Oil is exhaustible - Minister

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Alhaji Issahaque Salia, Upper West Regional Minister has observed that Ghana's oil and gas find is exhaustible and should therefore be utilised judiciously for the growth of the economy.


He advised Ghanaians to concentrate on deriving the maximum benefits from other resources such as gold, agriculture, tourism and telecommunication.


Alhaji Salia made the observation in a speech read on his behalf at the launch of the Jubilee First Oil Exhibition in Wa on Friday.


The ceremony was organised to help deepen understanding and transparency about issues surrounding the operations of the oil industry to encourage the people to take advantage of the opportunities associated with it.

He said the oil industry would inject some financial resources into the economy and other benefits in the form of employment in the banking sector, aviation and real estate.

The Regional Minister said dividends to the state would also help push the developmental agenda forward.


Alhaji Salia called on Ghanaians to develop active interest in the oil find and be knowledgeable about the quantum of financial resources due the country.


He said government was committed to making the operations of the oil find transparent and invest the revenue appropriately into the critical economic sectors to enhance the country's progress.


Mr Ken Noonoo, Assistant Communication Manager of Tullow Ghana Limited, said the oil find, was a resource belonging to the entire nation and all must be part of it.

He said Ghana's oil find was as important as it impact on the people and therefore it was necessary for all to understand what it entails so that realistic demands would be made on government.

Mr Noonoo expressed the need for the authorities to whip the interest of students to take advantage of courses related to the oil industry.

The Jubilee Oil took three years to sell oil and had since lodged 112 million dollars with the Bank of Ghana as revenue for government.


At present, the Jubilee Oil was producing 70,000 barrels daily and it was envisaged to increase the production to 120, 000 barrels daily in future with a life span of 35 years.


Mr Noonoo said despite all the opportunities abound, the oil find was not a panacea to Ghana's development challenges, noting that Nigeria was producing two million barrels of oil daily and yet it was faced with challenges.

"However, the good thing is that we are learning to avoid the mistakes some oil producing countries made," he said.


Mr Mark Dagbee, Regional Director of the Centre for National

Culture advised Ghanaians not think that the oil wealth was going to solve all their problems.

He said it would be better for Ghana to channel both human and material resources in other fields to complement the gains from the oil find to make the nation a better place for all.

GNA

Sixteen GIS officers interdicted for indiscipline

Cape Coast, May 14, GNA - Sixteen GIS officers, who displayed gross indiscipline, had been interdicted, the Director of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), DCOP Dr. Peter Wiredu had disclosed.

Dr Wiredu said he was disappointed at the level of indiscipline and warned that it would not be tolerated under his administration.

The Director said this in Cape Coast, on his familiarization tour to the Central Region.

He noted that discipline was the core of every organization, adding that, Officers and men should consider it a ritual and part of their behavioural pattern.

He said the purpose of the tour was to meet Officers of the GIS and learn at first hand, their difficulties and challenges.

DCOP Dr. Wiredu said he will also not countenance any form of "naked corruption" among personnel, since it paints a negative image of the Service, and urged the Officers to eschew all forms of corruption.
The Director observed that, the Service has an image problem, which must be corrected, adding that, as public servants they must be mindful of the way they relate to the public.

He said his administration would organize refresher courses for officers, sating that, the more enlightened they are, the better equipped they will be.
On transfers, he asked the personnel not to consider it as a punishment but part of their professional development and also to broaden their scope.
Addressing the grievances of the Officers, he gave the assurance that those whose promotions have been unduly delayed will be promoted by the end of the month.
He was disappointed that only about 10 percent of Officers in the Service were accommodated and suggested that the regional office make enquiries to acquire land for housing projects to help solve the accommodation problems.
"I will ensue that the needed amenities and accoutrements, which were not available, forcing you to acquire uniforms and shoes with their own monies, were provided from henceforth.

He called for their collective cooperation to build the required team-work for the growth of the Service.

AMA Mayor Rejects Resignation Call

Mayor of Accra Alfred Oko Vanderpuije has rubbished resignation calls by a group of market women.

He says the assembly will continue to enforce bye laws to decongest the capital city.

On May, 10, a group calling itself Market Women Association of Ghana called on the mayor of Accra to resign over hardships the decongestion exercise was creating in the economy.

The mayor Alfred Oko Vanderpuije insisted there are enough spaces at various markets to accommodate hawkers.

