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Ghana’s 4x100m men’s team book ticket to Paris Olympics

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Ghana’s 4x100m men’s team

Ghana has qualified to the Paris 2024 Olympics in Athletics 100 x 4, which is one of the favourite events people are interested in.

The qualification did not come easy as they dropped the baton on Saturday in the heats which included World champions USA and Olympic champions Italy as well as Jamaica and Canada at the Thomas Robinson Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.

The squad, comprising Ibrahim Fuseini, Isaac Bostio, Benjamin Azamati and Joe Paul Amoah made amends on Sunday with a blistering run of 38:29secs to beat Nigeria the African Games champions who made 38:57secs, in a sweet revenge to qualify for Paris.

The official split times for Ghana were: Fuseini – 10:69, Botsio – 9:13, Azamati – 9:35, Joe Paul – 9:12. The 38:29s is a Season’s Best (SB) for Team Ghana.

The USA with Noah Lyles made 37:40secs, while the female team made a new record of 41.85secs.

The World Athletics Relays, known as the IAAF World Relays until 2019, is an international biennial track and field sporting event held by World Athletics where teams from around the world compete in relay races, some of which are not part of the standard Olympic programme. 

The United States dominated the World Athletics Relays by winning majority of the gold medals on offer in the Bahamas on Sunday.

Credit: Ghana Olympic Committee

Today’s Champions League Semi-finals Second Leg

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Paris Saint-Germain players

PSG, Dortmund in Champions League return battle

Made to pay for missed opportunities in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final, Paris Saint-Germain seek to right their German wrongs in Tuesday’s return battle with Borussia Dortmund.

The French champions are 90 minutes away from familiar European heartbreak owing to last week’s 1-0 reverse at the Signal Iduna Park, where one of Dortmund’s icons took played a Champions League home game for BVB for the very last time.

DortmundDortmund also registered their fifth clean sheet of this season’s Champions League thanks to the profligacy of PSG, who were at least blessed with a weekend off from Ligue 1 matters in preparation for Tuesday’s tantalising second leg, although they have already run away with the top-flight title yet again.

Paris Saint-Germain

Close yet no cigar has always been the theme for Les Parisiens in the Champions League, but Enrique’s side have already reversed a first-leg deficit against Barcelona in the quarter-finals and could now become the first team in tournament history to reach the final after losing their opening quarter and semi-final battles.

Parc des Princes

Bidding to break PSG’s 24-game scoring sequence at the Parc des Princes en route to an unforeseen Champions League final, Dortmund proudly boast the label of defensive masters in this season’s European Cup; a fifth shutout in last week’s slender success represents the highest tally of any team in the tournament.

Borussia Dortmund players

Putting one foot in the Wembley showpiece was the perfect response to a Bundesliga slump, which had seen Edin Terzic‘s men draw with champions Bayer Leverkusen and suffer a 4-1 humbling versus RB Leipzig, but the visit of Augsburg to the Signal Iduna Park on Sunday was a foregone conclusion inside just 30 minutes.

Preview

Dortmund’s big-hitters are well-rested too, though, and the added motivation of giving Reus the parting gift of a Champions League medal around his neck is a powerful one indeed. Two hours of football may not be enough to settle this tie, but the intimidating Parc des Princes atmosphere should play its part in a nail-biting shootout, where we believe PSG will hold their nerve to punch their ticket to the final.

Credit: sportsmole.co.uk

The recall of Parliament: Shrewd Afenyo traps ‘stubborn’ Bagbin …with Article 112(3)

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Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, addressing the media

The Majority Caucus in Parliament has invoked Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution and Order 53(2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament to compel the Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, to recall the House, over some unfinished businesses.

“We are invoking our right under the law in good faith and for the good of our democracy. In fact, we are fortified by law to proceed to compel the Speaker to reconvene the House”, the Majority Leader, Alexander Afenyo-Markin, surrounded by some members of the Majority Caucus, announced at a news conference held on Friday, May 3, 2024.

