MCs Jessica and Osei Kwame

The Citi FM Expressions of Accra came off last Saturday at the plush Alisa Hotel. The event featured seven of Ghana’s most creative fashion brands and was attended by the crème de la crème of Ghana’s fashion lovers.

Expressions of Accra 2015 was themed, ‘Fast and Furious’, and had Horseman Shoes, Sarah Christian, MAKSI Clothing, Naa Lamiley Kouture, Trap Shoes, MSimps and Chapter One Classics showing brilliant designs made from GTP fabrics.

Sarah Christian was the first to hit the runway. True to the theme for the night, Sarah Christian broke onto the runway with models decked in tulle, motorcycle helmets, capes and dark make-up. Her designs were accentuated with chunky, jagged, black foam cut to resemble icicles or arrow heads. Her line got the event started on a high and kept patrons asking for more.

Mabel Simpson (MSimps) also won the hearts of patrons with her set, which eventually ended the show. The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Arts, Abla Dzifa Gomashie, has praised MSimps for the unique designs exhibited at Citi FM’s Expressions of Accra last Saturday.

MSimps displayed a wide range of fashion accessories including handbags, laptop bags, shoes and other accessories with African print. There were equally amazing styles on display by Naa Lamiley Kouture, MAKSI Clothing and Chapter One. Horseman Shoes’ designs were brilliant and classy. Horseman Shoes once again showed that they are peerless in that market space with their well designed and crafted hand-made shoes that would rival any other world class shoe brand. The shoes made with leather and GTP fabric represented the true unrivalled Ghanaian excellence made with the craftsmanship of a passionate team.

TRAP Shoes looked very comfortable. Their sandals and slippers are the types that are made with the environment and future generations in mind. They are made with renewable materials and crafted to meet the world’s highest standard of quality and class. Together with Horseman Shoes, TRAP Shoes gave patrons a reason to give their feet a treat.

The Expressions of Accra: Fast and Furious saw Okyeame Kwame, Dark Suburb and Wiyaala entertaining guests with beautiful music.

Comedian DKB affirmed his position as the true king of Ghanaian comedy after treating the audience to a back-to-back comedy session.

Expressions of Accra was powered by Citi FM and GTP and sponsored by MenzBanc and Kupenda Condoms with support from 2^nd Image Beauty Academy and Black Secret.

Pix saved in a folder in Francis NEWS-ONE folder as

Expressions of Accra

Armiyawu Abdul-Rahim

The incumbent Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, Hon Amadu Sorogo would have to sweat it out with the former National Democratic Congress (NDC) constituency chairman of Madina electoral area, Armiyawu Abdul-Rahim in the forthcoming NDC primaries to retain his parliamentary seat.

During an outreach programme organized recently in Madina West, Tatana area, Social Welfare La Nkwantana area and Adenta West all in the Madina Constituency, Armiyawu Abdul-Rahim stressed that a new wind for change was blowing across the constituency and it was clear that the electorates would endorse him as the embodiment of that change to represent them in parliament in 2016.

He said though, other contestants, Mr. Xavier Sosu, Baba Ibrahim and the incumbent Member of Parliament Amadu Sorogo would put up stiff competition for the Madina seat, he was confident he would beat them.

Abdul-Rahim indicated that his vision for the area was to tackle youth unemployment which he would do by harnessing the President’s Youth In Agriculture policy in three sites in the constituency, specifically Pantang, Oyarifa and Teiman. He said the project when implemented would engage 1,500 youth in the constituency.

“The project would lay emphasis on agriculture mechanization and high -skill and intensive programme in poultry farming,” the aspirant stressed adding that he would seek the collaboration of companies, organizations and departments like the DIZENGOF Company of Ghana and the Crop Science Department of University of Ghana to support the programme.

Touching on security, Armiyawu Abdul-Rahim said he has already donated building materials worth GHC 3,000 for the development of the community police station at Teiman.

A GROUP of concerned natives of Sankore, a community in the Asunafo South District of the Brong Ahafo Region has petitioned President John Dramani Mahama and the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan, to transfer two top security handlers of the Brong Ahafo Region without delay.

The group wants Eric Opoku, the regional minister and DCOP. Maxwell Atingane, regional police commander, replaced for their inability to professionally maintain law and order in the region especially in the Asunafo South District.

In a petition, copies of which were dispatched to the National Peace Council and National Security, the incensed natives of Sankore and other communities bemoaned the high rate of atrocities being perpetrated against innocent citizens in the locality with impunity.

Violent crimes including the murder of a broadcast journalist, King George Abanga, had been perpetrated in the area in the last few months with most of the hoodlums escaping arrest.

On July 3, 2015, one Eric Asubonteng was reportedly severely assaulted and was hospitalized at the Green Shield Hospital at Sefwi Dwenase. Even though one arrest was made the suspect was allegedly released shortly.

Similarly, on August 5, and 19, 2015, one Donyina Kwame, a teacher, and Albert Forkuo were attacked but no arrests were made. Several of such cases had been reported to the police but no suspect had been punished to serve as a deterrent to others.

The group led by Benjamin Adu-Twum, Sakyi Bismark and Osei Bonsu accused the regional police commander and the minister of doing very little to fish out the criminals to face prosecution, and to protect lives and property.

In the opinion of the petitioners, the lackadaisical attitudes of the two key security managers of the region, has given impetus to public suspicion that the criminals were supporters of the minister.

They are therefore appealing to President Mahama and the IGP to set up an independent team to investigate the security situation of the area, arrest and prosecute the perpetrators for retention of calm.

FROM James Quansah, Kumasi

The Inspector General Of Police, Mohammed Ahmed Alhassan yesterday cut the sod for the construction of a permanent office accommodation for the Police Intelligence and Professional Standards unit (PIPS) headquarters within the Nima Divisional Command yard in Accra with a reiteration that his administration will not relent in its efforts to maintain professional standards in law enforcement.

The IGP therefore called on “our partners and the general public to assist the Service at all times in this direction” adding that the law enforcement agency will team up with the public to ensure police accountability and effectiveness.

While explaining the importance of PIPS in ensuring the maintenance of professional standards, he said there is no clash between it and the proposed Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC).

