Ghanaian musician, King Promise has landed his first-ever MOBO Awards nomination at the 2021 edition.
The “Slow Down” hitmaker was nominated in the Best African Music Act category alongside Nigeria’s Ayra Starr, Burna Boy, Okay, Davido, NSG, Rema, Tems, Tiwa Savage and Wizkid.
King Promise and the NSG group are the only Ghanaians to be nominated in the category.
The UK’s biggest celebration of Black music and culture, the MOBO Awards, goes live on Sunday, 5 December from the CBS Arena in Coventry.
Born and bred in Accra, Ghana, Gregory Bortey Promise Newman, popularly known as King Promise, was enveloped in music from a young age. His ‘music-head’ father inadvertently helped shape his genre and culture-spanning tastes: immersing him in everything from reggae to R&B to boybands to Ghanaian highlife.
To this day, Promise finds himself pulling from and enjoying an incredibly wide range of sounds, both in his own sonics and during his creative process.
The Okoye brothers, Peter and Paul, known in showbiz as P-Square are back to following each other on Instagram.
The twin brothers are on the part of reconciliation after they parted ways both as bandmates and business partners years ago.
Although the brothers have not given a clear reason for their ‘beef’ which led to the disbandment of their group to the disappointment of their fans, Paul’s wife, Anita Okoye took to her Instagram page to share a video that showed Peter enjoying quality time with his twin brother’s children in the United States as they went shopping.
The twins, Peter and Paul Okoye, were born on November 18, 1981, in Anambra State, Nigeria.
Before they parted ways, they produced and released their albums through Square Records. In December 2011, they signed a record deal with Akon’s Konvict Muzik label. In May 2012, P-Square signed a record distribution deal with Universal Music Group.
On 25 September 2017, numerous media outlets reported that the group disbanded. Reports about a breakup surfaced after Peter reportedly sent a termination letter to the group’s lawyer.
Prior to this report, the duo disbanded in 2016, supposedly over a disagreement about the role of their manager.
Sports Journalist and broadcaster, Nathaniel’ Citizen’ Attoh, has made his debut on Shirley Frimpong-Manso’s hit tv series ‘Dede’.
‘Dede’ tells the intriguing story of a naive rural teenage girl deceived and encouraged by her stepmother to abandon her family for a job as a servant in a complicated wealthy family.
The resourceful young maid eventually falls in love with Michael, the youngest son in the Robertson household.
In a murder case against Michael Robertson, Citizen Attoh delivers a brilliant performance as Lawyer Henry Quartey, a state prosecutor.
Nathaniel Attoh is widely respected for his credentials as an impeccable MC and an eloquent broadcaster. He is also known for his flawless sense of fashion.
What he has failed to do over the years is scratch the surface of his acting talent.
To activate it, he received a call from Award-winning Producer, Shirley Frimpong-Manso who discovered Attoh’ss acting prowess in some skits for TV and social media promotions.
Expressing how he feels about his debut, Citizen Attoh said, “I believe in doing things in stages and I believe in doing things pragmatically…so we are going to move stage by stage”.
President Duterte filed his candidacy in the last hour before registration ended on Monday at 5 p.m local time.
The move follows much back-and-forth over the decision on which position to run for in the 2022 election. Duterte is not eligible to run for president again.
Earlier Monday, Duterte’s communications secretary said the President would run for vice president. Then, his presidential spokesman said Duterte would not run against his daughter, Sara Duterte-Carpio, who had filed her candidacy for vice president, according to CNN affiliate CNN Philippines.
In the Philippines, the president and vice president are elected in separate contests.
Duterte is not eligible to run for president again, but was eligible to run for other posts, including vice president, senator, congressman, mayor or governor. He was mayor of Davao City before running for president in 2016.
An explosion outside Liverpool Women’s Hospital on Remembrance Sunday has been declared a UK police have declared the blast outside a hospital in Liverpool a terrorist incident and said they believed the explosion occurred when a man brought an improvised device into a taxi.
