Nigerian Couple Arrested In Ghana With Fresh Human Heads

Nigeria’s image was again suffered a horrible blow in Ghana on Thursday following the arrest of one Alhaji Rasheed Bello and his wife by the

police in Yamoransa, near Cape Coast. Bello’s activities in the last few days became suspicious to his neighbours and since he was known to be

a herbalist, no one dared confront him, rather, they called the police and reported their suspicions.
Unknown to Bello and his wife, the police had placed them under surveillance. According to the District Police Officer, “after we got the tip off, we

got into the house and surprisingly, we saw pieces of human parts including hands and legs in a Ghana Must Go bag still dripping with blood. They

were cut in a way that that gives you an impression that they were actually meant to be cooked. We also saw two human heads, which makes us

believe that the victims are two.”
Street Journal gathered that when 42 year old Alhaji Bello realised that his secret moves were about to become public knowledge, he allegedly

made an attempt to bribe the policemen. And going by the Ghanaian constitution, his effort at bribing the police would only worsen his case as he

might also be charged for attempting to bribe officers in a bid to prevent the law from taking its course.
Mr. Stephen Ando Kwofie, the District Police Officer disclosed that as soon as Bello’s wife, Fausatu saw that policemen already had her husband,

she tried to escape but was quickly apprehended.
The news which has started travelling across the whole of Ghana has left many Nigerians sad. Street Journal also gathered that there are more

than one million Nigerians doing business and schooling in Ghana.

Ghana: Majority Voice Seals U.S.$3 Billion Chinese Deal

"Mr. Speaker, I just want to make one preliminary point before I move - That I am very surprised that my colleagues from the other side are bringing

in the regional debate. When the issue of SADA, SEDICOM and other development organisations were lined up for the regions, we all supported

it. And, we all said it was important to find something for the Western Region, particularly, because of the oil.

It was that basic reason that informed us to suggest that 10% of the oil revenue be given to the Western Region - all MPs from this side of the

House. And, over the period of the life of this oil resource, it would have inured to the benefit of the Western Region more than the US$1.8 billion

that is currently being given to them. Mr. Speaker, we all fully support the programmes that are embedded in this loan agreement. But, there are

problems, and it is the duty of us as Parliamentarians to point out these problems to government and to the Executive, and it is the duty of the

Executive to correct them, so that we have a unified and sustained and compromised agreement for the Chinese to see that we are united.

"At least, STX has thought us a lesson. That is why I am urging the government not to rush on this particular loan, but to take the discussion and the

points we are churning out very seriously. Mr. Speaker, what are we being asked to approve?

"Four things - We are being asked to give government the opportunity to go and sign for a loan; we are being asked to give the government the

opportunity to use the ABFA to pay for this loan; We are also being asked to allow the government to lend the money to the government agencies;

And, to the last point, to use 40% to give to subsidiary agreements.

"But, Mr. Speaker, all the other three we agreed not to deal with them in this House. So, we are virtually dealing with one agreement - that is to give

government the opportunity to go and sign for an agreement with the Chinese.

But, Mr. Speaker, if we sign this agreement with the Chinese today, does it mean that we are ready to take the money? No. The agreement that

has been granted to us - Schedule 1.3.2 tells us that until we sign the subsidiary agreements, and they are twelve in general, we are not going to

lay our hands on the cash. We are not going to lay our hands on the money. So, why don't we bring all these agreements to Parliament, plus the

main loan, and then we can all move and sign this agreement. What is the rush for?

"The only beneficiary in what we are doing today is the person who will get this upfront payment - that is the only beneficiary. And, that person, in

twenty days time, will go to the bank and collect US$3.7 million cash, that is, if we pay upfront. But, if we don't pay upfront, and we deal with the

Cabinet memo, the person will go to the bank and collect US$47 million cash. That is the only beneficiary. Mr. Speaker, are we rushing just

because we want somebody to get cash into his pocket when we are not ready to take the cash? Mr. Speaker, with gas infrastructure, we are

being told that Parliament should give government the opportunity to use US$100 million to purchase helicopters, and I hope my friend, Hon.

Asiamah, is listening. We remember a month ago, government brought a deal to buy aircrafts. At that time, we knew the cost of these aircrafts, we

knew where they were coming from, and we knew the types and specifications.

"Today, we are now being told that we need US$100 million to buy helicopters; we don't know how many we are buying, we don't know. The

specifications, we don't know, the country we are buying from, in fact, we don't even know how much each helicopter will cost. Is that how

Parliament of the Republic of Ghana should operate? Is that what the people of Ghana have asked us to come and do here? No. Let us go and

get these details and come, and we will approve the loan. But, this way, it is not good for the Republic of Ghana.