Article 112(3) states that: “Notwithstanding any other provision of this Article, fifteen percent of Members of Parliament may request a meeting of Parliament, and the Speaker shall, within seven days, after the receipt of the request, summon Parliament.”

Order 53(1)(2) of the Standing Orders of Parliament takes inspiration from Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution of Ghana.

The decision of the Majority Caucus comes after all attempts to get the Speaker to exercise his discretion to reconvene the House proved futile.

“As far back as April 8, 2024 I, on behalf of my colleagues, sent a memo to Mr Speaker. In that memo, my humble prayer to Mr Speaker was for him to exercise his discretion under the powers given him under Orders 58 and 59 of the Standing Orders of Parliament,” he stated.

With the invocation of Article 112(3) of the 1992 Constitution, which was contained in a memo addressed to the Speaker, Mr. Bagbin has within seven days to recall the House from recess.

Fifteen percent of the 275 Members of Parliament constitutes 41.25. However, Afenyo-Markin, who is also the Leader of Government Business in the legislature said more than 100 members on the majority side are signatories to the memo, seeking to compel Bagbin to recall the House.

Bagbin, upon receipt of the memo, has up to Tuesday, May 14, 2024 to reconvene the House.

Three-line items which the Effutu lawmaker described as critical and which were advertised on the Order Paper on March 22, 2024 but were not considered following the unilateral adjournment of the House Sine Die by the Speaker, formed the basis of the action initiated by the Majority Caucus.

These three items include; the consideration and adoption of the 34th Report of the Appointments Committee on the President’s nomination for appointment as Ministers, Regional Ministers and Deputy Ministers; motion on additional financing agreement between the Government of Ghana and IDF for an amount of $150 million to finance the ongoing Greater Accra Resilient and Integrated Development (GARID) Project and a request for Tax Exemptions for beneficiaries under the One District One Factory (1D1F) program.

On the issue of the President’s nomination, Afenyo-Markin explained that the House had reached a consensus to adopt the Appointments Committee’s report and that voting on the motion was the only thing left to do.

Speaking on the $150 million GARID project, he stated that the Finance Committee had completed its work, whereas the House had passed the motion on the report.

However, the Works and Housing Committee had expressed some opinions and the Speaker had directed that the matter be referred back to the Committee to enable its leadership to incorporate their views in the report.

“This was done and all that was left is for this item to be taken so that the government can access the concessional facility to shore up our forex,” he added.

“You may recall that somewhere in 2013, the then President, John Dramani Mahama, lamented how we were spending all our tax revenues on public sector wages. This government came out with a paradigm shift to encourage the private sector to create employment and that is how the 1D1F policy was introduced.

“We have a number of companies who got attracted by this and have started building factories in Ghana. They have gotten into various stages and there is an urgent need to have these tax exemptions in place for them. It is not a freebie or a waste of money. It is rather giving money to the private sector to grow,” he explained.

He added, “When you introduce such incentives, it is also to enhance production and create the necessary space in the liquidity of the companies so that they can employ more and expand.”

By Stephen Odoi-Larbi

Bawumia: I’ll offer scholarships for all persons with disabilities

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Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia

The Flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has announced that his government will prioritise the award of scholarships to all persons with disabilities, to enable them continue with their education at the tertiary level.

Speaking during his Western North Regional campaign tour last week Friday, Dr. Bawumia said he has a personal commitment to supporting vulnerable people in society and his government will particularly prioritise educational support for people with disabilities, who qualify to offer tertiary education.

“I believe that persons with disabilities, we need to support them a bit more,” said the NPP Flagbearer.

“We are giving scholarships to all manner of people, but I want to dedicate some of the money from scholarship Secretariat and GETFUND to provide free tertiary education, both tuition and accommodation to all persons with disabilities, who will make it into the universities, so that they can all benefit from that,” he added.

Dr Bawumia also noted that his government will roll out other forms of support to people with disabilities and other vulnerable people in society.

He shared the work he has been doing to support vulnerable people in society, including his work as Patron of the Lepers Aid Ghana.