Officers said Monday that a passenger is believed to have entered the vehicle with an explosive device that suddenly went off. The suspect died in the blast but the taxi driver managed to escape. Police have arrested four men, all aged in their 20s, and believe they know the identity of the suspect.
The incident began when the driver of the taxi picked up a fare on a residential street in the northwest English city. A man entered and asked to be taken to Liverpool Women’s Hospital, a short drive away, Assistant Chief Constable Russ Jackson of Counter Terrorism North West said at a press conference on Monday.
“Our enquiries indicate that an improvised explosive device has been manufactured and our assumption so far is that this was built by the passenger in the taxi,” Jackson said.
Surveillance camera footage appears to show the taxi slowing to a stop in the hospital’s car park a few minutes later, before a sudden blast takes place. A man is seen leaving the car before it is quickly engulfed in flames.
US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping held a virtual summit on Monday as tensions between the countries deepen.
The competing superpowers surprised many last week by issuing a joint declaration to address climate change, at talks in Glasgow, Scotland.
But growing concerns of a military confrontation over Taiwan have thrown their differences into sharp relief.
The pair’s third meeting will address several thorny topics.
Cybersecurity, trade and nuclear non-proliferation are subjects on the table, sources familiar with the negotiations told US media.
In a statement released on Friday, the White House said “the two leaders will discuss ways to responsibly manage the competition between the United States and the PRC, as well as ways to work together where our interests align”.
The duo have spoken twice since Mr Biden took office in January, but both have acknowledged bumps in the relationship.
The cold blast of the air conditioner from the room hit me by surprise as I opened the door. I wasn’t expecting a draught from inside at eight on a damp morning. But there was my cousin under the duvet, hugging what seemed like a pillow as he snuggled diagonally across the bed, deeply asleep.
I grabbed the electric iron from the floor right next to the standing fan, which was purring at a speed that made the room even cooler, and left quickly. How could he be sleeping so comfortably with the AC at a cold blast on a wet morning?
As I closed the door, I remembered that this was the sort of thing I used to do not too long ago. Going to bed with the AC in super-chill mode and the standing fan whirring in complement was the cool thing. And whether in the car or at work in the office, I made sure that the atmosphere was super-chilled all the way.
And then one day a friend forwarded an article in the Times of India to me entitled, “AC causes more harm than good.” Under the heatwave baking us night and day, it seemed like a weird thing to say. AC is not only a welcome relief from heat, it has also become a status symbol.
But the article was an eye opener. AC, it said, sucks humidity from the air in the room, without discriminating between moisture in the atmosphere and moisture from the skin. That’s probably not so bad if, like my cousin, you’re in your late 20s. But, if like me, you’re in your late 50s and above, the skin is more vulnerable and the AC effect tends to hasten aging.
But AC turned at full blast is only one of the many potential miseries of aging. You would find, as you get older, that there is a lengthening list of don’ts you are advised to observe to live a longer, healthier life.
I used to love sugar like mad. I still remember popping St. Louis cubes, hiding some on the door lintel or scooping handfuls of Ovaltine powder when mother wasn’t looking.
Occasionally, when my hand was caught in the jar, mother would, apart from administering strokes of fan belt to my buttocks, also give me the Ketrax worm expeller treatment, with Fam-Lax, a common laxative at the time.
I don’t know which one was worse. The lashing was bad and merciless. But the fear of expelling a few live worms as they wriggled their way through my anal canal after surviving the Ketrax attack, was dreadful.
Yet, the punishment, however harsh, didn’t keep me away for too long from Goodie-Goodie, fizzy drinks, ice cream, chocolates and candies. As I grew older, I began to learn more about sugar and its deadly side effects.
Sugar, no matter by what name it is called – corn syrup, agave nectar, cane juice or sucrose – is sugar. It can mess up your health, especially as you get older, if not taken in significant moderation which, according to some health experts, is about 200 calories daily from all the foods combined.
According to WebMD, excessive sugar consumption may alter the mood from a “sugar-high” to “sugar crash”, compromise cavity health, worsen joint pain, and trigger molecules that could hasten aging.
