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Find space and address the nation on Bawku and Ashaiman -Agalga

By
AGNES ANSAH
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Mr. James Agalga, Ranking Member of the Committee on Defense and Interior

The Ranking Member of the Committee on Defense and Interior, Mr. James Agalga, has admonished President Akufo-Addo to find space and address the nation on the insecurities in Bawku and Ashaiman.

According to Mr. Agalga, he was disappointed that the President, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, could not utter a word about these two incidents when he delivered the State of the Nation Address (SONA) last week Wednesday.

Mr. Agalga noted that for the mere fact that the Ashaiman incident preceded the SONA, the President should have commiserated with the bereaved family, and also apologised to the residents of Ashaiman for the abuse of their rights.

“…The President doubles as the Commander-in-Chief of our Armed Forces. When he appeared before this House to deliver the message of SONA, he touched on a gamut of issues, including the security sector…

“As Commander-in-Chief, one would have expected that Mr. President would have told us the state of the security in our country before talking about procurement done under his watch ….he neglected to do so.

“The incident that occurred in Ashaiman preceded the delivery of SONA, but the President didn’t find space in the one and a half hour delivery to, at least, console the family of the bereaved,” Mr. Agalga said.

He made the comments when he was contributing to the debate on the SONA in Parliament yesterday.

It would be recalled that on Monday and Tuesday, 6th and 7th March, where scores of soldiers went berserk at Ashaiman Official Town, brutalised residents, motorists and commuters they came across on.

The actions of the soldiers were to avenge the alleged murder of their young colleague by some thugs at Official Town in the wee hours of Saturday, 4th March.

The soldier, who was reportedly carrying a laptop and was on his way to see his mother at that time on Saturday, was attacked and killed by some thugs.

Bawku, in the past month, has also recorded some conflicts that have affected lives and livelihoods in the Upper East Regional capital.

According to the West African Network for Peacebuilding, 23 people, including a 12-year-old, have been killed in the Bawku clashes between January 31 and February 10 this year.

Speaking yesterday, the Ranking Member, who is also the Member of Parliament for Builsa North, indicated that so many people had lost their lives  to the insecurities in Bawku, and that should have been of concern to the President.

“Ghanaians expected that the President would have said a word about the age-old Bawku conflict.

“Mr. Speaker, that was unfortunate. The President simply did not live up to expectations as Commander-in-Chief. I will admonish him to find space and address the nation on Bawku and Ashaiman,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Committee on Defense and Interior, which is chaired by Mr. Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has indicated that it would pay a visit to Ashaiman to commiserate with the family of the deceased, and also comfort the innocent residents of Ashaiman who were brutalised by soldiers.

Editorial: Dispute over Adoagyiri can only be resolved by the courts

By
THE CHRONICLE
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Editorial

Despite all the challenges or difficulties confronting us as a nation, Ghana is still considered one of the most stable, if not the most peaceful, countries on the Continent of Africa. Whilst our peers are fighting tribal and civil wars, Ghana has remained peaceful. Though we admit that there are pockets of conflicts going on in some parts of the country, they are not on the scale that will make the world believe we have become a destabilised state.

This feat has been achieved because of the strategic policies put in place by both the state and the institution of chieftaincy. Whereas in some African countries it is even a taboo for one tribal chief to visit the other, that kind of antagonistic posture does not exist in Ghana.

It is on record that the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, a few years ago visited the Ofori Panin Palace at Kyebi, in the Eastern Region. And just last year, he was also at Anloga in the Volta Region to celebrate the Hogbetsotso Festival with the people of the area. All these moves promote peaceful co-existence among the tribes.

It is upon this basis that The Chronicle is worried over the reported tension between the Akyem Abuakwa Palace and that of Kotoku. Both traditional areas are reportedly beating war drums over who exercises traditional authority over Adoagyiri, near Nsawam, in the Eastern Region.

What has sent shivers down our spine is the holding of press conferences by the two ‘combatants’, who have vowed never to allow Adoagyiri slip through their fingers. The disputed Adoagyiri town is just a stone throw from Accra, the national capital. It will, therefore, be easy for any disturbances in the town to spill over to Accra.