Dr. Bawumia stressed that, personally, he is committed to supporting vulnerable members of society because “it gives him joy.”

He added that as Patron of Lepers Aid Ghana, he has been engaged in lots of activities supporting the vulnerable, and his government will prioritise a broader support for persons with disabilities and vulnerable members of society.

 

Media support programs helps Ghana to improve upon press freedom rankings

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Fatimatu Abubakar and her former boss, Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah

Ghana has seen a significant jump in the 2024 World Press Freedom Index, moving from 62nd to 50th position. This significant improvement is being attributed, in large part, to the government’s Media Support programs over the last few years.

The ranking, compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) in 180 countries across the world saw Ghana move 12 places to its 50th position after two consecutive years of decline.

Responding to the significant improvement for the first time in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM on May 3rd, 2024 Minister for Information-designate, Fatimatu Abubakar, attributed this progress to a series of interventions implemented by government, particularly during the tenure of her predecessor, Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, where she served as the Deputy Minister.

“This achievement is a result of the tireless efforts put in by government through the Ministry of Information under the leadership of former Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah,” Minister Abubakar acknowledged, “I am proud to have served as his deputy during this crucial period.”

Mr Oppong-Nkrumah and his former Deputy, Fatimatu Abubakar

One such initiative credited with the rise in ranking, she explained, is the Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP).

Established in 2021 by the Ministry of Information, the MCEP addresses the crucial need for upskilling journalists across the country.

“The MCEP recognised the importance of equipping our journalists with the necessary tools and knowledge to excel in their profession,” explained Minister Abubakar.

“Through a comprehensive needs assessment and curriculum development process, the programme has provided training to over 400 journalists so far.”

Another vital programme championed by the previous administration is the Coordinated Mechanism for the Safety of Journalists (CMSJ). Launched in May 2021, the CMSJ tackles the critical issue of journalist safety, a concern previously highlighted in press freedom reports.

“The safety of journalists is paramount for a free and independent press,” Minister Abubakar emphasised.

“The CMSJ works collaboratively with various stakeholders to create a safe and conducive environment for journalists to operate.

“This includes preventing violence against journalists, protecting those in danger and holding perpetrators accountable.”

The CMSJ, she explained, also fosters dialogue and collaboration between media practitioners, government agencies, and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). This multi-pronged approach aims to create a media landscape where journalists can work freely without fear of intimidation or violence.

Minister-designate Abubakar acknowledged the ongoing nature of these efforts. She said the improvement in our ranking is certainly encouraging, but there’s always room for further progress. She said government remain committed to working with all stakeholders to build upon these successes and ensure Ghana continues to be a beacon of press freedom in Africa.

The positive news of the improvement in Ghana’s ranking was welcomed by stakeholders within the media landscape. The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) applauded the ranking stressing that the safer and more empowered media environment belatedly being experienced in the industry is the reason behind it.

“The MCEP and CMSJ represent significant steps forward for Ghanaian journalism,” said Albert Kwabena Dwumfuor, President of the GJA.

“Equipping journalists with the necessary skills and ensuring their safety are crucial for a robust and independent media.”

NPA to engage Finance Ministry to consider removing taxes on LPG

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Mrs. Linda Asante speaking at the town hall meeting

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) is to engage with the Ministry of Finance to consider removing some taxes on Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) to make it more affordable and accessible to consumers.

A Deputy Chief Executive of the Authority, Mrs. Linda Asante, who made this known, said the move, spearheaded by the NPA Chief Executive, Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid, was to encourage more women to use LPG for cooking and to protect their health and save the environment.

That, she said, was in line with government’s target to increase LPG penetration to 50 percent by 2030.

Mrs. Asante was speaking at a regional town hall durbar on cylinder recirculation model (CRM) in Tamale, on Friday.

Organised by the NPA, the durbar was attended by chiefs, security officers, public servants, LPG dealers, students and traders.

Cylinder users who attended the meeting

Mrs. Asante said smoke from charcoal and firewood exposed mostly women and children to lungs diseases, such as hypertension and also affected their eyes.

