Page 16: February 1, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A FORMER National Security Co-ordinator, Mr Kofi Bentum Quantson, has stated that the present political atmosphere does not portend well for peaceful elections in December.
He said the description of the 2008 elections by politicians and political parties as “the Mother of all Elections”, “a do- or-die affair”, “the political survival of parties”, open threats of recriminations and counter recriminations, among other things, were all indicators of potential disputing of election results.
Mr Quantson was speaking on the topic, “Towards a peaceful Election 2008 in Ghana: The National Security Environment”, at a round-table discussion organised by the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in Accra yesterday.
He said the assumptions that Ghana was an oasis of peace and that it was immune to the lawlessness and instability that had affected other countries were unrealistic and fallacious.
“It is a security assessment that has expired. It has the tendency to tranquillise security appreciation into a dangerous state of complacency,” he said, adding that “to rule out certain situations in advance will be suicidal”.
He said security could be fluid and willy-nilly be adversely affected by persistent corroding irritants like bad governance, opportunism, intolerance, impunity and corruption, advising that “security appreciation must never be done on the historical assumption that it has not happened before and, therefore, it cannot happen. There is always a first time”.
Mr Quantson, whose tenure as a security officer spanned the governments of the First Republic to the Fourth Republic under the National Democratic Congress (NDC), said in an election such as Ghana’s, where distrust and suspicion dominated people’s minds, “if threat assessment is not properly organised, intervening responses can create further tensions”.
He said the threat assessment ought to be dynamic, dispassionate and objective and not based on emotional or pre-fabrications to achieve partisan objectives.
He said in an acrimonious, divisive, volatile political environment, the possibility that fanatical or unthinkable people could be manipulated to embark on criminal acts for parochial political ends should receive sustained attention.
Mr Quantson said the dishonesty, perfidy or hypocrisy of some politicians and their agents who would openly advocate for peace but covertly instigate lawlessness and vandalism was a terrible threat because “it can distort security appreciation and divert attention and resources”.
He said the unhelpful stance of sections of the media with declared entrenched positions and, therefore, open to be manipulated to pursue agenda inimical to the national interest and the irreverent manner in which some religious and traditional leaders not only openly identified with political interests but actually made unwise and even provocative pronouncements did not portend well.
According to him, there were also critical issues that were combustible and would ignite or be ignited if not properly managed.
Those, he said, related to chieftaincy matters, particularly in Bawku, Yendi, Tamale, Anloga, Sefwi and elsewhere, with clear or perceived discrimination and selectivity in the criminal justice system, all having the potential for settling scores ever present.
Mr Quantson said claims that the nation’s peace and stability was the product of any one person or any one political party, group, government, present or past, should be avoided.
He said the future of democracy in the country should reside in vigorous, enlightened, truly patriotic and uncompromisable civil society groups which could mobilise the nation to police the national institutions and structures established to protect the national interest.
“That, in my professional judgement, is the most effective way to actualise national security objectives aimed at the decent survival, safety and well-being of the people,” he said.
The Executive Director of CDD-Ghana, Professor E. Gyimah-Boadi, said this year’s elections provided another opportunity to test whether Ghana could maintain or even improve its record of generally peaceful and credible elections and, thereby, demonstrate that Africans could have good elections.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Mystery over cocaine loss-Exhibits store under 24-hour guard & CCTV
Front Page: January 31, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
Police sources have revealed that narcotic substances in the custody of the police were substituted with other substances, despite the fact that the door to the Narcotics Exhibits Store at the Police Headquarters was not damaged.
The acting Director of the Police Public Relations Unit, DSP Kwesi Ofori, who spoke to the Daily Graphic yesterday, confirmed that the exhibits store was also under a 24-hour armed guard and backed by close circuit television (CCTV).
He said the audit team was also yet to establish the exact quantum of missing narcotics, explaining that the audit was still ongoing.
The Interior Ministry, on Tuesday, ordered the arrest of the officer in charge of the Narcotics Exhibits Store at the Police Headquarters following the discovery that narcotic substances in the custody of the police had been compromised and substituted with other substances.
A statement signed by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels, explained that the deal was uncovered during a routine audit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
It said the exercise was the result of recent changes in the leadership of the CID administration.
DSP Ofori said it was after the audit team had completed its work that the substances used in substituting the narcotics would be analysed to determine what they were.
He said it was possible that the exhibits could have been substituted either on the way from the courts or within the store, explaining that if it was done within the store, the culprits would be found out.
He said it was because the Police Administration wanted to get to the bottom of the matter that it had directed all units and personnel who had something to do at the store to co-operate with the investigative team.
The Director-General of the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, said it did not matter how much was lost but that it was important that officers discharged their duties responsibly.
He said law enforcement officers must learn to live above reproach, since it was their duty to instil confidence in the public psyche.
The statement from the Interior Ministry also announced the setting up of a high-powered panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the breach of the security of the narcotics storeroom, the replacement of some of the substances and the extent of such replacement.
According to the statement, the investigative panel was required to look at any other matters incidental to the deal and recommend steps to prevent any future recurrence.
The panel has Mr Kojo Armah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Evalue-Gwira, as its Chairman, and Mr S.J. Afari, Mr Mark Ewuntomah, DCOP Kwasi Nkansah (retd) and Mr J.J. Yidani of the Ministry of the Interior as members.
Story: Albert K. Salia
Police sources have revealed that narcotic substances in the custody of the police were substituted with other substances, despite the fact that the door to the Narcotics Exhibits Store at the Police Headquarters was not damaged.
The acting Director of the Police Public Relations Unit, DSP Kwesi Ofori, who spoke to the Daily Graphic yesterday, confirmed that the exhibits store was also under a 24-hour armed guard and backed by close circuit television (CCTV).
He said the audit team was also yet to establish the exact quantum of missing narcotics, explaining that the audit was still ongoing.
The Interior Ministry, on Tuesday, ordered the arrest of the officer in charge of the Narcotics Exhibits Store at the Police Headquarters following the discovery that narcotic substances in the custody of the police had been compromised and substituted with other substances.
A statement signed by the Minister of the Interior, Mr Kwamena Bartels, explained that the deal was uncovered during a routine audit at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service.
It said the exercise was the result of recent changes in the leadership of the CID administration.
DSP Ofori said it was after the audit team had completed its work that the substances used in substituting the narcotics would be analysed to determine what they were.
