Story: Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
The Tema Municipal Chief Executive, Mr David Quaye Annang, has disclosed that the current HIV prevalent rate in the municipality, estimated to be 3.6 per cent, calls for caution because the figure continues to swell.
He stated that in 2005 the prevalence rate in the municipality reduced from 5.8 to 2.2, representing a depreciation of the situation.
Mr Annang made this disclosure at the Greater Accra Regional celebration of the World AIDS Day in Tema.
He called on residents to adopt sexual practices that would lead to healthy lifestyles to avoid the spread of the virus.
Mr Annang noted that though there had been various ways of educating the public, some people had ignored them and continued to lead promiscuous lifestyles.
He appealed to the youth especially to take it serious because they were the future of the world.
Mr Annang also advised against stigmatisation and discrimination against infected people to give them support and comfort.
The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Sheikh I.C. Quaye, was not happy that the prevalenct rate was high among the economically active in society, especially among those aged between 20 and 40 years.
He called on all Ghanaians to make concerted efforts to contribute towards the moral upbringing of the youth to ensure social protection, offer care, job security and rights of both the infected and affected.
Sheik Quaye said the Regional Coordinating Council and all District Assemblies in the region would intensify the educational process of developing work place polices to help limit the spread of the virus.
He noted that the campaign would consider the rapidly changing lifestyle and technological development which had rendered the youth vulnerable to sexual immorality.
Meanwhile, workers of Unilever in Tema walked to raise funds for people living with AIDS (PLWA) and also raise awareness.
They covered a distance of six kilometres through the streets of Tema and later converged at the factory premises to be taken through free testing and counselling.
The Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mr Charles Cofie, in an interview after the walk appealed to Ghanaian workers and the public at large to present themselves for testing to enable them know their status.
Over 200 workers and volunteers went through the testing and counselling after the walk.
Mr Cofie expressed concern about the impact of the disease on the social security system and increasing social expenditure on health care, pensions and sickness benefits.
He said the company would add its contribution to the amount realised during the walk and present it to the PLWAs.
Friday, December 21, 2007
CHURCH PROMOTES PATRONAGE OF MADE-IN GHANA GOODS. PUBLISH DECEMBER 18TH 2007....METRO PAGE GRAPHIC PAGE 29
Rose Hayford Darko , Tema
The Tema Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana has initiated a program to educate members of the need to patronize made in Ghana products as a means to contribute to the boosting of the trade and local industry .
Dubbed a ‘Trade Week Seminar’ members were treated to topics on ‘Global Trade in Food and its impact on poor economics ; Trade Justice and the Right to Food ; and International Trade and Free Trade Liberation .
A Circuit Minister of the Tema Diocese Very Rev. Comfort Ruth Quartey - Papafio who spoke on the Trade Justice and Right to Food called on the government to initiate policies and taxations that would provide an income base for access to food security .
Very Rev. Quartey -Papafio was of the view that Ghanaians could be taxed adequately and the monies used wisely to subsidize the cost of farming in the country to make agriculture appreciative .
She said Ghanaians must not be proud of food aid but have the vision to prevent trade injustices by producing to meet the demand of the market to build a strong data base for the economy .
Very Rev. Quartey –Papafio noted that trade was one of the key elements to determine sufficiency of food but observed that the current pricing pressure had made farmers to suffer most and appealed for a review of the system to make pricing attractive to the consumer .
She explained that this system could push imported goods and food out of business .
Very Rev. Quartey said Ghanaians would be helping themselves if they patronized the locally produced food like the local rice and chicken instead of the ‘perfumed rice’ which had lost its real nutritious value.
She therefore called on Ghanaians to sacrifice to use made in Ghana goods and boycott the many poor quality goods which have been put on the market .
The Presiding Bishop of the Church Rt Rev . Samuel Archamfuor in his presentation outlined that there were some reasons why farmers in the country had not been able to make their mark .
He noted that the rich had taken advantage of the poor citing examples during bumper harvests when fish and food alike were purchased at very low prices because their produce had no value added and had no storage facilities for their produce .
Rt Rev Archamfuor commented that the poor however had to purchase their needs at very exorbitant prices and most times had to live on loans .
He observed that this trend could be found on the world market when Ghanaian farmers produced cocoa but prices were fixed for them .
Bishop Archamfuor related it to the bible that God wanted justice for all and therefore stated that it was immoral for some to close their markets while they expected other markets to be opened for them .
He prayed for rightness to be obtained in trade for mercy and justice to be done to the poor .
Other Speakers included Very Rev . Gaisie Amoah and Rev Patrick Kofie Amissah all of the Tema Diocese of the Methodist Church , Ghana .
The Tema Diocese of the Methodist Church Ghana has initiated a program to educate members of the need to patronize made in Ghana products as a means to contribute to the boosting of the trade and local industry .
Dubbed a ‘Trade Week Seminar’ members were treated to topics on ‘Global Trade in Food and its impact on poor economics ; Trade Justice and the Right to Food ; and International Trade and Free Trade Liberation .
A Circuit Minister of the Tema Diocese Very Rev. Comfort Ruth Quartey - Papafio who spoke on the Trade Justice and Right to Food called on the government to initiate policies and taxations that would provide an income base for access to food security .
Very Rev. Quartey -Papafio was of the view that Ghanaians could be taxed adequately and the monies used wisely to subsidize the cost of farming in the country to make agriculture appreciative .
She said Ghanaians must not be proud of food aid but have the vision to prevent trade injustices by producing to meet the demand of the market to build a strong data base for the economy .
Very Rev. Quartey –Papafio noted that trade was one of the key elements to determine sufficiency of food but observed that the current pricing pressure had made farmers to suffer most and appealed for a review of the system to make pricing attractive to the consumer .
She explained that this system could push imported goods and food out of business .
Very Rev. Quartey said Ghanaians would be helping themselves if they patronized the locally produced food like the local rice and chicken instead of the ‘perfumed rice’ which had lost its real nutritious value.
She therefore called on Ghanaians to sacrifice to use made in Ghana goods and boycott the many poor quality goods which have been put on the market .
The Presiding Bishop of the Church Rt Rev . Samuel Archamfuor in his presentation outlined that there were some reasons why farmers in the country had not been able to make their mark .
He noted that the rich had taken advantage of the poor citing examples during bumper harvests when fish and food alike were purchased at very low prices because their produce had no value added and had no storage facilities for their produce .
Rt Rev Archamfuor commented that the poor however had to purchase their needs at very exorbitant prices and most times had to live on loans .
He observed that this trend could be found on the world market when Ghanaian farmers produced cocoa but prices were fixed for them .
Bishop Archamfuor related it to the bible that God wanted justice for all and therefore stated that it was immoral for some to close their markets while they expected other markets to be opened for them .
He prayed for rightness to be obtained in trade for mercy and justice to be done to the poor .
Other Speakers included Very Rev . Gaisie Amoah and Rev Patrick Kofie Amissah all of the Tema Diocese of the Methodist Church , Ghana .
Thursday, December 13, 2007
PARENTS URGED TO DEVELOP TALENTS OF CHILDREN.....Page 17
Story: Rose Darko, Tema
THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, has called on parents to help develop the talents of their children in their formative years for social and emotional development.
Ms Aryee said this could be achieved in collaboration with school authorities who were trained in the early child development aspects of children’s growth.
She was speaking in Tema at a one-day children's conference organised by Monton Heights 2007, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), on the theme: “Keys for the Growing Child.”
It was attended by students drawn from both junior and senior high schools in Tema and Ashaiman.
Ms Aryee, who spoke on the topic ‘Digging the Gold in the Growing Child', stated that most parents were willing to invest a lot of money in their children's education, even from the day-care stage, in the hope of identifying the “gold” in them.
The CEO noted that with proper environment and education, the ‘gold in children could be dug’.
She said parents needed to educate themselves or have the resources and time to help their children learn, and also set academic goals for them.
She, therefore, urged the students to take their studies seriously to make the investments made in them productive.
The CEO commended the NGO for instituting the programme, saying that it would enhance the learning abilities of the children.
She also appealed to the children to count themselves lucky by being in school and having the opportunity to attend the children's conference, which was to prepare them for their future endeavours.
A Principal Investigator at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mrs Joyce Boahene, who spoke on “The Child’s Rights and Responsibility’, placed much emphasis on moral decency, discipline, peer pressure and courtesy for boys and girls.
She said moral decency must reflect in their attitudes towards others and called on the children to learn to distinguish right from wrong through their behaviour.
Mrs Boahene observed that an undisciplined child had no self-control and could thus easily fall prey to temptation which would retard his or her life in future.
THE Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Chamber of Mines, Ms Joyce Aryee, has called on parents to help develop the talents of their children in their formative years for social and emotional development.
Ms Aryee said this could be achieved in collaboration with school authorities who were trained in the early child development aspects of children’s growth.
She was speaking in Tema at a one-day children's conference organised by Monton Heights 2007, a local non-governmental organisation (NGO), on the theme: “Keys for the Growing Child.”
It was attended by students drawn from both junior and senior high schools in Tema and Ashaiman.
Ms Aryee, who spoke on the topic ‘Digging the Gold in the Growing Child', stated that most parents were willing to invest a lot of money in their children's education, even from the day-care stage, in the hope of identifying the “gold” in them.
The CEO noted that with proper environment and education, the ‘gold in children could be dug’.
She said parents needed to educate themselves or have the resources and time to help their children learn, and also set academic goals for them.
She, therefore, urged the students to take their studies seriously to make the investments made in them productive.
The CEO commended the NGO for instituting the programme, saying that it would enhance the learning abilities of the children.
She also appealed to the children to count themselves lucky by being in school and having the opportunity to attend the children's conference, which was to prepare them for their future endeavours.
A Principal Investigator at the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mrs Joyce Boahene, who spoke on “The Child’s Rights and Responsibility’, placed much emphasis on moral decency, discipline, peer pressure and courtesy for boys and girls.
She said moral decency must reflect in their attitudes towards others and called on the children to learn to distinguish right from wrong through their behaviour.
Mrs Boahene observed that an undisciplined child had no self-control and could thus easily fall prey to temptation which would retard his or her life in future.
Friday, December 7, 2007
POLICE , MILITARY TEAM ARRESTS SUSPECTED CRIMINALS ( Published Dec 5, 2007. Page 31)
Story: Rose Hayfron Darko, Tema
BARELY 24 hours after the arrest of some members of a suspected armed robbery gang, the Tema Police, in conjunction with a military patrol team, has swooped on some suspected criminals at separate locations at the Coastal Estates and Community 18 (Batsonaa), near Sakumono, and made arrests of seventeen persons.
Several incriminating equipment and materials, including four rubber stamps bearing the insignia of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Ghana and the International Commercial Bank, were retrieved.
Seven of the suspects who were arrested on Saturday in a rented house at the Coastal Estates were Vincent Dennis, 25, Gabriel Ojugo, 28, Franklin Anana, 29, Kingsley Osu Eto, 30, Aniekom Olumba, 31, Anthony Archibong, 29, and Patrick Archibong, 34.
Ten other suspects — Freeborn Mukore, 35, Agise Billy, 23, Johnson Yomi, 23, Blessing Sapilo, 34, Emmanuel Owos, 21, Kingsley Siprako, 25, Williams Uche, 37, Paul Adams, 23, Ezekiel Ufuoma, 32, and Sisan Oebaro, 30 — were also picked up from a rented house at Batsonaa on Sunday.
The Tema Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, Chief Inspector Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, said the Tema municipality had experienced a spate of robberies and other serious crimes which called for prompt attention.
He said the 17 were suspected to be involved in cyber/Internet fraud.
Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said the police would continue with the swoops on the hideouts of criminals until the system was cleared of them.
He said the police retrieved a wireless GPRS modem and its memory, 10 mobiles phones, floppy diskettes, pen drives, fax machines, printers, laptop system units and some cash in dollars and cedis in the first swoop.
They also seized one Toyota Solara saloon car (GW 2826 W), a Lexus 50 saloon car (GS 254 Y) and a VW Jetta (GS 1491 Y) saloon car and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said in the second swoop on Sunday at Batsonaa, the police retrieved 16 mobile phones, two Nigerian passports, two laptops and their accessories and two saloon cars — a Toyota Camry (GT 7162 T) and a Toyota Corolla (GR 753 Y).
He appealed to the public to provide information for the police or report anyone who would post a message to them with the promise of giving them big money.
Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said the police were investigating further to break the syndicate involved in the cyber fraud business.
BARELY 24 hours after the arrest of some members of a suspected armed robbery gang, the Tema Police, in conjunction with a military patrol team, has swooped on some suspected criminals at separate locations at the Coastal Estates and Community 18 (Batsonaa), near Sakumono, and made arrests of seventeen persons.
Several incriminating equipment and materials, including four rubber stamps bearing the insignia of the Office of the President, the Ministry of Finance, the Bank of Ghana and the International Commercial Bank, were retrieved.
Seven of the suspects who were arrested on Saturday in a rented house at the Coastal Estates were Vincent Dennis, 25, Gabriel Ojugo, 28, Franklin Anana, 29, Kingsley Osu Eto, 30, Aniekom Olumba, 31, Anthony Archibong, 29, and Patrick Archibong, 34.
Ten other suspects — Freeborn Mukore, 35, Agise Billy, 23, Johnson Yomi, 23, Blessing Sapilo, 34, Emmanuel Owos, 21, Kingsley Siprako, 25, Williams Uche, 37, Paul Adams, 23, Ezekiel Ufuoma, 32, and Sisan Oebaro, 30 — were also picked up from a rented house at Batsonaa on Sunday.
The Tema Regional Police Public Affairs Officer, Chief Inspector Yaw Nketia-Yeboah, said the Tema municipality had experienced a spate of robberies and other serious crimes which called for prompt attention.
He said the 17 were suspected to be involved in cyber/Internet fraud.
Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said the police would continue with the swoops on the hideouts of criminals until the system was cleared of them.