Fifteen, twenty years ago, I didn’t care. And why should I? I think by some genetic accident, I have maintained a slim figure that has left friends teasing that I could swallow a mortar and pestle without showing it.
My shopping cart was incomplete without a box or two of vanilla ice cream, to wash down my dinner which could be pounded yam, fried plantain, or amala with egusiand plenty of ponmo, eaten at well past midnight. My ice cubes or chilled bottle of water was never too far away.
I thought that was life, and that I was young at heart and invincible – until a medical checkup turned out to be a life-threatening scare. After a major surgery, my lifestyle changed significantly.
It’s not the AC, ice cubes and sugar alone that I have been forced to cut down on or do without completely. I’ve almost shifted 180 degrees from a life of super-chill to one of fresh air and electric fans; and descended from my sugar pyramids to pounds of bitters, fruits and vegetables – and yes, my salt intake is nearly down to zero.
Not too long ago, I just loved to season my foods all the way, first marinating and then garnishing them with salt, seasoning cubes and whatever synthetic flavours that could, in my opinion, bring out the real taste.
I ate my boiled plantain or yam with a saucer of palm oil seasoned with salt. During rainy seasons, I snacked on my African pear by first rubbing it in a plate of salt, “to get the taste.” I know many people who still eat avocado pear with a salt spread.
They’re playing with fire. A nutrition study by Elias Menyanu, Karen E. Charlton and Paul Kowal, focusing on Ghana and South Africa said, “It has been estimated that 1.7m lives could be saved annually if salt consumption levels were decreased to recommended levels of 5grams per day.”
Unfortunately, low and middle-income countries, including Africa, where over 75 percent of cardiovascular deaths take place also account for the highest consumption of salts, apart from energy dense and nutrient poor diets. According to this study, more than two-thirds of African populations attach low importance to dietary salt reduction.
The result in Ghana, South Africa and many African countries is that the prevalence of hypertension has continued to rise. My transition from the life of a regular Joe living on dangerous dietary habits for years to one of daily struggle with elevated blood pressure in my middle age should serve as an example to those who have ears.
In an effort to repair the damage of the past, I’m surprising myself with a new attitude of dietary curiosity. I read food labels for size, servings, carbs, calories, sodium and fat, even if it means squinting or running a quick check on my phone to be sure of the health benefits – or risks. It’s tedious, even annoying sometimes. But it’s a small price to pay for redemption.
I stopped jogging, too. I know that there are folks who jog into their late 60s. I honestly did my best to match that record before a much older friend told me to be careful. Don’t get me wrong. There are many good reasons for an active lifestyle that keeps your muscles strong and your bones firm well into old age. But you may need to work with your doctor to find out what is best for you.
If I had any doubts about my older friend’s advice concerning running into my 60s, they were soon settled when tests showed that pushing the limits could have landed me with a runner’s knee or even stress fractures. I have since learnt to do my recommended moderate exercise of 150 minutes weekly or 30 minutes five days a week. My grandchildren can vie for the Olympic medals in the marathon! A consolation prize works for me just fine.
There are other lessons I’m learning about aging, too. I used to wear late, irregular sleeping hours like a badge of honour. Not that I was partying or playing snooker late into the night.
My work as a journalist is hostile to early nights. But I managed to worsen the bad habit by reading long past godly hours. I used to say, very proudly, that five hours of sleep was enough for me. And for many years, I indulged in this dangerous fantasy.
When an older friend told me he was decluttering, for example, taking out all the heavy printed stuff and documents he no longer needed, I begged him to send the books to me. I piled on my binge until it became a compound obsession. Of course, my stress level rose and my mindfulness took a beating from poor sleep and insufficient rest.
Yet, aging is not all gloom and misery, especially if you find the right things and do them early.
My wife often jokes that she never quite understood why her mother, who died from diabetes-related complications this year, used to carry “bags” of medicine or fret about sugar and carbs.
My wife was big on fizzies. Not anymore. But that was after she managed to create her own small collection of remedies for past indulgences, with a range of medicines that would make a chemist proud. After her mother’s death, she developed a steely determination to avoid all those things that could inflame her predisposition.