Commenting on the shift system, the metropolitan assembly said, about 40 classrooms are under construction.

Adding that, the millennium city school project which is aimed at reducing class congestion will be completed in August this year.

Mills camp rubbishes 90 million cedis for campaign

Source : citifmonline



A member of President Mills’ Campaign Team, Dr. Omane Boamah, has refuted claims that an amount of 90 million Ghana Cedis has been earmarked for President Mills' campaign, ahead of the NDC’s Presidential primaries in July.

A close ally to the Rawlingses Mr. Herbert Mensah said on Monday May 9, that he has picked up credible information from some security capos that the incumbent President has budgeted GHC 90 million for his campaign to win the NDC flabearership slot, calling it abuse of incumbency against her opponents, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings and Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah.

The New Patriotic Party has upon this allegation, cautioned against the misuse of public funds by the President to prosecute his campaign.

The party has in a statement condemned what it calls the “show of opulence, profligacy, and disregard for public order and time” following President Mills’ picking of nomination forms on Thursday May 5.

But Dr. Omane Boamah, a Deputy Minister for Science and Environment and a Member of President Mills’ Campaign Team, has described the NPP’s criticism as needless.

He has also described the 90 million Ghana Cedis claim as untrue and unfounded and has dared the accusers to make available any evidence to that effect since that will benefit their candidate in the presidential race.

He said the allegation is a calculated attempt by the President’s opponents to tarnish his good image. According to him, President Mills is a humble and trustworthy person who will not involve himself in vote buying or sanction the use of public funds for his personal gain.

Dr. Boamah said the NPP was hugely traumatised by the crowd that greeted President Mills hence their reaction.

“If we had that ninety million Ghana Cedis which is 900 billion old Ghana cedis, we will use that to expand the 3,000 laptops that we are distributing, and also expand the schools under trees that we are eradicating, the free exercise books that we are distributing, and the school feeding programme that we have added 230 more schools. I want to state that it is not true and let anybody who says he has a shred of proof to demonstrate that we are earmarking 90 million Cedis for this campaign to come out with it”.

He said President Mills will embark on a modest campaign devoid of profligate spending.

“The campaign itself will let Ghanaians know the difference. We have seen a lot of Presidential primaries in this country and Ghanaians will be the better judges in knowing which campaign is going to be based on expenditure. We are not in America or in the NPP where it is going to be who is going to splash cash the most. President Mills will constantly touch base with the people and the campaign team will also touch base with delegates and foot soldiers to ensure that our victory will be dependent on the goodwill that the President continues to deepen and not how much money any of us is going to spend” he noted.

Third Oil Discovery on Deep Offshore Block 17/06, Angola

Total announces that its subsidiary, TEPA (Block 17/06) Limited, and Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola (Sonangol E.P.), have discovered hydrocarbons in the north-eastern area of the deep offshore block 17/06.
Drilled in a water depth of 445 meters, the Canna-1 well discovered hydrocarbons in reservoir of Miocene age and produced more than 5,000 barrels per day of high quality oil (33° API) during a production test.Sociedade Nacional de Combustíveis de Angola (Sonangol) is the concessionaire of the Block 17/06. TEPA (Block 17/06) Limited is the operator of the Block 17/06 with a 30% stake. Total's partners in the block are Sonangol Pesquisa e Produção S.A. (30%), Sonangol Sinopec International (SSI) Seventeen Limited (27.5%), ACREP Bloco 17 S.A. (5%), Falcon Oil Holding Angola S.A. (5%) and PARTEX Oil and Gas (Holdings) Corporation (2.5%).

Total Exploration & Production in Angola

Total is present in Angola since 1953. In Angola, Total operated 460,000 barrels oil equivalent per day (boe/d) in 2010, and its SEC equity production amounted approximately 163,000 boe/d. This production comes essentially from Blocks 17,0 and 14.
Deep offshore Block 17, operated by Total with a 40% interest, is Total's principal asset in Angola. It is composed of four major zones: Girassol-Rosa and Dalia, which are currently producing; Pazflor, a project under development for a production start in the second half of 2011; and CLOV (based on the Cravo, Lirio, Orquidea and Violeta discoveries), for which the development was recently launched.
Total is also the operator with a 30% stake in the ultra deep offshore Block 32, on which 12 discoveries were made, confirming the oil potential of the block. Pre-development studies for a first production zone in the central south eastern portion of the block are underway.
In addition, the Angola LNG project for the construction of a liquefaction plant near Soyo is designed to bring the country's natural gas reserves to market. This project, on which Total holds a 13.6% stake, will be supplied by the associated gas from the fields on Blocks 0, 14, 15, 17 and 18. The project is underway with production expected to begin in 2012.
In Angola, as in all countries where Total operates, the Group is committed to developing the Angolan oil industry while recruiting and providing professional training to local workers. Through its ambitious 'Angolanisation' and technology transfer plans, Total has strengthened the local economy and made of Hygiene, Safety and Environment awareness a top priority. Total E&P Angola has developed a transparent and solid corporate social responsibility policy around three main axes: health, education (opening of four high schools in the provinces in 2009) and economic community development.