He said the police retrieved a wireless GPRS modem and its memory, 10 mobiles phones, floppy diskettes, pen drives, fax machines, printers, laptop system units and some cash in dollars and cedis in the first swoop.
They also seized one Toyota Solara saloon car (GW 2826 W), a Lexus 50 saloon car (GS 254 Y) and a VW Jetta (GS 1491 Y) saloon car and a quantity of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said in the second swoop on Sunday at Batsonaa, the police retrieved 16 mobile phones, two Nigerian passports, two laptops and their accessories and two saloon cars — a Toyota Camry (GT 7162 T) and a Toyota Corolla (GR 753 Y).
He appealed to the public to provide information for the police or report anyone who would post a message to them with the promise of giving them big money.
Chief Inspector Nketia-Yeboah said the police were investigating further to break the syndicate involved in the cyber fraud business.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
OFOSU-WARE IS NDC MAN FOR TEMA EAST (Page 16)
Story: Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
THE Tema East Constituency of the National Democratic Party (NDC) has elected Mr Robert Kempis Papa Nii Ofosu-Ware, a Director of Power FC Football Club, as its parliamentary candidate for the 2008 elections.
This was at the party’s constituency primary held at the weekend at Tema, which was supervised by the Deputy Tema Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission, Mr Fitz Addo.
Ofosu-Ware polled 119 out of the 275 votes against 36, 19 and 90 votes his three other contestants — Mr Albert Antwi Nuamah, Mr Joseph Djanie Kotey, and Mrs Emelia Kai Adjei — respectively.
Another contestant, Mr Edem Dogbe, was disqualified for issuing a dud cheque for ¢10 million being the filing fee.
Addressing the delegates shortly before the voting process, the Deputy General Secretary (Operations) of the NDC, Mr Baba Jamal, reminded them that the party had suffered for too long in the opposition and, therefore, they must elect candidates who would clinch victory for the party.
He cautioned the delegates not to allow any body to be a stumbling block in their bid to win the 2008 elections, emphasising that “anyone who makes himself a stumbling block will be crushed”.
Mr Jamal called for transparency in the elections and warned the delegates against anything that would send aggrieved members rushing to join other parties.
Mr Jamal called on the NPP to surrender before the national elections in 2008 because through the democratic principles of the NDC and the hard work of its delegates and members the party was assured of victory.
The election was observed by some national and regional executive members of the party including the National Organiser, Mr Ofosu Ampofo; the National Treasurer, Mrs Clarke Kwesie, and representatives of the Tema East NPP executive.
THE Tema East Constituency of the National Democratic Party (NDC) has elected Mr Robert Kempis Papa Nii Ofosu-Ware, a Director of Power FC Football Club, as its parliamentary candidate for the 2008 elections.
This was at the party’s constituency primary held at the weekend at Tema, which was supervised by the Deputy Tema Electoral Officer of the Electoral Commission, Mr Fitz Addo.
Ofosu-Ware polled 119 out of the 275 votes against 36, 19 and 90 votes his three other contestants — Mr Albert Antwi Nuamah, Mr Joseph Djanie Kotey, and Mrs Emelia Kai Adjei — respectively.
Another contestant, Mr Edem Dogbe, was disqualified for issuing a dud cheque for ¢10 million being the filing fee.
Addressing the delegates shortly before the voting process, the Deputy General Secretary (Operations) of the NDC, Mr Baba Jamal, reminded them that the party had suffered for too long in the opposition and, therefore, they must elect candidates who would clinch victory for the party.
He cautioned the delegates not to allow any body to be a stumbling block in their bid to win the 2008 elections, emphasising that “anyone who makes himself a stumbling block will be crushed”.
Mr Jamal called for transparency in the elections and warned the delegates against anything that would send aggrieved members rushing to join other parties.
Mr Jamal called on the NPP to surrender before the national elections in 2008 because through the democratic principles of the NDC and the hard work of its delegates and members the party was assured of victory.
The election was observed by some national and regional executive members of the party including the National Organiser, Mr Ofosu Ampofo; the National Treasurer, Mrs Clarke Kwesie, and representatives of the Tema East NPP executive.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
TEMA POLICE NAB GANG OF ROBBERS (Page 31)
Story: Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
THE Tema Regional Police Command has busted a suspected syndicate of armed robbers believed to be operating around Tema and Sakumono.
Two members of the gang who are in the custody of the police are Mumuni Billa, a 34-year-old Burkinabe, and Okoh Armah, 34, a Ghanaian.
They were arrested while in possession of locally-manufactured shotguns moulded in the likeness of the AK 47 assault rifle.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP John Kudalor, told the press in Tema at the weekend that of late armed robbery in the Tema Region had been concentrated in Sakumono and its environs, prompting the police and the military to intensify their day and night patrols there.
He said on November 30, 2007, the police had information that a man was seen undergoing weapon training in the bush around Tema Community 10.
ACP Kudalor said that led to the arrest of Mumuni, who had the locally-manufactured shotgun, and on interrogation, he claimed to be a hunter and vegetable farmer and that he was practising how to fire to protect his vegetable farm.
He said when Mumuni was further quizzed, it became evident that he was the leader of an armed robbery group.
ACP Kudalor said Mumuni led the police to arrest Armah at Ashaiman Tulaku, and a search in his room led to the retrieval of another shotgun, which was covered by a permit.
He said Armah claimed to be the supervisor of a bath bay at Ashaiman and also a hunter but he later admitted selling the locally-manufactured gun to Mumuni for GH¢40.00 (¢400,000) and that he occasionally supplied him with some cartridges he purchased for his licensed gun.
ACP Kudalor said the two persons were highly suspected to be operating with an armed gang and they would be put before court.
In another development, the patrol team retrieved some personal effects at Ashie, near Oyibi, when two men escaped, leaving behind stolen goods from the area.
THE Tema Regional Police Command has busted a suspected syndicate of armed robbers believed to be operating around Tema and Sakumono.
Two members of the gang who are in the custody of the police are Mumuni Billa, a 34-year-old Burkinabe, and Okoh Armah, 34, a Ghanaian.
They were arrested while in possession of locally-manufactured shotguns moulded in the likeness of the AK 47 assault rifle.
The Tema Regional Police Commander, ACP John Kudalor, told the press in Tema at the weekend that of late armed robbery in the Tema Region had been concentrated in Sakumono and its environs, prompting the police and the military to intensify their day and night patrols there.
He said on November 30, 2007, the police had information that a man was seen undergoing weapon training in the bush around Tema Community 10.
ACP Kudalor said that led to the arrest of Mumuni, who had the locally-manufactured shotgun, and on interrogation, he claimed to be a hunter and vegetable farmer and that he was practising how to fire to protect his vegetable farm.
He said when Mumuni was further quizzed, it became evident that he was the leader of an armed robbery group.
ACP Kudalor said Mumuni led the police to arrest Armah at Ashaiman Tulaku, and a search in his room led to the retrieval of another shotgun, which was covered by a permit.
He said Armah claimed to be the supervisor of a bath bay at Ashaiman and also a hunter but he later admitted selling the locally-manufactured gun to Mumuni for GH¢40.00 (¢400,000) and that he occasionally supplied him with some cartridges he purchased for his licensed gun.
ACP Kudalor said the two persons were highly suspected to be operating with an armed gang and they would be put before court.
In another development, the patrol team retrieved some personal effects at Ashie, near Oyibi, when two men escaped, leaving behind stolen goods from the area.
Monday, December 3, 2007
155 RESIT EXAM (Page 17)
Story: Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
ONE hundred and fifty-five students out of the 251 who failed to write the 2007 West African Examinations council School
Certificate November/December examinations in October, last Tuesday wrote the Physics Paper Three at the Tema WAEC Hall.
The two hour- 45 minute paper started at exactly 9 a.m. with 96 students being absent.
The examination was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere and without any incidents, though some of the students reported after 9 a.m. when the examination had already started.
When the Daily Graphic visited the centre, it saw some of the students reporting late .
The Supervisor of the centre, Mr Paul Dzineku, said the WAEC law allowed 30 minutes for the late comers to join the class.
Mr Dzineku was optimistic that with the sufficient announcements made both in the print and electronic media, he did not expect any complaints from those who did not turn up to write the paper.
Most of the students who registered to write the paper at the Tema WAEC hall last October were disappointed because of a break in communication between the students and the WAEC.
The students claimed that they were to write the paper at 2 p.m. on October 18 but the time turned out to be 9 a.m; as a result a lucky few had the opportunity to write while over 200 candidates missed the paper.
On October 25, the WAEC invited all the affected students to a meeting during which the students were made to write their statements to indicate reasons which led to their inability to participate in the October 18 examinations.
An official from the WAEC, Mr John Yao Newlands, disclosed at the meeting that students who failed to write the paper constituted the minority and assured them that no candidate would be at a disadvantage as a result of the incident.
He said the council had mechanisms to deal with such situations.
When the Daily Graphic interviewed some of the students after the paper, they claimed that even though the paper was not easy, they did their best and hoped for the best.
ONE hundred and fifty-five students out of the 251 who failed to write the 2007 West African Examinations council School
Certificate November/December examinations in October, last Tuesday wrote the Physics Paper Three at the Tema WAEC Hall.
The two hour- 45 minute paper started at exactly 9 a.m. with 96 students being absent.
The examination was conducted under a peaceful atmosphere and without any incidents, though some of the students reported after 9 a.m. when the examination had already started.
When the Daily Graphic visited the centre, it saw some of the students reporting late .
The Supervisor of the centre, Mr Paul Dzineku, said the WAEC law allowed 30 minutes for the late comers to join the class.
Mr Dzineku was optimistic that with the sufficient announcements made both in the print and electronic media, he did not expect any complaints from those who did not turn up to write the paper.
Most of the students who registered to write the paper at the Tema WAEC hall last October were disappointed because of a break in communication between the students and the WAEC.
The students claimed that they were to write the paper at 2 p.m. on October 18 but the time turned out to be 9 a.m; as a result a lucky few had the opportunity to write while over 200 candidates missed the paper.
On October 25, the WAEC invited all the affected students to a meeting during which the students were made to write their statements to indicate reasons which led to their inability to participate in the October 18 examinations.
An official from the WAEC, Mr John Yao Newlands, disclosed at the meeting that students who failed to write the paper constituted the minority and assured them that no candidate would be at a disadvantage as a result of the incident.
He said the council had mechanisms to deal with such situations.
When the Daily Graphic interviewed some of the students after the paper, they claimed that even though the paper was not easy, they did their best and hoped for the best.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
LET'S MAKE XMAS ACCIDENT-FREE (P.18, Sat. Dec 1, 2007)
Story: Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
THE National Road Safety Commission has assured Ghanaians of a sustained effort to promote safety on the roads during this Christmas season, and called for support from the public to observe safety regulations to make it successful.
Drivers and pedestrians alike are to put in maximum effort to prevent the occurrence of accidents on the roads.
The Director of Finance and Administration of the Commission, Mr Adom Boateng, made the call when he addressed workers of Unilever Ghana to mark the company’s road safety month of accident-free for 430 working days.
The theme for the programme was ‘Speed kills, arrive alive’.
He commended the company for making conscious efforts to eliminate accidents at workplaces and on the roads.
Mr Boateng noted that as a company that had the dual purpose of producing heavy equipment and conveying them by road to depots all over the country, it took them much more efforts to achieve the safe working days without accidents.
He disclosed that the commission had a target of achieving a single digit percentage of accidents in the country, and expressed the hope that all road users would make it a success.
Mr Boateng said the number of vehicles in the country had increased, making the roads much busier than it was before. He, therefore, called on road users to be more cautious.
He said drivers must not drive when tired, but should stop after every four hours to relax and gain composure, instead of relying on such stimulants as chewing gums, Nescafe and cola to keep them awake.
The second in command at the Tema MTTU, ASP Alice Gyamfi, cautioned drivers against speeding and overtaking, fatigue and drunkenness and called on them to, be patient on the road.
She said various areas on the roads had different speed limits which needed to be adhered to for the prevention of accidents.
ASP Gyamfi advised management to acquire alcho-meters to test the level of drunkenness by drivers who were suspected to be drunk to prevent them from conveying their goods.
She also expressed concern about drivers who were not registered instructors, but used their private cars to train prospective drivers how to drive, and noted that it was an offence and against the regulations of the profession.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Unilever Ghana, Mr Charles Kwofie, disclosed that the company loaded 30 trucks for distribution of its products daily.
He said the safety programme involved workers on the factory floor, drivers who conveyed workers and those who delivered goods.
Mr Kwofie noted that the company would continue to ensure safety and behavioural change among the workers.
He disclosed that it was the third year running that the company had observed the safety month without any accidents, noting that it had been a collective responsibility for all to reduce accidents to its barest minimum by observing simple rules on the road and in workplaces.
Mr Kwofie urged the drivers to avoid driving when tired, using mobile phones and being aggressive on the road.
He congratulated all the workers on making it possible for the company to achieve its target of safe working days.
Some workers were honoured for extra efforts they put in to support the company by reporting and, on their own, dealing with incidents which could have resulted in accidents.
THE National Road Safety Commission has assured Ghanaians of a sustained effort to promote safety on the roads during this Christmas season, and called for support from the public to observe safety regulations to make it successful.
Drivers and pedestrians alike are to put in maximum effort to prevent the occurrence of accidents on the roads.
The Director of Finance and Administration of the Commission, Mr Adom Boateng, made the call when he addressed workers of Unilever Ghana to mark the company’s road safety month of accident-free for 430 working days.
The theme for the programme was ‘Speed kills, arrive alive’.
He commended the company for making conscious efforts to eliminate accidents at workplaces and on the roads.
Mr Boateng noted that as a company that had the dual purpose of producing heavy equipment and conveying them by road to depots all over the country, it took them much more efforts to achieve the safe working days without accidents.
He disclosed that the commission had a target of achieving a single digit percentage of accidents in the country, and expressed the hope that all road users would make it a success.