She said LPG, on the other hand, does not emit smoke, which makes it the safest and convenient means of cooking.

Mrs. Asante said the government had introduced the CRM policy to make LPG more affordable, accessible and available.

She said the recent introduction of tender process by the NPA for importation of LPG had reduced the cost of the product.

Therefore, she said, the reduction would cater for any additional cost associated with the CRM value chain in terms of filling cylinders and distributing same to exchange points.

“No huge jump of prices because of CRM. The tender process has brought down the price of LPG”, she said.

Mrs. Asante, therefore, urged the people in the north to switch from the use of charcoal and firewood to LPG to protect their health and preserve the environment.

She said within a few weeks time, consumers would begin to access filled cylinders at exchange in their communities.

On his part, the Head of Gas, Commercial Regulation of NPA, Mr. Obed  Kraine  Boachie, said four LPG cylinder bottling plants – three in Tema and one in Kumasi – had been set up to fill cylinders for distribution to LPG marketers for onward distribution to cylinder exchange points.

He said the Authority had received applications for the setting up of bottling plants in Tamale and other areas.

Mr. Boachie said the CRM value chain would create more jobs and stressed that the existing LPG marketing companies would be the key drivers of the policy.In her welcome address, the Director of Gas at NPA, Mrs. Akua Ntiwaa Kwakye, said the CRM was a new way of distributing LPG in a safe and convenient manner.

The Zagu Lana, Chief Yakubu Nantogmah, who, chaired the occasion, bemoaned the continuous felling of trees for charcoal and firewood for cooking.

He said the present generation had a bounding duty to protect the environment for future generation, hence the need for the people to stop cutting down  trees and switch to the use of LPG.

Officers from the Ghana National Fire and Rescue Service staged demonstrations on how to put out fire on cylinders using wet towels and fire extinguishers.

The Director of Corporate Affairs of NPA, Mrs. Maria Oquaye; the Director of Research, Monitoring and Evaluation of NPA, Dr. Joseph Wilson; the NPA Northern Regional Manager, Mr. Theophilus Manu; the Head of Quality Control, Mr. Saeed Ubeidallah Kutia; the Head of Consumer Services, Mrs. Eunice Budu Nyarko and the Head of Regional Coordination, Mrs. Aku Yuiah, all of NPA were present at the durbar.

Suspected soldier killer in court

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BERNICE BESSEY
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Suspect Benlord Ababbio

Benlord Ababbio, alias Nana Barima Ababbio, alleged killer of No. 210715 Corporal Michael Danso, has been remanded by the Achimota District Court.

The accused, who is also a National Security Operative, made his first appearance in court on Friday, May 3, 2024 and was remanded to re-appear on May 16, 2024.

Suspect Benlord Ababio

Deceased No. 210715, Corporal Michael Danso, is a military officer at the army base workshop, Burma camp.

The brief facts before the court, presided over by His Worship Owusu, stated that on April 30, 2024 about 016:00 hours, Corporal Michael Danso, together with two others colleagues, namely Lance Corporal Abdul Omar Rahman and Lance Corporal Ametus Mathew went to Millennium, City Police station on board a Toyota Rav4, with Reg. No 3591-24 to report a case of trespass.

The Car the soldier was allegedly driving befire being shot

The decision was based on information that some encroachers were developing a parcel of land belonging to Lance Corporate Abdul Omar Rahman.

The accused person appeared at the Police station, attacked and opened fire severally on No. 210715 Lance Corporal Michael Danso, who was in charge of the steering wheel of the Toyota Rav 4×4 vehicle, killing him instantly.

The accused person was immediately disarmed and arraigned for investigation.

Cecelia Dapaah’s husby testifies in alleged stealing case

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BERNICE BESSEY
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Law Courts Complex, Accra

An Accra High Court has been told how Patience Botwe, a domestic worker, was adamant when it was suggested to her to return monies she allegedly stole from Daniel Osei Kufour, an Architect and his wife, Cecilia Dapaah, former minister for Water Resources and Sanitation.

