Election 2024: NDC doesn’t need beaten individual to lead party – Koku Anyidoho
A former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Koku Anyidoho has said that the party does not need anyone who thinks he is more important than others to lead as flagbearer into the 2024 elections . In a tweet, he said “I hear a misdirected lonely voice say in its wilderness, that, the NDC needs a beaten individual more than the NDC needs its survival? Laa eee la lai! Torfiakwa l!!!” He added “The NDC does NOT need anyone: Anyone who thinks he/she is more important than the NDC must leave the NDC and go form his/her own Party. NDC is bigger than any self-conceited individual.” His comments come after some persons within the party including Eastern Regional communication officer of the NDC Dallas Williams have said that former President John Dramani Mahama is the NDC’s best better for the 2024 general elections . Mr Williams, for instance, said Mr Mahama is popular than any other person within the party and is in best position to wrestle power from the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr Mahama lost the 2020 general elections . He later filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the result of the elections . However the apex court dismissed his petition on the grounds that it was without merit. The NDC will now have to restrategize for the next elections . Speaking in an interview with Kwame Tutu on the Onua FM, Dallas Williams said “He is the one that the grassroots want, he is a grassroots person and so anyone who contests him will not even get four votes in the primaries in the Eastern Region. “We will protect John Dramani Mahama and make sure that he represents the NDC in 2024 to wtret6sle power from the NPP. “Within the NDC there is no doubt John Mahama is the most popular person who can win the elections . If you have such a person do you go for another person to be flagbearer for the NDC.” 3news.com Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
2024 polls: People crying more than the bereaved – Mogtari on whether or not Mahama will contest
An aide to former President John Dramani Mahama Joyce Bawah Mogtari has said that people who have no connection to the presidential candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in last year’s elections are crying more than the bereaved regarding whether or no he will contest again in the 2024 general elections. Her comments follow reports that Mr Mahama has decided to opt out of the 2024 elections. In a tweet, Madam Mogtari Bawa said “Why am I getting the impression that people who are outside the funeral house are crying more and louder about whether or not John Dramani Mahama will return to lead the NDC to victory in 2024?” Meanwhile, a former Deputy General Secretary of the NDC Koku Anyidoho has said that the party doesn’t not need anyone who thinks he is more important than others to lead as flagbearer into the 2024 elections. In a tweet he said “I hear a misdirected lonely voice say in its wilderness, that, the NDC needs a beaten individual more than the NDC needs its survival? Laa eee la lai! Torfiakwa l!!!” He added “The NDC does NOT need anyone: Anyone who thinks he/she is more important than the NDC must leave the NDC and go form his/her own Party. NDC is bigger than any self-concieted individual.” His comments come after some persons within the party including Eastern Regional communication officer of the NDC Dallas Williams have said Mr Mahama is the NDC’s best better for the 2024 general elections. Mr Williams for instance said Mr Mahama is popular than any other person within the party and is in best position to wrestle power from the governing new Patriotic Party (NPP). Mr Mahama lost the 2020 general elections. He later filed a petition at the Supreme Court to challenge the result of the elections. However the apex court dismissed his petition on the grounds that it was without merit. The NDC will now have to restrategise for the next elections. Speaking in an interview with Kwame Tutu on the Onua FM, Dallas Williams said “He is the one that the grassroots want, he is a grassroots person and so anyone who contests him will not even get four votes in the primaries in the Eastern Region. “We will protect John Dramani Mahama and make sure that he represent the NDC in 2024 to wtret6sle power from the NPP. “Within the NDC there is no doubt John Mahama is the most popular person who can win the elections. If you have such a person do you go for another person to be flagbearer for the NDC.” 3news Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Akufo-Addo’s corruption fight: Negatives more than positives – Vitus Azeem
Anti-graft campaigner Vitus Azeem has expressed disappointment in the Akufo-Addo-led government’s fight against corruption in the country. According to Mr Azeem, the President has not done enough to merit praises so far as the fight against corruption is concern. Mr Azeem said these in reaction to the 21-page letter from the office of the President justifying the forced retirement of Auditor General Daniel Yao Domelevo who is seen by some Civil Society Organisations as been victimized by the Presidency for fighting corruption. The Executive Director of Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII) observed on the Class Morning Show on Class91.3FM on Monday, 22 March 2021 that any new government is often more corrupt than the previous one. He told show host Charles Oppong Asamoah that: “I wouldn’t say I’ve not seen anything but the negatives are more than the positives. For example, he[Akufo-Addo] promised to establish an office of special prosecutor which he did and appointed somebody from the opposition to lead that office. That is an achievement. “The right to information bill that had been pending since 2003 was passed under his administration and that is an achievement… “In 2017/18 the government increased the allocation to some accountability institutions, so yes, anybody that comes to power is expected to do certain things so he has done somethings but they do not meet the expectations of some of us because when there’s a change in government, people voted for change because they want you to do better, so if you are not doing up to what your predecessor was doing then definitely you don’t deserve any praises. We need to do better. “And I have always had this view that anytime there is a change of government instead of being an improvement, corruption worsens not just with this government. When you look at all governments since 1992, any new government comes, corruption seems to be higher than the one before.” Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Let’s meet over 2021 budget– GFL to Employment Minister
