in policy formulation from the beginning to the end and not push the decisions on them, saying, “The youth understand their own problems”.
“We need to create opportunities for the youth to participate in governance to gain the needed experience and contribute to nation-building in future”.null
Mr Bagbin pledged to partner with civil society organizations to reach out to all political parties to institute a collaborative engagement with the youth in policy decisions to strengthen democratic values.
He said Ghana and Denmark shared common democratic values and both were committed to expand the frontiers of democracy, adding that even though there were threats in practicing democracy, there was the need to work together to ensure inclusive governance.
Mr Mogens Lykketoft, former Speaker of Parliament in Denmark, said his country had a strong engagement with the youth, citing youth involvement in addressing the menace of climate change in recent times. He said the young generation was vibrant and willing to participate in democratic governance, stressing that there was the need for countries to give the youth more opportunities to explore through learning and take up the leadership mantle in future.
Mr Emmanuel Ametepey, Executive Director, Youth Advocates Ghana, urged government to create the enabling environment for the youth to participate fully in democratic governance and not only be used for political campaigns and violent activities.
“There is the need to a build a culture that will embrace long-term learning in schools to improve students’ performance for socio-economic development”, he said.
Mr Ametepey called on authorities and civil societies to continue to educate young girls on their sexual and reproductive rights to be productive in life since some of them dropped out of school due to teenage pregnancy.
Ms Malene Bentsen Laursen, the United Nations Youth Delegate, said non-inclusion of the youth in policy making had gradually led to a negative shift in the tone of public debate on national issues with 57 per cent of them saying that they are less likely to participate in the democratic process.
She noted that several protest movements had sprung up to fight for their rights and hence called on politicians to give recognition to the concerns of young people and allow them to engage in policymaking, adding that inclusive governance was a way of overcoming challenges in the democratic process in both Ghana and Denmark.
Ms Laursen urged political leaders to take responsibility of ensuring that political debates were organized effectively and not allow race, tribe or any form of affiliation to be a hindrance to the inclusion of the youth in decision making.
Founding Member of the Ghana Clergy Association and the General Overseer of Elim Glorious Church Rev. Dr. James Mensah, has challenged other men of God to criticize the ruling government because they have disappointed Ghanaians.
The man of God stated that just as former President Dramani Mahama was criticized when he was in power, the current President should also be called to order.
‘The NPP promised Ghanaians they would deliver leadership that would transform lives and create better economic opportunities, but what we see today is that Ghanaians are getting poorer’, he opined.
He told Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm that Ghanaians are struggling to survive, and the ruling party must take steps to change the narrative or forget their quest to break the 8.null
He added that Ghanaians had a lot of hope in the President, but he has failed woefully but quickly added that things could change if the ruling government put in measures to address the economic hardship in the country.
To him, Ghanaians voted for the NPP because they were fed with the Mahama’s administration.
However, they have lost hope all because the promises by the NPP seems not to be working.
Onion sellers at Agbogbloshie in Accra have debunked allegations by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey that they have contracted a spiritualist to have him killed.
Speaking to Kasapa News, the traders said the Minister should not pay attention to the lies being peddled around, since they have no such intention of killing him as it’s been rumoured.
“We beg the Minister, and we never said we will not relocate so he should not out of anger move us forcefully. He should give us 2-years so that by then we can pay off the loans we’ve injected into our business. There is no truth in the claims that we are using a spiritualist to kill him, never, we can’t do that,” one of the traders stated.
Another trader said: “I have never heard anywhere that someone is planning to use a spiritualist to kill him, we are all Ghanaians and respect authority. So if that is the rumour then that is very unfortunate.”
The Traders further said they cannot be a hindrance to the development agenda of the Minister through his ‘‘Let’s Make Accra Work’ campaign.null
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Henry Quartey in an interview with NET 2 TV disclosed that nothing can stop him from his intended plan of relocating the onion sellers even as they are plotting to have him killed by a spiritualist.
“Whether they like it or not, we will move them because we have made an alternative arrangement for them. I have heard they have gone to some mallam (spiritualist) to kill me,” the Minister narrated.
He continued “They are kidding. They should tell the mallam to return to his hometown because so far as God exists, nothing will happen to Henry Quartey, and by July 1, 2021, we shall move them.
An unlicensed driver has been charged with the murder of a 27-year-old teacher of De Youngsters School, Adentan, after he knocked her down with his vehicle and abandoned her in a bush at Abokobi leading to her death. The suspect, Emeka Adams, 42, was arrested nine days after he had allegedly knocked down the teacher and abandoned her.
