Acute water shortage in the industrial hub of Ghana, Tema, has compelled industries within the harbour city and its environs to temporarily shut down their various plants for productions.
Some workers who have been laid off by some companies as a result have been asked to report to work when there is water for production.
Officials of some of the companies told Daily Guide that they were losing billions of cedis due to unavailability of water for their productions as they had to shut down their plants until there was frequent flow of water.
The Supply and Chain Manager, Unilever Ghana Limited, Naira Djako, mentioned that the company had temporarily laid-off some workers and shut down their plants due to the water shortage.
Christopher Sarkodie, Assistant Public Affairs Department of Coca-Cola Bottling Company Ghana Limited, one of the leading beverage producers in the country, explained that the continuous interruption in water supply had affected the company’s production, as it had to shut down some of their plants.
According to him, the shortage of water would increase their cost of production, saying although the company had its own water reservoirs, about 90 percent of its production depended largely on water supply from the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL).
Mr. Sarkodie appealed to the GWCL to help rectify the situation since it might also lead to some workers being laid off if the situation remained same.
Restaurants and various homes have also been affected by the acute water shortage, leaving residents dejected and miserable.
Some of the areas affected are Ashaiman, Lebanon, Tema, Sakumono, Michelle Camp, Gbetsile, Kpone and Zenu.
The Communication Manger of te GWCL, Stanley Martey, told Daily Guide that the water shortage in Accra and Tema was as a result of the shutdown of the Kpong water plant because of upgrading works being carried out by the Volta River Authority (VRA).
He explained that immediately VRA completed its works, GWCL’s main transmission pipe line also went off, adding that they were doing everything possible to restore regular supply of water soon.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
US to guard oil shipments around Ghana, other countries as pirate attacks on West African coastlines surge
As more oil discoveries are being made in the West African sub-region, activities of pirates are said to be springing up in the region from its usual area, the Red Sea of the coast of Somalia.
The coastlines of West Africa have for some time now been seeing attacks from pirates on ships and vessels carrying oil as well as goods.
In August this year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) listed five African countries’ sea-shore as piracy prone areas in its latest Piracy Prone Areas and Warnings report. The countries are Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Cameroon and Somalia.
The IMB said the areas are risky for the movement of vessels and ships including oil and chemical tankers due to attacks from pirates who are using weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in an article titled “West Africa: Another target for piracy?” published on its website and culled by ghanabusinessnews.com September 27, 2011 says with massive reserves of oil, cocoa and metals needed to supply hungry world markets, the Gulf of Guinea – a stretch of West Africa’s coast spanning more than a dozen countries – is witnessing early signs that pirates may be keen to pounce on new and lucrative opportunities.
“Piracy, drug smuggling and political uncertainty have made the Gulf of Guinea a challenging environment for investors seeking to benefit from natural resources.”
However, the US government has pledged its full support in helping to fight piracy along the coast lines in the region.
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, US Department of State, Ambassador Johnnie Carson told ghanabusinessnews.com that the Obama administration is working with ECOWAS to fight these pirates.
Mr. Carson, who was answering questions from some selected media in the world on September 28, 2011 via a live video streaming said the US government has noticed the situation and “we have regular navy ships and boats visit West and East of Africa.”
The media interaction was on the outcome of the 66th UN General Assembly and US Africa Policy. Ghanabusinessnews.com, the Daily Graphic and Net 2 TV took part at the US Embassy in Accra.
“We are also working with some West African countries to provide them with boats to strengthen their coastal guides,” said Mr. Carson when ghanabusinessnews.com asked him about the issue of piracy in West Africa particularly Ghana since it has started oil production and is exporting using similar coastal routes where pirate activities are said to be increasing.
Already a US Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, visited Ghana in August to train 30 Ghanaian Naval officers to strengthen the maritime capabilities of the Naval Forces towards enhancing maritime security. It is part of the US military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station.
The US has also become increasingly reliant on oil and gas exports from West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea itself.
According to an 80-page report, published by the Washington-based Atlantic Council and cited by the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa publication in December 2010, 18% of US oil imports and 14% of its natural gas (LNG) imports currently originate in West Africa.
That percentage, the publication said is expected to rise to 25% by 2015.
Mr. Carson notes that these pirates are now around the Niger Delta, Togo and Benin and further to the Red Sea of the coast of Somalia.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has called for action against piracy after governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concern about a surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships.
Regional governments will be meeting in Cotonou, Benin in October this year to discuss coordinating efforts to halt piracy.
President of ECOWAS, Ambassador James Victor Gbeho who spoke to IPS Africa ahead of the regional conference, said “The navies of all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations…The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have serious economic consequences for our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it.”
Experts say if the issue is not solved or combated, maritime insurers will demand higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region.
By Ekow Quandzie
The coastlines of West Africa have for some time now been seeing attacks from pirates on ships and vessels carrying oil as well as goods.
In August this year, the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) listed five African countries’ sea-shore as piracy prone areas in its latest Piracy Prone Areas and Warnings report. The countries are Nigeria, Benin, Guinea, Cameroon and Somalia.
The IMB said the areas are risky for the movement of vessels and ships including oil and chemical tankers due to attacks from pirates who are using weapons and rocket propelled grenade launchers.
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes (UNODC) in an article titled “West Africa: Another target for piracy?” published on its website and culled by ghanabusinessnews.com September 27, 2011 says with massive reserves of oil, cocoa and metals needed to supply hungry world markets, the Gulf of Guinea – a stretch of West Africa’s coast spanning more than a dozen countries – is witnessing early signs that pirates may be keen to pounce on new and lucrative opportunities.
“Piracy, drug smuggling and political uncertainty have made the Gulf of Guinea a challenging environment for investors seeking to benefit from natural resources.”
However, the US government has pledged its full support in helping to fight piracy along the coast lines in the region.
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of African Affairs, US Department of State, Ambassador Johnnie Carson told ghanabusinessnews.com that the Obama administration is working with ECOWAS to fight these pirates.
Mr. Carson, who was answering questions from some selected media in the world on September 28, 2011 via a live video streaming said the US government has noticed the situation and “we have regular navy ships and boats visit West and East of Africa.”
The media interaction was on the outcome of the 66th UN General Assembly and US Africa Policy. Ghanabusinessnews.com, the Daily Graphic and Net 2 TV took part at the US Embassy in Accra.
“We are also working with some West African countries to provide them with boats to strengthen their coastal guides,” said Mr. Carson when ghanabusinessnews.com asked him about the issue of piracy in West Africa particularly Ghana since it has started oil production and is exporting using similar coastal routes where pirate activities are said to be increasing.
Already a US Navy vessel, the HSV Swift, visited Ghana in August to train 30 Ghanaian Naval officers to strengthen the maritime capabilities of the Naval Forces towards enhancing maritime security. It is part of the US military cooperation programme called Africa Partnership Station.
The US has also become increasingly reliant on oil and gas exports from West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea itself.