This will certainly send a wrong signal to the world that Ghana is no more a safe place to visit. The Chronicle is, therefore, appealing to both the Kotoku and Abuakwa paramount stools to ceasefire and use due process of the law to resolve their dispute. If the case is already not in court, then we advise both parties to do so.

The Chronicle does not think that the exchange of harsh words through press conferences will help in the resolution of the issue. Because of the Bawku conflict, both the military and police are overstretched. Kotoku and Abuakwa should not, therefore, come and add on to the problem.

If both traditional areas are claiming ownership of the disputed town, then it means they have enough proof to back their respective claims. We, therefore, suggest to them to put these evidences before the law courts for the latter to determine who really owns Adoagyiri lands. The Chronicle is also suggesting to the Eastern Regional House of Chiefs to call the paramount chiefs from both traditional areas who are also members of the House to order.

As we reported yesterday, the Defence and Interior Committee of Parliament aborted their planned visit to Bawku on Monday, this week, due to insecurity. Should we, as a nation, sit down for the Adoagyiri issue to also degenerate into something else?  The answer is obviously NO, and that is why we must all put our shoulders to the wheel to ensure that there is peace at Adoagyiri.

Illegal miners have invaded Atwerboanda Forest –MP 

By
KWESI ALFRED ADAMS
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Robert Wisdom Cudjoe - MP for Prestea Huni-valley

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Prestea Hunni-Valley in the Western Region, Robert Wisdom Cudjoe, has expressed the fear that Atwerboanda Forest in his constituency may soon be destroyed because of illegal mining.

According to him, whilst the foreigners were engaged in illegal mining and destroying water bodies, others were also busily destroying the forest by felling timber.

“The devastation is huge, whilst foreigners are doing galamsey others are also cutting our timber”, Robert Wisdom Cudjoe told this reporter. He added that the chiefs from the village even went to the forest recently to warn them to put a stop to it.

The MP noted that some ‘macho men’ were organised to beat up the youth for daring to warn the foreigners engaged in illegal mining in the forest. The youth, he alleged, managed to seize one of the guns belonging to the ‘macho men’, which will be used as evidence.

The Prestea Hunni-Valley Legislator said the wanton destruction of the forest is not known to him alone, but the Municipal authorities as well.

According to him, he has personally informed the Minerals Commission (MC), Forestry Commission (FC), the Municipal Security Chairman (MUSEC) and the Regional Security Chairman (REGSEC) about the illegal activities, but there has been no response.

He explained that his decision to inform the above-mentioned authorities was to get them collaborate with him, by providing Police and Military assistance to help flush out the foreigners who are destroying the Atwerboanda forest reserve, in the name of searching for gold.

“If I have the police and the Military and authorities backing me, we can enter the forest and flush out the foreigners and also name and shame the ‘big men’ behind it”.

Sunyani Technical University admits 3,014 fresh students

By
FRANCIS OWUSU-ANSAH
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Sunyani Technical University

The Vice Chancellor (VC) of the Sunyani Technical University (STU), Professor Kwadwo Adinkrah-Appiah, has urged fresh students to exhibit high sense of purpose and diligence in pursuing their academic career to enable them achieve the required skills and competences that would make them successful in the world of work.

He gave the assurance that the university is determined to offer sponsorship to students who produce innovations and inventions through its Research and Innovation Fund (STURIF), saying “the Students’ Support Fund is also there to support needy, but brilliant students who encounter financial challenges”.

Professor Adinkrah-Appiah was addressing the 27th matriculation ceremony of the university in Sunyani where 3,014 fresh students – comprising 2,181 males and 833 females were admitted to pursue various degree and diploma programmes in the university.

The VC said the university issued 4,943 admission letters for the 2022/2023 academic year, saying in terms of disciplines 2,503 of the students were enrolled in Science, Technology, Engineering and TVET programmes, as against 511 pursuing humanities.

