John Jinapor explains why Minority failed to get 2021 budget rejected
The Member of Parliament of Yapei-Kusawgu, John Jinapor has attributed the inability of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to get the 2021 budget rejected by Parliament to the ill health of some of its members. Parliament on Friday approved the 2021 budget after voting following the Minority’s earlier disapproval of the outcome of the voice vote after calling for the rejection of the budget due to its tax components. But after the voting, 137 MPs were in favour of approving the budget as against 134 MPs voting against the budget . Speaking on Eyewitness News, however, the former deputy Power Minister said the members of the minority side of the house lacked the numbers as of the time of voting in the House since some of them were receiving treatment at the hospital. He said they cannot be blamed for the loss. “All of us present were whipped in line and that is why the Chief Whip ensured that everyone present voted in accordance with our position. Some of our people were in hospital. Everyone present voted in line. We lost three votes because they are in hospitals. We tried bringing them, but there was no way we could bring them.” “I don’t think we can be held so much liable and create the impression that the NDC minority must necessarily win every voting in the chamber. Assuming everybody was present and were all available, and we all voted, we still might not have carried the day. This is not a secret ballot.” Meanwhile, ahead of the approved budget’s appropriation sittings at the Finance Committee level, John Jinapor assured of the caucus’ commitment to do more scrutiny that will serve the interest of Ghanaians. “The Finance Committee will sit down and look at all the approvals and even the taxes we are kicking against. All of that will be considered at the committee level, so we will do our best. We will serve the party and Ghana at large but when it comes to voting, we do so in our respective positions and that is what we did on Friday,” he added. citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
‘It’s too early to start campaigning’ – NPP cautions flagbearer hopefuls
The Communications Director of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), Yaw Buaben Asamoa has described as indecent and uncalled-for, the activities of party members who have started campaigning as potential aspirants for the NPP flagbearer position ahead of the 2024 general elections. He has advised such interested persons to exercise restraint and focus on helping the NPP achieve its goals for President Akufo-Addo’s second term in office. This comes on the back of the resurfacing of some fliers and posters of Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and Trade and Industry Minister, Alan Kyerematen and Minister for Agriculture, Owusu Akoto Afriyie on social media and at vantage points in Accra and other parts of the country. Some party executives have already condemned the act and called for a ceasefire. Speaking to Citi News, Yaw Buaben Asamoa mentioned that, “it is important that the candidates exercise some restraint. That self-restraint will demonstrate that they believe in the future of the NPP. They believe that the performance of this government is what will give them victory in 2024. They believe that they are part of a team and must act as members of that team.” “Right now, what are you fighting for or aspiring to? The President has just won an election and inaugurated and delivered his State of the Nation Address. The President’s budget for the second term has just been read. So what are you fighting to succeed? It’s simply too early”, he added. In the meantime, the party has hinted that it will soon come out with guidelines to streamline the campaign activities of Members. “The party will come out with guidelines. We are busily working on that. So there will be guidelines”, Yaw Buaben Asamoa noted. Earlier, the Deputy General Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahene, also, criticized persons who have started campaigning . Campaign activities are yet to be sanctioned by the National Executive Committee and the National Council of the party. The governing party is expected to hold its presidential primary in 2023. citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Deal with wastage to raise revenue, not taxes – Ayariga to govt
Bawku Central lawmaker Mahama Ayariga has said it is unfair for the Akufo-Addo government to be taxing the people of Ghana over the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. He stated while speaking on the Key Points Programme on TV3 Saturday March 20 that the freebies provided to Ghanaians during the peak of the pandemic were presented to the people as gifts hence, no one expected to pay for those giveaways. The government proposed in the 2021 budget statement which has since been approved by the legislature the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19. “To provide the requisite resources to address these challenges and fund these activities, government is proposing the introduction of a Covid-19 Health Levy of a one percentage point increase in the National