According to an 80-page report, published by the Washington-based Atlantic Council and cited by the Inter Press Service (IPS) Africa publication in December 2010, 18% of US oil imports and 14% of its natural gas (LNG) imports currently originate in West Africa.
That percentage, the publication said is expected to rise to 25% by 2015.
Mr. Carson notes that these pirates are now around the Niger Delta, Togo and Benin and further to the Red Sea of the coast of Somalia.
Meanwhile, ECOWAS has called for action against piracy after governments along the length of the West African coastline have expressed concern about a surge in the number of attacks on cargo ships.
Regional governments will be meeting in Cotonou, Benin in October this year to discuss coordinating efforts to halt piracy.
President of ECOWAS, Ambassador James Victor Gbeho who spoke to IPS Africa ahead of the regional conference, said “The navies of all our coastal states should permanently combine their operations…The phenomenon is becoming worrying and could have serious economic consequences for our countries. That is why we will act firmly against it.”
Experts say if the issue is not solved or combated, maritime insurers will demand higher fees to cover ships which pass through the region.
By Ekow Quandzie
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Deal With Crook Chinese Traders
A Senior Chinese official has asked Chinese businessmen in Ghana to operate within the local laws, warning that anyone who flouts the law should be dealt with.
Xie Yajing, Commercial Counsellor for West Asia and African Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, told visiting Ghanaian journalists in Beijing that any businessman who decides to violate the local laws should not be spared.
Ms Yajing said appropriate sanctions should be applied to serve as deterrent to others.
According to the senior government official, much as China would want to encourage its nationals to seek other opportunities outside their home country, it should not be at the expense of the hosts.
“Chinese businesses should abide by the local laws and if they break them they should be dealt with,” she told eight journalists from DAILY GUIDE, Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, Business and Financial Times, Ghana Television and Metro TV during a visit to her office.
She was reacting to allegations that some Chinese traders and businessmen, with support from their local collaborators, are flooding the Ghanaian market with substandard products at the detriment of the consumers.
She dismissed the perception that products that are brought to Africa are inferior, saying that “there is no difference in the quality of products we produce.
We have only one standard for the products we produce.”
And if anything goes wrong during the design of the product, it is rather the Ghanaian businessman dealing with Chinese company that should be blamed because he must have made certain demands in terms of his home market as to what the people can afford. It is the importer who might have influenced the type of products that are made, she indicated.
She advised any individual, who has a concern, to go to the Chinese Embassy to lodge complaint for appropriate sanction to be applied against the manufacturing company.
When the activities of Chinese retailers and pirates were brought to her notice, she condemned the action and sought for appropriate sanction.
According to Ms Yajing, there are more than 500 Chinese businesses operating in Ghana, especially in the areas of construction, trading, water supply, electricity generation, specifically mentioning the construction of Bui hydro Dam.
In recent times, Ghana has been looking at the direction of China for loans for infrastructural development, including the recent $3billion commercial loan approved by Parliament.
However, she said the money provided to support the Bui Dam for power generation was the largest single preferential loan to be provided by Chinese government to any African country.
The previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, led by President John Agyekum Kufuor secured over $500million loan for the execution of the Bui project on concessionary terms. The project is expected to be completed by 2013, according to the original scheduled.
But in recent times work on the dam had to be stopped because of heavy rains in the area, which caused flooding.
A number of projects, including the Achimota-Ofankor road, Nsawam-Apedwa junction, Job 600 for parliamentarians and the new high court complex, among others, are being undertaken by Chinese contractors.
She said China would continue to strengthen ties with Ghana, stressing that Ghana is one of the most trusted allies in Africa.
She said trade volumes between the countries have increased astronomically though in favour of China, as Ghana only exports raw materials to the Asian nation, the second largest economy in the world.
The journalists are touring China at the invitation of the Chinese government with support from the Embassy in Accra.
Source: Fortune Alimi, Beijing, China
Xie Yajing, Commercial Counsellor for West Asia and African Department of the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, told visiting Ghanaian journalists in Beijing that any businessman who decides to violate the local laws should not be spared.
Ms Yajing said appropriate sanctions should be applied to serve as deterrent to others.
According to the senior government official, much as China would want to encourage its nationals to seek other opportunities outside their home country, it should not be at the expense of the hosts.
“Chinese businesses should abide by the local laws and if they break them they should be dealt with,” she told eight journalists from DAILY GUIDE, Daily Graphic, Ghanaian Times, Business and Financial Times, Ghana Television and Metro TV during a visit to her office.
She was reacting to allegations that some Chinese traders and businessmen, with support from their local collaborators, are flooding the Ghanaian market with substandard products at the detriment of the consumers.
She dismissed the perception that products that are brought to Africa are inferior, saying that “there is no difference in the quality of products we produce.
We have only one standard for the products we produce.”
And if anything goes wrong during the design of the product, it is rather the Ghanaian businessman dealing with Chinese company that should be blamed because he must have made certain demands in terms of his home market as to what the people can afford. It is the importer who might have influenced the type of products that are made, she indicated.
She advised any individual, who has a concern, to go to the Chinese Embassy to lodge complaint for appropriate sanction to be applied against the manufacturing company.
When the activities of Chinese retailers and pirates were brought to her notice, she condemned the action and sought for appropriate sanction.
According to Ms Yajing, there are more than 500 Chinese businesses operating in Ghana, especially in the areas of construction, trading, water supply, electricity generation, specifically mentioning the construction of Bui hydro Dam.
In recent times, Ghana has been looking at the direction of China for loans for infrastructural development, including the recent $3billion commercial loan approved by Parliament.
However, she said the money provided to support the Bui Dam for power generation was the largest single preferential loan to be provided by Chinese government to any African country.
The previous New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration, led by President John Agyekum Kufuor secured over $500million loan for the execution of the Bui project on concessionary terms. The project is expected to be completed by 2013, according to the original scheduled.
But in recent times work on the dam had to be stopped because of heavy rains in the area, which caused flooding.
A number of projects, including the Achimota-Ofankor road, Nsawam-Apedwa junction, Job 600 for parliamentarians and the new high court complex, among others, are being undertaken by Chinese contractors.
She said China would continue to strengthen ties with Ghana, stressing that Ghana is one of the most trusted allies in Africa.
She said trade volumes between the countries have increased astronomically though in favour of China, as Ghana only exports raw materials to the Asian nation, the second largest economy in the world.
The journalists are touring China at the invitation of the Chinese government with support from the Embassy in Accra.
Source: Fortune Alimi, Beijing, China
Hospital Turns Back Patients
Accra — A general hospital in a port city in Ghana has driven away patients including pregnant women due to shortage of doctors since last Sunday.
A notice posted on the walls of the general hospital in Tema, 30 kilometers east of here, asked clients seeking medical attention to visit other hospitals for their own safety as a result of the shortage of doctors in the hospital, especially at the maternity ward.
Ghana Health Services said that it had requested more medical doctors to the hospital to avert any death.
In a telephone interview with Xinhua, Accra Regional Director of Health Services Dr. Irene Agyepong said that moves had been taken to return conditions at the hospital to normal.
