The Minority in Parliament has served notice to rely on the Chairman of the Public Account Committee (PAC) to write officially to the Auditor-General (A-G) to audit the account of the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo.
This follows the decision of the First Lady to refund the GH¢899,000 allowances she has received from the state since 2017.

Yesterday, the Office of the President released a press statement that it had received a cheque covering the amount from Mrs Akufo-Addo.

Addressing the press in Parliament yesterday, the Minority explained that an audit by the A-G would help to determine whether the money the First Lady was using to refund the allowance she was paid, was indeed her own resources, or funds she took from her foundation which was funded by state agencies such as Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) and GCB.

“We welcome the decision by the First Lady to refund the allowances paid to her since January 2017, but we need to ascertain whether that is the money she actually received and whether interest has accrued on the money and she has to refund same,” it said.

The Deputy Minority Leader, Mr James Klutse Avedzi,who addressed the media, said “If the First Lady is not interested to receive allowances, then all state sponsorship for her non-profit organisation should also be refunded since she is not personally interested in that.

“As Chairman of the Public Account Committee (PAC), we are serving notice that we will write officially to the Auditor General to go into auditing the account of the First Lady as well as the Second Lady,” he said.

Refund of allowances

 Mrs Akufo-Addo reportedly returned to the state an amount of GH¢899,097.84 being the full refund of allowances paid her since  January 7, 2017.

She issued a Consolidated Bank Ghana Limited cheque with number 000002 for the amount.

The refund follows her rejection of proposed allocated salaries approved by Parliament, which has since generated controversy and engendered public debates over the propriety to consider salaries and other emoluments for presidential spouses in consonance with Article 71 office holders.

Interest must be paid

Reacting to the development, Mr Avedzi acknowledged that the decision by the First Lady to  refund the GH¢899,000 she received from the state should come with some interest that the money would have accrued.

“So we are calling on the A-G to go into the accounts of the First Lady to ascertain that the money she actually refunded was the money she received and also compute the interest that would have accrued, if that money had been put to interest-bearing account.

“The A-G must also ascertain whether there is sufficient money in the account so that the cheque she has issued will not bounce,” he said.

First Lady can’t be under Article 71

He asserted that if former First Ladies were legally paid allowances, there was nothing wrong for the current First Lady and Second Lady to also receive allowances from the state.

“But when you put the First Lady under Article 71, it is an infringement on the Constitution and that is the point we are raising because there is nowhere in Article 71 that the spouses of the President had been stated to be part of public office holders

“She can continue to receive allowance but once we are not equating you to a Cabinet minister it is wrong,” he said.

Extend auditing to former First Ladies

In a reaction, the New Patriotic Party MP for Nhyiaeso, Mr Stephen Amoah, welcomed the call by the Minority for the A-G to audit the account of the First and Second ladies.

He, however, called for such auditing to be extended to all former First Ladies, especially the wife of former President John Mahama, Mrs Lordina Mahama, who started taking “huge salaries from 2012” and her foundation also received funds from the state.

Source: graphiconline.com

The Youth Wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has announced to the general public, new changes at the National Secretariat of the Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN).

A statement said in line with the reorganization and overall party agenda to revamp its activities and operations, these changes have been effected at the TEIN Secretariat to reflect the strategic direction of the Youth Wing towards Agenda 2024.

As part of this process, new coordinators with clearly defined roles, scope of work have been appointed to help run and manage the Secretariat with key focus on mobilizing young people especially students for the National Democratic Congress.

The following individuals have been appointed; Bernard Dartey, Ekow Djan, Bawa Mubarik

Thus the new structure of TEIN is as follows;

David D. Wullah

National TEIN Coordinatornull

Ekow Djan

Deputy In Charge of Southern Sector

Bernard Dartey

Deputy In Charge of Operations

Henrietta Asante

Deputy In Charge of Administrationnull

Bawa Mubarik

Deputy In Charge of Northern Sector

Solomon Ananpansah who served as a Deputy Coordinator resigned earlier this year to pursue higher education. The Youth Wing has extended best wishes to him and thanks him for his service.

The new leadership of TEIN have been charged with overseeing the revamping of TEIN activities and operations to mobilize a 1 million student base for the NDC.

Source: 3news.com

Editor-in-Chief of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt has commended First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Second Lady Samira Bawumia for refunding their allowances to the State.

Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee

The Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu Committee report dated the 18th of June 2020, submitted its recommendations to President Akufo-Addo in fulfilment of the Article 71 provision of the 1992 Constitution which enjoins every sitting President, before the end of his four-year mandate, to set up a Committee to make recommendations on the emoluments for Article 71 office holders.

As part of the five (5) member committee’s report, they recommended the payment of a salary equivalent to a Cabinet Minister who is a Member of Parliament (MP) to the First Lady while her husband is in office and the payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of salary of a Minister of State who is a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served one full term as President or 100% of salary of a Minister of State who is a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served two or more full terms as President.

With the Second Lady, the committee’s report, recommended the payment of a salary equivalent to a Cabinet Minister who is not a Member of Parliament (MP) to the Second Lady while her husband is in office and the payment of a salary equivalent to 80% of salary of a Minister of State who is not a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served one full term as President or 100% of salary of a Minister of State who is a Member of Parliament (MP) if the spouse served two or more full terms as Vice President.

First & Second Ladies’ Salaries Refund

First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, in a statement dated 12th July 2021, has “decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to be paid to her pursuant to the recommendations of the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Badu Committee, as approved by Parliament”.

She cited the “extremely negative opinions” from critics which are seeking to portray her as a “self-serving and self-centered woman” as reasons for her refund.

In view of this, she “in consultation with the President of the Republic, has decided to refund all monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, i.e., from January 2017 to date, amounting to GH¢899,097.84.”

The Second Lady, Samira Bawumia has also indicated she will refund a total amount of eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-two (GHc 887,482) she’s received as allowances from January 2017 to March 2021.

The decision of the two leading ladies of the Republic to refund their allowances is motivated by recent public backlash that has characterized the recommendation by the Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 office holders for the First and Second Ladies to be paid salaries. 

Kwesi Pratt’s Reply

Discussing the issue on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme, Kwesi Pratt welcomed the refund of the allowances, stressing it will be of great help to Ghanaians.

“Her Excellency Rebecca Akufo-Addo has helped us. She’s come out to say she doesn’t want the money and that we should take it back. We have done something. Haven’t we? I’ve heard that Madam Samira Bawumia (Excellency) also says she doesn’t want the money, so we should receive it back. We have taken our money back,” he told host Kwami Sefa Kayi.


https://www.youtube.com/embed/g_mnSJCs3NM

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

The opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, wants the Chief Justice, Justice Kwesi Anin-Yeboah, to step aside, following a $5 million bribery allegation made against him.

The General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketiah at a press conference on Tuesday, 13th July 2021 argued that this will allow for a fair investigation to be conducted into allegations of misconduct leveled against the Chief Justice.

Asiedu Nketiah’s call is borne out of the firm belief that the Judicial Service’s investigation into the alleged misconduct might be compromised, given that the Chief Justice has been vested with the power to sanction judicial officers.

“The difficulty with this is that the investigations would concern the Chief Justice, who is the subject of the bribery allegations in this matter and in whom disciplinary authority against Judicial Officers is vested under Section 18 of the Judicial Service Act.”

“Good governance dictates that the Chief Justice steps aside during the pendency of the investigations by the Judicial Service relative to the issue of alleged misconduct on his part as a Supreme Court Judge. The Chief Justice cannot be a judge in his own cause, hence cannot set up a committee to investigate allegations of misconduct against himself.”

The Chief Justice has denied the allegations and petitioned the Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, to investigate the matter.

Mr. Nketiah also called for a public enquiry into the bribery allegation, saying it is the best approach to establishing the truth.

“We believe that only credible and transparent investigations can establish the truth in this matter. And we hold the opinion that the transparent approach of a public enquiry is the best way to go. This approach we believe, is in the interest of the Chief Justice who stands accused, and his accuser.”

The allegations were contained in a response Mr. Akwasi Afrifa, a lawyer, gave against a petition filed against him by his client at the disciplinary committee of the General Legal Council.

Ogyeedom IV, who was his client, dragged Mr. Afrifa to the GLC alleging that the lawyer collected $100,000 from him with a promise to help get a favourable judgement on his behalf.

Ogyeedom Atta IV asked the council to order Mr. Afrifa to refund the $100,000, saying the lawyer failed to deliver on his promise.

In a response dated on July 8, 2021, Mr. Afrifa denied the claims by Ogyeedom Kwesi Atta IV, further alleging that he was asked to refund $300,000 in legal fees to enable his client to raise a $5 million bribe to be paid to the Chief Justice to get a favourable decision in the legal dispute.

Below is the full statement read by the General Secretary of the NDC:

SPEECH DELIVERED BY HON. JOHNSON ASIEDU NKETIAH, GENERAL SECRETARY OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS ON ACCUSATIONS OF BRIBERY AGAINST THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF GHANA.

13th July, 2021.

Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen of the media. Let me welcome you to this urgent encounter at which we intend to share our thoughts on a matter of grave national importance.

In the last few days, we have learnt about damning allegations made against the Chief Justice of the Republic of Ghana, His Lordship Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah, by a prominent Lawyer, Akwasi Afrifa Esq., to the effect that his client whose case he was conducting had informed him that the Chief Justice demanded a bribe of USD$5 million to fix the verdict of a case before the Supreme Court. He also alleges that the Chief Justice demanded the replacement of he Akwasi Afrifa with Akoto Ampaw Esq. as Lawyer in the case as a precondition for ensuring victory in the case for his client.

We have also taken notice of a denial by the Chief in question, Nana Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI and the Chief Justice of the said allegations and the subsequent request of the latter for investigations into the matter by the CID of the Ghana Police Service.

Distinguished friends from the media, the allegations made against the Chief Justice are very grave and rock the very foundations of the Judiciary, which is an indispensable and independent arm of government. Any suggestion that the head of such an institution has sought to compromise his office to undermine the integrity of judgements made by the courts, warrants the most serious attention. This is because any doubts harbored over the integrity of the Judiciary and its leadership, has the potential to completely erode public confidence in the administration of justice in Ghana and our governance institutions as a whole.

Over the years, we have collectively worked hard to build a Judiciary with an enviable reputation as a country. Our Judiciary has produced some of the best Jurists on the African continent and I dare say, in the world. Ghanaian Jurists have served in top positions in the judiciaries of other African countries and in many reputable international institutions. The role an effective, independent and impartial Judiciary plays in attracting investment, ensuring national stability and improvement in the general well-being of the citizenry cannot be over emphasised.

As the political tradition that birthed the fourth republic, we are deeply concerned that if this matter is not handled with utmost transparency and the required seriousness, it could compromise public confidence in the judiciary and roll back the many gains that we have made in our forward march as a viable democratic state.

In this regard, and without taking sides or commenting on the merit or otherwise of the said allegations of bribery against the Chief Justice, we believe that an investigation by the Police CID would be woefully inadequate to assure the Ghanaian public that a thorough inquiry has been conducted into the matter.

We are of the considered view that the recent history of the Police CID with respect to investigations into allegations against high-ranking officials of the Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government would not afford the sort of confidence that must be engendered in an investigation such as this considering the elevated position of the person against whom these allegations have been made.

We recall how corruption cases like the Australia Visa fraud scandal, the Galamsey fraud scandal, the 500 missing excavators scandal, just to mention a few ended in clear cover-ups when handled by the Police CID. The magnitude and gravity of this matter calls for utmost transparency and confidence building which the CID cannot muster at the moment.

We in the NDC hold the view, that though these allegations have a component of criminality, it is in equal measure about alleged misconduct on the part of a judge and as such it would ordinarily fall within the ambit of the Judicial Service to take steps to unravel the truth about this matter and take disciplinary action if proven to be true. This is exactly what was done in the bribery expose’ of ace investigative journalist Anas Aremeyaw Anas against some Judges few years ago.

Ladies and gentlemen of the media, the difficulty however with this is that the investigations would concern the Chief Justice who is the subject of the bribery allegations in this matter and in whom disciplinary authority against Judicial Officers is vested under Section 18 of the Judicial Service Act. Therefore, good governance dictates that the Chief Justice steps aside during the pendency of the investigations by the Judicial Service relative to the issue of alleged misconduct on his part as a Supreme Court Judge. The Chief Justice cannot be a judge in his own cause hence cannot setup a committee to investigate allegations of misconduct against himself.

Also, we think that due to the considerable public interest involved in this matter, another effective and transparent approach in the circumstance would be a full-blown public inquiry. This can be done by invoking Article 278 of the 1992 Constitution under which Parliament can by a resolution compel the President to set up a Commission of Inquiry to look into the matters at hand in a transparent manner and make a faithful determination thereof.

Friends, we are now confronted with a very dicey situation, where it is the word of lawyer Akwasi Afrifa on the one hand against the word of the Chief Justice and the Chief who is alleged to have paid the bribe in question on the other hand. As I have already explained, this issue has dire consequences for the reputation of not just the Judiciary but our revered Chieftaincy institution and the country as a whole. The question is, whose account among the three should we believe as a country? Who is telling us the truth? Is it the Chief Justice and Nana Ogyeedom or is it Lawyer Kwasi Afrifa? We believe that only credible and transparent investigations can establish the truth in this matter. And we hold the opinion that the transparent approach of a Public enquiry is the best way to go. This approach we believe is in the interest of the Chief Justice who stands accused and his accuser.