"Mr. Speaker, when you go to another aspect of this loan, what we usually call the Accra Metropolitan ICT Enhanced Management, we are being

told that government is requesting us to approve between US$150-200 million to do what we call the stranded road construction, and what are the

stranded road construction?

"Mr. Speaker, let me read it and quote; Accra Metropolitan ICT Enhanced Traffic Management - These include an additional financing to enable us

relatively complete the stranded road construction work on key congested roads at risk in the metropolis, especially, 1) Nsawam Road - Achimota

- Ofankor segment. 2) Dodowa Road - Tetteh Quarshie - Haatso segment. 3) La Beach Road - The project developer is the Urban Road

Department, and the amount is US$150-200 million. But, Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Finance on the 12 of August, 2011, a Friday, went to the

Castle, seat of government, to inform the government that he has raised a bond of GH ¢305 million to complete these very roads.

"And it was captured in the following day's Daily Graphic. Mr. Speaker, let me read - it says the amount will cover the roads in Kumasi and Accra,

and the government has released US$23 million for the Achimota-Ofankor road, which is captured here, thus, the same road. Tetteh Quarshie -

Madina road which is captured here - the question, Mr. Speaker, I am asking is why are we being asked to approve a loan that government has

already sourced money for? What are we going to use the US$200 million for? Is the US$200 milion going to enter somebody's pocket or what?"

"Mr. Speaker, what is more worrying is what is called the Eastern Corridor Multi-Moda Transport. What this simply means is that the port

movement of goods, especially, petroleum and other goods, from the south to the north, normally the road that is through Kumasi to the Central

Corridor - the idea is to have alternative movement through water - Akosombo to Buipe - and this project was started in 2007 under Professor

Ameyaw Akumfi."

Minister of Roads and Highways Joe Gidisu makes intervention: "Mr. Speaker, my point of order is on the situation of those roads that were

mentioned. "

Speaker makes an intervention: "Hon. Minister of Roads and Highways, the honourable member quoted the Graphic publication. He quoted the

publication and attributed it to the Minister of Finance, not to you. The Hon. Minister of Finance is here. So, what is the point of order?"

Majority Leader Cletus Avoka makes an intervention: "Mr. Speaker, my honourable colleague said, among things, that in the light of the fact that

there was earlier provision for some of these roads, the current loan agreement that we have also provided for the same roads, whether the

money is going to go into somebody's pocket. That is wrong. He is imputing ..."

Speaker makes an intervention: "Honourable Majority Leader, a statement has been attributed to the honourable Minister of Finance and

Economic planning, and he is here. He might want to respond when it comes to winding up, when he is to explain, or if he can, may be decide not

to respond, or he want to respond when he is winding up. But, he doesn't want to rise up on point of order. So, it was attributed to him alone, and

not the honourable Minister of Roads and Highways."

Majority Leader: "Mr. Speaker, with due respect, you don't want to appreciate my intervention. I am saying among other things, he wondered

whether the money was going to go into somebody's pocket. That is un-parliamentary."

Speaker: "Hon. Majority Leader, for purpose of argument, assuming that that statement has actually been made, and those things have also been

captured in this loan agreement, is it not a legitimate issue to be raised? Assuming the statement is true, I am not saying. Assuming the

publication is true, that publication could be true, it could be false, but assuming it is true, that same project is also captured in the report, is it not a

legitimate issue to be raised in this House?"

Minority Leader Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bosu makes an intervention: "Mr. Speaker, I will plead with my colleague Majority Leader. I think thus far, we

have not resorted to the use of foul language. So, you may allow the debate to flow. If we were to pursue it in that direction, what the Minister

responsible for Water Resources, Works and Housing said when he alluded to his experiences in the basic school that he was doing his people

were heckling him down.

Contribution by Dominic B. A. Nitiwul, MP for Bimbilla

Brothers of Togo leader appear in court for 'coup plot'

Two half-brothers of Togolese President Faure Gnassingbe along with 30 others appeared in court for the first time Thursday over an alleged 2009 coup plot, but the case was immediately suspended.

The court appearance included brief applause from supporters of Kpatcha Gnassingbe, accused of being behind the plot and one of the numerous sons of Gnassingbe Eyadema, the general who ruled the country for 38 years until his death in 2005.

Supreme Court president Abalo Petchelebia suspended the case to September 6 after a French lawyer for one of the accused, who was not present in the packed courtroom, requested in writing more time.

