Damass Ghana Limited, a pharmaceutical company, has launched a new malaria drug in the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi.
The new medicine, Malmed Artesunate with Amodiaquine is flavoured for easy swallowing by children and is said to be more friendly to both children and adults.
Speaking at the launch, Dr Ernest Anderson of the Kwesimintsim Polytechnic said despite the frantic efforts to address the prevalence of malaria infection, the problem still persisted.
He said the situation at hospitals at present was not the best, adding that “as at the first half of this year, more than 2,666 cases of children who were less than five years were reported at the polyclinic.”
“The situation is not the best as in the previous year, the polyclinic received 3,400 cases”. Adult cases reported at the clinic in the first half of this year were more than 7,000 which were almost close to 13,495 by the close of 2007.
He said these figures indicated that there was a lot of work to be done to ensure that cases of malaria, especially in children were reduced.
A pharmacist, Mr Kwadwo O. Appenteng, said one the biggest challenge was the attitude of the people.
He said many drugs came to help reduce the palliating malarial cases but people have formed their own perceptions about certain drugs and still continued with the same old way of treating malaria.
Mr Appenteng called for thorough examination of herbal treatment to ensure that people who believed in them took the required dose to avert cases of over dose and complications that might result from their use.
He said much as efforts where being made to find drugs to combat malaria, there was also the need to re-echo the preventive measures to make sure that the root cause of the ailment was dealt with.
Mr Appenteng suggested an increase in the channel of distributing treated mosquito nets by adding pharmacies across the country to retail the products.
In her remark, the area Manager of Damass Ghana Limited, Mrs Yaa Pokua Baiden said the company interested in giving the best medicine for quality health care.
Sunday, September 28, 2008
AXI DRIVER KILLED BY UNIDENTIFIED MEN (PAGE 19)
THE driver of a taxi with registration number WR 125 X, died on admission at the Effia Nkwanta Hospital last Wednesday, after being shot by unidentified people.
The victim has been identified as Kwesi Badu, 25.
According to a resident of the area where the incident occurred, he saw a police vehicle moving from the scene, when he peeped through his window after hearing a gunshot at about 1 a.m.
The taxi ran into a ditch and the victim was said to have been shot at close range with the bullet perforating his ribs and back. One live ammunition and an empty cartridge were left at the spot between the Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School Junction and the BU-Campus of the Takoradi Polytechnic.
Some students of the Polytechnic, who said they were returning from night studies and heard the victim’s cry for help, managed to rush him to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
“We rushed him to hospital with his clothes soaked in blood and he vomiting blood,” one of the students said.
“The only thing he told us was that he was dying and that we should send him to hospital. Before we could ask further questions, we realised he was losing breath, and was pronounced dead on arrival,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Western Regional Police Command has launched an investigation into the incident.
The victim has been identified as Kwesi Badu, 25.
According to a resident of the area where the incident occurred, he saw a police vehicle moving from the scene, when he peeped through his window after hearing a gunshot at about 1 a.m.
The taxi ran into a ditch and the victim was said to have been shot at close range with the bullet perforating his ribs and back. One live ammunition and an empty cartridge were left at the spot between the Archbishop Porter Girls Senior High School Junction and the BU-Campus of the Takoradi Polytechnic.
Some students of the Polytechnic, who said they were returning from night studies and heard the victim’s cry for help, managed to rush him to hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.
“We rushed him to hospital with his clothes soaked in blood and he vomiting blood,” one of the students said.
“The only thing he told us was that he was dying and that we should send him to hospital. Before we could ask further questions, we realised he was losing breath, and was pronounced dead on arrival,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Western Regional Police Command has launched an investigation into the incident.
TRAFFIC OFFENCE EXPOSES CAR THIEF (PAGE 3)
A 19-year-old young man who was arrested by a police night patrol team in Takoradi for a traffic offence has turned out to be a car snatcher.
The suspect, Kwabena Adu Owusu, was arrested while driving at an unacceptable speed, but the saloon car used in committing the offence later turned out to have been stolen from a pastor of the United Christian Chapel in Takoradi.
Three of his accomplices who were in the car with him managed to escape.
A police source told the Daily Graphic that the patrol team pursued the vehicle, with registration number GR 450 S, and its occupants and caught up with them after it had developed a fault on the way.
However, three of the occupants took to their heels but Owusu was arrested.
It said a day after the vehicle had been stolen, the pastor had gone to the police station to report the theft, as well as that of the car tape recorder of another colleague.
According to the source, while the police were preparing to send messages across, there was a report from the night patrol team that a young man had been arrested for a traffic offence.
When the young man was sent to the station, the vehicle was identified as the one the pastor had reported stolen.
When it was searched, the car tape that had been stolen from the pastor’s friend’s vehicle was also found.
Owusu is currently in custody and is assisting the police in their investigations.
There has been a sharp increase in car snatching cases in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of late and in less than a week more than four people have reported of their missing vehicles.
In another development, the police in Ashanti have offered a GH¢2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a car-stealing syndicate operating in the Kumasi metropolis which has specialised in the stealing of 4x4 pick-ups, mostly Toyota Hilux, reports Kwame Asare Boadu.
Within a period of one month, the syndicate has robbed their victims of five Toyota Hilux pick-ups.
The registration numbers of the stolen vehicles were given as GV 479A, GW 5556Z, GE 5297Y, GR 7059Z and GN 2402Z.
The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko, said in a statement that the syndicate went into hiding for some time but it had resurfaced recently.
The police said the modus operandi of the members of the syndicate was either to position themselves at the gates of the residences of the victims or trail them from town to rob them at the entrances to their homes.
The statement said the police were ready to provide escort for people who drove pick-ups in the night and lived at the outskirts of the Kumasi.
Drivers of pick-ups were also informed to take note of the police emergency numbers – 05122323, 05126220 and 0244871279.
The statement advised the public to call not only when they were in trouble but also when others were in similar situations.
The police further advised drivers to be alert and look out for criminals so that they would not fall prey to their activities.
The suspect, Kwabena Adu Owusu, was arrested while driving at an unacceptable speed, but the saloon car used in committing the offence later turned out to have been stolen from a pastor of the United Christian Chapel in Takoradi.
Three of his accomplices who were in the car with him managed to escape.
A police source told the Daily Graphic that the patrol team pursued the vehicle, with registration number GR 450 S, and its occupants and caught up with them after it had developed a fault on the way.
However, three of the occupants took to their heels but Owusu was arrested.
It said a day after the vehicle had been stolen, the pastor had gone to the police station to report the theft, as well as that of the car tape recorder of another colleague.
According to the source, while the police were preparing to send messages across, there was a report from the night patrol team that a young man had been arrested for a traffic offence.
When the young man was sent to the station, the vehicle was identified as the one the pastor had reported stolen.
When it was searched, the car tape that had been stolen from the pastor’s friend’s vehicle was also found.
Owusu is currently in custody and is assisting the police in their investigations.
There has been a sharp increase in car snatching cases in the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis of late and in less than a week more than four people have reported of their missing vehicles.
In another development, the police in Ashanti have offered a GH¢2,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of a car-stealing syndicate operating in the Kumasi metropolis which has specialised in the stealing of 4x4 pick-ups, mostly Toyota Hilux, reports Kwame Asare Boadu.
Within a period of one month, the syndicate has robbed their victims of five Toyota Hilux pick-ups.
The registration numbers of the stolen vehicles were given as GV 479A, GW 5556Z, GE 5297Y, GR 7059Z and GN 2402Z.
The Ashanti Regional Police Public Relations Officer (PRO), Inspector Yusif Mohammed Tanko, said in a statement that the syndicate went into hiding for some time but it had resurfaced recently.
The police said the modus operandi of the members of the syndicate was either to position themselves at the gates of the residences of the victims or trail them from town to rob them at the entrances to their homes.
The statement said the police were ready to provide escort for people who drove pick-ups in the night and lived at the outskirts of the Kumasi.
Drivers of pick-ups were also informed to take note of the police emergency numbers – 05122323, 05126220 and 0244871279.
The statement advised the public to call not only when they were in trouble but also when others were in similar situations.
The police further advised drivers to be alert and look out for criminals so that they would not fall prey to their activities.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
NURSES LIVE UNDER CONSTANT FEAR OF ATTACKS (PAGE 29)
Thefts and attacks on nurses around the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital and at the Nurses Quarters in Sekondi have resurfaced seriously as the whole area has been plunged into darkness again.
The streetlights which provide illumination for the area at night are all off especially from the hospital’s junction to the Accident and Emergency Unit.
As a result, thieves have capitalised on that and are attacking the nurses going to work at night or returning from work late at night.
The nurses who stay in the quarters have to pick taxis to their quarters, which is just about three minutes’ walk from the hospital, because if they dare walk they risk attacks.
That aside, those who go on night duties have their rooms ransacked by the thieves while they are away on duty. In a recent theft the robbers made away with television sets, DVD players, radio sets, money, mobile phones, shoes and other items belonging to the nurses.
Currently, the nurses at the quarters are living in fear because once the thieves have started moving into their rooms they might end up raping the females if they should break into the rooms of a female.
Asked if they did not lock their doors, the nurses said: "We do but how they manage to open them we don't know, they would enter the room without your knowing it. That is the basis of our fear."
According to the nurses, previously the thieves always entered their kitchens and frontages to collect anything they could find for sale.
However, in recent times, and within the last few months, they had broken into rooms for more than eight months and on countless occasions raided the compounds.
This happened when the police had not yet concluded their investigations into the killing of a security man at a nearby hostel. The security man was alleged to have been strangled to death and items belonging to the students stolen.
The nurses expressed surprise that prior to the Ghana 2008 football tournament, the streetlights were working, but a few months after the games the lights were not functioning anymore.
"When we close from work we have to pick ‘dropping’ from the Emergency Unit to the quarters, which under normal circumstances is about three minutes’ walk. Those on the night shifts have to be escorted to the hospital and then take a taxi back home after work," they said.
They said nurses were the only people who had so far been attacked but those who had to call late at the hospital for medical care were also under threat.
“We have made several complaints to the hospital and other authorities but nobody seems to care about our plight,“ the nurses lamented.
The female nurses are actually living in fear as no one knows what will happen when a robber sneaks into their rooms while they are asleep.
When the Daily Graphic visited the block, the residents, who were very much agitated, led this reporter to the rooms that were ransacked when some of the nurses were asleep while others were off on night duty.
They complained that if the robbers happened to enter the room of a female nurse and see her asleep they might not only rob her but also attempt to rape her.
They pleaded with the authorities to restore the faulty streetlights if they could not provide the blocks with lights.
The streetlights which provide illumination for the area at night are all off especially from the hospital’s junction to the Accident and Emergency Unit.
As a result, thieves have capitalised on that and are attacking the nurses going to work at night or returning from work late at night.
The nurses who stay in the quarters have to pick taxis to their quarters, which is just about three minutes’ walk from the hospital, because if they dare walk they risk attacks.
That aside, those who go on night duties have their rooms ransacked by the thieves while they are away on duty. In a recent theft the robbers made away with television sets, DVD players, radio sets, money, mobile phones, shoes and other items belonging to the nurses.
Currently, the nurses at the quarters are living in fear because once the thieves have started moving into their rooms they might end up raping the females if they should break into the rooms of a female.
Asked if they did not lock their doors, the nurses said: "We do but how they manage to open them we don't know, they would enter the room without your knowing it. That is the basis of our fear."
According to the nurses, previously the thieves always entered their kitchens and frontages to collect anything they could find for sale.
However, in recent times, and within the last few months, they had broken into rooms for more than eight months and on countless occasions raided the compounds.
This happened when the police had not yet concluded their investigations into the killing of a security man at a nearby hostel. The security man was alleged to have been strangled to death and items belonging to the students stolen.
The nurses expressed surprise that prior to the Ghana 2008 football tournament, the streetlights were working, but a few months after the games the lights were not functioning anymore.
"When we close from work we have to pick ‘dropping’ from the Emergency Unit to the quarters, which under normal circumstances is about three minutes’ walk. Those on the night shifts have to be escorted to the hospital and then take a taxi back home after work," they said.
They said nurses were the only people who had so far been attacked but those who had to call late at the hospital for medical care were also under threat.
“We have made several complaints to the hospital and other authorities but nobody seems to care about our plight,“ the nurses lamented.
The female nurses are actually living in fear as no one knows what will happen when a robber sneaks into their rooms while they are asleep.
When the Daily Graphic visited the block, the residents, who were very much agitated, led this reporter to the rooms that were ransacked when some of the nurses were asleep while others were off on night duty.
They complained that if the robbers happened to enter the room of a female nurse and see her asleep they might not only rob her but also attempt to rape her.
They pleaded with the authorities to restore the faulty streetlights if they could not provide the blocks with lights.
HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS FACE SERIOUS FINANCIAL CRISIS (PAGE 29)
Almost all the hospitals providing service to holders of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis are in serious financial crisis.
They generate little or nothing from patients under the NHIS and the reimbursement for services rendered is irregular. Some of the service providers have their debts dating back to the time the scheme was launched in the metropolis.
According to the health service providers, hitherto patients made ready payment but currently, they were not generating enough, just enough to take care of the day-to-day running of the hospitals.
About 60 to 70 per cent of the patients who visit the health facilities in the metropolis and other peri-urban centres are members of the scheme.
Therefore, the problem of healthcare providers, including the regional hospital in the metropolis, is the imminent collapse of the system if people have to access their services without corresponding funding.
The insurance scheme owes health centres millions of Ghana cedis being the cost of services rendered. The situation was no different at various hospitals the Daily Graphic visited and if care is not taken to resolve the delays associated with reimbursing the health facilities it could have a serious effect on their operations and maintenance.
The hospitals would not be able to meet other overhead expenses.