He is alleged to have committed the crime at the Adentan-Dodowa traffic intersection at about 7 p.m. on June 7, 2021 while he was in charge of a Hyundai Sonata Saloon vehicle with registration number GB 2126-20.
Investigation
Briefing the Daily Graphic after the arrest of the suspect, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), Mrs Effia Tenge, said after knocking down the teacher, the suspect picked her up under the pretext of taking her to a health facility for treatment.
However, she said police investigations showed that the suspect allegedly abandoned the teacher in a bush at Abokobi, instead of taking her to the hospital.
The body of the victim, she said, was later found in the bush at Abokobi and the police were informed. The police retrieved the body and conveyed it to the Police Hospital Morgue for autopsy and preservation.
Police intelligence, she said, led to the arrest of Adams last Wednesday and the vehicle was also found in his possession.
In another development
Two suspected robbers alleged to have attacked a motorcycle rider with machetes and made away with the motorbike have been arrested at the Tunga Childrens Park at Dansoman in Accra.
They are Mawuli Amegbo and Sule Mohammed. The machetes used have also been retrieved.
Mrs Tenge said the suspects were arrested at about 8a.m. last Sunday.
She said they were arrested after the victim raised the alarm when he was attacked by the suspects with two others currently on the run.
When the victim cried for help, some eyewitnesses came to his aid and pursued the robbers while others tried to contact the police.
Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Mr James Duddridge, UK Minister for Africa, have virtually co-chaired the fifth UK-Ghana Business Council (UKGBC).
A statement issued by the British High Commission in Accra, copied to the Ghana News Agency, said the meeting built UKGBC 2020, which supported more than £223m of investment in Ghana’s infrastructure.
It said the UK Government announced a new programme of support for Ghana Revenue Authority and noted that the meeting reflected on the achievements of the UK-Ghana partnership over the past year, including support for the security sector following the recent visit of Madam Priti Patel, the UK Home Secretary.
The statement said since the last meeting of the UKGBC, the UK-Ghana economic partnership had supported more than £223m of investment in infrastructure across the country, the biggest UK investment into infrastructure in Ghana in a generation.
“This investment has significantly developed the country’s critical infrastructure, combining UK support and expertise with Ghanaian skills and entrepreneurship to build roads, bridges, hospitals, water infrastructure, airports and the expansion of Kumasi market,” it stated.
The statement said Council members discussed the progression of key projects that had grown out of the work of the UKGBC, such as supporting work to create jobs and build a sustainable industry in the auto, garments and pharma sectors through the UK’s £12m JET programme and the ongoing the construction of the Tema to Afloa road.
It said the £80.3m projects, supported by UKEF, would improve transport links across the country and ultimately West Africa whilst creating skilled jobs for Ghanaians.
The statement said Mr Iain Walker, the outgoing British High Commissioner to Ghana; Emma Wade-Smith, the UK’s Trade Commissioner for Africa; Sir Graham Wrigley, Chairman of the CDC Group and Louis Taylor, Chief Executive Officer of UK Export Finance also attended the Council.
Ghana’s side included Mr Alan Kyerematen, Minister of Trade and Industry; Mr Dominic Nitiwul, Minister of Defence; Mr Joseph Osei Owusu, the Minister of Public Enterprises and Mr Yaw Osafo Maafo, the Senior Adviser to the President.
It said delegates welcomed the signing of the UK-Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement, recognising it as the foundation for a strengthened trading relationship securing tariff-free access for products sold in British shops as well as supporting jobs in Ghana and helping both nations to build back better from COVID-19.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Walker said: “Today’s fifth UK-Ghana Business Council UK recognised the long and enduring partnership between our nations and the real progress we have made since the Council was established in 2018.
“Together, the UK and Ghana have worked to encourage economic diversification, seen new investment in manufacturing and improved tax policy and signed a Trade Partnership Agreement that will support Ghana’s own priorities in trade and investment, and ensure that our mutual partnership strengthens.”
The statement said during the meeting, the UK Government announced a new support programme for the Ministry of Finance and Ghana Revenue Authority to increase tax revenue and strengthen the country’s tax policy and administration.
Mr Duddridge reiterated the UK’s full support of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) and again welcomed Ghana’s successful hosting of the AfCFTA Secretariat.
The statement said both Council Chairs acknowledged the challenges and opportunities ahead as both Ghana and the UK continued the fight against climate change and collaborate to build a cleaner, greener future.
