COMMISIONING OF EASTERN UNIVERSITY: EXPRESSION OF GRATITUDE TO JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA AND PROF. NAANA JANE OPOKU-AGYEMAN
The Yilo Krobo Constituency NDC as well as the good people of Kroboland are happily informed of the Commisioning of the University of Environment and Sustainable Development (UESD), situated in Somanya in the Eastern Region.
We are happy today because one of the dreams of the NDC has come to fruition. A dream given birth to by Late Prof. J.E.A Mills, carried through and made possible by His Excellency John Dramani Mahama as President, and Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman as Minister of Education. A vision by the NDC in making sure that all 10 regions at the time, had Public Universities.
We are grateful to His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for his sterling leadership and efforts in obtaining the needed £45m to commence the Project. We also salute Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, who was instrumental in the project when she served as Minsiter of Education.
We are however saddened by the fact that, the Project, which should have seen a satellite campus established at Donkorkrom did not materialize because the NPP government decided to take that project to Kyebi, the hometown of Nana Akuffo Addo.
We also salute the NDC minority caucus in Parliament, for spotting the plot by the NPP government to move the main Campus from Somanya. We cannot end without giving praise to the Cheifs and Youth of Kroboland, who stood their ground with series of Demonstrations which eventually compelled government to stick to the original plan. However, we take note that, there is seemingly a shortfall with regards to the number of building facilities before this Commisioning.
We wish to remind Nana Akuffo Addo not to re-visit his usual habit of taking credit for what he has no hand in, and to appreciate the efforts of his Predecessor John Dramani Mahama who we celebrate today.
To the People of Donkorkrom and environs whose hopes have been dashed, we say a future NDC government will Construct the satellite campus of the same University at Donkorkrom since it is our vision to do so.
The President of AMY and his Executives want to encourage all fellow Akatamansonians in Ghana that, those who want to match with our presidential candidate to the Flagstaff House in 2021, the journey starts from today.
AMY is praying hard that the exercise ends smoothly without any hitches in and out of our strongholds.
We want to use this opportunity to urge all AMY members who had already sacrifices their busy schedules to help the party win 2020 elections to continue to do so until we have being declare victors.
Comrades, from today till the time NDC will be declare winners in December 8/9/10, our sleeps must be less.
When they strike, we must strike.
When they roar, we must roar. Comrades, our vigilant must start from today.
The little slightest mistake will be disastrous to us…
We must match them boot for boot, even to the urinal.
Our reps at the centres, please open your eyes and other party faithfuls who will be bringing our people our to register.
Let us be bold, vigilant, focused, attentive, ask for clarifications of any ambiguous statement put before you…
Let’s make history together. No time for blame game…
A must win for NDC…
Get all those around you registered. Comrades, the process must not be smooth as we may think but with determination and Perseverance, we shall all register to join the #Kick Nana Out Agenda.
