How lawless Yilo Krobo MCE lost his job
The acting Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Yilo Krobo Assembly in the Eastern Region, has been accused of leaving his official duties of which he was appointed, to engage in a senseless land litigation by fighting a family in Somanya over a piece of land which does not belong to him or the Assembly which he headed. Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor, was awakened by news of his replacement as MCE by President Nana Akufo-Addo with Eric Tetteh. In spite of many developmental challenges bedeviling the municipality under his watch, he had achieved nothing for the municipality, and so it was easier for the President to kick him out. He is said to have used his position as MCE, to intimidate innocent people in the area. Surprisingly, truckloads of building materials made up of sand, chippings and cement blocks poured on the said land under litigation, had strangely gone missing with strong suspicion the MCE is behind the disappearance. There were complaints that some young men, believed to be land guards and agents of the MCE, were at the site to attack workers of the Gazo family, the owners of the property, leaving them helpless in the hands of the power drunk MCE. The property in question, is 9.47 acres of land acquired under Notice of Occupation and Use by the Gazo Family of Tsyame-Somanya. The family, had dashed the land in question to the government several decades ago for public use, but noticed that many portions of it, remained unused; thus applied to have some plots returned to the family and was granted by the Land Commission. The acquisition by the Gazo family, according to the Lands Commission in a letter dated August 25, 2021, and signed by the Eastern Regional Lands Officer, Issah Mahama, “was in lieu of compensation for their lands occupied by Government Institutions”. But the MCE, would not budge in spite of official documents covering the land shown him by the family as proof of ownership. These included a letter personally written to him from the Lands Commission informing him that the property he was fighting over belonged to the Gazo Family. Not even a petition to the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) Headquarters against him, including notice of possible lawsuit by the lawyers of Gazo Family, Monte Christo Chambers in Accra among others, could deter him from his actions. The petition, addressed to the Director General of CID, dated, August 18, 2021, and sighted by The Herald, had the Gazo family, saying the MCE, had threatened them over their land in the presence of the Yilo Krobo District Police Commander, Superintendent Andrews Anyani and the District Crime Officer, ASP Sylvia. “He also said that he will make sure we don’t develop that land and if we continue to work on the site and something happens to us or our materials, we should not blame him,” excerpt of the petition signed by one Ebenezer Narh Agor for the head of Gazo Family; Joseph Tettey Kwame Gazo, stated. It said that, “on the 17th August, 2021, at about 8:30am I had a call from a boy I have contracted to spray weedicide at the site informing me that someone had stolen one trip double axel sand and one trip double axel chippings from the site and also have spread the remaining sand of one trip double axel over the floor/ground. This I have officially reported to the police at Somanya to have the person arrested with the machine operator and the truck driver for prosecution.” “The family thinks that because he is the current DCE, the case would not be followed to its logical conclusion hence pleading with the Director General/CID to have the DCE (Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor) investigated for committing this callus act of stealing and spreading of the remaining sand bon the ground arrested and prosecuted,” it added. Below Is The Petition to addressed to the Director General of CID: PETITION FOR REDRESS I Ebenezer Narh Agor of the Somanya Ogome (Okper Wekpertie) have been directed by the head of Gazo Family (Mr. Joseph Tettey Kwame Gazo) to petition the Director General of Criminal Investigation Department for a redress of a case involving the DCE of Yilo Krobo (Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor). A parcel of Land at Tsayme Somanya 9.47 acres in the Eastern Region of Ghana was released to the Gazo family by deed of surrender dated 21st August 2019 and stamped as No.LVB/ERST 442548/2020 in lieu of compensation over the entire land occupied by government of Ghana. The family started developing part of the land released by the Government. On the 25th of July, 2021, the family head Mr. Gazo Joseph Tettey Kwame was cutting fire wood on the land released to the family, to be surprise the DCE brought Police to arrest him and the boys cutting the fire wood and was sent to Okperpiem Police Station. I was called and in was followed to the Police station to make official complain of the DCE’s interference with development on the land. On the 5th August, 2021, the same DCE of Yilo Krobo (Ebenezer Tetteh Kupualor) went to the same part of land to mount to a sign post with the inscription “Government Property, Keep Off”. The family head Mr. Gazo went with me (Ebenezer Narh Agor) to remove the sign post to lodge an official complaint at the Police Station against the DCE as an exhibit. The District Police Commander of Yilo Krobo invited the DCE and Mr. Gazo to the Police station for an insight into the happenings on the said land. In that meeting, the DCE admitted that he has been officially informed by Mr. Anini the chief lands officer for lands commission – Koforidua that part of the government land has been released to the Gazo family and he the DCE has official written to the Koforidua Lands Commission to come and show the District Assembly the specific places that has been given to the Gazo family. He also admitted that