Patience was hired somewhere in July 2022 and was allegedly caught red handed ransacking the couple’s storeroom on October 6, 2022.

The court, presided over by Justice Marie-Louise Simmons, heard on Friday that Patience allegedly stole monies and personal effects of the couple, amounting to thousands of United States Dollars and Pounds Sterling.

Due to the relationship the couple had with Patience’s family member, Malik Dauda, whom they have known for two decades, the first accused (A1) was asked to return the stolen items.

The stolen items include US$210,000.00, US$200,000.00, £300,000.00, GH¢300,000.00, GH¢50,000.00 and US$95,000.00 worth of jewelleries.

This was contained in the Evidence-in-Chief of prosecution first witness (PW1), Daniel Osei Kufour, an Architect with 53 years standing.

PW1 also stated that he works with the Daniel Osei Kufour, Sohne and Partner Architect and Structure Engineering Consultant Services.

He added that Patience was not a residential house help, but comes twice a week to their house to clean the compound on the instructions of Madam Dapaah.

Narrating how the incident was uncovered, he said on October 6, 2022 at about 7:30 am, he left his Ablemkpe residence in the company of his driver, Raymond Ashi, to attend a family meeting at Akyim Oda, in the Eastern region.

Upon reaching Dome, also in Accra, to pick up his Lawyer, he was advised to abort the trip. Based on the advice, PW1 decided to return home to go and prepare and leave for work.

The witness, on reaching the house, realised that the corridor lights that were switched off before leaving the house were on, amidst unusual noise coming from his bedroom.

Immediately, the witness became alarmed and suspected it would be a work of an intruder.

PW1 also realised that the kitchen door was also opened, which he entered to check, but no one was found.

He then proceeded to the bedroom and saw that the door had been opened with a strange key, which had been left in the keyhole, but he did not find anyone in the master bedroom.

He also became aware that the storeroom (our third bedroom used for storage) was opened, stating “Before entering the storeroom, I realised that the storeroom was opened with the original key, which had always been safely kept in the master bedroom. I entered the storeroom and there I saw the 1st accused person (Patience) hiding behind the door.”

When asked about what she was doing in the room, A1 could not offer any answer. After being marched out of the storeroom, Patience escaped, upon reaching the corridor, and went to hide in the toilet of the Boys Quarters.

With the help of PW1 driver, Patience was forced out of her hideout and with the assistance of the policeman on duty in the house, she was handed over to the Tesano Police station.

It was on his return from the police that he noticed that the storeroom had been ransacked.

Following this observation, Madam Cecilia found out that some of their valuables, as well as huge sums of money, had been stolen from the storeroom.

The items claimed to have been stolen include; an amount of US$210,000.00 belonging to Madam Cecilia’s deceased brother, Nana Akwasi Essan II, alias Charles Dapaah and US$200,000 belonging to Dorcas Wiredua, PW1’s niece and a client.

PW1’s personal money of £300,000.00 as well as GH¢300,000 funeral contribution by wife’s siblings towards burial of their mother were stolen. It was also discovered that Madam Cecilia Dapaah’s GH¢50,000.00 and jewelleries valued $95,000 that she had acquired over a period of 35 years were all missing.

“After my wife and I noticed our belongings and monies were missing, we tried to get the 1st accused to return the stolen items because of the relationship we have with Malik Dauda, 4th accused person.”

He added that, “however, after sometime, we noticed that 1st Accused was determined not to return the monies.”

“In addition to that, the police had informed us that their investigation had revealed that our monies had been distributed among different persons, including the accused persons herein.”

Patience was initially arraigned, but jumped bail after being granted same.

Somewhere in 2023, PW1 and his wife were informed by the police that Patience and Benjamin Sowah (A3) had been arrested at their hideout in Tamale.

Patience is standing trial with Sarah Agyei, Benjamin Sowah, Malik Dauda, Christiana Achab, Job Pomary and Yahaya Sumaila.

The court has given May 15, 2024 for counsel of the accused persons to cross examine the witness.

