UER: Family of a 4 year old Abugri Honest cries for intervention in Binduri
For no crime caused, the pain of an innocent 4-year-old Abugri Honest of Avondago in the Binduri District of the Upper East Region is becoming deteriorating each day. According to the information gathered by Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen of Apexnewsgh.com, since the delivery of little Abugre Honest, sitting down on his buttocks has become a big problem due to numerous wounds, as the only option left is for him to lie down on a matt. Mr. Sylvester Abugri the biological father of little Honest Abugri has since travel to the South (Kumasi) to look for a menial job in order to support his son’s unbearable condition. Regrettably, Madam Vida the biological mother of the 4-year-old Abugri Honest run away from home leaving the little boy in his own mercy. According to a family relative, who spoke to us, the mother left home when she realized that his son’s (Abugri Honest) health condition was increasingly becoming a big burden on her and she decided to leave the child and run away. However, the little Abugri Honest is currently under the care of his Uncle Abugri Razak and wife who are equally trying their possible best to feed and care for the innocent boy. The 4-year-old Abugri Honest is currently going through a hard moment, he needs urgent medical attention to enable his precious life saved for the better. Meanwhile, because of his current condition, the little Abugri Honest cannot do without wearing pampers because he mostly defecates on himself making it very difficult for the family to provide when needed. Apexnewsgh.com is using its platform to solicit help from any touched group or individual to come to the aide of the little 4-year-old Abugri Honest who is currently passing through terrible pains for only being born to the world. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Zorkor SHS students stand and eat in the sun and rain
It was mealtime at the Zorkor Senior High School in the Bongo District of the Upper East Region when The Fourth Estate visited. But only a handful of the students were present for breakfast. The school has a population of about 1,200, but a majority were on the mid-term’s break. It is often said that the fewer, the merrier; but in the case of these students, mealtime cannot be associated with merrymaking. It is the most dreaded part of their lives as students. They have no roof over their heads, so they dine in the sun. And in the rain, when it is not very severe. It was only nine o’clock, but the blistering northern Ghana sun had served enough warning that it would be worse when they returned for lunch later in the afternoon. Off the record, the students shared their daily misery and frustration when they had to take their meals in the open. They had not been permitted by the school authorities to grant an interview so they would not speak on the record. “I wish you had come here on a rainy day,” one of the students told The Fourth Estate. When it rains, they have to go through the rain to take their meals. But when the rainfall is severe, they stay away. The students say when there is heavy rain, they stay away. The students take their meals on the concrete foundation of the abandoned dining hall project. Below the raised concrete surface where the students are taking porridge with bread, a donkey is grazing. It is tied closely to the dining area so that it does not feed on the crops nearby. There are only a handful of dining tables, some with visible deterioration from the vagaries of the weather. The tables are not enough so instead of ten students to a table, thirty students use one table at mealtime. There are no chairs. Once they are served, some stand and eat, while others look for the nearest shade. It is a situation that raises concerns in the Covid-19 pandemic, but they appear more concerned about the epidemic of deprivation. They have many problems, but their main concern is the fact that they cannot eat in a decent environment. That has been the plight of these students since their temporary dining hall structure collapsed on June 10, 2021. Zorkor SHS was established by the chiefs and people of Zorkor in 2009 when the Computerised School Selection and Placement System did not place some students from the community. The school was later adopted by the government, but it still remained an orphan, in many respects, as far as some critical infrastructure is concerned. In 2016, the government awarded a contract for the construction of a dining hall for the school. That contract has been abandoned at the foundation level. The project halted because the contractor had not been paid. The chief of Zorkor Kodrogo and member of the school’s governing board, Naba Adindaa Awamyelum II, said the school had always lacked a number of amenities. The students used to eat in the open because the small baobab tree close to the kitchen had insects and other pathogens falling into their food whenever they ate under it, he said. He was, therefore, happy when the assembly awarded the contract for the construction of a temporary structure after many appeals from the school and traditional authorities. Naba Adindaa Awamyelum II said he took an interest in the project, but at a point, the contractor could not complete the work. The assembly did not pay all the money needed to do the work. The chief of Zorkor Kodrogo and member of the school’s governing board, Naba Adindaa Awamyelum II, said the school had always lacked a number of amenities. In 2018, the Bongo District Assembly awarded a contract for the construction of a temporary dining hall structure but that structure has collapsed, leaving the students with no option, but the open space. The contractor said the District Assembly should be held responsible for the collapse of the structure. The supervising engineer of the project, Ayuba Issakah Aguba, told The Fourth Estate that the initial contract, worth about GHc70,000, was for the construction of a 12 by 25 metres structure. The school