Thursday, February 28, 2008

GH¢2,000 REWARD FOR INFORMATION ON SUHUM DEATHS (PAGE 49)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Eastern Regional Co-ordinating Council (RCC) and the Suhum District Assembly have jointly made available GH¢2,000 to reward any person with information that will lead to the arrest of those behind the mysterious killings in Suhum.
Suhum, capital of the Suhum District in the Eastern Region, has, for the past 14 months, witnessed about 10 mysterious deaths, with most of the victims having their heads smashed with either cement blocks or flower pots.
The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Afram Asiedu, who announced the package at a meeting with the chiefs and people of Suhum and security chiefs in the district on Monday, said the RCC had put in place adequate measures to arrest the culprits.
Mr Asiedu did not reveal the nature of the measures but indicated that all depended on the co-operation of the public who, he said, should volunteer information on the issue to the police.
He also called on the District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Michael Kofi Mensah, and the Member of Parliament for the area, Mr Opare Ansah, who is also the Deputy Minister of Communications, to co-operate to effectively deal with the issue.
Mr Opare Ansah said the government had taken the issue seriously and that efforts were being made to unravel the mystery surrounding the killings.
The Chief of Suhum, Osabarima Aye Kofi I, expressed his satisfaction with efforts being made by the regional minister and the security agencies in tackling the issue and called on the public to co-operate with the police to bring the killers to book.
Earlier, the Deputy Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP Ampah Benin, had told the gathering that 39 policemen from Suhum and Koforidua and an additional 31 from Accra were currently in the Suhum township patrolling and conducting investigations into the killings.
Most of the people who spoke at the function expressed their readiness to assist the police, saying the police should also intensify their activities in apprehending the criminals.

Wednesday, February 27, 2008

NGO DONATES TO ISLAMIC SCHOOLS (PAGE 20)

STORY: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

MUSLIM Development Organisation (MDO), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), dedicated to the education of children of Muslims in Suhum and its environs, working in collaboration with the World Bank, has donated educational materials to six Islamic junior high and primary schools in the area.
The items, including exercise books and pens, were given to the pupils of Suhum Islamic Junior High School, Anum Apapam Islamic Junior High School, Akorabo Islamic Primary, Nankese Islamic Primary, Kuano Islamic Primary and Kraboanta Junction Islamic Primary Schools.
Presenting the items to the heads of the beneficiary schools at Suhum at the weekend, the Project Director of MDO, Mr Haruna Abedi, advised Muslim parents to send their children to school.
He said it was rather unfortunate that most Muslim children, especially those in the Zongo communities, could not be educated due to poverty and ignorance and, therefore, appealed to parents to invest in the education of their children.
The Suhum District Director of Education, Miss Augustina Manko Aboagye, who received the items, expressed her appreciation to the donors of the educational materials and advised heads of the beneficiary schools to ensure their judicious use by their pupils.
The Headteacher of Suhum Islamic Junior High School, Mr Ibrahim Samed, on behalf of his colleagues, expressed his appreciation to the donors.
He said the gift had been made available at the right time since most of the parents could not easily afford such items.

REGIONAL MINISTER VISITS 85 INSTITUTIONS (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

TO ensure the proper functioning of all the sectors of the national economy and good governance in the Eastern Region, the Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Afram Asiedu, has, within three months, visited 85 institutions in the area.
A statement issued by the Public Relations Department of the Regional Co-ordinating Council, stated that the visits were to help the regional minister acquaint himself with problems faced by such institutions and see how best to resolve them.
Among the places he visited were the ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) and others such as the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, Statistical Service, Ghana Immigration Service, the Ghana Police Service, Intravenous Infusions Limited, producers of pharmaceutical products, Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), the Internal Revenue Service, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Ministry of Trade, Industry and President’s Special Initiative (PSI) and the Regional Hospital, all in Koforidua.
The others were Driver, Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), the Electoral Commission, Ghana Highway Authority, GRATIS Foundation, Department of Feeder Roads, Attorney-General’s Office, all in Koforidua, Lagray Chemical Factory at Nsawam and the Pinora Fruit Processing Factory at Asamankese.
He also paid courtesy calls on the paramount chiefs of New Juaben, Yilo Krobo, Manya Krobo, Akyem Bosome, Akuapem, Boso-Gua, Anum and Kwahu.
The regional minister, who assumed office in August, last year, stated at the various MDAs and other government institutions that it was necessary for him to be at such places to interact with the staff to ensure proper supervision, co-ordination and monitoring.
All heads of department, he said, would be required to submit briefs on their activities, specifying their challenges and requests for onward transmission to the responsible ministries and mother institutions for the necessary action.
During his rounds, which he termed as a working visit, most of the workers expressed their delight at the visit, and commended the minister for his trail-brazing undertaking.
They added that no minister had had such encounters with both junior and senior employees in recent years.
At the Koforidua Regional Hospital, Mr Afram Asiedu was conducted round the facility by the acting Director of the hospital, Dr Appiah Kusi.
The regional minister praised the doctors and other health workers for their immense contribution to the health sector, and urged them to continue to stay at post, instead of going for greener pastures abroad.
He promised to liaise with the Ministry of Health to ensure prompt reimbursement of health insurance fees, provision of security at the Medical Village and the tarring of the road leading to the hospital’s car park.