A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court presided over by Chief Justice, Kwesi Anin Yeboah has indefinitely adjourned the judgment of the case in which the National Democratic Congress dragged the Electoral Commission to court over its decision not include the existing voters’ register as a requirement in compiling the new voters’ register. The judgment was initially scheduled for Tuesday, 23 June but Starr News’ Court correspondent Mutalla Inusah reports that the apex court has now adjourned the judgment indefinitely. This was after the Supreme Court on Friday heard a similar case and granted the request by the Attorney General to have the two cases consolidated. The application by one Mark Takyi-Benson against the EC was subsequently consolidated. The applicant and his lawyers have been asked to file their statement of case by 12:00noon on Monday, June 22. The court also ordered the AG to file their statement of case also by Tuesday, June 23, 2020. The parties are to return to court on Wednesday, June 24, for hearing. The opposition NDC argues that a new voter’s register will deprive many Ghanaians the right to vote in the polls if the existing voters’ ID card is rejected a claim the EC disagrees with. The party has argued in its suit that the EC lacks the power to go ahead with its plans because it can only “compile a register of voters only once, and thereafter revise it periodically, as may be determined by law”.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Sunday, June 14, 2020, addressed the nation to outline some measures put in place with the “phased approach” to easing of the restrictions imposed on the country on Sunday, March 15. Read below the president’s full address: Fellow Ghanaians, good evening. Exactly two weeks ago, I came again into your homes to outline a roadmap for easing the restrictions put in place to help contain the spread of the Coronavirus pandemic in our country. I indicated that it would be a phased approach, involving a selected list of public gatherings, based on their risk profile, socio-economic impact, and, most importantly, our capacity to enforce and to respond, in the event of a flair up in our number of infections. Since then, we have had some of our religious institutions opening their doors to worshippers, whilst respecting the limits on numbers, and maintaining the strict protocols announced; others have decided to remain closed until further notice. Private burials are taking place, market places, public transport, including domestic air transport, restaurants, hotels, individual and non-contact sports, and our constitutional and statutory bodies are conducting their activities in accordance with social distancing and the relevant hygiene protocols. From tomorrow, Monday, 15th June, the last batch of institutions in this phased approach, our educational institutions, will begin to re-open, with final year students in our tertiary colleges and universities returning to school to prepare for and take their exit examinations. As has been stated, final year senior high school (SHS 3) students, together with SHS 2 Gold Track students, will resume on 22nd June; and final year junior high school (JHS 3) students, the week after, on 29th June. The decision to include our schools in phase one of the easing of restrictions was taken advisedly. Some argue that we are putting the lives of our students, teachers and non-teaching staff in danger by this re-opening, citing the examples of other countries, who have done so and recorded spikes in their infection case counts. I have stated, on several occasions, that there is no one-size-fits-all approach to the resolution of this pandemic. We have our own unique situation in the country, and we have always taken that it into account in dealing with this disease, much as we are prepared to learn from the examples of others. Fellow Ghanaians, over the last three (3) months, every aspect of our national life has been affected by this virus. We have had to take deliberate steps to ensure that our society, in the face of the pandemic, is able to function, and continues to strive to deliver the results of progress, prosperity and development, for which we all yearn. Saving lives, jobs and livelihoods, revitalising our economy, and safeguarding the future of our country have been at the heart of this endeavour. We cannot say that, because of the pandemic, we are no longer interested in issues of social justice, such as education and health. Education, indeed, is the key to the future of our country. The quality of education that our educational institutions produce, ultimately, will determine the success or otherwise of our nation. We, therefore, have to find a way of guaranteeing the prospects of the generation of young people who are the objects of education today, and who represent our future. We have to do everything within our power to protect their potential, and, thereby, help preserve our future. We cannot afford to let the pandemic undermine our chances for survival and progress. We have to confront our present and future with confidence, knowing fully well that we must remain, at all times, vigilant and careful. So, from tomorrow, operating with half the class size, final year students will begin a six-week period of learning to finish their respective programmes. Subsequently, for a period of four weeks, they will sit for their exit examinations. It must be put on record that some final year University students will not be returning