Mr Boateng said the number of vehicles in the country had increased, making the roads much busier than it was before. He, therefore, called on road users to be more cautious.
He said drivers must not drive when tired, but should stop after every four hours to relax and gain composure, instead of relying on such stimulants as chewing gums, Nescafe and cola to keep them awake.
The second in command at the Tema MTTU, ASP Alice Gyamfi, cautioned drivers against speeding and overtaking, fatigue and drunkenness and called on them to, be patient on the road.
She said various areas on the roads had different speed limits which needed to be adhered to for the prevention of accidents.
ASP Gyamfi advised management to acquire alcho-meters to test the level of drunkenness by drivers who were suspected to be drunk to prevent them from conveying their goods.
She also expressed concern about drivers who were not registered instructors, but used their private cars to train prospective drivers how to drive, and noted that it was an offence and against the regulations of the profession.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Unilever Ghana, Mr Charles Kwofie, disclosed that the company loaded 30 trucks for distribution of its products daily.
He said the safety programme involved workers on the factory floor, drivers who conveyed workers and those who delivered goods.
Mr Kwofie noted that the company would continue to ensure safety and behavioural change among the workers.
He disclosed that it was the third year running that the company had observed the safety month without any accidents, noting that it had been a collective responsibility for all to reduce accidents to its barest minimum by observing simple rules on the road and in workplaces.
Mr Kwofie urged the drivers to avoid driving when tired, using mobile phones and being aggressive on the road.
He congratulated all the workers on making it possible for the company to achieve its target of safe working days.
Some workers were honoured for extra efforts they put in to support the company by reporting and, on their own, dealing with incidents which could have resulted in accidents.
Friday, November 30, 2007
PRICES OF GOODS SOAR IN TEMA (Page 31)
Story: Rose Hayford Darko & Davina Darko-Mensah, Tema
AS the Christmas season draws closer, what has been perceived as an annual ritual of price hikes has once again reared its head. Prices of goods on the market have been inflated.
This came to light when market women at the Tema Community One Market interacted with the Minister of Trade, Industry, President’s Special Initiatives and Private Sector Development, Mr Joe Baidoo Ansah, paid a working visit to the market to ascertain reasons why prices have gone up.
Retailers of rice, oil, Milo, milk and sugar among others, claimed that the producers and wholesalers of the products increased their prices when the energy crisis was over and they believed this was to take care of costs that they incurred during the crisis.
They further explained that currently, the economic situation in the country was unbearable and therefore sales had slowed down. Some others complained that due to the increase in fuel prices transport fares had also been increased and therefore carrying vegetables and goods from the rural areas had become more expensive.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah appealed to the traders to ensure that consumers bought goods at affordable prices this Christmas.
He said the government had not increased prices and therefore it would be out of place for traders to increase prices of these goods. He stated that the government could not be blamed for any increase and appealed to them to consider the consumer, who was the sufferer.
He also visited Nestle Ghana Limited where he toured the factory to have a first-hand information about its production and expansion programmes.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah told the women that the government had not introduced any new taxes that would warrant increases in prices.
Based on the complaints lodged by the traders that the fault was from wholesalers, the Trade Minister went to the Nestle factory where most of the market items in question are produced.
He explained that the government was in partnership with the private sector for productive economy.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah stated that government would not want to compete but encourage them by creating the enabling environment for production.
He said the government had a vision to create a middle-level income status for the country and was confident that it would very soon be achieved.
The Managing Director of Nestle, Mr Herve Durantiow, commended the government for creating a buoyant business climate for industry.
He said industry was happy that the energy crisis was over and expressed the hope that it would be sustained to enable the productive sector to grow.
Mr Durantiow said there had been price fluctuation because of the cost of materials used in production.
He noted that the company envisaged price fluctuation but hoped to produce at affordable costs.
Mr Durantiow disclosed that the company made exports to some West African countries including Nigeria and Cote d’ Ivoire.
He said the company had plans to expand the factory to double its present production level.
Mr Duratiow said production had tripled in the last three years, which was an indication that the factory was doing well.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah was later shown round the factory and taken through the various sections of the production lines of Milo, Ideal Milk, Cerelac and Nido.
AS the Christmas season draws closer, what has been perceived as an annual ritual of price hikes has once again reared its head. Prices of goods on the market have been inflated.
This came to light when market women at the Tema Community One Market interacted with the Minister of Trade, Industry, President’s Special Initiatives and Private Sector Development, Mr Joe Baidoo Ansah, paid a working visit to the market to ascertain reasons why prices have gone up.
Retailers of rice, oil, Milo, milk and sugar among others, claimed that the producers and wholesalers of the products increased their prices when the energy crisis was over and they believed this was to take care of costs that they incurred during the crisis.
They further explained that currently, the economic situation in the country was unbearable and therefore sales had slowed down. Some others complained that due to the increase in fuel prices transport fares had also been increased and therefore carrying vegetables and goods from the rural areas had become more expensive.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah appealed to the traders to ensure that consumers bought goods at affordable prices this Christmas.
He said the government had not increased prices and therefore it would be out of place for traders to increase prices of these goods. He stated that the government could not be blamed for any increase and appealed to them to consider the consumer, who was the sufferer.
He also visited Nestle Ghana Limited where he toured the factory to have a first-hand information about its production and expansion programmes.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah told the women that the government had not introduced any new taxes that would warrant increases in prices.
Based on the complaints lodged by the traders that the fault was from wholesalers, the Trade Minister went to the Nestle factory where most of the market items in question are produced.
He explained that the government was in partnership with the private sector for productive economy.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah stated that government would not want to compete but encourage them by creating the enabling environment for production.
He said the government had a vision to create a middle-level income status for the country and was confident that it would very soon be achieved.
The Managing Director of Nestle, Mr Herve Durantiow, commended the government for creating a buoyant business climate for industry.
He said industry was happy that the energy crisis was over and expressed the hope that it would be sustained to enable the productive sector to grow.
Mr Durantiow said there had been price fluctuation because of the cost of materials used in production.
He noted that the company envisaged price fluctuation but hoped to produce at affordable costs.
Mr Durantiow disclosed that the company made exports to some West African countries including Nigeria and Cote d’ Ivoire.
He said the company had plans to expand the factory to double its present production level.
Mr Duratiow said production had tripled in the last three years, which was an indication that the factory was doing well.
Mr Baidoo-Ansah was later shown round the factory and taken through the various sections of the production lines of Milo, Ideal Milk, Cerelac and Nido.
POLICE CELLS
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
The Ashaiman Police has been asked to release the body of a 29 year old labourer Saviour Gidiglo who allegedly died in the Ashaiman police cells under mysterious circumstances to an independent body for autopsy to ascertain cause of death .
This was as a result of the insistence of the police to have the autopsy done at the police Hospital than an independent pathologist on the deceased who the family claimed could have died out of internal bleeding after torturing .
Acting on the instructions of the family of the deceased , a Legal Practitioner Mr Sam Brempong in a document has therefore appealed to the Inspector General of Police to order the Ashaiman Police to adhere to their request as a matter of urgency to enable them embalm the body .
According to the document dated 23rd November 2007 and addressed to the Officer In Charge , Ghana Police Service , Ashaiman and copied to the Inspector General of Police , the family of the deceased suspected foul play because Saviour was sent to the police station on 17th November 2007 by a complainant who claimed that the labourer had refused to refund an amount of 1.5 which had been paid him for a manhole contract .
The document stated that the complainant known as Mr Kwasi had earlier on gone to the police and was told to go and settle the case at home because it was a civil case but he was not satisfied and ‘arrested ’ Saviour again and this time the police accepted him .
Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic at Ashaiman on Saturday 23rd November 2007 the father of the deceased Mr Magnus Gidiglo said his son who did menial jobs for a living had contract from one Mr Kwasi to dig a manhole for him for which Saviour charged 4 million cedis and was paid 1.5 as an advance payment .
He said Saviour employed the services of some other colleagues to assist him to do the work and after digging 4 feet down they got to a rocky surface which needed to be softened with water before work could go on .
Mr Gidiglo said his son went back to the site only to be told that the owner of the project who Mr Kwasi was acting for , had hired an equipment to dig out the rock and completed the work.
He said his son was told that the project owner wanted the work done expressly and therefore could not wait anymore so Saviour had no option but pay off and disperse his gang who assisted him to dig the 4 ft .
Mr Gidiglo said Mr Kwasi started demanding the refund of the advance of 1.5 million cedis from his son who felt cheated because the work was far advanced and was worth more than the amount involved .
He said Mr Kwasi would not agree to it and therefore Saviour’s mother stepped in to accept to refund the money .
Mr Gidiglo said on the 17th of November Mr Kwasi assisted by his wife cornered Saviour and bundled him onto a waiting taxi which took them to an unknown destination only to be told later that his son was in police cells at the Ashaiman Police .
He said on Monday 19th November 2007 when they went to the station to bail the deceased , his cell mates shouted out to them that Saviour was dead .
Mr Gidiglo said they followed up to the Tema General Hospital to enquire and were told by the nurses on duty that the body was delivered by the Ashaiman police at 9.30 am that same Monday Morning already dead as booked in the hospital books .
He sadly said ‘how can my son meet such an untimely death for not committing any criminal offence and the police continue to give contradictory statements about how he died ’ and called for the arrest of the said Mr Kwasi for independently picking Saviour and bundling him into a taxi .
Mr Gidiglo could not reason with the police for refusing the appeal for an independent pathologist to perform the autopsy .
He said on another visit to the mortuary on Saturday 24th November 2007 they were told that the police had removed the body from the Tema General Hospital and this was done without the knowledge of the family creating a suspicious environment .
The Tema Regional Police Crime Officer Chief Superintendent Joshua Dogbeda confirmed the death of Saviour but explained that reports submitted to his office , indicated that the deceased was behaving abnormally at the cells and therefore was sent to the hospital but died while being treated .
He however said he was yet to receive the full report from the Ashaiman police and at the Ashaiman Police Station , the Officer was not available for comments when this reporter went there .
The Ashaiman Police has been asked to release the body of a 29 year old labourer Saviour Gidiglo who allegedly died in the Ashaiman police cells under mysterious circumstances to an independent body for autopsy to ascertain cause of death .
This was as a result of the insistence of the police to have the autopsy done at the police Hospital than an independent pathologist on the deceased who the family claimed could have died out of internal bleeding after torturing .
Acting on the instructions of the family of the deceased , a Legal Practitioner Mr Sam Brempong in a document has therefore appealed to the Inspector General of Police to order the Ashaiman Police to adhere to their request as a matter of urgency to enable them embalm the body .
According to the document dated 23rd November 2007 and addressed to the Officer In Charge , Ghana Police Service , Ashaiman and copied to the Inspector General of Police , the family of the deceased suspected foul play because Saviour was sent to the police station on 17th November 2007 by a complainant who claimed that the labourer had refused to refund an amount of 1.5 which had been paid him for a manhole contract .
The document stated that the complainant known as Mr Kwasi had earlier on gone to the police and was told to go and settle the case at home because it was a civil case but he was not satisfied and ‘arrested ’ Saviour again and this time the police accepted him .
Narrating the incident to the Daily Graphic at Ashaiman on Saturday 23rd November 2007 the father of the deceased Mr Magnus Gidiglo said his son who did menial jobs for a living had contract from one Mr Kwasi to dig a manhole for him for which Saviour charged 4 million cedis and was paid 1.5 as an advance payment .
He said Saviour employed the services of some other colleagues to assist him to do the work and after digging 4 feet down they got to a rocky surface which needed to be softened with water before work could go on .
Mr Gidiglo said his son went back to the site only to be told that the owner of the project who Mr Kwasi was acting for , had hired an equipment to dig out the rock and completed the work.
He said his son was told that the project owner wanted the work done expressly and therefore could not wait anymore so Saviour had no option but pay off and disperse his gang who assisted him to dig the 4 ft .
Mr Gidiglo said Mr Kwasi started demanding the refund of the advance of 1.5 million cedis from his son who felt cheated because the work was far advanced and was worth more than the amount involved .
He said Mr Kwasi would not agree to it and therefore Saviour’s mother stepped in to accept to refund the money .
Mr Gidiglo said on the 17th of November Mr Kwasi assisted by his wife cornered Saviour and bundled him onto a waiting taxi which took them to an unknown destination only to be told later that his son was in police cells at the Ashaiman Police .
He said on Monday 19th November 2007 when they went to the station to bail the deceased , his cell mates shouted out to them that Saviour was dead .
Mr Gidiglo said they followed up to the Tema General Hospital to enquire and were told by the nurses on duty that the body was delivered by the Ashaiman police at 9.30 am that same Monday Morning already dead as booked in the hospital books .
He sadly said ‘how can my son meet such an untimely death for not committing any criminal offence and the police continue to give contradictory statements about how he died ’ and called for the arrest of the said Mr Kwasi for independently picking Saviour and bundling him into a taxi .
Mr Gidiglo could not reason with the police for refusing the appeal for an independent pathologist to perform the autopsy .
He said on another visit to the mortuary on Saturday 24th November 2007 they were told that the police had removed the body from the Tema General Hospital and this was done without the knowledge of the family creating a suspicious environment .
The Tema Regional Police Crime Officer Chief Superintendent Joshua Dogbeda confirmed the death of Saviour but explained that reports submitted to his office , indicated that the deceased was behaving abnormally at the cells and therefore was sent to the hospital but died while being treated .
He however said he was yet to receive the full report from the Ashaiman police and at the Ashaiman Police Station , the Officer was not available for comments when this reporter went there .
EXAMS WRITING
One hundred and fifty-five students out of the 251 who failed to write the 2007 West African Examinations Council School Certificate November / December examinations last October today wrote the Physics Paper 3 at the Tema WAEC hall.
The 2 hours 45 minutes paper started at exactly 9 am with 91 students absent .