RISE IN ENROLMENT

Prof Adinkrah-Appiah said the total enrolment of the fresh students showed an increase of 30.2 percent over the last academic year’s figure of 2,104 students.

“The appreciable rise in student enrolment at the University can be attributed to a number of measures put in place by management to increase intake, including improved visibility of the university, resulting from the 55th anniversary celebration and the introduction of new academic programmes”.

Prof Adinkrah-Appiah, therefore, called for more efforts to continuously improve and sustain visibility of the university through advertisement of its new Engineering, Science and TVET academic programmes to attract more prospective students, especially foreign ones into the university.

“When patronage of such skill-oriented industry-driven programmes is improved, it would help produce more skilled and entrepreneurially inclined graduates, who can readily find jobs or set up their own businesses to help accelerate the socio-economic development the country,” he said.

“This will also reduce the proclivity of other institutions having the opportunity to produce many graduates in the choked sectors of the national economy in order not to worsen the existing high spate of youth unemployment in the country,” he added.

ACCREDITATION

According to the Vice Chancellor, the university has received accreditation to run a number of programmes in Engineering, Science and Technology, Visual Arts and Business disciplines, which include 21BTech, 22HND and other programmes.

He, therefore, urged all prospective students to take advantage to enrol in those industry-driven programmes at the university to acquire the requisite knowledge, technical and professional skills that would make them readily employable to avoid the “temptation of joining the so-called unemployed graduates association’ after school.

SECURITY

Prof Adinkrah-Appiah said management has put in place measures to protect life and property on the university campus, which include the setting up of a police post, to augment the existing security architecture of the university. The lighting system on campus has also been improved, whilst security patrols and visibility have been enhanced.

Bagbin preaches peaceful co-existence in Bahrain

By
ERNEST BEST ANANE
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Ghana's Speaker and other dignitaries at the conference
Rt. Hon Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin -Speaker of Parliament

Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, The Speaker of Parliament, has assured the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) of Ghana’s commitment to collaborate with the union to fight against intolerance and promote peaceful co-existence in societies.

According to him, that is the only way for the world to know true peace and prosperity.

In a speech at the ongoing 146th IPU Assembly in Manama, Bahrain, on Monday, March 13, 2022 the Speaker touted the values of good democratic governance, which the Ghanaian Parliament is translating for the utmost benefit of its people.

This, he said, explains why a large gender parity delegation of four ladies, four men, three of whom are from government and three from the opposition, led by the Speaker, are there to work with the IPU and its members to craft out resolutions that will further the course of the theme and humanity as a whole.

The theme for the conference is: “Promoting peaceful co-existence and inclusive societies: Fighting intolerance”.

Rt. Hon Bagbin also charged the legislators worldwide to encourage tolerance and inclusive development through the laws they promulgate.

He reminded them that, as legislators, it behoves on them to encourage tolerance and inclusive development through the laws they make and, particularly, through the tools of their oversight of the Executive to ensure that their respective countries are set on the paths of peace, security and sustainability.

He urged them to commit themselves to holding governments of their countries to contain corruption, eliminate waste, ignorance and greed, which is the smooth road to building fair, just and prosperous societies.

The Ghanaian Speaker also entreated the participants and the world at large to be mindful of the need to co-exist stating “we must therefore, not only learn to co-exist in peace, but must also work to promote inclusive growth and development by consciously working to prop up the development of the least developed nations”

He mentioned that underdevelopment and poverty are some of the main drivers of intolerance evidenced in xenophobia, terrorism and conflicts.

About 2,700 delegates drawn from more than 179 countries across the globe have gathered in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Odotobiri DCE warns youth against drugs, alcohol

By
RICHARD OWUSU-AKYAW
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Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi ,Member of Parliament for Odotobiri speaking at the event.
DCE for Amansie Central ,Mr.Micheal Donkor, speaking at the indece event which was held at Jacobu Methodist School Park

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Amansie Central in the Ashanti Region , Mr. Michael Donkor, has warn the youth of Odotobiri who are engaged  in drugs and alcohol to put a stop to the act before the law gets hold of them.