He said it was possible that the exhibits could have been substituted either on the way from the courts or within the store, explaining that if it was done within the store, the culprits would be found out.
He said it was because the Police Administration wanted to get to the bottom of the matter that it had directed all units and personnel who had something to do at the store to co-operate with the investigative team.
The Director-General of the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, said it did not matter how much was lost but that it was important that officers discharged their duties responsibly.
He said law enforcement officers must learn to live above reproach, since it was their duty to instil confidence in the public psyche.
The statement from the Interior Ministry also announced the setting up of a high-powered panel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the breach of the security of the narcotics storeroom, the replacement of some of the substances and the extent of such replacement.
According to the statement, the investigative panel was required to look at any other matters incidental to the deal and recommend steps to prevent any future recurrence.
The panel has Mr Kojo Armah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Evalue-Gwira, as its Chairman, and Mr S.J. Afari, Mr Mark Ewuntomah, DCOP Kwasi Nkansah (retd) and Mr J.J. Yidani of the Ministry of the Interior as members.
CJ urges judges not to be 'little tigers'
Page 34: January 30, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Stephen Sah
THE Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, yesterday appealed to judges not to turn themselves into “little tigers” in the discharge of their duties.
“It will sadden our hearts to hear that you have turned yourselves into little tigers, indiscriminately devouring who you may, by the making of strange, unconstitutional or unjustifiable orders”, she said.
Addressing eight newly promoted circuit court Judges and 19 district magistrates in Accra, Mrs Justice Wood urged them to show genuine respect to the people they serve and not lord it over them or take them for granted.
“People in court are people in distress. Be firm with them, but treat them with civility”, she stressed.
Mrs Justice Wood reminded the judges of the admonishment of King Jehopshaphat to judges in the second book of Chronicles Chapter 16: 6 - 7, to “consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord there is no injustice or partiality or bribery”.
She said anything short of determining the matters or causes before them impartially and in accordance with the law would amount to dishonourable conduct.
She appealed to them to live above reproach and not disappoint the nation and the many people who had invested their time, energy and other resources in them.
The Chief Justice reminded them of an administrative directive to all judges and magistrates to actively promote Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in appropriate cases as that was a cost effective and healthy method of resolving disputes at the district court level in particular.
According to her, ADR was one of the pragmatic solutions to the difficulties appearing in curial dispute resolution.
“Your duty is not to pressurise, coerce or blackmail litigants or lawyers into using the process. To the contrary, you are to proactively promote ADR and use all legitimate arguments to persuade disputants and lawyers who fear that ADR leads to loss of economic and social power, prestige and influence,” she said.
Mrs Justice Wood reminded the circuit court judges that their promotions came with greater demands on their time and other resources if they were to make a positive impact on the quality of justice in their jurisdiction.
She said although in the area of law reporting, it was only the work of superior court judges that attracted the attention of the law reporters, the judgements of the late Mr Justice D. F. Annan as a circuit court judge, were of such exceptional quality that they readily found their way into the Law Reports.
“In the course of your career as circuit court judges then, the clearance evidence that you indeed deserve another elevation, to the next level of court, the high court, is for you to bring up your reportable decisions and judgements for consideration,” she stated.
The acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Gertrude Aikins, urged the judges to ensure that decisions concerning juvenile justice and maintenance orders were enforced.
She said the problem of streetism and juvenile delinquency were as a result of the flouting of court orders resulting in the non-protection and maintenance of children and mothers.
She urged them to ensure that justice was also dispensed with speedily.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Stephen Sah
THE Chief Justice, Mrs Justice Georgina T. Wood, yesterday appealed to judges not to turn themselves into “little tigers” in the discharge of their duties.
“It will sadden our hearts to hear that you have turned yourselves into little tigers, indiscriminately devouring who you may, by the making of strange, unconstitutional or unjustifiable orders”, she said.
Addressing eight newly promoted circuit court Judges and 19 district magistrates in Accra, Mrs Justice Wood urged them to show genuine respect to the people they serve and not lord it over them or take them for granted.
“People in court are people in distress. Be firm with them, but treat them with civility”, she stressed.
Mrs Justice Wood reminded the judges of the admonishment of King Jehopshaphat to judges in the second book of Chronicles Chapter 16: 6 - 7, to “consider carefully what you do, because you are not judging for man but for the Lord, who is with you whenever you give a verdict. Now let the fear of the Lord be upon you. Judge carefully, for with the Lord there is no injustice or partiality or bribery”.
She said anything short of determining the matters or causes before them impartially and in accordance with the law would amount to dishonourable conduct.
She appealed to them to live above reproach and not disappoint the nation and the many people who had invested their time, energy and other resources in them.
The Chief Justice reminded them of an administrative directive to all judges and magistrates to actively promote Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in appropriate cases as that was a cost effective and healthy method of resolving disputes at the district court level in particular.
According to her, ADR was one of the pragmatic solutions to the difficulties appearing in curial dispute resolution.
“Your duty is not to pressurise, coerce or blackmail litigants or lawyers into using the process. To the contrary, you are to proactively promote ADR and use all legitimate arguments to persuade disputants and lawyers who fear that ADR leads to loss of economic and social power, prestige and influence,” she said.
Mrs Justice Wood reminded the circuit court judges that their promotions came with greater demands on their time and other resources if they were to make a positive impact on the quality of justice in their jurisdiction.
She said although in the area of law reporting, it was only the work of superior court judges that attracted the attention of the law reporters, the judgements of the late Mr Justice D. F. Annan as a circuit court judge, were of such exceptional quality that they readily found their way into the Law Reports.
“In the course of your career as circuit court judges then, the clearance evidence that you indeed deserve another elevation, to the next level of court, the high court, is for you to bring up your reportable decisions and judgements for consideration,” she stated.
The acting Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Ms Gertrude Aikins, urged the judges to ensure that decisions concerning juvenile justice and maintenance orders were enforced.
She said the problem of streetism and juvenile delinquency were as a result of the flouting of court orders resulting in the non-protection and maintenance of children and mothers.
She urged them to ensure that justice was also dispensed with speedily.
Friday, January 25, 2008
7,094 visitors in for Ghana 2008
Page 24: January 25, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Timothy Gobah
AGAINST the post-tournament projection that one million football fans will visit Ghana for the 26th Africa Cup of Nations, immigration officials have so far recorded only 7,094 tourists in connection with the tournament.