Conversely, CHRAJ, which has an enviable reputation of looking into similar cases of alleged corruption against highly placed state and government officials would be better placed to conduct such a serious inquiry.

We also disagree with the referral of these allegations to the General Legal Council’s Disciplinary Committee by the Chief Justice, for the sole reason that it is an offshoot of a body Chaired by the person at the center of these allegations-the Chief Justice. The likelihood for an impartial and balanced investigation by them into this matter would be quite minimal so long as the Chief Justice remains at post. We therefore believe that the GLC should stay its hands over this matter pending the final determination of the issue by independent state organizations cloaked with requisite authority to do so.

Best practice would require that the Chief Justice steps aside temporarily until the matters are looked into and a clear outcome emerges and we believe this instance calls for such an action.

Friends from the media, in making these calls, we are guided by the supreme interest of governance and the preservation of the image of critical state institutions like the Judiciary and its leaders especially the Chief Justice. No iota of doubt must remain about its integrity and credibility and it is absolutely imperative that everything is done to guarantee this.

Thank you for coming

National Youth Organizer of the ruling New Patriotic Party(NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, has challenged the former First Lady to return all allowances amounting to GHc 3.2 million paid to her by the state from the recommendations of the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu emoluments committee.

According to him, she has equally benefitted from the recommendations of the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu emoluments committee.

Speaking on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ program, he said they will hit the streets to protest if she refuses to refund all the monies paid her by the state as allowances recommended by the committee.

” . . The First Lady having heard the discussions going on about their allowances and upon sober reflection has decided to refund all allowances paid her since 2017 as recommended by the committee. So we expect the former First Lady Madam Lordina Mahama to also refund the money paid to her by the state,” he said.

“Her refusal to do so will lead to a massive demonstration by the youth of this country,” he added.

The committee had recommended that the First Lady be paid a salary equivalent to 80% as a cabinet minister who is also a member of Parliament.

Meanwhile, Parliament has approved that the wives of the President and Vice President should receive salaries.

This recommendation has, however, generated fury and an avalanche of criticism against the ruling government.

Public Discourse

Some sections of the Ghanaian public have taken to social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to register their displeasure with the Committee ’s recommendation. The Minority in Parliament and the former President of the republic, John Dramani Mahama, have also joined in the calls for the policy to be relooked at.

The Trade Union Congress (TUC) in a recent statement also recommended that since the First and Second Ladies of the Republic are not allotted defined roles by the 1992 Constitution, government should take another look at the report and recommendations of the Professor Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu-led committee.

Ist Lady Refunds Nearly Ghc900k Allowances

First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo has, “decided not to accept any monies that have been allocated to be paid to her pursuant to the recommendations of the Ntiamoa-Badu Committee, as approved by Parliament”.

In a statement dated 12th July 2021, the 1st Lady described the “extremely negative opinions” from critics which are seeking to portray her as a “self-serving and self-centered woman” as “distasteful”.

In view of this, she “in consultation with the President of the Republic, has decided to refund all monies paid to her as allowances from the date of the President’s assumption of office, i.e., from January 2017 to date, amounting to GH¢899,097.84.”

Samira Bawumia To Refund GHc887,482 Allowances

The Second Lady of the Republic, Samira Bawumia is set to refund a total amount of eight hundred and eighty-seven thousand, four hundred and eighty-two (GHc 887,482) she has thus far received as allowances from January 2017 to March 2021.

“The Second lady, H. E Samira Bawumia in consultation with H.E. The Vice President, will refund all allowances paid to her since 2017 and will not accept any monies allocated to her pursuant to the recommendations of the Prof. Yaa Ntiamoa-Baidu led committee, as approved by Parliament on 6th January 2021,” a statement from her office said.

The Second Lady’s move follows a similar step by the First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, who has also decided to refund to the State a total of eight hundred and ninety-nine thousand and ninety-seven Ghana cedis (GHc 899,097.00).

The decision of the two leading ladies of the Republic to refund their allowances is motivated by recent public backlash that has characterized the recommendation made by the Presidential Committee on Emoluments for Article 71 office holders for the First and Second Ladies to be paid allowance as part of the benefits of the President and Vice President.

Watch video below

https://www.youtube.com/embed/-vVVbRW9p7A

Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/isaac@peacefmonline.com

Former Special Prosecutor Martin Alamisi Burnes Kaiser Amidu has launched fresh attacks on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, calling his public statements on the fight against corruption as “highfalutin”.

In his latest ‘epistle’ issued on Monday, July 12, Mr. Amidu drew the attention of all and sundry to the expiry of the three-year mandate of the governing board of the Office of Special Prosecutor (OSP) and asked civil society to be particularly alert in the selection of their representative.

“At the time President Akufo-Addo was making his highfalutin statements he knew that he had collaborated with his dual nationality citizen friends populating a particular Civil Society Organization to rig the nomination and electoral process for selecting the representative of the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations,” he wrote.

“The paradox is that the Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations knew this and had no courage to ensure that the sanctity of the nomination process of their representative was not raped.

“Their attempt to rent a press to speak for them did not work because of the hypocrisy involved and the unthinkability that members of Anti-Corruption Civil Society Organizations would be afraid to fight this form of corruption themselves.”

The former Attorney General stressed that he is making the facts known this time around in order to ensure that the Office performs its role without partiality.

“The Office of the Special Prosecutor needs to be operationalized and established as a specialized independent anti-corruption agency and not an adjunct of the Presidency as it has been for the past eight months.

“The Office will be of no use to the taxpayer if it is going to be another law enforcement and intelligence agency like the police service and other so-called ‘independent accountability agencies’ who every reasonable and rational Ghanaian knows are tied to the apron strings of the rhetorical President Nana Akufo Addo and ‘The Family’.”

Source: 3news.com

The Bono regional Chairman of the NPP Kwame Bafo Abronye says former First and Second Ladies who have received allowances from the State must return the monies.

According to him, the payments were illegal since they were not public officeholders.

His comments come on the back of an announcement by First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo declaring her intention to return allowances paid to her by the government since 2017.

This was after public outcry over a new arrangement that would see first and Second ladies collect salaries.

Abronye is already at the Supreme Court over the same matter, seeking interpretation over the legality of the payments.

He told Lantam Papanko on the Morning Starr that “I’m trying to amend my action at the supreme court that all emoluments given to the first and second ladies should be declared null and void and be returned.”

He said “if there’s a legal backing, that’s fine but there’s no legal backing. I still think they should refund the monies because they are not public office holders so there was no need for the state to pay them.”

“I’m sure the second lady will also come out with a statement rejecting the so-called emoluments approved by parliament.”

He added “so, far as I’m concerned, there’s no need. We are talking law here and per the law, what they’re being given is illegal.”

“If there’s a legal backing, that’s fine but there’s no legal backing.”

The Second Lady Samira Bawumia has also announced her decision to refund monies paid to her as allowance since 2017

• NDC will speak on the allegations made against the Chief Justice by lawyer Akwasi Afrifanull

• The Chief Justice has referred the case to CID and the GLC

• Ogyeedom has also rejected the allegations by Akwasi Afrifa

The National Democratic Congress will today, July 13, 2021, hold a press conference on the US$5million bribery allegation involving the Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah and one Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta IV.

An artwork shown by the party on its social media platforms indicates that at 14:00 GMT, the party’s executives will address Ghanaians on the issue.

It is expected that the National Communications Officer of the party, Sammy Gyamfi, who is also a lawyer will handle the press conference.

The Chief Justice is the subject of a bribery allegation, leveled against him by lawyer Kwasi Afrifa who has been dragged before the General Legal Council (GLC) by Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI.null

Afrifa in a written response to the GLC made quite a number of allegations against the Chief Justice and Lawyer Akoto Ampaw.

“At the end of July 2020, the Petitioner informed me that friends of his who were highly connected politically had taken him to see the Chief Justice who had agreed to help him win his case on condition that he drops my goodself as the lawyer handling the case for him and engage Akoto Ampaw Esq in my stead,” Kwasi Afrifa said.

“He further informed me that the Chief Justice had demanded a bribe of US$5,000,000 for a successful outcome to his case and that he had already paid US$500,000 to the Chief Justice. He further indicated that he was hard-pressed to raise the remainder of the US$5,000,000 and so I should refund some of the GH¢300,000 paid me as fees because he had in line with the advice of the Chief Justice, engaged Akoto Ampaw Esq as solicitor to continue the case before the Supreme Court,” he added.

These claims have been outrightly rubbished by the Chief Justice and Ogyeedom Obranu Kwesi Atta VI.

In separate statements, the two figures said that the allegations are without any iota of truth and must be rejected.

Ogyeedom said, “I unequivocally deny all allegations of intended bribery or actual bribery against any judge including the Chief Justice whom I have never met or known personally apart from seeing him in distance from the bench,” the rejoinder said in part.null

“I have since applied for a copy of the said response to my petition against Lawyer Afrifa in which those fabrications and allegations are said to be contained and will appropriately react to the General Legal Council upon receipt of same.”

The Chief Justice on the other hand referred the issue to the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service and the Disciplinary Committee of the GLC.

“His Lordship the Chief Justice is saddened that without any shred of evidence, his name has been dragged into this sordid and potentially criminal matter.

“His Lordship further asserts that he has not demanded or received any money from any person to influence any decision,” the letter said.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The National Youth Organizer for the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Opare Addo has said, Members of Parliament (MPs) sacrifice themselves in serving the nation and leave the political scene worse off, so it can only be right they are treated well while in government.null

The former Municipal Chief Executive for the Akuapim North Municipal Assembly in the Eastern Region made this remark in explaining why the $28 million loan agreement meant to secure cars for MPs is appropriate and in the best interest of the country.

Pablo, as he is affectionately called, said looking at former appointees is a good case study of the suffering that former politicians go through a few years after exiting government.

“Look at former appointees, when people leave government and you see them after some time, you will begin to appreciate that it is not as rosy as we make it to seem and the reality is that it is difficult. It is not rosy.”

He added: “You will meet some former Members of Parliament and when they tell you they were former MPs, you don’t want to believe it because of the harsh conditions they live in.”

The National Youth Organizer said the situation is even worse for those who entered politics and assumed front roles such as DCE, MCE and ministerial appointments.null

“Immediately you assume a front role in politics, especially an MP, a District Chief Executive or a Minister, the pressure that comes with it is overwhelming. Our culture settings are such that everybody begins to depend on you.”

Speaking to Berla Mundi on TV3’s New Day on Monday, July 12 on the cause of the situation, George Opare Addo said the politicians are to blame because “the way we carry ourselves when we assume office, the way we communicate, the way we talk, we create the impression that it is all good but in reality, it is really tough.”

He said things are extremely tough now; some carry so much debt that they have to use their ex-gratia to clear their debt.

“I know people take their ex-gratia and use it all in settling debt. I have colleagues who went into government well off and left government worse off.”

Proposing ways of solving this issue, Pablo suggested “a national conversation be established to know how we are going to deal with our public officials and the kind of pressure we put on our politicians. We need a reorientation as to what the [politician] can do and not do to reduce the many demands”

.Source: 3news.com

The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa wants the leadership of Parliament to call out and deal with what he calls the abysmal conduct of the Finance Minister with regard to providing answers to the question of the cost of the President’s recent foreign travels.

The legislator filed two urgent questions on the use of a private jet for President Akufo-Addo’s trips to Europe and South Africa instead of the presidential jet.

The first question, admitted by the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin on June 1, 2021, dealt with the airworthiness of the presidential jet  and was answered by the Minister for Defence, Dominic Nitiwul.

On the day Ken Ofori-Atta was expected to answer his part of the question, Ablakwa was informed that the Minister had requested for more time to furnish the House on the cost of President Akufo-Addo’s foreign trips.

The question was subsequently taken off the Business Statement of Parliament, although the Minister had about two weeks earlier to prepare his response.

Raising the concern once again on the floor of the house, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said the House must not be seen to be giving the Minister preferential treatment when his colleagues have been hauled before the House.

“On the 1st of July, I wrote a memo to the Business Committee, drawing attention that if care is not taken, it will appear as though there is a Minister who is above our standing orders and above the laws of this country who can keep asking for more time in perpetuity. Nobody knows what ‘more time’ means. I have gone through the business statement and again that question is conspicuously missing. Can the honourable Majority Leader tell this House what is going on?” Mr. Ablakwa said.

This is the second time Mr. Ablakwa has raised concerns over the Finance Minister’s failure to appear before the House to account for President Akufo-Addo’s use of a private jet for his recent trips to Europe and South Africa.

Mr. Ablakwa had earlier threatened to initiate a vote of censure against the Minister if he continues to delay in coming before the House to render accounts.

‘I haven’t rejected the question on the cost of Nana Addo’s travels’ – Bagbin

The Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin, had earlier denied any complicity in the re-scheduling of the question on the cost of President Akufo-Addo’s travels to France, Belgium, and South Africa.

Speaking on the floor of the house, Alban Bagbin said the Finance Minister will definitely provide answers to the said question.