The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has said the new taxes stipulated in the 2021 budget will have a negative impact on the living standards and conditions of the Ghanaian worker. It has, therefore, called on the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah to immediately convene “an emergency National Tripartite Committee meeting” to discourse on the fallout of the 2021 approved Budget. A letter by the Federation addressed to the Minister signed by its Secretary-General Abraham Koomson, on Monday, 22 March 2021, said: “We specifically refer to the following elements contained in the Budget Statement: COVID-19 Health Levy, Road Toll increase, Sanitation and Pollution Levy ‘Bola Fee’, 1 percent increase in National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL), 1 percent increase in Value Added Tax (VAT) Flat Rate, Energy Sector Levies Act (ESLA), (Levy Increased)-additional burden on motorists and food prices, Financial Sector cleanup.” According to the Federation, it is obvious that “these new taxes will impact negatively on the conditions of service and living standards of workers. “ It added: “Accordingly, the Executive Committee of Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) requests the Hon. Minister to convene an emergency National Tripartite Committee meeting to address the fallout of the approved Budget.” Meanwhile, the National Executive Council of the Senior Staff Association-Universities of Ghana has described the unilateral decision of the government not to increase salaries and wages of public sector workers until 2024 as not only “shocking and worrying” but “disappointing, frustrating and traumatizing”. According to the council, salaries and wages are determined by a Tripartite Committee and not solely by the government. The council in a statement wondered that if the government is unable to increase salaries of public sector workers due to the effect of the covid-19 pandemic on the economy could the government not have engaged the national leadership of unions in stakeholder consultative meetings to prepare their minds for no salaries adjustment? The council noted that tertiary education plays a pivotal role in the socio-economic development of the country and contribute immensely to the sustenance of these gains and, therefore, it is shocking and demotivating that instead of the government consolidating and motivating them to continue to improve and expand their frontiers, it has “chosen to inject into our body system a high dose of agony and worsening economic conditions intended to lower or even kill the velocity” of its members with its unilateral position not to increase wages and salaries until 2024. Classfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Religious beliefs can’t be exhibited in schools – NAGRAT to Rastafarians, GES
The National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has fiercely resisted a directive from the Ghana Education Service for management of Achimota School to admit two students with dreadlocks. GES Director-General Prof Kwasi Opoku Amankwa told the Daily Graphic last Saturday that the management cannot deny admission on the basis of the person’s religious beliefs. The intervention was hailed by many including parents of the affected students. But at a news conference today March 22, 2021 NAGRAT said the GES cannot be making exemptions to students in conforming to school rules. NAGRAT President Eric Angel Carbonu said the exemptions will lead to a chaotic school environment in the country and has asked the GES to redirect the management of Achimota School to ensure students abide by rules. He said “the population of students in Achimota Senior High School is about 4,000 students with about 130 teachers. To be able to manage 4,000 students coming from different homes with different upbringing, different training and different behaviour needs to have universal rules and regulation that ought to be followed by all students in the school, We cannot begin, this day, to start making exemptions for individual students based on their belief, based on their culture, based on their tradition, and based on many other issues”. “That will lead to a chaotic school environment. And a chaotic school environment becomes an indisciplined school environment that cannot produce the result that we expect. NAGRAT totally disagrees with the position of the management of the GES and we are calling on the GES to redirect the headmistress and the staff of the Achimota Senior High School to ensure that the rules and regulations of Achimota School and indeed any other senior high school is abided by every student.” Mr Carbonu added “one does not understand why people want to turn our schools into deregulated institutions where people’s whims and caprices hold way. The school is not a fashion environment, the school is not an environment to exhibit one’s religious beliefs. The school is an environment for training and conformity is part of training.” Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Achimota school rejects GES directive to admit Rastafarians