"The session is suspended and will reconvene on September 6," Petchelebia said.

The court appearance came more than two years after former defence minister Kpatcha Gnassingbe was arrested while trying to take refuge at the US embassy for being the alleged mastermind of the plot against his half-brother.

A second half-brother, Essolizam Gnassingbe, as well as the ex-head of the armed forces, Assani Tidjani, are also among the accused in the West African nation of some 6.7 million people.

The suspects are accused of attempted violation of state security, criminal conspiracy and rebellion, among others, and face up to life in prison.

All 32 accused were in court. They have not yet entered a plea.

Details of the alleged plot remain unclear, though at the time it was claimed that the coup was to be carried out while the president was away on a trip to China. Kpatcha Gnassingbe's house was raided by elite troops in an operation that led to a bloody gunfight.

Questions have arisen as to whether there in fact was a coup plot, with some analysts arguing that the rivalry between the president and Kpatcha Gnassingbe was strong and intensifying at the time.

Some observers say Kpatcha was ambitious and there was speculation that he was eyeing the presidency in 2010.

Kpatcha's lawyer told AFP on Thursday that he believed his client still had parliamentary immunity since he was a lawmaker at the time of his arrest and it has not been formally lifted.

Just before the start of the court hearing, Kpatcha put on the ceremonial sash worn by parliament members.

"We told him to put it on because his parliamentary immunity has not been lifted," his lawyer Zeus Ajavon told AFP.

Faure Gnassingbe was installed in the presidency by the army shortly after the announcement of his father's death in 2005. He has since won elections in 2005 and 2010.

Zimbabwe expels Libyan diplomats

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Libyan diplomats who defected to their country's rebel-led National Transitional Council are leaving Zimbabwe on orders from the government.

Zimbabwe had close relations with Moammar Gadhafi and has not recognized the rebels. The southern African country said it was expelling the Libyans and gave them a 72-hour deadline that expires Thursday.

Reporters followed Ambassador Taher al-Megrahi from his suburban residence to the downtown embassy that has been shut for weeks. An interpreter said he and other Libyans were leaving the country later Thursday.

They are believed to be the first Libyan diplomats to be deported for defecting.

Zimbabwean officials acted after al-Megrahi led Libyan protesters who tore down and burned the old Libyan flag outside the embassy and hoisted the rebel tricolor

Libya rebels claim Gadhafi foreign minister caught

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — Libyan rebels have captured Moammar Gadhafi's foreign minister, a rebel official said Thursday.

Ahmed Said, an adviser to the interior minister in the rebels' interim government, confirmed that the foreign minister had been captured but he did not identify him by name.

"We cannot give you details, but I can confirm that he is in custody," Said said.

A week ago, Gadhafi's Foreign Minister Abdul Ati al-Obeidi told British broadcaster Channel 4 that Gadhafi's 42-year rule was over.

After six months of civil war, rebels have seized control of most of Libya, including the capital Tripoli, effectively ending Gadhafi's rule. The longtime leader and his family, however had not been captured and rebels are hunting senior figures in the ousted regime. Rebels say they are hot on Gadhafi's trail.

Late Wednesday, two men claiming to be two different sons of Gadhafi made conflicting appeals from hiding, one calling for talks with rebel leaders and the other urging regime loyalists to fight to the death.

The dueling messages reflected the growing turmoil in Gadhafi's inner circle on the eve of the 42nd anniversary of his rise to power. The rebels are pooling tips about Gadhafi's whereabouts from captured regime fighters and others, and believe he is most likely no longer in Tripoli, said Abdel Hakim Belhaj, the rebels' military chief in the capital.

Rebel forces have been advancing toward three regime strongholds: Gadhafi's hometown of Sirte, the town of Bani Walid south of Misrata and Sabha, hundreds of miles south of the capital Tripoli.

There has been speculation that Gadhafi is hiding in one of those three towns.

From hiding, Gadhafi tells Libyans to free Tripoli

TRIPOLI, Libya (AP) — A defiant Moammar Gadhafi vowed Wednesday to fight on "until victory or martyrdom" and called on residents of the Libyan capital and loyal tribesmen across his North African nation to free Tripoli from the "devils and traitors" who have overrun it.

The broadcast came a day after hundreds of Libyan rebels stormed Gadhafi's Bab al-Aziziya fortress-like compound in the capital but found no sign of the longtime leader. On Monday, the rebels entered Tripoli, pouring into the Mediterranean metropolis of some 2 million people in their thousands in a stunning breakthrough. They claim to control 80 percent of Tripoli.