Established in 2018, the UKGBC functions as a high-level forum to promote bilateral relations and strategic partnerships between the Ghanaian private sector and UK counterparts.
The aim is to promote trade and investment for the mutual benefit of each nation and enhance economic growth.
The UK-Ghana Trade Partnership Agreement will provide Ghana with tariff free access to the UK and restore the terms of trade that applied until 31 December 2020.
Total UK trade with Ghana was £1.2 billion in 2019.
The Agreement restores Ghana’s duty free, quota free access to the UK.
It will allow the UK to further deepen its relationship with Ghana and pursue common interests.
BHM Construction International is said to be a civil engineering company specialising in airports and roads.
The Tema to Afloa road – border with Togo major upgrade will be their first project in Ghana.
UKEF is the UK government’s export credit agency and a government department, working alongside the Department for International Trade as an integral part of its strategy and operations.
Working with more than 100 private credit insurers and lenders to help UK companies access export finance -a particular class of loans, insurance policies or bank guarantees that enable international trade to take place as easily and securely as possible.
Held in Glasgow, Scotland in November 2021, the COP26 summit will bring parties together to accelerate action towards the goals of the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.
The Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery, has vehemently rejected the assertion that the government has lost the fight against crime.
He insists the recent incidents of crime in the country does not mean that crime is on the increase.
Reports of robbery attacks with the recent being the killing of a police officer escorting a bullion van in Accra and other criminal activities, have put fear in some citizens, who have called on the government and the security agencies to up their game to arrest the situation.
For instance, the Minority in Parliament has urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to demonstrate leadership in dealing with the recent rise in violent crimes in the country.
The Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee in Parliament, James Agalga, who addressed the media on the caucus’ behalf stressed that the killing of policemen in such attacks was further worsening the police-to-civilian ratio in the country.
“Four more years for Nana [Akufo-Addo] has begun with a rise in crime. Ghanaians no longer feel safe compared to our immediate past. Violent crime-related cases, particularly robbery, are shaking the foundations of our nation, and it is only fair and a duty for us to call on the Nana Akufo-Addo administration to up its game.”
“We are calling on the President, Chairman of the Security Council, Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces to ensure the peace and security in a country that has remained an oasis of peace in a troubled region is not compromised.”
The Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, also said there was a breakdown in law and order in the country.
But the Interior Minister disagrees, insisting that government is on top of issues.
He, however, said the government will do more to ensure the safety of citizens.
“What we should know is that the criminals continue to change the modules and we have to be changing with them and the police is doing all it can. We have not lost control. I always want to emphasise that, we need to go to neighbouring countries to see what is happening there, but we are not in the same league with them.”
“We want to do better than we are doing now, but believe me, Ghana is safe; that is why all the other countries are running to Ghana
• The order paper of the House did not contain the question he asked regarding the President’s luxurious travel
• He described the event on Thursday as sad day for accountability and good governance
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu MP has stated that the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, has asked for more time to enable him to prepare adequately to respond to an urgent question concerning President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s luxurious trip abroad in a £15,000 per hour private jet.
The Minister was supposed to tell Parliamentarians on Thursday, June 17, the exact cost of the President’s trip abroad which the Minority alleged to have cost £15,000 per hour, but the order paper of the House communicated something different.
Earlier, the Business Committee had fixed the Finance Minister’s response to Okudzeto Ablakwa’s question to the controversial luxurious trip of the President on Thursday, but the question was not part of the things the Minister was supposed to respond to.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa was unhappy and he questioned the Speaker why the question was conspicuously missing on the order paper.null
He said, “Coming to the House today and looking at the order paper, the question that was advertised for the Honourable Minister responsible for Finance on the cost of the President’s recent trip to France, Belgium and South Africa is conspicuously missing on today’s order paper and Mr Speaker, I am wondering what is the cause of this rather strange development.”
But in a post on his Facebook timeline, the MP noted, “very surprising that Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta is asking Parliament for more time to respond to my urgent question on the full cost of President Akufo-Addo’s recent luxury travels to France, Belgium and South Africa.
The question had been advertised in the Provisional Order Paper for a response today [Thursday].”
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa added, “this is terribly disappointing after his Ministry has had more than a two-week notice to prepare an answer for Parliament and the people of Ghana.
Gregory Afoko, one of the two persons standing trial for the murder of the New Patriotic Party’s Upper East Regional Chairman Adams Mahama has through his lawyers denied knowing one Robert Atule, a Prosecution Witness in the ongoing trial.