Mr. Donkor bemoaned the development, describing it as despicable, adding that if Amansie Central was not careful, the drug menace would get out of hand in Odotobiri.

The target group, according to the worried DCE, was the youth who should be working to help develop Odotobiri, and Ghana as whole, but they are engaged in drinking hard liquor, smoking marijuana, and using Tramadol (extra strong painkiller), which are referred as tramor.

According to him, such vices do not do have a good impact on the human body, rather they inhibits the brain and destroy the body.

The Kontihene of Odotobiri , Baffour Agyare II ,speaking at the function

He has subsequently warned those involved in the act to stop before the full rigours of the law catches up with them.

“I want to use this medium to caution those who are peddling drugs, and those who are aiding and abetting this vice, to put a stop to it before the law gets hold of them.”

He has, therefore, called on stakeholders to help tackle the menace.

“I would plead with traditional leaders, parents, and guardians to help arrest the situation,” he said, adding, “Nananom, respectfully, let us stem the tide to solve this challenge, and the Assembly will support you.”

The Amansie Central DCE made this plea when he delivered the Keynote Address at the district’s 66th Independence Day Parade, which was held at the Jacobu Methodist School Park, under the theme, “Our Unity, Our Strength, Our Purpose.”

The DCE underscored that they were developing Jacobu for the youth, and if this was the kind of attitude some of them were putting up, then where was their future, he asked?

Michael Donkor told the youth that the government had introduced Free Senior High School (Free SHS), an intervention which had largely involved major monetary challenges, which used to impede education at that level, hence, they should strive and take advantage of the policy and learn to become responsible citizens.

Students from Esreso Akasanim DA Primary School marching at the event

In an assertion which could see stakeholders confronting the challenge holistically, DCE Donkor told the audience that plans were far afoot to meet the youth and talk with them to know what they wanted, so that they could be developed.

According to Mr. Donkor, recently he attended a funeral at Jacobu, and upon reaching the funeral grounds, he was marveled at the way and manner the girls and boys behaved at the funeral.

Michael Donkor expressed worry about the decline of respect for the elderly in Odotobri.

“They do not respect that [the] elderly are within their midst, and as such, they ought to behave accordingly. How can the mortal remains of a deceased who was been buried at a cemetery be brought back to where he was laid for filing past? People do not want the clergy to have a burial service.”

He told the gathering: “If these ladies and guys who are on drugs and alcohol marry from your family and have kids in the process, what good attitude will he exhibit for the children to emulate to advance in life?”

On developmental issues in Amansie Central, Donkor disclosed that government was doing so much develop for Otodobiri in the areas of education, health and security among others.

In this regard, he disclosed that 3,483 desks had been distributed to schools to help students study, adding that other infrastructural projects were underway to give education a boost in the district.

Baffour Agyare II, Kontihene of Odotobiri, who chaired the event, asked that the young are cautioned and taught about the antecedents which led to the independence of Ghana. He called for development projects in the area.

On his part, the Member of Parliament for Odotobiri, Emmanuel Akwasi Gyamfi, told the people to appreciate where the constituency had got to.

Much as he acknowledged that the constituency was bereft of good roads, Akwasi Gyamfi noted that in the years gone by, Amansie Central had no motorable roads and bridges, but today, the roads were tarred, noting that development was a process.

He also indicated that electricity penetration in the areas was low in 2005 when then President John Agyekum Kufuor carved Otodobiri from Bekwai Constituency, but, today, the electricity index in the constituency had grown exponentially.

‘Kwasi Afrifa Award’ instituted at St. Augustine’s College

By
SEBASTIAN R. FREIKU
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Kwasi Afrifa Esq.

The 93rd Speech and Prize Giving Day Celebration of St. Augustine’s College at Cape Coast has been slated for Saturday, March 17, 2024, the Headmaster Henry Arthur-Gyan has announced.

The theme for the celebration is: “Supporting the foundation that shapes future generations”.

The College would at this occasion present the first ever ‘Kwesi Afrifa Award’ to the Best student in Literature in English.