The data was for the period January 12 to 23, 2008.
Officialdom, however, believe that as the games progress, many more fans will arrive. That, they explain, is because many people cannot afford the cost of staying throughout the three-week tournament and will, therefore, wait for the knock-out stages.
It has also been established that Ivorian fans were making return trips on match days involving their national team.
Nigerian football fans had earlier indicated that they were coming with a contingent of 500,000 but less than 1,000 of them have arrived so far.
The Controller of Immigration in charge of Operations, Mr Laud Ofori Affrifah, told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday that following the media hype and projected arrivals for the tournament, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) put in place the necessary structures and staff to facilitate the arrival of the fans.
He said 1,000 officers of the GIS were massed up for the operation, with the establishment of clearance zones at the officially designated entry points at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and the Aflao, Elubo and Paga borders.
He said a special games manifest was also designed for people coming in specifically for the games to facilitate their swift entry and also not to impede normal traffic flow at the borders.
Giving details of the number of people who came in for the games, Mr Affrifah said the KIA recorded 2,546; Elubo, 1815; Aflao, 1772; Paga, 767; Tamale, 102; Gonokrom, 80, and Half Assini, 12.
He said out of the 1,815 fans who entered the country through Elubo, 1,420 were Ivorian nationals and they returned after their match against Nigeria, along with 76 Guineans.
Mr Affrifah said 506 Malian and 259 Senegalese fans came in through Paga, with 627 Nigerians, 681 Beninois, 325 Guineans and 41 Malians coming in through the Aflao border.
He said 233 Angolan fans, 233 Nigerians, 265 Camerounians, 159 Guineans, 100 Egyptians, 118 Sudanese, 69 South Africans and 85 Moroccans came in through the KIA.
He said so far the fans had been very co-operative with GIS officials and indicated that the monitoring and surveillance team of the service had been going round the match centres and adjoining cities to ensure that everything was all right.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, said although the arrival figures might not be encouraging, the country would hit close to the anticipated arrivals at the end of the tournament when the data had been collated.
“I will suggest that we wait till the end of the tournament,” he said.
Mr Osei-Ameyaw said he was happy that there had not been many complaints about facilities for fans.
According to him, the only reported complaints were from fans who had not made advanced bookings but sought accommodation at the big hotels.
He said the Ghana Tourist Board had established information kiosks to assist people who needed help and appealed to fans to get in touch with the information officers for the requisite guidance.
Mr Osei-Ameyaw noted that the problem of accommodation would be keen when the competition got to its concluding stages as many people would arrive.
He was hopeful that when that happened it would afford the small hotels business.
Story: Albert K. Salia & Timothy Gobah
AGAINST the post-tournament projection that one million football fans will visit Ghana for the 26th Africa Cup of Nations, immigration officials have so far recorded only 7,094 tourists in connection with the tournament.
The data was for the period January 12 to 23, 2008.
Officialdom, however, believe that as the games progress, many more fans will arrive. That, they explain, is because many people cannot afford the cost of staying throughout the three-week tournament and will, therefore, wait for the knock-out stages.
It has also been established that Ivorian fans were making return trips on match days involving their national team.
Nigerian football fans had earlier indicated that they were coming with a contingent of 500,000 but less than 1,000 of them have arrived so far.
The Controller of Immigration in charge of Operations, Mr Laud Ofori Affrifah, told the Daily Graphic in an interview yesterday that following the media hype and projected arrivals for the tournament, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS) put in place the necessary structures and staff to facilitate the arrival of the fans.
He said 1,000 officers of the GIS were massed up for the operation, with the establishment of clearance zones at the officially designated entry points at the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) and the Aflao, Elubo and Paga borders.
He said a special games manifest was also designed for people coming in specifically for the games to facilitate their swift entry and also not to impede normal traffic flow at the borders.
Giving details of the number of people who came in for the games, Mr Affrifah said the KIA recorded 2,546; Elubo, 1815; Aflao, 1772; Paga, 767; Tamale, 102; Gonokrom, 80, and Half Assini, 12.
He said out of the 1,815 fans who entered the country through Elubo, 1,420 were Ivorian nationals and they returned after their match against Nigeria, along with 76 Guineans.
Mr Affrifah said 506 Malian and 259 Senegalese fans came in through Paga, with 627 Nigerians, 681 Beninois, 325 Guineans and 41 Malians coming in through the Aflao border.
He said 233 Angolan fans, 233 Nigerians, 265 Camerounians, 159 Guineans, 100 Egyptians, 118 Sudanese, 69 South Africans and 85 Moroccans came in through the KIA.
He said so far the fans had been very co-operative with GIS officials and indicated that the monitoring and surveillance team of the service had been going round the match centres and adjoining cities to ensure that everything was all right.
The Deputy Minister of Tourism and Diasporan Relations, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, said although the arrival figures might not be encouraging, the country would hit close to the anticipated arrivals at the end of the tournament when the data had been collated.
“I will suggest that we wait till the end of the tournament,” he said.
Mr Osei-Ameyaw said he was happy that there had not been many complaints about facilities for fans.
According to him, the only reported complaints were from fans who had not made advanced bookings but sought accommodation at the big hotels.
He said the Ghana Tourist Board had established information kiosks to assist people who needed help and appealed to fans to get in touch with the information officers for the requisite guidance.
Mr Osei-Ameyaw noted that the problem of accommodation would be keen when the competition got to its concluding stages as many people would arrive.
He was hopeful that when that happened it would afford the small hotels business.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Korle Bu MRI out of order
Page 47: January 24, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE case of a Ghanaian footballer, John Paintsil, who was flown out to Nigeria for medical examination, has raised concerns over the Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) machine at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital which has been out of use since May last year.
Daily Graphic enquiries about the facility has revealed that the MRI at Korle-Bu became dysfunctional after power fluctuation at the hospital resulted in the burning of some key machinery and the corrosion of the MRI.
The MRI is primarily used in medical imaging to visualise the structure and function of the body. It provides detailed images of the body in any plane. It has much greater soft tissue contrast than Computed Tomography (CT), making it especially useful in neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and oncolological diseases. Unlike CT, it uses no ionising radiation.
The Head of the Radiology Department of the hospital, Dr Alex Yeboah, told the Daily Graphic that following the power fluctuation at the hospital, he requested for a stabiliser to protect the machinery.