Lessons from the Ejisu Bye-Election

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Opinion

The results of the bye-election conducted in Ejisu, Ashanti, last week Tuesday, did not reflect the pre-elections disposition of the constituents, there. The NPP we all saw on social media being driven out from community to community, rather won the election and the independent candidate, Aduomi, who was hailed as king, lost.

After the final count, the results showed that the NPP still lords it over the hearts and minds of Ejisuman, with the party’s candidate, Kwabena Boateng, winning with 27,782 votes or 56%, while his close contender, Kwabena Owusu Aduomi, formerly of the NPP, had 21,534 votes or 46%.

There is a lesson to learn from Ejisu:

Looking at the historical data of parliamentary elections in Ejisu since 1996, last Tuesday, was the first time, the New Patriotic Party secured under seventy percentage of the valid votes cast. Recordingan average of 80.3% over seven elections, the NPP’s lowest percentage was 76%, in 1996 and the highest was 84%, in 2016.

The NDC sensibly avoiding an embarrassment, tactfully withdrew from the bye-election.

Only 49,790 voters or 46.74%, assuming there were no spoilt ballots, of the 106,816 registered, cast their votes, meaning 56,886 stayed away. And that is expected of bye-elections. Butfor the NPP tosecure only 56%, the lowest ever, with an independent candidate securing 43%, the highest ever for someone contesting the NPP in Ejisu, calls for deep thinking.

Let us take a look at two bye-elections in NPP strongholds in Ashanti, namely Offinso South bye-elections in October, 2006 and Kumawu in May, 2023.

In the 2006 Offinso-South bye-elections, Dr. OwusuAchawDuah of the NPP, secured 65.52% of the 31,690 valid votes cast to win the seat, and in the recent Kumawu bye-elections, also in Ashanti, the NPP candidate, Ernest Yaw Anim, secured 70.91% of the 21,527 votes cast.

So, what happened to the NPP in Ejisu? Could be about the candidate or the Party? In election history of Offinso-South, it comes clearly that Asantes can vote against the NPP candidate if they do not like him. The 2020 parliamentary results in Fomena, also clearly displayed this.

A look at Offinso-South 2000 and 2004. In 2000, Kwabena Sarfo of the NPP secured over 71% of the votes to win the seat, with President Kufuor securing 72.73%. In 2004, he contested and got re-elected but with 51.9% of the valid votes cast, with President Kufuor securing 69.54%. Take note here, a break-away member of the NPP, Joseph Akwasi-Kumah run independent and secured 16.30%. If his votes were added to Sarfo, the MP would have secured 68.10% and be very close to Kufuor.

In 2016, Andrew Amoako Asiamah of the NPP secured the seat with 72.7% of valid votes cast to become MP. In 2020, he was rejected at the party’s primary and had good reasons to stand independent. He secured almost 49% of the votes to retain the seat, with Philip Ofori-Asante of the NPP securing 41% of the votes.

The above demonstrates clearly that in Ejisu, either a lot of people rejected the NPP candidate or they have rejected the party.

If it is rejection of the party, then a lot need to be done. Because if such results resonate in the Ashanti region’s presidential elections, then there is going to be problems for NPP’s Candidate Bawumia.

I share the concerns of Chairman Steve Ntim and agree with him that broken bridges must be mended and it must start now.

The NPP took things for granted and incited Alan Kyerematen out of the party and he is now seriously contesting the presidency.

The NPP earlier announced that all those following Alan were still members of the party, only to come back to dismiss key members of the NPP who were on Alan’s side.Then the war of words begun, with both sides throwing verbal missiles at each other.

The Ejisu bye-election is a call fora truss. The NPP must extend hands of friendship to Alan and his Movement for Change, orit may have to kiss the presidency and parliament good-bye.

The lesson from last Tuesday is that if care is not taken, there could be a repetition of the events of 1978/79 where the UP Tradition first broke up and when a run-off became necessary, the William Ofori-Atta led UNC, decided not to re-join their siblingsin the Victor Owusu led PFP butrather backed the Limann led PNP to win the presidential run-off.