ARTISANS AWARDED NVTI CERTICATES (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh

FIFTY-TWO artisans, made up of carpenters, masons, auto-mechanics and others from different vocations in the West Akyem District capital, Asamankese, who were examined in their various trades, had been presented with National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) certificates.
The initiative, which was carried out with financial support from the Rural Enterprise Project (REP), was to update the skills of the artisans to properly place them on the job market.
Addressing the ceremony at Asamankese at the weekend, the West Akyem District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwabena Sintim Aboagye, said the government, in its effort to develop the human resource base of the country, was carrying out numerous programmes aimed at building the capacities of the people to improve their living conditions.
He said they included the construction of a rural technology workshop in the district, of which the West Assembly District Assembly made available GH¢3,750 for its connection to the national grid in order to get electricity supply to train artisans.
Mr Sintim Aboagye said the government was also paying part of the training cost, adding that the assembly was considering assisting the trainee artisans to secure funds after their training to establish their own businesses.
He stated that GH¢2,000 had already been made provided to support 30 apprentices who had graduated.
The DCE advised the artisans to be serious with their work, since it was only their hard work that would attract the government or any financial institution to assist them with funds for their activities.
The Eastern Regional Co-ordinator of the NVTI, Mr Samuel Kwasi Ofosu, who took the participants through the rudiments of the job, deplored the situation where artisans were often placed on the lowest grades at the workplace, although they normally did most of the work.
He advised them to acquire NVTI certificates that would reverse that trend.
The Rural Enterprise Project Manager, Mr Roosevelt Agbodzo, said his outfit would continue to upgrade their skills, and asked them to take full advantage of the initiative.
The West Akyem District Director of the NCCE, Mr Adu Amankwa, asked the artisans to drum home the benefits of their training to attract more tradesmen into the programme.
In another development, a 13-member committee, under the chairmanship of the DCE, Mr Sintim Aboagye, set up to find a solution to the poor performance of pupils of some basic schools in the area at the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE), has started work.
At its maiden sitting at Asamankese at the weekend, the committee identified some of the factors resulting in the poor performance of the pupils as absenteeism on the part of teachers, inadequate parental care leading to pupils not attending classes, and inadequate classrooms and educational materials.
It would be recalled that all the pupils in 10 junior high schools in the district, namely Adu Kofi Local Authority (L/A), Domeabra L/A, Domeabra Islamic, Akanteng L/A, Kobriso L/A, Topease Methodist ‘A’, Asikasu Roman Catholic, Kantanyensua L/A, Nyankomase Zion and Mepom Takorase L/A, who last sat for the BECE, failed.

KWABENG BARES TEETHAT X'TRA GOLD (PAGE 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Kwabeng

KWABENG, the capital of the Atiwa District, which was created out of the vast East Akyem District in the Eastern Region about three years, is noted for two main economic activities—farming and surface gold mining.
Being predominantly rural, Kwabeng has most of its inhabitants being farmers cultivating cocoa, oil palm, citrus and varieties of food crops on small holdings, which make it difficult for the people to earn appreciable income for their livelihood.
It is for this reason that the discovery of gold within the precincts of the town in the early 1990s is considered a blessing for the people of the town, which is now fast developing; it now has a number of social amenities such as schools, most of which have been provided by the district assembly.
However, the joy of the people, who in the past 18 years, had thought that the gold mining companies would provide some of their basic needs such as good drinking water, in line with the companies’ social responsibility, could not materialise.
Despite the failure of the companies to provide some of the needed amenities, particularly water, the people continued to co-operate with the companies until X’tra Gold came to the scene about two years ago.
X’tra Gold, as expected, quickly offered to provide the town with a modern clinic, in line with its social responsibility which was readily accepted by the people who therefore, decided to play ball with the company.
Besides the failure of X’tra Gold to honour its promise of providing a clinic to appease the inhabitants, its operations have polluted the Awusu River, the main source of drinking water for the people.
A large stretch of arable land has also been destroyed, but that could not incur the wrath of the people either, as they continue to live at peace with the company.
That peaceful co-existence was, however, seriously affected when some of the X’tra Gold workers recently assaulted a prominent citizen of the town, who questioned some aspects of the company’s operations.a
As expected, that unfortunate incident broke the camel’s back, with the people making a strong agitation by demanding that X’tra Gold sink six boreholes for the town within a period of six months or wind up its activities.
To help defuse the emerging tension with the possibility of degenerating into hostilities, the chief of Kwabeng, Osabarima Darkwa Woe, who is also the Gyasehene of Akyem Abuakwa Traditional Area, together with his elders and some opinion leaders, toured the operational grounds of the company at the weekend for a first-hand information on the problem.
Osabarima Darkwa Woe was shocked at what he saw, especially the diversion of the polluted Awusu River and its tributaries, Obiri and Obeng, as well as the destruction of the landscape.
For that reason, he hurriedly summoned to his official residence at Kwabeng two top officials of the company, Messrs Kofi Agyemang and Michael Turkson, managers for exploration and mines respectively, for an amicable solution to the problem.
“As the chief of the town, I will not sit down for my people to drink contaminated water to contract all sorts of water-borne diseases such as bilharzia and skin diseases as is happening now, and the only thing I want for them is good drinking water,” Osabarima Darkwa Woe said in a tense mood.
The officials, who admitted that the demand of the chief was the ideal thing to do, said their company had already set aside GH¢70,000 for the construction of the clinic.
They, however, stated that it would be difficult for the company to sink the boreholes at the same time, taking into consideration the amount of money needed for the project.
That led to a heated argument during which the elders decided to advise themselves in a manner that would not be in the interest of the company.
In the heat of the argument, one of the citizens of the town, Alhaji Mustapha Boateng, decided to single-handedly fund the construction of the clinic so that X’tra Gold would be able to provide the six wells, at least, within the next six months, with constructional works starting within a fortnight.
Although both sides had agreed to co-operate in the interest of peace, all depended on how best X’tra Gold would honour its commitment to providing the boreholes.
This is because the continued use of water from the polluted Awusu River could increase the rate of bilharzia infection, which stood at 375 last year, as well as other water-related skin diseases, which would compel the people to possibly draw swords at X’tra Gold.