At present, the facilities are struggling to cope with the ever-increasing numbers of members of the scheme but there is no fast-track way to reimburse them. This, coupled with the introduction of free medical care for pregnant women, has compounded the problems of the healthcare service providers.
The government’s health facilities receive little government support. The subventions, if any, are also not regular, forcing them to owe suppliers of certain basic needs millions of Ghana cedis.
The hospitals are expected to generate enough to support their operations and yet they are not profit-oriented. The internally generated funds of the facilities are not even a quarter of what they spend a day or a month.
To the administrators, health directors and their financial units, the NHIS is a perfect policy strategy for everybody to sign on to, but the delay in reimbursement would have a serious repercussion on its sustenance.
The state health institutions also seriously lack infrastructure and are also understaffed.
The deplorable facilities at the hospitals are not attractive to doctors, nurses and other health workers.
The Effia-Nkwanta Hospital for instance has many weak structures with serious cracks.
The hospital cannot take care of renovation expenses because the chunk of its income is locked up under the NHIS. The scheme is reported to owe huge sums to other government facilities and about GH¢600,000 to the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital alone. When the Daily Graphic visited one of the crowded wards, this reporter saw a nurse demanding payment for the drink she had bought for a patient although the drink the patient was provided before taking her injection was covered by the health insurance package.
Hospital administrators, medical directors and the NHIS Secretariat have to ensure that the laudable insurance scheme achieves its aim of providing affordable health care for the people of this country.
The inability of stakeholders to resolve their differences should not affect the poor who see the scheme as a saviour.
The service providers and the secretariat must work hand in hand to remove any bottlenecks facing the system.
If that fails the good intention of the government in providing quality and affordable health care through the implementation of the national insurance scheme will have failed.
They generate little or nothing from patients under the NHIS and the reimbursement for services rendered is irregular. Some of the service providers have their debts dating back to the time the scheme was launched in the metropolis.
According to the health service providers, hitherto patients made ready payment but currently, they were not generating enough, just enough to take care of the day-to-day running of the hospitals.
About 60 to 70 per cent of the patients who visit the health facilities in the metropolis and other peri-urban centres are members of the scheme.
Therefore, the problem of healthcare providers, including the regional hospital in the metropolis, is the imminent collapse of the system if people have to access their services without corresponding funding.
The insurance scheme owes health centres millions of Ghana cedis being the cost of services rendered. The situation was no different at various hospitals the Daily Graphic visited and if care is not taken to resolve the delays associated with reimbursing the health facilities it could have a serious effect on their operations and maintenance.
The hospitals would not be able to meet other overhead expenses.
At present, the facilities are struggling to cope with the ever-increasing numbers of members of the scheme but there is no fast-track way to reimburse them. This, coupled with the introduction of free medical care for pregnant women, has compounded the problems of the healthcare service providers.
The government’s health facilities receive little government support. The subventions, if any, are also not regular, forcing them to owe suppliers of certain basic needs millions of Ghana cedis.
The hospitals are expected to generate enough to support their operations and yet they are not profit-oriented. The internally generated funds of the facilities are not even a quarter of what they spend a day or a month.
To the administrators, health directors and their financial units, the NHIS is a perfect policy strategy for everybody to sign on to, but the delay in reimbursement would have a serious repercussion on its sustenance.
The state health institutions also seriously lack infrastructure and are also understaffed.
The deplorable facilities at the hospitals are not attractive to doctors, nurses and other health workers.
The Effia-Nkwanta Hospital for instance has many weak structures with serious cracks.
The hospital cannot take care of renovation expenses because the chunk of its income is locked up under the NHIS. The scheme is reported to owe huge sums to other government facilities and about GH¢600,000 to the Effia-Nkwanta Hospital alone. When the Daily Graphic visited one of the crowded wards, this reporter saw a nurse demanding payment for the drink she had bought for a patient although the drink the patient was provided before taking her injection was covered by the health insurance package.
Hospital administrators, medical directors and the NHIS Secretariat have to ensure that the laudable insurance scheme achieves its aim of providing affordable health care for the people of this country.
The inability of stakeholders to resolve their differences should not affect the poor who see the scheme as a saviour.
The service providers and the secretariat must work hand in hand to remove any bottlenecks facing the system.
If that fails the good intention of the government in providing quality and affordable health care through the implementation of the national insurance scheme will have failed.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
AIR FORCE MAN ARRESTED OVER RAPE (PAGE 3)
A FLIGHT-SERGEANT of the Ghana Air Force Station at Takoradi, has been arrested for forcibly having sex with the 16-year-old daughter of a civilian employee of the station.
He is reported to have lured the victim into his room under the pretext of sending her and forcibly had sex with her.
The suspect, Flt Sgt Alex Ashiagbor, has been handed over to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and is currently in police custody pending further investigations.
Flt Sgt Ashiagbor has been charged for defilement and he will appear before court this week.
A source at the police station told the Daily Graphic that the suspect had admitted the offence and offered to compensate the victim with GH¢2,500.
He is also pleading with the family of the victim to withdraw the case from court, as he is ready with GH¢1,000 out of the amount.
In her statement, the victim said she was returning from the Junior Officers Mess after sending food to her father there when, on reaching Flt Sgt Ashiagbor’s house, he called her and said he wanted her to buy something for him, to which she obliged.
She told the police that as soon as she got near Flt Sgt Ashiagbor, he pushed her into his room, closed the door and forcibly had sex with her.
She stated that after the act she reported the incident to her father, who became angry.
The issue was then reported to the police and a request was made to the regional military command for the suspect to be handed over to DOVVSU for investigations.
When contacted, Commodore Michael Samson-Oje, the Commander of the Western Regional Ghana Air Force, said the issue had been brought to the attention of the military authorities.
He said Flt Sgt Ashiagbor had been handed over to DOVVSU for the appropriate action, while the military also continued with its investigations.
He is reported to have lured the victim into his room under the pretext of sending her and forcibly had sex with her.
The suspect, Flt Sgt Alex Ashiagbor, has been handed over to the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of the Ghana Police Service and is currently in police custody pending further investigations.
Flt Sgt Ashiagbor has been charged for defilement and he will appear before court this week.
A source at the police station told the Daily Graphic that the suspect had admitted the offence and offered to compensate the victim with GH¢2,500.
He is also pleading with the family of the victim to withdraw the case from court, as he is ready with GH¢1,000 out of the amount.
In her statement, the victim said she was returning from the Junior Officers Mess after sending food to her father there when, on reaching Flt Sgt Ashiagbor’s house, he called her and said he wanted her to buy something for him, to which she obliged.
She told the police that as soon as she got near Flt Sgt Ashiagbor, he pushed her into his room, closed the door and forcibly had sex with her.
She stated that after the act she reported the incident to her father, who became angry.
The issue was then reported to the police and a request was made to the regional military command for the suspect to be handed over to DOVVSU for investigations.
When contacted, Commodore Michael Samson-Oje, the Commander of the Western Regional Ghana Air Force, said the issue had been brought to the attention of the military authorities.
He said Flt Sgt Ashiagbor had been handed over to DOVVSU for the appropriate action, while the military also continued with its investigations.
Sunday, September 21, 2008
MORE THAN 1,000 FARMERS BENEFIT FROM ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOOD PROGRAMME (BACK PAGE)
The Minerals Commission has implemented a GH¢2.5 million Alternative Livelihood Programme in five communities in the Prestea-Huni Valley District in the Western Region with support from the HIPC Fund.
The project, known as the Wassa West Oil Palm Project, which started in March, last year, has benefited 1,063 farmers in Nsuta-Mbease, Awodua, Himan, Bogoso and Huni-Valley.
The farmers, who were provided with 352,649 seedlings, have presently cultivated a total of 5,878 acres.
At the initial stage of the project, the farmers were supported with funds to clear the land and were given additional funds to enable them to maintain the farms until the first crop was harvested and sold in the next four years.
The farmers continued to receive support until each cultivated 10 acres, which they would be encouraged to expand.
The Chief Executive of the Mineral Commission, Mr Ben Aryee, said at the inaugural ceremony of the project that the programme was designed to assist people living in mining communities with access to arable land.
He said the farmers benefited from the supply of improved quality planting materials, including oil palm seedlings, seed corn and plantain suckers.
"There is also credit support for land preparation, to enable each participating farm family to clear and prepare land for the seedlings and inter crops," he said.
The chief executive said mining had a lifespan and while it was ongoing, there was the need to focus on other alternative livelihood programmes for those in the communities.
He explained that it would take three to five years to harvest the palm fruits but the farmers had also been taught how to inter-crop to ensure maximum use of the land.
Mr Aryee said the project also took care of basic tools and equipment and other agro inputs like fertiliser, insecticide and fungicide, as well as technical assistance in the areas of training and farm record keeping.
He assured the farmers of the readiness of Unilever Ghana to purchase all the palm fruits to be cultivated at the farm gate.
Aside the ready market from Unilever, he said, the government would also establish a processing plant in the area.
In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Land, Forestry and Mines, Mrs Esther Obeng Dapaah, said the government had over the years adopted policies aimed at ensuring that the country's mineral endowments were managed on a sustainable economic, social and environmental basis.
The project, known as the Wassa West Oil Palm Project, which started in March, last year, has benefited 1,063 farmers in Nsuta-Mbease, Awodua, Himan, Bogoso and Huni-Valley.
The farmers, who were provided with 352,649 seedlings, have presently cultivated a total of 5,878 acres.
At the initial stage of the project, the farmers were supported with funds to clear the land and were given additional funds to enable them to maintain the farms until the first crop was harvested and sold in the next four years.
The farmers continued to receive support until each cultivated 10 acres, which they would be encouraged to expand.
The Chief Executive of the Mineral Commission, Mr Ben Aryee, said at the inaugural ceremony of the project that the programme was designed to assist people living in mining communities with access to arable land.
He said the farmers benefited from the supply of improved quality planting materials, including oil palm seedlings, seed corn and plantain suckers.
"There is also credit support for land preparation, to enable each participating farm family to clear and prepare land for the seedlings and inter crops," he said.
The chief executive said mining had a lifespan and while it was ongoing, there was the need to focus on other alternative livelihood programmes for those in the communities.
He explained that it would take three to five years to harvest the palm fruits but the farmers had also been taught how to inter-crop to ensure maximum use of the land.
Mr Aryee said the project also took care of basic tools and equipment and other agro inputs like fertiliser, insecticide and fungicide, as well as technical assistance in the areas of training and farm record keeping.
He assured the farmers of the readiness of Unilever Ghana to purchase all the palm fruits to be cultivated at the farm gate.
Aside the ready market from Unilever, he said, the government would also establish a processing plant in the area.
In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Land, Forestry and Mines, Mrs Esther Obeng Dapaah, said the government had over the years adopted policies aimed at ensuring that the country's mineral endowments were managed on a sustainable economic, social and environmental basis.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
POLICE MUST DEVELOP RAPPORT WITH PUBLIC (PAGE 17)
THE Western Regional Police Commander, DCOP Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, has called on district and divisional police commanders in the region to develop a good rapport between them and the public before, during and after the elections.
He said the success or failure of the forthcoming elections, to a large extent would depend on the conduct of police officers on election duties.
“Recent event in the build-up to the elections may raise public fear regarding the safety and security of those who will be participating in the process as voters, election officers and party officials and candidates or polling agents.
Therefore, we have work to do,” he said.
Mr Alhassan said the anxiety was further heightened by the fact that similar processes had been turbulent in some countries in Africa.
The commander, who made the call during a retreat for senior members of his team, said “we, together with other security agencies, have a very crucial role to play; our fellow compatriots and the international community are looking up to us, and we must not fail them”.
Mr Alhassan told the officers that as police officers on election duties, they should treat everyone equally and that they should not involve themselves physically or verbally in political activities.
He said it was therefore essential that police officers, considering the current task ahead, should display the highest level of professionalism in order to reassure the voters that their safety and security were guaranteed.
“Remember, the police are seen as representative of the law and justice. Consequently, their daily actions, particularly during election duties, are to be carried out with the highest standard of fairness,” he said.
The regional commander said prompt response by a police officer to a given situation was necessary to prevent a minor incident from becoming a major problem during election duties.
The regional commander said in the ongoing campaign, the police required effective intelligence information throughout the campaign period in order to identify threats to campaign.
“As district commanders, you are strongly advised to continue to fetch information and keep a watch on the development of political situations,” he said, adding however that they should not involve themselves in activities of the political parties.
He warned that it would be inexcusable for a police officer to undermine the law, the freedom of any political party or any other organisation, because officers were expected to create safe and secured environment in the region and other parts of the country for political activities.
He said the success or failure of the forthcoming elections, to a large extent would depend on the conduct of police officers on election duties.
“Recent event in the build-up to the elections may raise public fear regarding the safety and security of those who will be participating in the process as voters, election officers and party officials and candidates or polling agents.
Therefore, we have work to do,” he said.
Mr Alhassan said the anxiety was further heightened by the fact that similar processes had been turbulent in some countries in Africa.
The commander, who made the call during a retreat for senior members of his team, said “we, together with other security agencies, have a very crucial role to play; our fellow compatriots and the international community are looking up to us, and we must not fail them”.
Mr Alhassan told the officers that as police officers on election duties, they should treat everyone equally and that they should not involve themselves physically or verbally in political activities.
He said it was therefore essential that police officers, considering the current task ahead, should display the highest level of professionalism in order to reassure the voters that their safety and security were guaranteed.
“Remember, the police are seen as representative of the law and justice. Consequently, their daily actions, particularly during election duties, are to be carried out with the highest standard of fairness,” he said.
The regional commander said prompt response by a police officer to a given situation was necessary to prevent a minor incident from becoming a major problem during election duties.