to school, as some of them, through virtual means, have already sat their exit examinations. Prior to their return to school, Government, through the Ministry of Education and the Ghana Education Service, has ensured that all tertiary institutions, public and private, have been disinfected. Universities, with their own hospitals and clinics, have been equipped with the necessary personal protective equipment, and have isolation centres to deal with any positive cases. All other institutions, without their own clinics and hospitals, have been mapped to health facilities. There will be no mass gatherings and no sporting activities. Religious activities, under the new protocols, will be permitted. Social distancing and the wearing of face masks must become the norm on campus. To aid in this effort, a total of six hundred thousand (600,000) face masks has been distributed to the tertiary institutions. This is to enable every student, teaching and non-teaching staff to have three (3) reusable face masks. In addition to this, one thousand seven hundred (1,700) Veronica buckets, two hundred thousand (200,000) litres of hand sanitisers, three thousand, four hundred (3,400) litres of liquid soap, and nine hundred (900) thermometer guns have been distributed, with the transportation and delivery of these items being overseen by the special logistics team of the Government Committee, chaired by the sagacious, experienced politician, the Senior Minister, Hon. Yaw Osafo Maafo, that is supervising the re-opening of the schools. I met with the Vice Chancellors of the universities, both public and private, last Tuesday, who pledged that they would co-operate to ensure that this exercise is effectively undertaken, and I thank them very much for their co-operation. Our intention is to secure the lives of the nearly two hundred thousand (200,000) students, lecturers and non-teaching staff, who will be returning to campus from tomorrow, and I appeal to them also to do their bit to help us succeed. I urge them to adhere to enhanced personal hygiene and social distancing protocols, wash their hands with soap under running water, refrain from shaking hands, and wear their masks to, in and from the lecture halls, and on the campus, generally. Fellow Ghanaians, I have to address a matter which has to do with our case count, especially in recent weeks, and which has given cause for anxiety. The increase in numbers indicates that the virus has spread and continues to spread. We have to bear in mind, at all times, that the more people we test for the virus, the more people we are likely to discover as positive, and, thus, have the opportunity to isolate and treat them. If we do not test people for the virus, we will not find the persons who are positive, let alone isolate them from the population and treat them, and prevent them from spreading the virus. For example, the total number of tests that we have conducted in Ghana, with a population of thirty-one million, two hundred and fifty-four thousand three hundred and thirty-one (254,331), is one of the highest on the African continent. Furthermore, many countries in the world, including several of the developed economies, are not implementing a policy of enhanced contact tracing, and this makes our data qualitatively different and more effective in the fight against COVID-19. Indeed, the success of our tracing, testing and treating will lead, in the end, to a reduction in the number of cases. That is what we are working for. Understandably, much focus has been placed on the rise in the total number of confirmed cases. As at midnight of 13th June, the total number of positives, cumulatively, stands at eleven thousand, nine hundred and sixty-four (11,964), out of the two hundred and fifty-four thousand three hundred and thirty-one (254,331), tests conducted. We have a total of four thousand, two hundred and fifty-eight (4,258) patients who have fully recovered, have been discharged, and are now free of the virus. So, our scrutiny, in effect, must be on the number of active cases, i.e. people who remain on our books as still positive. Hence, as things stand now, the total number of people with the virus, that is active cases from our tests, is seven thousand, six hundred and fifty-two (7,652). Our positivity rate, i.e. the ratio of positive cases to total tests conducted, stands at 4.7%. In our hospitals and isolation centres, we currently have thirteen (13) persons severely ill, six (6) persons critically ill, with three (3) persons on ventilators. Mercifully for us, by the grace of God, the number of COVID-19 related deaths, sad though each death is, continues to remain very low, one of the lowest in Africa and the world. With fifty-four (54) deaths currently reported by the Ghana Health Service thus far in Ghana, the ratio of deaths to positive cases stands at 0.4%, compared to the global average of 5.5%, and the African average of 2.6%. The number of severe and critically ill also continues to be low. I am relating all these figures not to engender any false, feel-good factor, but as statements of fact that must provide the context for us, when we examine our figures. If, indeed, we are to be guided by the data, then we must look at the data in all its ramifications, not just one particular aspect of them. That is the proper way to do justice to the data. I am, thus, in no way suggesting that we should let our guard down, and throw out of the window the efforts we have made in bringing us this far, where we have