“In spite of the envisaged IPCC, the Police will still need PIPS for its internal disciplinary mechanism” he said, explaining that in countries where the commission is operative, it exists side by side with an internal police complaint unit, conduct and discipline unit or professional standards unit.

As a police watchdog, the IPCC handles complaints made against the Police when integrity of the police is in doubt, he said, adding that the unit deals with more serious cases such as death in custody, shootings and other matters of public concern.

“The commission does not oust the powers of the law enforcement institution because its functions were clearly cut,” he explained.

A permanent office accommodation for PIPS, he said, would ensure an increase in the number of personnel it needs to function effectively and have all the complements of a directorate which is what PIPS. The location, Nima, he said, was to ensure ease of accessibility for complainants and for it to operate in a non-intimidating environment.

The Director-General of PIPS, COP Joana Osei-Poku who initiated the construction of the project received accolades from the IGP who asked that those in leadership should emulate her.

She lamented the constraints suffered by PIPS such as the inadequacy of office accommodation. The challenges notwithstanding, she disclosed that “in 2013 and 2014, a total of 788 and 1092 cases respectively were received from the public.”

The dominant cases, she said, was unprofessional handling of cases, unfair treatment and undue delay of investigation. “This increase of 66%, I believe, was primarily as a result of growing public awareness and confidence in PIPS” she said.

It is envisaged, she said, the project would be completed within the next few years and in addition disclosed that PIPS would have offices in all the eleven police regions across the country. “This will make PIPS more accessible to the public, and reduce the inconvenience of travelling long distances to file complaints” she said.

The PIPS is housed in an old Asylum Down bungalow in Accra. Various organizations such as Tobinco, National Insurance Commission, Commercial Quarries, Nexans Kabelmetal Ltd and many others have contributed towards the project.

The IGP was joined at the ceremony by top Police officers such as COP Rose Bio-Atenga, COP Kudalor, the Greater Accra Regional Commander, Christian Yohunu and his deputy ACP Yoosa Bonga among others.

By A.R. Gomda

President of Ga-Dangme Concerned Youth Group, Nii Ayaafio Tetteh I, has called on Ga-Dangmes to unite.

According to the outspoken leader, no nation or community can develop without unity.

He, therefore, called on Dangmes in particular and Ghanaians in general to bury their differences to promote peace in the country.

Speaking at a special awards ceremony to honour traditional leaders in Nungua, including Nungua Gborbu Wulomor Shitse, overlord of Nungua, Nummo Borketey Larweh, La Kpa Wulormor, Numo Yemo Obroni and Numo Gbelenfo, Osu Wulomo, the president of the association said, “Unity  and development are bedfellows, we can do little when we are divided, but when we stand united, we become unbeatable.

“I want to sincerely thank all the traditional leaders from Nungua, La and the other communities for ensuring a successful and peaceful Homowo celebration.

“We are presenting these citations and other awards to you. You have outstanding leadership qualities, and I believe this will encourage us all to carve for peace. You ensured that peace prevailed during the festive season.

“We heard of confusion during the celebration of the festive season in some areas, but we are proud to say you ensured a peaceful celebration of the season and will no doubt bond us together as a people.

“We are our own enemies. When a Ga realizes his brother is making progress in life, he tries to frustrate him, but that can’t be said about our Akan brothers. In the past, neighbours exchanged food not because they couldn’t cook, but it was beautiful and healthy. Let’s remain united, let’s esteem unity and I believe we will achieve a lot as a people.”

The recognized chiefs also expressed gratitude to Nii Ayaafio for his efforts in promoting peace in the country, as well as recognizing the efforts of personalities, who are excelling in their respective fields of endeavour.

Jerome Champagne has officially entered the FIFA presidential election race to succeed Sepp Blatter.

The former deputy general secretary of FIFA is the fourth official candidate for the election, which is scheduled to take place on February 26.

“I sent my application letter and eight nomination letters to FIFA on Monday night,” Champagne, a French former diplomat, told The Associated Press in an interview ahead of launching his bid for football’s top job on Friday.

“It’s an exciting mission,” said the onetime FIFA international relations director, who has sent a 7-page manifesto to FIFA’s 209-member federations.

Champagne’s detailed document includes plans to modernise how the embattled governing body is run, fight inequality – including cuts to European places at FIFA and the World Cup – and to trial the use of video review to help referees.

Champagne campaigned for the previous election, won in May by his former boss and ally Sepp Blatter, but did not get the required backing of five members to be a candidate.

He now joins Michel Platini, Prince Ali bin al-Hussein and David Nakhid, a former Trinidad and Tobago player, in meeting Monday’s deadline to apply for the February emergency election. More contenders are set to stand.

Platini, who helped force Champagne’s exit from FIFA in 2010, is suspended by the FIFA ethics committee and unlikely to be accepted as a candidate. The UEFA president is appealing against his ban for taking a $2m salary payment nine years after he worked as Blatter’s personal adviser.

Corruption scandal

Blatter, who is also suspended for paying Platini from FIFA funds in 2011, called the election amid a deepening corruption crisis in June. He announced his planned exit just four days after winning re-election despite FIFA then being subject to American and Swiss criminal investigations of bribery and suspected money-laundering.

Champagne gets a second chance to lead FIFA because of the scandals.

“The difference is all that has happened since May 27,” he said, recalling the day two FIFA vice presidents were among seven officials arrested at hotels in Zurich and FIFA offices were raided for evidence.

“[Voters] want someone who knows how FIFA functions – for the good and for the bad,” said Champagne, who was not linked to personal corruption during and since his 11 years working at FIFA. “It’s a unique opportunity to restore FIFA and to continue what has been done correctly in 111 years.”

Champagne chimed with current ideas to reform FIFA by suggesting a 12-year limit on all elected positions, quotas to ensure women are represented on all football bodies worldwide and “open and competitive” bidding for all commercial contracts.

Development in poorer football nations is another priority, and Champagne has long argued against Europe’s concentration of wealth and players from across the world.

He set a target of building 400 artificial turf pitches worldwide within four years, partly funded by spending less of FIFA’s $1bn-plus annual revenue on running costs.