Tuesday's ransacking of Bab al-Aziziya, long the nexus of Gadhafi's power, marked the effective collapse of his 42-year-old regime. But with Gadhafi and his powerful sons still unaccounted for — and gunbattles flaring across the nervous city — the fighters cannot declare victory.

In an address given from an unknown location and broadcast on the Al-Ouroba TV, Gadhafi asked: "Why are you letting them wreak havoc?" The Syria-based satellite station is owned by Iraqi dissident Mishaan Jibouri and has been supporting Gadhafi as well as Syria's embattled leader Bashar Assad.

Sounding subdued and without his usually fiery rhetoric, Gadhafi said he would fight "the aggression with all strength until either victory or death."

The channel earlier quoted the Libyan leader as saying he had left the Bab al-Aziziya compound in a "tactical move" after 64 NATO airstrikes reduced it to rubble.

Gadhafi's chief government spokesman, Moussa Ibrahim, also managed to get word out in a phone interview with the same station, promising "we will be back to take Tripoli back."

The 69-year-old Libya leader has routinely addressed his supporters from state Libyan television, but the rebels have taken the channel off the air on Tuesday.

In Brussels, a NATO official said warplanes continued to strike overnight at pro-Gadhafi forces near Tripoli.

"We did see remnants of the pro-Gadhafi forces moving heavy equipment and we took action," the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to standing rules. "It shows that we are ever present over Libya, and we will maintain this presence as long as necessary."

The rebel leadership, based in the eastern city of Benghazi, tried to assert civilian control despite continued uncertainty.

Mahmoud Jibril, deputy chairman of the National Transitional Council, was traveling to France and was to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy Wednesday evening, according to Sarkozy's office. A statement said talks will focus on "the situation in Libya and the international community's actions to support the political transition to a free and democratic Libya."

France was the first country to recognize Jibril's government and has been a driver of NATO's bombing campaign against Gadhafi's forces.

The breach of Bab al-Aziziya on Tuesday after hours of fierce fighting with Gadhafi loyalists in the area was a new high for the rebels in what has been an emotional roller coaster since they moved into Tripoli on Sunday night. It began with euphoria and claims that they had taken over most of the city with little resistance. The first night they partied in Green Square, a major symbol of the regime where Gadhafi supporters had held almost nightly rallies throughout the uprising. And it seemed Gadhafi rule was teetering on the brink of collapse.

In the early morning hours of Tuesday, there was a shocking setback. The rebels had claimed that they arrested Gadhafi's son and heir apparent, Seif al-Islam. It was confirmed by the International Criminal Court in the Netherlands, which has charged him and his father with crimes against humanity.

But inexplicably, Seif al-Islam showed up at the hotel where foreign journalists are staying under the close watch of regime minders in the early morning hours of Tuesday. He giddily took reporters on an eerie drive in the middle of the night to see hundreds of pro-regime gunmen around Bab al-Aziziya and at least a hundred more lined up outside, where guns were being handed out to volunteers.

The rebels waited hours to explain, saying word of his capture had come from secondhand reports from some rebels that were never confirmed and had been leaked to journalists. But in an indication that the announcement of his arrest might have been a ruse calculated to demoralize the regime, Jibril, the deputy chairman of the National Transitional Council, said the reports had some political and military benefits.

"About 30 officers and soldiers surrendered when they heard the news, which helped us take over Bab al-Aziziya swiftly," he said. "And 11 countries recognized the (rebels') National Transitional Council after receiving news of his arrest."

By Tuesday morning, it looked like the capital might descend into bloody urban warfare, with sporadic gunfire in many parts of the city before the rebels move into Bab al-Aziziya.

In other parts of the capital, the rebels said they were also in control of state television. They raised their tricolor flag on the top of the building. Rebels claimed they also control the airport.

Government forces, however, were still holding out at the nearby Rixos hotel where dozens of foreign journalists were being prevented from leaving by armed government enforcers.

In Tripoli's Green Square, hundreds of rebels celebrated the storming of Bab al-Aziziya, dancing and clapping and waving the red, green and black rebel flag and firing celebratory gunfire in the air.

Straight from the desk of GLU

Folks,

I m not a fan of this man and don’t know him from Adam, but I know common sense when I see it.

What do these mean?
“Utility Services and Accra Plains Irrigation Project.”
“Toll Road Project”
Come oooon!! These people cannot even tell us how much money has been collected on the Toll Roads and Bridges to date!!
Like the NHIL started long ago by the NDC to cater to improving the hospitals, clinics and heath facilities, it has become another fraud!! They collect the money but can’t account for it!!