“Let me disagree with what has been put on social media that the honourable speaker rejected the questions. There is no iota of truth in that publication. The questions were admitted and forwarded to the ministers and the ministers have indicated to me their readiness to come and answer the questions, so it will be no problem. The business committee should do the right thing and get them programmed for the minister to come and answer.”

Source: Citinewsroom

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged the general public to show keen interest and participate in the ongoing 2021 National Population and Housing Census.

A statement signed by NDC General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah on Friday, 9 July 2021, indicated that “the census exercise, which was started eleven days ago and is scheduled to end on Monday, 12 July, has been very slow in reach, low on awareness and has received very minimum attention and publicity in the media”.

“Many areas have reported ‘no show’, raising serious concerns about the integrity of the census process”.

It continued: “The importance of the census exercise to the infrastructural, political and socio-economic development of our country cannot be overemphasised, as it determines how the scarce national resources of this country are efficiently allocated to equitably address, the various developmental needs of the country. Thus, failure to be counted has major implications for the efficient planning and deployment of developmental resources to our respective communities”.

The NDC, therefore, called on the general public to ensure that they are counted.

“It is for this reason that the National Democratic Congress is calling on the general public to show interest and ensure that they fully participate in the process and be counted. We want to use this opportunity to announce to the general public, particularly our members that, if for any reason, enumerators have not labelled your house or come to your home for the exercise, kindly call the Ghana Statistical Service toll free number on 0800-900-900 or 0800- 800-800 or 0800-426-426 and get counted,” the statement further noted.

The 2021 Population and Housing Census began with the Census Night on Sunday, 27 June 2021.

Actual counting began the next day, Monday, 28 June 2021.

The exercise will end on Monday, 12 July 2021

The Bono Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) Kwame Baffoe Abronye, popularly known as Abronye DC, has filed a court action over the emoluments said to have been approved by Parliament for spouses of the President and the Vice President.

In the application filed at the Supreme Court on Thursday, July 8, 2021, and sighted by Citi News, Abronye DC prayed the apex court to rule that the Presidential Spouse Emoluments is null and void.

Abronye DC insisted that the First and the Second Ladies do not fall under Article 71 officer holders, hence the committee set up to determine salaries and gratuities for Article 71 office holders erred in its recommendation.

“A declaration that the approval by Parliament to pay salaries to the First and Second Ladies is inconsistent with Article 71 clauses 1 and 2 of the 1992 constitution of the Republic of Ghana and consequently be declared null, void, and unenforceable.”

“A declaration that, per article 71 (1) and (2), the position of the First and Second Ladies of Ghana do not fall under the category of public officeholders.”

Mr. Abronye also contended that the Emoluments Committee exceeded its mandate by making recommendations for emoluments for presidential spouses and that the committee was only limited to determining “salaries and other benefits and privileges of only public officeholders.”

By this action, Abronye DC is invoking the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to interpret Article 71 of the 1992 Constitution.

The Member of Parliament (MP) for the South Dayi constituency, Rockson Dafeamakpor and his counterpart for Builsa South, Clement Apaak have also jointly filed a similar action at the Supreme Court.

They want the court to declare that the Professor Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee tasked to make recommendations in respect of salaries and allowances payable to Article 71 officeholders exceeded its mandate by making recommendations for emoluments to be extended to the spouses of the president and the vice president.

They thus want the court to stop the government from making any payment to the spouses of the president and vice president.

“It is instructive to point out that we find the attempt to institutionalize the payment of salaries to the spouses of the President and the Vice President as an attack on the constitution of the country.”

“The provisions of article 71 of the 1992 Constitution is elaborate and unambiguous by listing the public officials bound to draw their salaries from the Consolidated Fund.”

Ghanaians angry

Since it came to the public domain that Parliament had already approved the emoluments for the First and Second Ladies –Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Samira Bawumia– some Ghanaians have expressed their unhappiness with the move.

Some directly chastised the Akufo-Addo government for the development, but Information Minister, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, explained that the payment of the said allowances is not a new phenomenon and that it was instituted under the Kufuor administration, but was only being formalized by the current government.

According to him, the allowance payments were instituted under the Kufuor administration.

“President Kufuor, in his wisdom, instituted this because of the bad situations of some spouses of some former heads of states then. President Mills and Mahama even increased the rates of these benefits during their time.”

He said past first and second ladies had all benefited from such payments.

Source: citinewsroom.com

Majority leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu has debunked claims that former First and second Ladies including the current First and second ladies were going to be put on a monthly salary.

Earlier reports speculated indicated that it was only Rebecca Akufo-Addo and Samira Bawumia who were going to be paid.

However, that has been quickly shut down.

Reacting to this in an interview on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Osei Kyei Mensah Bonsu who doubles as the Member of Parliament for Suame constituency and Parliamentary Affairs Minister said there is the need to support the first and second ladies financially because it will not be inappropriate for them to be seeking for jobs to survive after their service to the nation.

Monthly Salary

According to him, the first and second ladies who are already on a monthly allowance are not going to receive a monthly salary but financial support as stated by the Emolument Committee. 

“The first ladies are already receiving allowances since 1993, but it had not been made official . . . this was creating issues with the Auditor General and so it was decided that legal backing will be given to it,” he explained.

He added that the recommendation for the formalization of the allowances made by the Emolument Committee, was subsequently taken to the 7th parliament, and approved by both sides of the House.

The Majority leader further explained why the allowance for the first and second ladies was going to be backdated to January 2017.

Listen to him in the video below https://www.youtube.com/embed/RithgtKKtsw?feature=oembed

Precedent

Imnformation Minister, Mr Oppong Nkrumah has explained that an arrangement that was introduced by former President John Agyekum Kufuor during the start of his Presidency in 2000 had seen spouses of Presidents and Vice Presidents, since then, enjoy allowances, though there was no formal documentation to support that.

The allowances given the two ladies of the executive were considered as part of the privileges of the President and Vice President.

“President Kufuor, in his wisdom, instituted this because of the bad situations of some spouses of some former Heads of States then. Presidents Mills and Mahama even increased the rates of these benefits during their time.

“The truth of the matter is that all surviving spouses of Heads of State, current and former, have always received salaries. Lordina Mahama, Naadu Mills, Matilda Amissah-Arthur, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, Faustina Acheampong, Fulera Liman etc have all been receiving salaries since President Kufuor’s time.

“What has happened now is that the arrangement has been made formal but that was done legally based on the recommendation by the Emoluments Committee,” the Information Minister emphasised.

The Emolument Committee

The five-member committee was set up in June 2019 by President Akufo-Addo to make recommendations to him and to Parliament on the salaries and allowances payable, and the facilities and privileges available to article 71 office holders.

Under the chairmanship of Prof. Ntiamoa-Baidu and which also had former Majority Leader and former Minister of Parliamentary Affairs, Mr Abraham Ossei Aidooh, the Chief Executive of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, Dr Edward Kwapong, the current Director-General of the Internal Audit Agency, Dr Eric Oduro Osae, and a former Managing Director, Donewell Life Insurance Co. Ltd, Mrs Stella Segbawu, the committee had two terms of reference.

They were charged to make recommendations in respect of emoluments and other privileges for article 71 office holders, as specified under the Constitution; and also to examine any other relevant matter which the Committee deemed appropriate to its work.

Similar committee, set up in the past, were at various points chaired by Prof. Miranda Greenstreet, Mrs Mary Chinery-Hesse, Mr Ishmael Yamson, Prof. Marian Ewurama Addy, and Prof. Francisca Edu-Buandoh.

Source: Peacefmonline.com

Two MPs from the Minority Caucus have filed a suit at the Supreme Court intending to stop the payment of cabinet-level salaries to presidential spouses.

South Dayi and Builsa South MPs Rockson-Nelson Dafeamakpor and Clement Apaak, respectively, filed the joint.

In their view, the five-member Professor Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee which President Nana Akufo-Addo set up in June 2019 to review emoluments payable to Article 71 officeholders, exceeded its mandate by proposing that presidential spouses be paid cabinet-level salaries.

The reliefs sought by the two legislators are:

1. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 71(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee appointed by the President of the Republic of Ghana under Article 71(1), only had jurisdiction to make recommendations in respect of salaries, allowances payable, facilities and privileges of Article 71 office holders under the 1992 Constitution.

2. A further declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 71(1) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana, the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee had no jurisdiction, mandate or authority to make any recommendations in respect of salaries, allowances payable, facilities and privileges of persons other than persons specified under Article 71 of 1992 Constitution.

3. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 71(1) of the 1992 Constitution, the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee exceeded its jurisdiction, mandate and authority when it purported to make recommendations in respect of privileges, facilities, salaries and allowances payable to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana.

4. A further declaration that the recommendations of the Committee, to the extent that it pertains to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana, are null, void and of no effect.

5. A declaration that upon a true and proper interpretation of the Constitution, 1992, spouses of the President and the Vice President are not Article 71 office holders for the purposes of receipt of wages and emoluments.

6. An order declaring the recommendations in respect of privileges, facilities, salaries and allowances payable to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana as unconstitutional and void.

7. An order restraining the President of the Republic of Ghana or any other arm, ministry, department or agency of the executive, from implementing any recommendations of the Prof. Ntiamoah-Baidu Committee which pertains to the 1st and 2nd Ladies of the Republic of Ghana.

8. Any further Order (s) or direction(s) as this Honourable Court may deem necessary.

Apart from the two legislators, the youth wing of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), in a press statement signed by National Youth Organiser George Opare Addo, said: “It is instructive to point out that we find the attempt to institutionalise the payment of salaries to the spouses of the President and the Vice-President as an attack on the Constitution of the country.”

“The provisions of article 71 of the 1992 Constitution is elaborate and unambiguous by listing the public officials bound to draw their salaries from the Consolidated Fund.”

Also, the Bono Regional Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr Kwame Baffoe, popularly known as Abronye DC, has filed a similar suit in court.

Additionally, Prof Ransford Gyampo of the University of Ghana has said regardless of the roles presidential spouses may play in supporting their husbands, “I personally do not think such roles should warrant salaries”.

In an article on the subject, Prof Gyampo said: “Their husbands are paid well enough to be able to cater for them”, arguing: “The current situation, not backed by law, would also open the floodgates to deepen more nepotistic appointments to the offices of the First and Second Ladies in a manner that may not augur well for the fight against corruption”.

Read Prof Ransford Gyampo’s full article below:

1. There may be nothing wrong to evolve a convention to pay some allowances to the wives of former heads of state, who may have passed away. I am told Rawlings actually [started] this gesture and out of his sense of magnanimity and compassion Kufuor continued, and it’s been extended to include the wives of sitting Presidents and Veeps. The payment of these allowances over the years, have not been backed by any specific law but have been treated as benefits of the principals themselves.

2. The current Ntiamoah Baidu Commission, I am told, only made a recommendation to formalise the already existing arrangement, and this was approved by Parliament. It may therefore not be entirely accurate for anyone to suggest that President Akufo-Addo has personally decidedthat the first and second ladies should be paid like cabinet ministers. 3. Those in support of this whole idea believe it makes sense to give some allowances or salaries to wives of those top officials who actually work and support what their husbands do. It’s been argued that some run foundations in support of the poor and others represent their husbands at public functions etc. Given the supposed role they play, some believe it shouldn’t be a big deal for the First and Second Ladies to be paid SALARIES, not allowances.

4. But to my mind, the Rawlings-Kufuor gesture of paying some ALLOWANCES to the wives of former heads of state, who may have passed on, out of excess compassion, must be distinguished from paying SALARIES to the wives of sitting Presidents and Veeps. This is because the Offices of the First and Second Ladies are merely ceremonial. They are dysfunctional institutions that are not provided for in our Statute Books.

5. Regardless of the role they may play in supporting their husbands, I personally do not think such roles they play should warrant salaries. Their husbands are paid well enough to be able to cater for them. The current situation, not backed by law, would also open the floodgates to deepen more nepotistic appointments to the offices of the First and Second Ladies in a manner that may not augur well for the fight against corruption.

6. But if as a nation, we think we have gotten to that epoch in our governance process where such personalities have to be paid salaries, the decision shouldn’t be based on such a porous recommendation and an illegal parliamentary approval process. Rather, we must do the following: A. Agree on the exact and specific roles to be played by First and Second Ladies to shape the conduct of governance in Ghana’s body politic.

B. Agree on the Number of Staff they are entitled to work with and their specific job descriptions.

C. Determine what other logistics and incentives they may be entitled to and make provisions for these in budgets

D. Amend the list of article 71 officeholders to include First and Second Ladies E. Empower them to work also as public officials

Until these are done, we must prioritise and stop the pressure we keep piling on the Consolidated Fund.

7. On the loans for MPs to procure new vehicles, this is sad and only goes to typify our feature as extravagant poor people. Some public officials purchase second-hand vehicles that are ten years old and still pride themselves with the “newness” of such vehicles which they call “brand new second-hand”. Other public officials keep their official vehicles for four years and purchase them at a pittance afterwards.