Reducing use of private charter jets could help meet a five percent cost-cutting target, Champagne suggested.

Up to 10 new FIFA member nations could be accepted, from Caribbean and Pacific islands and Kosovo, where Champagne has advised football officials since leaving FIFA.

Champagne also met with Issa Hayatou, the interim FIFA president from Cameroon who can influence many of the 54 African voters.

“We have to accept that continents are not united,” said Champagne, who cautioned against seeking bloc votes from FIFA’s six confederations.

Champagne said he sent spent “a little less than” 50,000 euros ($55,000) of his own money on the first campaign, and does not yet have major financial backers lined up. He pledged transparency in identifying any that come forward.

Source: AP

Police chief Niclas Hallgren said they had based their conclusion on what was found at the killer’s apartment and “his behaviour during the act”.

Media reports suggest the 21-year-old attacker had far-right sympathies.

Armed with a sword and wearing a helmet and mask, he stormed a school in Trollhattan, near Gothenburg, before being shot dead by police.

“We can confirm that this was a racially motivated hate crime partially because the man chose his victims based on the colour of their skin,” Mr Hallgren told Swedish Radio.

The helmet he wore was similar to German World War Two soldiers’ helmets.

He was seen posing for a photograph with students, who thought he was dressed for Halloween, before going from classroom to classroom at the Kronan School.

A teacher and 17-year-old boy died from stab wounds, while another male student, 15, and 41-year-old teacher remain in serious condition in hospital.

The attacker’s name has not yet been released by police, though they say he was local to Trollhattan. He did not have a criminal record, police say.

The Swedish daily Expressen and other Swedish media named him as Anton Lundin Pettersson, aged 21.

He had allegedly joined a campaign to push for a referendum on whether Sweden should continue accepting migrants.

Sweden has reacted with shock to the killings. Before visiting the scene of the attack, Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said it was a “black day” for the country.

“School is supposed to be the place for learning, play and curiosity and friendship and therefore this is a tragedy that affects the whole country,” Mr Lofven told reporters.

King Carl Gustaf said he was “in shock” and that he had learned of the events in Trollhattan “with great dismay and sorrow”.

Dozens of people gathered outside the school building on Thursday evening to pay their respects to the victims and place flowers and candles on the ground.

Some residents of the town who were holding a vigil held up posters that read “why kill?”

‘A loner’

Swedish media reports say the suspect’s accounts on Facebook and YouTube suggest he had an interest in Hitler and Nazi Germany, as well as hostility to Islam and immigration.

“He was a loner. He played video games, lived in his own world,” a former classmate told Expressen.

Eyewitnesses described scenes of chaos, with the attacker knocking on the doors of at least two classrooms and attacking two male students who opened them. One of the boys later succumbed to his injuries.

None of the victims have been identified by police.

Laith Alazze, 14, told Sweden’s TV4 that one of his friends walked over to the assailant to challenge him “but when we saw he stabbed [the teacher], we ran away”.

Another student told the same station that the attacker, who along with the mask was clad in black, “walked sort of like a soldier with a sword in his hand”.

Police were alerted to the attack at around 10:10 local time (08:10 GMT) on Thursday, and later gunned down the attacker in the hallway outside a classroom.

The Kronan school has about 400 students aged between six and 15, including many children of immigrants.

Trollhattan is an industrial town in west Sweden, located about 75km (50 miles) north of Gothenburg, the nation’s second largest city.

School attacks are rare in Sweden – with just one incident on record in the past 20 years, in which one pupil was shot dead.

BBC

Government’s 1.5 billion cedi 3 year fixed rate bond issued yesterday 22nd October, 205 was undersubscribed.

Government raised less than the targeted 1.5 billion cedis it was looking for on the local market. It sold 995 million cedis of the three year notes with a yield  24.5 percent. Investors offered 1.3 billion cedis of bids with yields between 23 and 26 percent.

The auction comes days after government issued a 1 billion dollar Eurobond at a coupon rate of 10.75 percent.

The 3 year fixed rate bond which was available to both resident and non-resident investors was Ghana cedi denominated, and was issued at par.

Proceeds from the bond will be used to restructure Government of Ghana debt and for maturity settlement. Earlier the Group CEO of Ideal Finance, Dr Nii Kotei Dzani warned the auctioning of the bond will expose the economy to further risks. According to Dr. Nii Kotei Dzani government must as a matter of urgency desist from borrowing from the domestic market as that has contributed to the high unemployment in the country.

Speaking to Citi Business News Dr Nii Kotei Dzani said the government should rather concentrate on increasing revenue.

Source: Citifmonline.com

The strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Americas is bearing down on Mexico’s Pacific coast, threatening a “potentially catastrophic” landfall.

Mexican authorities have begun evacuating residents ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Patricia.

The storm is comparable to Typhoon Haiyan, which killed 6,300 people in the Philippines in 2013, the World Meteorological Organization says.

A state of emergency has been declared in three states in Patricia’s path.

The category five hurricane is expected to make landfall on Friday afternoon or evening, with winds of 200mph (325km/h).

The US National Hurricane Center said Patricia was “potentially catastrophic” and the strongest storm it had recorded in the eastern Pacific or the Atlantic.

Some 400,000 people live in vulnerable areas, according to Mexico’s National Disaster Fund.

The hurricane, which will bring torrential rain, could trigger flash floods and mudslides, the US centre said.

It also warned of potential flooding from the sea and destructive waves.

The hurricane’s winds are strong enough “to get a plane in the air and keep it flying”, World Meteorological Organization spokeswoman Claire Nullis said.

BBC Earth explains: What is a hurricane?

According to forecasters, Patricia will make landfall in the western state of Jalisco, home to the resort town of Puerto Vallarta, which could lie directly in its path.

Schools have been closed in Jalisco, Colima and Guerrero states.

Shelters that can accommodate 259,000 people are available, the government says.

Shop owners in Manzanillo, a major port in neighbouring Colima state, have begun boarding up windows.

“[It’s] better to be safe than sorry. Hurricanes are unpredictable,” furniture store manager Enrique Esparza told AFP news agency.