Tuesday, February 26, 2008

ASIRIFI IS NDC ABUAKWA NORTH CANDIDATE (PAGE 17)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, New Tafo

THE National Democratic Congress (NDC) has elected Mr Simon Peter Asirifi as its parliamentary candidate for Abuakwa North in the Eastern Region.
Mr Asirifi, a 48-year-old accountant who was elected unopposed at New Tafo, was the party’s parliamentary candidate for the constituency in the 2004 elections but he lost to the New Patriotic Party (NPP) candidate, Mr J.B. Danquah Adu.
In his acceptance speech, Mr Asirifi said the NPP had failed to address the problems in the constituency, for which reason the people were determined to vote for the NDC to enable it to dislodge the NPP candidate at the December polls.
“The NPP has failed to address the difficulties facing the people in the constituency. They have, therefore, decided to throw their lot behind the NDC, which will definitely win the seat to improve the lot of the people”, he stated.
He, however, asked the rank and file of the NDC to work extra hard for a resounding victory at the polls.
Earlier, four regional executive members of the NDC — Mr Anthony Gyampo, Secretary; Mr Bismark Tawiah Boateng, Organiser; Mr Adu Gyamfi, Propaganda Secretary, and Mr Kwaku Asamoah, Youth Organiser — had taken turns to criticise the NPP for its inability to continue with the good works of the NDC after it handed over to the NPP in 2001.
Mr Gyampo asked the people to examine their living standards before casting their votes, adding that the economic situation had now worsened, to the extent that people could not even afford one square meal a day.
Mr Boateng said since an NPP victory in the December election would spell doom for the country, Ghanaians should rally behind the NDC to come back to power to continue with its good works which were abrogated when it lost the 2000 elections.







Both Messrs Gyamfi and Mr Asamoah advised the rank and file of the NDC, especially polling station chairmen, to be vigilant on polling day to make it impossible for the NPP to rig the elections.

Friday, February 22, 2008

2 GRANTED BAIL FOR CAUSING FIRE OUTBREAK (PAGE 21)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

TWO persons who are being tried at the Koforidua Circuit Court for allegedly causing fire outbreak at the Koforidua Central Market on January 27, 2008 have been granted GH¢5,000 bail each with a surety to be justified.
The two — Ebenezer Frimpong, a welder, and Kingsley Mensah, who had since been in prison custody after the incident — will re-appear before the court presided over by Mr Robert Adjei Djan on February 28.
When the case was called last Thursday, the counsel for the accused persons, Major J.S.K. Amissah (retd), pleaded with the court to grant his clients bail, since it was an unfortunate incident in which they themselves had their property burnt.
He said granting them bail would not interfere with investigations, which must be conducted on time for compensation to be paid because many people were aggrieved.
At an earlier sitting, the prosecutor, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) T.K. Nyadu, told the court that at about 5.30 p.m. on that fateful day, January 27, 2008, fire broke out at the Koforidua Central Market.
He said Frimpong had on that day, done some welding work on a shop at the market without putting in place safety measures, which possibly resulted in the fire outbreak that caused massive destruction in some parts of the market.
It would be recalled that fire gutted parts of the Koforidua Central Market on January 27, this year. that destroyed goods worth thousands of Ghana cedis.

Thursday, February 21, 2008

NEW PETROLEUM PRODUCT INTRODUCED IN K'DUA (PAGE 50)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

SUPER PLUS Ron 96, a high quality performance fuel that enables motorists to cover more distance than premium petrol, gas or gas oil, has been introduced in the Eastern Regional capital, Koforidua.
The new product, popularly known as green petrol, which is also suitable for old cars (240,000km) is currently only available at Total Two and Three filling stations in Koforidua.
Although it had been available on the market for the past few days, it has now gained the confidence of motorists, most of who throng the two filling stations daily to fill their vehicles.
In an interview, the Manager of the two filling stations, Mr Isaac Brewu, said he decided to go in for that type of fuel due to its high performance which maked it possible for users to cover longer distances than those relying on other petroleum products such as premium petrol, gas oil or gas.
To facilitate the sale of the product, Mr Brewu said a tom card that worked like an ATM had been installed at both Total Two and Three filling stations and that one could be served without paying cash.
This novelty is gradually gaining popularity in Koforidua as more motorists are now shifting to Super Plus Ron 96.
Kwame Gyamfi, a long distance driver, said he had decided to use Super Plus Ron, which was more economical than other types of petroleum products.
In another development, the management of the two filling stations have started awarding prizes to motorists who patronise their services.
The prizes, made up of television sets, ghetto blasters, fans, T-shirts and free fuel, were presented to deserving motorists at an impressive ceremony which was attended by the New Juaben Municipal Chief Executive, Nana Adjei Boateng, who advised drivers to be conversant with motor traffic regulations.

ANY SOLUTION TO SUHUM MYSTERY DEATHS?