He explained that when the MRI was inaugurated on July 27, 2005, there was no stabiliser to regulate and protect power supply to the MRI and CT Scan Centre.
He said he, accordingly, put in a request but it was not heeded to until the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system for the CT scan machine got burnt.
Dr Yeboah said the fire from that accident engulfed the entire building, with smoke entering the central air-conditioning control room, destroying some support machines for the MRI.
Since then, he said, the MRI had been out of use, awaiting the arrival of the suppliers to repair the damaged parts.
Dr Yeboah said there was every indication that the MRI should be functioning by the end of February, adding that until then anyone who needed MRI services would have to go to Nigeria or Togo.
Meanwhile, Philips Medical Systems of The Netherlands, the company working on the re-installation of the MRI scanner, has confirmed that it should be operational by the end of February 2008.
In a correspondence dated January 11, 2008 to the chief administrator and director of administration of the hospital, the company indicated that the new MRI scanner would be released from the factory by January 18, after which the system would be transported by air to Accra.
“The delivery of an air-conditioning unit with accessories supplied by a third party company has been confirmed for February 4, after which all these parts will be forwarded to Accra by air,” it said.
That letter was in response to a reminder sent to the company by the management of the hospital to repair the MRI machine before the Ghana 2008 tournament.
“As you are well aware, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Ghana 2008 soccer tournament, the Minister of Health and the Presidency are all interested in the project and keenly expect the MRI to be operational by the agreed date — January 20, 2008,” it said.
However, Philips Medical Systems, in response to the letter, explained that as the air-conditioning parts had to be installed before the installation of the MRI scanner, its activities could only start shortly after the receipt of those parts, stressing that “based on this, I would expect that your system will be up and running at the end of February”.
The letter, which was also copied to the Chief of Staff, the Minister of Health, among other persons, said although everything had been done to speed up the delivery, the dates given to it by the management of the hospital could not be met for the Ghana 2008 tournament.
The Black Stars wing back was flown to Nigeria on Tuesday night for an MRI examination after Ghana’s 2-1 victory over Guinea in the opening match of the Ghana 2008 football tournament in Accra.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE case of a Ghanaian footballer, John Paintsil, who was flown out to Nigeria for medical examination, has raised concerns over the Magnetic Resource Imaging (MRI) machine at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital which has been out of use since May last year.
Daily Graphic enquiries about the facility has revealed that the MRI at Korle-Bu became dysfunctional after power fluctuation at the hospital resulted in the burning of some key machinery and the corrosion of the MRI.
The MRI is primarily used in medical imaging to visualise the structure and function of the body. It provides detailed images of the body in any plane. It has much greater soft tissue contrast than Computed Tomography (CT), making it especially useful in neurological, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular and oncolological diseases. Unlike CT, it uses no ionising radiation.
The Head of the Radiology Department of the hospital, Dr Alex Yeboah, told the Daily Graphic that following the power fluctuation at the hospital, he requested for a stabiliser to protect the machinery.
He explained that when the MRI was inaugurated on July 27, 2005, there was no stabiliser to regulate and protect power supply to the MRI and CT Scan Centre.
He said he, accordingly, put in a request but it was not heeded to until the uninterrupted power supply (UPS) system for the CT scan machine got burnt.
Dr Yeboah said the fire from that accident engulfed the entire building, with smoke entering the central air-conditioning control room, destroying some support machines for the MRI.
Since then, he said, the MRI had been out of use, awaiting the arrival of the suppliers to repair the damaged parts.
Dr Yeboah said there was every indication that the MRI should be functioning by the end of February, adding that until then anyone who needed MRI services would have to go to Nigeria or Togo.
Meanwhile, Philips Medical Systems of The Netherlands, the company working on the re-installation of the MRI scanner, has confirmed that it should be operational by the end of February 2008.
In a correspondence dated January 11, 2008 to the chief administrator and director of administration of the hospital, the company indicated that the new MRI scanner would be released from the factory by January 18, after which the system would be transported by air to Accra.
“The delivery of an air-conditioning unit with accessories supplied by a third party company has been confirmed for February 4, after which all these parts will be forwarded to Accra by air,” it said.
That letter was in response to a reminder sent to the company by the management of the hospital to repair the MRI machine before the Ghana 2008 tournament.
“As you are well aware, the Local Organising Committee (LOC) of the Ghana 2008 soccer tournament, the Minister of Health and the Presidency are all interested in the project and keenly expect the MRI to be operational by the agreed date — January 20, 2008,” it said.
However, Philips Medical Systems, in response to the letter, explained that as the air-conditioning parts had to be installed before the installation of the MRI scanner, its activities could only start shortly after the receipt of those parts, stressing that “based on this, I would expect that your system will be up and running at the end of February”.
The letter, which was also copied to the Chief of Staff, the Minister of Health, among other persons, said although everything had been done to speed up the delivery, the dates given to it by the management of the hospital could not be met for the Ghana 2008 tournament.
The Black Stars wing back was flown to Nigeria on Tuesday night for an MRI examination after Ghana’s 2-1 victory over Guinea in the opening match of the Ghana 2008 football tournament in Accra.
Back to Life- GH¢500,000 gynae theatre now operational
Front Page: January 23, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE GH¢500,000 theatre at the gynaecology unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital became operational last Monday when the first cases of surgery involving two patients were conducted there.
It brought to an end two-and-a-half years of complaints by hospital staff that the facility could not be used because of the absence of critically needed equipment to activate the theatre.
The theatre was inaugurated on July 27, 2005 by President Kufuor but the staff complained that it could not be used because some basic theatre equipment and other facilities were not provided as part of the rehabilitation exercise.
But on Monday, the two patients were operated upon at the theatre while four cases were booked for yesterday. As of 11:40am when the Daily Graphic was leaving the hospital, surgeons were on the second of the four cases.
In July, last year, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Lepowura M.N.D. Jawula, visited the hospital and pledged the commitment of the Ministry to provide funds for the purchase and supply of equipment to enable them to use the theatre by September, last year.
The theatre has three operating rooms and restrooms for doctors, nurses and others.
The acting Chief Executive of the hospital, Dr Ben Annan, told the Daily Graphic that procurement procedures delayed the use of the theatre, although the ministry provided an additional GH¢500,000 for the purpose of securing the required equipment.