"We have put in a request for more medical doctors to fill vacant positions at the hospital" and to improve the situation as soon as possible, she added. (Xinhua)
A notice posted on the walls of the general hospital in Tema, 30 kilometers east of here, asked clients seeking medical attention to visit other hospitals for their own safety as a result of the shortage of doctors in the hospital, especially at the maternity ward.
Ghana Health Services said that it had requested more medical doctors to the hospital to avert any death.
In a telephone interview with Xinhua, Accra Regional Director of Health Services Dr. Irene Agyepong said that moves had been taken to return conditions at the hospital to normal.
"We have put in a request for more medical doctors to fill vacant positions at the hospital" and to improve the situation as soon as possible, she added. (Xinhua)
Monday, September 26, 2011
3-Member Nigerian Fake Visa Gang Busted
A Nigerian, Joshua Nnama Chukwu-Kadibia, 54, who has been on the radar of the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) for allegedly issuing fake visas to foreigners, has been arrested.
His accomplices, Ignatius Aguowo, 38, and Moses Onyanka, 29, also Nigerians, have also been arrested.
The three have been remanded in the custody of the Ghana Immigration Service to appear before court on September 28.
Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI) Francis Palmdeti, Head of GIS Public Affairs, told the Ghanaian Times that for the past two years, the Service had detected that some foreigners entered the country with immigration visas embossed in their passports, and whenever questioned, they claimed the visas were issued to them by Kwame Acheampong, also known as Joshua Nnama Chukwu-kadibia.
Mr. Palmdeti said that information prompted the surveillance team of the Service to begin monitoring the activities of the said Acheampong.
He said last Monday (September 19), a Russian, Ikhvan Gerikhanov, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport with an entry visa and during interrogation, he (Gerikhanov) said he was invited into the country by Danso Philip Law and Co Limited to negotiate a multimillion dollar contract.
ACI Palmdeti said during further interrogations, it came out that the address of the said law firm was fake.
Consequently, an order was issued that anybody appearing at the airport to meet the Russian should be arrested.
Mr. Palmdeti said moments later, Chukwu-kadibia and Aguowo arrived at the airport to pick up Gerikhanov to a hotel.
He stated that the surveillance team tailed the suspects to a hotel where they were arrested, together with another Nigerian, Moses Onyanka, who was found to have been in the country illegally and without a passport.
“It was discovered during a search that Chukwu-kadibia has fraudulently acquired Ghanaian passport number H2537836 bearing the name Kwame Acheampong. A sample of GIS emergency entry visa was also found on him,” ACI Palmdeti said.
Chukwukadibia has been on GIS radar for over two years as a '419' fraudster who managed to defraud a lot of foreigners,” he said and stated that the suspect had been producing fake GIS emergency entry visas for his victims.
He said in July, last year, the Service received an e-mail from Ahmet Erdogan Horzum, a Turkish civil engineer, purported to be a response to an invitation to him by the acting Director-General of GIS.
Mr. Palmdeti said a critical examination of the mail showed that it was fake. Besides, the name of the Director-General was wrongly spelled.
Mr. Palmdeti said the GIS suspected that it was the same group which issued the fake visas to the Turkish and another Russian, Nickolav, a lawyer.
Story by The Ghanaian Times/Ghana
His accomplices, Ignatius Aguowo, 38, and Moses Onyanka, 29, also Nigerians, have also been arrested.
The three have been remanded in the custody of the Ghana Immigration Service to appear before court on September 28.
Assistant Comptroller of Immigration (ACI) Francis Palmdeti, Head of GIS Public Affairs, told the Ghanaian Times that for the past two years, the Service had detected that some foreigners entered the country with immigration visas embossed in their passports, and whenever questioned, they claimed the visas were issued to them by Kwame Acheampong, also known as Joshua Nnama Chukwu-kadibia.
Mr. Palmdeti said that information prompted the surveillance team of the Service to begin monitoring the activities of the said Acheampong.
He said last Monday (September 19), a Russian, Ikhvan Gerikhanov, arrived at the Kotoka International Airport with an entry visa and during interrogation, he (Gerikhanov) said he was invited into the country by Danso Philip Law and Co Limited to negotiate a multimillion dollar contract.
ACI Palmdeti said during further interrogations, it came out that the address of the said law firm was fake.
Consequently, an order was issued that anybody appearing at the airport to meet the Russian should be arrested.
Mr. Palmdeti said moments later, Chukwu-kadibia and Aguowo arrived at the airport to pick up Gerikhanov to a hotel.
He stated that the surveillance team tailed the suspects to a hotel where they were arrested, together with another Nigerian, Moses Onyanka, who was found to have been in the country illegally and without a passport.
“It was discovered during a search that Chukwu-kadibia has fraudulently acquired Ghanaian passport number H2537836 bearing the name Kwame Acheampong. A sample of GIS emergency entry visa was also found on him,” ACI Palmdeti said.
Chukwukadibia has been on GIS radar for over two years as a '419' fraudster who managed to defraud a lot of foreigners,” he said and stated that the suspect had been producing fake GIS emergency entry visas for his victims.
He said in July, last year, the Service received an e-mail from Ahmet Erdogan Horzum, a Turkish civil engineer, purported to be a response to an invitation to him by the acting Director-General of GIS.
Mr. Palmdeti said a critical examination of the mail showed that it was fake. Besides, the name of the Director-General was wrongly spelled.
Mr. Palmdeti said the GIS suspected that it was the same group which issued the fake visas to the Turkish and another Russian, Nickolav, a lawyer.
Story by The Ghanaian Times/Ghana
No Preference for MMT in BRT System
Frederick Asiamah
allAfrica.com
The Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Limited, which is partly owned by the State and became a 'messiah' for commuters trapped in long queues in many heavy traffic areas over the past few years, will not have any special role in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system which is to begin soon in eleven Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies.
Conversely, the MMT will not be discriminated against if its authorities decide to enroll in the new bus system by applying to operate on the new routes.
Under this regulatory system, MMT is like any other operator; MMT is like the GPRTU [Ghana Private Road Transport Union], PROTOA [Progressive Transport Owners Association] and so on. There will be no preference for any entity," Laud Allotey of the Communications Unit of the Centre for Urban Transportation (C.U.T) told Public Agenda last Tuesday.
The MMT has been facing depletion of fleet in more recent times, resulting from frequent breakdowns. The presence of the MMT on the roads in some urban centres, especially in Accra is diminishing.
Apparently, the MMT has now been focusing more on inter-city services. As a result school children are no longer enjoying the free bus ride introduced for basic school pupils as they should. Workers have also had to wait in queues for several hours in the morning and evening rush hours with the hope of catching a trotro (private commercial mini buses).
Many Ghanaians feared that the new BRT system was a rival, state run parallel system that will hasten the demise of the MMT given the politicalisation that has characterized its operations since being introduced by former President John Agyekum Kufour's administration.
But the C.U.T Communications Unit has allayed those fears, stating that the MMDAs involved in the BRT are supposed to undertake route registration and certify users of BRT routes for a period of one year. In doing so, the MMDAs are supposed to embrace all who apply and assess their applications in a manner devoid of bias and prejudice.