8. If loans can truly be sourced for this very wastefully needless purpose of buying brand new vehicles, such a facility must be given to the Korlebu Teaching Hospital to procure needed health infrastructure, and bill patients who go use such facilities to defray the loan. The fact that the loan may be re-paid by the MPs shouldn’t be the focus of any discussion. For, as constituent servants, MPs cannot continue to live in luxury whiles hospitals for their constituents remain death traps. If there is any loan facility, it must be given to only new MPs. 9. We must rethink our priorities as a country. Let the Consolidated Fund be freed from politically luxurious and frivolous expenses and let there be enough resources for President Akufo Addo to use in embarking projects that benefit ordinary needs of the Ghanaian and leaves a good legacy.

Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw

PAV Ansah Street Saltpond & Suro Nipa House

Kubease

Larteh-Akuapim

The youth wing of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has vowed to challenge the legality of the approval of salaries for First Lady Rebecca Akufo-Addo and the wife of the vice-president, Mrs Samira Bawumia.

The group said the approval of the salaries for the presidential spouses is wrong.

In a statement, the NDC youth said the committee put together to make that recommendation on emoluments of article 71 holders erred in suggesting that presidential spouses be paid salaries equivalent to that of cabinet ministers.

The youth have threatened to invoke the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to declare the approval of the salaries unconstitutional.

NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia has backed his party’s MP for Ningo Prampram constituency, Sam Nartey George’s threat to the military.
 
He could not confirm that his party had intel of the military plot to distract the demonstration night before the scheduled date, but said he will not doubt the lawmaker’s assertion.
 
“The military involvement in an uninvited demonstration has been going on for some time now. So, the warning from the MP was timely,” he said.
 
Sam Nartey George gave a strong warning to the military over the latter’s ‘planned’ involvement in the party’s ongoing demonstration dubbed ‘March For Justice’.

He warned that any person spotted in a military uniform during the walk would be treated as a “criminal” and “handed over to the police”.
 

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Oc8kPzNgGyk

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Social Commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has scolded Ningo Prampram MP, Sam George over his seditious comments during the NDC ”March for Justice” protest yesterday.

The demonstrators went out in their numbers to petition the President about certain unpleasant happenings in the country.

Clad in red, the protesters held placards with various inscriptions including, “Akufo-Addo, you are a dictator”, “Kum Yen Preko”, “We feel your silence Akufo-Addo and Bawumia”, “Ghanaian lives matter”, “Ahmed Suale deserved to live”, “No justice for the dead”, “no peace, #WeAreAllKaaka” among others.

Before the start of the demonstration, Sam George charged the protesters to treat any person in military uniform they meet on their way as ”criminal” saying ” . . we had an arrangement with the IGP of Police on the routes we’re using. The rules of this country say that crowd control is the job of the Police. In fact, part of this demonstration is because Military men were used in crowd control and they shot and killed unarmed Ghanaians. Yet, some people in government had a meeting last night and decided that, despite the presence of the Police, they intend to bring in the Military to meet us halfway”.

“I am sending a message to you, to the Chief of Army Staff, to call back his men. We’re working with the Police . . . we have had no consultation with the Military. Anybody in military uniform that we meet on the road, we will treat as a criminal,” he warned.

Responding to Sam George’s comments, Allotey Jacobs admonished the leaders to stop inciting the masses against the security forces stressing, “the Police sometimes are difficult but they are very fine with us, the civilians”.

”So, why do we attack them?”, he questioned.

Allotey Jacobs called for respect for the security forces saying, “don’t let us confront the men in uniform . . . If they’re wrong, we should have a way of correcting it. You see a soldier is trained to defend and to attack to protect the sovereignty of this nation. So, if politicians incite the youth to misconduct themselves, the end may be terrible. So, let us respect the very people who protect us”.


https://www.youtube.com/embed/FV_k9PvuPMQ

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

• Assin Central MP says the NDC has no right to protest about security in the countrynull

• Kennedy Agyapong insists that the NDC has mismanaged security when it was in government

• He also took a dig at a former national security chief Totobi Quakyi for joining the protests

Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, has said the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has no legitimacy to protest against what they perceive to be insecurity in the country.

Agyapong who is also Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee stressed that given the NDC’s past record in managing Ghana’s security, any other group or individual can complain about the state of security or lack of it except the NDC.

GhanaWeb monitored comments Agyapong made when he appeared on the July 6 edition of the Good Evening Ghana talk show.null

“I’m surprised NDC ‘gat’ nerves to go on demonstration talking about security, they gat nerves; but you know, we have to tolerate them because it is about politics.

“Have they forgotten about themselves? NDC? I want every Ghanaian without political tag to say there is insecurity in our society but not NDC. The atrocities committed by these people in this country, they gat nerves,” a bewildered Agyapong added.

Asked whether he was not confusing the NDC with the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime from which the NDC was born, he said both regimes were equally bad in handling security.

“Both PNDC and NDC (were disastrous), and I was surprised at Totobi Quakyi commenting on security. Totobi Quakyi talking about security? In his time at National Security, what did he do? Crimes that were committed, he was in charge of security and what happened during his tenure?

“He has no legitimacy to talk about insecurity because during his tenure we all saw and experienced what happened in Ghana, who could even talk?” he quizzed.

The MP was addressing the NDC’s July 6 protest over the state of insecurity in the country. The ‘March for Justice’ event was organized by the party’s youth wing.

It culminated in the presentation of two petitions, one to the presidency and the other to parliament; outlining a set of measures needed to be taken to boost the country’s security which according to the party continues to deteriorate.

The protest, the party added, was also to highlight the level of economic hardships and general discontent at the way the country is being governed

.Source: www.ghanaweb.com

• Assin Central MP says the media in Ghana can plunge Ghana into warnull

• He cites recent reportage on the death of an activist in Ejura

• He accuses the media of engaging in inciteful reportage that has led to deaths

Member of Parliament for Assin Central Kennedy Agyapong has averred that if Ghana ever descends into a state of instability, the trigger will certainly be the media, mainstream or social media.

Agyapong who is also Chairman of Parliament’s Defence and Interior Committee said he is concerned about how false news is easily put out by media outlets citing the recent case of reportage on activist Ibrahim Mohammed a.k.a. Macho Kaaka, whose death led to deadly protests in Ejura.

GhanaWeb monitored comments Agyapong made when he appeared on the July 6, 2021 edition of the Good Evening Ghana talk show.null

Asked whether he was concerned about the security situation in Ghana as has played out recently, he replied: “very concerned, about the media. I have always said that if Ghana will go to war, if Ghana will be destroyed; it will be from the media. The comments they make.

“Typical example is the case in Ejura, a brother kills a brother and it is reported out there that #FixtheCountry advocate has been killed because he was talking about fixing the country,” he submitted.

According to him, he was in Turkey when he read the news of Kaaka’s death, he said he felt bad about the supposed political reasons reported by the media, “… until I came back to Ghana and I got to know the true story of it. Who is causing problems?

“Other people have died because of false reportage, we are all losing the facts because we are not looking at where the problem started. The problem is from the media,” he stated, adding that it was the reports that infuriated the youth to protest leading to more deaths.

“We have to be careful in this country, the way we give information especially with social media. I don’t write anything, I don’t have time,” he added.

Agyapong, however, said he will mark the state of Ghana’s security as nine over ten because compared to other countries mentioning especially Nigeria, Ghana was in a state of peace and security.

He also charged at the main opposition National Democratic Congress submitting that the party had no locus to talk about, let alone protest about the state of security.

“I’m surprised NDC ‘gat’ nerves to go on demo talking about security, they gat nerves; but you know, we have to tolerate them because it is about politics.

“Have they forgotten about themselves? NDC? I want every Ghanaian without political tag to say there is insecurity in our society but not NDC. The atrocities committed by these people in this country, they gat nerves,” a bewildered Agyapong added.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The General Secretary of the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has said he agrees with the youth of the country for demonstrating against the festering insecurity and injustice in the country “although I’m old”.

“I think it is time for you to arise and hold the older generation accountable because we will soon hand it over to you and you need to ensure that we don’t hand over a country with no resources, a country that has had all its resources sold by people to look after their families”, he charged the youth during Tuesday’s march for justice.

“Ensure that you are not handed a country with an unstable democracy, a country without justice, or a country that promotes war because we can’t look to the security agencies to protect us”, he urged, adding: “I am very happy you are awake and staging this demonstration.”

In a petition to the presidency, the marchers said persons crusading for Ghana to be fixed have become enemies of the Akufo-Addo-led government, as they are either being intimidated, harassed or killed.

According to the NDC, there is no hope for the Ghanaian youth under President Akufo-Addo’s leadership.

The party said the very people the president promised to protect are the ones being beaten and/or killed daily by thugs recruited into the security services adding that those he promised jobs have either been laid off, lost their investments or have not been employed at all.

The petition, signed by George Opare Addo, National Youth Organiser of the NDC, noted that today, more than ever in the history of the country, access to the few opportunities is solely based on possession of an NPP party card.

The NDC stated that the best thing about Akufo-Addo’s government is how far his family members and cronies are feeding on the national kitty to the chagrin of the rest of the population.

“The danger, Your Excellency, is that there is no commitment from you and your government that these life-threatening challenges facing our country will be, at least, reduced. Instead of teaming up with those who have taken inspiration from your edicts to be citizens and not spectators to fix the country, your government is surprisingly averse to calls asking for the fixing of our beloved country. Those crusading for the country to be fixed have become enemies of your government as they are either being intimidated, harassed or killed,” the petition said.

It further noted that although the country was riddled with some age-long challenges issues of corruption, unemployment, nepotism, cronyism and insecurity among other things, have increased unimaginably.

The NDC, therefore, said there cannot be any good time to fix it than now.

Read the full petition below:

March For Justice Accra Protest.

6th July, 2021.

PETITION TO PRESIDENT AKUFO ADDO BY THE NATIONAL YOUTH WING OF NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS

The framers of the 1992 Constitution were spot on when they made provision in clause 1 of article 1 that “the Sovereignty of Ghana resides in the PEOPLE OF GHANA in whose name and for whose welfare the powers of government are to be exercised in the manner and within the limits laid down in this Constitution.”

In the strict adherence to the meaning of this provision, Your Excellency, you took the presidential oath on January 7, 2017 when you were first elected President of the Republic. Although our party, the NDC contested the general elections which was subsequently decided in your favour by the Supreme Court of our Republic, you took the same oath on January 7, 2021 to serve another four-year term.

The Presidential oath, as we know it, was not and cannot be fanciful words said for purposes of formality. Despite the polarized nature of our country, Ghanaians who voted for you, and indeed, those who voted for your opponents succumbed to our Constitutional arrangements and entrusted their will and aspirations in your hands.

The hopes of every Ghanaian, including your political adversaries was to see you uphold the tenets of our Constitution, sustain the peace you inherited from your predecessor, improve upon the economic wellbeing of Ghanaians, fight corruption ruthlessly, provide decent employment for the youth in particular, and ensure the safety of everybody, amongst other things; needless to say, these were the very teething issues you campaigned on and promised to deliver.

Your Excellency, without mincing words, it is heart wrenching to state that your government has so far delivered the antithesis of almost all what you promised Ghanaians. It cannot be gainsaid that if you objectively and sincerely looked back, reflect on the state of the country bequeathed to you and what you have done with it in five years, you have eroded almost all the strides our country have made. If our country was a clock, you have rolled it anti-clockwise. Though our country was riddled with some age long challenges before you took over; issues of corruption, unemployment, nepotism, cronyism and insecurity among other things, have increased unimaginably. You will agree with us that our country needs fixing and there cannot be any good time to fix it than now. The danger, Your Excellency, is that there is no commitment from you and your government that these life threatening challenges facing our country will be, at least, reduced.

Instead of teaming up with those who have taken inspiration from your edicts to be citizens and not spectators to fix the country, your government is surprisingly averse to calls asking for the fixing of our beloved country. Those crusading for the country to be fixed have become enemies of your government as they are either being intimidated, harassed or killed.

Respectfully Mr President, it is not out of place to point out to you that, though Ghanaians signed a social contract with you to resolve their problems, your government has become an insurmountable challenge that they are struggling to resolve. Objective minds in our nation and those in your own government whispering on corridors have growing apprehension about where you are leading this dear country of ours. The leadership you have provided so far is one of “let’s finish everything today because there is no tomorrow.”

There is no hope for the youth under your stewardship. The very people you promised to protect are the ones being beaten and/or killed daily by thugs recruited into our Security Services, those you promised jobs have either been laid off, lost their investments or have not been employed at all. You have failed to build a just society. Today, more than ever in the history of the construction of our State, access to the few opportunities is soley based on possession of an NPP party card. Those you promised infrastructural development have either have what your predecessor started abandoned by you or not seen any infrastructure at all. Perhaps, the best thing about your government is how far your family members and cronies are feeding on the national kitty to the chagrin of all of us. The case of students, nurses, teachers, tailors, carpenters, Okada riders, trotro drivers, doctors, Masons, lawyers, traders, civil servants, farmers, to the last man on the street, has been of agony, pain and sorrow. There is simply no hope in sight.

In the world all over, governments are elected to work for people and not otherwise. Your Excellency, your government is not working for the generality of Ghanaians but a select few, mainly family members and cronies.

With each passing day, you and your government manifest more examples of insensitivity to the cries of Ghanaians. The latest being your decision to pay your wife Rebecca and Samira Bawumia salaries equivalent to Cabinet Ministers at a time like this. Clearly, you have lost it.