Massive Wage Bill & Senseless Procurements Collapsing GNPC
Details are beginning to emerge about how the wage bill of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) have been bloated with the biggest employment ever recorded in the history of the institution. The last four years, has seen lots of staff recruitments into the Corporation, but The Herald was told, most of these staff, are not technically inclined to assist in the core mandate of GNPC; exploration. They are said to be largely administrative staff. As at January 2021, the staff numbers of GNPC was at 536 from 256 as of January 2017, when the current Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Dr. Kofi Koduah Sarpong, took over the reins of the institution with Freddie Blay as Board Chairman. The Herald, has dug out some numbers revealing that from January 2017, 256 employees were at the Corporation, but a year later (January 2018) the staff number shot up to 315. It was to increase to 447 in January 2019, then to 484 in January 2020 and 536 in January 2021. There are claims from insiders that, GNPC is running out of cash, and might soon have difficulties paying staff salaries. Some of the newly recruited staff, were reported to be ex-staff of the collapsed Royal Bank, who the GNPC CEO, used to be board chairman. Insiders, have painted a picture of an institution that is decaying, tardy and unproductive, which must be salvaged from the current management of Dr. Sarpong, and board of directors led by the National Chairman of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mr. Blay, who has just been retained. Recently, The Herald revealed worrying developments in the Corporation based on the accounts of workers. Some have demanded a thorough audit of the corporation to appreciate the extent of the rot happening in the state institution under the present management. They mentioned procurement issues, property rentals, renovation works among others, as issues of concern, which are ongoing at the Corporation and need the urgent attention of the President, Nana Akufo-Addo, because they don’t see the Energy Minister, Mathew Opoku Prempeh, as leading a crackdown exercise at GNPC to stop the financial hemorrhage. The demands came on the heels of revelation by the Executive Director of the Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) Ben Boakye that Dr Sarpong, while leaving the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) as Managing Director, left behind a debt of US$1.4 billion from a debt of about US$400 million. The ACEP boss said, “In 2015, a government committee, with the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and KPMG, recommended further investigation into the debt and use of funds at TOR. However, as vulnerable as the Ghanaian public is, he gets rewarded with a more significant portfolio in GNPC”. Of particular interest to the GNPC insiders, are the reckless use of funds in the name of the GNPC Foundation headed by Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II, the Paramount Chief of Sefwi Anhwiaso traditional area, who doubles as the President of the National House of Chiefs and the granting of scholarship packages. Interestingly, Ogyeahohoo Yaw Gyebi II, who is on the GNPC board, is also a member of the Public Interest and Accountability Committee (PIAC); an independent statutory body mandated to promote transparency and accountability in the management of petroleum revenues in Ghana, but many insiders, say his management of the GNPC Foundation, must be probed. PIAC, until recently was chaired by Dr. Steve Manteaw, but it doesn’t appear to have looked into the operations of GNPC. Also cited to The Herald, was the employment of cronies, which has bloated the workforce of GNPC. Both the current board and management have been in charge of the Corporation in the last four years, but many of the workers; both retired and serving, insist there is no clear direction for the strategic state institution. For instance, the workers alleged that the GNPC Foundation has recorded lots of mismanagement of funds in the award of scholarships. There are claims of politicians eating from funds allotted from the foundation, while the children of cronies of various managers are on one scholarship or the other. This paper learnt that the Corporation has recorded some procurement issues in recent times. Mention was made of a building at a suburb of Takoradi in the Western Region bought from the owners of Global Haulage, whose financial institution; Royal Bank, the GNPC Chief Executive had worked with before its collapse, following the clean-up of the banking sector. The Global Haulage building, this paper learnt, was bought for nearly US$8 million, and there are claims of conflict of interest against Dr Sarpong in those procurement. What is interesting is that at the time of purchasing the Global Haulage building, GNPC, had almost completed a building project which started under the management of Alex Mould during the John