The examinations was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and without any incidents though some of the students reported after 9am when the paper was supposed to start .
When the Daily Graphic visited the center it was found that some of the students were reporting even after the paper had started .
The Supervisor at the center Mr Paul Dzineku said the WAEC law allowed 30 minutes within which the late comers could join the class .
He said there were no complaints as the examination was peaceful .
Mr Dzineku was optimistic that with sufficient announcements this both in prints and electronic media , he did not expect any complaints from those who did not turn up to write the paper.
Over 200 students who registered to write the paper at the Tema WAEC hall last October were disappointed because of break in communication between the students and the WAEC .
The students claimed that they were to write for the paper at 2 pm on October 18th but the time turned out to be 9am as a result of which few lucky ones had the opportunity to write while the over 200 missed .
On 25th of October the WAEC invited all the affected students to a meeting during which the students were made to write their statements to indicate reasons which led to their inability to participate in the October 18th examinations .
An official from the WAEC headquarters Mr John Yao Newlands disclosed at the meeting that students who failed to write the paper on October were in the minority and assured them that no candidate would be disadvantaged as a result of the incident.
He said the Council had mechanisms to deal with such situations .
When the Daily Graphic interviewed some of the students after the paper , they claimed that though not easy they did their best and hoped for the best of results .
The 2 hours 45 minutes paper started at exactly 9 am with 91 students absent .
The examinations was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere and without any incidents though some of the students reported after 9am when the paper was supposed to start .
When the Daily Graphic visited the center it was found that some of the students were reporting even after the paper had started .
The Supervisor at the center Mr Paul Dzineku said the WAEC law allowed 30 minutes within which the late comers could join the class .
He said there were no complaints as the examination was peaceful .
Mr Dzineku was optimistic that with sufficient announcements this both in prints and electronic media , he did not expect any complaints from those who did not turn up to write the paper.
Over 200 students who registered to write the paper at the Tema WAEC hall last October were disappointed because of break in communication between the students and the WAEC .
The students claimed that they were to write for the paper at 2 pm on October 18th but the time turned out to be 9am as a result of which few lucky ones had the opportunity to write while the over 200 missed .
On 25th of October the WAEC invited all the affected students to a meeting during which the students were made to write their statements to indicate reasons which led to their inability to participate in the October 18th examinations .
An official from the WAEC headquarters Mr John Yao Newlands disclosed at the meeting that students who failed to write the paper on October were in the minority and assured them that no candidate would be disadvantaged as a result of the incident.
He said the Council had mechanisms to deal with such situations .
When the Daily Graphic interviewed some of the students after the paper , they claimed that though not easy they did their best and hoped for the best of results .
VENDORS
The Tema Vendors Association has called on the Management of the Graphic Communications Group Limited to put in measures which would ensure efficiency in the delivery of its products .
The Vendors claimed that the late arrival of the papers had tremendously affected them and promised to increase sales if papers were delivered latest by 5am .
The Chairman of the Association Mr Francis Mac Tengey speaking on behalf of members emphasized that Tema being an industrial city has specific times for workers who formed the majority of the reading public.
He suggested that a separate vehicle must be allocated to the Tema GCGL office for early arrival, supply and quick delivery of parcels to boost sales to the growth of the company .
Mr Tengey threw the challenge at an annual get together party organized for vendors by the GCGL at Tema on Sunday to strengthen their relations and encourage the vendors to work harder in the ensuing years .
He said the vendors were not happy because the situation affected their commission after sales .
Mr Tengey gave the assurance that if the Management of GCGL was able to solve their problems , they would strive to boost sales and contribute to the viability of the company in all ways .
The Editor of the Graphic Showbiz , Nanabanyin Dadson on behalf of the Management of the GCGL commended the vendors for their efforts in the face of constraints .
He said vendors were indispensable in the newspaper business and therefore appealed to them to ensure that they played their roles efficiently because without them the company could not survive .
Mr Dadson noted that the company has passion for success and therefore would do everything within its reach to ensure the smooth operations of the vendors .
He reiterated that the company has instituted a scholarship scheme for the children of vendors tenable from the Senior High School level and urged those who qualified to collect the forms and apply .
Mr Dadson disclosed that GCGL has also instituted an incentive package to encourage hard working vendors .
He said the package which would be donated to the highest sales vendors would include pickups , motorbikes , bicycle and television sets among others.
Mr Dadson urged them to work harder to earn these incentives to boost both the moral of the vendors and the image of GCGL .
The Tema Zonal Manager of the GCGL Mr Stephen Amankwa appealed to the vendors to consider adopting strategies that would boost the marketing of the company’s products during the coming Ghana 2008 tournament .
He said there would be tourists and sports enthusiasts trooping to Ghana for the tournament and they would need to be introduced to the products of the nations premier paper.
The vendors had earlier been shown a documentary on the history of the Graphic Communications Group Limited when it started as the Daily Graphic in 1950 to date .
The Vendors claimed that the late arrival of the papers had tremendously affected them and promised to increase sales if papers were delivered latest by 5am .
The Chairman of the Association Mr Francis Mac Tengey speaking on behalf of members emphasized that Tema being an industrial city has specific times for workers who formed the majority of the reading public.
He suggested that a separate vehicle must be allocated to the Tema GCGL office for early arrival, supply and quick delivery of parcels to boost sales to the growth of the company .
Mr Tengey threw the challenge at an annual get together party organized for vendors by the GCGL at Tema on Sunday to strengthen their relations and encourage the vendors to work harder in the ensuing years .
He said the vendors were not happy because the situation affected their commission after sales .
Mr Tengey gave the assurance that if the Management of GCGL was able to solve their problems , they would strive to boost sales and contribute to the viability of the company in all ways .
The Editor of the Graphic Showbiz , Nanabanyin Dadson on behalf of the Management of the GCGL commended the vendors for their efforts in the face of constraints .
He said vendors were indispensable in the newspaper business and therefore appealed to them to ensure that they played their roles efficiently because without them the company could not survive .
Mr Dadson noted that the company has passion for success and therefore would do everything within its reach to ensure the smooth operations of the vendors .
He reiterated that the company has instituted a scholarship scheme for the children of vendors tenable from the Senior High School level and urged those who qualified to collect the forms and apply .
Mr Dadson disclosed that GCGL has also instituted an incentive package to encourage hard working vendors .
He said the package which would be donated to the highest sales vendors would include pickups , motorbikes , bicycle and television sets among others.
Mr Dadson urged them to work harder to earn these incentives to boost both the moral of the vendors and the image of GCGL .
The Tema Zonal Manager of the GCGL Mr Stephen Amankwa appealed to the vendors to consider adopting strategies that would boost the marketing of the company’s products during the coming Ghana 2008 tournament .
He said there would be tourists and sports enthusiasts trooping to Ghana for the tournament and they would need to be introduced to the products of the nations premier paper.
The vendors had earlier been shown a documentary on the history of the Graphic Communications Group Limited when it started as the Daily Graphic in 1950 to date .
TMA , TOR DEMOLISH 50 STRUCTURES
The Tema Municipal has given an ultimatum to squatters who have encroached on a parcel of land in front of the entrance to the Tema Oil Refinery to quit the place immediately or be forcibly evicted .
This follows the refusal of the squatters to quit the area despite several warnings by the TMA and TOR to them to do so
They have erected wooden structures which swerve as their places of abode and also for the sale of cooked food and drinks .
Although a number of tankers are parked in the area the squatters use fire and also engage in illegal sale of fuel through siphoning of petroleum .
Speaking to the press at Tema on Thursday , the Public Affairs Manager
of TOR , Mrs Aba Lokko said in 2003 , the Refinery experienced a fire outbreak during which the government set up a Committee to investigate the cause of it .
She said after its sittings , the Committee recommended that all illegal structures around the refinery should be removed.
Mrs Lokko noted that the first attempt in collaboration with the Tema Municipal Municipal Assembly to evict the squatters could not be sustained .
When media personnel in the company Mrs Lokko visited the area ,it was observed that ‘Remove ’notices had been posted on the wooden structures but make shift structures continue to spring up .
The traders had put up wooden sleeping places in addition to selling points for food and drinks while make shift garages continue to spring up.
Certain persons termed ‘bele bele ’ boys were busily found siphoning fuel into containers and waiting vehicles.
The Acting General Manager of Health Services and Environment, Mr Kingsley Kofi Ditsa stated that the activities of these squatters was a threat to the plant and the economy of the country .
Mr Ditsa explained that the area being occupied by the squatters was demarcated for green belt to beautify the frontage of the refinery .
He said the Management of Tor had relocated the traders and provided facilities free of charge to enable them operate their trade at the new Oil Tanker Park ( OTP) under more hygienic conditions .
Mr Ditsa noted that the presence of the women attracted the presence of the tanker drivers through whom the illegal activities come , therefore when they quit the activities will stop .
Some of the women interviewed by the Daily Graphic said although they had received notices to quit the area ,they had no where to go since some of them had lived in the area throughout their lives . They also claimed that they made low sales at the new place .
One Madam Martha Simons who said she was the leader of the women said the new place could not accommodate all of them .
She felt Tor was not being fair to them because they have no where to go if ejected from the current location .
She said TOR was not being fair to them because they had nowhere to go .
PUBLISHED ON METRO PAGE ,MONDAY 5
2007
This follows the refusal of the squatters to quit the area despite several warnings by the TMA and TOR to them to do so
They have erected wooden structures which swerve as their places of abode and also for the sale of cooked food and drinks .
Although a number of tankers are parked in the area the squatters use fire and also engage in illegal sale of fuel through siphoning of petroleum .
Speaking to the press at Tema on Thursday , the Public Affairs Manager
of TOR , Mrs Aba Lokko said in 2003 , the Refinery experienced a fire outbreak during which the government set up a Committee to investigate the cause of it .
She said after its sittings , the Committee recommended that all illegal structures around the refinery should be removed.
Mrs Lokko noted that the first attempt in collaboration with the Tema Municipal Municipal Assembly to evict the squatters could not be sustained .
When media personnel in the company Mrs Lokko visited the area ,it was observed that ‘Remove ’notices had been posted on the wooden structures but make shift structures continue to spring up .
The traders had put up wooden sleeping places in addition to selling points for food and drinks while make shift garages continue to spring up.
Certain persons termed ‘bele bele ’ boys were busily found siphoning fuel into containers and waiting vehicles.
The Acting General Manager of Health Services and Environment, Mr Kingsley Kofi Ditsa stated that the activities of these squatters was a threat to the plant and the economy of the country .
Mr Ditsa explained that the area being occupied by the squatters was demarcated for green belt to beautify the frontage of the refinery .
He said the Management of Tor had relocated the traders and provided facilities free of charge to enable them operate their trade at the new Oil Tanker Park ( OTP) under more hygienic conditions .
Mr Ditsa noted that the presence of the women attracted the presence of the tanker drivers through whom the illegal activities come , therefore when they quit the activities will stop .
Some of the women interviewed by the Daily Graphic said although they had received notices to quit the area ,they had no where to go since some of them had lived in the area throughout their lives . They also claimed that they made low sales at the new place .
One Madam Martha Simons who said she was the leader of the women said the new place could not accommodate all of them .
She felt Tor was not being fair to them because they have no where to go if ejected from the current location .
She said TOR was not being fair to them because they had nowhere to go .
PUBLISHED ON METRO PAGE ,MONDAY 5
2007
GAS PUMP (WEST AFRICAN GAS PIPELINE (WAGPCO)
Work on the over 600 million dollar West African Gas Pipe Line project (WAGPCO) has been completed and pumping of natural gas is expected to start in December 2007 .
The project runs from Nigeria through Benin , Togo to Ghana and beyond with uncompressed gas .
These were disclosed by the General Manager , Operations, of WAGPCO , Mr Aderemi Oladapo at a stakeholders forum at Tema to address issues bordering on safety to protect life and property when the gas starts flowing .
The forum was attended by operators in the marine sector , ship owners , and representatives from fishing companies and disaster management operators .
Mr Oladapo noted that because of the colossal pressure that will be available in the pipelines , WAGPCO has notified mariners moving into the Gulf of Guinea and also fishing companies to observe the safety regulations instituted to protect the environment , life and property .
He said the WAGPCO has conducted risk assessment of dangers posed by ships and has identified risk areas on the offshore gas pipeline
Mr Oladapo appealed to the stakeholders to support the safety exercise to prevent what would have been a disaster if gas were to be flowing when a pipeline was damaged off shore Benin .
He said that ships sailing across could pass over the pipelines but warned that they should not anchor on them because in all cases life and property will be lost .
Mr Oladapo outlined some other possible causes which could lead to damage to pipelines to be illegal fishing methods by the use of dynamite which could blow up the pipelines , bottom trawling by in-shore fishing boats and sabotage .
He called on them to take all threats serious and report any one who would threaten to sabotage the operation of the pipelines because the lives of the mariners would be in danger .
Mr Oladapo was definite that gas will start pumping on 23rd of December and will arrive in Ghana within four days .
A Technician Operator , Mr Opare Addo Nketsia said in Ghana areas of greatest risk was the main line at Takoradi and the lateral pipeline at Tema in the vicinity of the tanker offloading buoys .
He noted that the Navy was statutorily responsible for the security of the offshore gas pipeline .
Mr Nketsia disclosed that effective August 1st 2007 , WAPCO made it legally binding for anyone who damaged the pipeline to be responsible for repairs and associated cost on it.
He said the cost of repair on the damage at Benin cost WAPCO 25 million dollars emphasizing that it was an expensive venture and therefore needed care from all marine operators and communities near the sites .
Mr Nketsia all the seven technical personnel who have been trained to pump the gas were ready at the pumping stations offshore Kpone
The project runs from Nigeria through Benin , Togo to Ghana and beyond with uncompressed gas .
These were disclosed by the General Manager , Operations, of WAGPCO , Mr Aderemi Oladapo at a stakeholders forum at Tema to address issues bordering on safety to protect life and property when the gas starts flowing .