More importantly, the MMDAs are obliged to recognize existing transport operators.
Government will regulate the system and provide the infrastructure. Basically government will play the role of a referee, Mr Allotey indicated to Public Agenda. He emphasized: The private sector is supposed to operate; government is not going to buy the buses for them."
That notwithstanding, government will assist them by linking them with the banks to enable them secure loans (if they need to do so) for the purchase of the buses.
Public Agenda has been trying to find out from authorities at MMT how they are positioning themselves to benefit from the new system but our efforts yielded no responses.
The BRT is a component of the $90 million Ghana Urban Transport Project. The overarching goal of the Ghana Urban Transport Project is to improve public transport in the Greater Accra Metropolitan Area by providing more and better public transit service to meet the needs of the region. Among the means chosen to achieve this goal are the development of a bus rapid transit system and the regularization of transit service throughout the region.
Eleven MMDAs have been selected to pilot the BRT and these include Accra and Tema metropolis, Ga East, Ga South and Ga West municipalities (all in the Greater Accra Region) and Kumasi, and Ejisu in the Ashanti Region.
The development of the system for takeoff in the Accra Metropolis has been divided into three schedules, according to Mr Allotey. The LOT 1 consists of the construction of a flyover on the railway line on the Graphic Road at a cost of $12 million. The work, being carried out by Edjis BcEom International, involves the construction of a bridge over the railway line and the widening of the bridge over the Odaw River.
The state newspaper, Daily Graphic, reported last Tuesday that work on the flyover project which started in January, this year, is now 50 per cent complete. It quoted the Resident Engineer of Edjis BcEom International, Mr Micheal Lear, as saying that the work would be completed in October, 2012.
According to him, there was an initial difficulty with the construction of the foundation because there was too much sand and water underground, but said "those challenges have been overcome and we hope to finish the project on time.
The second LOT involves the construction of segregated bus lanes from the Central Business District through Farisco (Adabraka), Graphic Road to Kaneshie First Light where the segregated lanes will terminate. From there the inner lanes of the existing three-lane road network to Mallam will be carved out for the BRT buses.
The third and final LOT involves the construction of bus stops, terminals and bus depots at Mallam. The bus depots are where the buses will sleep, Mr Allotey explains.
It is unclear when all these will be completed but some 120 buses are expected to be running on the route at scheduled times
Saturday, September 24, 2011
NPP calls on EC to convene IPAC Meeting
Accra, Sept. 23, GNA – The New Patriotic Party (NPP) on Friday called on the Electoral Commission (EC) to convene IPAC Meeting immediately to help restore credibility and ensure that all the “Accra Principles of Electoral Justice” are implemented for Election 2012.
It said: “There is an urgent need to convene IPAC Meeting immediately so that together, we can help restore credibility and ensure that all the “Accra Principles of Electoral Justice” are implemented for Election 2012”.
The party made the call in a letter addressed to the EC in Accra by Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, National Chairman.
It referred to previous correspondence on the need to get IPAC convened and deliberating on matters regarding the forthcoming Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise and other issues pertaining to Election 2012.
“Our call for specific information and material to enable us convince ourselves that the ‘tender process’ leading to the procurement of equipment and materials is credible has fallen on, sadly, deaf ears.
“We wholly endorse and support the constitutional provisions safeguarding the independence of the Electoral Commission. However our interpretation of the constitution is that the powers of that independence must be used to provide the nation with an election process that is credible, transparent, fair and ultimately delivers a result that is accepted by stakeholders as reflecting the true choice of the electorate.
“We do not believe that the independence is given to the Electoral Commission for it to act in a capricious and unilateral manner that can lead to the election process producing discord and tension in our country.
“We respectfully advise that as one of the major stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic process, not receiving the courtesy of a response to our letters is a bad signal.
“Further to receiving a copy of your “Invitation to Tender (ITT)” given to shortlisted companies to submit their solution for the Biometric Registration exercise, we commissioned two independent IT experts in the field of biometrics to analyze your ITT and give us their unvarnished assessment as to whether the ITT will lead to a credible BVR.
“Both teams arrived at the same conclusion. The gaps, risks and security flaws in the ITT, if not addressed and demonstrated to the parties, are of such serious magnitude as to make the BVR not credible and prone to fraudulent abuse.
“In the light of the above, we wish to convey our deep sense of apprehension that the manner in which you are conducting affairs towards Election 2012, secretly, stealthily and silently is a recipe for disaster.
“We realise that your institution has no experience in the field of electoral Biometrics and you have not requested credible experts to help you in undertaking this exercise. This can lead only to a bad outcome.
“Coming events cast their shadow. The pending court case has the potential of not only jeopardizing your already poorly implemented “roadmap” but impugning the integrity and credibility of the EC,”” it added.
The letter said: “For us in the NPP, we implore you as a matter of urgency to:
* Implement the mitigation any remedial measures identified by the experts and demonstrate to IPAC same before we can support the BVR exercise.
1. The necessary Certifications to ensure international standardization and quality assurance features in the system hardware are non-existent in the ITT. This is so for both the finger print scanner and camera. It also applies to the AFIS search engine. The camera is a 2MPand scanner is 500dpi. Both are of too low a resolution to make biometric analysis possible.
A camera with greater than 10MP and fingerprint scanner of at least 1200dpi should be the minimum requirement.
There are no requirements in the ITT to ensure that the software and other systems are developed and configured to international standards.
2. The ITT requirement that the client should own the source code and be able to make changes without trace (avoid detection) is a recipe for electoral fraud.
All stakeholders should either have access to the source-code or they are proprietary to the extent that any technical expert or unit with access cannot compromise the functioning of the solution.
3. There is no requirement in the ITT for the provision of an AFIS database and search engine.
This non-requirement means a database somewhere is going to be used. Where is this database? Who owns it? How secure is it? How credible is it? This is even more pertinent as the ITT requires an “AFIS enhancer”. If there is no engine with a database how can you enhance?
4. Physical security regarding usage of portable storage devices (USB’s, memory sticks, flash drives) for the storage and transfer of data are non-existent. Even if such security exists it can be subject to fraudulent abuse and so is not desirable in systems such as ours where data integrity is important. International best practice is to have a secure encrypted transfer protocols for all data transfer without the use of portable storage devices.
5. Locations where Data Centres are located are subject to Certification to ensure that stringent physical security and access controls protocols are adhered to. The ITT does not specify this as a requirement. This means data integrity cannot be ensured and can be easily compromised.
6. Given the lack of experience of the biometric process of the GEC the management of the project should include non-GEC executives who have proven competence in this area.
* To conduct the forthcoming registration exercise in all Polling Stations in Ghana simultaneously, as is the practice with replacement of register, to minimize greatly multiple registrations and its associated Voter ID card issuance. This would make up for the time lost.
Nigeria registered 60 million voters in two weeks why does Ghana need more than a month to register 13 million people. The EC should call for help from our Donor Partners and our sister nation, Nigeria, for both logistical and financial help to ensure this.