The Country our forefathers labored at the peril of their lives to build for us cannot be gambled with and treated this way. Without sounding exaggerative, where you have led the country to, points to a direction that we urgently need liberation from the ills of state powers which must start from the seat of government; we are not lost at all of the powers allocated to the executive arm of our government and it’s authority to change things for the better. The ills of your government are just too many to mention but of course you cannot be bothered. You fulfilled a long held ambition to be President and that is what appears to matter to you most. Though it sounds needless to remind you of your pledge and campaign messages to the good people of Ghana, it is worthy to make the following demands:

1. Immediately, implement recommendations of the Emile Short Commission of Inquiry Report forthwith. In particular, pay compensations to all victims and direct the Attorney General to prosecute all culprits.

2. Beyond investigating all acts of violence perpetrated by officers of the security agencies under your watch, ensure that all victims get justice as required by law. Victims of acts of violence from Ejura, Ablekuma Central, Odododiodioo, Banda etc must all not be denied justice.

3. Make provisions towards providing decent jobs for the teeming youth of the Country through proper structural economic reforms and business support for enterprises of young people. 4. Ensure the safety and security of all Ghanaians

5. Stamp out corruption by prosecuting corrupt officials in your government other than shielding them. We ask that there is a fierce urgency to halt the hopeless nature of cronyism that has crept into the Government.

6. Take steps to fulfill campaign promises to the good people of Ghana and be respectful and truthful to the citizenry.

7. De-politicize the Security Services introducing reforms to give true meaning to its independence. We charge that these reforms be led by experts in our country and not partisan appointees. 8. Instruct the Attorney General and the Minister of Justice to improve the justice system and Wean the Judiciary off partisan political influence. We count on your fail-safe commitment to our nation as its President in this historic moment. Thank you. Written for and on behalf of the Youth of Ghana.

Under my hand,

George Opare Addo, Esq.

National Youth Organizer, NDC

“Why should some people be allowed to demonstrate and others not allowed?”, seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has hit hard at the Ghana Police Service for allowing thousands of members and supporters of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to hold their “March for Justice” protest today.

NDC members and supporters hit the streets of Accra to demonstrate against the killing and brutalization of some citizens by security agencies in the country.

The protesters brandished placards with inscriptions like; ”Akufo-Addo is using our money to bath in the sky”, ”Akufo-Addo, you are a dictator”, ”Ahmed Suale deserved to live”, ”No justice for the dead, no peace” among others.

Some notable persons sighted during the demonstration included the General Secretary of the NDC, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Ketu South, Fifi Kwettey; Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, Sam George; Member of Parliament for Buem, Kofi Adams; National Women Organizer of the party, Dr. Louisa Hanna Bissiw; National Chairman of the party, Samuel Ofosu Ampofo and a host of other NDC leading members.

During the demonstration, Sam George sent a strong warning to the Military as he indicated that their intelligence showed the Military were being deployed to disrupt their protest.

According to him, they would treat any Military officer they find on their way as a ”criminal”.

Also, joining the protest, Dr. Hanna Bissiw warned; “If you slap me, I will slap you back. If you stab me, I will stab you back. We should stop this hypocritical attitude of because they are beating us and we are not beating back; it’s fake peace’.

Addressing the issue on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’, Kwesi Pratt wondered why the NDC had been allowed to protest when the ”Fix the Country” campaigners had planned their protest a long time before the NDC demonstration but were restrained by the Police under the orders of the court.

To Mr. Pratt, the Fix the Country campaigners have been unfairly treated by the Police and the Judiciary.

”Why should some people be allowed to demonstrate and others not allowed? . . . The ”Fix the Country” campaigners have been long wanting to embark on a protest. Even today as we talk, they are in court but other people have been given the opportunity. Is the COVID afraid of the NDC and not the Fix the Country campaigners or what?,” he questioned.

“The inconsistencies are becoming too much,” he exclaimed and advised that “citizens should have the right to demonstrate and so on. It’s an expression of people’s anxiety, people’s discomfort and so on. It must take place”.

Mr. Pratt expressed his disappointments saying, “I can’t really say I’m happy that the NDC have been given the opportunity to demonstrate because the Fix the Country campaigners have not been allowed up till now”.

Watch video below

https://www.youtube.com/embed/BeAtwISVRxg

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

A Fighter General of the #FixTheCountry Campaign, Commander Hardi Yakubu says the campaigners will not be part of the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) demonstration for justice and others.

According to him, the FixTheCountry campaigners will not support any political party to gain electoral capital using the genuine concerns of the people.

The #FixTheCountry Campaign which started on the microblogging site, Twitter had some unhappy Ghanaians venting their displeasure over what many describe as a failure on the part of successive governments to improve the lives of the citizenry.

The campaign seeks to get the government to fix the country in areas such as the rising youth unemployment, dilapidated health system, skyrocketing home-renting structure, poor road networks among others.

Although the campaigners wanted to the campaign to the next level, by proposing a demonstration, they were denied the right to do so because according to the Ghana Police Service, the restrictions imposed on the country due to the covid-19 pandemic had not been lifted.

However, the Ghana Police Service provided security for the youth wing of the NDC during their ‘March for Justice’.

Speaking on Atinka TV’s morning show, Ghana Nie with Ekourba Gyasi Simpremu, Commander Hardi Yakubu said,”We are not going to be part of it. We will not help any political party to win the electoral fortunes on the back of the genuine concerns of the people, we are mobilising on non-partisan basis, NDC can go on with their demonstration, they have the right but we are not part.”

He said a new date, 4th August 2021 has been fixed for their long awaited demonstration, adding that preparations are underway towards the upcoming demo.

Commander Hardi Yakubu therefore called on all Ghanaians to put aside partisan consideration and join a non-partisan genuine platform that amplifies the voices of the people without any consideration for partisan benefits or elections

ATINKA TV

The National Chairman of the ruling New Patriotic Party, Mr. Freddie Blay has reiterated his party’s commitment to delivering on its mandate to the betterment of the lives of the people of Ghana.null

According to him, the surest way the NPP can remain in power is to remain committed to these values – dedication and commitment to public service.

“We must remember that what will keep us in power is our dedication to deliver faithfully to the people of Ghana rather than our individual interest.”

He made the remarks in Ho on Sunday, July 4, during a sod-cutting event for the construction of a Volta regional secretariat of the NPP.

The National Chairman of the Governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay has cut sod to begin the construction of the Volta Regional headquarters of the party in Ho, the regional capital.null

The project which is expected to be completed by the end of the year is estimated to cost about Ghc1.2 million. When completed, it will have offices for all regional officers, and an executive conference room. A second phase which includes a conference centre would commence soon after the first phase.

The project, initiated by the Regional Chairman, Makafui Woanyah is near Dave-Junction, off the Ho-Kpetoe road.

The National Chairman, Mr. Blay who described the initiative as laudable commended the regional chairman and his team for the vision of providing a permanent office for the NPP in the region, the stronghold of its opposition

.Source: kasapafmonline.com

The better way to fix Ghana is for the opposition parties to join forces with the government party to fashion out good policies to develop the country instead of shouting on rooftops and social media, Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Freddie Blay, has said.

Urging Ghanaians to ditch any #FixTheCountry-inspired protests while addressing a gathering in Ho, capital of the Volta Region, on Sunday, 4 June 2021, for a sod-cutting event toward the construction of the party’s regional head office, Mr Blay said the “better way to fix Ghana is not to shout on the rooftop and on social media but the better way to fix the country is by developing proper policies that will win the mandate of the people in elections and be allowed the space to deliver the mandate”.

The development of the country, Mr Blay noted, “must be a collaborative work between the ruling and opposition parties”.

“Despite the different political approaches and ideological differences, we must unite with a dedication to make our country a better place for the current and future generations,” he said.

Meanwhile, the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged all Ghanaians, particularly the youth and members of the party, to massively participate in Tuesday’s scheduled demonstration, which is being organised under the auspices of the youth wing of the party.

The planned demonstration and street protest, according to the NDC, is to help raise awareness about the state of insecurity and lawlessness in Ghana and compel President Akufo-Addo to wake up from his slumber and act with urgency.

The protest march, the party said, will remind President Akufo-Addo of his responsibilities toward the people of Ghana, especially in the area of public safety and security.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of the party, Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketia, said: “It will seek to draw attention of the government to the growing loss of public confidence in the hierarchy of some security agencies”.

“The march will also signal the beginning of public sensitisation activities to compel the government to rid the security agencies of NPP hoodlums and misfits, who have been recruited and are being used to terrorise innocent and peace-loving Ghanaians.

“The march will also be in solidarity with the silent majority of security personnel who are concerned about the undue politicisation of recruitment and appointments to the detriment of professionalism and discipline.”

The NDC stated that it intends to remind the Akufo-Addo junta that Ghanaians have had enough of the state-sponsored brutalities and harassment against innocent, peace-loving citizens.

The NDC said it is alarmed and appalled at the increased-spate of “state-sponsored brutalities, killings and harassment against innocent citizens being supervised by President Akufo-Addo, as was witnessed during the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye-election and the December 7 Polls in Techiman South and other areas, as well as the Gregory Afoko case and the recent murder of Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Kaaka by hoodlums belonging to the NPP and state-sponsored killings and maiming of some innocent youth of Ejura.”

“These issues are of grave concern to Ghanaians across the political spectrum. We, therefore, urge the public to join hands with the youth of the NDC in a common goal to restore sanity into the security services and the nation as a whole,” the statement added

The National Women Organizer for the opposition National Democratic Congress(NDC) Dr. Hannah Bissiw says going forward whatever action the government takes against NDC members will be reciprocated.

According to her, NDC members will now stand up against any government-sponsored intimidation.

Speaking to EIB Network Central Regional Correspondent Yaw Boagyan after a handing over ceremony organized by Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TAIN) at the University of Education, Winneba, Ajumako Campus, over the weekend, Dr. Hannah Bissiw stated she’s learned never to file a report with the police whenever she’s assaulted because it will be a useless exercise.

The veterinary doctor by profession added that she’s resolved that anytime she’s physically attacked she’ll respond in equal measure.

“I was beaten at Ayawaso West Wuogon, I didn’t file a complaint with police because they did not give birth to me. In any case, it would have been useless. The President set up a commission and they bastardized the very commission that they set up and so if I’d gone to the commission to recount the pain that Akufo-Addo’s hoodlums and criminals put some of us through and reliving that pain it would have been a waste of time. From that time, I’ve learned that when you slap me I’ll slap you back, if you stab me I stab you back. We should stop this hypocritical attitude of saying that if you’re beating us and we’re not beating back then there’s peace in Ghana, it’s fake peace. There can never be peace without justice and when I say if you slap me I will slap back then I’m being violent what about you who is practicing the violence? I’m only telling you that we’re going to be diplomatic.

“Whatever the NPP government gives us we in the NDC shall also give back to them. If they give us love we shall also give them love, if they give us caning we shall also give them back caning, if they give us shooting we shall also give them back shooting.”
Video Player00:0002:01

Source: Kasapafmonline.com/102.5FM

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has urged all Ghanaians, particularly the youth and members of the party, to massively participate in tomorrow’s demonstration, which is being organised under the auspices of the youth wing of the party.

The planned demonstration and street protest, which has been scheduled for Tuesday, 6 July 2021, according to the NDC, is to help raise awareness about the state of insecurity and lawlessness in Ghana and compel President Akufo-Addo to wake up from his slumber and act with urgency.

The protest march, the party said, will remind President Akufo-Addo of his responsibilities toward the people of Ghana, especially in the area of public safety and security.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of the party, Mr Johnson Aseidu Nketia, said: “It will seek to draw attention of the government to the growing loss of public confidence in the hierarchy of some security agencies”.

“The march will also signal the beginning of public sensitisation activities to compel the government to rid the security agencies of NPP hoodlums and misfits, who have been recruited and are being used to terrorise innocent and peace-loving Ghanaians.

“The march will also be in solidarity with the silent majority of security personnel who are concerned about the undue politicisation of recruitment and appointments to the detriment of professionalism and discipline.”

The NDC stated that it intends to remind the Akufo-Addo junta that Ghanaians have had enough of the state-sponsored brutalities and harassment against innocent, peace-loving citizens.

The NDC said it is alarmed and appalled at the increased-spate of “state-sponsored brutalities, killings and harassment against innocent citizens being supervised by President Akufo-Addo, as was witnessed during the Ayawaso West Wuogon bye-election and the December 7 Polls in Techiman South and other areas, as well as the Gregory Afoko case and the recent murder of Ibrahim Mohammed, aka Kaaka by hoodlums belonging to the NPP and state-sponsored killings and maiming of some innocent youth of Ejura.”

“These issues are of grave concern to Ghanaians across the political spectrum. We, therefore, urge the public to join hands with the youth of the NDC in a common goal to restore sanity into the security services and the nation as a whole,” the statement added

• MP for North Tongu has said that the NDC is capable of winning election 2021null

• According to him, hard work and determination is the way forward if recapturing power will be possible

• He added that corruption is deeply seated in the NPP government

The electoral results from December 7, 2016, sent the ruling government at the time, National Democratic Congress (NDC) into opposition after the New Patriotic Party, led by their flagbearer, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, won power in the presidential elections that year.