The novel award was instituted by Kwesi Afrifa Esq., a Kumasi-based private legal practitioner.  He will also be a Special Guest at the 93rd anniversary at the weekend.

Kwasi Afrifa is a senior partner of the O &A Legal Consult in Kumasi and an Old Boy of St. Augustine’s College.

GRA debunks Kennedy Agyapong’s audit harassments claim

By
BERNICE BESSEY
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GRA

Management of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has debunked claims by Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central, Kennedy Agyapong, that the Authority was allegedly using audit as an instrument to harass him.

The MP, in a viral video on social media, accused the GRA of harassment at a factory under construction, which is owned by him.

But the GRA has, in a statement issued on Monday, this week, denied the accusation, explaining that it has the mandate and in line with World Customs Organisation’s (WCO’s) guidelines  can conduct such exercises regularly.

“The purpose of such audits are to measure and improve compliance whiles fine tuning controls. The factory in question, together with other companies, was audited to check the value of goods imported and their intended use.

“We wish to disclose that in January and February 2023, about thirty (30) of such risk-based activities were carried out on a number of businesses.”

In the area of enforcement and compliance, the statement said GRA carries out invoice invigilation exercises to ascertain Value Added Tax (VAT) paid by VAT registered businesses.

The news release further indicated that these exercises entail stationing staff on the premises of VAT registered businesses such as shops, restaurants and manufacturing sites to check the issuance of VAT invoices.

 

In a follow up to compliance, in September 2022, invigilation exercises were intensified by GRA nationwide in order to enforce the issuance of VAT invoices and to encourage persons who buy goods and patronise services to demand for VAT invoices.

This exercise was very successful and GRA intends to scale up the invoice invigilation exercise from April 2023 as part of its revenue mobilisation efforts.

In carrying out all these enforcement and compliance activities, staff of GRA have been advised to remain professional and act at all times with integrity as required by the Authority’s Code of Ethics and Conduct.

“We, therefore, encourage any member of the public who has evidence of any alleged corrupt practice by an official of the Authority to report such criminal acts to the Management of GRA on 0800-900-110 for redress,” the statement said.

“Management wishes to use this opportunity to assure Kennedy Agyapong and all taxpayers of our readiness to receive complaints and feedback on our work as we partner to mobilise revenue for national development.

“We also wish to state that GRA remains committed to carrying out its mandate of revenue mobilization with integrity, fairness and utmost professionalism.”

THE MESSAGE FROM CHRISTIAN ATSU

By
admin
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Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey

The other day, I attended a funeral service for some fallen chap, and the Pastor preaching the sermon said something I always remember.

He said we mortals are like a garden of flowers. When a visitor comes, the landlord picks a beautiful flower for the reception of the visitor.

This is the reason why once in a while you hear in the news that what we see as a good man or a good woman, usually young in age or in his or her prime, has suddenly died off.

We Presbyterians have a hymn with a line that runs: “Ma oyinkye ha kakra” (Let this one stay here a bit longer).

I confess I am not a football fan. I am not like my son, Lawyer Divine, who always loses his voice whenever Real Madrid wins a match. My sympathies are with Kotoko and Manchester United, but even so, once in a while I watch, especially, international matches.

So don’t be surprised that I never saw CHRISTIAN ATSU in person, though I heard that he was a great football star.

It was after his untimely death that I heard so much talk about him; how he used to go to the prisons and pay off the fines of prisoners so that they can come out; how he sponsored several orphanages, feeding the hungry, and supporting the needy. In short, Christian Atsu was a good man, using his wealth for the benefit of all.

The Presbyterians would have wished that “let this one keep here a title longer….”

But Almighty God, who holds the key to every life, had different plans for Christian Atsu. He fell innocently as a victim of the twin earthquakes in far away Turkey-Syria earthquake, where, according to CNN, a total of 51,000 people lost their lives, and 2 million people have been rendered homeless. The disaster is of colossal proportions.

The first message from Christian Atsu to we the living is that we should ALWAYS be prepared to meet our Maker. Each one of us can fall ANYTIME due to an accident, sudden illness, or disaster like an earthquake.