The regional commander said in the ongoing campaign, the police required effective intelligence information throughout the campaign period in order to identify threats to campaign.
“As district commanders, you are strongly advised to continue to fetch information and keep a watch on the development of political situations,” he said, adding however that they should not involve themselves in activities of the political parties.
He warned that it would be inexcusable for a police officer to undermine the law, the freedom of any political party or any other organisation, because officers were expected to create safe and secured environment in the region and other parts of the country for political activities.
DECONGEST CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT (PAGE 29)
One of the biggest constraints facing the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis is how to ease the congestion within central business district.
The problem has been compounded with the recent commencement of work on the Old Glamour Lorry Station near the market circle opposite the Zenith Bank. Because of the ongoing works vehicles load on the streets around the market.
The old station was given to a private investor to be developed into a modern bus terminal but no provision was made for an alternate parking lot for motorists.
Under normal circumstances, before a contractor is given a contract to embark on a particular project, the said contractor should have included in his plans the provision of an alternative place to relocate or divert traffic to ensure that there is no obstruction.
The metropolis has been poorly planned, and therefore, there is no open place now where the metropolitan assembly team can readily move to develop into a modern station.
The peri-urban communities of the metropolis have a link to the metropolis; therefore, there is a serious demand for bus terminals and parking spaces for other private motorists.
The assembly has been left with no option but to introduce the outlawed mode of parking – that is on street parking - and this is creating problems everywhere. Sometimes motorists have to park on both sides of the road.
At present, more than 100 “trotros” park on the streets around the metropolis, which is not only causing problem for motorists, but also traders in and around the CBD with unending queues of vehicles that keep increasing and waiting for their turn to load.
Traders complain that commercial vehicles have occupied the streets thus denying their customers the opportunity to drive through to make purchases. “Sometimes we come to the market or shop, and wait forever, close and go home without making any sales. If they have relocated the drivers to the streets, they should have relocated us as well because we are all in the business of “from hand to mouth.”
A check at the assembly revealed that the traders have to get used to the current arrangement, since the reconstruction project would last for the next 18 months.
The decision to relocate them to the street for work to commence on the old station is not the best.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer for the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), Mr John Laste, acknowledged the problem associated with the on-street-parking arrangement where vehicles going to various destinations have to clamour for their passengers.
He said the biggest problem facing the metropolis was land, or space to develop into a lorry station.
“It will be difficult, but the assembly is doing everything possible to ensure that some form of sanity prevails under the circumstances.”
“We are searching through the metropolis to see areas where the assembly could reclaim and develop more and better social infrastructure for the public and definitely we have to take a hard decision to repurchase some properties, demolish them to make way for development of the metropolis,” he said.
“There is no doubt that population has increased, and the demand for social infrastructure will not be the same as it used to be some years back, and we have to find a way out,” he said.
He said the acquisition of land for development in Takoradi was not only a headache for the assembly but some corporate bodies who had expressed interest in building modern office buildings for themselves as well.
“We plan to buy some properties at transit quarters and those at vantage points for redevelopment after relocating the inhabitants,” he added.
Asked if they were aware the congestion within the CBD would compound after the relocation of drivers to the street, Mr Laste said there was no doubt about that, and that the problem was the attitude of the drivers and the commuters.
“When the drivers are moved to a place that is far from the main station, the commuters would refuse to patronise their services, then in the end the drivers will also move to the street corners to compete for the passengers,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer said if the people realised that the change was a difficult pill to swallow and was the only solution to the problem on hand, “we will be better positioned in our quest to develop with the support from the public”.
“I can tell you that in today’s development drive, the development agent and the beneficiaries have a role to play, therefore if the people would not change their attitude we will always find ourselves doing new things the same old ways,” he said.
The problem has been compounded with the recent commencement of work on the Old Glamour Lorry Station near the market circle opposite the Zenith Bank. Because of the ongoing works vehicles load on the streets around the market.
The old station was given to a private investor to be developed into a modern bus terminal but no provision was made for an alternate parking lot for motorists.
Under normal circumstances, before a contractor is given a contract to embark on a particular project, the said contractor should have included in his plans the provision of an alternative place to relocate or divert traffic to ensure that there is no obstruction.
The metropolis has been poorly planned, and therefore, there is no open place now where the metropolitan assembly team can readily move to develop into a modern station.
The peri-urban communities of the metropolis have a link to the metropolis; therefore, there is a serious demand for bus terminals and parking spaces for other private motorists.
The assembly has been left with no option but to introduce the outlawed mode of parking – that is on street parking - and this is creating problems everywhere. Sometimes motorists have to park on both sides of the road.
At present, more than 100 “trotros” park on the streets around the metropolis, which is not only causing problem for motorists, but also traders in and around the CBD with unending queues of vehicles that keep increasing and waiting for their turn to load.
Traders complain that commercial vehicles have occupied the streets thus denying their customers the opportunity to drive through to make purchases. “Sometimes we come to the market or shop, and wait forever, close and go home without making any sales. If they have relocated the drivers to the streets, they should have relocated us as well because we are all in the business of “from hand to mouth.”
A check at the assembly revealed that the traders have to get used to the current arrangement, since the reconstruction project would last for the next 18 months.
The decision to relocate them to the street for work to commence on the old station is not the best.
When contacted, the Public Relations Officer for the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), Mr John Laste, acknowledged the problem associated with the on-street-parking arrangement where vehicles going to various destinations have to clamour for their passengers.
He said the biggest problem facing the metropolis was land, or space to develop into a lorry station.
“It will be difficult, but the assembly is doing everything possible to ensure that some form of sanity prevails under the circumstances.”
“We are searching through the metropolis to see areas where the assembly could reclaim and develop more and better social infrastructure for the public and definitely we have to take a hard decision to repurchase some properties, demolish them to make way for development of the metropolis,” he said.
“There is no doubt that population has increased, and the demand for social infrastructure will not be the same as it used to be some years back, and we have to find a way out,” he said.
He said the acquisition of land for development in Takoradi was not only a headache for the assembly but some corporate bodies who had expressed interest in building modern office buildings for themselves as well.
“We plan to buy some properties at transit quarters and those at vantage points for redevelopment after relocating the inhabitants,” he added.
Asked if they were aware the congestion within the CBD would compound after the relocation of drivers to the street, Mr Laste said there was no doubt about that, and that the problem was the attitude of the drivers and the commuters.
“When the drivers are moved to a place that is far from the main station, the commuters would refuse to patronise their services, then in the end the drivers will also move to the street corners to compete for the passengers,” he said.
The Public Relations Officer said if the people realised that the change was a difficult pill to swallow and was the only solution to the problem on hand, “we will be better positioned in our quest to develop with the support from the public”.
“I can tell you that in today’s development drive, the development agent and the beneficiaries have a role to play, therefore if the people would not change their attitude we will always find ourselves doing new things the same old ways,” he said.
TWIN-CITY TRAFFIC LIGHTS DYSFUCTIONAL (PAGE 29)
For more than three years, traffic lights in the twin-city have been defective. This has led to anger, threats and insults from residents and caused avoidable accidents. There is a traffic light at Effiekuma Number 9 from where one enters Takoradi and at a popular place called Pipe-Ano but none of them is functioning. At Effiekuma Number 9, the lights have been off completely for many months.
The traffic lights at such intersections at the Takoradi-Polytechnic, Market Circle, UBA, Kwesimintsin Police, taxi rank, Apremdo, the National Investment Bank (NIB) on the Kofi Annan Road, the Sekondi Police Station, State Transport Company (STC), Collins Avenue among others are not working.
This makes the movement of vehicles very dangerous, especially for those coming from the opposite direction.
The situation is not different when one proceeds further through the Nkrumah roundabout towards STC Yard, Beach Road, T-Poly, the Sekondi Police Station and around the market circle.
Some of the lights hang on the poles at some of the intersection as the holders have fallen off. Some of the poles have also been knocked down by vehicles.
The story is the same at market circle and at the moment the situation is very chaotic as part of the street is currently been used as bus terminals for commercial drivers whose stations are under construction.
The Daily Graphic has on many occasions published stories about the traffic lights that were not functioning. The situation at the moment has worsened as many of the poles have been knocked down.
To keep the traffic lights functioning there is the need to invest in them.
When contacted officials of the metropolitan office of the Department of Urban Roads told the Daily Graphic that the maintenance of the light had been outsourced to a private company called Signals and Control. Information from the company indicated that they had not been paid any amount and the cost of maintaining the streetlights was high.
Interestingly, directing traffic at these intersection has become a daily activity of the limited number of police personnel at the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service in the metropolis.
The police can direct traffic when the lights are out for a few hours or a few days but this has become a daily affair in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
During rush hours, some commercial vehicles especially taxis park and load anywhere, and the few policemen have to abandon their patrol duties to direct traffic at intersections.
Some of the lights, the Daily Graphic learnt, had been off for more than four years and when repaired they worked just for a day.
Some members of the general public and motorists wondered why nobody was being surcharged and fired all these years. They suggested that students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other technical institutions be challenged to find solutions to the problems.
Many of the residents expressed the view that it did not make economic sense to invest huge sums of money to provide such a facility and leave it unattended to.
A taxi driver noted that when a traffic light pole was knocked down, it was just carried to the side of the road for scrap dealers to carry away under the cover of darkness.
The traffic lights at such intersections at the Takoradi-Polytechnic, Market Circle, UBA, Kwesimintsin Police, taxi rank, Apremdo, the National Investment Bank (NIB) on the Kofi Annan Road, the Sekondi Police Station, State Transport Company (STC), Collins Avenue among others are not working.
This makes the movement of vehicles very dangerous, especially for those coming from the opposite direction.
The situation is not different when one proceeds further through the Nkrumah roundabout towards STC Yard, Beach Road, T-Poly, the Sekondi Police Station and around the market circle.
Some of the lights hang on the poles at some of the intersection as the holders have fallen off. Some of the poles have also been knocked down by vehicles.
The story is the same at market circle and at the moment the situation is very chaotic as part of the street is currently been used as bus terminals for commercial drivers whose stations are under construction.
The Daily Graphic has on many occasions published stories about the traffic lights that were not functioning. The situation at the moment has worsened as many of the poles have been knocked down.
To keep the traffic lights functioning there is the need to invest in them.
When contacted officials of the metropolitan office of the Department of Urban Roads told the Daily Graphic that the maintenance of the light had been outsourced to a private company called Signals and Control. Information from the company indicated that they had not been paid any amount and the cost of maintaining the streetlights was high.
Interestingly, directing traffic at these intersection has become a daily activity of the limited number of police personnel at the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit of the Ghana Police Service in the metropolis.
The police can direct traffic when the lights are out for a few hours or a few days but this has become a daily affair in the Sekondi/Takoradi metropolis.
During rush hours, some commercial vehicles especially taxis park and load anywhere, and the few policemen have to abandon their patrol duties to direct traffic at intersections.
Some of the lights, the Daily Graphic learnt, had been off for more than four years and when repaired they worked just for a day.
Some members of the general public and motorists wondered why nobody was being surcharged and fired all these years. They suggested that students of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other technical institutions be challenged to find solutions to the problems.
Many of the residents expressed the view that it did not make economic sense to invest huge sums of money to provide such a facility and leave it unattended to.
A taxi driver noted that when a traffic light pole was knocked down, it was just carried to the side of the road for scrap dealers to carry away under the cover of darkness.
GYANDU PARK WALL DEMOLISHED (PAGE 29)
The wall around the Gyandu Park in Sekondi has been pulled down following a publication in the Daily Graphic about the dangers it poses to schoolchildren and members of the general public.
Following the publication, which warned of a looming danger, officials of the Regional Sports Council moved in to save the situation to avert any calamity.
The officials described the park as one of the important places in the metropolis as various football teams in the region and other inter-school sports activities are held there.
They gave the assurance that the council would do everything possible to pull down any structure at the park which was found to be weak.
However, another dangerous area in the metropolis is the bridge at Bakano that links Nkontompo to Sekondi. Even though the attention of the metropolitan authorities has been drawn to the imminent danger, no action has been taken to avert any preventable accident.
According the Public Relations Officer of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in Sekondi, Mr John Laste, the contract for the repair of the bridge has been awarded and work will commence soon.
Following the publication, which warned of a looming danger, officials of the Regional Sports Council moved in to save the situation to avert any calamity.
The officials described the park as one of the important places in the metropolis as various football teams in the region and other inter-school sports activities are held there.
They gave the assurance that the council would do everything possible to pull down any structure at the park which was found to be weak.
However, another dangerous area in the metropolis is the bridge at Bakano that links Nkontompo to Sekondi. Even though the attention of the metropolitan authorities has been drawn to the imminent danger, no action has been taken to avert any preventable accident.
According the Public Relations Officer of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in Sekondi, Mr John Laste, the contract for the repair of the bridge has been awarded and work will commence soon.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
CHANGE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENVIRONMENT (PAGE 21)
Ghanaians have been urged to change their attitude towards the environment and sanitation to ensure good health and reduce frequent visits to health centres.
The second-placed winner of the just ended Ghana’s Most Beautiful Pageant, Ms Eyram Dotsey, the Sanitation Ambassador, who made the call in Takoradi on her 10-regional tours, said if people adopted positive attitude towards sanitation, the various district, metropolitan and municipal assemblies and the central government would not have spent so much money on waste management.
She said since there was a limit to the efforts of authorities, the biggest challenge rested on the people and how they perceived issues of sanitation within their localities.
“When you travel outside Ghana, the streets of developed countries are neat, there is no magic to it. It is just simple; the attitude of the people towards sanitation by making use of waste bins. We might not be rich like the UK, America and Malaysia but if we the citizens play our roles well, we will be better than this,” he said.
Ms Dotsey said she made a promise to herself that if she should emerge the winner of the pageant, she was going to tackle sanitation and help create the awareness.