* To discuss the legal and regulatory issues concerning amending CI-12 with all the Parties immediately before submission to Parliament to prevent delays that the CI will encounter if it gets to Parliament without the Parties’ inputs beforehand.
* To demonstrate to us your plan of action to implement Voter Verification (authentication) before voting. This is imperative if the BVR exercise is to be complete. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa who have implemented BVR without authentication have not escaped political chaos post elections. Kenya realizing this through bitter experience, have recently implemented authentication before voting in a bye-election with greatly improved results.
The failure of EC to demonstrate practically to us, by the time Parliament reconvenes during the third week of October, that our concerns are being addressed, would convince us that for Election 2012 the EC cannot be relied upon to ensure a free, fair, credible election.
“We would then not be a supporter of the BVR exercise and will advocate for the EC to undertake a new manual registration system which is open, transparent, verifiable, economical and auditable (tried and tested) done simultaneously in all polling stations rather than support the flawed and opaque system the EC intends embarking on,”” the letter added.
GNA
It said: “There is an urgent need to convene IPAC Meeting immediately so that together, we can help restore credibility and ensure that all the “Accra Principles of Electoral Justice” are implemented for Election 2012”.
The party made the call in a letter addressed to the EC in Accra by Mr Jake Otanka Obetsebi-Lamptey, National Chairman.
It referred to previous correspondence on the need to get IPAC convened and deliberating on matters regarding the forthcoming Biometric Voter Registration (BVR) exercise and other issues pertaining to Election 2012.
“Our call for specific information and material to enable us convince ourselves that the ‘tender process’ leading to the procurement of equipment and materials is credible has fallen on, sadly, deaf ears.
“We wholly endorse and support the constitutional provisions safeguarding the independence of the Electoral Commission. However our interpretation of the constitution is that the powers of that independence must be used to provide the nation with an election process that is credible, transparent, fair and ultimately delivers a result that is accepted by stakeholders as reflecting the true choice of the electorate.
“We do not believe that the independence is given to the Electoral Commission for it to act in a capricious and unilateral manner that can lead to the election process producing discord and tension in our country.
“We respectfully advise that as one of the major stakeholders in Ghana’s democratic process, not receiving the courtesy of a response to our letters is a bad signal.
“Further to receiving a copy of your “Invitation to Tender (ITT)” given to shortlisted companies to submit their solution for the Biometric Registration exercise, we commissioned two independent IT experts in the field of biometrics to analyze your ITT and give us their unvarnished assessment as to whether the ITT will lead to a credible BVR.
“Both teams arrived at the same conclusion. The gaps, risks and security flaws in the ITT, if not addressed and demonstrated to the parties, are of such serious magnitude as to make the BVR not credible and prone to fraudulent abuse.
“In the light of the above, we wish to convey our deep sense of apprehension that the manner in which you are conducting affairs towards Election 2012, secretly, stealthily and silently is a recipe for disaster.
“We realise that your institution has no experience in the field of electoral Biometrics and you have not requested credible experts to help you in undertaking this exercise. This can lead only to a bad outcome.
“Coming events cast their shadow. The pending court case has the potential of not only jeopardizing your already poorly implemented “roadmap” but impugning the integrity and credibility of the EC,”” it added.
The letter said: “For us in the NPP, we implore you as a matter of urgency to:
* Implement the mitigation any remedial measures identified by the experts and demonstrate to IPAC same before we can support the BVR exercise.
1. The necessary Certifications to ensure international standardization and quality assurance features in the system hardware are non-existent in the ITT. This is so for both the finger print scanner and camera. It also applies to the AFIS search engine. The camera is a 2MPand scanner is 500dpi. Both are of too low a resolution to make biometric analysis possible.
A camera with greater than 10MP and fingerprint scanner of at least 1200dpi should be the minimum requirement.
There are no requirements in the ITT to ensure that the software and other systems are developed and configured to international standards.
2. The ITT requirement that the client should own the source code and be able to make changes without trace (avoid detection) is a recipe for electoral fraud.
All stakeholders should either have access to the source-code or they are proprietary to the extent that any technical expert or unit with access cannot compromise the functioning of the solution.
3. There is no requirement in the ITT for the provision of an AFIS database and search engine.
This non-requirement means a database somewhere is going to be used. Where is this database? Who owns it? How secure is it? How credible is it? This is even more pertinent as the ITT requires an “AFIS enhancer”. If there is no engine with a database how can you enhance?
4. Physical security regarding usage of portable storage devices (USB’s, memory sticks, flash drives) for the storage and transfer of data are non-existent. Even if such security exists it can be subject to fraudulent abuse and so is not desirable in systems such as ours where data integrity is important. International best practice is to have a secure encrypted transfer protocols for all data transfer without the use of portable storage devices.
5. Locations where Data Centres are located are subject to Certification to ensure that stringent physical security and access controls protocols are adhered to. The ITT does not specify this as a requirement. This means data integrity cannot be ensured and can be easily compromised.
6. Given the lack of experience of the biometric process of the GEC the management of the project should include non-GEC executives who have proven competence in this area.
* To conduct the forthcoming registration exercise in all Polling Stations in Ghana simultaneously, as is the practice with replacement of register, to minimize greatly multiple registrations and its associated Voter ID card issuance. This would make up for the time lost.
Nigeria registered 60 million voters in two weeks why does Ghana need more than a month to register 13 million people. The EC should call for help from our Donor Partners and our sister nation, Nigeria, for both logistical and financial help to ensure this.
* To discuss the legal and regulatory issues concerning amending CI-12 with all the Parties immediately before submission to Parliament to prevent delays that the CI will encounter if it gets to Parliament without the Parties’ inputs beforehand.
* To demonstrate to us your plan of action to implement Voter Verification (authentication) before voting. This is imperative if the BVR exercise is to be complete. Countries in sub-Saharan Africa who have implemented BVR without authentication have not escaped political chaos post elections. Kenya realizing this through bitter experience, have recently implemented authentication before voting in a bye-election with greatly improved results.
The failure of EC to demonstrate practically to us, by the time Parliament reconvenes during the third week of October, that our concerns are being addressed, would convince us that for Election 2012 the EC cannot be relied upon to ensure a free, fair, credible election.
“We would then not be a supporter of the BVR exercise and will advocate for the EC to undertake a new manual registration system which is open, transparent, verifiable, economical and auditable (tried and tested) done simultaneously in all polling stations rather than support the flawed and opaque system the EC intends embarking on,”” the letter added.
GNA
Hidden explosives shipment seized at Nigerian port
LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Nigerian officials seized a sizable amount of explosives hidden inside a shipping container from China at one of the West African nation's major ports, an official said Saturday, amid continued unrest and bombings across the oil-rich country.
The container arrived at Nigeria's Tin Can Port on June 14 on the MV Seng-Shi, with its bill of lading claiming the shipment from Huangpu, China contained industrial sockets and valves, said Wale Adeniyi, a spokesman for the Nigeria Customs Service. However, discrepancies on the shipping paperwork raised suspicions of the customs service, which kept watch over the container to see if someone came to pick it up, Adeniyi said.