authorities protested that it was too small and could not contain even half of the students. The size was subsequently increased to 15 by 50 metres, according to Mr Aguba, the contractor’s engineer. Mr Aguba said the contractor required at least GHc230,000 to build a structure that could be strong enough to accommodate the students. According to him, the Bongo District Assembly said it could not afford to pay that amount so the assembly brought its own drawings and specifications. Mr. Aguba said his estimates with the assembly’s drawings showed that the least amount needed for the project was GHc160,000. Again, the assembly said it could not afford GHc160,000. The district assembly, according to Mr. Aguba, said it could only commit 90,000 for the project. Even with that, the assembly ended up paying only GHc70,000 cedis. Mr. Aguba said the weight of the structure required bigger concrete pillars if it was to stand the test of time. He was not surprised that the structure had collapsed, saying he had warned the assembly about it. The collapsed temporary structure Assembly’s response The Bongo District Assembly has denied responsibility for the collapse of the temporary dining hall. “To say that we made the contractor do shoddy work is casting a slur on our integrity,” the Bongo District Chief Executive, Peter Awimbisa Ayamga, told The Fourth Estate. He admitted the cost of the project was revised upwards when the initial estimate of GHc130,000 proved not enough. He could, however, not remember the exact cost the assembly agreed with the contractor. “If you have done work which is not of good quality, or [if] the wind was too strong and pulled it down, why do you blame the assembly?” he asked. He said the plight
Government ‘stealing our money and giving it to Zoomlion’ – Manasseh Azure alleges
Following a report by the Auditor-General that indicted Zoomlion Ghana for taking monies despite not executing their tasks, investigative journalist Manasseh Azure Awuni is alleging that government is colluding with Jospong Ghana which is the parent company of Zoomlion Ghana to fleece the country. In a Facebook post, Manasseh Azure claimed that Jospong Group of Companies have consistently been featured in audit reports as having caused one infraction or the other. As far he is concerned, government is in bed with the company and that the figures revealed by the Auditor-General is a tip of the actual monies which are being paid to the company by government. Manasseh criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for not honoring his promise of stopping deals that benefits a private citizen at the expense of the country. Manasseh further quizzed if President Akufo-Addo”s u-turn on the matter is indication of him personally benefitting from what he considers to be the looting of the public purse by Jospong Group of Companies. “The Auditor General’s report has once again revealed that the government (from the Office of the President to the district assemblies) is stealing our money and giving it to Zoomlion and the Jospong Group in the most obscene manner. “But what you see in the Auditor General’s report is a tip of the rotten iceberg of deals between the government and the Jospong Group. “In 2016, Nana Akufo-Addo promised to stop this kind of thievery. That’s why some of us fell for him. In November 2016, he and the NPP said John Mahama could not stop such shady deals with Jospong because he was benefitting directly from them. “At this stage, is it not fair to ask if Nana Akufo-Addo is benefitting directly from the rot? Or, what has changed, Mr. President?” The 2020 Auditor-General report captured Zoomlion Ghana as receiving GHC3,801,530 from the administrator of the District Assembly Common for fumigation services in 38 assemblies in 2018. The report indicated that at the time, the monies were being paid to the company, it had not done any work. The company has meanwhile denied the allegations, stressing that it received no such funds. —Ghanaweb Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Pursue receivers for locked up funds – Auditor-General to University of Cape Coast
The 2020 Auditor-General’s report has revealed that the University of Cape Coast could not access over GH¢9 million it invested in two failed investment companies, First Banc and Gold Coast Fund Management due to the lack of due diligence on those firms. It has therefore recommended to the management of the university to pursue the recovery of the money or risk losing GH¢9,123 million. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 8, 2018, revoked the licences of over 50 investment companies, including First Banc and Gold Coast investment firms. Recovery “We recommended to Management to pursue the recovery of the investments from the receivers of First Banc and Gold Coast Fund Management through the Security and Exchange Commission”, the 2020 Auditor-General’s report stated. “We attributed the lapse to insufficient due diligence performed on these companies before the investment”, it added. Management response But the university’s management in response indicated that it had written to PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), receiver of the affected fund management companies to recover the amount. It further indicated that the affected fund management companies had proceeded to court and the university was awaiting the ruling of the court to determine its next action. University’s account In a related audit of the university’s accounts, it was established that the university granted study leave with pay to Mr Michael Ayikwei Quarshie, an officer of the university, to pursue further studies. However, he failed to return and serve the university after completing his programmes of study. Further review disclosed that out of a total amount of GH¢17,563.42 owed by him, the university has recovered a total amount of GH¢14,000.00 with a difference of GH¢3,563,42 yet to be recovered. The Auditor-General in its 2020 report, recommended that the management pursue the affected officers and their guarantors to refund the total amount of GH¢3,563, 42 to the university, failing which the total amount of GH¢GH¢3,563, 42 should be recovered from the Vice-Chancellor. “We recommend that Training and Development Committee members be held for their failure to ensure due diligence before granting the study leave”. Management, in response, indicated that the affected officers had agreed on a payment plan with the university’s management to settle the debt. —Graphic Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