The beauty queen said to ensure effective dissemination of information, she and her team had developed various modes of communication to ensure that the message got to the targeted groups.
She said the team mounted photo exhibition to support her campaign in the entire 10 regions they visited with the support of UNICEF and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment.
Ms Dotsey said even though she did not emerge the winner, she thought placing second was a remarkable achievement to abandon her dream.
She said from what she saw in the various regions, she realised that everybody was aware of the issue of sanitation and how hazardous it could be to the health of the people, “therefore the problem is no longer with the authorities, but rather the people, and if we all change our attitudes and create clean and healthy environment at the individual level, things will be better for us”.
Ms Dotsey said people were aware that gutters were for liquid waste, therefore, “if we citizens dump solid waste into gutters and find it difficult to move to the communal containers to dump our solid wastes, then we are doing more harm than good”.
Her visit took her to the Takoradi central market to educate the traders on the importance of clean environment in attracting customers to their stands and also to the various radio stations, as well as other communities also in the metropolis.
Ms Dotsey commended the market women for ensuring that gutters that ran through the market were kept clean, saying, “I am impressed that the gutters in the market were not choked with filth but liquid was running freely through them.”
“My next project is to source funding to support some of the communities that need urgent attention. I am grateful to UNICEF, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Environment and the various offices of the Environmental Services Department for their support,” she said.
The second-placed winner of the just ended Ghana’s Most Beautiful Pageant, Ms Eyram Dotsey, the Sanitation Ambassador, who made the call in Takoradi on her 10-regional tours, said if people adopted positive attitude towards sanitation, the various district, metropolitan and municipal assemblies and the central government would not have spent so much money on waste management.
She said since there was a limit to the efforts of authorities, the biggest challenge rested on the people and how they perceived issues of sanitation within their localities.
“When you travel outside Ghana, the streets of developed countries are neat, there is no magic to it. It is just simple; the attitude of the people towards sanitation by making use of waste bins. We might not be rich like the UK, America and Malaysia but if we the citizens play our roles well, we will be better than this,” he said.
Ms Dotsey said she made a promise to herself that if she should emerge the winner of the pageant, she was going to tackle sanitation and help create the awareness.
The beauty queen said to ensure effective dissemination of information, she and her team had developed various modes of communication to ensure that the message got to the targeted groups.
She said the team mounted photo exhibition to support her campaign in the entire 10 regions they visited with the support of UNICEF and the Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Environment.
Ms Dotsey said even though she did not emerge the winner, she thought placing second was a remarkable achievement to abandon her dream.
She said from what she saw in the various regions, she realised that everybody was aware of the issue of sanitation and how hazardous it could be to the health of the people, “therefore the problem is no longer with the authorities, but rather the people, and if we all change our attitudes and create clean and healthy environment at the individual level, things will be better for us”.
Ms Dotsey said people were aware that gutters were for liquid waste, therefore, “if we citizens dump solid waste into gutters and find it difficult to move to the communal containers to dump our solid wastes, then we are doing more harm than good”.
Her visit took her to the Takoradi central market to educate the traders on the importance of clean environment in attracting customers to their stands and also to the various radio stations, as well as other communities also in the metropolis.
Ms Dotsey commended the market women for ensuring that gutters that ran through the market were kept clean, saying, “I am impressed that the gutters in the market were not choked with filth but liquid was running freely through them.”
“My next project is to source funding to support some of the communities that need urgent attention. I am grateful to UNICEF, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Environment and the various offices of the Environmental Services Department for their support,” she said.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
MAN DIES AFTER SEX (MIRROR, PAGE 34)
From Moses Dotsey
Aklorbortu, Sekondi
A 58-year-old man, who left his home at Adu-Benso in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region, healthy to have a good time with his girlfriend at a hotel in Sekondi, died shortly after the romantic escapade.
The pathologist at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi is yet to establish whether the man was under the influence of an aphrodisiac to enhance his sexual performance and prove to the 33-year-old lady that he was still sexually potent at 58.
He was said to have complained of excessive heat and pain within his chest after the first sexual act. Also, he was said to be sweating a lot in the act, and became weak later in the night. He was therefore rushed to the hospital by his girlfriend but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The two lovebirds, according to sources, travelled from Adu-Benso and arrived in Sekondi to have fun over the weekend.
However, the man, whose name was given as Ebow Botwe, died after the first act. According to the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Olivia Ewura-Abena Adiku, the girlfriend of the man, Anna Arthur, 33, who was subsequently arrested, had since been granted bail pending autopsy report.
She said the girlfriend, after the man was pronounced dead, returned to Adu-Benso but failed to tell the deceased’s family about what had happened.
She rather went and confided in a friend and told her all that took place in Sekondi leading to the death of her lover.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PR0), the friend that Anna had confided in then went to the family of Botwe and informed them of what had happened in Sekondi between Anna and Botwe.
She said the family then went to the police station to report after identifying the man as their relative.
Anna was consequently arrested and after her statement she was granted bail.
Aklorbortu, Sekondi
A 58-year-old man, who left his home at Adu-Benso in the Mpohor Wassa East District of the Western Region, healthy to have a good time with his girlfriend at a hotel in Sekondi, died shortly after the romantic escapade.
The pathologist at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital in Sekondi is yet to establish whether the man was under the influence of an aphrodisiac to enhance his sexual performance and prove to the 33-year-old lady that he was still sexually potent at 58.
He was said to have complained of excessive heat and pain within his chest after the first sexual act. Also, he was said to be sweating a lot in the act, and became weak later in the night. He was therefore rushed to the hospital by his girlfriend but was pronounced dead on arrival.
The two lovebirds, according to sources, travelled from Adu-Benso and arrived in Sekondi to have fun over the weekend.
However, the man, whose name was given as Ebow Botwe, died after the first act. According to the Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Inspector Olivia Ewura-Abena Adiku, the girlfriend of the man, Anna Arthur, 33, who was subsequently arrested, had since been granted bail pending autopsy report.
She said the girlfriend, after the man was pronounced dead, returned to Adu-Benso but failed to tell the deceased’s family about what had happened.
She rather went and confided in a friend and told her all that took place in Sekondi leading to the death of her lover.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer (PR0), the friend that Anna had confided in then went to the family of Botwe and informed them of what had happened in Sekondi between Anna and Botwe.
She said the family then went to the police station to report after identifying the man as their relative.
Anna was consequently arrested and after her statement she was granted bail.
EX-ECOBANK STAFF JAILED 10 YEARS (PAGE 35)
From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
The Takoradi Circuit Court has slapped a 10-year jail term on the former employee of the Takoradi branch of ECOBANK Ghana who bolted with GH¢43,000 he mobilised from two of the bank’s customers but failed to deposit it in their respective accounts.
Amidst uncontrollable tears in court, the convict, Prosper Kwame Amedior, apologised to the bank for the embarrassment and said “my Lord, I am guilty, please deal with me compassionately, I have embarrassed the bank, my family and I am guilty.
“Looking at the evidence in court, my Lord, I cannot deny that I am guilty. Please deal with me leniently,” he pleaded with the court.
He was charged on one count of stealing. Before passing judgement, the presiding judge, Mr K. Boakye described the convict’s conduct as most reprehensible and should be condemned by all.
The judge said but owing to the fact that most of the items he purchased with the stolen money had been retrieved, the court would have imposed a heavier sentence on him but since he (the convict) had showed remorse he should go for 10 years.
This followed the arrest of the convict who was then a temporary employee of the bank and was left with few days for his confirmation as a permanent staff when he bolted with customers’ money and went into hiding.
As part of his duties, he was to collect the weekly sales from companies that were unable to make it to the banking hall due to the volume of their sales and their schedules.
Presenting the facts of the case, the Principal State Attorney, Mr George Kpodo, representing the state, said on the day he bolted, he (Amedior) had returned to the banking hall but refused to deposit the amount mobilised into the accounts of the customers he had dealt with that day.
He also told his officials that there was power cut on the premises of the customers, therefore, there was no transaction.
Unknown to his employers, the prosecutor said, Amedior had collected GH¢38,450 from V-Mobile and GH¢4,520 from another customer totalling GH¢42,970.
Upon discovery of the fraudulent act, there was an immediate auditing of his transactions and it was discovered that Amedior failed to deposit an amount mobilised that day and his conduct was then reported to the police who sought for him until his arrest last June.
After his arrest, he admitted and told the police that he used a chunk of the money to purchase three vehicles, two saloon cars that he used for taxis and one cross country vehicle, as well as leased land for farming of which he had purchased some farm inputs, saying he wanted to go into farming.
Mr Kpodo and the police turned in the items as evidence in court. He (Amedior) has since been whisked to the Sekondi Prisons to begin his sentence.
The Takoradi Circuit Court has slapped a 10-year jail term on the former employee of the Takoradi branch of ECOBANK Ghana who bolted with GH¢43,000 he mobilised from two of the bank’s customers but failed to deposit it in their respective accounts.
Amidst uncontrollable tears in court, the convict, Prosper Kwame Amedior, apologised to the bank for the embarrassment and said “my Lord, I am guilty, please deal with me compassionately, I have embarrassed the bank, my family and I am guilty.
“Looking at the evidence in court, my Lord, I cannot deny that I am guilty. Please deal with me leniently,” he pleaded with the court.
He was charged on one count of stealing. Before passing judgement, the presiding judge, Mr K. Boakye described the convict’s conduct as most reprehensible and should be condemned by all.
The judge said but owing to the fact that most of the items he purchased with the stolen money had been retrieved, the court would have imposed a heavier sentence on him but since he (the convict) had showed remorse he should go for 10 years.
This followed the arrest of the convict who was then a temporary employee of the bank and was left with few days for his confirmation as a permanent staff when he bolted with customers’ money and went into hiding.
As part of his duties, he was to collect the weekly sales from companies that were unable to make it to the banking hall due to the volume of their sales and their schedules.
Presenting the facts of the case, the Principal State Attorney, Mr George Kpodo, representing the state, said on the day he bolted, he (Amedior) had returned to the banking hall but refused to deposit the amount mobilised into the accounts of the customers he had dealt with that day.
He also told his officials that there was power cut on the premises of the customers, therefore, there was no transaction.
Unknown to his employers, the prosecutor said, Amedior had collected GH¢38,450 from V-Mobile and GH¢4,520 from another customer totalling GH¢42,970.
Upon discovery of the fraudulent act, there was an immediate auditing of his transactions and it was discovered that Amedior failed to deposit an amount mobilised that day and his conduct was then reported to the police who sought for him until his arrest last June.
After his arrest, he admitted and told the police that he used a chunk of the money to purchase three vehicles, two saloon cars that he used for taxis and one cross country vehicle, as well as leased land for farming of which he had purchased some farm inputs, saying he wanted to go into farming.
Mr Kpodo and the police turned in the items as evidence in court. He (Amedior) has since been whisked to the Sekondi Prisons to begin his sentence.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
GIVE SEKONDI A FACELIFT (PAGE 25)
There is no uniform commercial and social development going on in the twin-city Sekondi/Takoradi.
While Takoradi can boast a lot of business enterprises, hospitality facilities, a vibrant and busy central business district, Sekondi is full of dilapidated and very weak structures.
It has been stated in a bulletin of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) that the assembly has improved its metropolitan services and strengthened the twin-city’s infrastructure base to make investors comfortable, to consolidate growth and development.
This may be true to some extent because of the good roads, security and accommodation for indigenes. There is indeed social harmony in the metropolis, but Sekondi is yet to attract due attention from investors.
It is interesting to note that when people are moving to Sekondi from Takoradi, they say they are going to Sekondi. On the other hand, when people are moving from Sekondi to Takoradi they say they are going to town.
This has dampened the spirit of many patriotic indigenes in Sekondi.
After the corporate world or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have held their social programmes in Sekondi, they move all the participants to Takoradi for refreshments.
All the big banks in Sekondi have closed their branch offices there except the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) and Ahantaman and the Western Rural banks.
If one wants to eat, or have a business lunch one has to move to Takoradi as there are no restaurants, decent hotel accommodation and a good place for social activity in Sekondi.
The things that are really keeping the city alive now are the good roads that run through it. Besides these the town is virtually dead.
The sad aspect of the situation is that when a person is travelling from Accra to Takoradi, he/she will either alight at Sekondi College and board a vehicle to Sekondi or continue to Takoradi and then make a U-turn to Sekondi.
Many do not understand why after the completion of the Essipun-Sekondi road, the State Transport Company (STC) and other public buses refuse to pass through Sekondi.
Even late at night, one would either move on to Takoradi or risk alighting at the Sekondi College Junction to connect to Sekondi.
The public transport buses, especially the State Transport Company buses, do not pass through Sekondi. Many people are of the view that even if the buses would not use Sekondi as a loading point, they should pass through the town on their way from Accra to Takoradi.
Another sad aspect of it is that the Sekondi market has been overshadowed by the Takoradi central business district. While traders in the Takoradi market struggle for space, the Sekondi market has countless empty sheds, which are very dirty and weak, since they have been left unoccupied for many years.
The other things that keep Sekondi alive apart from the good roads are the Sekondi Prisons, the metropolitan assembly, regional administration, a few church buildings and other offices. Night life is conspicuously absent.
Many had wished that the multi-million dollar stadium that was built in place of the Gyandu Park would be in Sekondi, but, unfortunately, time was not on the side of the authorities and the site had to be shifted to Essipun.
Sekondi residents now desire that when investors come to the twin-city some of them would be redirected to Sekondi.
One resident, Mr Kojo Nkrumah, said: “I was shocked when a friend’s sister came to Sekondi with her friends. While the host was in Sekondi, the friends were checked into a hotel in Takoradi because there is no good hotel here in Sekondi, not even a restaurant.