Residents have also begun stocking up on food and other supplies.

Heavy rains often lead to flooding in the town, said Alejandra Rodriguez, who was shopping at Wal-Mart in Manzanillo with her brother and mother.

“It ends up like an island,” she said.

Mexico has to deal with tropical storms arriving from both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans at this time of year.

-BBC

Bede Ziedeng

A former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has claimed that he is not the former minister who allegedly solicited the services of a lady believed to be a prostitute and ended up losing his Ford 4×4 vehicle in Accra.

Even though DAILY GUIDE’s publication of Thursday, October 15, 2015 did not disclose the name of the said minister, Bede Ziedeng, who is currently a deputy director of elections for the NDC and former Northern Regional Minister, has written a rejoinder seeking to set the records straight.

Mr. Ziedeng, who is reportedly lacing his boots to contest the Lawra seat on the ticket of the NDC, wrote and signed the rejoinder dated October 17.

“I wish to state that I am not the said former Northern Regional Minister,” he insisted, adding, “Indeed, I have never owned or even used a Ford 4×4 vehicle, neither have I ever slept in a hotel at Pig Farm, Accra, in which the incident took place.

“My attention has been drawn to a publication in your esteemed newspaper of October 15, 2015 edition with the caption: ‘Prostitute robs minister in hotel.”In the said publication, it was alleged that a former Northern Regional Minister solicited the services of a lady believed to be a prostitute, and ended up losing his Ford 4×4 vehicle in Accra.

I hope you will give this rejoinder the same prominence you gave your earlier publication.”

Initial Publication

In the initial publication, DAILY GUIDE had stated that the former minister (name withheld) allegedly took the lady to a hotel at Pig Farm, an Accra suburb, where she identified herself as Abigail Asiedu and stole the vehicle with the help of her boyfriend, identified as Bashiru Ishmael, who is currently at large.

Police reports indicated that Abigail, who targets high-profile personalities, had used this modus operandi to steal more than eight vehicles from her clients.

Purportedly operating together with Bashiru Ishmael and Nuhu Adams – also at large – Abigail reportedly changes the vehicles’ number plates before selling them.

All the stolen vehicles had since been retrieved by the police, with the exception of one.

Information gathered at the hotel indicated that the former minister checked in with Abigail that fateful day and after some rounds of sexual affairs, the two decided to relax for some time before leaving the place.

Upon realising that her client was tired and deeply asleep, Abigail allegedly sneaked out of the room with the keys of the vehicle and together with Bashiru Ishmael, she allegedly drove the vehicle from the compound.

The former minister, who later discovered that the lady was not in the room, became suspicious and immediately went out to look for her only to realise that his vehicle was not parked at where it was.

A report was lodged with the police immediately.

DCOP Christian Tetteh Yohunu, the Accra Regional Police Commander, who briefed the media, said Abigail met the client on social media and on August 30, 2015 they met at Pig Farm, where they decided to go to a nearby hotel to relax.

Abigail and Bashiru Ishmael, DCOP Yohunu asserted, had earlier been arrested by the Baatsona, Sakumono and Dahwenya police this year for using the same method to snatch a Honda Civic CRV, Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Camry from some people.

All the vehicles had been retrieved except the Toyota Camry with registration number GT-694-10.

Police report also indicated that Abigail, whose real name is Habiba Abubakar, uses multiple names to swindle her targets.

The regional commander narrated that Abigail sometimes uses Abigail Fatimatu Adamu to operate.

During police interrogation, Abigail reportedly confessed that she conspired with her boyfriend, Ishmael Bashiru, to steal the vehicle but when Ishmael got wind of her arrest, he went into hiding.

Abigail again mentioned Nuhu Adams as the receiver of the stolen vehicles, and led the police to his house at Ashaiman but he was absent.  When contacted on phone, he abandoned the stolen vehicle on the Tema Motorway and fled, according to the police officer.

Efforts are underway to arrest them.

By William Yaw Owusu

The National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Paul Awentami Afoko, has been suspended from the position indefinitely.

The decision was taken at an emergency meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) yesterday at the Asylum Down national headquarters.

A statement issued by the party and signed by its Communications Director, Nana Akomea, claimed that “At its meeting today, Friday, 23 October, 2015, the National Executive Committee unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the National Disciplinary Committee.”

It followed a petition by the Council of Elders of the NPP to the Committee amidst allegations of misconduct and other charges including breaches of the party’s constitution.

Mr Afoko was also accused of trading internal party affairs in the media, contrary to laid down procedures of the NPP.

Procedure

NEC therefore asked the Disciplinary Committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the constitutional breaches and to give appropriate recommendations to promote discipline, peace, order, harmony and progress in the party towards election 2016; and if possible, suspend Mr Afoko from office until after the 2016 elections.

But after several attempts by the Committee to get Mr Afoko to appear before it had failed, the Disciplinary Committee submitted its report to the Executive Committee on October 21, 2015 recommending the suspension of the man from the party indefinitely.

Per the provisions of the NPP Constitution, Mr Afoko has 14 days to appeal against the decision if he so wishes.

Yesterday’s NEC meeting was therefore said to be a one-item event.

Not a single member of the meeting was said to have dissented the decision, therefore making it unanimous.

Per the provisions of the NPP’s Constitution, the party’s First Vice Chairman, Freddie Blay, has been asked to act in Afoko’s stead as National Chairman.

Even though the meeting was preceded by an attempt by a group calling itself ‘Bolgatanga Bulldogs’ to prevent NEC from sitting, its action was foiled by the ‘Invincible Forces’ – the party’s official security detail stationed at the headquarters.

Facts

Information has it that on all four occasions that the Committee sat over the issue, Mr Afoko failed to show up, even though he was asked to appear before it with his counsel if he so desired.

Members of the Committee at one of its meetings therefore gave Mr Afoko an October 21, 2015 deadline to appear before it to answer certain questions or they would determine his fate by sending their recommendations to the National Council of the party for action.

On all occasions that he had been invited, he was said to have given one excuse after the other as to why he could not show up and had often sent someone to represent him.