The forum was attended by operators in the marine sector , ship owners , and representatives from fishing companies and disaster management operators .
Mr Oladapo noted that because of the colossal pressure that will be available in the pipelines , WAGPCO has notified mariners moving into the Gulf of Guinea and also fishing companies to observe the safety regulations instituted to protect the environment , life and property .
He said the WAGPCO has conducted risk assessment of dangers posed by ships and has identified risk areas on the offshore gas pipeline
Mr Oladapo appealed to the stakeholders to support the safety exercise to prevent what would have been a disaster if gas were to be flowing when a pipeline was damaged off shore Benin .
He said that ships sailing across could pass over the pipelines but warned that they should not anchor on them because in all cases life and property will be lost .
Mr Oladapo outlined some other possible causes which could lead to damage to pipelines to be illegal fishing methods by the use of dynamite which could blow up the pipelines , bottom trawling by in-shore fishing boats and sabotage .
He called on them to take all threats serious and report any one who would threaten to sabotage the operation of the pipelines because the lives of the mariners would be in danger .
Mr Oladapo was definite that gas will start pumping on 23rd of December and will arrive in Ghana within four days .
A Technician Operator , Mr Opare Addo Nketsia said in Ghana areas of greatest risk was the main line at Takoradi and the lateral pipeline at Tema in the vicinity of the tanker offloading buoys .
He noted that the Navy was statutorily responsible for the security of the offshore gas pipeline .
Mr Nketsia disclosed that effective August 1st 2007 , WAPCO made it legally binding for anyone who damaged the pipeline to be responsible for repairs and associated cost on it.
He said the cost of repair on the damage at Benin cost WAPCO 25 million dollars emphasizing that it was an expensive venture and therefore needed care from all marine operators and communities near the sites .
Mr Nketsia all the seven technical personnel who have been trained to pump the gas were ready at the pumping stations offshore Kpone
E.P CHURCH (MILLS TO E.P CHURCH)
The flag bearer of the National Democratic Party (NDC ) Professor John Evans Attah Mills has called on the youth to do away with arrogance and dwell on truth , humility and the fear of God for a just society .
He said the youth who are exuberant are indispensable in the socio – economic development of the nation .
Prof. Mills was speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Christian Youth Builders (CYB) of the Lorenze Wolf Evangelical Presbyterian Church at Tema on Sunday .
The theme of the celebration was ‘40 Years of Active Evangelism , the CYB’s Role ’.
He noted that a well nurtured youth was what the nation needed for sound development and peaceful co –existence ‘as is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord ’.
Prof. Mills urged the leadership of the CYB to serve the church in love , unity and trust without which their objective of evangelism would not be achieved .
He appealed to the congregation of the church to offer prayers for the nation and also to stand solidly behind the NDC party and send it back to power in the 2008 general elections .
The Dansoman Pastoral Head of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church , Rev Wisdom Selorm Alorvi who preached the sermon was of the view that the youth have most of the time been sidelined and therefore made them ignorant of issues that could strengthen them to become responsible in society .
He said challenges which the youth would face in future was enormous because there was limited truth in the system .
Rev . Alorvi explained that ‘ when people cannot call a spade a spade they would declare drugs to be kokonte ’.
He noted that it was pathetic to have such a system as a legacy for the youth of the country and appealed to the elderly to be consistent in their dealing with the young ones to prepare a transparent future for them .
To the youth . Rev. Alorvi condemned their dependence on western culture and appealed to them to respect the Ghanaian culture which is their birth root to enable them also show the way for posterity to gain from it .
He said both the young and the old have something to teach each other and therefore called on both sides to dialogue to direct affairs of the country .
Rev. Alorvi reminded them of HIV / AIDs which he said was real and also cleanliness to avoid ailments like malaria as means to save the nation from spending excessively on health .
The Principal of the Peki Seminary and the Coordinator of the EP University ,Rev. Dr. S. S Agidi said the University has been given
accreditation and will start admissions latest by February 2008 for various programmes at the Peki and Ho campuses .
He said as the first University in the Volta Region it was expected to serve the needs of as many youth as possible in and outside the region .
Rev Dr Agidi disclosed that the University Council has former Governor of Bank of Ghana , Dr G .K Agamah as the Chairman .
He appealed to well meaning concerned Ghanaians to assist the University to provide all facilities that would make learning comfortable and easy .
Rev . Dr Agidi announced that there would be a fundraising dinner to solicit for funds for the take off of the University .
He stated that the University would run morning, afternoon and evening periods to benefit workers as well .
The District Pastor of the E .P. Church, Very Rev. Japhet Ledo on behalf of the CYB and the entire Congregation presented a certificate of honour to the NDC flag bearer Prof. Mills for his support and contribution to the growth of the CYB and its programmes.
He said the youth who are exuberant are indispensable in the socio – economic development of the nation .
Prof. Mills was speaking at the 40th anniversary celebration of the Christian Youth Builders (CYB) of the Lorenze Wolf Evangelical Presbyterian Church at Tema on Sunday .
The theme of the celebration was ‘40 Years of Active Evangelism , the CYB’s Role ’.
He noted that a well nurtured youth was what the nation needed for sound development and peaceful co –existence ‘as is pleasing in the eyes of the Lord ’.
Prof. Mills urged the leadership of the CYB to serve the church in love , unity and trust without which their objective of evangelism would not be achieved .
He appealed to the congregation of the church to offer prayers for the nation and also to stand solidly behind the NDC party and send it back to power in the 2008 general elections .
The Dansoman Pastoral Head of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church , Rev Wisdom Selorm Alorvi who preached the sermon was of the view that the youth have most of the time been sidelined and therefore made them ignorant of issues that could strengthen them to become responsible in society .
He said challenges which the youth would face in future was enormous because there was limited truth in the system .
Rev . Alorvi explained that ‘ when people cannot call a spade a spade they would declare drugs to be kokonte ’.
He noted that it was pathetic to have such a system as a legacy for the youth of the country and appealed to the elderly to be consistent in their dealing with the young ones to prepare a transparent future for them .
To the youth . Rev. Alorvi condemned their dependence on western culture and appealed to them to respect the Ghanaian culture which is their birth root to enable them also show the way for posterity to gain from it .
He said both the young and the old have something to teach each other and therefore called on both sides to dialogue to direct affairs of the country .
Rev. Alorvi reminded them of HIV / AIDs which he said was real and also cleanliness to avoid ailments like malaria as means to save the nation from spending excessively on health .
The Principal of the Peki Seminary and the Coordinator of the EP University ,Rev. Dr. S. S Agidi said the University has been given
accreditation and will start admissions latest by February 2008 for various programmes at the Peki and Ho campuses .
He said as the first University in the Volta Region it was expected to serve the needs of as many youth as possible in and outside the region .
Rev Dr Agidi disclosed that the University Council has former Governor of Bank of Ghana , Dr G .K Agamah as the Chairman .
He appealed to well meaning concerned Ghanaians to assist the University to provide all facilities that would make learning comfortable and easy .
Rev . Dr Agidi announced that there would be a fundraising dinner to solicit for funds for the take off of the University .
He stated that the University would run morning, afternoon and evening periods to benefit workers as well .
The District Pastor of the E .P. Church, Very Rev. Japhet Ledo on behalf of the CYB and the entire Congregation presented a certificate of honour to the NDC flag bearer Prof. Mills for his support and contribution to the growth of the CYB and its programmes.
SONUN (KPONE TRADITIONAL COUNCIL)
The Chiefs and people of Kpone have released a 48 acre land to the Asogli Power , an Independent Power Provider to replace the disputed land which was initially allocated to the company for the development of a power plant .
The land allocated by the Kpone Traditional Council (KTC ) lies on the left hilly side of the TEMA –Kpone road and half the size of the initial land located near the Volta Aluminium Company .(VALCO )
This was announced by the Registrar , Mr Harry Attipoe at a meeting of members of the ten clans of the Kpone Traditional Council at Kpone on Friday and presided over by the Appolonia Mantse Nii Tei Adumoah who acted on behalf of the Kpone Mantse Nii Tetteh Otu.
The meeting was presided over by Nii Tei Adumoah 11 and attended by elders of the ten clan houses and Council members .
He said the Council has also directed the Asogli Power Company to normalize the allocation of the plot with the Tema Development Corporation for the processing of documents.
Mr Attipoe declined to comment further on the land issue between the Council and VALCO .
Mr Attipoe warned a group of people in the town who are parading themselves as king makers of Kpone to desist from the act of causing confusion in the area .
He explained that the Council recently gave a parcel of land to Mr Brew Butler but later the group deceived him into believing that they were the kingmakers of Tema and therefore must be recognized as such .
Mr Attipoe said the Council caused the arrest of some youth who under the pretex of being king makers stopped the workers from clearing the land for the take –off of the project .
He explained that under the Kpone tradition neither the chief nor kingmakers allocated lands as it was only the traditional council that had the authority to do so .
Mr Attipoe futher stated that Kpone had no stool land as its lands had already been acquired by the government of which the Tema Development Corporation released some to the council from time to time .
The KTC Registrar said three leaders of the youth Abraham Tei Ablade , Kano and Okoe who led the youth to insult the chiefs after disrupt the work on the land , would be put before court as their conduct contravenes Section 53 (A) of the Chieftaincy Act.
On the issue of the dispute between the Council and Valco over the ownership of the parcel of land first allocated to the Asogli Power which was initiated by Togbe Afede XIV , Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State , he said the issue had been sent to a High Court for determination.
The land allocated by the Kpone Traditional Council (KTC ) lies on the left hilly side of the TEMA –Kpone road and half the size of the initial land located near the Volta Aluminium Company .(VALCO )
This was announced by the Registrar , Mr Harry Attipoe at a meeting of members of the ten clans of the Kpone Traditional Council at Kpone on Friday and presided over by the Appolonia Mantse Nii Tei Adumoah who acted on behalf of the Kpone Mantse Nii Tetteh Otu.
The meeting was presided over by Nii Tei Adumoah 11 and attended by elders of the ten clan houses and Council members .
He said the Council has also directed the Asogli Power Company to normalize the allocation of the plot with the Tema Development Corporation for the processing of documents.
Mr Attipoe declined to comment further on the land issue between the Council and VALCO .
Mr Attipoe warned a group of people in the town who are parading themselves as king makers of Kpone to desist from the act of causing confusion in the area .
He explained that the Council recently gave a parcel of land to Mr Brew Butler but later the group deceived him into believing that they were the kingmakers of Tema and therefore must be recognized as such .
Mr Attipoe said the Council caused the arrest of some youth who under the pretex of being king makers stopped the workers from clearing the land for the take –off of the project .
He explained that under the Kpone tradition neither the chief nor kingmakers allocated lands as it was only the traditional council that had the authority to do so .
Mr Attipoe futher stated that Kpone had no stool land as its lands had already been acquired by the government of which the Tema Development Corporation released some to the council from time to time .
The KTC Registrar said three leaders of the youth Abraham Tei Ablade , Kano and Okoe who led the youth to insult the chiefs after disrupt the work on the land , would be put before court as their conduct contravenes Section 53 (A) of the Chieftaincy Act.
On the issue of the dispute between the Council and Valco over the ownership of the parcel of land first allocated to the Asogli Power which was initiated by Togbe Afede XIV , Agbogbomefia of the Asogli State , he said the issue had been sent to a High Court for determination.
Friday, November 16, 2007
ASSEMBLY
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema .
The Tema National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE ) has organized a three day capacity building training workshop for 51 new Assembly members of the Tema Municipal Assembly to promote effective participation during assembly sessions .
The training was also to help expedite local development and facilitate the delivery
Addressing the Assembly members at the opening session yesterday , the Tema Director of the NCCE Mr Ebenezer Tetteh – Wayo observed that the assembly concept could only be successful , effective and efficient if it was composed of members whose caliber and ability could ensure the development of the area .
He explained that data gathered by the NCCE on the composition of the Tema assembly indicated that out of the 80 membership ,51 were new entrants representing 64 per cent and therefore deliberations in the house have not been effective and progressive because of their ignorance of Assembly proceedings .
Mr Tetteh – Wayo said it was prudent that the participants acquired skills that would improve upon their performances in the assembly
Mr Tetteh- Wayo was of the hope that participants would be up to the task with the assembly’s work to enhance it for the development of the municipality .
The Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang called on the participants to take the training serious to enable them become effective and understand their role in the house .
He said some assembly personnel were constantly absent and return only to kick against decisions already taken by others because they did not understand their civic responsibilities .
Mr Annang urged them to be abreast with the standing orders and business of the house to be able to disseminate information effectively to the wider public .
He emphasized the need for the participants to merge knowledge with their civic responsibilities for positive results .
The Municipal Coordinator of the Non Formal Education (NFED) Rev. Kutu Godson Kwaku appealed to the Assembly members to ensure that they came out as changed agents after the training programme .
He urged them to ask questions , air their grievances and finally ensure satisfaction that they could interact positively with the people .
Resource persons for the programme came from the Ministry of Local Government and Ibis West Africa .
The Tema National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE ) has organized a three day capacity building training workshop for 51 new Assembly members of the Tema Municipal Assembly to promote effective participation during assembly sessions .
The training was also to help expedite local development and facilitate the delivery
Addressing the Assembly members at the opening session yesterday , the Tema Director of the NCCE Mr Ebenezer Tetteh – Wayo observed that the assembly concept could only be successful , effective and efficient if it was composed of members whose caliber and ability could ensure the development of the area .
He explained that data gathered by the NCCE on the composition of the Tema assembly indicated that out of the 80 membership ,51 were new entrants representing 64 per cent and therefore deliberations in the house have not been effective and progressive because of their ignorance of Assembly proceedings .
Mr Tetteh – Wayo said it was prudent that the participants acquired skills that would improve upon their performances in the assembly
Mr Tetteh- Wayo was of the hope that participants would be up to the task with the assembly’s work to enhance it for the development of the municipality .
The Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang called on the participants to take the training serious to enable them become effective and understand their role in the house .
He said some assembly personnel were constantly absent and return only to kick against decisions already taken by others because they did not understand their civic responsibilities .
Mr Annang urged them to be abreast with the standing orders and business of the house to be able to disseminate information effectively to the wider public .
He emphasized the need for the participants to merge knowledge with their civic responsibilities for positive results .
The Municipal Coordinator of the Non Formal Education (NFED) Rev. Kutu Godson Kwaku appealed to the Assembly members to ensure that they came out as changed agents after the training programme .
He urged them to ask questions , air their grievances and finally ensure satisfaction that they could interact positively with the people .
Resource persons for the programme came from the Ministry of Local Government and Ibis West Africa .
DEMONSTRATION-TEACHER
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema .
Hundreds of teachers in the Tema Municipality today took to the principal streets of Tema to demonstrate massively against the demotion and transfer of their colleague Ms Helena Abrokwa for allegedly speaking to the press on September 11 2007 when school re-opened for academic work .
The placard bearing teachers sang patriotic songs prevailing on the Municipal Director of Education Mrs Lucy Kwapong to reverse her decision and unconditionally restore the headteacher .
Some of the placards read “Director , has GNAT not fought for you before ? ”
‘No Teacher , No Teaching Profession ’, and ‘Director, you change colours like chameleon ’ among a lot .
Petitions were also presented to the Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang and Mrs Kwapong .
According to the protest statement signed by the Municipal Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers Mr Robert Addotey and the Municipal Chairman , Mr Asare George Yamoah , the decision by the Municipal Director of Education violated the terms and conditions of Service of teachers .
It said Terms and Conditions of Service was an agreed terms by which all grievances were resolved and therefore its violation was a threat to all teachers and grievances that needed to be settled.
The statement called for an unconditional reinstatement of Ms Abrokwa for peace to prevail .
At the Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service , a Welfare Officer , Mrs Christiana Mensah who received the petition on behalf of Mrs Kwapong said the Municipal Director was in a meeting and therefore could not meet the representatives of the demonstrators .
The Municipal Chairman of the GNAT Mr Yamoah on presenting the petition to the Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang said teachers were prepared to accept the out come of the committee which was to investigate the causes of the demotion of Ms Abrokwa .
He said the demonstration was necessary because the Director and some other Directors have taken to conducting secrete internal investigations to be used against their colleague creating an oppressive working condition .
Mr Amoah was of the view that these secrete manoeuvreings were violations of rights adding that though teachers were prepared to contribute to the human resource development of the nation , they would not accept working under oppressive environment .
The Municipal Chief Director Mr Annang said he was impressed with the solidarity shown for their colleague .
He advised them to relax and wait for the committee promised by the Director General and be ready to appear before it and ‘speak ’ if invited .
Mr Annang agreed with the demonstrating teachers that the code of conducts must be followed in such cases and thanked them .
Meanwhile the Solicitor of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT ) Mr Kwame Boni has written to the Director General of Ghana Education Service to indicate its disappointment for a group of Directors to constitute an internal investigative team to undermine the officially accepted memorandum of understanding between the GES and GNAT .
Mr Boni who was speaking to the Daily Graphic was of the view that the two organizations are major stake holders in education and therefore ‘ must work together peacefully and not humiliate each other .’
He said the team were intimidating Ms Abrokwa who has already suffered humiliations because of what could have been avoided .
Mr Boni disclosed that GNAT will continue to appeal to the Director General to consider the issue as delicate and therefore must show concern and sit up to solve it .
Some teachers the Daily Graphic interviewed were sad and said it could happen to any of them so long as ‘such issues continue to be dabbled with and joked with ’ .
Hundreds of teachers in the Tema Municipality today took to the principal streets of Tema to demonstrate massively against the demotion and transfer of their colleague Ms Helena Abrokwa for allegedly speaking to the press on September 11 2007 when school re-opened for academic work .
The placard bearing teachers sang patriotic songs prevailing on the Municipal Director of Education Mrs Lucy Kwapong to reverse her decision and unconditionally restore the headteacher .
Some of the placards read “Director , has GNAT not fought for you before ? ”
‘No Teacher , No Teaching Profession ’, and ‘Director, you change colours like chameleon ’ among a lot .
Petitions were also presented to the Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang and Mrs Kwapong .
According to the protest statement signed by the Municipal Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers Mr Robert Addotey and the Municipal Chairman , Mr Asare George Yamoah , the decision by the Municipal Director of Education violated the terms and conditions of Service of teachers .
It said Terms and Conditions of Service was an agreed terms by which all grievances were resolved and therefore its violation was a threat to all teachers and grievances that needed to be settled.
The statement called for an unconditional reinstatement of Ms Abrokwa for peace to prevail .
At the Municipal Directorate of the Ghana Education Service , a Welfare Officer , Mrs Christiana Mensah who received the petition on behalf of Mrs Kwapong said the Municipal Director was in a meeting and therefore could not meet the representatives of the demonstrators .
The Municipal Chairman of the GNAT Mr Yamoah on presenting the petition to the Municipal Chief Executive Mr David Quaye Annang said teachers were prepared to accept the out come of the committee which was to investigate the causes of the demotion of Ms Abrokwa .
He said the demonstration was necessary because the Director and some other Directors have taken to conducting secrete internal investigations to be used against their colleague creating an oppressive working condition .
Mr Amoah was of the view that these secrete manoeuvreings were violations of rights adding that though teachers were prepared to contribute to the human resource development of the nation , they would not accept working under oppressive environment .
The Municipal Chief Director Mr Annang said he was impressed with the solidarity shown for their colleague .
He advised them to relax and wait for the committee promised by the Director General and be ready to appear before it and ‘speak ’ if invited .
Mr Annang agreed with the demonstrating teachers that the code of conducts must be followed in such cases and thanked them .
Meanwhile the Solicitor of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT ) Mr Kwame Boni has written to the Director General of Ghana Education Service to indicate its disappointment for a group of Directors to constitute an internal investigative team to undermine the officially accepted memorandum of understanding between the GES and GNAT .
Mr Boni who was speaking to the Daily Graphic was of the view that the two organizations are major stake holders in education and therefore ‘ must work together peacefully and not humiliate each other .’
He said the team were intimidating Ms Abrokwa who has already suffered humiliations because of what could have been avoided .
Mr Boni disclosed that GNAT will continue to appeal to the Director General to consider the issue as delicate and therefore must show concern and sit up to solve it .
Some teachers the Daily Graphic interviewed were sad and said it could happen to any of them so long as ‘such issues continue to be dabbled with and joked with ’ .
NARBITA-MATRICULATION
Rose Hayford Darko , Tema
The Director of Human Resource for Health Development at the Ministry of Health Dr Yaw Antwi Boasiako has commended the Narh Bita School of Nursing in Tema for their immense contribution to health care delivery in the country .
He said the institution has produced competent and skillful health professionals as providers of health care in the country .
Dr Antwi Boasiako was speaking at the 4th Matriculation ceremony of the Narh Bita School of Nursing at Tema .
The School was admitting 56 students to do General Nursing and 163 for the Health Assistant (Clinical ) programme.
Dr Antwi Boasiako noted that the next five year strategic plan of the Ministry of Health sought to maintain closer collaboration with private sector institutions that train health professionals .
He stated that under the programme , the Ministry would strengthen technical support to the private health training institutions and ensure high standards of professional conduct of those institutions .
Dr Antwi Boasiako appealed to the students to work hard to change some of the perceptions the public have about nurses .
He said the hitherto well respected and trustworthy nurse has now been seen by the public as callous ,less caring and enthusiastic in the performance of duties .
Dr Antwi Boasiako entreated them to make good use of the knowledge they would acquire to enable them contribute to the development of Ghana .
The Medical Director of the Narh- Bita School of Nursing , Dr Edward Narh disclosed that as a result of their commitment to nursing education , the Ministry of Health has given approval for the school to train Medical Assistants .
He noted that it was aimed at addressing the shortage of Doctors especially in the rural areas of the country to bring health delivery to the doorsteps of Ghanaians.
Dr Narh said the School has plans to expand to cover other programs like Midwifery , Herbal medicine ,Dispensary and Laboratory Technician courses .
The Vice Principal of the School , Mrs Comfort Affram said students of the School
in the company of some the Doctors undertook medical outreach programme to inculcate into them the spirit of voluntary and communal service .
She said the activities included health talk on malaria prevention ,personal hygiene and HIV/ Aids prevention . There was also screening of for different ailments such as eye, common cold ,hypertension , waist pain , skin infection and malnutrition .
Mrs Affram therefore urged the matriculants to learn hard and be disciplined to achieve the high standards set by the School to justify the confidence reposed in them .
The Tema Mantse Nii Adjei Kraku 11 congratulated the founder of the School
for making Tema proud by setting up the institution in Tema .
He said Tema had industries and hospitals but the Narh Bita School of Nursing was the first to be set up in the metropolis and therefore .
Nii Kraku appealed to professionals to turn their attention to instituting ventures which would not only be for profit but also serve the needs of the people .
The Tema Municipal Chief Executive , Mr David Quaye Annang who chaired the function urged the students to see themselves as agents of change because through hard work they would be changing society .
He appealed to them to make their stay in the School fruitful and beneficial to themselves and guardians who have supported them .
The Director of Human Resource for Health Development at the Ministry of Health Dr Yaw Antwi Boasiako has commended the Narh Bita School of Nursing in Tema for their immense contribution to health care delivery in the country .
He said the institution has produced competent and skillful health professionals as providers of health care in the country .
Dr Antwi Boasiako was speaking at the 4th Matriculation ceremony of the Narh Bita School of Nursing at Tema .
The School was admitting 56 students to do General Nursing and 163 for the Health Assistant (Clinical ) programme.
Dr Antwi Boasiako noted that the next five year strategic plan of the Ministry of Health sought to maintain closer collaboration with private sector institutions that train health professionals .
He stated that under the programme , the Ministry would strengthen technical support to the private health training institutions and ensure high standards of professional conduct of those institutions .
Dr Antwi Boasiako appealed to the students to work hard to change some of the perceptions the public have about nurses .
He said the hitherto well respected and trustworthy nurse has now been seen by the public as callous ,less caring and enthusiastic in the performance of duties .
Dr Antwi Boasiako entreated them to make good use of the knowledge they would acquire to enable them contribute to the development of Ghana .
The Medical Director of the Narh- Bita School of Nursing , Dr Edward Narh disclosed that as a result of their commitment to nursing education , the Ministry of Health has given approval for the school to train Medical Assistants .
He noted that it was aimed at addressing the shortage of Doctors especially in the rural areas of the country to bring health delivery to the doorsteps of Ghanaians.
Dr Narh said the School has plans to expand to cover other programs like Midwifery , Herbal medicine ,Dispensary and Laboratory Technician courses .
The Vice Principal of the School , Mrs Comfort Affram said students of the School
in the company of some the Doctors undertook medical outreach programme to inculcate into them the spirit of voluntary and communal service .
She said the activities included health talk on malaria prevention ,personal hygiene and HIV/ Aids prevention . There was also screening of for different ailments such as eye, common cold ,hypertension , waist pain , skin infection and malnutrition .
Mrs Affram therefore urged the matriculants to learn hard and be disciplined to achieve the high standards set by the School to justify the confidence reposed in them .
The Tema Mantse Nii Adjei Kraku 11 congratulated the founder of the School
for making Tema proud by setting up the institution in Tema .
He said Tema had industries and hospitals but the Narh Bita School of Nursing was the first to be set up in the metropolis and therefore .
Nii Kraku appealed to professionals to turn their attention to instituting ventures which would not only be for profit but also serve the needs of the people .
The Tema Municipal Chief Executive , Mr David Quaye Annang who chaired the function urged the students to see themselves as agents of change because through hard work they would be changing society .
He appealed to them to make their stay in the School fruitful and beneficial to themselves and guardians who have supported them .
Thursday, November 15, 2007
WORKSHOP
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema .
Students from basic schools in six deprived communities in the Tema Municipality have benefited from a training programme in dictionary use , reading and library management in schools at a workshop in Tema .
The students who were drawn from Ogbojo, Ashaiman , Adjetey Ansah ,Sebrebor and Oyibi basic schools were taken through the use of dictionary manually and by the use of a computer , reading and language communication by resource persons from Unimax McMillan .
They were also presented with 100 dictionaries , 400 supplementary readers and note pads all valued at 1,800 Ghana cedis .(18 million cedis ).
The training programme was organized by the Rotary Club of Tema Meridian in collaboration with Unimax McMillan.
The Municipal Director of Education , Ghana Education Service Mrs Lucy Kwapong , who received the items on behalf of the schools , thanked the Club for their gesture especially for targeting pupils who needed it most .
She said it was necessary to address the need for use of dictionaries which will help the children to build on their reading capabilities .
Mrs Kwapong commended them and described the move as a very bold initiative because dictionary is a very important tool in the study of any language which is used officially in communication and in business transactions .
She noted that since language is dynamic , the school child needed to learn to use the dictionary to be able to build a rich store of vocabulary .
Mrs Kwapong stated that the correct use of words will avoid malapropism when the children are communicating and also constant use of the dictionary will ensure that they did not spell words wrongly.
Commending the Club , Mrs Kwapong hoped the exercise will whip up the interest of the school children to use the dictionary and encourage them to speak English fluently.
She called on the beneficiary students to count themselves fortunate and therefore advised them to exhibit what they had learnt and impart the knowledge to others .
Mrs Kwapong hoped that Rotary will extend such interventions to help humanity in general and more school children .
The President of the Rotary Club of Tema Meridian Mrs Gloria Moncar - Tay explained that the purpose of the programme was to help address the enormous need for the improvement of literacy in schools .
She commended teachers for working hard and suggested that their efforts were complemented with the provision of essential tools to work with .