You have set a bad precedence, remember the table will turn one day – John Mahama to Akufo-Addo
The former President John Dramani Mahama has said, Nana Addo’s government has set a bad precedence following the closure of some radio stations that delayed in renewing their license. The former President who was on a ‘THANK YOU TOUR’ to appreciate the people of the Upper East Region for their wonderful support during the 2020 general election made the pronouncement to the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. According to Mr. Mahama, the constitution guarantees freedoms, human rights, freedom of association and so many other things, freedom and independence of the media and indeed there is a whole chapter on media freedom. “Unfortunately, even when you have the best constitution you can have governments that try to bend it to be able to achieve whatever ends they have in terms of limiting our democratic rights. So today government can say that a radio station has delayed in paying its license fee and so we are shutting you down. “When I talk about it I talk about it because of the precedence it can set .Because the shoe can be on the other foot the next day, they say the stick that is used to beat Takyi, it is the same stick they will use to be Baah. So the stations you don’t like you can close them down today, when another government comes and it decides to do the same thing to the stations they don’t like too, what kind of country will we be building?”The National Communications Authority (NCA), the broadcasting and telecommunication frequency regulator in Ghana, shut down Radio Gold and Radio XYZ, both based in Accra and aligned to the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC). A statement issued by the NCA in Accra on May 9, 2019, said the closures were carried out in line with Regulations 65 (1) of the Electronic Communications Regulations, 2011, L. I. 1991, which states that “A person shall not use a radio frequency without authorization from the Authority.” Referring to a 2018 ruling by the Electronic Communications Tribunal on the status of FM stations with expired authorization, the NCA said “Companies whose authorizations had expired reverted to the same position as a fresh applicant,” adding that “these applications shall go through the required procedure for new FM Broadcasting Authorization.” The regulator did not mention the two stations, implying that it was a general exercise. However, only Radio XYZ and Radio Gold have been closed so far. Officials of the NCA, backed by armed police officers, stormed the premises of the radio stations to enforce the shutdown in the afternoon of May 9. This is the second time in less than two years that the regulator has flexed its muscles against “defaulting stations.” Former President Mahama stressed In September 2017, the NCA carried out a massive purge of the broadcasting industry that saw a total of 34 radio and television stations being shut down for various infractions, in the enforcement of Section 13 of the Electronics Communications Act (2009), Act 775. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
The E-blocks standing, they are a disgrace to our national reputation John Mahama to UER-House of Chiefs
The former President John Dramani Mahama has pleaded with the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs to inform President Akufo-Addo that the E-blocks standing untouched across the region since the NPP administration, has become a disgrace to Ghana’s reputation The former President who was on a ‘THANK YOU TOUR’ to appreciate the people of the Upper East Region for their wonderful support during the 2020 general election made the plea to the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs on Tuesday, August 17, 2021. “Governance is supposed to be a continuum and so when a government takes over from the other, it continuous what the previous government was doing. When I came into office, as best as I could the projects that we had inherited from the preceding government we tried to continue them”. Some we concluded, others we move to another level so that another government will come and continue and so I will urge that you continue to urge on this president that the E-blocks that are standing, they are a disgrace to our national reputation. “You are the moral voices of our society. You should continue to draw government’s attention to taxpayer’s money that is being wasted by the numerous abandoned projects that we have in your traditional areas”. “Because, as I have said before it is not my Education Minister who was my running mate in 2020 Naana Opoku Agyeman who financed them out of her pocket, or it wasn’t me who financed that project from my pocket it was the taxpayer’s money, your money and my money that we used to put up this blocks” However, the President of the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs Pe Dituudini Adiana Ayagitam III who doubles as the paramount chief for the Chiana Traditional Area during his speech described the former President as an ‘epitome’ of peace especially with his posture of calming down growing tensions across the country after the result declaration and during the 2020 election petition. The Upper East Regional House of Chiefs was grateful for the appreciation shown by the former President John Dramani Mahama especially by choosing Upper East Region first as he embarked on his Thank You Tour journey across other regions Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093