Excuses

On the first day of the hearing – 16th September, 2015 – the Committee reportedly took the evidence of the complainants (Council of Elders) down to be made available to Mr Afoko at the next sitting so he could interrogate his accusers.

But when it met again on 22nd September, 2015 expecting the NPP Chairman to be in attendance, he did not turn up.

Instead, he was said to have sent a letter dated 16th September, 2015 saying: “I lost my father and I am in the middle of finalising the necessary customary final funeral rites for him. This may take me to the end of September 2015.”

The Committee was therefore said to have responded by expressing its condolences and adjourned sitting to 6th October, 2015.

But when the day came, he again did not show up.

He was said to have sent two lawyers, Martin Kpebu and Dr Peter Atupare, to represent him.

Afoko’s lawyers were then said to have asked for a date to come along with their client, with Dr Atupare specifically asking for the sitting to be on Monday, 12th October, 2015 after consulting his diary and his colleague. The Committee duly agreed and adjourned sitting.

Again when the day came, Mr Afoko failed to honour the invitation.

He reportedly sent one of his lawyers, Kpebu, to present a medical report signed on 11th October, 2015 by one Dr A.A. Afoko, said to be an urologist at the Tamale Teaching Hospital, with diagnosis of cervical spondylosis, leading to the postponement of the meeting to October 21, 2015

It later emerged that Mr Afoko, who failed to appear before the Committee, was chairing a Steering Committee meeting at the Airport West Hotel.

This was what was said to have informed the Committee’s decision to issue a caveat for the NPP National Chairman to either show up or have his fate determined on October 21, 2015, which came to pass.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

Malam Fari, the man arrested with a pistol at the NPP headquarters yesterday

A gunman was arrested by the private security detail at the New Patriotic Party (NPP) headquarters yesterday during the melee which ensued at the place when a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting was about to take place.

The melee was a premeditated or even choreographed operation by a raiding band of thugs intended to stall the crucial meeting to consider a Disciplinary Committee report on the now suspended Party National Chairman, Paul Afoko, by the NEC.

Malam Fari, who was identified as an errand boy of the now suspended Chairman of the NPP, is said to be a resident of Kasoa near Accra.

He had in his possession a powerful American automatic Titan II caliber 32 pistol which perhaps but for his disarming by the party headquarters security men, he could have fired.

Malam Fari with the police at the NPP headquarters yesterday

Subsequent checks showed that the firearm was not registered as required by law.

Considering the cost of purchasing such a firearm, many have made conjectures about the ownership of the Miami, Florida-made pistol whose automatic firing feature makes it ideal for close quarter fighting or in a defensive role.

Information having leaked already about the meeting, the thugs, suspected to be a group called Bolgatanga Bulldogs, had been engaged by someone to go on a mission to disrupt it by storming the main yard. Unfortunately for them, they were repelled by a waiting private security group affectionately called the Invincible Forces, making the work of the police who turned up later easier.

The weapon was found only when he was arrested and searched, as if by intuition.

By the time law and order was restored, a motorbike had been set ablaze and a taxi suspected of carrying some of the thugs, was destroyed by unidentified persons in the ensuing melee.

The Invincible Forces had seen previous actions when attacking thugs were repelled by them.

Earlier, another group tried but failed to enter the party headquarters annex at Kokomlemle to disrupt a meeting by the Disciplinary Committee when it was meeting on a similar subject.

It turned out that the thugs were hired from notorious suburbs in Accra and not from the north as those behind their engagement sought to impress and hype.

By A.R. Gomda

Ghana is on course to establishing fire stations in every district of the country. The Volta Region is close to having 80% coverage in that direction and we are pleased to learn that even in the face of budgetary constraints, fire tenders continue to be acquired for this important service.

We have been constrained to discuss the subject of fire fighting and prevention against the backdrop of the call by the Chief Fire Office, Brown Gaisie, on Ghanaians to change a new leaf in their attitude towards fire.

Fire attitude is one area most Ghanaians are found lacking. From policymakers to the man in the alley of the neighbourhood, we all must change our attitudes towards fire.

Town and country planners must take into consideration the importance of access to fire tenders so that in case of fire the firefighting equipment would not be hindered in any way from performing their roles.

There have been many instances where fire tenders failed to discharge their functions on time, leading to avoidable destruction and sometimes loss of lives because of such hindrance.

Sometimes even when such accesses are included in the town and country plans, they are ignored with impunity because those in-charge of ensuring that they are protected fail to live up to expectation. Very soon, therefore, these places are littered with all manner of structures.

We as a people never consider such little but very important things because we think that there will never be fires near us. It is only when such mishaps occur that we remember the Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS) and perhaps the admonitions personnel give us.

Our roads are constructed in such a way that in most cases fire tenders and ambulances are unable to meander their way through the traffic jams – the feature of urban roads in our part of the world.

Even when fire tenders have their sirens blaring, only a few vehicles show the urgency required to facilitate passage for the tenders.

Now that our streets are being named, we think that the challenge of locating fire scenes through pedantic directions would soon be a thing of the past. It is only a hope because there does not seem to be any conscious efforts on the part of the people to learn the names of their streets and to apply them.

Periodic display of telephone numbers of fire stations near us in the newspapers would be helpful. Currently, most people would depend on the police to contact the nearest fire stations in case of emergency, which is awful.

The issue of fire hydrants at vantage points in our cities, especially Accra, has not been solved and so when there is a major fire outbreak, fire tenders are compelled to cover precious extra distances to draw water.

Sometimes people call the fire services only for such calls to turn out to be hoaxes.

We take things for granted to the extent that people in some neighbourhoods, for lack of where to drop their domestic garbage, set fires by the street-side regardless of how combustible the materials they burn are.

Dr Brown Gaisie’s call for change in our attitude towards fire even as he continues to sue for the establishment of more fire stations across the country should be digested seriously.

The Accra Regional police have apprehended a 28-year-old trench digger who is alleged to have stolen about 20 electricity cables on the Tema Motorway.

Osmanu Razak was apprehended while in the process of removing the cables buried underground.

This has reportedly plunged the Motorway into total darkness as street lights are no more functioning.