“Takoradi is vibrant because it has all the offices, the good hotels, good night life, nightclubs and every worker or visitor who arrives in Sekondi through Takoradi would definitely find his or her way back to Takoradi because that is where the fun is.
Essipun, which came alive recently, is attracting all the attention from people, who want land to build or a place to live. There is a Regimanuel Estate in that small community with good roads, modern buildings.
While Takoradi can boast a lot of business enterprises, hospitality facilities, a vibrant and busy central business district, Sekondi is full of dilapidated and very weak structures.
It has been stated in a bulletin of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA) that the assembly has improved its metropolitan services and strengthened the twin-city’s infrastructure base to make investors comfortable, to consolidate growth and development.
This may be true to some extent because of the good roads, security and accommodation for indigenes. There is indeed social harmony in the metropolis, but Sekondi is yet to attract due attention from investors.
It is interesting to note that when people are moving to Sekondi from Takoradi, they say they are going to Sekondi. On the other hand, when people are moving from Sekondi to Takoradi they say they are going to town.
This has dampened the spirit of many patriotic indigenes in Sekondi.
After the corporate world or non-governmental organisations (NGOs) have held their social programmes in Sekondi, they move all the participants to Takoradi for refreshments.
All the big banks in Sekondi have closed their branch offices there except the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) and Ahantaman and the Western Rural banks.
If one wants to eat, or have a business lunch one has to move to Takoradi as there are no restaurants, decent hotel accommodation and a good place for social activity in Sekondi.
The things that are really keeping the city alive now are the good roads that run through it. Besides these the town is virtually dead.
The sad aspect of the situation is that when a person is travelling from Accra to Takoradi, he/she will either alight at Sekondi College and board a vehicle to Sekondi or continue to Takoradi and then make a U-turn to Sekondi.
Many do not understand why after the completion of the Essipun-Sekondi road, the State Transport Company (STC) and other public buses refuse to pass through Sekondi.
Even late at night, one would either move on to Takoradi or risk alighting at the Sekondi College Junction to connect to Sekondi.
The public transport buses, especially the State Transport Company buses, do not pass through Sekondi. Many people are of the view that even if the buses would not use Sekondi as a loading point, they should pass through the town on their way from Accra to Takoradi.
Another sad aspect of it is that the Sekondi market has been overshadowed by the Takoradi central business district. While traders in the Takoradi market struggle for space, the Sekondi market has countless empty sheds, which are very dirty and weak, since they have been left unoccupied for many years.
The other things that keep Sekondi alive apart from the good roads are the Sekondi Prisons, the metropolitan assembly, regional administration, a few church buildings and other offices. Night life is conspicuously absent.
Many had wished that the multi-million dollar stadium that was built in place of the Gyandu Park would be in Sekondi, but, unfortunately, time was not on the side of the authorities and the site had to be shifted to Essipun.
Sekondi residents now desire that when investors come to the twin-city some of them would be redirected to Sekondi.
One resident, Mr Kojo Nkrumah, said: “I was shocked when a friend’s sister came to Sekondi with her friends. While the host was in Sekondi, the friends were checked into a hotel in Takoradi because there is no good hotel here in Sekondi, not even a restaurant.
“Takoradi is vibrant because it has all the offices, the good hotels, good night life, nightclubs and every worker or visitor who arrives in Sekondi through Takoradi would definitely find his or her way back to Takoradi because that is where the fun is.
Essipun, which came alive recently, is attracting all the attention from people, who want land to build or a place to live. There is a Regimanuel Estate in that small community with good roads, modern buildings.
REACTIVATION WORK ON ATLANTIC HOTEL INSPIRES HOPE (PAGE 25)
The commencement of work on the Atlantic Hotel on the Beach Road near the Takoradi Port has inspired hope among residents of the twin-city of Sekondi/Takoradi.
There were many who had expressed great concern about the imminent collapse of the hotel until last year when it was announced that the hotel had been sold to a private investor.
The reactivation of the project brought joy to many residents, especially the elderly because to them during the days when the Atlantic, Star, Ambassador and the Meridian hotels were in good business Takoradi was a place to be as the Atlantic Hotel provided live band music regularly.
The previous structure had about 70 rooms and with the rehabilitation 144 more would be added to bring the total number of rooms to 214. When completed the hotel is expected to give employment to more than 800 people. It will also have a golf court and a block of offices and spacious conference rooms to host international conferences.
Its name will also change to Atlantic International Hotel.
Located just about a few metres from the Takoradi sea and the air ports, the hotel is expected to bring life back to Takoradi as many people, especially the elderly, will patronise its services and have many stories to tell about the “good old days” when Atlantic Hotel was a household name in Takoradi.
One of such people is Mr K. Hackman, a former employee of the defunct Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNTC). He wondered why the Atlantic Hotel and other former state facilities could collapse just like that.
“When we talk about Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi, that is where the action was, those of us who got an occasional invitation to the place were constantly left with unforgettable memories of the Atlantic Hotel,” he said.
Mr Hackman said with the collapse of state enterprises, the new generation who might find their way in government employment should be told that “once upon a time there were countless companies, which we lost because of our lackadaisical attitude towards work”.
“One sad aspect of it is that the companies and hotels did not only collapse but their collapse is to extent that they cannot even be remembered again,” he said.
He expressed the hope the new management would be guided by what led to the collapse of various state institutions to adopt sound business practices for the facility to be vibrant.
When contacted, Mr Ebo Coker and his partner, Mr Patrick Faris, the CEO of Royal Air Port Hotel (Holiday Inn) in Accra, said they would ensure to bring back the glory of the former Atlantic Hotel to Takoradi.
Mr Coker said the hotel would be given an African touch and would bring back many memories.
“I’m is not the only one who has the dream to get the hotel back to its former status, as the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, the metropolitan assembly and others are all supportive of the dream of Coker and Faris.”
Mr Coker said the hotel was expected to be completed in the next 18 months with a perfect structure that would satisfy the needs of holidaymakers, tourists and the corporate world, as the financial support was in place.
“At the moment we are demolishing some parts and the contractor would be moving the rest of equipment to the site. We are also likely to finish well ahead of the stipulated schedule,” he said.
“A lot has gone into the design of the hotel, which incorporated the features of the former hotel with other more enhanced features to give the facility an African touch,” he stressed.
The project currently employs about 300 workers, majority of whom are Ghanaians.
“There is hope for the timber, cocoa and mining industries and with the recent oil find it is just necessary to provide the appropriate facilities for conferences, boarding and lodging, as well as an enabling environment for business to triumph and for the investors to feel comfortable,” he said.
“We do not build hotels because people are building; before we decided to acquire the hotel in 1996 we had to do with an extensive research to find out which areas would be successful and attract the required patronage,” Mr Coker said.
“Takoradi should win back its past glory and with the help of God and other investors who are also looking at other areas of investment in the metropolis, it will be just a matter of time for the whole metropolis to regain its vibrancy,” he said.
There were many who had expressed great concern about the imminent collapse of the hotel until last year when it was announced that the hotel had been sold to a private investor.
The reactivation of the project brought joy to many residents, especially the elderly because to them during the days when the Atlantic, Star, Ambassador and the Meridian hotels were in good business Takoradi was a place to be as the Atlantic Hotel provided live band music regularly.
The previous structure had about 70 rooms and with the rehabilitation 144 more would be added to bring the total number of rooms to 214. When completed the hotel is expected to give employment to more than 800 people. It will also have a golf court and a block of offices and spacious conference rooms to host international conferences.
Its name will also change to Atlantic International Hotel.
Located just about a few metres from the Takoradi sea and the air ports, the hotel is expected to bring life back to Takoradi as many people, especially the elderly, will patronise its services and have many stories to tell about the “good old days” when Atlantic Hotel was a household name in Takoradi.
One of such people is Mr K. Hackman, a former employee of the defunct Ghana National Trading Corporation (GNTC). He wondered why the Atlantic Hotel and other former state facilities could collapse just like that.
“When we talk about Atlantic Hotel in Takoradi, that is where the action was, those of us who got an occasional invitation to the place were constantly left with unforgettable memories of the Atlantic Hotel,” he said.
Mr Hackman said with the collapse of state enterprises, the new generation who might find their way in government employment should be told that “once upon a time there were countless companies, which we lost because of our lackadaisical attitude towards work”.
“One sad aspect of it is that the companies and hotels did not only collapse but their collapse is to extent that they cannot even be remembered again,” he said.
He expressed the hope the new management would be guided by what led to the collapse of various state institutions to adopt sound business practices for the facility to be vibrant.
When contacted, Mr Ebo Coker and his partner, Mr Patrick Faris, the CEO of Royal Air Port Hotel (Holiday Inn) in Accra, said they would ensure to bring back the glory of the former Atlantic Hotel to Takoradi.
Mr Coker said the hotel would be given an African touch and would bring back many memories.
“I’m is not the only one who has the dream to get the hotel back to its former status, as the Ministry of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, the metropolitan assembly and others are all supportive of the dream of Coker and Faris.”
Mr Coker said the hotel was expected to be completed in the next 18 months with a perfect structure that would satisfy the needs of holidaymakers, tourists and the corporate world, as the financial support was in place.
“At the moment we are demolishing some parts and the contractor would be moving the rest of equipment to the site. We are also likely to finish well ahead of the stipulated schedule,” he said.
“A lot has gone into the design of the hotel, which incorporated the features of the former hotel with other more enhanced features to give the facility an African touch,” he stressed.
The project currently employs about 300 workers, majority of whom are Ghanaians.
“There is hope for the timber, cocoa and mining industries and with the recent oil find it is just necessary to provide the appropriate facilities for conferences, boarding and lodging, as well as an enabling environment for business to triumph and for the investors to feel comfortable,” he said.
“We do not build hotels because people are building; before we decided to acquire the hotel in 1996 we had to do with an extensive research to find out which areas would be successful and attract the required patronage,” Mr Coker said.
“Takoradi should win back its past glory and with the help of God and other investors who are also looking at other areas of investment in the metropolis, it will be just a matter of time for the whole metropolis to regain its vibrancy,” he said.
Sunday, September 7, 2008
GALAMSEY MAN HACKS FIANCEE (MIRROR, PAGE 3)
From Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Sekondi
A galamsey operator in a mining community, Kaniankor, near Nsuayem in the Wassa West District of the Western Region, who could not manage the departure of his fiancee, allegedly inflicted machete wounds on the woman leaving her unconscious.
The young woman survived thanks to some onlookers who acted with dispatch and went to her rescue after her assailant had left her to her fate at a public place where the sordid act took place.
The man whose name was given as Yaw Jayarko Sofo, an illegal miner, is currently at large and the police are seriously pursuing him to face the full rigours of the law.
The police said when people started shouting, Sofo took to his heels leaving the woman in a pool of blood.
Speaking to The Mirror at her bedside at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital at Sekondi, the victim, Sarah Arthur, a 21-year-old petty trader, said she had been living with Sofo for the past four years even though he had not paid the bride price. She said she later got pregnant and therefore continued to live with him after she had given birth.
She said, “I have persistently impressed upon him to go and see my parents, but he did not express the desire to perform the marital rites. Worse of all, he also refused to take any responsibility for expenses in the house. Anytime I threatened to go away or a quarrel ensued he threatened me with death.
“That notwithstanding, he also subjects me to constant molestation and I am but a young girl. I have realised that I have made a mistake in accepting his proposal”, she lamented.
She added, “I made several reports to the police about his threats but nothing had been done until he descended on me last week”.
The victim recalled that on the day of the incident, she went to the Agona Market. When she returned home, Sofo had smashed all the crates of eggs she had bought for sale. She told him he would have to pay for the broken eggs.
“I got angry and some people in the vicinity advised me to report his conduct to the police. I was then hungry so I decided to go and buy some fried yams first, before deciding on what to do next”, she said.
“Just as I was in the process of buying the yams with my back turned towards the street and with the yam seller also busy attending to me, Sofo came from behind and started hacking me with a machete. I did not know what happened next but I was later told by some sympathisers that had it not been for the intervention of some onlookers I would likely have been hacked to pieces,” she added.
She fell unconscious only to wake up at the hospital in pain and regret for having accepted to go into a relationship with a violent man she did not know very well.
“He told me a number of times that he had killed before and I will not be the first person he was going to kill, therefore I should be careful,” she revealed.
Asked if she would go back to the man, she took a deep breath and replied: “I have made a huge mistake and would not like to repeat it. I will go on with my life, but as for the assault the law enforcement agencies should look for him and deal with him appropriately”, she added.
A galamsey operator in a mining community, Kaniankor, near Nsuayem in the Wassa West District of the Western Region, who could not manage the departure of his fiancee, allegedly inflicted machete wounds on the woman leaving her unconscious.
The young woman survived thanks to some onlookers who acted with dispatch and went to her rescue after her assailant had left her to her fate at a public place where the sordid act took place.
The man whose name was given as Yaw Jayarko Sofo, an illegal miner, is currently at large and the police are seriously pursuing him to face the full rigours of the law.
The police said when people started shouting, Sofo took to his heels leaving the woman in a pool of blood.
Speaking to The Mirror at her bedside at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital at Sekondi, the victim, Sarah Arthur, a 21-year-old petty trader, said she had been living with Sofo for the past four years even though he had not paid the bride price. She said she later got pregnant and therefore continued to live with him after she had given birth.
She said, “I have persistently impressed upon him to go and see my parents, but he did not express the desire to perform the marital rites. Worse of all, he also refused to take any responsibility for expenses in the house. Anytime I threatened to go away or a quarrel ensued he threatened me with death.
“That notwithstanding, he also subjects me to constant molestation and I am but a young girl. I have realised that I have made a mistake in accepting his proposal”, she lamented.