Article: A. Kofoya-Tetteh

SUHUM, the capital of the Suhum District in the Eastern Region, is a flourishing township with a number of trading enterprises and educational institutions.
The town, with an estimated population of 35,000, lies at the intersection of four commercial towns, namely Asamankese, Nsawam, Kyebi and Koforidua, the regional capital.
It is located in the forest belt on the main Accra-Kumasi-Highway with a number of farming communities and villages such as Amanshia, Abenabo Number One and Abenabo Number Two, Nankese, Akorabo, Tetteh Nkwanta and Anum Apapam, whose inhabitants are mostly cocoa and foodstuff producers, and they throng Suhum, especially on Mondays and Thursdays to market their produce.
A large number of commuters, who also engage in other economic activities, together with others now permanently domiciled in the town, have, as expected, transformed the town into one of the fastest growing towns in the region.
Its heterogeneous inhabitants, made up of Akyems, the land owners, Akuapems, Krobos, Shais, Ewes, Anums, as well as people from all parts of the Northern Region have co-existed peacefully over the years.
To ensure that such a huge concentration of peaceful people with different cultures enjoy the basic necessities of life, the district administration, under the leadership of the District Chief Executive, Mr Michael Kofi Mensah, has for the past seven years, been undertaking a development programme in the town.
That has resulted in the availability of numerous social amenities such as good roads, markets, schools and clinics in the town and its environs.
The provision of such amenities has transformed the town and attracted more people from the nearby villages such as Akorabo, Amanshia, Nankese, Abenabo, Kwashia and other parts of the country who have settled there permanently.
This large concentration of people in the town which was once a safe haven, particularly for migrant workers, has for the past one-and-a-half years proved to be a problem.
This is because since the latter part of 2006, the town has witnessed mysterious killings that have sent about 10 innocent people to their graves.
The modus operandi of the yet-to-be identified assailants is crushing the heads of their victims, most of whom are night watchmen at their duty posts.
Although it is believed that the killings might be for ritual purposes, none of the body parts of the victims were removed.
This year alone, four persons — three night watchmen named Musa Bimoba, Yakubo Sawadogo and Seidu Issifu Adamu, all of the Suhum Presbyterian Senior Secondary School, Koo Wilie Trading Company and Trans Royal Cocoa Buying Company in the town, have had their heads crushed with cement blocks and a flower pot in their sleep.
A nine-year-old girl, Afua Dansoa, who also went out jubilating after a Ghana 2008 soccer match on January 20, was also found strangled the following day.
Although these strange killings are being tackled by the police, who have positioned men at vantage points and also patrol the town at night, this has not allayed the fear of the people.
They have imposed an unofficial curfew on themselves — they stay indoors at night, and entertainment at night has been affected.
The worrying situation has forced market women from the nearby villages, who under normal circumstances, commuted to and from the town in the night or at dawn to curtail their activities for fear of being killed.   
The killings, the latest of which happened on Saturday, February 16, 2008, has led to the intensification of police investigations and patrol in the area. According to the Suhum District Police Commander, Superintendent Stephen Amoako, the police are doing their best to unravel the mystery of the killings.
“We are on the ground, but the killers are sophisticated. We will, however, do our best to unravel the mystery and bring the killers to book,” he said.
The traditional authorities of the town are also going all out in tackling the issue, and a series of meetings, involving all the chiefs and headmen of the various ethnic groups or communities in the town and its environs have been held.
The Adikrofo and headmen, led by Nene Tetteh Adjanor II, Odikro of Abenabo and Ankobea Akyeampong of Suhum has since the beginning of the year been having series of meetings on the issue, with either the Chief of Suhum, Osabarima Aye Kofi, or the Osiahene, Opanyin Edward Obuobisa as chairman.
The gatherings have led to the formation of watchdog committees to partner the police to patrol the town at night, but the lack of funds to support the watchdog volunteers has crippled their activities.
“We have formed watchdog committees to patrol all parts of the town at night to make it safe for the people, but we do not have money to support the volunteers who have sacrificed their lives to ensure the safety of others,” Osiahene Obuobisa stated.
Nene Tetteh Adjanor, Odikro of Abenabo, which is a walking distance from Suhum, for his part, has organised the youth of the village and they patrol the area, especially the main road leading to Suhum, and also apprehend strangers identified as criminals.
“We are on alert, protecting everybody, especially schoolchildren and market women, who use the main road to Suhum at night and at dawn, but the market women themselves have decided to spend the night at Suhum if they are late in coming home,” Nene Adjanor said.
In addition to measures instituted to ensure the safety of the people, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Felix Asare Darko, met opinion leaders of the town on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 to see how best to improve the security situation.
This, according to sources, would be followed by another meeting at the weekend, involving the Regional Minister, Mr Asiedu Affram, and top security operatives from Accra to deliberate on how to solve the situation.
It is expected that these measures, together with prayers being said in churches, mosques and traditional shrines, would in the long run lead to the arrest of the culprits and smashing of the syndicate and enable the people to live in peace once more, without fear of being killed.

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

POLICE INVESTIGATE MYSTERY DEATHS IN SUHUM (Back Page)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Suhum

THE Suhum police are investigating the circumstances leading to the deaths of five persons in the town within a period of six months, starting from July last year.
Four of the victims, namely Musa Bimoba, Yakubu Sawadogo and Seidu Issifu Adamu, all watchmen, and Kweku Ayeh, a porter, had their heads crushed with cement blocks and a flower pot when they were asleep, while the fifth victim, a nine-year-old girl, Afua Dansoa, was strangled.
Although the deaths were believed to be for ritual purposes, all the parts of the dead bodies were intact.
So far no arrests have been made and the police have intensified investigations into the killings.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at Suhum on Tuesday, February 18, 2008, the Suhum District Police Commander, Superintendent Stephen Amoako, said the first death occurred on July 7, last year, when Musa Bimoba, a watchman of the Suhum Presbyterian Senior High School, had his head crushed while sleeping at his duty post in the night.
He said that was followed by the death of Yakubu Sawadogo, also a watchman, of Koo Willie Trading Enterprise, whose head was also crushed with a cement block in his sleep.
Superintendent Amoako stated that the third victim, the nine year-old girl, Afua Dansoa, went out jubilating after a CAN 2008 football match but her strangled body was found the following day on the outskirts of the town along the road to Adarkwa.
He said Seidu Issifu Adamu, 60, a watchman, of the Trans-Royal Cocoa Buying Company, was killed when his head was crushed with a cement block on February 2, this year while the fifth victim, Kwaku Ayeh, a porter at the Suhum Market died in a similar manner on Saturday, February 16, 2008.
Superintendent Amoako said all the bodies, except that of Kwaku Ayeh, which was at the Suhum Government Hospital mortuary, had been buried.
Superintendent Amoako, who said the police were working round the clock to unravel the circumstances leading to the deaths, called on the public to volunteer information that would lead to the arrest of the killer(s).