Mrs Tay said the tools which are made up of teaching and learning materials will facilitate the process of education .
She was optimistic that the skills acquired at the workshop and the donations will enhance and support vocabulary development and communication in schools .
Mrs Tay stated that the club was committed to the development of quality education and will continue to offer assistance where needed to help education to grow .
A team of resource persons from Unimax McMillan led by Mr Sampson Gyampoh took turns to have participatory sessions with the students .
Students from basic schools in six deprived communities in the Tema Municipality have benefited from a training programme in dictionary use , reading and library management in schools at a workshop in Tema .
The students who were drawn from Ogbojo, Ashaiman , Adjetey Ansah ,Sebrebor and Oyibi basic schools were taken through the use of dictionary manually and by the use of a computer , reading and language communication by resource persons from Unimax McMillan .
They were also presented with 100 dictionaries , 400 supplementary readers and note pads all valued at 1,800 Ghana cedis .(18 million cedis ).
The training programme was organized by the Rotary Club of Tema Meridian in collaboration with Unimax McMillan.
The Municipal Director of Education , Ghana Education Service Mrs Lucy Kwapong , who received the items on behalf of the schools , thanked the Club for their gesture especially for targeting pupils who needed it most .
She said it was necessary to address the need for use of dictionaries which will help the children to build on their reading capabilities .
Mrs Kwapong commended them and described the move as a very bold initiative because dictionary is a very important tool in the study of any language which is used officially in communication and in business transactions .
She noted that since language is dynamic , the school child needed to learn to use the dictionary to be able to build a rich store of vocabulary .
Mrs Kwapong stated that the correct use of words will avoid malapropism when the children are communicating and also constant use of the dictionary will ensure that they did not spell words wrongly.
Commending the Club , Mrs Kwapong hoped the exercise will whip up the interest of the school children to use the dictionary and encourage them to speak English fluently.
She called on the beneficiary students to count themselves fortunate and therefore advised them to exhibit what they had learnt and impart the knowledge to others .
Mrs Kwapong hoped that Rotary will extend such interventions to help humanity in general and more school children .
The President of the Rotary Club of Tema Meridian Mrs Gloria Moncar - Tay explained that the purpose of the programme was to help address the enormous need for the improvement of literacy in schools .
She commended teachers for working hard and suggested that their efforts were complemented with the provision of essential tools to work with .
Mrs Tay said the tools which are made up of teaching and learning materials will facilitate the process of education .
She was optimistic that the skills acquired at the workshop and the donations will enhance and support vocabulary development and communication in schools .
Mrs Tay stated that the club was committed to the development of quality education and will continue to offer assistance where needed to help education to grow .
A team of resource persons from Unimax McMillan led by Mr Sampson Gyampoh took turns to have participatory sessions with the students .
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
GOVT URGED TO REVISE INVESTMENT LAW
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema .
The President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( GNCCI) Mr Wilson Attah Krofah has urged the government to revise the country’s Investment Law to create a genuine environment for local investors .
He said the existing law allowed the in flow of imported shoddy goods without any limitations .
Mr Krofah was speaking at a meeting in Tema with members of the Tema
Regional Chamber of Commerce to promote and facilitate business in the private sector in Ghana .
He noted that the impact of globaisation had opened up the market too widely to the extent that local products had lost value .
Mr Krofah called on the private sector to enforce competencies to enable the sector to compete favourably with imported products .
He said the Chamber had been involved in business planning of the country and therefore had some achievements to its credit including the considerable fall in the rate of inflation in the country .
Mr Krofah was not happy with the operations of the Customs , Excise and Preventive Service at the port, explaining that members of the Chamber had complained abut some bullying and extortions from CEPS officials .
He appealed to those members to prove their cases by appearing before the committee which had been set up to investigate the activities of the CEPS officials at the ports .
Mr Krofah stated categorically that the private sector in Ghana must start its activities from the ECOWAS market to boost business because the market in Ghana was small .
He said as part of its efforts to see an enhanced private sector in West Africa , the GNCCI in co-operation with the ECOWAS Commission organized the first ECOWAS Business Forum in Ghana on 29th October 2007 on the theme : ‘Intergrating West Africa - Opportunities and Challenges for the private Sector’
Mr Krofah stated that the forum attracted over 300 business executives from the sub region to provide a platform for discussions on sub regional issues affecting business .
The Administrator of the Commercial court of the Judicial Service , Mrs Dorothy Kingsley Nyina introduced members to the operations of the court which dealt expeditiously and efficiently with commercial and business disputes .
She said the primary object of the court established in March 2005 was to boost business and investor confidence in the dispensation of justice .
Mrs Kingsley Nyina called on the private sector to take advantage of the court enable them solve their problems in record time to go move on with their business .
The Chairperson for the Tema Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industries , Mrs Victoria Mame Akua Hajar , reiterated the need for members to sit up because the world had become a global village .
She observed that the sector needed to grow in the production of quality goods to compete favourably with other nations
The President of the Ghana National Chamber of Commerce and Industry ( GNCCI) Mr Wilson Attah Krofah has urged the government to revise the country’s Investment Law to create a genuine environment for local investors .
He said the existing law allowed the in flow of imported shoddy goods without any limitations .
Mr Krofah was speaking at a meeting in Tema with members of the Tema
Regional Chamber of Commerce to promote and facilitate business in the private sector in Ghana .
He noted that the impact of globaisation had opened up the market too widely to the extent that local products had lost value .
Mr Krofah called on the private sector to enforce competencies to enable the sector to compete favourably with imported products .
He said the Chamber had been involved in business planning of the country and therefore had some achievements to its credit including the considerable fall in the rate of inflation in the country .
Mr Krofah was not happy with the operations of the Customs , Excise and Preventive Service at the port, explaining that members of the Chamber had complained abut some bullying and extortions from CEPS officials .
He appealed to those members to prove their cases by appearing before the committee which had been set up to investigate the activities of the CEPS officials at the ports .
Mr Krofah stated categorically that the private sector in Ghana must start its activities from the ECOWAS market to boost business because the market in Ghana was small .
He said as part of its efforts to see an enhanced private sector in West Africa , the GNCCI in co-operation with the ECOWAS Commission organized the first ECOWAS Business Forum in Ghana on 29th October 2007 on the theme : ‘Intergrating West Africa - Opportunities and Challenges for the private Sector’
Mr Krofah stated that the forum attracted over 300 business executives from the sub region to provide a platform for discussions on sub regional issues affecting business .
The Administrator of the Commercial court of the Judicial Service , Mrs Dorothy Kingsley Nyina introduced members to the operations of the court which dealt expeditiously and efficiently with commercial and business disputes .
She said the primary object of the court established in March 2005 was to boost business and investor confidence in the dispensation of justice .
Mrs Kingsley Nyina called on the private sector to take advantage of the court enable them solve their problems in record time to go move on with their business .
The Chairperson for the Tema Regional Chamber of Commerce and Industries , Mrs Victoria Mame Akua Hajar , reiterated the need for members to sit up because the world had become a global village .
She observed that the sector needed to grow in the production of quality goods to compete favourably with other nations
AKUMBI
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God ,Ghana Mr William Dontoh has called on Ghanaians to pray for a peaceful and successful transition in the coming 2008 elections .
He said campaign devoid of violence and insults are necessary for peace and urged political parties to keep to the rules of the game to serve as inspiration to other nations .
Rev. Dontoh made the remarks when he addressed the congregation of the House of Love Assemblies of God Church at Lashibi on Sunday to climax activities marking its 10th anniversary celebration themed ‘With a joyful heart we build a solid foundation .’
He called on them to exhibit patriotism and pray to ensure that the electioneering process went on smoothly stating that Christians among them must take the lead in the crusade for peace .
Rev Dontoh appealed to members of the church to prepare themselves to contribute generously towards a University project which has been initiated to take off very soon .
He commended the House of Love branch of the church for making great strides in development within this short period of existence .
The Greater Accra Superintendent of the church Rev. George Annan preaching the sermon noted that Christians needed to work hard to overcome difficulties that confront them and urged them to exhibit qualities which will make them achieve their goals .
The Senior Pastor of the House of Love church Rev Alfred Akumbie was not happy with the revelations made at the public accounts committee and appealed to members to use genuine means to amass wealth .
He urged the clergy to use the pulpit to preach against such unpatriotic vices to eliminate it completely from the system .
The Chief Executive of the Mfantsiman West Mr Robert Quannor in a speech noted that christianity and governance have one common goal because of the patriotism and peaceful roles they play in society .
He therefore encouraged them to continue to pray for the nation to overcome its difficulties .
Mr Quannor was optimistic that Ghana will be a safe place if Ghanaians rely on the bible diligently faithfully .
Rev Akumbie also called on the Ghana Education Service to place priority on the teachings of religious and moral education to produce cultured future leaders .
He said as part of the anniversary ,the church has put up two bus shelters for the Lashibi community , painted the Lashibi public school and donated exercise books all totaling 150 million cedis .
Sod was cut for work to commence on a 15 billion cedis auditorium and other facilities for the church .
The General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God ,Ghana Mr William Dontoh has called on Ghanaians to pray for a peaceful and successful transition in the coming 2008 elections .
He said campaign devoid of violence and insults are necessary for peace and urged political parties to keep to the rules of the game to serve as inspiration to other nations .
Rev. Dontoh made the remarks when he addressed the congregation of the House of Love Assemblies of God Church at Lashibi on Sunday to climax activities marking its 10th anniversary celebration themed ‘With a joyful heart we build a solid foundation .’
He called on them to exhibit patriotism and pray to ensure that the electioneering process went on smoothly stating that Christians among them must take the lead in the crusade for peace .
Rev Dontoh appealed to members of the church to prepare themselves to contribute generously towards a University project which has been initiated to take off very soon .
He commended the House of Love branch of the church for making great strides in development within this short period of existence .
The Greater Accra Superintendent of the church Rev. George Annan preaching the sermon noted that Christians needed to work hard to overcome difficulties that confront them and urged them to exhibit qualities which will make them achieve their goals .
The Senior Pastor of the House of Love church Rev Alfred Akumbie was not happy with the revelations made at the public accounts committee and appealed to members to use genuine means to amass wealth .
He urged the clergy to use the pulpit to preach against such unpatriotic vices to eliminate it completely from the system .
The Chief Executive of the Mfantsiman West Mr Robert Quannor in a speech noted that christianity and governance have one common goal because of the patriotism and peaceful roles they play in society .
He therefore encouraged them to continue to pray for the nation to overcome its difficulties .
Mr Quannor was optimistic that Ghana will be a safe place if Ghanaians rely on the bible diligently faithfully .
Rev Akumbie also called on the Ghana Education Service to place priority on the teachings of religious and moral education to produce cultured future leaders .
He said as part of the anniversary ,the church has put up two bus shelters for the Lashibi community , painted the Lashibi public school and donated exercise books all totaling 150 million cedis .
Sod was cut for work to commence on a 15 billion cedis auditorium and other facilities for the church .
ENERGY SAVING BULBS FOR TEMA MANHEAN
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema .
The Tema Municipal Chief Executive , Mr David Quaye Anang has reiterated the call on Ghanaians to adopt electricity power conservation methods in view of the country’s power generation problems .
He said adopting such measures would make consumers pay reduced electricity bills .
Mr Anang made the call at Tema Manhean when he received 300, 000 energy saving bulbs from the Energy Foundation for distribution to residents of the area and other near by communities in the municipality .
He explained that the use of the energy bulbs was necessary to curtail extensive use of power .
Mr Annang warned against the sale of the bulbs and pointed out that ‘the bulbs are not for sale and anyone found selling them would be arrested and prosecuted .’
He said government took the decision to distribute the bulbs to people to encourage their use and stated that the Assembly would ensure that a large number of people benefited from the distribution of the bulbs in the municipality .
Mr Annang said being industrial areas, Tema and Accra consumed 15 to 20 per cent of the country ‘s total energy and appealed to the people to corporate with the distribution team to make the exercise a success .
The Acting Executive Director of the Energy Foundation Mr Andrew Lawson who accompanied a team of National Service Personnel to do the distribution said the energy bulbs said the bulbs had a usage period of two years and therefore is cheap in all aspects .
He said it was good for the health needs of the people because it did not generate much heat and therefore cooled rooms of consumers .
Mr Lawson was of the view that the use of the energy bulbs was to the benefit of users and therefore must not sell them but take advantage of its benefits .
He dismissed claims that the bulbs were dim and therefore could not be used for reading noting that it had different wattages and therefore could be very bright and convenient for reading .
Mr Lawson said the exercise being undertaken in all parts of the country was expected to end in October but had been extended because of some problems which were encountered .
The Tema Mantse Nii Adjei Kraku 11 commended the government for introducing the bulbs and appealed to the people to collaborate with the distribution team to enter their rooms to replace their old bulbs with the energy saving bulbs .
He urged those who got it not to sell them .
The Assembly distributed 60,000 of the bulbs to the people and the remaining 240, 000 will be distributed to other people in the Municipality . #
The Tema Municipal Chief Executive , Mr David Quaye Anang has reiterated the call on Ghanaians to adopt electricity power conservation methods in view of the country’s power generation problems .
He said adopting such measures would make consumers pay reduced electricity bills .
Mr Anang made the call at Tema Manhean when he received 300, 000 energy saving bulbs from the Energy Foundation for distribution to residents of the area and other near by communities in the municipality .
He explained that the use of the energy bulbs was necessary to curtail extensive use of power .
Mr Annang warned against the sale of the bulbs and pointed out that ‘the bulbs are not for sale and anyone found selling them would be arrested and prosecuted .’
He said government took the decision to distribute the bulbs to people to encourage their use and stated that the Assembly would ensure that a large number of people benefited from the distribution of the bulbs in the municipality .
Mr Annang said being industrial areas, Tema and Accra consumed 15 to 20 per cent of the country ‘s total energy and appealed to the people to corporate with the distribution team to make the exercise a success .