He said with the use of the Gynaecology Theatre, the Child Health Theatre would be freed for use by only the staff of that department .
He said the Gynaecology Theatre, which had not seen any rehabilitation after it was built in 1923 until funds were released in 2004 for its rehabilitation, was bigger and had better facilities.
Dr Annan expressed his appreciation to President Kufuor and the ministry for the release of funds for the rehabilitation and purchase of equipment.
He explained that with the theatre in use now, the waiting time for patients would reduce.
He said the focus of the management now would be on the Obstetrics theatre, which, he hoped, would be completed within a couple of weeks.
According to Dr Annan, when that was completed, it would go a long way to reduce both maternal and infant morbidity.
He said the rehabilitated theatre was also closer to the Gynae Ward and would, therefore, halt the incidence of wheeling patients from one end of the hospital to another.
The Principal Nursing Officer of the Gynaecology Theatre, Madam Felicia Larbie, said although all the facilities had not been provided at the new theatre, it was much better than the theatre at the Child Health unit.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE GH¢500,000 theatre at the gynaecology unit of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital became operational last Monday when the first cases of surgery involving two patients were conducted there.
It brought to an end two-and-a-half years of complaints by hospital staff that the facility could not be used because of the absence of critically needed equipment to activate the theatre.
The theatre was inaugurated on July 27, 2005 by President Kufuor but the staff complained that it could not be used because some basic theatre equipment and other facilities were not provided as part of the rehabilitation exercise.
But on Monday, the two patients were operated upon at the theatre while four cases were booked for yesterday. As of 11:40am when the Daily Graphic was leaving the hospital, surgeons were on the second of the four cases.
In July, last year, the Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Lepowura M.N.D. Jawula, visited the hospital and pledged the commitment of the Ministry to provide funds for the purchase and supply of equipment to enable them to use the theatre by September, last year.
The theatre has three operating rooms and restrooms for doctors, nurses and others.
The acting Chief Executive of the hospital, Dr Ben Annan, told the Daily Graphic that procurement procedures delayed the use of the theatre, although the ministry provided an additional GH¢500,000 for the purpose of securing the required equipment.
He said with the use of the Gynaecology Theatre, the Child Health Theatre would be freed for use by only the staff of that department .
He said the Gynaecology Theatre, which had not seen any rehabilitation after it was built in 1923 until funds were released in 2004 for its rehabilitation, was bigger and had better facilities.
Dr Annan expressed his appreciation to President Kufuor and the ministry for the release of funds for the rehabilitation and purchase of equipment.
He explained that with the theatre in use now, the waiting time for patients would reduce.
He said the focus of the management now would be on the Obstetrics theatre, which, he hoped, would be completed within a couple of weeks.
According to Dr Annan, when that was completed, it would go a long way to reduce both maternal and infant morbidity.
He said the rehabilitated theatre was also closer to the Gynae Ward and would, therefore, halt the incidence of wheeling patients from one end of the hospital to another.
The Principal Nursing Officer of the Gynaecology Theatre, Madam Felicia Larbie, said although all the facilities had not been provided at the new theatre, it was much better than the theatre at the Child Health unit.
Nicholls pays farewell call
Page 31: January 22, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE outgoing Political, Press and Public Affairs Secretary of the British High Commission in Accra, Mr Gary Nicholls, says Ghana has come far in its democratic development.
He said Ghanaians should, therefore, be proud of the country considering where it came from and where it was now.
Mr Nicholls stated this when he paid a farewell call on the Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ibrahim Awal, in Accra yesterday.
He said his stay in the country had been an enlightening experience considering the fact that it was his first work experience in Africa.
Mr Nicholls expressed his appreciation to the management of GCGL for the support the company’s newspapers, particularly its flagship, Daily Graphic, rendered to the High Commission.
He described the Daily Graphic as always being fair, balanced and transparent in its reportage.
He expressed the hope that his successor would come to build on the relationship and extend it for the mutual benefit of both organisations.
Mr Nicholls said he looked forward to an exchange programme between journalists of the GCGL and their British counterparts.
He explained that such an exchange programme would also enable the British journalists to learn more not only about Ghana but West Africa as a whole to enhance their reporting on the sub-region.
He said during his four-and-half-year stay in the country, the High Commission collaborated with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to organise a series of training programmes to improve the capacity of Ghanaian journalists.
Mr Awal expressed the appreciation of the management of the GCGL to the British High Commission for the support it granted the company in relation to visas and scholarships.
He expressed the hope that Mr Nicholls successor would continue to collaborate with the company to move the relationship higher.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE outgoing Political, Press and Public Affairs Secretary of the British High Commission in Accra, Mr Gary Nicholls, says Ghana has come far in its democratic development.
He said Ghanaians should, therefore, be proud of the country considering where it came from and where it was now.
Mr Nicholls stated this when he paid a farewell call on the Managing Director of the Graphic Communications Group Limited (GCGL), Mr Ibrahim Awal, in Accra yesterday.
He said his stay in the country had been an enlightening experience considering the fact that it was his first work experience in Africa.
Mr Nicholls expressed his appreciation to the management of GCGL for the support the company’s newspapers, particularly its flagship, Daily Graphic, rendered to the High Commission.
He described the Daily Graphic as always being fair, balanced and transparent in its reportage.
He expressed the hope that his successor would come to build on the relationship and extend it for the mutual benefit of both organisations.
Mr Nicholls said he looked forward to an exchange programme between journalists of the GCGL and their British counterparts.
He explained that such an exchange programme would also enable the British journalists to learn more not only about Ghana but West Africa as a whole to enhance their reporting on the sub-region.
He said during his four-and-half-year stay in the country, the High Commission collaborated with the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) to organise a series of training programmes to improve the capacity of Ghanaian journalists.
Mr Awal expressed the appreciation of the management of the GCGL to the British High Commission for the support it granted the company in relation to visas and scholarships.
He expressed the hope that Mr Nicholls successor would continue to collaborate with the company to move the relationship higher.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Gov't facilitated Poku's exit - intelligence officer
Story: Albert K. Salia
A former intelligence officer says it is doubtful that Mr Francis Poku left the shores of Ghana unnoticed.
The officer, who once served in this government, said he was convinced that Mr Poku's departure was an "enabled sneak" as it is known in security parlance.