SHAME!!
Gabby was even generous in saying the external debt as of Dec. 2008 was $4 Billion. No. According to the Bank of Ghana reports, Ghana has an accumulated debt of $8.1 Billion as of that time and earlier this year a report indicated it was then $13.5 Billion.

President Mills, I am sad to say, ought to take a closer look at some of these things as they reflect his leadership. Period!

It does not need a genius to put on a piece of paper, in a table, Project title, number of miles or description, Amount budgeted or loan procured, so that people can see through and compare.

The LAUNDRY LIST budgeting must stop!!

We are not children anymore. We can list and itemize what we want to buy, how much each will cost, and this is as honest as they come. If you are buying a product or services, and list it twice and put in numbers, as Otchere is saying here, it makes it suspect.

Folks, please those close to the President, can you advice this man to be a little more vigilant with these things. It makes me so sad as educated people we wait till some EU intelligence unit or some American Strategic Services (CSIS) or other such institutes, will make tables of our Economic and other indices, and they even exclude unemployment data, which is not important to them, but is a critical measure of our economic progress.

It really hurts when the world outside looks at us as children in a candy store when we borrow so much money, don’t even calculate what the monthly or annual payment requirement will be on these loans, and simply sign on them!! How does the President select these people and who are they? Or shall I say who born them on this earth!!
Stupidity in human organizations has a way of blowing up in people’s faces one day,, and I am listening and watching on CNN what is happening in Libya!! So sad!! Nobody ever thought Gadhafi would end up like this. A few months ago I advised on this forum, which I know does not go to Libya, and some of you were saying why should the West go and support the rebels, etc, etc. Okay.
I said the best way was for the man to give room for the expressed dissatisfaction of his people – have some kind of elections and local council control, change in management of the nation and as an old man, simply to build a long term sustainable form of government! No!! Not an African leader! Ghanaians in power think they are book-smart, so they created a document called a constitution and gave all powers to one man, the President, and think they have a democracy. Then they go out borrowing from the West, and knowing that their terms will be over by the time the loans are due! Road Projects, Water projects, electricity projects, all abandoned after a person’s term is over!!
One cannot stop having hope. When Mills came in, with all the goodwill and prayers of some of us to see him succeed, instead of finding out what went wrong, solving the problems, learning from the past, he also sat down finding new loans!! From $8.1 Billion in accumulated debt in Jan.2009, today is almost $20 Billion!! And electricity transformer for some of our most affluent areas is waiting for years!! God forgive these African leaders!! One day! It will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!! As the man from Galilee once said.
Come ooooooon!!!!!
Black Man!!

Where is the light!! Where is the hope!!!

Dr. Kwaku A. Danso (At Livermore, California, USA)
Lic. Real Estate Broker & Financier
East Legon-Accra, Ghana & Livermore, California, USA
President - Ghana Leadership Union (NGO), Moderator-GLU and GLF Forums.

Quake rocks Washington area

MINERAL, Va. (AP) — A 5.9 magnitude earthquake centered in Virginia forced evacuations of all the memorials and monuments on the National Mall in Washington and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Martha's Vineyard, the Massachusetts island where President Barack Obama is vacationing.

A District of Columbia fire department spokesman said there were numerous injuries, no reports of serious injuries or deaths.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake was half a mile deep and centered near Louisa, Va., about 40 miles northwest of Richmond. Shaking was felt at the White House and all over the East Coast, as far south as Charleston, S.C. Parts of the Pentagon, White House and Capitol were evacuated.

Two nuclear reactors at the North Anna Power Station in the same county as the epicenter were automatically taken off line by safety systems around the time of the earthquake, said Roger Hannah, a spokesman for the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Dominion-operated power plant is being run off of four emergency diesel generators, which are supplying power for critical safety equipment. Hannah said the agency was not immediately aware of any damage at nuclear power plants in the Southeast.

Obama and many of the nation's leaders were out of town on August vacation when the quake struck at 1:51 p.m. EDT. The shaking was felt on the Martha's Vineyard golf course as Obama was just starting a round.

At the Pentagon in northern Virginia, a low rumbling built and built to the point that the building was shaking. People ran into the corridors of the government's biggest building and as the shaking continued there were shouts of "Evacuate! Evacuate!"

The U.S. Park Service evacuated and closed all National Mall monuments and memorials. At Reagan National Airport outside Washington, ceiling tiles fell during a few seconds of shaking. Authorities announced it was an earthquake and all flights were put on hold.

Amtrak said its trains along the Northeast Corridor between Baltimore and Washington were operating at reduced speeds and crews were inspecting stations and railroad infrastructure before returning to normal.