Mahama administration. The uncompleted building, The Herald, learnt has been left to the vagaries of the weather. Furthermore, mention has also been made of the renting of a building facility from one John Taylor at Tema, near the Petroleum House, which has been under renovation for years now without any end in sight. Indeed, many say the renovation work had been abandoned, while GNPC continues to cough up outrageous amounts in United States Dollars to settle the said Mr Taylor for the use of his building to house officials of the corporation. The cost of the rent, according to insiders, is running into millions of dollars, since GNPC occupied it some years ago, and there is no effort to stop the financial hemorrhage by completing the Petroleum House renovation works for the workers to return. The Freddie Blay board, is also mentioned as lacking technical expertise, hence difficult to monitor and evaluate the work of the management led by Dr. KK Sarpong, and to the insiders the return of the board will not bring anything of value to the country. Freddie Blay, is cited as sleeping on the job and signing many documents without reading them. Also mentioned is the construction of numerous
Security personnel must wear bodycams during crowd control — Ejura committee recommend
The Ejura Committee set up to investigate the violence in Ejura-Sekyedumase has recommended that all crowd, riot, and crises control units should be made to wear bodycams when deployed. Government has today published the full report of the three-member committee chaired by George Kingsley Koomson on the Ministry of Information website. In a 55-page document, the committee has made 10 crucial recommendations it expects that government implement to avoid similar violent incident of the Ejura-Sekyedumase nature in the future. Among the recommendations, the committee has stressed that “crowd /riot/crises control units be made to wear bodycams and all vehicles and mobile gadgets employed must also have cameras.” According to the committee, its findings show that, the death of Mohammed Ibrahim aka “Kaaka” and the mishandling of same, was the trigger point for the riots that followed. It adds that the maximum application of force worsened the situation. Meanwhile, the committee says it hopes that the ongoing investigations into the death of “Kaaka” would be expedited and the culprit(s) brought to book to face the law. Find below all 10 recommendations of the committee: Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
UER: Boniface Gambila ‘Rickety’ Ambulance Captured Convening Beverages Instead of The Sick
An ambulance that was once upon a time donated to the people of Nabdam District of the Upper East Region by Boniface Gambila the former Member of Parliament which was later described as “rickety automobile” by Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane has been captured performing another contrary transport venture. It was unclear where the Boniface Gambila donated ambulance was heading towards with fully loaded packs of drinks, biscuits and some other consignments. Somewhere in 2018, the current Member of Parliament for Nabdam, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, told Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen that he and the Nabdam Assembly injected lots of money into fixing a rickety ambulance procured for the area by Boniface Gambila, a former MP. Dr. Nawaane was then responding to the earlier comments by Mr. Gambilla that the current Member of Parliament has done nothing in his promise to acquire a new ambulance for the area since he resumed office as MP. He said, he and the assembly pulled resources together to resurrect the “rickety” automobile after it was rendered immobile and dumped. “He bought an ambulance, yes. But he bought a rickety ambulance. He thought that it could help in his campaign. Unfortunately, the ambulance could not even move from Kongo to Asoryine”. However, after the resurrection of the ambulance with the help of the assembly and the MP, as he stated, it has assisted in various ways performing one or more services even at the Bolgatanga regional hospital. Meanwhile, the current scene captured about the ambulance has put the people of Upper East in shock, as some have started asking a question such as “I thought the ambulances are for the sick but what I am seeing is the contrary” The Boniface .A. Gambila donated ambulance was donated to improve quality health care to the people of Nabdam but interestingly, the distribution of beverages to the people of Nabdam offers them a better service. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Bad roads at Sissala causes flat tire of Roads and Highways Minister’s Land Cruiser