The NDC, in their second attempt in 2020, led by John Dramani Mahama failed to convince electorate to vote them back into power. This, witnessed Nana Akufo-Addo retaining the presidential seat.

But according to the NDC, they will come back much stronger in 2024 to ensure victory in the Presidential election. The Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has noted, “it will take hard work and determination” for the NDC to break the 8-year-opposition cycle.null

Speaking at a meeting with members of the London South Branch of the NDC, under the theme: “The analysis, the way forward, 2024 Election Focus,” he noted that the ruling NPP has failed the country. He maintained that corruption has become the order of the day under President Akufo-Addo.

Mr. Ablakwa has therefore called on all members of the NDC to do their bit to ensure that they unset the ruling government come 2024.

The MP further intimated that although the road to recapture the presidential seat might be tough, all and sundry must get on board to ensure that they save the country from the NPP.

“President Akufo-Addo promised to protect the public purse, but what do we see now, there is actually a raid on the public purse,” Mr. Okudzeto said.

“Corruption is deeply seated in the NPP government with members of the government and their cronies siphoning from the public purse,” he added while expressing his disappointment in the government

.Source: www.ghanaweb.

Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged members and other sympathizers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to work hard to return the party to power to rescue Ghanaians from what he said are the many challenges they are suffering under Akufo-Addo-Bawumia government.

The presidential candidate of the NDC in last year’s elections said this on Saturday, July 3 when he opened a three-day retreat for Communications Officers and members of the communications team of the NDC in Ho.

Mr. Mahama commended the party’s Communications Team for promoting and explaining the party’s ‘People’s Manifesto’ to Ghanaians, noting that the policies outlined in the manifesto became the most talked-about by Ghanaians because it reflected the aspirations of the people.

He also applauded the team for the reliance on facts and data. Mr. Mahama encouraged the NDC Communicators not to worry about the frequent resort to personal attacks and intimidation by the party’s main opponents.

Decrying the recent spate of murders in the country, President Mahama expressed his condolences to the families of Kaaka and two others who were killed in Ejura. He observed that the rising tension and general state of insecurity engulfing the country are reflective of the leader himself, noting that the situation is “unfortunate.”

“Mr. Mahama also urged his party’s members and other sympathizers to work hard to return the party to power to rescue Ghanaians from the many challenges they are suffering under Akufo-Addo/Bawumia government.

“The 3-day Retreat was put together by the National Communications Bureau of the NDC,” a statement said.

Source: 3news.com

•The former IGP has sued a Net 2 Television staff for defamation

•David Asante Apeatu claims the defendant, Justice Annan made libelous statements against him on his’The Seat’ show

•These he said have marred his reputation and brought his name into disrepute

Former Inspector General of Police, David Asante-Apeatu has filed a lawsuit against Justice Kwaku Annan of Net 2 Television for defamation.

The suit filed by his lawyer; Samuel Appiah Darko, Esq states that, Mr. Annan who hosts a popular show; ‘The Seat’ on the Accra-based Television station, through his medium, made allegations against the IGP which have, among other things, brought his name and reputation into disrepute.

Portions of the suit state that the defendant (Justice Annan), had claimed the IGP was and is a fence for notorious criminals both in Ghana and Nigeria, that he harbours criminals, and that he (the IGP) is a criminal who has been working in cahoots with hardened international criminals to unleash terror on Ghanaians.

It also stated that some pronouncements made on his platform in June this year suggested that the plaintiff (Mr. Apeatu) is or was on the payroll of top criminals in Ghana and refused to, in his capacity as IGP, cause the arrest and prosecution of these criminals.null

The plaintiff claims by this suit, that the words uttered by Mr. Annan during his show were published despite his knowledge that they were false and having considered the benefits of popularity and increased viewership its circulation will bring to his platform; Net 2 Television.

He described the words as malicious and is therefore asking that the court charges the defendant for;

-General damages for libel contained in Mr. Justice’ speech and

-Aggravated damages arising from the libel published by same, as well as costs including the lawyer’s fees.

Below is the full document:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EkTPWtA7wD0el36vFkdym9TGlWx0m72Q/preview

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Social commentator, Bernard Allotey Jacobs has censured the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over their Communications Officer’s comments regarding the Ejura incident.null

The NDC Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi has blamed the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) for the death of an activist and a resident at Ejura in the Ashanti Region, Ibrahim Mohammed a.k.a ‘Kaaka’.

Allegations

The NDC National Communications Officer is convinced the mob that attacked Kaaka are members of the ruling party stressing the killing of the activist is an indication of insecurity under the leadership of President Nana Akufo-Addo.

In an interview with Okay FM, Sammy Gyamfi alleged, “There is hardship in the country and people are afraid to talk because they are afraid for their lives. Today, they have killed Kaaka. NPP killed Kaaka. Kaaka stays in Ejura and has been on this #fixthecountry campaign. He has been talking about abandoned projects. Before he was attacked by a mob, he announced that he has been threatened by the known NPP members. He even published the threats. He was beaten by a mob.”

Allotey Hits NDC

In a quick reply on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ programme, Allotey Jacobs condemned the allegations saying, “I would toll the line of Mr. Kan-Dapaah that there’s too much political intolerance in this country. Everything is attributed to either this party or that party. It is not helping”.null

He wondered why any person would politicize sensitive issues as that of the Ejura incident.

“As political leaders in this country, do we want to destroy this country . . . Are we helping this country? Are we building Ghana?”, he asked.

He advised politicians to stop inciting the citizenry because their actions are a danger to the lives of the populace.

He stated, “Where there is anger, there is no more wisdom. Everything that comes out of the person is either bloody or death or something far dangerous and that is what some politicians are doing. Inciting people to violence, that is what they are doing!”

”Ghana belongs to all of us. We have nowhere to go except this country . . . We shouldn’t be identified with violence and rioting. It leads to nothing . . . Always wanting to score cheap political points, let us stop it,” he warned

.Source: peacefmonline.com

The National Youth Organiser of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Henry Nana Boakye, popularly known as Nana B, has urged the Ghana Police Service to allow the youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to organise their planned demonstration dubbed ‘March for Justice’.

The youth wing of the NDC had written to the police requesting protection for the protest set for July 6, 2021, in Accra.

In response, the police said it cannot provide protection for the youth group, citing among other things COVID-19 as an excuse.

“Restrictions imposed by the Executive Instrument (EI) 395 to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic have still not been lifted”, the police stated.

But speaking on Peace FM’s Krokookoo on Friday, July 2, 2021, Nana B disagreed with the position taken by the police.

According to him, demonstrations are a constitutional right, hence the police cannot deny any Ghanaian from exercising such right.

“I disagree with the police. If they [NDC youth] want to embark on a demonstration, they should be allowed to go. The police should sit down with the organisers and agree on the routes to use for the protest; it could be just one route. The police should be able to tell the organisers to provide the protesters with nose masks and hand sanitisers, so they can embark on the protest,” he said.

Police can’t stop us; the ‘March for Justice’ demo will come off

Meanwhile, the youth wing of NDC has rejected the excuses given by the police.

The National Youth Organiser of the NDC, George Opare-Addo, told Umaru Sanda Amadu on Eyewitness News that the police’s reference to the Executive Instrument put in place to contain the spread of COVID-19 as one of the reasons for denying them their right to protest cannot be accepted because it expired at the end of May 2021.

“The law that the police quoted, EI 395 expired on the 31^st of March 2021. A new E.I. was passed and that one was for one month and that one expired on 31^st May, so as of today, no new E.I. has been passed.”

“They [Police] know that they don’t have the power to stop us from embarking on our demonstration. It is only a court of competent jurisdiction that can stop us from embarking on a demonstration,” he added.

Mr. Opare-Addo also said the NDC intends to compel the police by an order of mandamus in court to perform its function of providing security for the demonstration

· Haruna Iddrisu has condemned the actions of the military in Wa for beating up civiliansnull

· According to the minority leader the high rate of lawlessness in the country led by military personnel is very unfortunate

· He said no matter how angry the military was they shouldn’t have resorted to brutalizing the citizens

Minority leader, Haruna Iddrisu, has stated that the high rate of lawlessness in the country does not speak well of the eyes of the international world.

According to him, these acts of lawlessness are orchestrated by men and women in the military who are entrusted to protect the citizen.

Speaking on the floor of parliament on July 2, 2021, the minority leader said the killing in Ejura is not yet over and this shows that the military-civil relations are at their lowest end.

“Mr Speaker, to raise a matter of urgent public importance, there appears to be a worrying development in the country which bothers on the safety and security of Ghanaian citizens, largely led by men in uniform, the Ghana Armed Forces, we have not put Ejura behind us yet, we know that there were some excesses there that resulted in the loss of life, following the death of Ibrahim Kaaka and the only yesterday I watch some developments in Wa and there is an indication that Military-Civil relations are at its lowest end.null

“…you could see men in the Army humiliating and beating Ghanaian civilians, the rights and freedoms of those Ghanaians are guaranteed under the 1992 constitution. Whatever grievance any member of the armed forces has, we are a country governed by law, they cannot continue to take the law into their hands, we will not accept a state of lawlessness in this country by led by men in uniform,” he added.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/CJL7bdl6-eqk5XVg5.html

Background

Meanwhile, some armed soldiers have been caught on camera brutalizing residents of Wa in the Upper West Region on Thursday, July 1, over a missing mobile phone supposedly belonging to one of the soldiers.

According to one eyewitness, one of the soldiers is believed to have boarded what is referred to as “Yellow Yellow” or “Mahama Cambo” and lost his phone.

The incident is said to have started at 1:00 pm and lasted for close to an hour at the Wa main traffic.null

Several of the victims are said to have sustained various degrees of injury.

Two of them are currently on admission at the Wa Municipal Hospital.

A 29-year-old vulcanizer, who was a victim, is suspected to have developed a fracture in his right thigh during the assault.

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/ez6UugxZ-eqk5XVg5

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The source of an order for Military intervention in Ejura which led to the death of two people has finally been disclosed.

The Ashanti Regional Minister, Simon Osei Mensah speaking in an interview on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’ said the order came from him.

According to him, he received intel that the youth intended to set the police station and other houses on fire and so as the head of REGSEC he called for the Military to ensure nothing of that sort takes place.

“I am the one who called the military to go to Ejura after I had intel that the irate youth were going to burn the police station and two other houses . . . So I called on the military to protect citizens and property,” he divulged.

Two dead

Reacting to the death of the two, the Regional Minister said “it’s unfortunate it ended in the death of two people but this is not the first time soldiers have been called on to assist the police in enforcing law and order. The death is unfortunate and sad…but let’s look at the other issues and deal with them wholistically”.

Political intrusion

Meanwhile, Simon Osei Mensah believes had there been no political intrusion from the #fixthecountry movement, things would not have escalated.

“The politicians should also take some of the blame; if the #fixthecountry campaigners didn’t allege that their member has been killed, things would have taken a different turn…Kaaka is a liberal person and not part of the #fixthecountry campaigner; he fights for the development of Ejura

The youth wing of the opposition National Democratic Congress says its planned street protest in Accra will come off despite the decision of the Police not to provide security for the march.

According to the party, the basis for the police’s refusal to provide security for the protest is flawed in law.

“In the wake of recent developments of insecurity, killing of innocent citizens by security forces and growing unemployment; causing young people despair, the National Youth Wing of the NDC informed the Police of its scheduled demonstration and street protest in accordance with Section 1 the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491).

“The Police accordingly responded to our letter on June 30, 2021 in a letter with reference number 84/vol.17/104, and in a bizarre twist of events, informed us that the Police cannot provide security to protestors, and insufficiently referenced EI 395 and section 4 of Act 492, amongst others, as a smoke screen to impede the protest,” the statement said.

The statement warned the party will not allow itself to be intimidated by the government through the Police.

“The general public is hereby informed that section 4 of Act 491 specifically clothes the Minister of Interior with powers to impose curfew in the country, and so far as we are concerned, no part of Accra is under curfew for which reason demonstration cannot be held as the Police erroneously want us to believe.

“The weakest of all reasons cited by the Police was it’s reference to EI 395 in it’s letter. For the records, EI 395 was birthed on the strength of section 2 of the Imposition of Restrictions Act, 2020 (Act 1012) and gazetted on December 23, 2020. It is instructive to note that, section 4 of Act 1012 provides that “a restriction imposed under subsection (1) of section (2) shall be for a period of not more than three months”. If the Police Service was meticulous and not preoccupied with petty partisan politics, it would have known that EI 395 expired in March 2021. In effect, there is no law as EI 395 to be adhered to. We want to inform the general public who have received notice of the ‘A MARCH FOR JUSTICE’ street protest with enthusiasm and eagerness that, there is no law which gives the Ghana Police Service power to stop demonstrations or protests”.

The statement signed by the National Youth Organiser of the George Opare Addo noted te the Police does not have the power to stop lawful demonstrations.

“In other words, the power to stop lawful demonstration does not rest with the Police. We have taken a decision to stand in for the several young people at the mercy of the injustices of this system; with lost hopes, no jobs, no opportunities and yet being killed and oppressed. Government must work for the generality of the people whose taxes finance the luxurious living and wishes of a select few in public service.