In New York, the 26-story federal courthouse in lower Manhattan began swaying and hundreds of people were seen leaving the building. Court officers weren't letting people back in.

More than 12 million people live close enough to the quake's epicenter to feel shaking, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The agency said this quake was in the yellow alert category for economic damage, meaning there was potential for local damage but it would add up to far less than 1 percent of the country's gross domestic product.

East Coast earthquakes are far less common than in the West, but they tend to be felt over a broad area. That's because the crust is not as mangled and fractured, allowing seismic waves to travel without interruption.

"The waves are able to reverberate and travel pretty happily out for miles," said U.S. Geological Survey seismologist Susan Hough.

The Virginia quake came a day after an earthquake in Colorado toppled groceries off shelves and caused minor damage to homes in the southern part of the state and in northern New Mexico. No injuries were reported as aftershocks continued Tuesday.

In Charleston, W.Va., hundreds of workers left the state Capitol building and employees at other downtown office buildings were asked to leave temporarily.

"The whole building shook," said Jennifer Bundy, a spokeswoman for the state Supreme Court. "You could feel two different shakes. Everybody just kind of came out on their own."

In Ohio, where office buildings swayed in Columbus and Cincinnati and the press box at the Cleveland Indians' Progressive Field shook. At least one building near the Statehouse was evacuated in downtown Columbus.

In downtown Baltimore, the quake sent office workers into the streets, where lamp posts swayed slightly as they called family and friends to check in.

"It's over" cry rebels as Gaddafi HQ overrun

TRIPOLI (Reuters) - Joyful Libyan rebels overran Muammar Gaddafi's Tripoli bastion on Tuesday, seizing weapons and loot and destroying symbols of a 42-year dictatorship they declared was now over as they set about hunting down the fallen ruler and his sons.

"It's over! Gaddafi is finished!" yelled one fighter over a cacophony of celebratory gunfire across the Bab al-Aziziya compound, from where Gaddafi orchestrated eccentric defiance of Western powers and disdain for his own people for four decades.

Nigeria launches monitoring satellites

Nigeria has successfully launched two satellites into space, which will be used for a variety of tasks, including security, agriculture and disaster monitoring.

NigeriaSat-2 and NigeriaSat-X were launched on Wednesday from the rocket launch base in Yasny, Russia, the Nigerian government said in a statement. The launch was originally scheduled for July 7. The satellites can be used for forestry, mapping, disaster monitoring, military applications and security, amongst other functions.

"I congratulate our nation for this new chapter in our transformational efforts as we strive for self-reliance," President Goodluck Jonathan said. "Let me congratulate the resourceful Nigerians who made this history possible."

"Data from the satellites will help enhance food security in Nigeria through mapping of farmlands, providing advice to farmers on drought, when and how to plant their crops, soil quality and (to) monitor their crops to ensure they have high yields," Frank Chizea, project manager for the launched satellites, told AFP.

"We can use data collected from the satellites to monitor the activities and movements of criminals, smugglers, militants, oil bunkerers (thieves), movement of goods, arms and equipment within and across our borders," he said.

Both satellites were built at Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) in Guildford, UK, under contract with the Nigerian National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA). NigeriaSat-X was designed and built by Nigerian engineers and scientists. A total of 26 Nigerian engineers participated in the project, working on the satellite for 18 months throughout the design and test phases, according to Africa Science News.

NigeriaSat-2 will generate high resolution imagery that will be used to map the entire country every four months and enhance food security through monthly crop monitoring, and provide data for urban planning.

Nigeria has for years been pursuing its own satellites and in 2003 launched the still-operational SSTL-built NigeriaSat-1. In May 2007 the US$257 million Nigeria Communications Satellite NIGCOMSAT was launched in China with the aim of providing phone, Internet and broadcast services. However, it later failed in orbit.

A replacement satellite, NIGCOMSAT R, is said to be 75% complete and is expected to be launched at the end of this year. This should help save Nigeria around US$450 million spent every year on purchasing bandwidth from Europe and America, Africa Science News reports Minister of Science and Technology, Ita Ewa, as saying.

According to This Day newspaper, the construction and launch of the satellites cost N17.42 billion (US$112 million).