Achimota School has rejected a directive by the Ghana Education Service to admit two Rastafarian students. Headmistress of the school after a crunch meeting on Monday with the regional director of education and the GES stated that the school will not compromise on its school rules and will only admit the students if they take off their dreadlocks. The Ghana Education Service (GES) over the weekend directed the headmistress of Achimota School to admit the two teenage students whose admissions were withdrawn due to their dreadlocks. The directive followed an intense and sustained online protest against the decision of the Achimota school authorities. But EIB’s Fritz Ameghashie reports that after the meeting on Monday, the Headmistress of Achimota school stated that either the parents compromise on their religious beliefs and allow their children to take off the deadlocks or students will be refused admission to the school. The decision by the school comes after the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) on Monday fiercely resisted a directive from the Ghana Education Service for management of Achimota School to admit two students with dreadlocks. NAGRAT President Eric Angel Carbonu said the exemptions will lead to a chaotic school environment in the country and has asked the GES to redirect the management of Achimota School to ensure students abide by rules. He said “the population of students in Achimota Senior High School is about 4,000 students with about 130 teachers. To be able to manage 4,000 students coming from different homes with different upbringing, different training and different behaviour need to have universal rules and regulation that ought to be followed by all students in school, We cannot begin, this day, to start making exemptions for individual students based on their belief, based on their culture, based on their tradition, and based on many other issues”. “That will lead to a chaotic school environment. And a chaotic school environment becomes an indisciplined school environment that cannot produce the result that we expect. NAGRAT totally disagrees with the position of the management of the GES and we are calling on the GES to redirect the headmistress and the staff of the Achimota Senior High School to ensure that the rules and regulations of Achimota School and indeed any other senior high school is abided by every student.” Mr Carbonu added “one does not understand why people want to turn our schools into deregulated institutions where people’s whims and caprices hold way. The school is not a fashion environment, the school is not an environment to exhibit one’s religious beliefs. The school is an environment for training and conformity is part of the training.” Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
EIU report: NPP will win if Mahama doesn’t lead NDC – Apaak
The Member of Parliament for Builsa South, Clement Apaak, says the New Patriotic Party is likely to break the eight-year cycle and win the 2024 elections if former NDC flagbearer John Dramani Mahama fails to contest. According to him, it is important to keep faith in Mr Mahama and persevere with him in the next election than picking a new flagbearer to lead the party. His comments come after the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) projected victory for opposition NDC in the 2024 elections even though the polls are years away. The report also added that the NDC had a better chance of winning if they chose a new candidate. “The next parliamentary and presidential elections are due in 2024. Under the constitutionally mandated term limits, Mr Akufo-Addo cannot run for a third term. Mr Mahama is reportedly considering whether to run again, but we expect the NDC to seek to revitalise its prospects with a fresh candidate. “After two terms of NPP government, we expect the NDC to win 2024 presidential election and to gain a small majority in parliament,” the latest report of the firm obtained by Starr News said. But reacting to the report, Mr Apaak who is also a presidential staffer under former President Mahama said the party does not have the resources and time to run with a new candidate. “If Mahama doesn’t lead the party in 2024, the likelihood of the NPP breaking the 8 is very high…We know we’re going to win the election 2024 but as to if a new face is going to lead us to that victory is another thing.” “Mr Apaak added Who are we going to bring on board who has that stature like John Mahama? I hold my position that we don’t have time and resources looking for a new jockey. We know and we’re resolute that the people are ready to give Mahama the needed support going into 2024.” Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
MTN Ghana introduces new ID measures for Momo transactions
MTN Ghana has announced new measures for its MoMo transactions. From 02 April, all MoMo customers will be required to present valid ID cards before any MoMo cash-out (withdrawal) transaction can be processed. As a result of the directive, all MoMo agents will be required to select the ID type and enter the ID card number presented by the customer before the transaction can be completed. Without a valid ID card, MoMo transactions will not be processed. The General Manager of MobileMoney, Eli Hini said the enforcement of this directive, apart from being a regulatory requirement, will also complement efforts being taken by MTN MoMo to curb MoMo fraud in the country. MobileMoney remains committed in the fight against MoMo fraud and will continue to implement measures that will make the service safer. The request for an ID card for MoMo transactions is not a new requirement. It has been part of the service offering from the start and is strictly enforced at MTN branch Offices or Service Centers nationwide. Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Claims we spent GHS1.7 billion on COVID-19 inaccurate – Government