The miscreant is now in police custody assisting in investigations.

Briefing the media at the scene of the purported crime, ACP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, Deputy Accra Regional Police Commander, said the police for some time now, had realized the rampant stealing and destruction of electricity and telephone cables in the Accra metropolis by unidentified persons.

He said on October 21, 2015 around   4am, police received information that someone was busily digging under one of the electricity poles on the Tema Motorway.

The command acted swiftly and dispatched a team of police personnel to the area.

On arrival, ACP Yoosa Bonga said, the team met Razak busily digging out the underground cables connecting the electricity poles, and was immediately arrested.

Police also retrieved a shovel, mattock and pick axe used by him for the illegal operation.

The police later discovered that the miscreant had stolen cables connecting about 20 electricity poles in the area.

According to ACP Timothy Yoosa Bonga, upon interrogation, Razak admitted digging out the electricity cables and added that he normally sold them to scrap dealers.

The deputy regional commander said however, that the Electricity Company Ghana (ECG) was yet to be informed for the estimation of the damage caused.

(lindatenyah@gmail.com)

By Linda Tenyah-Ayettey

On 26-08-2014 the Ghanaian Times reported that:

QUOTE: Education Minister Prof Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has asked heads and teachers of basic schools to desist from the use of the English language as the sole medium of instruction in the classrooms. Heads of basic schools, she noted, introduced English Language too early, making it difficult to prepare students adequately for higher academic learning. She therefore urged teachers to use the local languages as [the] medium of instruction in the classroom and gradually introduce the English language after the local language had been fully developed. [She said this] at a ceremony to mark the beginning of the assessment teachers for the 2014 National Best Teachers Award.

UNQUOTE

This must have come as a bolt from the sky to many teachers. For they had been told the exact opposite of this by the “experts” who made policy in years gone by. A major debate had in fact taken place in the country, in the immediate pre-independence years, before it was decided that English should be made the medium of instruction in schools.

The fashionable idea, at the time, had been that since all governmental business was conducted in English, children should be helped to acquire English as early as possible in their educational careers. The earlier the children were exposed to English (it was argued), the easier it would be for teachers to build on what they had acquired in earlier life, to provide them with the mastery of the language that would enable them to function effectively in either the public services or the commercial field – after leaving school.

Unhappily, this objective has not been achieved. Over the past half century, the standard of the English served to the public by civil servants, the spokespersons for commercial houses, journalists and teachers, has steadily deteriorated. I often wonder why this is so.

If I were asked to guess, I would say that perhaps those who award certificates and degrees no longer place as much store on the language in which knowledge is expressed, as they do on the content of the subjects written about. If this is so, the institutions are doing their students a disservice. For apart from a few very specialised subjects that have their own peculiar means of expression, knowledge is best expressed with a good command of language – in our case, English. After all, we do need to win respect for our educational system whenever we open our mouths in public – and it is English that comes out – or a version of it!

Now, if it has become evident that a good of mastery of English is not one of our recognisable assets – despite using English as our medium of instruction in schools – then the logical thing to do is to find out how we can improve that situation, and not to embark on yet another change.

The principal source of our weakness in English is undoubtedly the unavailability of the materials that can help children and young adults to absorb good English. These include easily-grasped grammar books and enjoyable reading matter, above all else. Once a child finds out that reading can be a great pleasure, the job is done. Through reading, he/she will subconsciously absorb the use of idioms, detect shades of meanings in words; and even recognise striking passages that can be memorised.

What has the Ministry of Education been doing to prevent the products of our educational system from obtaining such a poor mastery of English? We do know that education is so low on the government’s list of priorities that even writing chalk is sometimes absent from schools! Exercise books and reading material are also not easily available. Yet the ministry now intends – apparently – to embark on another change of policy, which is bound to make serious demands on its resources. Is that wise?

The Minister of Education broached the subject in August 2014 – that is, 14 solid months ago. Nothing has been done to consult the nation on whether this would be a good policy change or not. Yet, on 16 October 2015, the minister stated again that:

QUOTE: “Ghana would very soon change the use of English as a medium of instruction in school. Prof Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang largely blamed the inability of the educated working class to develop the nation, to the language used in teaching them in schools.

The minister, who was part of [a]… “Shared Prosperity Forum”… indicated that she was determined to push through the language policy at the highest level so that school children can be thought in their mother tongue. UNQUOTE

Several participants to the forum came from countries whose education achievements are considerable. I wonder whether any of them bothered to tell their hostess that changes to an educational system must not be made in a capricious manner but must be the result of protracted studies by experts, after which the changes must be sold to the public.

If the foreign participants were conversant with Ghana’s educational system, they would have marvelled at the fact that the Ministry of Education, which is still being blamed for a lowering of standards resulting from its last major change of policy – the shoving aside of the traditional primary and secondary school systems – should be contemplating a change in the system again, instead of concentrating on mending its loopholes.

If the minister were operating in say, the UK, she would first issue a consultation [“Green”] paper, get comments on it, refer the comments to a committee of experts, hear their views, and then invite the public to discuss the conclusions reached by the experts.

This sort of consultation would necessarily take a considerable length of time, but its results would represent a national consensus.

If the minister pushes through her ideas – and with an election approaching in about a year, how can she organise a national consensus? – all that will happen is that the well-to-do elite and middle class in Ghanaian society will continue to pay heavy fees to private schools and leave the public schools to become even worse than they are. And the divisions in Ghanaian society, already marked by a clear, economic, class system, will only be more sharply accentuated.

www.cameronduodu.com

By CAMERON DUODU

Executives of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the Brong Ahafo Region have reacted angrily to the Sunyani Omanhene’s call on the people of the region to give President Mahama 70-80 percent votes in the 2016 general elections.

Addressing a press conference at the party’s regional office on Thursday in reaction to Nana Bosoma Asor Nkrawire’s appeal, the regional chairman of the party, Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh said the Omanhene had contravened the 1992 Constitution which prohibits chiefs from engaging in active politics.

He said the Omanhene stoop so low by campaigning for the NDC, adding that the party in particular and members of the general public had lost respect for him.