become a reference point for many in the handling of this pandemic. On the contrary, as we begin to ease the restrictions, we must be even more disciplined in our adherence to the personal hygiene and social distancing measures we have become accustomed to, we must keep fit, and we must continue to eat our local foods to boost our immune systems. This is how we can prevent our healthcare services and our heroic healthcare workers from being overwhelmed, due to an increase in demand for hospital care. Nevertheless, I implore you to pay attention to your health, when you begin to experience symptoms such as fever, persistent cough, bodily pains, loss of taste and smell, and difficulty in breathing, seek immediate medical attention at the nearest health facility. I remain concerned about the stigma associated with this disease. Stories of persons who have recovered from this disease, and being shunned by their own relatives and communities, are a source of considerable worry to me, because they undermine our efforts to fight it. There is nothing shameful about testing positive. We do not have to lose our sense of community because of this pandemic. Government, through the Ghana Health Service, continues to monitor, on a daily basis, the spread of the virus, and has benchmarks of health outcomes, which define the mitigation measures that must be pursued to curb the spread of the disease, and enable us to reassess the easing of restrictions. It is important for me to remind residents of the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, where the great majority of cases have been recorded, and in the Western and Central Regions, where we are seeing an increase in infection cases, to continue to adhere strictly to the social distancing and enhanced hygiene protocols announced. With the doctors and scientists telling us that the virus is transmitted from human contact, through talking, singing, coughing and sneezing, which results in sending droplets of the virus from one person to another, residents of these four regions, and, indeed, all Ghanaians, must remember that the wearing of masks is now mandatory. Leaving our homes without a face mask or face covering on is an offence. The Police have been instructed to enforce this directive, which is the subject of an Executive Instrument. Let me repeat: our survival is in our own hands. If we are lax and inattentive, we will continue to have serious challenges with the virus. If we are mindful and self-disciplined, we have it in us to defeat this pandemic, and help return our lives to normalcy. I appeal to each and every one of you for your help in this regard. That is the surest way to realising our collective vision of building a new Ghanaian civilization where the rule of law is not a slogan, but a directive principle of state development; where we deliver social and economic transformation that has a meaningful impact on the lives of all our people; where a strong and vibrant economy creates jobs for the masses of our young people, and, in the process, creates a society of opportunities and aspirations for all; where we are no longer pawns nor victims of the world order; and where the vision of our founding fathers of a free, progressive and prosperous Ghana is attained. Let us, together, rise to the occasion, and fulfill our common destiny. We can do it! In conclusion, permit me to pay brief tribute to the memory of an old and valiant colleague in the struggle of the New Patriotic Party and in the work of the Akufo-Addo government, the Mayor of Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis, the Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Hon. K.K Sam, Egya Sam to me and many, whose efforts in enforcing social distancing protocols at the Sekondi and Takoradi markets were, recently, highly commended by me, and who sadly passed away on Friday, as a result of a COVID-related death. May his soul rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty until the Last Day of the Resurrection, when we shall all meet again. Let us also wish our hardworking Minister for Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman Manu, MP for Dormaa Central, a speedy recovery from the virus, which he contracted in the line of duty, and is a stable condition. May God bless us all, and our homeland Ghana, and make her great and strong. I thank you for your attention.
The Director of Legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Abraham Amaliba, has said the party was compelled by the Supreme Court to let go its first relief in its two-pronged suit against the Electoral Commission rather than a voluntary withdrawal of same by the party. “If your correspondent was in court, he would have told you that the NDC did not voluntarily abandon the first relief”, Mr Amaliba told Class91.3FM’s Blessed Sogah on the 505 news programme, adding: “Indeed, we argued that it was possible for the Supreme Court to deal with both reliefs because one bordered on the Constitution, the other was on the CI that would allow the EC to use passports and NIA cards. So, we were of the view that it was possible for the Supreme Court to deal with the two issues. “However, they declined and asked us to elect which of them we wanted to pursue and, so, in our wisdom, we decided for the second relief, which relief had some element of dealing with the register in such a way to have the same effect as if the register has not been compiled. And, so, if you look at the wisdom in our selection, it will tell you that if we got the second relief granted by the Supreme Court, then it will eventually mean that the register has not been compiled anew, and, so that’s what happened but it’s not as if we went to court voluntarily to have our first relief struck out”, Mr Amaliba explained. The NDC, with regard to the first relief, sought to stop the Electoral Commission from conduction a registration exercise for a new voter roll ahead of the 2020 polls in addition to its attempt to compel the election management body to use the old voter ID card for compiling a new register of voters. At the Supreme Court on Thursday, 11 June 2020, the lawyer for the NDC, Mr Godwin Edudzi Tameklo, abandoned the first relief after the panel asked him to choose one of the two. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has set 23 June 2020 as the date to deliver judgement on the NDC v. EC case currently before it concerning whether or not the election management body can exclude the old voter ID card from its forthcoming registration exercise. The seven-member panel chaired by Chief Justice Anin Yeboah, gave the date after the lawyers of the National Democratic Congress and the Electoral Commission , respectively, gave their arguments to support their stance. There was heavy security presence at the Supreme Court before Thursday’s hearing of the contentious case between the two bodies. Scores of armed security personnel from the Formed Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service besieged the court to provide security for today’s hearing. Per C.I.126 recently passed by Parliament, the Ghana card and passport are the only documents that eligible voters can use as proof of citizenship, to get registered for the new voter card ahead of the 2020 polls. In the absence of either of the documents, a registrant would need two already-registered Ghanaians to vouch for him/her as a Ghanaian before that person is registered. The National Democratic Congress (NDC) – which has dragged the EC to the Supreme Court for interpretation of the laws of Ghana relative to that contention – as well as some civil society organisations, have raised qualms with the exclusion of the current voter ID from the registration process. Last week, the EC, in a 31-page document, wrote to the Supreme Court explaining why it excluded the current voter ID card from the exercise. In its writ, the NDC argued that “the 2nd Defendant (EC) has no legal basis to exclude the use of existing voter ID cards for the purposes of registration and that should this Court allow the 2nd Defendant to deny Ghanaian citizens the use of their existing voter ID cards for registration, it would impair the right of citizens to register and vote. That would be a dent on the gains made by this Court in giving life and meaning to Article 42 of the Constitution”. The party’s lawyers said: “We end by relying on the poignant statement by Kpegah JSC in Apaloo versus Electoral Commission supra at page 410 where His Lordship stated: “Thus, consistent with our belief in and adherence to the principle of universal adult suffrage, the right to register and vote is guaranteed every citizen of Ghana who is eighteen years or above and not of unsound mind. In the case of Tehn-Addy v Electoral Commission er [1996-97] SCGLR 589, the plaintiff was denied the chance to register as a voter, and he brought an action claiming that the Electoral Commission had violated the Constitution, 1992. This court unanimously held that every sane Ghanaian citizen of eighteen years and above had the right under article 42 of the Constitution, 1992 to be registered as a voter. And that the constitutional right of voting was indispensable in the enhancement of the democratic process and it could not be denied in the absence of a constitutional provision to that effect”. “The function of the 2nd Defendant under article 45(e) is to undertake programmes for the expansion of the registration of voters and not to undermine or place unnecessary impediments on registration. The 2 Defendant’s constitutional function includes making it easier to register to vote and not to place impediments on the enjoyment of that fundamental right to be registered and o vote”. “In the circumstances, we invite this Honourable Court not to be frightened by the spectre of ghosts, minors and foreigners on the register. For ghosts may be able to receive salaries when on the payroll but cannot appear to vote when on the voter roll and foreigners and minors can be removed from the roll of voters if the 2nd Defendant is diligent and does its work well”, the NDC’s argument said. In the EC’s counter-arguments, the election management body provided to the apex court the following legal reasons why it is not allowing the existing voter identification card to be used in the upcoming voter registration exercise. EC’s reasons The existing voter register which was compiled in 2012 pursuant to CI 72 and revised since by limited registration exercises has been held by this Honourable Court as not being reasonably credible. By implication, the cards issued pursuant to it are also not reasonably credible. In respect of the cards issued pursuant to ci 12, the 2nd Defendant (EC) has found that those voter identification cards were issued without any form of identification at all and its ineligibilities, breaches and excesses were imported into the 2012 register pursuant to CI 72 in breach of Article 42 and displacing the credibility of the CI 12 cards. The 2nd Defendant found a fundamental