The Acting Executive Director of the Energy Foundation Mr Andrew Lawson who accompanied a team of National Service Personnel to do the distribution said the energy bulbs said the bulbs had a usage period of two years and therefore is cheap in all aspects .
He said it was good for the health needs of the people because it did not generate much heat and therefore cooled rooms of consumers .
Mr Lawson was of the view that the use of the energy bulbs was to the benefit of users and therefore must not sell them but take advantage of its benefits .
He dismissed claims that the bulbs were dim and therefore could not be used for reading noting that it had different wattages and therefore could be very bright and convenient for reading .
Mr Lawson said the exercise being undertaken in all parts of the country was expected to end in October but had been extended because of some problems which were encountered .
The Tema Mantse Nii Adjei Kraku 11 commended the government for introducing the bulbs and appealed to the people to collaborate with the distribution team to enter their rooms to replace their old bulbs with the energy saving bulbs .
He urged those who got it not to sell them .
The Assembly distributed 60,000 of the bulbs to the people and the remaining 240, 000 will be distributed to other people in the Municipality . #
THREE DIE IN ACCIDENT.
Rose Hayford Darko , Tema
Three persons were killed instantly and three others seriously injured when a DAF tanker truck loaded with petrol run over a KIA pickup in an accident at Tema Community eight portion of the dual carriage road leading from the Motorway to the Tema harbor last Friday .(9th November 2007 .)
The dead , the driver , mate and a woman who could not be identified immediately were the occupants of the KIA pick up which was loaded with firewood and coming from the Motorway .
Giving an account of what led to accident which could be described as horrific when the Daily Graphic got there at about 8pm , an eye witness said , about 7 pm , the tanker with registration No GT 614 N which was coming from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) after loading got behind a saloon car being driven by a lady .
He said the tanker driver intending to overtake the saloon car started blowing his horn unceasingly to alert the lady driver but because she was allegedly communicating on a mobile phone , she did not recognize the presence of the tanker behind her .
The eye witness said the tanker driver therefore swerved to overtake and by so doing it skidded into the oncoming lane and came face to face with the KIA pick up which was coming from the motorway .
The tanker driver could not avoid the situation but run over the KIA pick up killing the occupants instantly .
The KIA was crushed and therefore had to be cut into pieces before removing the dead bodies of its occupants which were later deposited at the Tema General Hospital.
The driver and mate of the tanker and a passenger who were seriously injured especially with the drivers legs smashed were also rushed to the hospital.
The Second in Command of the Tema MTTU ASP Alice Gyamfi who was at the spot of accident said the police would keep vigil to remove the vehicle parts because of the busy nature of the road .
There was a diversion that night through Community eight with heavy traffic of trucks and cars which were cleared from the port that Friday .
Some of the people the Daily Graphic interviewed were not happy with how drivers over speed on the dual carriage road at Tema .
They said now that Christmas is near there will be more activity at the port and this will call for heavy traffic on the road from the harbor because heavy duty trucks have been banned from using the beach road .
They said pedestrians are not spared either on the road as there have been several cases of hit and run on the road .
They appealed for care to be taken and called on the police to start with road education to remind drivers of the need to avoid the use of mobile phones while driving and drive with care .
Three persons were killed instantly and three others seriously injured when a DAF tanker truck loaded with petrol run over a KIA pickup in an accident at Tema Community eight portion of the dual carriage road leading from the Motorway to the Tema harbor last Friday .(9th November 2007 .)
The dead , the driver , mate and a woman who could not be identified immediately were the occupants of the KIA pick up which was loaded with firewood and coming from the Motorway .
Giving an account of what led to accident which could be described as horrific when the Daily Graphic got there at about 8pm , an eye witness said , about 7 pm , the tanker with registration No GT 614 N which was coming from the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) after loading got behind a saloon car being driven by a lady .
He said the tanker driver intending to overtake the saloon car started blowing his horn unceasingly to alert the lady driver but because she was allegedly communicating on a mobile phone , she did not recognize the presence of the tanker behind her .
The eye witness said the tanker driver therefore swerved to overtake and by so doing it skidded into the oncoming lane and came face to face with the KIA pick up which was coming from the motorway .
The tanker driver could not avoid the situation but run over the KIA pick up killing the occupants instantly .
The KIA was crushed and therefore had to be cut into pieces before removing the dead bodies of its occupants which were later deposited at the Tema General Hospital.
The driver and mate of the tanker and a passenger who were seriously injured especially with the drivers legs smashed were also rushed to the hospital.
The Second in Command of the Tema MTTU ASP Alice Gyamfi who was at the spot of accident said the police would keep vigil to remove the vehicle parts because of the busy nature of the road .
There was a diversion that night through Community eight with heavy traffic of trucks and cars which were cleared from the port that Friday .
Some of the people the Daily Graphic interviewed were not happy with how drivers over speed on the dual carriage road at Tema .
They said now that Christmas is near there will be more activity at the port and this will call for heavy traffic on the road from the harbor because heavy duty trucks have been banned from using the beach road .
They said pedestrians are not spared either on the road as there have been several cases of hit and run on the road .
They appealed for care to be taken and called on the police to start with road education to remind drivers of the need to avoid the use of mobile phones while driving and drive with care .
Friday, November 9, 2007
GNAT, GES SIGN MoU TO RESTORE HEADTEACHER
Rose Hayford Darko, Tema
The Ghana National Association of Teachers ( GNAT ) and the Ghana Education Service ( GES ) have agreed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that Ms Helena Abrokwa should be restored to her position as Headteacher of the Padmore Street Primary ‘1’ school .
According to the MoU , a committee set up by the GES would would then investigate the circumstances leading to Ms Abrokwas ’s transfer and demotion as a headteacher by the Tema Municipal Director of Education , Mrs Lucy Kwapong.
This was at meeting of the two parties held on October 12 , 2007 at the office of the Director General of the GES .
The decision at the meeting which was communicated in a letter signed by Mr James Agyeman Fokuo , Deputy General Secretary in- charge of Administration and Labour Relations to the Director General of the GES ; was copied to the Minister of Education , Science and Sports (MOESS ) ;the Chief Director of the MOESS ; the Deputy Director General of the GES ; National President of the GNAT ; the Chairman of the GES Council , and all Regional GNAT Secretaries .
The MOU demanded the immediate implementation of the decisions taken at the meeting of the two parties and a speedy resolution of the impasse .
Ms Helena Abrokwa was demoted and transferred as the Headteacher of the Padmore Street Primary ‘1’ School in Tema on the re-opening of schools on September 11 , 2007 , after she was accused of speaking to the media .
When the Daily Graphic reached the Solicitor for GNAT , Mr Kwame Boni on telephone , he confirmed that there was an MoU between GES and GNAT to restore Ms Abrokwa before the committee starts its investigation but said the GES was yet to implement the decision .
He explained that at the time of filing this story ,the GES had not written to the victim for the withdrawal of the letter which demoted and transferred her .
Mr Boni said GNAT was waiting for the GES to enable them to resolve the impasse as early as possible without which he said the company could not do its work .
Meanwhile the Tema Municipal Council of GNAT has issued a week’s ultimatum to the Director General of the GES to restore Ms Abrokwa to her position as agreed upon at the meeting or they would advise themselves .
Published WEDNESDAY , NOVEMBER 7, 2007 .
The Ghana National Association of Teachers ( GNAT ) and the Ghana Education Service ( GES ) have agreed in a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that Ms Helena Abrokwa should be restored to her position as Headteacher of the Padmore Street Primary ‘1’ school .
According to the MoU , a committee set up by the GES would would then investigate the circumstances leading to Ms Abrokwas ’s transfer and demotion as a headteacher by the Tema Municipal Director of Education , Mrs Lucy Kwapong.
This was at meeting of the two parties held on October 12 , 2007 at the office of the Director General of the GES .
The decision at the meeting which was communicated in a letter signed by Mr James Agyeman Fokuo , Deputy General Secretary in- charge of Administration and Labour Relations to the Director General of the GES ; was copied to the Minister of Education , Science and Sports (MOESS ) ;the Chief Director of the MOESS ; the Deputy Director General of the GES ; National President of the GNAT ; the Chairman of the GES Council , and all Regional GNAT Secretaries .
The MOU demanded the immediate implementation of the decisions taken at the meeting of the two parties and a speedy resolution of the impasse .
Ms Helena Abrokwa was demoted and transferred as the Headteacher of the Padmore Street Primary ‘1’ School in Tema on the re-opening of schools on September 11 , 2007 , after she was accused of speaking to the media .
When the Daily Graphic reached the Solicitor for GNAT , Mr Kwame Boni on telephone , he confirmed that there was an MoU between GES and GNAT to restore Ms Abrokwa before the committee starts its investigation but said the GES was yet to implement the decision .
He explained that at the time of filing this story ,the GES had not written to the victim for the withdrawal of the letter which demoted and transferred her .
Mr Boni said GNAT was waiting for the GES to enable them to resolve the impasse as early as possible without which he said the company could not do its work .
Meanwhile the Tema Municipal Council of GNAT has issued a week’s ultimatum to the Director General of the GES to restore Ms Abrokwa to her position as agreed upon at the meeting or they would advise themselves .
Published WEDNESDAY , NOVEMBER 7, 2007 .
TMA WARNS SQUATTERS
Rose Hayford Darko ,Tema .
The Tema Municipal has given an ultimatum to squatters who have encroached on a parcel of land in front of the entrance to the Tema Oil Refinery to quit the place immediately or be forcibly evicted .
This follows the refusal of the squatters to quit the area despite several warnings by the TMA and TOR to them to do so
They have erected wooden structures which swerve as their places of abode and also for the sale of cooked food and drinks .
Although a number of tankers are parked in the area the squatters use fire and also engage in illegal sale of fuel through siphoning of petroleum .
Speaking to the press at Tema on Thursday , the Public Affairs Manager
of TOR , Mrs Aba Lokko said in 2003 , the Refinery experienced a fire outbreak during which the government set up a Committee to investigate the cause of it .
She said after its sittings , the Committee recommended that all illegal structures around the refinery should be removed.
Mrs Lokko noted that the first attempt in collaboration with the Tema Municipal Municipal Assembly to evict the squatters could not be sustained .
When media personnel in the company Mrs Lokko visited the area ,it was observed that ‘Remove ’notices had been posted on the wooden structures but make shift structures continue to spring up .
The traders had put up wooden sleeping places in addition to selling points for food and drinks while make shift garages continue to spring up.
Certain persons termed ‘bele bele ’ boys were busily found siphoning fuel into containers and waiting vehicles.
The Acting General Manager of Health Services and Environment, Mr Kingsley Kofi Ditsa stated that the activities of these squatters was a threat to the plant and the economy of the country .
Mr Ditsa explained that the area being occupied by the squatters was demarcated for green belt to beautify the frontage of the refinery .
He said the Management of Tor had relocated the traders and provided facilities free of charge to enable them operate their trade at the new Oil Tanker Park ( OTP) under more hygienic conditions .
Mr Ditsa noted that the presence of the women attracted the presence of the tanker drivers through whom the illegal activities come , therefore when they quit the activities will stop .
Some of the women interviewed by the Daily Graphic said although they had received notices to quit the area ,they had no where to go since some of them had lived in the area throughout their lives . They also claimed that they made low sales at the new place .
One Madam Martha Simons who said she was the leader of the women said the new place could not accommodate all of them .
She felt Tor was not being fair to them because they have no where to go if ejected from the current location .
She said TOR was not being fair to them because they had nowhere to go .
PUBLISHED ON METRO PAGE ,MONDAY NOV. 5
2007
The Tema Municipal has given an ultimatum to squatters who have encroached on a parcel of land in front of the entrance to the Tema Oil Refinery to quit the place immediately or be forcibly evicted .
This follows the refusal of the squatters to quit the area despite several warnings by the TMA and TOR to them to do so
They have erected wooden structures which swerve as their places of abode and also for the sale of cooked food and drinks .
Although a number of tankers are parked in the area the squatters use fire and also engage in illegal sale of fuel through siphoning of petroleum .
Speaking to the press at Tema on Thursday , the Public Affairs Manager
of TOR , Mrs Aba Lokko said in 2003 , the Refinery experienced a fire outbreak during which the government set up a Committee to investigate the cause of it .
She said after its sittings , the Committee recommended that all illegal structures around the refinery should be removed.
Mrs Lokko noted that the first attempt in collaboration with the Tema Municipal Municipal Assembly to evict the squatters could not be sustained .
When media personnel in the company Mrs Lokko visited the area ,it was observed that ‘Remove ’notices had been posted on the wooden structures but make shift structures continue to spring up .
The traders had put up wooden sleeping places in addition to selling points for food and drinks while make shift garages continue to spring up.
Certain persons termed ‘bele bele ’ boys were busily found siphoning fuel into containers and waiting vehicles.
The Acting General Manager of Health Services and Environment, Mr Kingsley Kofi Ditsa stated that the activities of these squatters was a threat to the plant and the economy of the country .
Mr Ditsa explained that the area being occupied by the squatters was demarcated for green belt to beautify the frontage of the refinery .
He said the Management of Tor had relocated the traders and provided facilities free of charge to enable them operate their trade at the new Oil Tanker Park ( OTP) under more hygienic conditions .
Mr Ditsa noted that the presence of the women attracted the presence of the tanker drivers through whom the illegal activities come , therefore when they quit the activities will stop .
Some of the women interviewed by the Daily Graphic said although they had received notices to quit the area ,they had no where to go since some of them had lived in the area throughout their lives . They also claimed that they made low sales at the new place .
One Madam Martha Simons who said she was the leader of the women said the new place could not accommodate all of them .
She felt Tor was not being fair to them because they have no where to go if ejected from the current location .
She said TOR was not being fair to them because they had nowhere to go .
PUBLISHED ON METRO PAGE ,MONDAY NOV. 5
2007
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