Friday, February 15, 2008

THREE X'TRA GOLD EMPLOYEES PROSECUTED (Page 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Anyinam

THREE employees of X’tra Gold, a gold mining company operating in the Kwabeng area in the Eastern Region, who were alleged to have brutally assaulted a local businessman, Alhaji Mustapha Boateng and his driver, Osman Boateng, have been arraigned before the Anyinam District Magistrate’s Court.
The accused, Emmanuel Kandanuba, 34, Dick Keli, 42, both mechanics and Andrews Dawutey, pleaded not guilty to assault and were granted GH¢1,000 bail each, after which the judge, Mr Lawrence Buer, allowed the case to be settled out of court.
That was after an opinion leader of Kwabeng, Abusuapanin W.K. Abuakua, told the court that he wanted the case settled out of court, because he was related to one of the accused persons and the complainants.
Presenting the facts of the case to the court, the prosecutor, Inspector Rockson Doku, said on January 27, this year, the three accused persons, together with others on the run, brutally assaulted Alhaji Mustapha and his driver after they had questioned the Alhaji about some heaped sand on the road near the site of X’tra Gold at Kwabeng which had partially blocked traffic.
He said the accused and the others at large became offended and pounced on the complainants and assaulted them mercilessly until they sustained injuries.
According to Inspector Doku, Alhaji Mustapha Boateng, whose case was serious, was first taken to the Enyiresi Hospital, which referred him to the Suhum Government Hospital where he was treated and discharged..
Granting the request for out-of-court settlement, the judge said he had taken into consideration the need to ensure cordial relations between employees of the company, most of who were migrant workers and the local people.
Mr Buer told the court that he had had reports of all forms of criminal acts and other forms of lawlessness on the part of some workers of the company.
He thus warned that he would not tolerate such deviant behaviours and, therefore, advised the accused to co-exist peacefully with the local people.
The judge asked the Abusuapanin to report the result of the arbitration to the court.

POLICE EXPLAIN BUNSO SHOOTING INCIDENT (Back Page)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Eastern Regional Police Command has explained the circumstances under which a police sergeant, Anthony Kofi Dzamesi, was said to have shot John Larbi, a suspect, at the Bunso Police Station.
At a press conference in Koforidua on Wednesday, the Regional Police Commander, DCOP Felix Asare Darko, said on that fateful day, February 2, 2008, at about 7.30 p.m, two people came to the charge office to request bail for Larbi, who was brought there for stealing.
He said Sergeant Dzamesi asked them to go and return the following day since it was too late and the station officer was also not available, but that did not go down well with them.
DCOP Asare Darko said the people left but came back with four other men to heckle Sergeant Dzamesi with the intent to forcibly release the suspect from the cells.
He said Sergeant Dzamesi had had a bad experience, when he was attacked on November 23, 2007 while on duty at the same police station during which his wrist bone got broken.
DCOP Asare Darko said to prevent a similar occurrence, Sergeant Dzamesi decided to fire to scare his aggressors, but unfortunately the safety catch of the rifle had inadvertently been placed on rapid and one of the bullets incidentally hit the thigh of John Larbi in the cells.
He said Sergeant Dzamesi had been interdicted, pending the outcome of a report on the matter.

Thursday, February 14, 2008

FULANI HERDSMEN SHOOTS FARMER (Page 43)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

FARMER who mustered courage to challenge a Fulani herdsman who had allegedly set fire to the farmer’s farm paid dearly for his act when the herdsman opened fire on him.
The incident, which occurred in the Aserebu-Aboabo Nyadua Electoral Area in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region last Thursday, resulted in the farmer, who was only identified as Narh, sustaining serious wounds on both legs.
Narh, who had the bullets lodged in the legs and was bleeding profusely, was first sent to the District Hospital at Begoro and then referred to the St Joseph’s Hospital in Koforidua, where he is undergoing treatment.
In a telephone interview, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Fanteakwa, Mr Ebenezer Ofoe Caesar, said on February 7, Narh realised that part of his farm was burning, so he rushed there and saw the Fulani herdsman wielding a gun and standing by.
He said when Narh enquired from the herdsman whether he was the one who had set fire to his farm, the herdsman became offended.
He said Narh, realising that the herdsman could harm him, decided to run away but the herdsman shot Narh, after which the former fled into the bush.
According to the DCE, he had to personally send Narh, who was hit in both legs, to the District Hospital at Begoro, from where he got transferred to the St Joseph’s Hospital in Koforidua for treatment.
When contacted on the issue, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, DCOP Felix Asare Darko, confirmed the case and said the police were carrying out investigations to apprehend the Fulani herdsman to bring him to justice.

Wednesday, February 13, 2008

HELP DEVELOP ER'S CULTURAL HERITAGE — OBENG (Page 20)

STORY: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Eastern Regional Director of the Centre for National Culture (CNC), Mr F. Kingsley Obeng, has called on stakeholders to help develop the region’s cultural heritage.
He made the call at a stakeholders’ meeting at Koforidua, the regional capital.
The regional directors, their deputies and cultural officers attended the ceremony to dialogue on the collection of data on the indigenous way of life as well as relics, tourist attractions and traditional festivals with the view to promoting them to attract tourists.
The regional director said the region had a lot of tourist attractions such as the Boti Falls, the Aburi Botanical Gardens as well as traditional festivals such as the Akwantukese of the Juabens, Akuapems’ Odwira, Manya Krobos’ Ngmayem, Yilo Krobos’ Kloyosikplemi and different types of dances, sculptural works and handicrafts, and therefore urged the participants to collect data on them.
Touching on the way of life of Ghanaians, Mr Obeng said undue affection of Western culture had made it necessary for measures to preserve the indigenous culture and appealed to the people to admire their own culture.
    “The cultural scene in Ghana today evinces a gross and undue affection by Western culture and there arises the necessity more than ever before for a stronger defence of our culture in this stupendous rush of change in our modern times,” Mr Obeng stated.
The Co-ordinator of the programme, Mr Kwasi Gyan Appenteng, stated that the government had secured two million euros from the European Union to support the country’s cultural development.
He said the assistance would place a significant value on the country’s cultural assets and heritage, which had not been given due attention over the years.

