Mahama struggling to accept defeat—Akufo Addo
According to President Akufo-Addo the recent criticisms of his government by former President John Mahama is a pure indication that the Mr. Mahama is still struggling to accept his defeat in the 2020 presidential election. Speaking in an interview on a Ho-based radio station to wrap up his two-day tour of the Volta Region, President Akufo-Addo noted that Mr Mahama is still confused about his defeat and has lost control of his comments against the government. President John Mahama, while addressing a gathering of chiefs and people at the 2022 edition of the Asogli Yam Festival in the Volta Region, said the government has lost the fight against corruption. “This government, the NPP government has completely lost control of the fight against corruption. President Akufo-Addo in his inaugural address promised to protect the public purse. “Today even that public purse cannot be found. The revelations in the Auditor-General’s report for 2021 is simply a microcosm of the real extent of the seeming institutionalisation of corruption under this administration,” Mr Mahama said.But President Akufo-Addo stressed that Mr Mahama is still distressed by the margin with which he lost the 2016 and 2020 general elections.He said contrary to the claims of Mr Mahama, his government is “confident in our ability to master the situation and bring our country back again.” “Mr Mahama still has not been able to assimilate his defeat twice to the man who he had said could never come to power in Ghana and I think every night when he goes to bed, he is confused about the man who has not just come back but given him a good whipping on two separate occasions. We won the landslide in 2016 and again decisive margin in 2020. He has never gotten the figures that I have gotten in elections in Ghana, he knows,” President Akufo-Addo said. According to President Akufo-Addo, Mr Mahama and the NDC are aware of his government’s achievements, hence, should avoid their sheer criticisms. “He knows that significant progress and achievements have been made and that it is necessary for him and his supporters to denigrate that exercise, to go out of their way and to poo-poo everything that we have done,” he added. For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com
The former President has told blatant lies– Richard Ahiagbah
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has responded to former President John Dramani Mahama for his pronouncement that the government has not given him all his privileges as an ex-President. Richard Ahiagbah, the Communications Director of the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP), disagrees with Former President Mahama he says, President Akufo-Addo government has been providing him with his privileges. Addressing the media at a press conference in Accra, Mr. Ahiagbah said: “The former President has told blatant lies. We have assembled relevant documents that prove that the former President lied and that, contrary to his claims, he has been indeed been enjoying privileges due him.” “We did not want to share these private documents with the public, but they are already out there, so we will share them.” Former President John Mahama has said he does not receive any financial benefits beyond what he is due. “I receive only my monthly pension, like President Kufuor or President Rawlings was receiving until he died. That is all I get,” he said. “I pay the electricity bill for my house, for my office. I pay the water bill for my house and my office. I live in my own accommodation so the state does not pay me anything for accommodation,” he said in an interview on TV3.He also tabled fuel, medical bills, domestic staff, and flight tickets among the list of tabs he foots himself. John Mahama added that the only lump sum received was “GH¢230,000 as salary arrears in 2013.” “Normally when you leave, they approve what should be done for you, but it is not being done for me,” he added. This statement comes on the back of comments by a section of the public that he is living from the same monetary benefits he speaks against regarding Article 71 Office holders. One of which is the administrative New Patriotic Party’s Kwame Baffoe Abronye Bono Regions chairman, who argued that Mahama has received millions in ex-gratia payments. Source: Apexnewsgh.com For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com
End of COVID-19 pandemic in sight – WHO chief
The world has never been in a better position to end the Covid-19 pandemic, the head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Wednesday, urging nations to keep up their efforts against the virus that has killed over six million people. “We are not there yet. But the end is in sight,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at a virtual press conference. The comment was the most optimistic from the UN agency since it declared Covid-19 an international emergency and started describing the virus as a pandemic in March 2020. The virus, which emerged in China in late 2019, has killed nearly 6.5 million people and infected 606 million, roiling global economies and overwhelming healthcare systems. The rollout of vaccines and therapies have helped to stem the severity of disease. Deaths from Covid-19 last week were the lowest since March 2020, the U.N. agency reported. Still, countries need to take a hard look at their policies and strengthen them for Covid-19 and future viruses, Tedros said. He also urged nations to vaccinate 100% of their high-risk groups and keep testing for the virus.The WHO warned of the possibility of future waves of the virus and said countries need to maintain adequate supplies of medical equipment and healthcare workers. “We expect there to be future waves of infections, potentially at different time points throughout the world caused by different subvariants of Omicron or even different variants of concern,” said WHO senior epidemiologist Maria Van Kerkhove is. Monkeypox cases, too, were on a downtrend but Tedros urged countries to keep up the fight. WHO officials said last month that it is possible to eliminate the monkeypox outbreak in Europe by stepping up vaccination and testing. “As with Covid-19, this is not the time to relax or let down our guard.” —Rauter—
Gov’t has no policy to ensure abundance of food – MP
The main opposition National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament (MP) for Asunafo South Constituency in the Ahafo Region, Eric Opoku, has hit hard at the government for failing to take steps to make food available to Ghanaians. According to him, the government has no policy as well as programmes to ensure food is in abundance in the country. He said the government can’t use farming for propaganda, noting that scarcity of food and high cost of food have exposed the government. “The government has no policy to ensure the abundance of food,” he maintained. He added that the government’s flagship programme Planting for Food and Jobs (PFJ) was targeted at peasant farmers and not the commercial farmers in the country. He minces no words to say commercial farmers were not part of PFJ. The MP who is also the Ranking Member on the Agriculture Select Committee of Parliament said these on the Ghana Yensom morning show hosted by Mr Emmanuel Quarshie on Accra 100.5 FM on Tuesday, September 13, 2022. “PFJ was for peasant farmers,” he said adding that, “it is the reason the cost of food is high under this administration.” He also said food is scarce because the cost of production is high. “We are experiencing a scarcity of food at the peak season of the year meaning that there will be no food in the lean season,” he warned. “Ghanaians will feel the heat of this government’s ineptitude in the agriculture sector in March next year,” he opined. He said this government has no programme to support the poultry sector as there is a massive lack of feed for the poultry subsector in the country. He explained that this has also led to the high cost of eggs on the market. According to the lawmaker, the agricultural sector of the economy has collapsed under the NPP government. He argued that “agriculture everywhere in the world is subsidized but this government is paying a 15 per cent subsidy on agricultural inputs and farmers are paying 85 per cent.” Mr Opoku also noted that it is because of subsidies that rice produced in the United States of America imported into the country with duty paid is still cheaper than rice produced in Ghana. “Forty-four per cent of Ghanaians depend on agriculture to survive and this government has collapsed the sector,” he added. Source: Classfmonline For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com
Ghc 64 million invested in sustainable community project–MTN Ghana
MTN Ghana has confirmed they spent GHC64 million in sustainable community projects across the country. This was made known by the Chief Sales and Distribution officer Mr. Shaibu Haruna on Wednesday, September 14, 2022, during the 2022 Upper East Media Editor’s forum in Bolgatanga the Regional Capital. According to Mr. Haruna, “The projects include education, health, economic empowerment, and community initiatives. He believes, MTN can only be excited when the communities and ecosystems in which it operates are healthy. “In all we do, we strive to leverage our core capabilities to enable the socio-economic development of the communities within which we operate”. He said, in 2022 over Ghc 20 million is approved to continue their commitment to completing some specific projects and community support initiatives across the country. Source: Apexnewsgh.com For publication please kindly contact us on 0256336062 or Email: apexnewsgh@gmail.com