The witness, who is the State’s sixth witness, said he is a friend to Afoko and like brothers in the Bolgatanga Estate where they both lived until the incident of May 20 that led to the death of the late Mahama.
While being led by the Chief State Attorney Marina Appiah Opare to give his Evidence-in-Chief, the witness said, he met with Afoko a day before the incident who had expressed to him (witness) the grudge between his elderly brother Paul Afoko, the National Chairman of the NPP then and the Regional Chairman.
The witness said, acting as a senior brother to Afoko, he asked him to come over to his office to calm him down if he had in mind of doing something untoward, but the witness said Afoko never came as agreed.
Under cross-examination from Lawyer Stephen Sowah Charway, holding brief for Osafo Buabeng, put it to the witness that, he does not know Afoko anywhere, but the witness disagreed saying “I know him and we know ourselves.”
Counsel further put it to the witness that, his testimony to the court about meeting Afoko somewhere on May 19, 2015, a day before the alleged acid incident was never true and it was an after taught.
But, the witness said “If he is saying so, I can’t say yes or no. But, I know that I know him and I met him.”
To this end, counsel ended his cross-examination of the six witnesses who were subsequently discharged by the court for the next witness to be called on June 24.
Deteriorating health
Meanwhile, the Lawyer for Afoko has concurred with the state’s request to the court to remand the accused persons to the Nsawam Prison custody.
The accused persons have been in the custody of the National Investigations Bureau.
According to counsel, his client, who has had surgery on his arm is having his health deteriorated at the NIB custody and wants his client transferred to the Nsawam Prisons where he can have enough ventilation and move freely.
According to him, “considering he is almost held in low ventilation at NIB custody, we believe sending him to Nsawam to enjoy some fresh air and walk around will benefit him,” and prayed the court accordingly.
Even though counsel for the second accused person Andrew Kudzo Vortia preferred his client to be in NIB custody for easy accessibility, the court said bo5th accused persons should be moved from the NIB custody to Nsawam.
The National Communications Authority (NCA) has won a case which was filed by the Media Foundation for West Africa (MWFA) against the Authority. Today, the High Court of Accra (Human Rights Division) upheld the legal submissions of the NCA and dismissed all the reliefs claimed by MFWA again NCA in respect of the former’s request for information
It will be recalled that on 22nd July, 2020, MFWA made a request to the NCA to provide the full list of all Authorised FM stations as of the second quarter of 2020, indicating the dates of first Authorisation, dates of last Authorisation renewals, locations, and operational status (on air or off air); full list of all Authorised television stations as of the second quarter of 2020, indicating the dates of first authorisation, Dates of last Authorisation renewals, locations, and operational status; an explanation for the recent replacement of the published 2020 second quarter report titled: ‘List of Authorised VHF-FM Radios in Ghana as at Second Quarter 2020’ which contained columns for date of first Authorisation and date of last Authorisation renewal, with one that now excludes the dates of first authorisation and dates of last Authorisation renewals.
The MFWA also requested for the full list (name of company, name of radio station, location and frequency number) of all FM radio stations that were shut down following the 2017 FM Spectrum Audit and in line with the 2018 decision of the Electronic Communications Tribunal.
The NCA, upon assessment of the above requests by the MFWA, asked MFWA to pay a fee of GHS2,000.00 in accordance with law. MFWA however refused to pay the said service fees charged by the NCA and subsequently filed an action at the High Court of Accra (Human Rights Division) against the NCA.
The High Court presided over by Justice Gifty Agyei Addo ruled that the request for the NCA to provide an explanation for the discharge of its mandate in publishing quarterly reports was untenable and violates the Right to Information law. The Court also held that MFWA had failed to establish any basis for the claim that its request is in the public interest; the Court upheld NCA’s contention that the public interest argument was an afterthought.
The High Court again held that the request made by MFWA was personal to the NGO, and that the said requests must to be paid for by MFWA. Accordingly, the Court ordered MFWA to pay GHS1,500.00 to the NCA before the permitted information requested can be answered.
The NCA wishes to stress that the Authority will endeavour to execute its mandate as set out by law. The Authority’s doors are always opened to engage with its many stakeholders, provided this is done through due process.
• Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has questioned if President Akufo-Addo bath every six and half hoursnull
• He could not comprehend why the government will be concerned with the President taking his shower to enable the country hire £15,000 per hour private jet
• He claims the President could have used the Presidential jet for his recent trip aboard and not to incur additional cost for the country
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, the North Tongu MP says it is ridiculous for Dominic Ntiwul, the Defence Minister, to tell parliamentarians that Ghana decided to hire President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo the luxurious £15,000 per hour private jet because he needed to take a bath in the sky.
He questioned the number of times the President takes his bath when working from the Jubilee House in Accra.
Dominic Nitiwul in answering an urgent question in Parliament filed by the Minority Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs on why President Akufo-Addo hired a £15,000 per hour private jet recently for his trip abroad said:
“This aircraft will carry a load of 11 persons minus the crew. When this aircraft is travelling to the eastern part of the USA or Asia, it will not load a crew of more than eight plus the luggage. So, it depends on where it is going. Secondly, I have also said the aircraft has to do refuelling stops, and also in this COVID-19, when you are travelling to multiple destinations like the president’s recent travel, the Falcon couldn’t have been taken because he would have had to do technical stops which are not desirable.”null
Nitiwul added, “the president works hard enough to rake in money for the country, hence deserves more than a Falcon.
When he is travelling with more than 20 people like he has been doing for business trips that brought huge sums of money to this country, he will need more than just a Falcon, otherwise, the others would have to go a day ahead of the president to prepare themselves. In fact, the president would also have to go a day ahead because no president can shower in this aircraft. He cannot move from this aircraft straight into a meeting,” Nitiwul justified.
But speaking to Joy FM, Wednesday evening, monitored by GhanaWeb, Okudzeto Ablakwa asked, “when the President is on land, in Accra, working as President, does he take his bath every six and half hours?
Accra to Paris is just six and half hours, why is having a shower so important [to the President].”
Ablakwa averred that Ghana bought its presidential jet the same year France bought its presidential jet, that is, 2010, “they are still using the Presidential jet”.
He, however, pointed out that the analogy is that France is still using the Presidential jet they bought in the same year that Ghana bought its own.
He further stated that, before the Falcon was bought, Ghanaians were made aware that the lifespan of the aeroplane was at least 20 years and 2021 is the eleventh year of the plane and “[the] presidential jet is in serviceable condition, there is nothing wrong with it”.
Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa noted that the government’s explanation is just a “post-facto rationalization just to justify an unjustifiable £15,000 per hour [private jet the country hired]”.
He added that President Akufo-Addo could fly back to Ghana to refuel the Falcon if he was afraid of contracting COVID-19 as the Minister claimed in Parliament.
“Look, I have been part of a presidential delegation [before], when you land for refuelling, you are given an option to disembark or you stay in the aircraft. Often President Mahama and Mills have stayed on board, so, this COVID excuse is a non-starter […] Accra to Paris, you don’t need to refuel. The only other challenge will be Paris to Johannesburg. Now, all you do is travel from Paris to Accra; six and half hours, you refuel and you go to Johannesburg for five and half hours. So this COVID excuse is a total non-starter,” Okudzeto Ablakwa explained.
• Kwaku Azar has charged the IGP to make Ghana a hell for armed robbers
• He says even though we have not been to heaven before, the IGP can make Ghana safe for Ghanaians
• The IGP had started that apart from heaven, crime is everywhere in the world
Prof Stephen Kwaku Asare a. k. a. Kwaku Azar has charged the Inspector-General of Police to make Ghana a living hell for armed robbers to operate.
His comments come after the IGP, James Oppong-Boanuh, told journalists after he visited the residence of the late Police Constable General, Emmanuel Osei, who was shot by some armed robbers on Monday, June 14, while he was providing escort to a bullion van that crime is everywhere apart from heaven.
The IGP indicated that, despite the alarming rate of insecurity, Ghanaians should lower their expectations from the police because crime is experienced everywhere including developed countries so, the recent spate of crime is not peculiar to Ghana.
“We are doing what we can to protect the people of Ghana. There is no society in the world where there is no crime. Even in the USA, UK and Sweden, where they, more or less have everything, they still have crime. The only place that doesn’t have crime is heaven and we are not in heaven,” James Oppong-Boanuh said.
“So, if any so-called security analyst is saying that we are not on top of our game and that’s why these things are happening, he does not know what he is talking about,” he charged.
Reacting to this in a post on his Facebook timeline, the US-based Ghanaian Professor wrote:
“The IGP has reminded or is it assured, us that ‘the police are doing what they can to protect Ghanafuo. There is no society in the world where there is no crime. Even in the USA, UK and Sweden, where they, more or less have everything, they still have crime. The only place that doesn’t have crime is heaven and we are not in heaven.’