Nana Bosoma Asor, at a public gathering to honour President John Mahama, who was on his tour of #Changing Lives,’ promised him 80 percent of votes in the region come 2016.

“The 80 percent is a promise. Other regions can promise 50 percent but we are going to give you 80 percent,” the chief said.

According to the regional chairman, the Omanhene has jurisdiction in parts of Sunyani and not the entire region.

“Nana Aso Nkrawire is not even the President of Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs so we wonder if other chiefs in the region are in agreement with his pronouncement.

“The Omanhene of Sunyani Traditional Area is not the President of Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs and granted if he is, he does not have the capacity to decide for other chiefs or the people of Brong Ahafo.  Even at his own palace 70–80 percent votes in the general elections in 2016 will not be available for President John Dramani Mahama,” he stressed.

“What we find appalling unbelievable is the fact that a 10 kilometre stretch of uncompleted road could induce a chief of his standing to promise 70–80 percent votes for the President in the Brong Ahafo region. Does Nana expect his authority to be respected?” he quizzed.

Explaining further, the NPP’s regional chairman said developmental projects undertaken by ex-President Kufour during his tenure are unsurpassed.

Mr. Asomah-Cheremeh advised the chief to wear the paraphernalia of the NDC and campaign for Mahama.

He said the Omanhene’s pronouncement clearly showed he had no regard for the laws of the land.

The president, he said, toured the regions to counteract Nana Akufo-Addo’s recent ‘Rise and Build’ tour, which was successful.

The NPP guru asked Nana Asor Nkawire to highlight the untold hardship that Mahama’s administration had imposed on the people of the region and the general insecurity that led to the death of Seikwa Omanhene.

According to him, President Mahama commissioned new Community day Senior High Schools (SHSs) in some regions and ignored the Brong Ahafo region.

He could not fathom why the Omanhene ignored the deprivation in the region.

danielyaodyee@yahoo.com

From Daniel Yao Dayee, Sunyani

Professor V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe

A five-member body has been set up by the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana to receive petitions and calls from some political parties, civil society groups and a number of Ghanaians for a new voters’ register.

Others have called for an audit of the voters’ register, all with a view to ensuring a credible voters’ register for 2016 and beyond.

According to the EC, in order to assure a transparent and accountable process for examining and determining the petitions, it has assembled a Panel of Eminent Ghanaians to hold a two-day public hearing on the issue.

The hearings will take place on Thursday and Friday, the 29th and 30th of October, 2015 at Alisa Hotel, North Ridge, Accra from 10:00hrs to 13:00hrs and 14:00hrs to 17:00hrs daily.

The Panel of five will conduct the hearings in a free, transparent, fair and objective manner. The hearings will also be broadcast live on radio, television and on the internet for the benefit of Ghanaians who cannot attend but wish to follow the proceedings. The findings and recommendations of the Panel will be presented to the EC for final decision and communication to the public.

The Panel is made up of:

a. His Lordship Professor V.C.R.A.C. Crabbe, Co-Chair of the Coalition for Domestic Election Observers, (CODEO), former Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana, former Professor of Law, and former Electoral Commissioner of Ghana;
b. Most Reverend Professor Emmanuel Asante, former Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church of Ghana and Chairman of the National Peace Council;
c. Dr. Grace Bediako, a former Government Statistician and former member of the National Development Planning Commission;
d. Dr. Nii Narku Quaynor, a renowned computer scientist, Chairman of the National Information Technology Agency (NITA) Board of Directors, and President of the Internet Society of Ghana; and
e. Maulvi Bin Salih, Ameer of the Ahmadiyya Mission of Ghana.

Any person or institution interested in attending the Forum should please contact the undersigned for an invitation. The schedule for presentations at the Forum will be circulated prior to the Forum to all who made submissions to the EC and are scheduled to make presentations.

The EC, in the discharge of its constitutional mandate to run free, fair and credible elections, assures the people of Ghana of its commitment to undertake its solemn duty dispassionately.

Mention the phrase –“prosperity gospel”, and you will immediately come up to a near-explosive controversy between the old Christian fogeys (the Christian conservatives) and the charismatics.

Over what? Well, over just the question whether the prosperity gospel being preached by several charismatic pastors is in line with orthodox Bible teachings. Or, as the Christian conservatives bluntly put it, whether Christ preached prosperity or poverty? Christian conservatives charge that the charismatic churches’ undue stress on prosperity, especially to the effect that every church member should be preoccupied with positive thoughts on prosperity and with positive prayers for abundance of wealth and success is rather unbiblical, worldly and misleading.

“This teaching is misguided” one old fundamentalist remarked, “it tends to fine-tune the mind away from spiritual things to the acquisition of material gains. And this goes against what Christ taught about –a Christian’s ready acceptance of poverty and sufferings. This preaching will certainly prevent its believers from going to heaven”, he concluded. Some time ago, the Editorial of the Christian Messenger expressed similar sentiments, actually rejecting this prosperity gospel and correlating it with materialistic lifestyle.

But charismatic (or prosperity gospellers) fiercely rebut this conservative contention and argue that since the prosperity concept deals with the question of health, wealth and life, it is the very thing that Christ preached. For instance, so it is argued by charismatics, Christ’s preaching seen in John 10:10 that “I have come that they may have life and have it more abundantly”, is ample evidence of His prosperity preachings. Charismatics hold that “abundant life” is synonymous with both spiritual and material sufficiency, which means richness in spiritual graces as well as in material things.

If this contention of the charismatics is accepted in its entirety, then one can unmistakably make two inferences. Firstly, that the prosperity concept (with its Biblical phrase ‘abundant-life’) is one which was preached by Christ, and is therefore scriptural. Secondly, since the conservatives’ view of the prosperity gospel is one which is solely material (excluding its spiritual dimensions) they, the conservatives, can be said to be arguing narrow-mindedly or partially, and therefore their exegetical conception of ‘prosperity’ is partial and therefore wrong!

The second argument that the prosperity gospel has no solid Biblical precedents is again rebuffed by prosperity gospellers who contend that several of the old prophets preached prosperity. Examples are that Moses promised prosperity to God’s followers, as can be found in Deuteronomy 28:11, and the ‘you-will-be-prosperous” covenant in Joshua 1:8; and also the Holy Spirit’s prosperity reassurances in David’s Psalm 1:3.