It’s true, as we say, that, “something will kill somebody”. But thanks to improvements in medicine and science, the cause of death doesn’t have to be ignorance, though current studies by actuaries in the UK suggest that even where knowledge is present, inequalities could also be significant factors in life expectancy. Yet, WHO reports that in about nine years’ time, one of six people in the world would be 60 years and older.
Aging mellows you. It even makes you wiser and more forgiving of yourself and others. Depending on how you handle it, it also provides just about enough time for repairs, before you enter the departure lounge.
By Azu Ishiekwene Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief ofLEADERSHIP
Members of Parliament (MP), last Friday, nearly engaged in fisticuffs over recent sea erosion that has displaced over 4000 people in parts of the Volta Region.
The confrontations ensued after MP for Effutu constituency, Mr Alexander Afenyo- Markin and his colleagues from the majority side, engaged the media on the issue.
According to Mr Afenyo-Markin activities of sand winning have been discovered to be a major cause of the sea erosion in parts of Ketu South, Keta, Anlo and South Tongu constituencies.
He said research from some organisations, including the Fourth Estate, an online news outlet and some individuals from the Keta enclave, have alluded to sand winning activities in the area as a major cause.
He said tidal waves are very powerful, but they are aided even more by climate change.
But he stressed that matters are getting complicated in the Keta municipality, due to the activities of sand winning.
He said he was, however, surprised at the turn of events from his colleagues on the minority side. He said most of the MPs from the Volta Region have kept mute about it and are rather blaming the government for not being sensitive to the plight of the affected families.
Keta coastline
“We have never heard them talking about the human activities going on at the Keta area which has led to the unbearable effect of what we are seeing today.
“In all the address, not a single word was made on it, meanwhile, the activities of sand winners are all over the place; it is recorded, it is on the internet, it is happening daily, yet no MP from that area, the Volta Caucus, even mention it.
“You have Fourth Estate doing some research there, an individual making remarks that they don’t have gold, they don’t have fish, so they are going to mine the sand; it is there.
“So for them to keep quiet and attempt to make a partisan comment, as it were, blame it on government as though government does not care about the situation, that is not so, with the greatest respect …”
He said government is doing its best by providing relief items to the affected people, but one should understand that these relief items are not the solution to the issue at hand and hence, called on stakeholders in the region to work together.
He called on his colleagues in the Volta Region to eschew politics and rather see the situation as a national disaster.
But the minority MPs didn’t take the majority’s explanation from MrMarkin lightly and this resulted in a heated argument between the two sides.
The New Democratic Congress member for Ellembele, Mr Armah Kofi Buah, argued that sand winning is a very serious issue, not only in the Volta Region, but across the country.
There is crisis at hand and the government needs to react by giving relief items to the affected persons and not engage in propaganda, he said.
He observed that the country is facing a serious climate crisis and heads must come together to proffer solutions and not to engage in partisan politics. “Not everything should be NDC, NPP. Five hundred families are homeless”.
The Legislator for South Dayi, Mr Rockson Nelson Etsey Dafeamekpor, was also livid about the response of the majority side.
He was of the view that government is spending millions of dollars to undertake sea defense projects along the coastline due to high rise in the sea level and a possibility of tidal wave attacks, so any attempt to attribute the recent crisis to activities of sanding winning is the most pathetic statement a government representative can make.
“To say that the lives of over 4000 people are being destroyed as a result of sand winning is unacceptable.”
He said the government has over the years demonstrated a laissez faire attitude to issues regarding the people of Anlo in the Volta Region.
He said the government has reacted to other crisis in the other parts of the country differently and doesn’t understand why same can’t be done for the people of the Volta Region.
Meanwhile,during a discussion on Joy FM’s News File show on Saturday, the Acting Director of the Hydrological Services Department (HSD) of the Ministry of Works and Housing, Hubert Osei Owusu-Ansah, stated that indeed sand winning activities at the beach is a major contributing factor to the worsening situation.
He said the impact of climate change and rise in sea level is a major issue affecting coastal communities and that his department has had cause to caution people against the act, due to the possible effects it is likely to have.