A simple Request - taken from GLU

Kwaku,

These 3 days have been interesting.
However, friends, let us remember that we can easily be distracted and take our eyes off the ball, so to speak.
The President's staff or campaign has released an interesting 25 minute Youtube video showing him commissioning, opening new classroom blocks in the North, and lots of fanfare to demonstrate his love and hard work.
Some of us think it is the job of the President to manage the huge amounts of loans incurred in just over 2 years, doubling the national debt in 2 years, from $8.1 billion to what I have been told is now close to $20 billion.
I would love for us to demand and insist that the President share with the public, as an obligation and duty to the nation, the list of the loans and grants, the targeted Projects, How much money, who the Project Managers are to hold responsible, how long, and Payment terms for the loans.
A simple Spreadsheet table from the office of the President or the Ministry of Finance to the Media will suffice.
I consider it our constitutional duty for the government to release this information, our duty to demand it.
Obviously we don't want the Presidents security urinating in the street around his house at Regimanuel, and defecating around the Presidents or Regimanuel Grays residence should be against the law! If the CEO of the company has made an offer of a gift in rental and/or estate property for the President or to the government, it is fine, provided there is full transparent disclosure and there is a leadership guideline on such matters.
It is my feeling that the transition from Chieftaincy to Presidency has not been clearly explained to our people, and a friend told me of how many Chiefs would arrive at Kufuor's residence every morning, some with goats and sheep as gifts.

Folks, what makes me sad is the possibility that our seniors who have attained the status of President seem to have closed their minds as to their responsibility to set guidelines, rules, laws, for our people who seem lost in the wilderness of modern global jungle.
In the year of our Lord 2011, electricity, water, phone lines, Internet service are being rationed, and no new road designs are in the plan while a typical worker takes 4-6 hours daily in city traffic.
Such things os social neglect and negligence in the duty of our Presidents to set new guidelines to bring our nation at par with the world needs to be our emphasis.
Whether Colonel Koku Anyidoho got his tight muscles by sparring with Arnold Schwarzenegger or from his previous job at a block factory should be totally irrelevant, let alone whether he know the difference between rental and purchase, gift or deed.
Folks, please let us jointly hold the President responsible for ensuring the delivery of the needed basic human needs such as water, roads and transportation for our people and communication
And other services for us to conduct business.
We have another 4 months to see results or find another President. This is very critical. Please let us make our President aware the status quo will not suffice and he owes us all as a people a duty to tell us what he doing with and how he is managing the loans, grants, toll collections, duties and taxes, NHIL levies.

Thank you.
PS - I wanted to donate some shirts but can somebody tell me the size for Colonel Anyidoho?

Ivory Coast to disarm, demobilize 10,000 fighters

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast (AP) — A minister in Ivory Coast says the government plans to disarm and demobilize some 10,000 fighters in the wake of postelection violence earlier this year.

Minister of Defense Paul Koffi Koffi said Tuesday that the process should be completed by the end of the year and will increase security in the West African country.

People across Ivory Coast took up arms and battled during the six months of postelection violence sparked by strongman Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to cede power after losing a November poll. Gbagbo was arrested in April by forces loyal to President Alassane Ouattara.

US general sees Nigeria terror link

LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — A radical Muslim sect responsible for assassinations and bombings across northern Nigeria may be trying to link with two al-Qaida-linked groups in other African countries to mount joint attacks in this oil-rich nation, the commander for U.S. military operations in Africa said Wednesday.

Gen. Carter Ham told The Associated Press that "multiple sources" indicate the Nigerian sect known as Boko Haram made contacts with al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, which operates in northwest Africa, and with al-Shabab in Somalia.

"I think it would be the most dangerous thing to happen not only to the Africans, but to us as well," Carter said.

Ham said there is no specific intelligence suggesting the groups plan attacks against U.S. or Western interests in Nigeria, but the nation is a major supplier of crude oil to the U.S. and is an economic hub drawing foreigners from across the world.

Ham's comments were the strongest official remarks on fears privately held by Western and Nigerian officials. However, it remains unclear what formal links, if any, exist between Boko Haram, al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Shabab. The three organizations have different ethnic roots and their objectives are not the same, but they are all Islamist militant groups.

Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sacrilege" in the local Hausa language, came to prominence in 2009 when sect members attacked local police stations and government buildings throughout northeast Nigeria. The riots and ensuing security crackdown left 700 people dead.

Last year, the group began assassinating clerics and police officers. It also has engineered spectacular attacks, including the June bombing of Nigeria's federal police headquarters, the assassination of a prominent politician and a prison break that freed more than 700 inmates.

Boko Haram seeks the implementation of strict Shariah Islamic law in the country. Nigeria, a nation of 150 million people, is largely split between a Christian south and Muslim north, where 12 states have a version of Shariah in place.

Ham said it appears Boko Haram may be splitting with one section focused on domestic issues and another on violent international extremism.