omission in its training manual and the manner in which the voter registration exercise was carried out in 2012 partly in breach of its own binding CI 72 and also in breach of Article 42 of the Constitution. The 2nd Defendant wants a break from the past to remedy all the carried-on ineligibilities, excesses and breaches of Article 42 as the existing cards have become fruits of a “poisoned tree”. It will be in continuous breach of article 42 of the constitution, to totally disregard this Honourable court’s own judgment to continue using the existing cards and It is in contravention of Section 8(1) of Act 750 (as amended) for the 2nd Defendant to accept the existing voter identification cards as a means of proving citizenship for the compilation of the new register. Your Lordships, we (EC) submit that what Section 8(1) of Act 750 (as amended) has done is to effectively exclude the existing voter identification card as a form of identification for the purposes of proving citizenship which is the first and foremost qualification required of an individual applying to be registered as a voter. It is the considered opinion of the 2nd defendant (EC) that to accept any form of identification, including the existing voter identification cards, which is not provided for under Section 8(1) Act 750 (as amended) as a means of proving identification for the compilation of the new register will be in contravention of statute. The case is being adjudicated by a seven-member panel of justices presided over by the Chief Justice, Justice Anin Yeboah. Source: Class FM
Ban on all government officials from seeking medical care abroad
No borrowing
One million dollar to every constituency
One district one factory
One village one dam
Construction of 350 new secondary schools
Immediate cancellation of the IMF deal
Government will employ all trained nurses and teachers 9.Reduce fuel price drastically
One free meal and special chocolate for public primary school pupils
Make Accra the cleanest capitalist in Africa
Government will not buy new vehicles
Will make the cedi the strongest currency in Africa
Will inject billions of crisis into the agricultural sector to create more agro allied jobs by way of loans at nominal interest rate for capital investment on medium and commercial scale cash crops
Increase producer price of cocoa each year 16.Will build airport in all the Regions
Low utility tariffs
Increase salary of teachers and all public workers
Ensure timely payment of retirement benefits for all pensioned senior citizens and create poverty safety net for all aged citizens
Will support galamsey operation in the country
Will build ultramodern stadium in all the Regions
Will reduce number of Ministers and workers at the Presidency
Protect public purse by reducing recurrent expenditure 24.End graduate unemployment
Immediate cancellation of the stabilisation fund policy
Free distribution of fertilizer and seedlings to cocoa farmers
Support for cashew nut farmers
Review all government contracts
No family and friends government
No sole sourcing
Election of our MMDCEs instead of appointing them 32.Protect local businesses by applying fully laws regulating activities of foreigners doing business in Ghana
Remove all nuisance taxes at the ports
Construct more roads 35.Construct more hospitals 36.Establishment of more universities
Improve security
Make the Ghanaian economy one of the fastest-growing emerging economies in the world
Will create three million jobs the first year of the administration 40.Implementation of a national gender policy.
Public declaration of assets of government officials
Dozens of Bees interrupted a local government meeting that was slated to come off today in Koforidua Asokore, in the eastern region of Ghana. The information available to Gossips24 indicates the bees attacked the Minister, MCE, Chiefs, and others who gathered at the Local Government meeting which came off at Asokore today.
According to a report by UTV today, the Deputy Local Government Minister and MP for New Juabeng North, Nana Agyei Boateng, MCE for New Juabeng North Mrs. Comfort Asante, and Chiefs who were invited to witness the program suffered brutally at the expense of the angry bees.
A man believed to be 65 years old and three others were critically injured as a result of the attack and have been admitted at the St Joseph Hospital in Koforidua.
The UTV reporter, Michael Akrofi explained that the event was held to make plans towards the renovation of the Asokore Community center into an office complex.
However, the meeting did not come to a fruitful end as the bees interrupted the meeting right after the man of God ended his opening prayer.
At the time of the report, the deputy minister of Local Government was nowhere to be found. Some natives of the town were also attacked.
Today marks 28 years of age when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was formed.
Thanks to His Excellency former president Jerry John Rawlings and those who contributed to the quota of the NDC.
God on our side, we shall always win.
Join His Excellency the leader and flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), former president John Dramani Mahama at 11:am today as he Commemorate the 28th Anniversary of the Great NDC.
The programme will be live on the following channels: Radio XYZ Volta TV Power fm Class fm Ahotor fm
Long live NDC, Long live former president Jerry John Rawlings, Long live His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, Long live Ghana.
B.R.Jnr News Updates 