She added, “I made several reports to the police about his threats but nothing had been done until he descended on me last week”.
The victim recalled that on the day of the incident, she went to the Agona Market. When she returned home, Sofo had smashed all the crates of eggs she had bought for sale. She told him he would have to pay for the broken eggs.
“I got angry and some people in the vicinity advised me to report his conduct to the police. I was then hungry so I decided to go and buy some fried yams first, before deciding on what to do next”, she said.
“Just as I was in the process of buying the yams with my back turned towards the street and with the yam seller also busy attending to me, Sofo came from behind and started hacking me with a machete. I did not know what happened next but I was later told by some sympathisers that had it not been for the intervention of some onlookers I would likely have been hacked to pieces,” she added.
She fell unconscious only to wake up at the hospital in pain and regret for having accepted to go into a relationship with a violent man she did not know very well.
“He told me a number of times that he had killed before and I will not be the first person he was going to kill, therefore I should be careful,” she revealed.
Asked if she would go back to the man, she took a deep breath and replied: “I have made a huge mistake and would not like to repeat it. I will go on with my life, but as for the assault the law enforcement agencies should look for him and deal with him appropriately”, she added.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
DON'T SOLICIT FOR BRIBES...CJ urges Judicail personnel (SPREAD)
THE Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina Theodora Wood, has stressed the need for staff of the Judicial Service to focus on trends that impact negatively on their work.
She said the incidence of staff delaying cases on grounds of bias and the soliciting of petty bribes from litigants did not augur well for the image of the service.
Speaking at the 4th Annual Triennial Delegates Conference of Judicial Staff in Takoradi yesterday, Mrs Justice Wood pointed out that these unacceptable factors had contributed in no small measure to effectively deny litigants of their constitutional rights to expeditious and fair trial.
The conference was on the theme: Uniting to Ensure Better Working Conditions and Success of Judicial Reform.”
She said to save the situation, the first approach should be the attitude of staff to work, emphasising that “it does not appear to me that we realise that none of us was forced into joining this respectable and important organisation, whose main business is to ensure that people who have suffered wrongs, approach us for redress”.
“If we understand our existence, if we appreciate the pain and anxiety people who approach the courts of justice go through, if we catch the vision and understand our mission, namely that we are service providers to court users, our attitude towards them and the quality of service we have, on our own volition offered to provide will be markedly different,” she added.
Mrs Justice Wood said if the judicial staff understood their calling that they were not doing court users a favour, the shabby and humiliating treatment some of them gave to lawyers, litigants and their witnesses would cease.
She expressed the wish that “one and all would change their mindset and put their noses on the ground and work as if their lives depended on the service”.
The Chief Justice also called the attention of the staff to complaints of corrupt practices and said it was regrettable that some went to the extent of posing as lawyers and duping the public.
As the third arm of government, she said, the service had an obligation to serve the general public at all times with truth.
She said in recent years, the notion of access to justice had attracted increasing attention, particularly in judicial reforms, adding that the processes of judicial reform worldwide had strengthened the judiciary’s role in enhancing transparency and accountability in governance.
The Chief Justice said the many reforms embarked upon were intended to eliminate institutional failures or weaknesses within the legal system and increase access to justice by the citizenry.
She was, however, happy that various men and women in the service had undertaken various courses in several disciplines to upgrade their professional skills.
She said the incidence of staff delaying cases on grounds of bias and the soliciting of petty bribes from litigants did not augur well for the image of the service.
Speaking at the 4th Annual Triennial Delegates Conference of Judicial Staff in Takoradi yesterday, Mrs Justice Wood pointed out that these unacceptable factors had contributed in no small measure to effectively deny litigants of their constitutional rights to expeditious and fair trial.
The conference was on the theme: Uniting to Ensure Better Working Conditions and Success of Judicial Reform.”
She said to save the situation, the first approach should be the attitude of staff to work, emphasising that “it does not appear to me that we realise that none of us was forced into joining this respectable and important organisation, whose main business is to ensure that people who have suffered wrongs, approach us for redress”.
“If we understand our existence, if we appreciate the pain and anxiety people who approach the courts of justice go through, if we catch the vision and understand our mission, namely that we are service providers to court users, our attitude towards them and the quality of service we have, on our own volition offered to provide will be markedly different,” she added.
Mrs Justice Wood said if the judicial staff understood their calling that they were not doing court users a favour, the shabby and humiliating treatment some of them gave to lawyers, litigants and their witnesses would cease.
She expressed the wish that “one and all would change their mindset and put their noses on the ground and work as if their lives depended on the service”.
The Chief Justice also called the attention of the staff to complaints of corrupt practices and said it was regrettable that some went to the extent of posing as lawyers and duping the public.
As the third arm of government, she said, the service had an obligation to serve the general public at all times with truth.
She said in recent years, the notion of access to justice had attracted increasing attention, particularly in judicial reforms, adding that the processes of judicial reform worldwide had strengthened the judiciary’s role in enhancing transparency and accountability in governance.
The Chief Justice said the many reforms embarked upon were intended to eliminate institutional failures or weaknesses within the legal system and increase access to justice by the citizenry.
She was, however, happy that various men and women in the service had undertaken various courses in several disciplines to upgrade their professional skills.
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
FIJAI-JUNCTION-EFFIA-NKWANTA HOSPITAL ROAD REPAIRED (PAGE 25)
the road between the Fijai Junction and the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital has finally been completed, after many calls for its completion. There are, however, no road signs on it.
The dual lane does not have road marking signs to guide motorists at night; there are also no zebra crossings ,which makes the road very unsafe especially at night.
The portion of the road between the two lanes to and from Fijai and Effia-Nkwanta are overgrown with weeds. The weeds have been cleared from the junction of the hospital to the Ghana National Fire Service, but not from the Fijai Junction portion, which is meant for beatification. When driving, one cannot see ahead while approaching the curve near the regional theatre.
Because of the good nature of the road, drivers are very impatient and speed a lot. At the same time tankers and other haulage trucks use this route to enable them to link the Accra-Takoradi road.
Some of the trucks break-down often on the road and other motorists have to be extra careful so that they do not run into them.
The dual lanes are very important because they are the only roads which link Takoradi-Accra and the Regional Hospital. There is also a fire service and ambulance bay on the road.
If the authorities do not realise the importance of the roads and erect the appropriate signs and provide road markings to ensure safety, then that stretch of the road would be dangerous to use.
The contractor must mark the road and provide road signs to guide motorists or the Ghana Highways Authority and the Metropolitan Department of Urban Roads of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly should take up that responsibility.
It is the hope of this reporter that immediate action would be taken to provide proper road markings and signs to enhance the safety of the road as it is located in the heart of the metropolis.
In a related development, the Axim-road roundabout is deteriorating fast. Two months after the Daily Graphic had highlighted the problem, the pot- holes were patched with very inferior materials, which were quickly washed away after some little rain.
At the moment motorists approaching the roundabout have to be extra cautious to ensure that they do not run into it as it has widened beyond the normal size.
Any vehicle coming from the direction of the State Transport Company yard towards the roundabout enroute to the offices of the Shippers Council area have to negotiate the roundabout towards the beach road before branching towards the Shippers Council road.
Also, little attention has been paid to the Cocoa Villa road, which also links Sekondi/Takoradi road to the Accra-Takoradi road from the former Western Veneer and Lumber Company (WVLC) area. This stretch of the road has still not been attended to; it is very bad and needs urgent attention.
The dual lane does not have road marking signs to guide motorists at night; there are also no zebra crossings ,which makes the road very unsafe especially at night.
The portion of the road between the two lanes to and from Fijai and Effia-Nkwanta are overgrown with weeds. The weeds have been cleared from the junction of the hospital to the Ghana National Fire Service, but not from the Fijai Junction portion, which is meant for beatification. When driving, one cannot see ahead while approaching the curve near the regional theatre.
Because of the good nature of the road, drivers are very impatient and speed a lot. At the same time tankers and other haulage trucks use this route to enable them to link the Accra-Takoradi road.
Some of the trucks break-down often on the road and other motorists have to be extra careful so that they do not run into them.
The dual lanes are very important because they are the only roads which link Takoradi-Accra and the Regional Hospital. There is also a fire service and ambulance bay on the road.
If the authorities do not realise the importance of the roads and erect the appropriate signs and provide road markings to ensure safety, then that stretch of the road would be dangerous to use.
The contractor must mark the road and provide road signs to guide motorists or the Ghana Highways Authority and the Metropolitan Department of Urban Roads of the Sekondi/Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly should take up that responsibility.
It is the hope of this reporter that immediate action would be taken to provide proper road markings and signs to enhance the safety of the road as it is located in the heart of the metropolis.
In a related development, the Axim-road roundabout is deteriorating fast. Two months after the Daily Graphic had highlighted the problem, the pot- holes were patched with very inferior materials, which were quickly washed away after some little rain.
At the moment motorists approaching the roundabout have to be extra cautious to ensure that they do not run into it as it has widened beyond the normal size.
Any vehicle coming from the direction of the State Transport Company yard towards the roundabout enroute to the offices of the Shippers Council area have to negotiate the roundabout towards the beach road before branching towards the Shippers Council road.
Also, little attention has been paid to the Cocoa Villa road, which also links Sekondi/Takoradi road to the Accra-Takoradi road from the former Western Veneer and Lumber Company (WVLC) area. This stretch of the road has still not been attended to; it is very bad and needs urgent attention.
GYANDU PARK FENCE WALL IS DEATH TRAP (PAGE 25)
The fence around Gyandu Park in Sekondi, which is supposed to protect the park from intruders, has become a death trap to visitors to the park, as well as residents and schoolchildren around it.
The wall has developed deep cracks but look good from a distance. Prior to the Ghana 2008 tournament, the walls were painted to conceal the cracks. But at the moment, the cracks have become more visible and need urgent attention.
Instead of pulling the fence down, Sports Council officials have rather written on the wall boldly “Weak Wall, Keep Off” to warn residents.
There is the opinion that Ghanaians are very good at putting up structures, but fail to maintain them and the state of the walls and the inner structures of the stadium clearly buttresses this view that the culture of maintenance is lacking.
What is dangerous is that the weak walls provide shade for some residents or schoolchildren when the weather is hot.
Most people, especially schoolchildren, normally sit on the wall to watch football at the primary school park adjacent to the Gyandu Park.
The warning is not enough; this is because there are schools behind the stadium and schoolchildren use the surrounding areas for games during play time.
Young men also use the surroundings as a park on which they play football, and as a result many football enthusiasts troop to the place to watch them play.
Those who watch the children play feel more comfortable sitting behind the weak walls of the park and in the event of any accident the casualties would be high.
Aside the people exposing themselves to danger outside the stadium, those within the stadium are not spared either. At present the stadium is very much in use, as teams in the region are playing their qualifying matches for the premiership league later this year.
Almost every weekend, there is a matc h, either a friendly or a qualifying game, at the Gyandu Park.
Some of the residents told the Daily Graphic that they had foreseen the danger and draw the attention of the authorities to it, but they did not seem to care and called for its immediate demolition to save life.
“It is not everybody who can read or write and most of our women from the beach sometimes stand in the shade either to wait for their colleagues or have a little chat. If the unexpected happens, the poor women and children, as well as passers-by will lose their lives,” the residents said.
Mr Kwaku M. Sam, a resident, said if the Sports Council or whoever was in charge of the stadium did not have money to construct a new wall, it would be better to pull the wall down instead of allowing it go down on innocent members of the public.
“In the community where people find it difficult to read, how many of them know or will understand the message the Sports Council is trying to put across?” he asked.
He recalled that Essipun had a modern stadium because the ground at the Gyandu Park was said to be too soft and needed to be well compacted to make it suitable for matches to be played on.
According to Mr Sam, if the people were aware of the soft nature of the ground and then went ahead to post a caution sign on the wall for all this while, then it could be referred to as an act of irresponsibility.
Should any fatal accident occurs when the wall collapses, somebody must be held responsible.
The wall has developed deep cracks but look good from a distance. Prior to the Ghana 2008 tournament, the walls were painted to conceal the cracks. But at the moment, the cracks have become more visible and need urgent attention.
Instead of pulling the fence down, Sports Council officials have rather written on the wall boldly “Weak Wall, Keep Off” to warn residents.
There is the opinion that Ghanaians are very good at putting up structures, but fail to maintain them and the state of the walls and the inner structures of the stadium clearly buttresses this view that the culture of maintenance is lacking.
What is dangerous is that the weak walls provide shade for some residents or schoolchildren when the weather is hot.
Most people, especially schoolchildren, normally sit on the wall to watch football at the primary school park adjacent to the Gyandu Park.
The warning is not enough; this is because there are schools behind the stadium and schoolchildren use the surrounding areas for games during play time.
Young men also use the surroundings as a park on which they play football, and as a result many football enthusiasts troop to the place to watch them play.
Those who watch the children play feel more comfortable sitting behind the weak walls of the park and in the event of any accident the casualties would be high.
Aside the people exposing themselves to danger outside the stadium, those within the stadium are not spared either. At present the stadium is very much in use, as teams in the region are playing their qualifying matches for the premiership league later this year.
Almost every weekend, there is a matc h, either a friendly or a qualifying game, at the Gyandu Park.
Some of the residents told the Daily Graphic that they had foreseen the danger and draw the attention of the authorities to it, but they did not seem to care and called for its immediate demolition to save life.
“It is not everybody who can read or write and most of our women from the beach sometimes stand in the shade either to wait for their colleagues or have a little chat. If the unexpected happens, the poor women and children, as well as passers-by will lose their lives,” the residents said.
Mr Kwaku M. Sam, a resident, said if the Sports Council or whoever was in charge of the stadium did not have money to construct a new wall, it would be better to pull the wall down instead of allowing it go down on innocent members of the public.