The officer, who wants to remain anonymous, said if it were the case that there was no official facilitation of the former security chief's departure, then "there is something seriously wrong with our security setup at the moment".
He said following the intervention of several prominent personalities including the Asantehene, "I believe his departure under those circumstances was a compromise".
According to him, although Mr Poku was very smart, "he would not open himself to anyone for abuse. He did not sneak out on his own".
He wondered why Mr Poku would sneak out under such circumstances unless he was a fugitive or feared for his life.
Assigning reasons for his contention that there was official facilitation, the officer explained that although the official surveillance team had been withdrawn, there could have been a discreet counter surveillance team without the knowledge of the early team, as is the practice.
Moreover, he said, although Mr Poku was not under any form of restrictions, officials of any entry or exit points would have sought clearance from the headquarters before allowing Mr Poku out of the country.
The officer explained that in such official facilitated exits, a route was normally mapped out for the person leaving the country and would be met at the "other end by an official of the Ghana Mission" to facilitate his/her exit from that country to the destination point.
As to why Mr Poku would want to leave the country, the officer said Mr Poku had indicated to a number of people that he would want to "cool off" in London after things had calmed down in Ghana.
He said Mr Poku's saga would not die now until several questions had been answered.
He said the media should question how he left the shores of Ghana and why he sneaked out, since answers to such questions would re-assure the populace that all was well with the country's security system.
A former intelligence officer says it is doubtful that Mr Francis Poku left the shores of Ghana unnoticed.
The officer, who once served in this government, said he was convinced that Mr Poku's departure was an "enabled sneak" as it is known in security parlance.
The officer, who wants to remain anonymous, said if it were the case that there was no official facilitation of the former security chief's departure, then "there is something seriously wrong with our security setup at the moment".
He said following the intervention of several prominent personalities including the Asantehene, "I believe his departure under those circumstances was a compromise".
According to him, although Mr Poku was very smart, "he would not open himself to anyone for abuse. He did not sneak out on his own".
He wondered why Mr Poku would sneak out under such circumstances unless he was a fugitive or feared for his life.
Assigning reasons for his contention that there was official facilitation, the officer explained that although the official surveillance team had been withdrawn, there could have been a discreet counter surveillance team without the knowledge of the early team, as is the practice.
Moreover, he said, although Mr Poku was not under any form of restrictions, officials of any entry or exit points would have sought clearance from the headquarters before allowing Mr Poku out of the country.
The officer explained that in such official facilitated exits, a route was normally mapped out for the person leaving the country and would be met at the "other end by an official of the Ghana Mission" to facilitate his/her exit from that country to the destination point.
As to why Mr Poku would want to leave the country, the officer said Mr Poku had indicated to a number of people that he would want to "cool off" in London after things had calmed down in Ghana.
He said Mr Poku's saga would not die now until several questions had been answered.
He said the media should question how he left the shores of Ghana and why he sneaked out, since answers to such questions would re-assure the populace that all was well with the country's security system.
Francis Poku in London
Page 3: January 21, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
Former National Security Minister, Mr Francis Poku, is said to have left the country last Friday and believed to be “cooling off” in London.
Security sources in Accra confirmed Mr Poku’s exit to the Daily Graphic yesterday but added that they had no clue how he left or which route he used.
“I can confirm to you that Mr Poku is not in his house but there are no traces of him having left through the Kotoka International Airport or any of the official land entry and exit points at Aflao, Elubo or Paga,” A highly placed security source told the Daily Graphic.
It indicated that Mr Poku might have used an unapproved route into a neighbouring country from where he flew to London.
The source, however, expressed surprise at the development because “Mr Poku’s life was not under any threat from anybody or organisation”.
On the possible reasons, it said Mr Poku might have felt uncomfortable with the number of calls he was receiving, as well as the number of visitors who trooped to his residence after his sudden dismissal and the encounter with the armed policemen in his residence last Wednesday.
It disclosed that following Mr Poku’s removal from office, a surveillance team from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) was placed on him but the team was withdrawn last Wednesday after they were ordered to do so by the appropriate authority.
One of the intelligence sources explained that Mr Poku could have travelled through the airport or any exit point without fear because he (Mr Poku) was not under any form of travel restriction.
They, however, confirmed that members of Mr Poku’s household were still in the country.
Mr Poku joined Ghana’s security services in the 1970s with the then Special Branch (now BNI).
He rose through the ranks to become the Accra Regional Commander of the Special Branch before joining the Fraud Squad of the Ghana Police Service.
He was later transferred to Wa as the Divisional Commander of Police at a time the Upper West Region had not been created.
Mr Poku left for London on exile in early 1982 after the December 31, 1981 coup d’etat.
He returned to Ghana in 2001 to assume the post of National Security Co-ordinator under the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of President J. A. Kufuor. He was elevated to the position of Minister of National Security in 2005.
Mr Poku was dismissed as National Security Minister on Saturday, January 12, 2008. Last Wednesday, armed policemen besieged his residence and prevented him and members of his household from going out or receiving visitors.
It took the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah, for the personnel of the Critical Incidence Response Team, drawn from the Ghana Police Service, to withdraw from Mr Poku’s residence.
The Information and National Orientation Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, later issued a statement from the Office of the President to deny that Mr Poku was under house arrest.
She described what took place at Mr Poku’s residence as “routine and in conformity with worldwide practice” and said it was part of “a process of debriefing and completing a handover procedure”.
Story: Albert K. Salia
Former National Security Minister, Mr Francis Poku, is said to have left the country last Friday and believed to be “cooling off” in London.
Security sources in Accra confirmed Mr Poku’s exit to the Daily Graphic yesterday but added that they had no clue how he left or which route he used.
“I can confirm to you that Mr Poku is not in his house but there are no traces of him having left through the Kotoka International Airport or any of the official land entry and exit points at Aflao, Elubo or Paga,” A highly placed security source told the Daily Graphic.
It indicated that Mr Poku might have used an unapproved route into a neighbouring country from where he flew to London.
The source, however, expressed surprise at the development because “Mr Poku’s life was not under any threat from anybody or organisation”.
On the possible reasons, it said Mr Poku might have felt uncomfortable with the number of calls he was receiving, as well as the number of visitors who trooped to his residence after his sudden dismissal and the encounter with the armed policemen in his residence last Wednesday.