SUHUM WRAPS UP GAIT II (PAGE 20)

Srory: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

GOVERNMENT Accountability Improvement Trust (GAIT), a United States-sponsored programme to improve the living conditions of people, especially in the rural areas, has folded up its activities in the Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District after a successful operation.
The programme strengthens democratic governance and decentralisation, promotes civic involvement in local governance and enhances community participation for quality education, especially the provision of classrooms and other educational materials.
The district, which successfully went through GAIT I, had to go through the second phase (GAIT II) that commenced in August, 2004 and ended in December 2007, during which it accomplished its objectives in all the specified areas, such as community participation in a number of projects in the various communities.
Addressing a colourful durbar to round off its activities, the Deputy District Co-ordinating Director (DDCD), Mr E. K. Mensah, said the initiative had gone a long way to improve the living standards of the people in the area.
Mr Mensah, who spoke on behalf of the District Chief Executive, mentioned assistance to individuals (civil society) and the construction of school blocks as some of the areas covered.
He expressed his appreciation to the sponsors of the programme, USAID, for its support.
In a presentation, an Assistant Director at the District Education office, Mr S. Atakpa, said all the specified sectors were involved in the programme and that GAIT II officials were strategically placed in 27 school where the officials planned, organised, supervised and co-ordinated all the activities successfully.
Mr Atakpa, however, stated that one school was not covered because it could not satisfy the set criteria.
Mr Atakpa said the programme had enhanced human resource development that had made it possible for school management committees, parent-teacher associations, chiefs and community members to perform planned activities.
Mrs Evelyn Arthur of GAIT, was happy that GAIT II’s three-year programme had yielded positive results, and added that the district assembly would continue to receive more funding to involve people in decision-making.
She also thanked USAID for providing the financial support.

ROAD SAFETY COMMITTEE ON WAR-PATH (Page 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

A comprehensive exercise to bring sanity to road transportation in the Eastern Region is expected to begin next month.
The exercise, which is expected to significantly reduce motor accidents on the road, would be conducted by a joint traffic management team (task force) comprising officials of the Road Safety Committee, the Department of Feeder Roads, Urban Roads, the Ghana Highway Authority, the Ghana National Fire Service and the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU).
Under the exercise, the task force would periodically and persistently be at all vantage points on the roads to arrest traffic offenders and promptly prosecute them.
The culprits to be arrested would include commercial drivers below the age of 25 who are by the new regulation not allowed to drive commercial vehicles and others who commit offences such as driving under the influence of alcohol, overloading, operating faulty vehicles, failure to wear seat belts and speeding, particularly along the Eastern Region stretch of the Accra-Kumasi highway.
The Regional Co-ordinator of the National Road Safety Committee, Mr Stephen Anokye, said the rationale behind the exercise was to drastically reduce the spate of motor accidents.
Giving the statistics on motor accidents in the region, he said in 2006, the region recorded 1,351 accidents of which 216 people died and 2,501 others sustained varying degrees of injury while 2007 registered 1,240 accidents with 199 deaths and 1,451 injuries.
"These accidents are mostly due to human error and faulty vehicles and this calls for urgent action to deal with the situation," he stated.
"We are going all out this time and it is not going to be a nine-day wonder and we expect the travelling public to co-operate for its successful implementation," Mr Anokye stressed.
According to him, although people above the age of 18 were qualified to be given driving licences, they were not allowed under the new traffic regulation to drive commercial vehicles.
Mr Anokye, therefore, appealed to transport owners to ensure that their commercial vehicles were manned by drivers above the age of 25.
He expressed regret that most often, offending drivers were left off the hook after they had been apprehended.
Mr Anokye stated that all such cases would be publicised for the public to know the magnitude of the problem.
Asked what the Road Safety Committee had done so far to curtail the high rate of motor accidents in the region, he said a number of campaigns had been organised at strategic locations such as the Kpong Lorry Park, Atimpoku, Nkawkaw and other towns during which drivers, passengers and pedestrians were properly educated on how best to avoid such accidents.

CONTROLLER AND ACCOUNTANT-GENERAL MEETS KOFORIDUA PENSIONERS (PAGE 31)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Christian Tetteh Sottie, has warned that any worker covered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) pension scheme found to have falsified documents to make him or her a beneficiary of Cap 30 would be drastically dealt with.
At the moment, payment of end-of-service benefits under Cap 30 is more enhanced than that of the SSNIT pension scheme.
Mr Sottie, who gave the warning when he interacted with pensioners at Koforidua at the weekend, said it had been the practice of some retired workers under the SSNIT Pension Scheme to falsify their retirement documents to enable them to be put on Cap 30.
  He said the practice was a criminal act and would not be tolerated and that anybody found to have indulged in the act would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
"We have detected such a serious crime and we are now very vigilant and anybody found to have falsified his or her retirement documents to be put on Cap 30 would be promptly arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution," Mr Sottie stated.
Mr Sottie stated that the best way to address pension issues was to contact his outfit or one's employers for redress but not to be on the air waves, adding, "going to the radio stations cannot help, since we are the only people to solve such problems”.
He said the delay in computing one's pension was primarily due to difficulties in knowing one's actual grade at the time of going on retirement and appealed to employers to provide the Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD) with such information on time.
Mr Sottie told the gathering that some unscrupulous workers had allegedly been demanding as high as GH¢200 to handle the files of pensioners and advised anybody who had paid for the processing of pension documents to report to his outfit.
This, he said, would make it possible to identify the perpetrators for disciplinary action to be taken against them.
"Somebody just reported to me that a messenger had demanded GH¢200 to carry his file from one office to an other to be processed but when we decided to give him the money to be given to him as a trap for him to be arrested, the pensioner refused it with the explanation that he did not want to cause somebody's arrest," Mr Sottie said.
He therefore asked pensioners to be bold and report such issues to his outfit for the culprits to be sanctioned.
The National Chairman of the Pensioners Association, Mr E.O. Ashiley, said although payment of the monthly pension was normally done by the middle of the month, some banks could not effect payment on time and advised pensioners having that problem to change their bankers, adding that the association would help pensioners to open accounts, if necessary.
The pensioners, for their part, called for prompt payment of their monthly pension.
They also asked the CAGD to involve them to identify their dead colleagues to remove ghost names from the payroll.