“In the community where people find it difficult to read, how many of them know or will understand the message the Sports Council is trying to put across?” he asked.
He recalled that Essipun had a modern stadium because the ground at the Gyandu Park was said to be too soft and needed to be well compacted to make it suitable for matches to be played on.
According to Mr Sam, if the people were aware of the soft nature of the ground and then went ahead to post a caution sign on the wall for all this while, then it could be referred to as an act of irresponsibility.
Should any fatal accident occurs when the wall collapses, somebody must be held responsible.
RELOCATE EFFIA-NKWANTA REGIONAL HOSPITAL (PAGE 25)
THE location of certain facilities at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital is seriously having a negative impact on the internally generated funds of the hospital and the general comfort of patients who access health care delivery there.
The hospital is located on a hill but has many of its facilities and wards separated from the emergency unit.
The accident and the emergency units are located in the valley and patients who have to access X-ray services have to be transported to the top, where the radiographic and other services are located.
This avoidable task is usually undertaken by the hospital’s ambulance, which transports the patients to access the services at the expense of the hospital.
When asked why patients don’t pay for the services they are provided, the hospital to authorities said the patients came to hospital to seek health care services, which the hospital cannot fail to provide.
‘It is not the business of the patient but the responsibility of the hospital,” the authorities said.
Another interesting thing is the location of the emergency unit. This facility is just a stone throw from the main hospital and can be covered by foot in less than two minutes. However, it is located in a valley so to access facilities of the hospital one has to climb or descend about 140 stairs.
It would have been better to use a stretcher, but because of the steepness of the valley, that is not possible.
Therefore, when the hospital’s ambulance has to go for servicing, patients have to make use of taxis or their relatives have to carry them on their back to access any service.
Work on the new emergency unit of the hospital, which was anticipated to have been completed before the Ghana 2008 has come to a standstill after the tournament ended.
Some of the hospital’s highly sensitive equipment have been left unattended to, while others have been left in the open in front of the uncompleted unit at the mercy of the weather.
According to official sources, some of the equipment is such that if the pieces were not put to immediate use, they could become defective .
The windows of the new unit are yet to be fixed, while the main theatres have just been plastered and painted. Some doctors the Daily Graphic spoke to were of the view that the walls of the theatre should have been tiled to ensure easy cleaning of blood and other stains.
That aside, the road constructed to enable ambulances drive straight to the unit has been abandoned and weeds have started growing on it.
The lifts in the various wards and the administration block of the hospital are out of order and it is very difficult to convey patients to the wards.
Many of the wards have also not been renovated for a very long time and there are cracks in the walls. Some of the rooms are so small that they cannot contain the equipment for the units.
An example is the Blood Bank. The new huge fridges for the blood bank cannot be fixed there because the Blood Bank is too small to contain them.
Interestingly, when the Daily Graphic got to the Bood Bank, the entrance to the bank was being demolished for the fridges to be moved into it.
The officials of the Blood Bank have to use one room, while patients who go there for blood or to donate it have to make use of a very narrow corridor. The tall donors cannot sit straight.
The Medical Director of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Dr Paul Ntodi, is requesting that the hospital be relocated on a level ground to ensure the comfort of the patients.
He said the hsopital spent a lot of money to fuel the ambulance not to perform its core functions but to shuttle between the main wards and the emergency units.
“It is not the right thing to have an emergency unit far from the wards.
The location of the hospital at the time of its establishment was perfect because it was meant for screening of military personnel for the World War II and was later converted into a hospital,” he said.
The medical director said the hospital was supposed to be training doctors and therefore it needed an environment which was different from what pertained presently.
He acknowledged that work on the new emergency ward was slow and that the hospital was not generating enough to meet its daily recurrent expenditure.
With the current wrong topography, Dr Ntodi said, the best thing was to have a regional hospital relocated on a level ground and added that at the moment the hsopital was not patient friendly, especially to those who were weak.
He, however, expressed the hope that the new unit would be completed to enable them make some savings, and also save patients the troubles they go through to access some services there.
The hospital is located on a hill but has many of its facilities and wards separated from the emergency unit.
The accident and the emergency units are located in the valley and patients who have to access X-ray services have to be transported to the top, where the radiographic and other services are located.
This avoidable task is usually undertaken by the hospital’s ambulance, which transports the patients to access the services at the expense of the hospital.
When asked why patients don’t pay for the services they are provided, the hospital to authorities said the patients came to hospital to seek health care services, which the hospital cannot fail to provide.
‘It is not the business of the patient but the responsibility of the hospital,” the authorities said.
Another interesting thing is the location of the emergency unit. This facility is just a stone throw from the main hospital and can be covered by foot in less than two minutes. However, it is located in a valley so to access facilities of the hospital one has to climb or descend about 140 stairs.
It would have been better to use a stretcher, but because of the steepness of the valley, that is not possible.
Therefore, when the hospital’s ambulance has to go for servicing, patients have to make use of taxis or their relatives have to carry them on their back to access any service.
Work on the new emergency unit of the hospital, which was anticipated to have been completed before the Ghana 2008 has come to a standstill after the tournament ended.
Some of the hospital’s highly sensitive equipment have been left unattended to, while others have been left in the open in front of the uncompleted unit at the mercy of the weather.
According to official sources, some of the equipment is such that if the pieces were not put to immediate use, they could become defective .
The windows of the new unit are yet to be fixed, while the main theatres have just been plastered and painted. Some doctors the Daily Graphic spoke to were of the view that the walls of the theatre should have been tiled to ensure easy cleaning of blood and other stains.
That aside, the road constructed to enable ambulances drive straight to the unit has been abandoned and weeds have started growing on it.
The lifts in the various wards and the administration block of the hospital are out of order and it is very difficult to convey patients to the wards.
Many of the wards have also not been renovated for a very long time and there are cracks in the walls. Some of the rooms are so small that they cannot contain the equipment for the units.
An example is the Blood Bank. The new huge fridges for the blood bank cannot be fixed there because the Blood Bank is too small to contain them.
Interestingly, when the Daily Graphic got to the Bood Bank, the entrance to the bank was being demolished for the fridges to be moved into it.
The officials of the Blood Bank have to use one room, while patients who go there for blood or to donate it have to make use of a very narrow corridor. The tall donors cannot sit straight.
The Medical Director of the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Dr Paul Ntodi, is requesting that the hospital be relocated on a level ground to ensure the comfort of the patients.
He said the hsopital spent a lot of money to fuel the ambulance not to perform its core functions but to shuttle between the main wards and the emergency units.
“It is not the right thing to have an emergency unit far from the wards.
The location of the hospital at the time of its establishment was perfect because it was meant for screening of military personnel for the World War II and was later converted into a hospital,” he said.
The medical director said the hospital was supposed to be training doctors and therefore it needed an environment which was different from what pertained presently.
He acknowledged that work on the new emergency ward was slow and that the hospital was not generating enough to meet its daily recurrent expenditure.
With the current wrong topography, Dr Ntodi said, the best thing was to have a regional hospital relocated on a level ground and added that at the moment the hsopital was not patient friendly, especially to those who were weak.
He, however, expressed the hope that the new unit would be completed to enable them make some savings, and also save patients the troubles they go through to access some services there.
8 IMMIGRATION OFFICERS SUSPENDED FOR ASSAULT (SPREAD)
EIGHT immigration officers who allegedly assaulted a trader at the Jaway-Wharf in the Jomoro District of the Western Region have been suspended, while the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) conducts investigations into the case.
The regional office of the service has also taken over the cost of medical care and made a cash presentation to the victim at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
That aside, personnel of the regional office have met with the family of the victim, Mr Kofi Acquah, and assured them of their support.
The victim was responding positively to treatment as at the time the Daily Graphic visited him in the company of officials of GIS.
The immigration officers were said to have assaulted Acquah, following his failure to give them a tip of GH¢5.00 before he was allowed to cross to the Cote d' Ivoire side to trade.
He was said to have offered the officers GH¢3.00 since he was not aware of the increment in the illegal tip instituted by the officers.
The GH¢3.00 he offered was said to have angered the officials, who assaulted him until he became unconscious.
He was rushed to the Jomoro Government Hospital and later transferred to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
The Regional Commander of the service, Mr Robert Quartey, described the act as unfortunate and said the service would not take the issue lightly.
He observed that what happened had the tendency of denting the image of the service and its quest to foster good relations between it and the public.
He said it was not the aim of the service to intimidate or brutalise any citizen or visitors to the country, adding that "we have instituted full-scale investigations into the matter to establish exactly what transpired".
Mr Quartey urged members of the general public to make use of the complaints unit of the service.
"Let me assure the public that the GIS is not an intimidating force to terrorise anybody. Together with various service commanders in the region we are going to stamp out such wrong behaviours," he said.
Mr Acquah expressed his gratitude to Mr Quartey and his team for the support and expressed the hope that he would soon be back on his feet.
Health officials said he had made a remarkable recovery and would be discharged soon.
The regional office of the service has also taken over the cost of medical care and made a cash presentation to the victim at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
That aside, personnel of the regional office have met with the family of the victim, Mr Kofi Acquah, and assured them of their support.
The victim was responding positively to treatment as at the time the Daily Graphic visited him in the company of officials of GIS.
The immigration officers were said to have assaulted Acquah, following his failure to give them a tip of GH¢5.00 before he was allowed to cross to the Cote d' Ivoire side to trade.
He was said to have offered the officers GH¢3.00 since he was not aware of the increment in the illegal tip instituted by the officers.
The GH¢3.00 he offered was said to have angered the officials, who assaulted him until he became unconscious.
He was rushed to the Jomoro Government Hospital and later transferred to the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital.
The Regional Commander of the service, Mr Robert Quartey, described the act as unfortunate and said the service would not take the issue lightly.
He observed that what happened had the tendency of denting the image of the service and its quest to foster good relations between it and the public.
He said it was not the aim of the service to intimidate or brutalise any citizen or visitors to the country, adding that "we have instituted full-scale investigations into the matter to establish exactly what transpired".
Mr Quartey urged members of the general public to make use of the complaints unit of the service.
"Let me assure the public that the GIS is not an intimidating force to terrorise anybody. Together with various service commanders in the region we are going to stamp out such wrong behaviours," he said.
Mr Acquah expressed his gratitude to Mr Quartey and his team for the support and expressed the hope that he would soon be back on his feet.
Health officials said he had made a remarkable recovery and would be discharged soon.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
KILLER WOMAN DIES (BACK PAGE)
EKUA Tawiah, the woman who set her family ablaze at Chapel Hill in Takoradi resulting in the death of her husband and their seven-year-old son, has died. She died in the early hours of yesterday morning.
The woman went on hunger strike and refused to take medications while on admission at the hospital.
The hospital authorities and the Takoradi Central Police are yet to locate any member of her family because no family member showed up since she was hospitalised.
Ekua who left her marital home for three months due to constant marital problems, returned to the family last week Wednesday with petrol and while the whole family was asleep, she locked the door and then set the room ablaze.
Before the door could be forced open the fire had engulfed them all. Their son died a few hours after arriving at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital and the husband shortly afterward.
According to the Deputy Director in charge of Nursing at Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Mrs Mary Hayford, doctors did everything possible to save the life of Ekua but their efforts were constantly thwarted by her refusal to take any medication.
She said even when they set drip on her she removed the tubing in the middle of the night.
When asked whether any of her family members had reported to the hospital, she said no family member had come. The only information gleaned from her was that she was from Agona in the Central Region.
Mrs Hayford said Ekua’s medical bills and her upkeep were taken care of by benevolent people and from the pockets of some of the nurses.
She said even though the burns were severe, they did everything possible, adding that she likely would have survived but for her failure to co-operate with them.
Meanwhile, the body of Ekua has been deposited at the hospital mortuary awaiting autopsy.
The woman went on hunger strike and refused to take medications while on admission at the hospital.
The hospital authorities and the Takoradi Central Police are yet to locate any member of her family because no family member showed up since she was hospitalised.
Ekua who left her marital home for three months due to constant marital problems, returned to the family last week Wednesday with petrol and while the whole family was asleep, she locked the door and then set the room ablaze.
Before the door could be forced open the fire had engulfed them all. Their son died a few hours after arriving at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital and the husband shortly afterward.
According to the Deputy Director in charge of Nursing at Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, Mrs Mary Hayford, doctors did everything possible to save the life of Ekua but their efforts were constantly thwarted by her refusal to take any medication.
She said even when they set drip on her she removed the tubing in the middle of the night.
When asked whether any of her family members had reported to the hospital, she said no family member had come. The only information gleaned from her was that she was from Agona in the Central Region.
Mrs Hayford said Ekua’s medical bills and her upkeep were taken care of by benevolent people and from the pockets of some of the nurses.
She said even though the burns were severe, they did everything possible, adding that she likely would have survived but for her failure to co-operate with them.
Meanwhile, the body of Ekua has been deposited at the hospital mortuary awaiting autopsy.
Monday, September 1, 2008
Leave Me To Die - Wife killer Refuses Medical Attention (Page 3)
Ekua Tawiah, the woman who set herself and family ablaze, killing her husband and seven-year-old son, has refused food and medicine at the Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital where she is on admission.
She told doctors and nurses attending to her that she did not deserve to live and wanted to join her husband and child in death.
But the doctors, determined to keep her alive, are administering to her intravenous infusion.
Ekuah, a trader, set herself and family on fire as a result of a marital feud between her and her husband, John Mesu.
Just before his death at the hospital, John, who suffered severe burns and was in pain, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that there was indeed a feud between them but did not anticipate the action from his wife.
Co-tenants told the Daily Graphic that the couple had serious disagreements in the past few months, which made Ekua leave her matrimonial home, leaving her son behind.
They said last Wednesday night, she came back to the house with a gallon of a substance suspected to be petrol and entered their room.