"What is most worrying at present is, at least in my view, a clearly stated intent by Boko Haram and by al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb to coordinate and synchronize their efforts," the general said. "I'm not so sure they're able to do that just yet, but it's clear to me they have the desire and intent to do that."

Ham said that a "loose" partnership also would include al-Shabab. A suspected al-Shabab bombmaker now facing terrorism charges in New York was at one point detained by secret police in Nigeria. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, also known as AQIM, has issued statements in support of Boko Haram, and both use similar logos in communiques.

A recent video indicates that two men, a Briton and an Italian who were kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria, are being held by AQIM.

Ham met this week with Nigerian military and security officials during his first visit to the country as the head of the U.S. Africa Command, known as Africom and which is headquartered in Stuttgart, Germany. Ham said the U.S. would be willing to share intelligence and offer training to Nigerian security forces.

"We have a lot of folks who are pretty good about taking multiple pieces of apparently disparate information and putting that in a way that can be useful to operational commanders in a very short period of time," the general said.

That assistance also could be used in Nigeria's south, if the country requests it, Ham said. There, criminal and militant gangs kidnap oil workers and middle-class Nigerians, while pirates attack vessels off the coast.

Ghana Public-Sector Workers Receive 20% Pay Rise, Graphic Says

Ghana will give its public-sector workers a 20 percent pay rise in their base salary, the Daily Graphic reported, citing a statement from the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Trades Union Congress.

The increase, which is for workers who are part of the so- called Single-Spine Salary Structure, will be retroactive to January, the Accra-based newspaper reported.

Kwesi Pratt laments inaction in gov't

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Mr Kwesi Pratt, has said that though he has no shred of doubt about the moral integrity of President John Evans Atta Mills, he believes that alone is not reason enough for Ghanaians to want to retain his administration in power.

He said a lot more is needed to be done to improve the livelihoods of the people to convince them of voting to preserve the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) in power.

During a discussion on Radio Gold’s current affairs programme Alhaji & Alhaji Saturday, Mr Pratt stated that it was time for the government to move forward in terms of its handling of the bread and butter issues of the citizenry.

According to him, the upcoming elections in 2012 – which many commentators believe is going to be a watershed in the country’s political history – will be based on issues affecting the living conditions of the people.

“The 2012 elections should not be taken for granted because this is going to be a keenly contested election and there are so many variables that need to be looked at properly,” said Mr Pratt.

One of the major features of the campaign, he noted, would be the level at which prices have risen since the Mills-Mahama administration took office in 2009.

“Have prices risen? What are the factors which have compelled prices to rise? Could something have been done about it? What is the rate of increases now as compared to the rate of increases in the Kufuor administration and previous administrations as well?” He asked.

Mr Pratt therefore urged the government to pay particular attention to the clarion call of the people in relation to the level at which prices rise thereby making life’s survival very difficult for many.

Mr Pratt quizzed: “What will be the message of this administration come 2012 with regards to increases in prices…?”

Further, the 2012 elections, according to him, is also going to be crucially decided based on the manner in which decongestion exercises, especially in the capital city Accra, is being done. He admitted that the city had to be decongested to pave way for waterways and also for the purposes of beautification.

However, the editor minced no words when he noted that “sending bulldozers around to Chokor and other places to demolish houses and push people into the rain without any consideration what happens to them thereafter is particularly reckless, politically reckless.”

Kwesi Pratt stressed that the issue of decongestion was very critical since it could have very serious repercussions on the 2012 elections; “it can, to a very large extent, determine who becomes president and who does not become president.”

The editor emphasized that it was important for all to understand that those who sell in the streets do so because they have no option “and they do so as a matter of survival.”

“You think that these boys selling chewing gums in the streets…have no ambitions? All of them would wish that one day they would also be ministers and be saluted by policemen…,” he argued.

Mr Pratt also noted that the role of ministers is to inspire for productivity but expressed disappointment that too many of government appointees have been glued to their seats.

He insisted that it is time for the appointees to reach out to the people and explain to their understanding government policies.

“…It is not sufficient to go out there and create the impression that everything is rosy rosy rosy rosy, it is time to compel people in the administration to focus attention on the needs of the people,” he persisted while lamenting the fact that in a tropical rainy belt like Ghana, people had to continue going round in search of water.

He claimed that the moral authority of the President is being chipped at gradually by the opposition and thus, advised the President to reinforce his authority by showing non-performing appointees the exit door.

“I have full confidence in the personality of John Mahama, I still believe in the moral integrity of the President but these are not enough, things need to be done,” maintained Kwesi Pratt.