We may not be in heaven but we need an IGP who will make the country a living hell for armed robbers.”
Adam Bonaa, a security analyst, in an interview on Joy FM, monitored by GhanaWeb, called for the resignation of the IGP, James Oppong-Boanuh, due to his inability to bring an end to the rise in daylight robberies in the country.
He said, “I am putting the blame at the doorsteps of the Police IGP and I am advocating that he should go, he has reached retirement, they have given him two extensions so he should go home for more enthusiastic, energized officers who are within the 60 years limit to take over and probably put a bit more enthusiasm into the Ghana Police.”
Professor at the University of Ghana, Legon Ransford Yaw Gyampo says the Inspector General of Police (IGP), James Oppong-Boanuh, must retire from service.
This follows comments made by Mr Oppong-Boanuh in reaction to criticisms about the recent spate of robbery attacks in the country.
“We are doing what we can to protect the people of Ghana,” the IGP indicated.
“There is no society in the world where there is no crime. Even in the USA, UK and Sweden, where they, more or less have everything, they still have crime. The only place that doesn’t have crime is heaven and we are not in heaven.”
But Mr Oppong-Boanuh has received flak for these comments with many asking him to retract them and apologise.
Taking to his Facebook page on Wednesday, June 16, Prof Gyampo stated that the IGP must learn the art of public speaking especially in times of sorrow.
“The IGP must learn the tact of communication, particularly in times of sorrow.
“We need no soothsayer to tell us we are not in heaven. He must learn the art of public speaking and be politically smart in his utterances.
Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo on Tuesday asked African societies to use the Day of the African Child as an opportunity to reflect on ways to create a better future for children.
She also asked all organisations, including civil society, to strategise and provide a much more secure environment to enhance the proper nurturing of all African children.
In a message to mark the Day of The African Child, that falls on June 16 each year, Mrs Akufo-Addo, said: “It is a poignant reminder to us of the horrors the African Child has encountered throughout history”.
“Whether in demanding better education, nutrition or any other necessities of basic living, the African Child should never have to feel threatened in wanting a better life,” she said.
While joining all well-meaning Africans in remembrance of the Day, the First Lady said the Rebecca Foundation would continue to work to ensure that it created “fighters and champions for the young ones.”
The Day was on the theme: “30 Years after the Adoption of the Charter: Accelerate the Implementation of Agenda 2040 for an Africa fit for Children”.
It is commemorated annually to remember hundreds of South African children killed while protesting in Soweto on June 16, 1976.
Hundreds of over a thousand black schoolchildren in Soweto, who took to the streets to protest the inferior quality of their education and to demand their right to be taught in their own language, were shot down.
Within the two weeks of protest that followed, more than a hundred people were killed and more than a thousand injured.
Therefore to honour their courage and in memory of those who lost their lives, the Organisation of African Unity (now the African Union) established the Day of the African Child in 1991.
It is also used to draw attention to the lives of African children presently.
The African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, in 2016, established a 25-year Agenda, namely: “Agenda 2040: Fostering an Africa fit for Children”.
The main objective of the Agenda is to restore the dignity of the African Child through assessing the achievements and challenges for the effective implementation of the African Children’s Charter.
The Minority Leader in Parliament, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, has called for “greater reforms” of policing in the country in the wake of the murder of another policeman in the line of duty by armed men on Monday.
According to him, he has been reliably informed that many police officers were not sufficiently and adequately prepared to protect lives and property, which underscored the need for reforms.
He called for more community involvement and participation on the part of the police, and the provision of modern logistics as part of the reforms to enhance the work of the police.
“That is why I continuously share the view that as expensive as CCTV cameras would be, it would be the way to go into the future,” he said.
Book launch
Mr Iddrisu was speaking to journalists at the launch of a book titled: “My defining moments: A trip from the village to Parliament and beyond,” by a former Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Mr Kenneth Dzirasah.
In the book, the former Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon and South Tongu chronicles his life experiences from early childhood through to his adult life, capturing intriguing aspects of his life as a lawyer, journalist and politician.
Murder of policeman
Mr Iddrisu remarks comes on the back of the murder of Lands Corporal Emmanuel Osei of the National SWAT unit and an unidentified woman by suspected robbers who ambushed a vehicle carrying money at James Town, near Korle Bu in Accra on Monday.