I am not suggesting that Alan should be wooed back into NPP,what I am saying is that both sides should know there is the same UP blood flowing in them, and they still belong to the UP family and should see themselves as one, though on different paths.

Come December 2024, should there be a run-off between NDC and Alan or between NDC and NPP, which side will NPP or Alan support? If both decide to support the NDC and repeat 1979, how will both fare politically in opposition?

I support Steve Ntim when he indicated that the NPP should go after Aduomi and not wait for him to come. I will suggest, the NPP, on one side and Alan and his MFC, on the other,shouldfoster unity, but run separately.

Ejisu bye-election has taught both sides, especially the NPP, that they will need each other come December 2024.

Hon. Daniel Dugan

Editor’s note: Views expressed in this article do not represent that of The Chronicle

Editorial: Well spoken, Former President Mahama but…

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THE CHRONICLE
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Editorial

Former President John Dramani Mahama, according to a citinewsroom.com report, has expressed concerns over the media’s inability to hold the current government accountable for environmental issues.

In his message on World Press Freedom Day, which took place on May 3, 2024 John Mahama underscored the media’s power and stressed the importance of its role in addressing environmental safety and protection issues.

On his X account, the former president, according to the news outlet, marked the day by encouraging the media to fulfil its responsibility as a check on government actions.

“A Press for the Planet: Journalism in the Face of the Environmental Crisis. We must consider journalism’s vital role in tackling the severe environmental challenges our nation and planet face.

“Unfortunately, our media’s failure to effectively hold the government accountable for critical environmental issues, such as illegal mining (galamsey), deforestation and worsening sanitation is a matter of alarming concern.

“The ongoing degradation of our water bodies and forests poses significant threats to our environment, as well as to the health and livelihoods of our communities. It is crucial that the media, with its power to expose these harmful activities, inspires society and relevant authorities into action,” Mr Mahama was quoted as saying.

The Chronicle agrees with the Former President that the media coverage of serious environmental infractions, such as illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, has gone down completely. This has, obviously, given the nation wreckers the opportunity to continuously destroy our forests and water bodies with impunity.

But much as we, the media, accept the blame for taking our foot off the accelerator pedal, we cannot entirely be blamed for what is happening now. What are the military and police taskforce that was put in place by the government to fight the menace also doing about the situation now? Hardly will one hear about the activities of the taskforce, even though the illegal miners are still in the bush destroying the water bodies and arable land.

Also, until his recent comment on the issue, which we are referencing, politicians, including Mr Mahama himself, have all kept quiet over the issue. If the politician comments about it, the media will carry it, as we have always been doing. The same way if members of the taskforce arrest some of the perpetrators of the crime, the media will be on hand to carry the story.

But if Mr Mahama’s constituents (politicians – both in government and opposition) and the taskforce have relaxed in the execution of their duties, why should we, the media alone, be blamed? It is the duty of every Ghanaian to ensure that the war against illegal mining and deforestation has been won and not by only journalists.

The Chronicle is also happy that Mr Mahama, as an opposition leader has raised this issue and is calling on journalists to help fight the menace. We, however, think the former president is courting for the support of the media because he is no more in the driving seat.

Politicians, we must admit, are funny people. When they are in power and journalists write stories exposing the ills in government, the journalists involved instantly become their ‘number one’ enemy. All that the same journalists have done for them in the past are not recognised. We must be blunt here – both the New Patriotic Party and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) -are guilty when it comes to this non-recognition issue.

As we earlier indicated, Mr Mahama is probably criticising the media on the galamsey fight because he is no more the president; and no one will blame him for the devastation going on. But let him take over the reins of power and you will see how the hawks in his government will start attacking journalists who will be reporting on galamsey issues.

We hope that should Mr Mahama become president again, he will respect the work of journalists and will not allow sycophants that will be surrounding him to be painting some of his (Mahama) colleague journalists black to him. Since this country is for all of us, the work of journalists should not be seen as an attempt to disgrace the government in power. We are rather seeking the interest of the country.

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