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

SOTTIE CAUTIONS WORKERS WHO FALSIFY DOCUMENTS (PAGE 21)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Controller and Accountant-General, Mr Christian Tetteh Sottie, has warned that his outfit will deal drastically with any worker covered by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) pension scheme who falsifies documents to be put on Cap 30.
At the moment, the payment of end-of service benefits under the Cap 30 is more enhanced than that of the SSNIT pension scheme.
Mr Sottie, who gave the warning when interacting with pensioners in Koforidua at the weekend, said it had been the practice of some retired workers of the SSNIT Pension Scheme to falsify their retirement documents to enable them to be put on Cap 30.
He said the practice, which is a criminal act, would not be tolerated and that anybody found to have indulged in the act would be handed over to the police for prosecution.
"We have detected such a serious crime and we are now very vigilant and anybody found to have falsified his or her retirement documents to be put on Cap 30 would be promptly arrested and handed over to the police for prosecution," Mr Sottie stressed.
With regard to how best to address pension issues, Mr Sottie stated that the best thing to do was to contact his outfit or one's employers for redress, but not to be on the airwaves, adding "going to the radio stations cannot help, since we are the only people to solve such problems”.
He said the delay in computing workers' pension was primarily due to difficulties in knowing one's actual grade at the time of going on retirement.
Mr Sottie, therefore, appealed to employers to notify the Controller and Accountant-General's Department (CAGD) with such information on time.
He also told the gathering that some unscrupulous junior workers had been demanding as high as GH¢200 to handle the files of pensioners.
Mr Sottie, therefore, advised anybody who had paid for the processing of pension documents to report to his outfit.
He said that would make it possible to identify the perpetrators for disciplinary action to be taken against them.
"Somebody just reported to me that a messenger had demanded GH¢200 from him to carry his file from one office to the other to be processed, but when we decided to give him the money to be given to him as a trap to be arrested, the pensioner refused with the explanation that he did not want to cause somebody's arrest," Mr Sottie said.
He, therefore, asked pensioners to be bold and report such issues to his outfit for the culprits to be sanctioned.
The National Chairman of the Pensioners Association, Mr E.O. Ashiley, said although payment of the monthly pension was normally done by the middle of the month, some banks could not effect payment on time.
He, therefore, advised pensioners encountering such a problem to change their bankers, adding that the association would help pensioners to open accounts if necessary.
The pensioners, for their part, called for prompt payment of their monthly pensions.
They also asked the CAGD to involve them when identifying their dead colleagues to remove ghost names from the payroll.

Monday, February 11, 2008

'K'DUA DVLA ISSUES 2,117 DRIVER'S LICENCES ...(Page 47)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) in the Eastern Region issued 2,117 drivers’ licences to applicants last year.
The Officer in charge of the DVLA, Mr Vincent K. Fiati, said 246 applicants who performed poorly in the tests were disqualified.
Mr Fiati said although applicants were to submit medical reports indicating that they were fit to drive, the DVLA subjected them to rigorous examinations such as eye tests, knowledge in road signs and lately tests to determine if the applicants could read and write.
That, he said, had become mandatory since the directive to issue out licences to only those who could read and write took off this month.
That directive, according to him, would enable drivers to identify faults or problems on modern vehicles that could only be known through a mechanism using words.
On illiterate drivers who already had driving licences, he said such drivers would be allowed to drive but their licences would not exceed Class C.
“That category of drivers will be allowed to drive only small vehicles which are covered by Class C licences. They will not be allowed to drive heavy vehicles any longer,” Mr Fiati stated.
Touching on the age at which one should be issued with a driving licence, he said although the minimum age was 18, only those above 25 would be issued with licences to drive commercial vehicles.

Sunday, February 10, 2008

ASSEMBLY TO PROSECUTE COMMUNAL LABOUR DEFAULTERS (Page 22)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE West Akyem District Assembly in the Eastern Region will soon prosecute people who refuse to take part in clean-up exercises at  Asamankese, the district capital, or any other town in the area.
The District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Kwabena Sintim-Aboagye, made this known when a non-governmental organisation (NGO), Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation, together with Dizengoff and one Mr Atuah, donated 500 treated bed nets, spraying machines and sanitation equipment to the Asamankese-Anum Presbyterian Cluster of Schools at a ceremony at  Asamankese on Wednesday.
The treated bed nets, which will be distributed to the pupils of the schools and their teachers, together with the other items worth GH¢10,000, are to help fight mosquitoes in the area.
The donation, which followed reports of the "invasion" of mosquitoes in the area, coincided with a visit to  Asamankese by the Minister of Chieftaincy and Culture, Mr Samson Kwaku Boafo, and the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram-Asiedu, to discuss pertinent issues with the Chief of Asamankese, Osabarima Kwaku Amoa.
According to Mr Sintim-Aboagye, since unsanitary conditions normally led to the breeding of mosquitoes, the assembly had to periodically mobilise the people to tidy up Asamankese and a number of communities. Unfortunately, most of the residents refused to join in the exercises.
He, therefore, warned that in future anyone who deliberately refused to join in the exercises would be prosecuted.
The DCE expressed his appreciation to the donors and said the presentation had come at the appropriate time.
He charged the teachers to put the items to good use.
The assembly, Mr Sintim-Aboagye said, had constructed a number of modern places of convenience at vantage points in the area and asked landlords to also provide such facilities in their homes to make the place tidy.
The Chairperson of the Infanta Malaria Prevention Foundation, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, expressed the hope that the donation would help fight malaria in the area.
Mr Boafo, for his part, asked the people to make good use of the items.
Mr Affram-Asiedu appealed to the people to support the government at all times to enable it to continue to improve their living standards.
The teachers in the school also appealed to the government to provide the school with a library and also rehabilitate its access road.