Health Insurance Levy and a one percentage point increase in the VAT Flat Rate to support expenditures related to Covid-19,” the budget said among other things. The government has received flak of some quarters following the introduction of the taxes because these will overburden the people in these difficult times. Mr Ayariga told host of the Key Points Abena Tabi that “The taxes are unfair to Ghanaians. Because the relief packages were presented to us as gifts only to be told today that we are going to pay for them.” He further stated that the solution to solving negative impact of the COVID on the economy is not increasing taxes, rather improving on the collection of the already exiting taxes.” He also asked the government to deal with the wastages in the procurement system in order to generate revenue. For his part, former Member of Parliament for Bantama, Mr Daniel Okyem Abokaye noted that the government could not have borrowed to deal with the ravages of the covid on the economy because that would have worsened the debt situation. “To me it is matter of what we will to do as a nation. Do we want to borrow and put all the burden on future generation or do we have to try and support the government to be able to undertake its development agenda?” He asked. A senior lecturer at the University of Ghana Business School, Dr Lord Mensah has asked the government to stop providing freebies to Ghanaians in spite of the effect of the coronavirus on the lives of the people. He explained that since the country is no longer under lockdown, a situation that has allowed the people to go about their normal daily activities, they should be made to pay for every service rendered to them. Dr Mensah rejected the extension for the free water supply to homes as way of ameliorating the Covid-induced conditions on Ghanaians. The government in January this year renewed the free utility package for the poor and needy only for the three more months. In the 21st address to the nation President Akufo-Addo said, “With the continuing difficulties occasioned by the pandemic, I want to state that government intends to continue to support the most vulnerable in our society. “Government will, thus, continue to pay the electricity bills for our nation’s one million active lifeline customers for the next three months, i.e. January, February and March. Additionally, all one million, five hundred thousand customers of the Ghana Water Company, whose consumption is not more than five cubic metres a month, will not pay any bills for the next three months, i.e. for the months of January, February and March.” The package will be reviewed at the end of March, the President added. But speaking in an interview with TV3’s Johnnie Hughes on the New Day programme Thursday March 18, Dr Mensah asked the government not to continue the programme. “This means we have enough money or we have enough buffer to contain the necessary freebies that are coming up at the cost to the state. For me, I will say at this time we have to stop the freebies. “I was not even in favour of any freebies when even at the heat of the COVID. But then we had no choice and we had to provide them because it had two forces. “We had economic force and political force and I think the political force superseded the economic force and that is why we were enjoying the freebies at the point where we even had to stop it.” He added “I was thinking they would have stopped it somewhere in last year September at the time when the lockdown had been ended and then we were still moving about doing few things for ourselves. But then we continued to December and that is where the political aspect comes in. So effectively I will say yes we shouldn’t have gone on further with the freebies at this time , we should stop it.” 3news Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
GES directs Achimota School to admit Rastafarians
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has directed the headmistress of Achimota School to admit the two teenage students whose admissions were withdrawn due to their dreadlocks. This comes after an intense and sustained online protest against the decision of the Achimota school authorities. A former Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak who once had dreadlocks also waded into the conversation and slammed authorities for denying the two students admission into the prestigious school due to their dreadlocks. The former lawmaker who joined the protest online said the high-handed decision by the school authorities was a breach of the law and called for it to be reversed. “What the authorities in Achimota school have done constitutes a breach of articles 21(1)(c), 25(1), 26(1) 28(3) and 28(4) of our constitution. They have humiliated those kids on the basis of the kids’ Rasta culture. Not accepting them into the school because of their dreadlocks is degrading treatment which is frowned upon under article 28(3). “The school may have its rules, but those rules, and all other rules and laws are subservient to the constitution of Ghana. The supreme law of the land is the constitution. I hope the decision would be reversed, in the overall best interest of the school and the affected children,” the former MP who had dreadlock in the past said. Following the public uproar, the Director-General of the GES, Prof. Kwasi Opoku-Amankwah has taken remedial action directing the authorities to admit the two students. He told the Daily Graphic that the Head is not within the law to withdraw the admissions of the students on the basis that they are wearing dreadlocks. “So you cannot say that you will not admit someone on the basis of the person’s religious beliefs, and so, we have asked the Head to allow the children to be in the school,” Prof. Opoku-Amankwah said. Kasapafmonline.com Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Domelevo was loyal to Mahama not Ghana – Akufo-Addo