The police said it had launched a grand security operation to hunt down the suspected robbers.
‘Breakdown of law and order’
Mr Iddrisu said the murder of another police officer showed that there was “gradual breakdown of law and order,” and blamed the government for not doing enough to guarantee the safety of police officers.
“The primary responsibility of the President is the safety and security of the citizens. If what we are reading is anything to go by, then we all must collectively express our disappointment at the Presidency and the handling of matters of personal safety and security,” he said.
He added: “When the police officer who needs to protect the state is not secure, then it leaves much to be desired.”
While extending his condolences to the bereaved family, Mr Iddrisu further called for calm and restraint in the country while the Minority pushed for reforms in the Ghana Police Service.
A 31-year-old English tutor at the Ghana National College in the Cape Coast Metropolis has died after she was knocked down by a vehicle driven by a Police officer.
26-year-old Sheila Afful was struck by the vehicle at the entrance of the school, killing her instantly. The incident happened on Wednesday at about 11:00 am when Miss Afful was on her way to teach at the school.
The body of the deceased has since been deposited at the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital morgue.
An eyewitness who spoke to Kasapa FM’s Yaw Boagyan said, the driver of the vehicle 27-year-old Police constable Eodia Adu Gyemfi stationed at Twifo-Praso, was descending from the hills when her Toyota Corolla Saloon car with registration number GG-4680-18 with one another person onboard lost control of the vehicle and landed on the deceased at the pedestrian path of the school’s gate after the car somersaulted several times.
The vehicle in the process also hit a motorcycle belonging to a security officer parked at the gate.
According to sources, the Police constable had gone to the school to visit her brother who is a student. The eyewitness added that the Police MTTD later towed the vehicle from the scene after the accident.
A family member of the deceased who pleaded anonymity described the deceased as a smart, intelligent, promising and determined woman who was pursuing her PhD programme at the University of Cape Coast.
The Central Regional Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Police Service, DSP Mrs Irene Serwaah Oppong confirmed the story adding that investigations have begun
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Godfred Yeboah Dame, yesterday saved the country from paying a whopping GH¢1,297,985,310.26 as outstanding judgment debt to NDK Financial Services.
The private financial institution had filed claims to the effect that it was still entitled to more payments amounting to about GH¢1,273,000,000 as judgment debt flowing from a Supreme Court judgment.
But this position was vehemently opposed by the Attorney General who insisted that the state had made all outstanding payments to the firm and owes it nothing.
The AG had contended that as far as the government is concerned, it has already complied with the judgment of the Supreme Court, but NDK continues to make ‘unsubstantiated’ claims for more money.
Auditing
The Supreme Court in March 2019 then appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana – an accounting firm – to ascertain the veracity of the over GH¢1.27 billion claims being made by NDK Financial Services Limited against the government through the Ministry of Energy.
The state being represented by the Attorney General and the private firm were subsequently ordered by the court to prepare legal accounts for the auditing firm to work with.
PWC was expected to verify how much the state had been able to pay through the Bank of Ghana (BoG) and whether NDK was still entitled to more payments amounting to GH¢1,273,000,000 as judgment debt.
The parties in the matter complied with the orders of the court and PWC after its auditing, submitted its findings to the Supreme Court.
Judgment
A five member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice Anin Yeboah and assisted by Justices Jones Dotse, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Sulemana Gbadegbe, as well as Nene Amegatcher, in a unanimous decision held that government only owed NDK Financial Services only GH¢14,689.75 and not the huge amount it claimed.
Justice Gbadegbe, now retired, had to come back to give his opinion because Article 145 (4) of the 1992 Constitution gives him six months to enable conclude cases he was handling prior to the date of retirement.
Government, the court held, is to pay only GH¢14,689.75 as outstanding debt with interest at the prevailing rate, starting from November 14, 2014, to the day of final payment.
The court said full reasons for its judgment would be ready at its Registry by June 4, 2021.
NDK Claims
The AG in 2019, had filed an application before the Supreme Court insisting that the government had fulfilled all financial obligations to NDK with regards to certain payments and interests based on the court’s order.
Then Deputy Attorney General Mr. Dame now AG, had told the court that “NDK through a process of categorising the judgment debt into ‘ascertained’ and ‘unascertained’ parts, has been persistently making claims for humongous sums from the applicant herein, albeit totally unjustified.”