The government has clarified that it spent GHS19 billion on the COVID-19 pandemic contrary to media reports. This follows publications by some local media houses as well as a post by Member of Parliament for Yapei Kusawgu, John Jinapor, that per the 2021 budget statement, only GHS1.7 billion of the allocated GHS19 billion for issues of COVID-19 in 2020 was utilized. Media reports also suggested that the rest of the money was used for expenditures unrelated to COVID-19. But speaking at a Press Conference, Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, clarified that the amount quoted by the media was for just two items under the COVID-19 related expenditures. “The GHS1.7 billion reflects expenditure on only 2 items under the COVID-19 related expenditure, paragraph 3 says, as at the end of December 2020 Ghana incurred revenue shortfall of GHS11 billion and expenditure increase of GHS14 billion. So if you are looking for the true fiscal impact, it is a combination of these two that will give you the true fiscal impact. The amount of GHS16.8 billion paragraphs 4 referred to under page 12 (b) is only providing information on the sources of financing and the fiscal gap resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, so we encourage you to pay some attention to this one.” Speaking at the same event, the Information Minister also explained that the COVID-19 Health Levy was not meant to pay for the free water and electricity given in 2020 to the citizenry. “Government has never said that we have to pay for the free water and free electricity of 2020. The COVID-19 levy is not for free water and electricity. For the avoidance of doubt, the Ministry of Finance statement deals with it. But if you also go into the budget, if you go to I think page 58 in their statement, they said page 75 but its actually page 58 of the full document. It outlines the full uses of the COVID-19 levy. If I just may have the opportunity to share with you, it’s on page 58. It is all listed there. It never says anywhere that we have to pay for the free water and electricity of 2020, it outlines what the government has done so far in connection with the COVID-19 program, and then it goes on to make the point that to provide the requisite resources to sustain the implementation of these measures, the government is proposing the introduction of a COVID-19 health levy of 1% increase in the National Health insurance levy and 1% point increase in the VAT flat rate and for that purpose. We urge you to highlight the correct position as it has been put out by the Ministry of Finance.” The minister, in an earlier interview, had indicated that the government’s proposed new taxes were to help address the huge fiscal gap created because of the government’s COVID-19 expenses. The Caretaker Minister for Finance, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu in his 2021 budget presentation stated that the government will be introducing a COVID-19 Health Levy of 1% on VAT, Flat Rate Scheme (VFRS), and 1% on National Health Insurance Levy (NHIL). However, clarifying his previous statement, the minister indicated that the levy was to among other things help in the procurement, distribution, and administration of COVID-19 vaccines. Citinewsroom Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093
Justice for All Programme: 830 remand prisoners discharged, 171 convicted
Eight hundred and thirty remand prisoners were discharged between 2007 and 2019 under the Justice for All Programme. This figure represents 18.72 per cent of the 4,435 remand prisoners who appeared before the court sittings which were held in the Akuse Male Prison, Sekondi Central Prison and the Koforidua Local Prisons. Statistics According to statistics by the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS), 1,571 prisoners were granted bail while 171 of them were convicted. With the remaining 1,863 cases, many were dismissed while a few others were also referred to the psychiatric hospital. The Justice for All Programme is an initiative of the Ministry of Justice and Attorney General’s Department, introduced in Ghana in 2007 to help promote access to justice and for speedy trial of cases of remand prisoners. Situation in Ghana Remand prisoners are inmates whose cases have not been determined by the law court. They have not been convicted and are therefore awaiting the courts to determine their fate by either acquittal or imprisonment. In Ghana, however, most of these prisoners are delayed justice which results in they spending many years in prisons without trial. According to the criminal records section of the GPS, as of May 2011, the remand prisoner population in the country’s prison stood at 4,565, amounting to about 30 per cent of the total prison population of 14,552. The situation does not only cause congestion in the various prisons but also overburdens the GPS which is essentially designed to meet the needs of the sentenced rather than the remand prisoners. Positive impact Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Chief Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Ghana Prisons Service, Chief Supt Courage Atsem, said the initiative had had a positive impact on the operations of the service, particularly with regard to issues of congestion and the challenges which came with transporting inmates from the prisons to the court. Additionally, he said, it had also helped relieve the service of the challenges it went through to cater for such prisoners since no extra budget was provided for their care. “This programme seeks justice to give whom justice has been denied. We know justice delayed is justice denied and for someone to be on remand for a long period of time without trial is unacceptable and doesn’t speak well of the country’s justice,” For such reasons, the PRO said the introduction of such an initiative was a great move and would help address the weaknesses in the country’s justice system. He, however, said due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme was halted last year to prevent any external contact with the inmates. Chief Supt Atsem further expressed the hope that with the current COVID-19 situation in the country, the initiative would soon take off. Graphic Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 0555568093