“The last thing the NDC will succumb to, is an oppressive Police Service acting in faithful compliance of government’s wishes against the PEOPLE of GHANA. It is our DUTY to defend the people against the indiscretion of government assigns”.

Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh

Atik Mohammed has taken a swipe at the ”Fix the Country” campaigners over their claims that an activist, Ibrahim Mohammed, who was murdered at Ejura is a member of their movement.

Ibrahim Mohammed’s death was reportedly caused by a mob that assaulted him for his vehement activism on social media.

Before he passed away, Mohammed was said to have received threats from unknown persons warning him to stop his activism.

The ”Fix the Country” campaigners claim the deceased was one of them and purported his death had something to do with him exposing the poor governance of the President, hence supposedly accusing the government of masterminding the assault.

Speaking to host Kwami Sefa Kayi on Peace FM’s ”Kokrokoo”, Atik Mohammed blasted the campagniers for taking advantage of the Ejura situation. 

“The things we say here in Accra, how many people have been killed in Accra here?,” he questioned the campaigners.

He blamed them for the violence following Ibrahim’s death which resulted in the killing of two protesters and four others seriously injured when a joint team of the Military and Police went to Ejura and shot into a crowd of protesters.

“This (Accra) is where the real action takes place. So, people are not killed for expressing their views in Accra, is it in Ejura that the President and his officials will feel so offended by the activities of a party man? . . . and that the President has sleepless nights because of the social advocacy of this man to the extent that he will commission, I mean, sometimes thinking about some of these things is terrible. And it is simply because this group called ‘Fix the Country’, in fact they started this rumour-mill and it gained currency for us to now reach where we have reached today.”

“So, what has been done to those in Accra saying fix the country? Nobody has even laid a finger on you, much less someone residing in Ejura,” he further rebuked the campaigners.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/nkgOCpx3SdY

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Ashanti Regional Secretary of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Sam Pyne, has corroborated claims by some Officers of the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) that an activist, Ibrahim Mohammed alias ‘Kaaka’, who was murdered at Ejura is a member of the ruling party.

Ibrahim Mohammed was killed last Friday for being vocal about issues affecting Ghana, particularly the Ejura area.

The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) of Ejura is accused of masterminding the murder following reports that he and the latter had a hostile relationship.

The NDC Communications Officer, Sammy Gyamfi, addressing the issue in an interview on Okay FM, has blamed the NPP for the activist’s death saying, “there is hardship in the country and people are afraid to talk because they are afraid for their lives. Today, they have killed Kaaka. NPP killed Kaaka. Kaaka stays in Ejura and has been on this #fixthecountry campaign. He has been talking about abandoned projects. Before he was attacked by a mob, he announced that he has been threatened by the known NPP members. He even published the threats. He was beaten by a mob”.

Speaking on Peace FM’s morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Sam Pyne revealed that the deceased was indeed a member of the ruling NPP.

He also confirmed his uncordial relationship with the MCE.null

He, however, shared limited information on whether or not the MCE had a hand in Kaaka’s death.

Sam Pyne also refuted claims that the NPP is behind the killing and stressed the Police should be allowed to do their thorough investigations.

Confirming to host Kwami Sefa Kayi, he said, ”I know him. He is an NPP activist. I’ve sent him on occasions. The time we allowed the MCE to go unopposed, one of the guys who was opposing it, he was one of them; so there is the history that he and the MCE have uncordial relationship.”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/csh4RUIxYLY

Source: peacefmonline.com

• Sam George says President Akufo-Addo is interested in chasing shadowsnull

• He accused him of failing to deliver justice to victims of electoral violence

• He said, the president did not pay compensations to the victims

Samuel Nartey George, Ningo-Prampram MP, has criticised President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not acting on systemic reforms recommended by the Short Commission when they investigated the violence that erupted at the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency.

He indicated that the President has failed woefully to deliver justice to the victims of electoral violence because he [President Akufo-Addo] has constantly shown that he is more interested in chasing the shadows and ignoring the substance of any issue.

He also accused the President of failing to pay “compensation to victims of State-sponsored terrorism in Ayawaso West Wuogon”.null

The MP’s criticisms of the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Force, comes after a letter signed by Eugene Arhin, Director of Communication at the Presidency, indicated that the President has instructed the Interior Minister to undertake a Public Inquiry into incidents in Ejura, where the Police cum Military Operatives shot into a crowd of unarmed protesters.

President Akufo-Addo gave Ambrose Dery ten days to present to his outfit “a detailed report from the inquiry, with recommendations for appropriate action”.

Commenting on the President’s call, Sam George said on his Twitter timeline that President Nana Akufo-Addo is “quick to condemn violence in other countries and commiserate and organise funerals for victims of State brutalities in other jurisdictions but failed to call and commiserate with victims of violence and families of those murdered by men wearing uniforms of the Ghana Army during the December 2020 elections”.

He further stated that President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo will go down in history as the President of Ghana who under his watch, unarmed Ghanaians were murdered by the Military.

“You are President of Ghana Sir & your mandate is to Ghanaians. You are the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces & it is under your watch that we see [the] murder of unarmed Ghanaian citizens by your men.null

Your legacy is bloodstained and the memory of your leadership will be on of insecurity, fear, intimidation and failure,” .

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

The editor-in-chief of the New Crusading Guide newspaper, Abdul-Malik Kweku Baako has described the military intervention in a youth protest at Ejura, which led to the shooting and killing of two people, as an “overkill”, which could have been avoided.

A joint military and police force shot and killed two protesters as they marched in anger on Tuesday, 29 June 2021, a day after the mob killing of local social media activist Ibrahim ‘Kaaka’ Mohammed who was calling on the government to #FixTheCountry.

Four other protesters also got injured in the clash between the demonstrators and the security personnel.

Speaking on the subject, Mr Baako said: “I can’t reconcile myself with the military intervention”, explaining: “I know, generally speaking, we have the principle or philosophy when the police or internal security is difficult for police to handle, the military are brought in, but there are procedures on how to bring the military in and for what purpose, there are lots of restrictions and limitations and all that…”

“I don’t believe there was a sufficient base to bring in the military”, he said on radio Wednesday, 30 June 2021.

“I think it was an overkill and apart from that they are not trained for crowd control. Their rules of engagement are different. They don’t have the same skills [like the police]. The expertise is not there. This is a completely avoidable intervention”, he argued.

“In my candid opinion, this whole tragedy was completely avoidable. It doesn’t help the image of Ghana. It’s just not right and ought to be condemned outrightly and I’m doing so although I’m not fully briefed on all the circumstances, so, somebody can take me on for that and I’m OK with that but I can’t stand it and I don’t think it’s right…”

Mr Baako made his comments on Accra-based Peace FM.

Meanwhile, the Ashanti regional police command has commenced investigations to establish the circumstances surrounding the violent clash.

In a statement, the police said its preliminary investigation shows that following the burial of Ibrahim Mohammed aka Kaaka at Mempeasem cemetery at Ejura on Tuesday, some irate youth blocked the main Ejura Atebubu road, thus, impeding traffic flow.

The police moved in with military reinforcement to quell the situation but the irate youth charged on the security officers with all manner of implements including firearms, clubs, machetes and stones.

The security officials fired into the crowd to disperse the angry mob, who failed to retreat but rather massed up in all corners.

The death and injuries were recorded in the process.

However, security has been reinforced to ensure total stability.

The regional command has also taken over the investigation into the murder of Kaaka and has appealed to anyone who has credible information to share with the command at the Central Police Station, Kumasi or call 0299207770.

“The strictest confidentially is assured,” the police said.

The command also appealed to everyone, especially the youth of Ejura, to remain calm and also called on the traditional and opinion leaders to call for restraint to avert an escalation

A professor at the Political Science Department of the University of Ghana, Yaw Gyampo, has blamed the mode of recruitment and training of security personnel in the country for the “ignorant and unprofessional soldiers who went to kill two more human beings” at Ejura during a youth protest over the murder of their colleague and #FixTheCountry campaigner Ibrahim ‘Kaaka’ Mohammed.

Four other protesters also got injured in the clash between the demonstrators and the security personnel.

Reacting to this development, Prof Gyampo noted that regimes would continue to suffer even more monumental embarrassments from unprofessional security forces, so long as recruitments into these agencies are politicised and based not on meritocracy.

He quizzed: “Who squats to shoot when demonstrations are ongoing? What was he aiming at? Human being or ‘beela’? Is that how to shoot to disperse? How was this soldier recruited? Who hired him? Who trained him?

“Are Ghanaian demonstrators immune to tear-gas? How about the hot water cannons and rubber bullets?

Prof Gyampo noted that “the kind of unbridled hawkish-intolerance exhibited by some elements within regimes and the childish manner with which our security agencies act in dealing with demonstrators, constitute a severe blot on the maturation of our democratisation process.”

He called on the government to fire some security heads to send a certain signal that would compel and elicit highly professional conduct of the security agencies when it comes to crowd management and dealing with demonstrators.

He also suggested that the government sends top security brass to school again for them to be socialized in the dogmas of the kind of relational competence they need, to talk agitators out of demonstration, if need be, “rather than the very cheap and democratically infantile way of quickly running to court, to seek an injunction. This only annoys and presents a needless potential recipe for revolt.”

Below is the full statement from Prof Gyampo:

1. The killing of Kaaka Mohammed is unfortunate and regrettable. My condolence to the family and may his soul Rest In Peace. But quickly, some have started pointing accusing fingers at the current regime with others expressing the hope that this shouldn’t be state-sponsored. This is also not too good, as it would not allow proper investigations to be undertaken.

2. Looking at the official government responses to the “Fix The Country”, agitation, I doubt whether this killing may be sanctioned by the state, even though I am also very much aware that, in our kind of nauseating politics, everything may be possible, including turning a man into a woman and vice versa. Government met the agitators to try and calm them down. Later, the agitations compelled, at least, two pressers to explain what the government is doing to fix the country.

3. But of course, there are the hawks within the regime, who demonstrated intolerance by calling the bluff of the agitators and asking them to first fix themselves. Then, we have our Police Service that typically tried to frustrate the intentions of the agitators to demonstrate, using very nonsensical explanations of Covid as basis, when they could not prevent or disperse the mammoth crowd at Sir John’s funeral. These things make any attempt to link the state to abuses, including murder of an agitator, easy and plausible, even though scepticisms can be entertained because of the absence of watertight evidence.

4. We must also know, and not be oblivious of the fact that sometimes, our nasty and very dirty politics may push individuals outside government, to carry out such abuses, just for the purposes of deepening agitations and making governments unpopular. Again, there is no evidence to support this, in the case of Kaaka’s death. But as we analyze the situation, through the lenses of fairness and objectivity, we must do so broadly, to cover all probabilities.

5. For the ignorant and unprofessional soldiers who went to kill two more human beings, I won’t blame them too much. We must blame their mode of recruitment and training. Regimes would continue to suffer even more monumental embarrassments from unprofessional security forces, so long as recruitments into these agencies are politicized and based not on meritocracy.

6. I was part of the 2000 Mobrowa Struggle and I played an active role, sometimes as the “Divine Drummer” for our group. We saw the professional manner with which the police and the soldiers handled us even when they had to physically stop us for being unruly.

7. Who squats to shoot when demonstrations are ongoing? What was he aiming at? Human being or “beela”? Is that how to shoot to disperse? How was this soldier recruited? Who hired him? Who trained him? He is indeed a square peg in a round hole, wearing a military camouflage attire.https://googleads.g.doubleclick.net/pagead/ads?client=ca-pub-4549410436183225&output=html&h=250&slotname=4705176708&adk=1921530005&adf=2732832048&pi=t.ma~as.4705176708&w=300&lmt=1625061045&psa=1&format=300×250&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmobile.classfmonline.com%2Fnews%2Fgeneral%2FEjura-shooting-Gyampo-slams-ignorant-unprofessional-soldiers-25493&flash=0&wgl=1&dt=1625061043944&bpp=8&bdt=3306&idt=1447&shv=r20210628&ptt=9&saldr=aa&abxe=1&cookie=ID%3Daeb05f98c8a9b87f-221bcc1f4ac90054%3AT%3D1625060944%3ART%3D1625060944%3AS%3DALNI_MbJ-bVxK4bu6C_n0kzWE1dDa7v_qw&prev_fmts=0x0%2C300x250%2C300x250%2C300x250%2C300x250&nras=1&correlator=6048253253336&frm=20&pv=1&ga_vid=1551383403.1625060943&ga_sid=1625061045&ga_hid=267359655&ga_fc=0&u_tz=0&u_his=1&u_java=0&u_h=892&u_w=412&u_ah=892&u_aw=412&u_cd=24&u_nplug=0&u_nmime=0&adx=56&ady=5545&biw=412&bih=797&scr_x=0&scr_y=0&eid=21066434%2C31060956%2C31060474%2C31061661%2C31061420&oid=3&pvsid=2439178296619484&pem=641&ref=http%3A%2F%2Fm.facebook.com%2F&eae=0&fc=1920&brdim=0%2C0%2C0%2C0%2C412%2C0%2C412%2C797%2C412%2C797&vis=1&rsz=%7Co%7CEebr%7C&abl=NS&pfx=0&fu=0&bc=31&ifi=6&uci=a!6&btvi=4&fsb=1&xpc=hbazgARgeC&p=https%3A//mobile.classfmonline.com&dtd=1474

8. Elsewhere, I am touting our democratic credentials to some scholars and African leaders. But behind the scenes, they are pointing these abuses to contradict my claims about Ghana’s drive towards democratic maturity. The point is: the kind of unbridled hawkish-intolerance exhibited by some elements within regimes and the childish manner with which our security agencies act in dealing with demonstrators, constitute a severe blot on the maturation of our democratization process.