“Sand winning is a cause of major erosion. We have waves impacting on the beaches so the wave energy is transferred onto the beaches. If sand winning takes place, the beaches get deprived of sand and the waves move closely into the community. That is how tidal waves occurr,” he stated.
He said there are two main causes of tidal waves – Natural causes, which are as a result of the Wave Action or strong waves impacting the beaches to cause coastal erosion, and Man-made causes which manifest in the form of sand winning at the beaches.
His comments go to support the recent view and the statement made by the Deputy Majority Leader and Member of Parliament for the Effutu Constituency, Alexander Afenyo-Markin that the recent tidal waves that have destroyed houses and caused the relocation of over 4,000 people at three communities in the Volta Region, could partly be blamed on the sand winning activities in that area.
Mr. Owusu Osei-Ansah said “When the beaches are deprived of sand, it weakens the surface and the wave is able to move in to destroy houses and move into town.”
He said, in the course of constructing the sea defense wall, the department has had to deal with issues of sand winning at the beaches and it has always been a worry.
A former lecturer at the Institute for Environment and Sanitation Studies at the University of Ghana, Legon, Dr. Philip NeriQuashigah, who claimed on the program that he knew the terrain in Keta very well, because he has lived there before and also supported the claim that, though he could not tell about the magnitude of the impact, he could confirm that sand winning activities go on in that stretch.
“Sand winning removes the protection that the land gets and this increases the vulnerability. That is why we must put a stop to it,” he stated.
He said, per the regulations of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), sand winning activities at the beaches are illegal and must not be encouraged.
All the panellists on the show agreed that there must be education about the negative effects of sand winning at the beaches.
They also called for the enforcement of laws, as well as the involvement of community leaders, in the education drive.
Two hundred and fifty selected journalists are set to benefit from a Media Capacity Enhancement Programme (MCEP) annually paid for by the Ministry of Information.
The Ministry of Information which announced this at the launch of the programme in Accra on Sunday November 14, 2021, said the programme is expected to provide continuous in-service training for media personnel drawn from across the country in order to improve their skills for the industry.
“The role of the Ministry is simply to provide bursaries to participant from the media landscape who will benefit from this capacity enhancement programme annually. Under the programme, a skills gap analysis has been conducted by a working committee of experts and a curriculum based on gaps has been developed.
The independent committee has also selected a faculty comprising academics and senior media practitioners from across the country, to administer the program.”
Deputy Information Minister Fatima Abubakr who led a Press Briefing to launch the program said the programme is in line with one of the key strategic objectives of the Ministry which is to assist in the development of the information sector for which reason a successful implementation of the programme is expected to transform Ghana’s media landscape.
Present at the launch were the heads of the implementing partner Organisations the programme including the Rector of the Ghana Institute of Journalism (GIJ), Prof. Kwamena-Kwansa Aidoo, Chairman of the National Media Commission, Yaw Boadu-Ayeboafoh and the President of the Ghana Journalists Association, Roland Affail Monney as well as members from media umbrella bodies such as the Ghana Independent Broadcasters Association (GIBA) and the Private Newspaper Publishers Association of Ghana (PRINPAG).
On his part, Prof. Aidoo, who is also the Chairman of the committee tasked to provide support for the full implementation of the programme was excited about the rolling out of the programme.
He said the programme will help equip journalists in the country with the right skill set, to be able to go about their jobs.
Mr. Monney also indicated that the programme could not come at a better time than this. He encouraged journalists to take advantage of it and gain the requisite skills in journalism and media practice.
The MCEP will provide continuous on the job training at regular intervals for media practitioners to improve their skills, support training targeted at content creation for media practitioners, provide a regular platform to support media-introspection on subject related to media management, corporate governance, and media business models and encourage ethical journalism.
Journalists interested in the program will have to apply online and be selected by the working committee comprising representatives of partner organisations.
The Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC), through its president, Most Rev. Philip Naameh, on last Monday November 8, 2021, made this statement, “The expressed commitment of the President of the Republic to protect the public purse, a promise that the citizens welcomed, seems to be an illusion now. Are those managing the public purse not concerned about the waste and misapplication of resources that belong to all Ghanaians? Can this be referred to as irresponsible use of power or the lack of compassion and empathy?”
This may sound too harsh and depressing for a government who is doing everything it can to get everything right for the people.In response to the bishops, the ruling party’s National Communication Director, Hon Yaw Buaben Asamoa came out to say that the “bishops’ statement lack clarity and focus……where are the specifics on that? Some level of clarity at that level is important.”
One may suggest that Yaw Buaben Asamoa is not well vested in the way the Holy Catholic Church operates, because when you talk about this Church you talk about the most well-informed church on earth. With the clergy under going at least nine years of training, Catholic priests stands out very knowledgeable at things around him.
In every church/parish there are groups, societies and ministries. At meetings things discussed include social matters and things that affect the welfare of the members. These groups, societies and ministries are represented on the Parish (or Church) Pastoral Council, headed by the parish priest. During council meetings, at AOMs, things discussed include living conditions in the country.
Then there is the (Arch) Diocesan Council which is headed by the (arch) bishop with parish priests included as members. Apart from spiritual and religious issues, social and national issues are among things discuss. This is one of the areas that the bishop gets to know what is going on in society. Aside from this, the Catholic bishop has his household made up generally of his driver, gardener, cook and others who are ordinary citizens who also face the challenges every other ordinary Ghanaian faces. They tell their problems to the bishop and the bishop gets to know. The Catholic bishop is therefore not immune to the difficulties facing every ordinary Ghanaian, so when he speaks about challenges of life in this country, he knows what he is talking about and sadly this is what Hon Yaw Buabeng Asamoa is not aware of.
The bishop, who is the shepherd of the flock in the diocese, freely interacts with Catholics, other Christians and non-Christians and hear their story. Aside from that people go to him crying for assistance to be able to foot medical, educational, trading, travelling and other bills to make life better for them.The bishop is drawn into the picture and he feels the hardship the ordinary person feels. He speaks to people of higher rankings to suggest solutions to the problems facing the people.
With this knowledge, the bishop meets with and discusses issues with brother bishops on phone, when they meet one on one or at conference meetings, where each one tables his story and come out with suggestions and advice to government and to all those giving the power to be in authority.
So, whenever a Catholic bishop or even a Catholic priest speaks, he knows what he is talking about. Because the Catholic bishop/priest hears what he needs to hear, whereas the political office holder hears what he or she wants to hear.
In my opinion, the best way to respond to the Ghana Catholic Bishops Conference’s statement, if I were Yaw Buabeng Asamoa, was just to say, “Well noted, bishops”and leave things as they are. What the bishops are saying are what the ordinary Ghanaians are in fact feeling.
Talk about corruption and the recent confirmation of MMDCEs shows that corruption is more endemic at the base than at the top. Assembly members who should be living examples to the grass roots on how all should lead our lives, are rather demanding huge sums, in some cases over GH¢10,000.00 each, aside from other benefits, before they confirm the nominees. This form of corruption cannot be accepted, for must a nominee who is to face twenty assembly members dole out GH¢200,000.00 before he gets the nod to take up office to serve the people? Must anyone pay the very people is to serve before he is allowed to serve them? These and all other forms of corruption are what the ordinary Ghanaian is talking about and this is what the GCBC is talking about.
Government must join hands with the Catholic Church to find solutions to our numerous problems. The Catholic Church, and here I quote Pope Francis, is not a political organisation. It exists to bring the Word of Jesus to the world and to make possible today an encounter with the Living Jesus.
Unlike some churches whose leaders love to boot-lick political office holders, the Catholic Church, like Jesus, will say what needs to be said and will say it as it is without fear of losing face. Jesus asked His apostles in St. John 6: 68, “Will you also go away?” He spoke the Truth that many rejected and Jesus did not mind losing His apostles if they will not submit to the Truth.
The Catholic Church has spoken and only those who are focussed will understand the truth and wisdom in what she said.
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect The Chronicle’s stance.