It disclosed that following Mr Poku’s removal from office, a surveillance team from the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) was placed on him but the team was withdrawn last Wednesday after they were ordered to do so by the appropriate authority.
One of the intelligence sources explained that Mr Poku could have travelled through the airport or any exit point without fear because he (Mr Poku) was not under any form of travel restriction.
They, however, confirmed that members of Mr Poku’s household were still in the country.
Mr Poku joined Ghana’s security services in the 1970s with the then Special Branch (now BNI).
He rose through the ranks to become the Accra Regional Commander of the Special Branch before joining the Fraud Squad of the Ghana Police Service.
He was later transferred to Wa as the Divisional Commander of Police at a time the Upper West Region had not been created.
Mr Poku left for London on exile in early 1982 after the December 31, 1981 coup d’etat.
He returned to Ghana in 2001 to assume the post of National Security Co-ordinator under the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) of President J. A. Kufuor. He was elevated to the position of Minister of National Security in 2005.
Mr Poku was dismissed as National Security Minister on Saturday, January 12, 2008. Last Wednesday, armed policemen besieged his residence and prevented him and members of his household from going out or receiving visitors.
It took the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah, for the personnel of the Critical Incidence Response Team, drawn from the Ghana Police Service, to withdraw from Mr Poku’s residence.
The Information and National Orientation Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, later issued a statement from the Office of the President to deny that Mr Poku was under house arrest.
She described what took place at Mr Poku’s residence as “routine and in conformity with worldwide practice” and said it was part of “a process of debriefing and completing a handover procedure”.
Government accused of bad faith
Story: Albert Salia, Caroline Boateng & Charles Benoni Okine
Last Wednesday’s action by armed policemen at the residence of the former National Security Minister, Mr Francis Poku, has led to a barrage of criticisms from sections of the public.
Although a number of people who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they agreed that it was the preserve of the President to hire and fire anyone he appointed, the manner of Mr Poku’s dismissal and the way armed security men stormed his residence in what had been described by government officials as a normal debriefing exercise smacked of vindictiveness with the intent to malign and humiliate Mr Poku.
They said the exercise only succeeded in making Mr Poku a national hero.
The Head of Research of the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre, Dr Kwesi Ening, said although Mr Poku’s dismissal was not grave, the manner and procedures involved were not the best.
He said there was already machinery and institutions in place to keep state security running, for which reason there was no cause for alarm.
He said Mr Poku was able to network with both national and international institutions for intelligence exchange, which was a great contribution to the security system.
Dr Ening said the explanation given by the Information and National Orientation Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, after Mr Poku’s removal, showed some dictatorial tendencies embedded with those wielding democratic power.
“It was a terrible mistake for the government to try to prevent discussion on the issue, with the excuse that it was a national security matter,” he said.
He described Wednesday’s events as a struggle between the hard-liners and the cool heads in the security apparatus.
Dr Ening said the procedure the security men used to storm Mr Poku’s house for the debriefing exercise was a mistake on the part of the government.
He, however, urged Ghanaians not to worry, as the events unfolding were only a power struggle among political bureaucrats.
The Africa Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, described the incident as unfortunate.
She said the action had certain implications on the credibility of the police.
“As enforcers of the law, the Ghana Police Service must be seen as the trusted embodiment of the law acting rigorously to defend the rule of law. Such routine disobedience of procedural law by the police, as was occasioned by the unlawful arrest of Mr Poku and his household, constituted an abuse of their powers of arrest,” she stated.
Nana Lithur condemned the officer who ordered Mr Poku’s arrest, saying that it was a blot on Ghana’s democratic tradition that such an incident could take place in this modern day.
“If someone as important as Mr Poku cannot be assured of his human rights being protected, what guarantee of protection is available to the vulnerable members of the community, especially the poor and the powerless?” she asked.
She called on President J.A. Kufuor to cause an investigation into the incident.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel O. Akwetey, called on the government to take drastic measures to correct all the security breaches in the country to restore the confidence of the people and the international community as a whole.
He said judging from the fall-out from the cocaine saga, the accident involving the President and the way in which the former National Security Minister was handled, there were clear indications of some serious breaches which should not be allowed to recur.
He said much as the intention to undertake such an exercise might have been without any ill feeling, the strategy had raised a lot of concerns among the people and international community.
“I heard this in the international media and the way it was presented paints a negative picture about the stability of the nation,” he said.
Dr Akwetey said the situation on the ground did not create any sign of insecurity in the country and, therefore, there was the need for the government to come clean to clear the air about the developments.
“We should not allow anybody in the country to panic and the minds of the international community must be put at rest,” he added.
Dr Akwetey said Ghana had a history of coups d’etat and so any move that had a semblance of such could create problems for the image of the country.
A former head of government and spokesperson of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Osahene Boakye Djan, who also went to Mr Poku’s house on Wednesday, said the government’s explanation was untenable.
Osahene Djan said a debriefing exercise took place when soldiers reported back to their superiors after a mission.
“The term debriefing used by the government to explain the presence of the police is misleading. The normal practice, regardless of how he left office, is a handing over or taking over exercise and that should be done at the office, not in his house,” he told the Daily Graphic.
He said the turn of events was a public humiliation for the one-time security chief.
He explained that even if there was need for a debriefing, it did not have to be done by junior officers of the security detail but seniors.
“He was the highest in the security apparatus and if anyone had to debrief him, then it had to be the President himself,” he said.
Osahene Djan said the dearth of information on why Mr Poku was relieved of his duties, coupled with Wednesday’s happenings, had created the impression that all was not well with the country’s security.
He added that rumours making the rounds that Mr Poku had an altercation with the President was hard to believe because he (Mr Poku) had built his career around consensus building and not confrontation.
He said the government’s procedure in relieving him of his post and storming his house left much to be desired and created unease among Ghanaians.
“The President has nothing to prove to anyone and Mr Poku could have been impressed upon to resign or be redeployed elsewhere,” he added.
Osahene Djan said President Kufuor had to immediately control whatever damage Mr Poku’s exit might have caused by being careful of his advisors, since the backlash of any advice taken and acted on would be on the President.
He called on the Council of State, civil society organisations and the media to prevail upon the government for the right thing to be done.
“This is not about Mr Poku; it is about security for all of us,” he said.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Raymond Atuguba, described the operation as an illegal one.
He said to restrict the movement of someone without telling him or her the reasons for the action was against the liberties of that person.