Officials opened the container Friday to check its contents, he said, adding that they worried whatever could be inside of the containers could grow unstable during Nigeria's continuing rainy season, he said. Officials remain unsure whether the explosives were of a military or commercial grade.
"We saw them in different dimensions with cables, wires (and) some bolts," Adeniyi said.
The customs service handed the explosives over to Nigeria's federal police force. Authorities have launched an investigation into the shipment, Adeniyi said, though no arrests have been made.
Nigeria's chaotic ports in its megacity of Lagos see tons of cargo move through them daily, providing cars, imported food, refined gasoline and other products needed for the nation of 150 million people. Drugs and other illegal goods also flow through the ports, often aided by officials receiving bribes in a country considered by analysts to have one of the world's most corrupt governments.
It isn't the first time a shipment that could be used as weapons have been found in the country. In October 2010, authorities at Lagos' Apapa Port found a hidden shipment of 107 mm artillery rockets, rifle rounds and other weapons from Iran. The shipment was supposedly bound for Gambia. A Nigerian and an Iranian face criminal charges over the shipment.
The container arrived at Nigeria's Tin Can Port on June 14 on the MV Seng-Shi, with its bill of lading claiming the shipment from Huangpu, China contained industrial sockets and valves, said Wale Adeniyi, a spokesman for the Nigeria Customs Service. However, discrepancies on the shipping paperwork raised suspicions of the customs service, which kept watch over the container to see if someone came to pick it up, Adeniyi said.
Officials opened the container Friday to check its contents, he said, adding that they worried whatever could be inside of the containers could grow unstable during Nigeria's continuing rainy season, he said. Officials remain unsure whether the explosives were of a military or commercial grade.
"We saw them in different dimensions with cables, wires (and) some bolts," Adeniyi said.
The customs service handed the explosives over to Nigeria's federal police force. Authorities have launched an investigation into the shipment, Adeniyi said, though no arrests have been made.
Nigeria's chaotic ports in its megacity of Lagos see tons of cargo move through them daily, providing cars, imported food, refined gasoline and other products needed for the nation of 150 million people. Drugs and other illegal goods also flow through the ports, often aided by officials receiving bribes in a country considered by analysts to have one of the world's most corrupt governments.
It isn't the first time a shipment that could be used as weapons have been found in the country. In October 2010, authorities at Lagos' Apapa Port found a hidden shipment of 107 mm artillery rockets, rifle rounds and other weapons from Iran. The shipment was supposedly bound for Gambia. A Nigerian and an Iranian face criminal charges over the shipment.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Police swoop on illegal miners, destroy $390,000 excavators
Police in the Eastern region are being accused of wrongful seizure and burning of excavators used by small scale miners at Akwabooso.
The task force allegedly set the equipment ablaze during an operation to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners there.
The three excavators said to cost $390,000 belong to the former MP for Akwatia, Kinston Kissi.
Mr. Kissi who is protesting the destruction of his excavators by the anti-galamsey task force, told Joy News the security operation was illegal because the miners had permit to operate.
He said the district police commander for the area has denied knowledge of the incident, alleging that the taskforce came to the area from Accra with petrol purposely to destroy his business.
He called on the police to start investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP Kwabena Gyamerah-Yeboah, told Joy News investigations have begun into the incident.
At the moment, he could not tell whether the excavators were burned by the taskforce or disingenuously by the miners themselves.
In a related development, a police cum military team has arrested 67 galamsey operators in the Diziri Forest Reserve in the Ahafo Ano-North District.
Twenty parcels of substances suspected to be Indian hemp and cocaine as well as other mining equipment were retrieved in the operation.
Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbilla told a news conference in Kumasi the exercise marked the beginning of a special operation to clamp down on illegal miners in the region.
He said the activities of the illegal miners have increased pollution in the area, and have also become deathtraps in a number of places they operate.
The task force allegedly set the equipment ablaze during an operation to clamp down on the activities of illegal miners there.
The three excavators said to cost $390,000 belong to the former MP for Akwatia, Kinston Kissi.
Mr. Kissi who is protesting the destruction of his excavators by the anti-galamsey task force, told Joy News the security operation was illegal because the miners had permit to operate.
He said the district police commander for the area has denied knowledge of the incident, alleging that the taskforce came to the area from Accra with petrol purposely to destroy his business.
He called on the police to start investigations into the incident.
Meanwhile, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP Kwabena Gyamerah-Yeboah, told Joy News investigations have begun into the incident.
At the moment, he could not tell whether the excavators were burned by the taskforce or disingenuously by the miners themselves.
In a related development, a police cum military team has arrested 67 galamsey operators in the Diziri Forest Reserve in the Ahafo Ano-North District.
Twenty parcels of substances suspected to be Indian hemp and cocaine as well as other mining equipment were retrieved in the operation.
Regional Police Commander, DCOP Patrick Timbilla told a news conference in Kumasi the exercise marked the beginning of a special operation to clamp down on illegal miners in the region.
He said the activities of the illegal miners have increased pollution in the area, and have also become deathtraps in a number of places they operate.
Ghana needs a selfless leader– Prof Akosah
Professor Agyeman Badu Akosah, a leading member of the Convection People’s Party (CPP), on Wednesday stated that Ghana needs a selfless leader whose commitment to the total development of the country is unquestionable.
“Ghana needs a nation builder, someone who is prepared to work with the masses for the collective good of all people”.
Prof. Akosah was speaking at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures as part of activities marking the 3rd Founder’s Celebration in Accra.
The lecture which was on the theme: “The relevance of Nkrumaism today”, was organized by the Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG).
The lecture also attended by Convention People Party (CPP) bigwigs as well as National Democratic Congress (NDC) ministers including Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, Chairperson of the CPP, Mrs Susan Adu Amankwah, second Vice Chairperson of the CPP and Prof Edmond Dele.
The rest are Madam Sherry Ayitey, Minister of Science and Environment, Mr Alban K. Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing and Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister of Science and Environment.
Prof Akosah said during the reign of Dr Nkrumah, he ensured that education and healthcare was free and one could truly judge his government by assessing the welfare of the people in his day.
He said though the country is endowed with resources including large tracts of arable land which have been taken over by weeds while many youths roam the streets unemployed.
He said Dr Nkrumah was able to generate employment for the youth by introducing the Workers Brigade which ensured that the youth were not employed but acquired employable skills.
He said he cannot accept the claim by people that it is not government’s responsibility to provide employment for the people and that government only has to create the congenial environment for the private sector to take off.
According to him, it is written in the constitution that government will among other seek the welfare and wellbeing of the people.
Prof Akosah insisted that Nkrumaism is still relevant today because the mass of the people continue to wallow in squalor and poverty even in the face of the numerous resources that the country is blessed with.
He said the country needs to set up a minimum standard or level that the poor and the vulnerable in the society must not be allowed to fall below.