Mr. Dame further argued that, “that in the view of the state implies the sum of GH¢867,441.5 plus interest at the agreed rate of 6.5% per month calculated at the close of each day and payable at the end of every month from April 1, 2009 till the date of final payment.”
According to him, “payment of any sums made in contravention of the letters of undertaking cast a burden on the respondent to produce evidence of such payment in contravention of the letters of undertaking by the Ministry of Energy.”
However, Alfred Bannerman Williams, counsel for NDK, opposed the application which he said “seeks to truncate the execution of the court’s order.”
He also challenged the ‘inherent jurisdiction’ of the Supreme Court based on which the AG had filed the application.
Counsel was however, unable to tell the court how much money the state owed NDK, but said there were ‘unascertained’ payments.
It was on this basis that the court appointed PricewaterhouseCoopers Ghana, an accounting firm, to ascertain the veracity of claims made by NDK Financial Services Limited’s over GH¢1.273 billion claims against the government, and it was established that the private firm was entitled to only GH¢14,689.75 and not GH¢1,273,000,000 that was claimed.
President Akufo-Addo has appealed to 21 newly commissioned Ambassadors and High Commissioners to familiarize themselves with his government’s post-coronavirus recovery agenda and to champion same at their various destinations and duty post.null
Addressing the newly commissioned Ambassadors and High Commissioners at the Jubilee House after administering the Oath of Allegiance, Official Oath and the Oath of Secrecy to them, President Akufo-Addo said the selection and appointment of the new Envoys have come at a time when the entire world has been hit by the coronavirus pandemic and are looking for the path to recovery.
Ghana, the President said has equally been hit by Coronavirus and the recovery of the nation should be the burden of members of the government which includes the Ambassadors and High Commissioners.
President Akufo-Addo stressed the fact that his government’s flagship programme, Obaatapa Cares and its main objectives must be the pivot around which the new Envoys ought to engage the rest of the world on behalf of Ghana.
The main elements of this programme (the Ghana Obaatapa cares) according to President Akufo-Addo, are; a. “Supporting commercial farming and attracting educated youth into commercial farming, b. Building the country’s line manufacturing sector, c. Developing engineering machine tools and digital economy industries, d. Fast-tracking digitalization, e. Developing Ghana’s housing and construction industry, f. Establishing Ghana as a regional hub, g. Reviewing and optimizing the implementation of government’s flagship and key programmes and h. Creating jobs for young people and expanding opportunities for the vulnerable in society”.
“Ambassadors and High Commissioners, you have to familiarize yourselves with this objective which are at the core of my second term mandate as they represent our surest way out of the pandemic and which will thrust Ghana back to the path of progress and prosperity”.
In a response to the President’s charge, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, Ghana’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, on behalf of his colleagues assured the President that they will work extremely hard to help the recovery process of the country from the impact of coronavirus.
“We wish to assure that we will work assiduously to justify the confidence that you have reposed in us by our appointment and worthy representatives of Ghana”
The Envoys
The twenty-one Ambassadors and High Commissioners who were commissioned include: Ms. Khadija Iddrisu, High Commissioner to the Republic of Zambia, Mr. Kwabena Okubi-Appiah, Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia, Oheneba Dr. Lesley Akyaa Opoku-Ware, Ambassador to the Russian Federation, Lieutenant General Obed Boamah Akwa (Rtd), Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt, Mr. Charles Asuako Owiredu, High Commissioner to the Republic of South Africa, Mr. Francis Danti Kotia, Ambassador to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Mrs. Francisca Ashietey-Odunton, Ambassador to the Republic of Turkey, Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan, Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Mr. Napoleon Abdulai, Ambassador to the Republic of Mali, and Mrs. Sylvia Naa Adaawa Annoh, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Denmark.
The rest are Madam Barbara Akuorkor Benisa, High Commissioner to the Republic Of Malta, Ms. Alima Mahama (Hajia), Ambassador to the United States of America, Mr. Yakubu Alhassan, High Commissioner to the Republic of Namibia, Mr. Samuel Yaw Nsiah, Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba, Madam Christine Churcher, Ambassador to the Republic of Benin, Mr. Damptey Bediako Asare, High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya, Alhaji Mohammad Habibu Tijani, Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Mrs. Charis Obestebi-Lamptey-Zwennes, Ambassador to the Republic of Korea, Papa Owusu-Ankomah, High Commissioner to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Mr. Michael Ofori –Atta, Ambassador – At -Large, and Mr. Emmanuel Kwame Asiedu Antwi, Ambassador In Situ (Chief Of Protocol)
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