9. Are Ghanaian demonstrators immune to tear gas? How about the hot water cannons and rubber bullets? The government may want to fire some security heads to send a certain signal that would compel and elicit highly professional conduct of our security agencies when it comes to crowd management and dealing with demonstrators.

10. Government may also want to send top security brass to school again for them to be socialised in the dogmas of the kind of relational competence they need, to talk agitators out of the demonstration, if need be, rather than the very cheap and democratically infantile way of quickly running to court, to seek an injunction. This only annoys and presents a needless potential recipe for revolt.

11. The President may have to personally intervene to give the needed assurances, bring peace and finality to this impasse. The security agencies have lost credibility in the sight of the agitators and demonstrators. The near-docility of our Peace Council has also created a certain legitimacy deficit that may make the Council ineffective in intervening. Given these challenges, the President’s personal intervention may be helpful and this must be done in a timeous manner. Yaw Gyampo

A31, Prabiw

PAV Ansah Street

Saltpond &

Suro Nipa House

Kubease

Larteh/Akuapim

A nine-member committee of the National Memory of the World (MoW) has been inaugurated.

The newly-inaugurated committee members include Dr Kweku Rockson, Chairman for Specialised Committee for Communication and Information, Ghana Commission for UNESCO as its Chairman; Dr Helena Hassan-Asamoah, the Secretary-General, African Regional Memory of the World Committee (ARCMOW); Mrs Judith Opoku Boateng, Archivist, Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana; Dr Getrude Aba Mensah Eyifah Dzidzianyor, Lecturer Museums and Heritage University of Ghana; Mr Edward Addo-Yobo, Ghana Library Authority and Professor Kwabena Akurang-Parry, Historian, the University of Ghana.

Others are Mrs Ama Serwah Nerquaye-Tetteh, Secretary-General, Ghana Commission for UNESCO; Mr Christopher Wetcher, Program Officer for Culture, Ghana Commission for UNESCO; Ms Joan Agyekum Nsowah, Program Officer for Communication and Information, Ghana Commission for UNESCO.

The deputy information minister, Fatimatu Abubakar, during the swearing-in ceremony of the committee members on Tuesday, 29 June 2021, urged the newly inaugurated committee to collaborate with relevant institutions such as professional bodies like the Public Records and Administration Department, Ghana Museum and Monuments Board to ensure the efficient preservation of Ghana’s heritage and to fully harness, preserve and protect the country’s documentary heritage and cultural norms with due recognition of the diversity of people.

Ms FatimatU Abubakar urged members of the committee to bring their expertise and knowledge to bear for the fulfilment of its terms of reference.

“This I believe will serve as a good source of information for both academic and developmental purposes,” she said.

UNESCO in 1992 established the MoW Programme to recover and safeguard significant collection worldwide.

Ghana joins about 91 countries that have established National Mow committees

Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Peter Boama Otokunor, has described the murder of the #Fixethcountry activist, Ibrahim Kaaka Mohammed, as a state-sponsored attack.

He noted that the country is saddled with impunity borne out of political intolerance, a development he said must stop.

In a tweet, Otokunor said “I condemn in no uncertain terms the dastard killing of #FixTheCountry activist, Ibrahim “Kaaka” Mohammed.

“This culture of state-sponsored murder and wanton impunity borne out of political intolerance must die prematurely. We cannot allow this trend to continue. #justice4kaaka.”

His comments follow the gruesome murder of Macho Kaaka in Ejura in the Ashanti Region over the weekend.

There were violent clashes between the youth of the area who were demonstrating in that town on Tuesday, June 29, and the members of the security agencies following the murder.

This led to the death of two persons with four sustaining various degrees of injury.

Former President John Dramani Mahama asked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to take immediate steps to de-escalate the situation in Ejura.

Former President Mahama has added his voice to calls for calm in Ejura but demanded thorough investigations into the firing of live ammunition into the protesting crowd.

“I add my voice to calls for calm following the shooting to death of two persons and the injury to many in Ejura today, following the murder of youth activist Ibrahim ‘Kaaka’ Mohammed.

“I have just seen a video of the firing of live ammunition into a crowd by persons wearing military attire after the burial of the murdered youth activist.

“I urgently call on President Nana Akufo-Addo to initiate an immediate de-escalation of the situation in Ejura.

“There must be a very thorough investigation of both the murder of the youth activist and the security rules of engagement which resulted in the shooting to death of the two others.null

“My thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the Ejura community.”

I condemn in no uncertain terms the dastard killing of #FixTheCountry activist, Ibrahim “Kaaka” Mohammed.

This culture of state sponsored murder and wanton impunity borne out political intolerance must die prematurely. We cannot allow this trend to continue.#justice4kaaka— Peter Boama Otokunor (@potokunor) June 29, 2021

I urgently call on President Nana Akufo-Addo to initiate an immediate de-escalation of the situation in Ejura. https://t.co/BS3pgYOOiJ— John Dramani Mahama (@JDMahama) June 29, 2021

Source: 3news.com

• Kweku Baako has criticized the NDC for politicizing the issue involving the Chief Justice and Dr Dominic Ayinenull

• Baako says the politics has distorted the issue

• He also praised Dominic Ayine for his willingness to contest the petition

Veteran journalist Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has slammed members of the main opposition National Democratic Congress, NDC, over their comments relative to the disciplinary petition involving the Chief Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah and Member of Parliament for Bolgatanga East Dr Dominic Ayine.

Speaking on Peace FM’s Kokrokoo news analysis program on June 23, Baako said that the infiltration of politics into the episode has culminated in the story taking a different dimension from what it should be.

He noted that it is a deliberate attempt by the ‘political animals’ to ensure that the substance of the case is relegated to the background.

“I have suddenly seen some political animals intrude and destroy the issue. He was invited in his personal capacity as a legal policy expert, suddenly his friends have joined in and muddied the waters. They have polluted the environment and destroyed the case. I’m sure the logic is that once you politicize it, you neutralize the judicial processes.https://d790706ca1bf4a77ecb54daa1c7bc72c.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-38/html/container.html

“You’ve politicized things and made it so partisan that you can’t move forward. If you move forward they will accuse of you of targeting NDC lawyers. That is my concern because it does not help,” he said.

Baako further commended Dominic Ayine for showing courage in his response to the petition sent to the Ghana Legal Council by the CJ.

The New Crusading Guide publisher said he would have wished that the Chief Justice did not make the move but acknowledged Ayine’s decision to fight the case.

“My view was that they should have left him but now that he has responded formally …. Five paragraphs of the eleven-page response I have seen, I can see some courage of conviction. I can smell and sense courage of conviction.

“This is what I have been waiting for. If I were him, I would have prepared for the Disciplinary Committee and I hope he does that. He should go and articulate the conviction in his statement before the committee. That is how you build a nation or change the course of history,” he said.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Ghanaian politician, Kennedy Agyapong has stated the two major political parties in Ghana are the reason the country has not been able to improve despite strides made by most sectors.

The MP for Assin Central who was addressing the youth at a conference held at the UPSA main auditorium stressed that it is because of the two dominating political parties that the country remains divided.

According to him, when in opposition, the politician throws dust into the eyes of the public to deny, convince them not to buy into the idea of the good works of the governing party because of their selfish nature.

He stressed that politicians must learn to criticize each other irrespective of party affiliation to develop the country.

“NDC, NPP and CPP, we’re all bogus, we are polarizing the country and it’s about time we speak and criticize ourselves and make sure we change the destiny of this country,” Kennedy Agyapong stated.

He added, “I live for you, so live for your brother too, that is the only way we can change the destiny of this country.”

He admitted that “There are good things being done in this country, you get to your opponent to turn it around to destroy the good intention of what you want to do, that must stop so we move this country.”null

Kennedy Agyapong’s rage comes after some Cardiothoracic surgeons struggled to raise funds to travel and study the disease.

He said, “Doctors, they crack their brains, work, study and they don’t pay them well. They wanted just $11,000 to come and man this facility and they don’t have it. For one year, 7 doctors can’t afford $11,000 each. I gave them times seven of the money so they use the rest for other things.”

The businessman has cut the sword for the construction of an 80-bed Cardiothoracic Centre at the 37 Military Hospital for $4million.

Watch video below [Skip to 35th minute].

https://cdn.jwplayer.com/players/UiQapIEa-eqk5XVg5.ht

Source: www.ghanaweb.com

Seasoned Journalist, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. has rubbished the survey that Ghana is the second peaceful country in Africa.

Ghana has been ranked the second most peaceful country in Africa in the 2021 Global Peace Index report by the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP).

The country is also ranked 38th in the world out of 163 countries.

The IEP is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit think tank dedicated to shifting the world’s focus to peace as a positive, achievable, and tangible measure of human well-being and progress.

But Kwesi Pratt has taken the report with a pinch of salt.

According to him, the security situation in Ghana, which he described as being worse, is a clear contradiction with the survey.

“When you look at mobile money operators who have been shot, in fact two have been shot just this morning and you look at the bullion vans attacks and so forth, and someone tells us Ghana is one of the most peaceful countries in the world; what does that mean?”, he asked, asserting that “we, the citizens, are all living in fear and panic. The way things are going is very dangerous”.

Mr. Pratt stressed that hearing Ghana is second peaceful country in Africa got him annoyed.

“They should stop saying those things . . . Ghana is second peaceful country in Africa and so what?”

https://www.youtube.com/embed/FZvF7em0DmU

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

National Communications Officer for the largest opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), Sammy Gyamfi says Dr Dominic Ayine has done nothing wrong in his presentation at the CDD organized forum to warrant the Chief Justice, His Lordship Justice Kwasi Anin-Yeboah to write to the General Legal Council of Ghana to punish him [Ayine].

Sammy Gyamfi in an interview on Okay FM’s ‘Ade Akye Abia’ Morning Show on Tuesday, 22nd June 2021 said that the 1992 Constitution allows Dr Dominic Ayine to offer his opinion on the ruling of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition.

“Ghana is a democratic country and so the 1992 Constitution which is being used to govern the country allows everybody to express their opinion or the freedom of expression. In view of this, anybody can express their opinion or views after a judgment has been given on a case”.

“The opinion may not favour the Chief Justice, or it may not base on law, and it may be wrong, but that is the opinion of someone and the person is entitled to it and the law says that the person cannot be persecuted or harassed for expressing their opinion”.

According to Sammy Gyamfi, it is unfathomable for the Chief Justice to write to the General Legal Council of Ghana to punish Dr Dominic Ayine for expressing his opinion on the verdict of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition when other lawyers expressed their opinion on the same verdict of the Supreme Court.

“Lawyers from both NPP and NDC expressed their opinions; while the NPP lawyers supported the ruling of the Supreme Court on the 2020 election petition, the NDC lawyer, Dr Ayine disagreed with the ruling of the Supreme Court and that has angered Justice Anin-Yeboah to write to the General Legal Council to punish Dr Ayine,” he wondered.

“We in the NDC would have understood Justice Anin-Yeboah if his petition to the General Legal Council is based on the fact that he [Dr. Ayine] has denigrated and insulted the 7 judges who sat on the 2020 election petition, but he did not rebuke the Supreme Court. Dr Ayine was talking about his confidence in the Judiciary and nobody can punish anybody about his or her opinion on an issue,” he argued.

Watch Video Below

https://www.youtube.com/embed/7h1l5ihQqOQ

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com

• Ambrose Dery says in downplaying claims of insecurity in the country said Ghana is safer than other countries in the sub-regionnull

• He assured that the police is trying its best to deal with the criminal activities in the country

• Franklin Cudjoe has however criticized him for the statement

Franklin Cudjoe, the President of IMANI Africa has responded to claims by Interior Minister Ambrose Dery that comparatively, Ghana is a safer country than most countries in the sub-region.

The bullion van robbery in Accra, coupled with recent robberies has heightened fears of insecurity in the country with the head of the Inspector General of Police being called by some people for not being proactive with his mandate of protecting Ghanaians.

Government has also been faulted for not doing much in ensuring that Ghanaian the lives of Ghanaians are safe from the actions of criminals.null

Ambrose Dery in responding to critics compared the situation in the country with the other countries in the West African sub-region that are dealing with issues of terrorism and political unrest.

“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.”

But Speaking on Citi FM, Franklin Cudjoe questioned the relevance of Ambrose Dery’s comment and quizzed why members of parliament will request police protection in a state where security is apt. . “The Interior Minister suggests that Ghana is relatively safer than other countries. He was the same person who suggested that the country wasn’t safe, so we needed police protection for the MPs.”

“What informed this type of talk? In one breath, MPs need to be provided with police protection because the country is not safe and in another, the country is relatively safe. It appears as if the citizenry is lost in all these conversations” he lamented.

Source: www.ghanaweb.com