Dr Gamel Nasser Adam, Head of Department, Department of Modern Languages, University of Ghana, said Dr Nkrumah’s legacy would endure for a long time because of his ideals and what he stood for.
He said Dr Nkrumah’s seven year development plan was to fundamentally transform the Ghanaian economy especially, the agricultural sector.
He said Dr Nkrumah development strategy is what was pursued by the former Soviet Union and later China which has the potential of changing the face of any economy especially infrastructural development within a short time.
According to Dr Adam, Nkrumah’s persistence to awaken the consciousness of Africans to fight the colonial exploitation was significant and helped in doing away with neo-colonialism and imperialism.
He said the people that Africa lost to the slave trade were the most productive segment of the society and was largely responsible to the underdevelopment of the continent.
Dr Adam said though Ghana has won her independence, she is still in throes imperialism manipulation which has taken various forms.
Ms Emilia Arthur, Deputy Minister of Western Region said Dr Nkrumah was a visionary leader who wanted social development for all the segments of the society.
She said Nkrumah was a man of conscience who came from a humble background to achieve greatness for Ghana and the rest of the world.
Ms Arthur said Ghana needs a consistent strategy and policy that would protect the nation from colonial exploitation.
“Ghana needs a nation builder, someone who is prepared to work with the masses for the collective good of all people”.
Prof. Akosah was speaking at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Lectures as part of activities marking the 3rd Founder’s Celebration in Accra.
The lecture which was on the theme: “The relevance of Nkrumaism today”, was organized by the Socialist Forum of Ghana (SFG).
The lecture also attended by Convention People Party (CPP) bigwigs as well as National Democratic Congress (NDC) ministers including Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, Chairperson of the CPP, Mrs Susan Adu Amankwah, second Vice Chairperson of the CPP and Prof Edmond Dele.
The rest are Madam Sherry Ayitey, Minister of Science and Environment, Mr Alban K. Bagbin, Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing and Dr Edward Omane Boamah, Deputy Minister of Science and Environment.
Prof Akosah said during the reign of Dr Nkrumah, he ensured that education and healthcare was free and one could truly judge his government by assessing the welfare of the people in his day.
He said though the country is endowed with resources including large tracts of arable land which have been taken over by weeds while many youths roam the streets unemployed.
He said Dr Nkrumah was able to generate employment for the youth by introducing the Workers Brigade which ensured that the youth were not employed but acquired employable skills.
He said he cannot accept the claim by people that it is not government’s responsibility to provide employment for the people and that government only has to create the congenial environment for the private sector to take off.
According to him, it is written in the constitution that government will among other seek the welfare and wellbeing of the people.
Prof Akosah insisted that Nkrumaism is still relevant today because the mass of the people continue to wallow in squalor and poverty even in the face of the numerous resources that the country is blessed with.
He said the country needs to set up a minimum standard or level that the poor and the vulnerable in the society must not be allowed to fall below.
Dr Gamel Nasser Adam, Head of Department, Department of Modern Languages, University of Ghana, said Dr Nkrumah’s legacy would endure for a long time because of his ideals and what he stood for.
He said Dr Nkrumah’s seven year development plan was to fundamentally transform the Ghanaian economy especially, the agricultural sector.
He said Dr Nkrumah development strategy is what was pursued by the former Soviet Union and later China which has the potential of changing the face of any economy especially infrastructural development within a short time.
According to Dr Adam, Nkrumah’s persistence to awaken the consciousness of Africans to fight the colonial exploitation was significant and helped in doing away with neo-colonialism and imperialism.
He said the people that Africa lost to the slave trade were the most productive segment of the society and was largely responsible to the underdevelopment of the continent.
Dr Adam said though Ghana has won her independence, she is still in throes imperialism manipulation which has taken various forms.
Ms Emilia Arthur, Deputy Minister of Western Region said Dr Nkrumah was a visionary leader who wanted social development for all the segments of the society.
She said Nkrumah was a man of conscience who came from a humble background to achieve greatness for Ghana and the rest of the world.
Ms Arthur said Ghana needs a consistent strategy and policy that would protect the nation from colonial exploitation.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
'Miracle' plant boosting health in Sierra Leone
A tropical plant said to be nutritional dynamite is being plugged by Sierra Leone's government as a natural cure-all in the country, which has some of the worst health indicators in the world.
The Moringa plant, native to northern India, has been called the "tree of life" and its use is spreading in Africa, advocates say, where it can prevent diseases and malnutrition and even boost development by creating job opportunities.
In Sierra Leone, President Ernest Koroma himself regularly takes Moringa oil, one form of the plant, boasts Jonas Coleman of the country's Moringa Association.
In a recent interview with AFP, Agriculture Minister Sam Sesay described Moringa as "the most nutritious plant on earth, and each and every part of it has nutritional and medicinal values that have the propensity to cure over 300 diseases, including hypertension and diabetes."
"Very soon, the cultivation of the Moringa tropical plant in Sierra Leone may likely put some medical practitioners out of business," he quipped.
Doctors may not agree with that, but they do agree on the value of Moringa.
"It sure is a good herbal plant complementing our medical practice. Anything that provides good health is worth our nod," said private practitioner Harry Sankoh in the northern city of Makeni.
In Sierra Leone, where some 70 percent live on less than a dollar a day, only one in four children live to see their fifth birthday, according to UN figures.
The country, which was ravaged by a decade-long war which ended in 2002, has one doctor for every 17,000 people and one nurse for every 8,000, according to health ministry statistics.
It is unclear how the plant first came to Sierra Leone.
mains the hub of Moringa production where a factory has been established and is marketing the commodity to other parts of the country.
District Forest Officer Fomba James, who has over 15 years of herbal experience, describes Moringa as "a powerhouse of nutritional values."
"It contains seven times the vitamin C found in oranges, four times the calcium in milk, four times the vitamin A in carrots and three times the potassium in banana," he told AFP.
According to UMCOR's website, the plant contains some 46 antioxidants and is loaded with phytonutrients, which flush toxins from the body, purify the liver and bolster the immune system.
Alimamy Lahai is a Moringa door-to-door salesman, who sells Moringa products in Freetown.
"It is a profitable business as sales are now high given the recent publicity of the product. I sell the powder which is packaged in sachets for about two dollars and the teabags for about four dollars."
In the northern town of Port Loko, tribal headman Jimmy Lagbo told AFP by telephone: "We see it as a cure-all and many folks in my community are no longer visiting the local clinics as they are now using either moringa teabags or sprinkling the powder on their daily meals."
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Agogo Residents To Fight Fulani Herdsmen Gun for Gun
Myjoyonline
Residents of Agogo in the Asante Akyim North District of the Ashanti region are bracing up to return fire on Fulani herdsmen in the area who they accuse of terrorizing them.
The residents also accused the herdsmen of murders, rapes and constant harassment of the indigenes.
Dampened by the seeming delay by government in responding to their plights, the residents hit the streets of Agogo on Friday to register their displeasure about the vicious activities of the Fulani herdsmen.