Here again, it is disputed by charismatics that if it is really believed that Christ came not to destroy the laws nor the prophets, but that He only came to fulfill them, then Christ definitely upheld the old prosperity laws (such as tithing and secret alms-giving) and therefore He preached prosperity. Another argument of the Christian conservatives is that since Christ extolled or praised poverty, and even went to the extent of blessing the poor in his declaration “blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Luke 6:20), the prosperity gospel cannot be real, since it conflicts with his poverty preachings.

Against this, the charismatics contend that this suspicious argument is founded on a wrong premise derived from a wrong interpretation of Christ’s reference to the poor. It is argued (and I strongly share this view) that St. Luke’s sentence “blessed are the poor” is an ellipticised version of St. Matthew’s “blessed are the poor in spirit” which means that those who are spiritually not proud nor spiritually boastful nor spiritually complacent, have the spiritual privilege of entering heaven to enjoy its blessedness. Succinctly put, “poor in spirit” means: humble in spirit.

 Christ’s reference is therefore not to material poverty, or ‘poor men’ as such; otherwise, it might mean that every poor man however wicked, murderous, drunkard, idolatrous, thieving sinner, adulterous etc., is predisposed for heaven. No, that certainly might he contrary to divine laws.

In fact, the annotation of the authoritative NIV Bible on the Luke 6:20 text says that “the beatitudes go deeper than material poverty”. Christ’s saying is therefore meant to pinpoint the need for a person to be spiritually humble (poor) and be spiritually striving, but not spiritually boastful like the self-righteous Pharisee in Luke 18:9-14 who says he is not so much a sinner as the publican. The Christian conservatives’ premise that Christ extolled poverty with his famous saying: “how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven, … it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God,” (Luke 18:24-25) is undermined by practical logic which asks –does it mean no rich man can enter heaven?

If so, what about the wealthy friends of Christ himself, – Zacchaeus, Nicodemus, Joseph of Arimathea? Did they go to hell because of their wealth? The Bible itself is replete with instances which reassure us that such millionaire patriarchs as Abraham, Isaac, Melchizedek, Jacob, Joseph (the dream interpreter) and others went to heaven after their death. In his book, Heaven and Hell, Swedenborg, the seer, talks about various rich men he encountered when he was visionally ushered into Heaven several times!

Against this background, it might be said that the Christian conservatives’ thinking that Christ condemned riches and preached poverty is only a misunderstanding of the spiritual meaning of what Christ said. Christ’s condemnatory excoriation was directed against those rich people who “serve” or bow to their riches and thus forget God. But wealthy men who use their riches in serving God, giving to the poor and needy, giving to churches to expand or promote the work of God, helping poor churches to be well-established, giving to the disabled, the sick and the aged, whilst leading righteous lives in Christ, will certainly go to heaven. At least, common sense dictates that!

What must be known is that poverty is evil, and people who encounter poverty are often times led into sin of pilfering or stealing, or envy; or into dishonest or ‘kalebule’ trading (commercial spivvery)! King Solomon’s prayer to the Lord: “give me neither poverty . . . less I be poor and steal and take the name of the Lord in vain” (Proverbs 30:8-9) greatly underlines the fact that poverty is an evil spectre that turns to destroy the morals and ‘spirituals’ of a person.

Christ certainly knew all these malignant implications. Could it therefore have been logical for him to have advocated for poverty, preaching that people should be poor, and be led into sin, and at the same time go to heaven? How so abstruse could such a proposition have been! Fact is, Christ himself was never in want: he was sufficiently rich. As Rev. Catherine Ponder describes him, Christ was “a millionaire of Nazareth”! Of course, he never preoccupied himself with his wealth; he gave it out as alms. But the more he gave, the more he received (Luke 6:38). This being so, would one expect such “millionaire Christ” to praise and preach poverty?

It is my submission that Christ indeed preached prosperity, not poverty. And it is high time we threw overboard the paleo-conservative, structured, ‘all-misery’ ideas about the Bible, and embraced its positive overtones which stress that a Christian’s reward is both spiritual and material prosperity or “abundant life”!

By Apostle Kwamena Ahinful

The four suspects

RESIDENTS IN the Kpone-Katamanso district of the Greater Accra Region were gripped with fear and panic, following shootings by landguards believed to be attached to Seth Classic and Engineering Limited, an estate developing company at Atadeka.

The landguards, purportedly armed to the teeth, were said to have vandalized properties and obstructed people from embarking on any developmental project on their lands, especially those belonging to ETODAD Company Limited at Apollonia, as they reportedly fired gunshots and engaged on robbery.

Four suspects have so far been arrested by the Tema Regional police in connection with the incident and identified as Kwarayile Kudumorow aka Kampala, 20, private security man; Manase Ofoe Amemador aka Abour, 35; Bouncer and Issah Iddrisu aka Rasta, 20, mechanic.

The suspects were said to be living in Ashaiman except one Kumah Frank aka De Gangster, 25, managing director of FA Global Estate, who lives at Zenu.

The suspected gangsters allegedly shot workers of ETODAD Company, injuring six, and were rushed to the Tema General Hospital where they were treated and some of them discharged.

Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Juliana Obeng, who confirmed the arrests to DAILY GUIDE, indicated that on Monday, October 17, 2015, one Devine Abladey employed the victims – Nurudeen Binga, Richard Tetteh, Ibrahim Osman, Ifanyo Ibrahim, Mohammed Ibrahim, Ibrahim Abubakar and Musah Osman – to work on his land.

While working, the accused persons and others who are now at large, wielding AK 47 assault rifles, pump action guns, machetes and clubs, with the aid of Seth Kwame Sallah – their purported leader – stormed the site and began firing indiscriminately without any provocation and thereafter, robbed them of five motorbikes, cash and phones.

ASP Juliana Obeng indicated that the police were hunting for those who escaped arrest, including the Chief Executive Officer of Setho Classic Company and Engingeering Limited.

 From Vincent Kubi, Tema