The husband was informed upon his arrival home that his wife was in the room.
The co-tenants added that the information that his wife had returned angered John, who threatened to throw her out of the room, but they (co-tenants) prevailed upon him to allow her to pass the night, since it was very late and not safe for her to travel.
They said late that night they realised the room had been gutted by fire and found out later that the woman had apparently locked the door, removed the key and sprinkled the petrol on highly combustible items in the room, while the husband and son were fast asleep.
The eye witnesses said some of the tenants tried to force the door open from outside but could not, while John also tried to do the same from within it, using a machete.
When the door was finally opened, John, who was engulfed in flames, rushed out and fell on the floor outside the room, while Ekua pursued him and tried to drag him back into the raging flames but she could not.
The co-tenants said when she rushed back into the flames, all were under the impression that she wanted to rescue their son from the room only to see her emerge with the machete and inflict deep wounds at the back, neck and the middle portion of the husband to the horror of all gathered.
The onlookers, however, over-powered her and rushed the three to Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, where the son and the husband passed away.
When contacted, the crime officer of Takoradi Central Police station, ASP Dela Dzansi, confirmed the incident and said that the bodies were currently at the Effia Nkwanta Hospital morgue pending further investigation.
Story by Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
She told doctors and nurses attending to her that she did not deserve to live and wanted to join her husband and child in death.
But the doctors, determined to keep her alive, are administering to her intravenous infusion.
Ekuah, a trader, set herself and family on fire as a result of a marital feud between her and her husband, John Mesu.
Just before his death at the hospital, John, who suffered severe burns and was in pain, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that there was indeed a feud between them but did not anticipate the action from his wife.
Co-tenants told the Daily Graphic that the couple had serious disagreements in the past few months, which made Ekua leave her matrimonial home, leaving her son behind.
They said last Wednesday night, she came back to the house with a gallon of a substance suspected to be petrol and entered their room.
The husband was informed upon his arrival home that his wife was in the room.
The co-tenants added that the information that his wife had returned angered John, who threatened to throw her out of the room, but they (co-tenants) prevailed upon him to allow her to pass the night, since it was very late and not safe for her to travel.
They said late that night they realised the room had been gutted by fire and found out later that the woman had apparently locked the door, removed the key and sprinkled the petrol on highly combustible items in the room, while the husband and son were fast asleep.
The eye witnesses said some of the tenants tried to force the door open from outside but could not, while John also tried to do the same from within it, using a machete.
When the door was finally opened, John, who was engulfed in flames, rushed out and fell on the floor outside the room, while Ekua pursued him and tried to drag him back into the raging flames but she could not.
The co-tenants said when she rushed back into the flames, all were under the impression that she wanted to rescue their son from the room only to see her emerge with the machete and inflict deep wounds at the back, neck and the middle portion of the husband to the horror of all gathered.
The onlookers, however, over-powered her and rushed the three to Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, where the son and the husband passed away.
When contacted, the crime officer of Takoradi Central Police station, ASP Dela Dzansi, confirmed the incident and said that the bodies were currently at the Effia Nkwanta Hospital morgue pending further investigation.
Story by Moses Dotsey Aklorbortu, Takoradi
IMMIGRATION OFFICERS ASSAULT TRADER (SPREAD)
Eight officials of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) have brutally assaulted a trader, leading to the trader losing consciousness.
The trader failed to give the officials, stationed at the Jawu-Warf Border in the Jomoro District in the Western Region, GH¢ 5.00 they had demanded.
The amount was instituted illegally by the officers.
The victim, Mr Kofi Acquah 45, has been transferred from Half-Assini Government Hospital to Effia-Nkwantah Regional Hospital due to the critical nature of his condition.
Two of the eight officers were identified as Red and Konduah, who was said to be the head of those on duty the night the incident occurred.
When the Daily Graphic news team visited the victim at the hospital, he could hardly talk, breathe or move any part of the body as he was in pain at the least movement or touch.
His colleague, Mr Yaw Owusu, who was at the hospital, told the Daily Graphic that they had been paying GH¢1.00 any time they had to cross the Wharf border to Champoom Market at Cote d’Ivoire.
However, when they got to the border last Wednesday, the officials told the traders that they had increased the tip from one to five Ghana cedis and Acquah did not have enough money to pay it.
He, however, managed to raise three Ghana cedis.
“The GH¢3.00 that Acquah offered to the officials made them so angry that they described him as arrogant and followed that up with a slap and a kick,” Owusu said.
He added that the officers beat and kicked Acquah until he fell down, without his colleagues intervening for fear of receiving the same treatment.
The victim, Mr Owusu said, became unconscious and one of the officers, known as Red, dragged him into a small room at the post.
A source within the immigration service officials at the border that night confirmed the incident, adding that when the victim asked for water after regaining consciousness, Red went and bought six sachets of water and forced the victim to drink all.
The source said that after drinking, other officials - whose names the source refused to disclose - started kicking him on the lower abdomen with their boots. As a result, the victim vomited all the water, through both his nose and mouth, and later collapsed again.
Two civilians who could not stand the sight of the torture went to his rescue. They offloaded the contents of the cargo truck they were travelling on and rushed the victim to Half-Assini Hospital.
When asked what might have brought about the violent action from the officers, an eyewitness, who was also at the hospital, told the Daily Graphic that the inability to pay the amount angered Konduah, the officer extorting the money.
When contacted, the Western Regional Commander of GIS, Mr Robert Quartey, confirmed the act and deplored it as unacceptable, adding, “I immediately dispatched my investigators to the border to assess the situation”.
“We have received several complaints of extortion at the entry points and the various service commanders in the region are working on how to flush out the bad lots,” he noted.
When asked to define the role of immigration officers at the entry points, he said “theirs is to ensure that travellers are carrying valid documents as required by the laws of the country”.
When the Daily Graphic moved to the lorry stations, some of the passengers who frequently travelled through the borders said it had become a ritual for officers at the border posts in the region to demand money and they made a lot of money from the practice.
“Can you imagine about 50 to 60 passengers in a vehicle paying GH¢1.00 each to these officers, not forgetting that hundreds of vehicles cross daily?” one trader asked. They added that “we pay because everybody pays and if you refuse to, you will be delaying other travellers who have paid”.
The trader failed to give the officials, stationed at the Jawu-Warf Border in the Jomoro District in the Western Region, GH¢ 5.00 they had demanded.
The amount was instituted illegally by the officers.
The victim, Mr Kofi Acquah 45, has been transferred from Half-Assini Government Hospital to Effia-Nkwantah Regional Hospital due to the critical nature of his condition.
Two of the eight officers were identified as Red and Konduah, who was said to be the head of those on duty the night the incident occurred.
When the Daily Graphic news team visited the victim at the hospital, he could hardly talk, breathe or move any part of the body as he was in pain at the least movement or touch.
His colleague, Mr Yaw Owusu, who was at the hospital, told the Daily Graphic that they had been paying GH¢1.00 any time they had to cross the Wharf border to Champoom Market at Cote d’Ivoire.
However, when they got to the border last Wednesday, the officials told the traders that they had increased the tip from one to five Ghana cedis and Acquah did not have enough money to pay it.
He, however, managed to raise three Ghana cedis.
“The GH¢3.00 that Acquah offered to the officials made them so angry that they described him as arrogant and followed that up with a slap and a kick,” Owusu said.
He added that the officers beat and kicked Acquah until he fell down, without his colleagues intervening for fear of receiving the same treatment.
The victim, Mr Owusu said, became unconscious and one of the officers, known as Red, dragged him into a small room at the post.
A source within the immigration service officials at the border that night confirmed the incident, adding that when the victim asked for water after regaining consciousness, Red went and bought six sachets of water and forced the victim to drink all.
The source said that after drinking, other officials - whose names the source refused to disclose - started kicking him on the lower abdomen with their boots. As a result, the victim vomited all the water, through both his nose and mouth, and later collapsed again.
Two civilians who could not stand the sight of the torture went to his rescue. They offloaded the contents of the cargo truck they were travelling on and rushed the victim to Half-Assini Hospital.
When asked what might have brought about the violent action from the officers, an eyewitness, who was also at the hospital, told the Daily Graphic that the inability to pay the amount angered Konduah, the officer extorting the money.
When contacted, the Western Regional Commander of GIS, Mr Robert Quartey, confirmed the act and deplored it as unacceptable, adding, “I immediately dispatched my investigators to the border to assess the situation”.
“We have received several complaints of extortion at the entry points and the various service commanders in the region are working on how to flush out the bad lots,” he noted.
When asked to define the role of immigration officers at the entry points, he said “theirs is to ensure that travellers are carrying valid documents as required by the laws of the country”.
When the Daily Graphic moved to the lorry stations, some of the passengers who frequently travelled through the borders said it had become a ritual for officers at the border posts in the region to demand money and they made a lot of money from the practice.
“Can you imagine about 50 to 60 passengers in a vehicle paying GH¢1.00 each to these officers, not forgetting that hundreds of vehicles cross daily?” one trader asked. They added that “we pay because everybody pays and if you refuse to, you will be delaying other travellers who have paid”.
IT'S TIME POLITICIANS AVOID EMPTY PROMISES ...Says John Mahama (PAGE 14)
MR John Dramani Mahama, the running mate to the National Democratic Congress flag bearer, Prof. J.E. Atta Mills, has observed that because of the empty promises made by some politicians, all politicians have been branded as people who make promises and do not deliver to them.
“It is about time we changed that trend to gain the confidence of the people,” he told a huge gathering of supporters in Takoradi on Saturday.
Activities in the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi were brought to a standstill when Mr Mahama arrived in the city to address the students wing of the party, Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) at the Takoradi Polytechnic, which turned out to be a street carnival and rally as other supporters and residents demanded to see him in person.
It was all happiness at the Number 9 traffic light at Effiakuma, where the students gathered to welcome and to escort him and his entourage to the campus, as the youth from other parts of the metropolis told the students that since Mr Mahama, whom they called as “Obama” belonged to all of them, he should join them too.
Addressing, the crowd, the running mate expressed shock at the level of support and said “I was invited by the student wing to witness their handing over ceremony and I did not expect to be welcomed this way and to be walked through the principal streets in the metropolis,” he said.
“The beauty of today’s event is that we did not even announce our visit, and people were not bussed in to welcome me and my team, and to get this natural and enthusiastic crowd, I can only ask for God’s blessing for all of you,” he said.
He assured the people that the NDC would ensure a positive development and halt the hardships they face.
He said it was sad that the NPP was trying to take credit for implementing constitutional provisions. “Let me tell you that the capitation grant is not something new. When the 1992 Constitution was being drafted, these were some of the inputs made by the people of Ghana, that after 10 years of the life of the Constitution, there should be Free Universal Basic, Education (FCUBE),” he said.
“From 1992 to 2002 was 10 years and it is therefore sad that when a constitutional provision put together under the NDC was implemented, the NPP decided to take credit for it,” he said.
“We in the NDC knew what was going to happen in 10 years therefore we started increasing educational facilities to accommodate the number. At the tertiary level, we increased universities from three to six, polytechnics from four to 10 and enacted a provision for private tertiary institutions to be accredited, with the establishment of the GETFund, for it to support them,” Mr Mahama added.
He said at the same time, about 264 secondary schools and 2,830 new primary schools were built, with more being constructed before the NDC left power, “Therefore let nobody deceive you that the Capitation Grant was the brain child of the NPP, it is a constitutional provision put together under the NDC."
Other speakers included Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Mr Asiedu Nketia, Mr Victor Smith and other party big wigs.
“It is about time we changed that trend to gain the confidence of the people,” he told a huge gathering of supporters in Takoradi on Saturday.
Activities in the Twin-City of Sekondi/Takoradi were brought to a standstill when Mr Mahama arrived in the city to address the students wing of the party, Tertiary Education Institutions Network (TEIN) at the Takoradi Polytechnic, which turned out to be a street carnival and rally as other supporters and residents demanded to see him in person.
It was all happiness at the Number 9 traffic light at Effiakuma, where the students gathered to welcome and to escort him and his entourage to the campus, as the youth from other parts of the metropolis told the students that since Mr Mahama, whom they called as “Obama” belonged to all of them, he should join them too.
Addressing, the crowd, the running mate expressed shock at the level of support and said “I was invited by the student wing to witness their handing over ceremony and I did not expect to be welcomed this way and to be walked through the principal streets in the metropolis,” he said.
“The beauty of today’s event is that we did not even announce our visit, and people were not bussed in to welcome me and my team, and to get this natural and enthusiastic crowd, I can only ask for God’s blessing for all of you,” he said.
He assured the people that the NDC would ensure a positive development and halt the hardships they face.
He said it was sad that the NPP was trying to take credit for implementing constitutional provisions. “Let me tell you that the capitation grant is not something new. When the 1992 Constitution was being drafted, these were some of the inputs made by the people of Ghana, that after 10 years of the life of the Constitution, there should be Free Universal Basic, Education (FCUBE),” he said.
“From 1992 to 2002 was 10 years and it is therefore sad that when a constitutional provision put together under the NDC was implemented, the NPP decided to take credit for it,” he said.
“We in the NDC knew what was going to happen in 10 years therefore we started increasing educational facilities to accommodate the number. At the tertiary level, we increased universities from three to six, polytechnics from four to 10 and enacted a provision for private tertiary institutions to be accredited, with the establishment of the GETFund, for it to support them,” Mr Mahama added.
He said at the same time, about 264 secondary schools and 2,830 new primary schools were built, with more being constructed before the NDC left power, “Therefore let nobody deceive you that the Capitation Grant was the brain child of the NPP, it is a constitutional provision put together under the NDC."
Other speakers included Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Mr Asiedu Nketia, Mr Victor Smith and other party big wigs.
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