The Roads and Highways Minister, Kwesi Amoako-Atta suffered the ritual brunt that commuters in the Sissala municipality and district go through on the bumpy and deplorable roads in the enclave when the land cruiser he was traveling in had a flat tire. The minister had to alight from the marooned air-conditioned car for a jaded and weak wooden bench kept in small shades of the sun whilst his driver replaced the punctured tire. The tour of the roads and highways minister to the area forms part of his three-day working visit to the Upper West region to inspect ongoing works on roads that were washed away by violent flash floods on August 12. The twin Sissala municipality and district is the food basket of the region. The reality however is that they have the worst roads in the region which has contributed largely to post-harvest losses. Four months ago, they were a protest from Chiefs and youth groups from the area about the blatant omission of the enclave from a 35 million euro funded project christened farm access roads. It angered residents of the area prompting protests from chiefs and the Sissala youth forum. The issue failed to simmer down when the Roads and Highways minister met chiefs and members of the Sissala Youth Forum. Paramount chief of the Zinni traditional area, Kuoro Abu Dyakah Sukabe Nania V, told the minister that they have been discriminated against and marginalized for a long and they were running out of patience. ‘‘We feel marginalized and were at the tipping point. I am expressing the emotion and sentiments of the people in the Sissala enclave. We feel we are not part. The disaster happened, mobilization came and all that they could do was to send the kit somewhere. Must we have to wait for disaster to happen before we choose,’’ he quizzed. ‘‘Our next-door neighbor, Burkina Faso, just about 12 kilometers from here, the roads are tarred to the Burkinabe capital but you look at our major trunk roads none of them is tarred,’’ he lamented. Roads and Highways Minister, Kwesi Amoako-Atta pledged the commitment of the government to work to give a facelift o to roads in the Sissala enclave. —Yen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
JUST IN: Josephine Panyin Mensah granted GHC50K bail with two sureties
Josephine Panyin Mensah, the Twenty-eight year old who faked her pregnancy and kidnap has been granted a Ghc 500,000 bail with two sureties by Takoradi Circuit Court. Josephine pleaded not guilty when she was arraigned before the court today. More soon.. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
Stop asking married women to have children – Sociologist
A Sociologist has called on the public to stop putting undue pressure on women to have children, suggesting that such demands can force some women to do absurd things to satisfy society. Justice Siaw speaking on the Morning Starr on Monday said the case of the Takoradi woman who faked a pregnancy could have been due to societal pressure. “What I think this woman did was to carry this fake pregnancy for people in the community to see that she was pregnant so that those who saw her as barren will take their minds off her. “This woman could have been drawn to this problem by social pressure because in the Ghanaian community if you marry and you don’t have kids, it means you have an issue…I think our society should stop putting undue pressure on women to have children.” The Takoradi woman who confessed to faking her pregnancy and kidnapping will appear before a Takoradi Circuit court today. She was arrested on Friday after confessing to the crime following interrogation by police. She was discharged from the Effia-Nkwanta hospital before the arrest. Reports of her pregnancy and kidnapping have caught the attention of the nation for the past weeks. Earlier, a top police source told Empire News the suspect had asked for forgiveness from her husband Michael Simons who is deemed innocent. The victim, now a suspect, according to the police source, said she had not had sexual intercourse with her husband for the past three (3) to four (4) months claiming that she could lose her pregnancy if they got intimate. The couple had reportedly been looking for children. —Starrfm Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093
UER: Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights of persons with Mental Health Respected
Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) of Persons with Mental Health Disorder seem to be cordial in the Upper East Region. This might be as a result of some advocates initiated by some NGOs and some other Alliance interested in issues bothering Persons with mental health disorders across the Northern Regions of Ghana. Meanwhile, when you are looking at SRHR rights for Persons with Mental Health Disorder, it means you want to know, how they are getting married, who they are getting married to, those who want to prevent them not to get married due to their mental disorder, their sexual life, the number of children they want to have, whether they forced to take family planning without their concern? Should any of them becomes pregnant forcefully or against their wishes, what happens? However, per Apexnews Gh investigation in the region, it appears in the case of Upper East Region, SRHR of Persons with Mental Health Disorder is consider very important across the region, following the numerous sensitization workshop and awareness creation engineered by BasicNeeds Ghana and members of Regional Alliance for Persons with Mental Health. To confirm our investigation, our checks at the Upper East Regional Health Directorate, Mental Health Department confirmed through the Regional Mental Coordinator Edem Amegeleh that the department has not received any report of abuse regarding SRHR of Person with Mental Health Disorder in the region. However, it is important to note that persons with mental health disorders around us are equally humans and also had the equal sexual rights to satisfy that urge with dignity rather than being abused. Apexnewsgh.com/Ghana/Ngamegbulam Chidozie Stephen Please contact Apexnewsgh.com on email apexnewsgh@gmail.com for your credible news publications. Contact: 05555568093