Bin Laden’s Son Challenges Legality of Killing

The Obama administration responded to allegations made yesterday by the sons of Osama bin Laden that the U.S. had violated legal norms in killing him, saying the United Nations charter allows for a country’s self-defense.

The U.S. challenged criticisms written by Omar Osama bin Laden in a statement released to the New York Times. The son, who wrote that he disagreed with his father’s “ways,” said the U.S. military team that raided his father’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan, should have arrested bin Laden, who was unarmed, and sent him to trial. He cited the example of trials for former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic.

“We maintain that arbitrary killing is not a solution to political problems” and justice must be done, the statement said. In addition to violating international law, the U.S. action contradicted the American right to a fair trial, the younger bin Laden wrote, adding that his father was “summarily executed.”

The Obama administration responded that al-Qaeda had declared war on the U.S. and took pride in killing Americans. The U.S. deemed the terrorist leader a combatant, a U.S. official said on condition of anonymity. The official, who wasn’t authorized to be named, cited Article 51 of the UN charter as guaranteeing a nation’s inherent right to self- defense.

Lengthy Pursuit
President Barack Obama and other U.S. officials have trumpeted the death of bin Laden as a milestone in their goal of disrupting, dismantling and defeating al-Qaeda. The May 2 operation capped a lengthy pursuit of bin Laden since the U.S. lost track of him in Afghanistan during the invasion that followed al-Qaeda’s Sept. 11, 2001, attack that caused almost 3,000 deaths at the World Trade Center in New York, at the Pentagon near Washington, and in a Pennsylvania field.

Vice President Joe Biden, asked on his way into an unrelated congressional negotiating session to respond to the allegation of illegality, said, “Are you kidding?”

Attorney General Eric Holder said last week that the killing of bin Laden complied with the law.

“The operation against bin Laden was justified,” Holder told the Senate Judiciary Committee at a May 4 hearing in Washington. “It’s lawful to target an enemy commander in the field.”

Holder said bin Laden took no steps to surrender, and the U.S. actions were “consistent with our values.”

The New York-based nonprofit group Human Rights First said bin Laden’s son didn’t accurately describe international law in yesterday’s statement.

Bin Laden ‘Targetable’
“Assuming the existence of an armed conflict against al- Qaeda, Osama bin Laden was targetable unless he was surrendering or so injured” that he couldn’t have engaged the U.S. troops, Gabor Rona, the group’s international legal director, said in a statement on the group’s website.

Omar bin Laden said in his statement that he is the al- Qaeda leader’s fourth son and that he represented an unspecified number of brothers. He said he “always disagreed with our father regarding any violence and always sent messages to our father that he must change his ways and that no civilians should be attacked.”

The New York Times said it obtained the statement from American author Jean Sasson, who helped Omar and his mother, Najwa bin Laden, write “Growing Up bin Laden,” a 2009 memoir. A shorter, slightly different statement was posted yesterday on a jihadist website, the newspaper reported.

The son criticized the special operations forces for also killing another of bin Laden’s sons and a woman during the raid and shooting another woman in the leg.

Bringing In Lawyers
Omar bin Laden warned that in the absence of satisfactory answers, he and his brothers would force the issue in international courts with a “panel of eminent British and international lawyers.”

He also called for more evidence that the body the commandos took from the compound was that of his father. The U.S. military said it buried bin Laden at sea within the Islamic tradition’s requirement of 24 hours from the time of death.

Obama administration officials have cited evidence of identity that include verbal identification by one of bin Laden’s wives in the compound, facial recognition techniques, DNA samples that matched those of family members and al-Qaeda’s own statement last week confirming the death.