President Akufo-Addo has indicated that Daniel Yaw Domelevo earned his appointment as Auditor-General in 2016 “to pursue a particular agenda”. Outlining the events that led to Mr Domelevo’s appointment and retirement, the president, in a 21-page letter to the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations Against Corruption on Friday, 19 March 2021, noted that “…The former President had consulted the Council of State on appointing Dr Felix Kwame Aveh as Auditor-General. It is also clear that the consultation process was done before the December 7, 2016, elections”. “Mr Domelevo was not the intended Auditor-General prior to the election of December 7, 2016. Dr Felix Kwame Aveh was the Auditor-General that former President Mahama intended to appoint if he had won the election of December 7, 2016. But he lost the election. Indeed, in notifying the Council of State of the reason why former President Mahama was seeking to replace Dr Aveh, the then-Chief of Staff stated that ‘the change is as a result of some unforeseen developments.” “It is fair to conclude that the unforeseen developments” was no other development but the painful loss of the election on December 7, 2016. “After losing the election, it became necessary for former President Mahama to change his nomination for Auditor-General, with the sole aim of saddling the then-President-elect, Nana Akufo-Addo, with an Auditor-General whose allegiance was to former President Mahama, instead of the nation,” the letter said. On March 3, 2021, President Akufo-Addo directed the Auditor-General, Daniel Domelevo to proceed on retirement after he returned from a 167-day accumulated leave. The directive, according to a statement signed by Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, was because Mr Domelevo has exceeded the eligible age to remain in the workforce. Classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
NABCO: Important notice you should expect
Information seen making rounds on social media has it that in no much time, there is going to be a call for NABCO Trainees to apply for selection under the Young Africa Works (YAW) program by MasterCard Foundation in partnership with The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) under an agreement with The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) for trainees. Below is the full information GENERAL NOTICE A CALL FOR APPLICATION BY NBSSI/MASTERCARD FOUNDATION In the coming days, please expect flyers and information calling for NABCO Trainees to apply for selection under the Young Africa Works (YAW) program by MasterCard Foundation in partnership with The National Board for Small Scale Industries (NBSSI) under an agreement with The Nation Builders Corps (NABCO) for trainees. Target Group: All NABCO Trainees currently on the scheme. NABCO reference numbers and trainees shall be used to verify applicants qualifying status, Eligible Groups: NABCO Trainees aged between 18-35 years, Programme: Innovative, Creative and Entrepreneurship (ICE) Programme, Benefits: Training, Coaching & Mentoring and compete to win seed capital to help start business, The mode/dates of application, assessment, selection, boot camping and further steps will be announced, The process of application and selection shall be handled by MasterCard Foundation/NBSSI, NEXT STEPS FOR NABCO TRAINEES WHO SELECTED ENTREPRENEURSHIP UNDER THE CAREER PATHWAY TRANSITION PROCESS (CPTP) The next steps for those who selected entrepreneurship under the CPTP to begin extensive training in specific areas in addition to other skills development training received. Trainees who selected Private Sector under permanent employment interest and Career Focused Further Learning as their desired exit pathways will have the option to join these trainings. These groups can still apply for the NBSSI/MasterCard Foundation Young Africa Works ICE programme along side. The training and skills development areas will cover the following; Business Etiquette & Networking, Branding, Customer Service and Professionalism and Ethics Training. Renewable Energy Entrepreneurship and Opportunities Training. Entrepreneurship and Business Plan/Proposal Training. Future steps and arrangements will be announced. The processes, dates, timelines and pedagogy for these training will be announced directed to only trainees qualified to participate. NABCO HQ, For Attention of all trainees. Thursday, March 18,2021. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093