How prepared are you for the inevitable ultimate?

I felt very touched and my senses went numbed when I saw in the dailies a picture of Christian Atsu’s corpse wrapped in a Turkish Airlines cargo bag, as if it was full of clothes or something.

We mortals are nothing, but walking cargos, but what killed Christian Atsu? Earthquake?

In the whole world, JAPAN is the land of Earthquakes. I have been there before.

I am not a scientist, but a lawyer; nevertheless, seismologists tell me that the center of the planet earth is so HOT that it is almost like liquid, causing shocks ALL THE TIME.

The geological formation of Japanese islands is such that earthquakes are very, very common, BUT THEY HAVE LEARNT TO LIVE WITH IT!

Because of earthquakes, in Japan they are more than very strict with BUILDING REGULATIONS – very, very strict, while here, in my motherland where people build on waterways, they use less concrete and so on.

In 2001, as a Member of Parliament (MP)/Deputy Minister for Local Government I travelled to USA and my host, a University Professor, met me at the airport in Washington. As we drove along a little outside the city, he asked me. “Honourable Minister, have you seen that building?” I turned and saw a 12-storey building jutting out of the skyline, sitting there.

“The local authorities gave the landlord [a] permit to build a 11-storey building, but the landlord decided to add a 12th floor, and the local authorities told him: “Look here, we gave you [a] permit for 11 stores, not 12. Either you demolish the 12th floor or you don’t enter the building.” And now 5 years long, the building stands there, unoccupied.

Reader, do you know the Supreme Court building in Accra? About ten years ago the Judicial Service put up a new block of offices just next to the Supreme Court, and a decision was taken that why do not build a corridor to link the two buildings so that the elderly Justices of the Supreme Court can just walk in between floors from the Supreme Court to the Judicial Service office complex?

Good idea. They brought steel metals for the construction and workers started to drill holes into the Supreme Court building erected in 1912!!!

What is this? They tried and tried and gave up!!!

The concrete in the Supreme Court building is more than a ROCK!!!!

Compare this with Sakaman Junction in Accra. Right at the junction somebody has put up an 8-storey floor of offices, but you don’t need to have GCE O Level to know that NO BUILDING INSPECTOR will sanction that structure.

Even the poles of street lights look stronger than the pillars holding the 8-storey structure.

When I came to Accra in the 70s, I was told that McCarthy Hill is the epic center of earthquakes in the city of Accra, but look at the buildings on top of the hill. In the event of an earthquake, who will take the blame?

The message from Christian Atsu is that let us be SERIOUS with our building regulations; let the laws work.

I live at Kasoa, and anytime it rains the McCarthy Hill toll booth stretch of the road becomes impassible, causing massive intolerable delays accidents and so on.

Are they man-made disasters?

Christian Atsu is telling us: LET THE LAW WORK!!!

Written by Nkrabeah Effah-Dartey

 

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.

Police arrest fake soldiers in Delta State

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admin
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Fake soldiers

The police in Delta State, south-south Nigeria, said they have arrested two members of a criminal syndicate who disguised as soldiers in the state.

The police spokesperson in the state, Bright Edafe, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Mr Edafe, a deputy superintendent of police, said the suspects were arrested when a combined team of police operatives from Response Squad, Raiders Squad and Operations Department, raided their hideout on Sunday.

The police spokesperson said the hideout, which is around Okwe Axis of Asaba in Oshimili South Local Government Area of the state, was raided at about 4:30 p.m.

The Commissioner of Police in Delta State, Muhammed Ali, detailed the operatives to carry out the raid operation in response to an information that the syndicate was planning to cause mayhem in the state, Mr Edafe said.

He gave the names of the arrested suspects as Mike Okon, 27, and Wilson Sunday 24 – all males and indigenes of Cross-River State, another state in the south-south Nigeria.

“When search was conducted on them, an army camouflage uniform, a pair of black jungle boot were recovered from Mike Okon, while three green berets, one black beret were recovered from Wilson Sunday,” he said.

Investigations into the incident had commenced, the police said.

Credit: premiumtimesng.com

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