Wednesday, February 6, 2008

ROAD CONTRACTORS IN ER APPEAL TO GOVT (Page 21)

A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

ROAD contractors in the Eastern Region have made a passionate appeal to the government to pay them for the contracts they have executed to enable them to settle their creditors.
At a press conference at Koforidua, they said although the Minister of Finance, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, had in the latter part of last year, come out publicly that all road contractors had been paid, none of them in the region had had their certificates honoured since last July.
They stated that due to publicity on the alleged payment, their creditors had started dragging them to court while some of them had threatened to confiscate their properties.
The contractors said as a result of the unfortunate situation, work on their project sites was coming to a halt because they could not pay their workers.
They, therefore, implored the government to honour its obligations to enable them to pay their workers and creditors.
“None of us has been paid from July, last year and the certificates are still lying at the offices of the Department of Feeder Roads, although Mr Baah-Wiredu assured us in November, last year, that we were going to be paid within two weeks,” they lamented.
According to the contractors, nothing had been given to them as of now and they had borrowed huge sums of money from the banks whose interests kept on increasing, thereby affecting their businesses.
They, therefore, appealed to the government to pay them as soon as practicable for them to settle their indebtedness.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

NDC LOWER MANYA WANTS STIFFER PUNISHMENT FOR MP (Page 17)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE EXECUTIVE and members of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the Lower Manya Constituency have disassociated themselves from the call made by the Member of Parliament of the area, Mr Michael Teye Nyaunu, for an emergency congress to elect a new flag bearer to replace Professor John Evans Atta Mill, who he said, was ill and could, therefore, not lead the party to the December elections.
In a statement signed by the Constituency Chairman, Mr Wisdom Tsatsu, and made available to the Daily Graphic in Koforidua, it said it was unfortunate that the MP did not follow the laid-down rules to make such a statement, and that such an act amounted to treachery of the highest order.
They said although they agreed with the outcome of the high profile meeting of the National Executive Committee of the party which dealt with the issue and the apology rendered by Mr Nyaunu for what he said was his “candid opinion”, a stiffer punishment should be meted out to him to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We believe that all communication channels within the party are clearly defined for any aggrieved person to air his or her concern and for our MP to refuse to use such channels amounts to treachery of the highest order, because we see him as a traitor.”
They, therefore, called for a stiffer punishment against him to serve as a deterrent to other party members who always “act before thinking”.
The statement, however, appealed to all party faithful to passionately analyse their thoughts before voicing them, more especially in this era when the party’s opponents were much concerned about NDC leadership.

NEW JUABEN OMANHENE HOSTS PRIAVATE UNIVERISTY HEADS (Page 20)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Omanhene of New Juaben, Daasebre (Professor) Oti Boateng, has asked the Conference of Heads of Private Universities in Ghana (CHPUG), an association of private universities in the country, to ensure conformity of academic programmes in tertiary institutions under its umbrella.
This, he said, would enable such tertiary institutions to produce the required professionals for the development of the country.
Daasebre (Professor) Oti Boateng said this when he hosted members of the association to a luncheon at his Koforidua palace last Thursday.
The heads of the private universities were in the Eastern Regional capital for their usual quarterly meeting and also to plan for the association's annual conference scheduled to take place in Accra on March 14.
At the meeting, the newly-elected treasurer of CHPUG, Mr Peter Ackah, formally took over from his predecessor, Mr Kwame Antwi-Boasiako.
According to Daasebre (Professor) Oti Boateng, although private universities were already producing good professionals and complementing government efforts of providing tertiary education in the country, it would be ideal if the CHPUG could come out with standardised academic programmes that would conform to all its member-institutions.
"Your role is vital because you have made it possible for all those who could not enter the public universities but you must come out with standardised academic programmes that will conform to the institutions under your umbrella," the New Juaben Omanhene stated.
He asked the CHPUG to continue to dialogue with the Accreditation Board of tertiary institutions to ensure good standards of academic programmes in their institutions.
The Chairman of CHPUG, who is also the President of the All Nations University, Rev (Dr) Samuel Donkor, gave the assurance that private universities would continue to produce good professionals for the country.
Rev (Dr) Donkor, who described Daasebre (Professor) Oti Boateng, as a traditional ruler who cherished education, thanked him for hosting the group.

POLITICIANS MUST LIVE PEACEFULLY (Page 16)

Story: A. Kofoya-Tetteh, Koforidua

THE Eastern Regional Superintendent of the Assemblies of God Church, the Reverend Alex Ofori Amankwa has made a passionate appeal to leaders of the political parties not to do anything that would disturb the peace currently prevailing in the country.
He said since Ghana was now in its election year, there was the need for politicians to consider themselves as one people but with different views and that the best thing to do was for politicians to present such view to the people to make a choice.
The Reverend Ofori Amankwa, who is also the Eastern Regional Chairman of the Ghana Pentecostal Council, made the appeal at a church service at Koforidua during which prayers were said for a peaceful election this year.
According to Reverend Ofori Amankwa, currently there was peace and tranquillity in the country and the best way to maintain it was for politicians from the political divide to see themselves as one people but not as enemies in whatever they do to win the hearts of the people to vote for them.
He, therefore, appealed to politicians not to do anything that would inflame tension in the course of their campaigns, adding that was the best way to avoid post-election political turmoil like what had occurred in some African countries.
“Ghana is a peaceful country and I appeal to our political leaders not to do anything that would disturb the peace we are currently enjoying,” he stated.
Reverend Ofori Amankwa who based his sermon on Nehemiah chapter 1, asked Ghanaians, especially Christians, to help one another, particularly the helpless, since that was the best way to please God.
He also asked those in authority not to pursue policies of favouritism but to consider all as equals, since God did not discriminate.
He asked Ghanaians to speak out against injustice in the system such as brutalities, which, he said, were mostly meted out by parents on their children.