A Spokesperson for the Agogo Residents Association, Kingsley Obeng, told Joy FM’s Top Story that if the government fails to act within two weeks, they will take the law into their own hands, swearing, they will kick the Fulani herdsmen from the area.
“If by two weeks time the government does not come to our aid we shall take the law into our hands and do whatever we like with the herdsmen… We shall fight them, we are also having guns.”
He said they were certain that most of the atrocities committed in the area were done by the Fulani herdsmen.
Mr Obeng said when they met chiefs of the area, they were told that the Fulani herdsmen have overstayed their welcome and would no longer be tolerated in the area.
He opined that the Fulanis were given up to 29th March by the chiefs to leave the area because they have “violated” their part of the agreement with the chiefs, which allows them to live on their land, but “up till now they are still here, killing us and doing all sort of things they like. That is why we are angry now.”
He said they are also not interested in going to court because the law is cumbersome, and would delay justice for them.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Interior, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor cautioned the residents against taking the laws into their own hands, maintaining, that such move would “be a very dangerous step”.
“I would want to caution, and very, very firmly that any citizen in this country who takes the law into his hands, it is the responsibility of the security agencies, constitutionally, to protect lives and property.”
He said the government is aware of the “complicated” situation in the area as it works around the clock, carrying out its responsibility, to maintain peace and order there.
“[The issue in Agogo] is one that is a very large mix bag of so many things. It involves emotions, it involves legal question, it involves social cohesion, it involves international rule. It is a very complicated area.”
Inasmuch as he sympathized with the residents, Dr Kumbuor also asked the residents to be cautious of rushing into conclusion, thus attributing every single crime in the area to the Fulani herdsmen.
He said while the government reviews the situation there, the joint military/police team dispatched to the area would be maintained
Residents of Agogo in the Asante Akyim North District of the Ashanti region are bracing up to return fire on Fulani herdsmen in the area who they accuse of terrorizing them.
The residents also accused the herdsmen of murders, rapes and constant harassment of the indigenes.
Dampened by the seeming delay by government in responding to their plights, the residents hit the streets of Agogo on Friday to register their displeasure about the vicious activities of the Fulani herdsmen.
A Spokesperson for the Agogo Residents Association, Kingsley Obeng, told Joy FM’s Top Story that if the government fails to act within two weeks, they will take the law into their own hands, swearing, they will kick the Fulani herdsmen from the area.
“If by two weeks time the government does not come to our aid we shall take the law into our hands and do whatever we like with the herdsmen… We shall fight them, we are also having guns.”
He said they were certain that most of the atrocities committed in the area were done by the Fulani herdsmen.
Mr Obeng said when they met chiefs of the area, they were told that the Fulani herdsmen have overstayed their welcome and would no longer be tolerated in the area.
He opined that the Fulanis were given up to 29th March by the chiefs to leave the area because they have “violated” their part of the agreement with the chiefs, which allows them to live on their land, but “up till now they are still here, killing us and doing all sort of things they like. That is why we are angry now.”
He said they are also not interested in going to court because the law is cumbersome, and would delay justice for them.
Meanwhile, the Minister for Interior, Dr Benjamin Kumbuor cautioned the residents against taking the laws into their own hands, maintaining, that such move would “be a very dangerous step”.
“I would want to caution, and very, very firmly that any citizen in this country who takes the law into his hands, it is the responsibility of the security agencies, constitutionally, to protect lives and property.”
He said the government is aware of the “complicated” situation in the area as it works around the clock, carrying out its responsibility, to maintain peace and order there.
“[The issue in Agogo] is one that is a very large mix bag of so many things. It involves emotions, it involves legal question, it involves social cohesion, it involves international rule. It is a very complicated area.”
Inasmuch as he sympathized with the residents, Dr Kumbuor also asked the residents to be cautious of rushing into conclusion, thus attributing every single crime in the area to the Fulani herdsmen.
He said while the government reviews the situation there, the joint military/police team dispatched to the area would be maintained
Nigerians Fear 'killer phone number'
Nigeria's authorities have been forced to reassure the public that a mobile phone number cannot kill, after rumours were spread by text messages.
Viral text messages had warned that several people had died when they answered calls with the ID 09141.
The regulatory body, the Nigerian Communications Commission, said this was "unimaginable" and "unscrupulous persons" were spreading fear.
'Gullible people'
The text messages gave conflicting accounts of the number of people killed when they answered the call - some put the death toll at seven while others put it at 10.
"Technically, it is not possible for such a thing to happen. It is therefore unimaginable that somebody will die while receiving a call," commission spokesman Reuben Muoka said.
"It is only very gullible people that will believe such a rumour."
Other messages that have caused panic in the past include claims that acid rain from seasonal dust storms can burn people alive, the AP news agency reports.
Poor education and superstitious beliefs lead some Nigerians to take the messages seriously, correspondents say
Viral text messages had warned that several people had died when they answered calls with the ID 09141.
The regulatory body, the Nigerian Communications Commission, said this was "unimaginable" and "unscrupulous persons" were spreading fear.
'Gullible people'
The text messages gave conflicting accounts of the number of people killed when they answered the call - some put the death toll at seven while others put it at 10.
"Technically, it is not possible for such a thing to happen. It is therefore unimaginable that somebody will die while receiving a call," commission spokesman Reuben Muoka said.
"It is only very gullible people that will believe such a rumour."
Other messages that have caused panic in the past include claims that acid rain from seasonal dust storms can burn people alive, the AP news agency reports.
Poor education and superstitious beliefs lead some Nigerians to take the messages seriously, correspondents say
Ejisu Omanhene asks politicians to focus on development issue
Ejisu (Ash) GNA – The Omanhene (Paramount Chief) of Ejisu, Nana Afrane Okesse IV, has reminded government officials about the need to focus on bringing development to the people.
He said people in public office should always put the general good of the people ahead of their personal comfort and convenience, adding that it should not be lost on them the high expectations of those who voted them into power.
They could therefore not afford to disappoint them, Nana Okesse said when Mr Kwaku Afrifa Yamoah-Ponkor; Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), paid a courtesy call on him to officially introduce himself to the chief.
The Omanhene expressed the need for traditional leaders to get involved in the development programmes of the district assemblies.
He advised the MCE to ensure openness and transparency in the performance of his duties.
Mr Yamoah-Ponkor pledged to work hard to help transform the living conditions of the people in the Municipality, adding that, he would be fair and not discriminatory.
GNA
He said people in public office should always put the general good of the people ahead of their personal comfort and convenience, adding that it should not be lost on them the high expectations of those who voted them into power.
They could therefore not afford to disappoint them, Nana Okesse said when Mr Kwaku Afrifa Yamoah-Ponkor; Ejisu-Juaben Municipal Chief Executive (MCE), paid a courtesy call on him to officially introduce himself to the chief.
The Omanhene expressed the need for traditional leaders to get involved in the development programmes of the district assemblies.
He advised the MCE to ensure openness and transparency in the performance of his duties.
Mr Yamoah-Ponkor pledged to work hard to help transform the living conditions of the people in the Municipality, adding that, he would be fair and not discriminatory.
GNA
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