He said Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, Act 30, outlined the procedures under which someone’s movement could be circumscribed.
“They have violated every provision of the law. Once you place restrictions on his movement, then you have put him under arrest,” he said.
Last Wednesday’s action by armed policemen at the residence of the former National Security Minister, Mr Francis Poku, has led to a barrage of criticisms from sections of the public.
Although a number of people who spoke to the Daily Graphic said they agreed that it was the preserve of the President to hire and fire anyone he appointed, the manner of Mr Poku’s dismissal and the way armed security men stormed his residence in what had been described by government officials as a normal debriefing exercise smacked of vindictiveness with the intent to malign and humiliate Mr Poku.
They said the exercise only succeeded in making Mr Poku a national hero.
The Head of Research of the Kofi Annan Peacekeeping Centre, Dr Kwesi Ening, said although Mr Poku’s dismissal was not grave, the manner and procedures involved were not the best.
He said there was already machinery and institutions in place to keep state security running, for which reason there was no cause for alarm.
He said Mr Poku was able to network with both national and international institutions for intelligence exchange, which was a great contribution to the security system.
Dr Ening said the explanation given by the Information and National Orientation Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, after Mr Poku’s removal, showed some dictatorial tendencies embedded with those wielding democratic power.
“It was a terrible mistake for the government to try to prevent discussion on the issue, with the excuse that it was a national security matter,” he said.
He described Wednesday’s events as a struggle between the hard-liners and the cool heads in the security apparatus.
Dr Ening said the procedure the security men used to storm Mr Poku’s house for the debriefing exercise was a mistake on the part of the government.
He, however, urged Ghanaians not to worry, as the events unfolding were only a power struggle among political bureaucrats.
The Africa Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, described the incident as unfortunate.
She said the action had certain implications on the credibility of the police.
“As enforcers of the law, the Ghana Police Service must be seen as the trusted embodiment of the law acting rigorously to defend the rule of law. Such routine disobedience of procedural law by the police, as was occasioned by the unlawful arrest of Mr Poku and his household, constituted an abuse of their powers of arrest,” she stated.
Nana Lithur condemned the officer who ordered Mr Poku’s arrest, saying that it was a blot on Ghana’s democratic tradition that such an incident could take place in this modern day.
“If someone as important as Mr Poku cannot be assured of his human rights being protected, what guarantee of protection is available to the vulnerable members of the community, especially the poor and the powerless?” she asked.
She called on President J.A. Kufuor to cause an investigation into the incident.
The Executive Director of the Institute for Democratic Governance (IDEG), Dr Emmanuel O. Akwetey, called on the government to take drastic measures to correct all the security breaches in the country to restore the confidence of the people and the international community as a whole.
He said judging from the fall-out from the cocaine saga, the accident involving the President and the way in which the former National Security Minister was handled, there were clear indications of some serious breaches which should not be allowed to recur.
He said much as the intention to undertake such an exercise might have been without any ill feeling, the strategy had raised a lot of concerns among the people and international community.
“I heard this in the international media and the way it was presented paints a negative picture about the stability of the nation,” he said.
Dr Akwetey said the situation on the ground did not create any sign of insecurity in the country and, therefore, there was the need for the government to come clean to clear the air about the developments.
“We should not allow anybody in the country to panic and the minds of the international community must be put at rest,” he added.
Dr Akwetey said Ghana had a history of coups d’etat and so any move that had a semblance of such could create problems for the image of the country.
A former head of government and spokesperson of the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC), Osahene Boakye Djan, who also went to Mr Poku’s house on Wednesday, said the government’s explanation was untenable.
Osahene Djan said a debriefing exercise took place when soldiers reported back to their superiors after a mission.
“The term debriefing used by the government to explain the presence of the police is misleading. The normal practice, regardless of how he left office, is a handing over or taking over exercise and that should be done at the office, not in his house,” he told the Daily Graphic.
He said the turn of events was a public humiliation for the one-time security chief.
He explained that even if there was need for a debriefing, it did not have to be done by junior officers of the security detail but seniors.
“He was the highest in the security apparatus and if anyone had to debrief him, then it had to be the President himself,” he said.
Osahene Djan said the dearth of information on why Mr Poku was relieved of his duties, coupled with Wednesday’s happenings, had created the impression that all was not well with the country’s security.
He added that rumours making the rounds that Mr Poku had an altercation with the President was hard to believe because he (Mr Poku) had built his career around consensus building and not confrontation.
He said the government’s procedure in relieving him of his post and storming his house left much to be desired and created unease among Ghanaians.
“The President has nothing to prove to anyone and Mr Poku could have been impressed upon to resign or be redeployed elsewhere,” he added.
Osahene Djan said President Kufuor had to immediately control whatever damage Mr Poku’s exit might have caused by being careful of his advisors, since the backlash of any advice taken and acted on would be on the President.
He called on the Council of State, civil society organisations and the media to prevail upon the government for the right thing to be done.
“This is not about Mr Poku; it is about security for all of us,” he said.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Raymond Atuguba, described the operation as an illegal one.
He said to restrict the movement of someone without telling him or her the reasons for the action was against the liberties of that person.
He said Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, Act 30, outlined the procedures under which someone’s movement could be circumscribed.
“They have violated every provision of the law. Once you place restrictions on his movement, then you have put him under arrest,” he said.
There's no security vacuum - Oboshie
Page 24: January 15, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Information and National Orientation Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, has given the assurance that the exit of Mr Francis Poku as Minister for National Security will not create any security vacuum.
She said the country’s security was in safe hands and, therefore, there was no cause for alarm.
The President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, last Saturday relieved Mr Poku of his post as Minister for National Security in a statement signed by his Secretary, Ambassador D.K. Osei.
Responding to concerns on the implications of the sudden removal of the Security Minister, Mrs Sai Cofie said measures were in place to ensure the smooth running of the state security, including the Ghana 2008 tournament and the general election.
She reminded Ghanaians that until the appointment of Mr Poku as Minister for National Security in 2006, there was no minister responsible for security.
She said it was Mr Poku who supervised national security as the National Security Co-ordinator from 2001 until his appointment as the substantive Minister.
Mrs Sai Cofie said there was a substantive National Security Co-ordinator in place, in the person of Dr Sam Amoo, adding that Dr Amoo was an experienced person who was doing his job well.
She said Mr Poku’s exit would also not affect any of the peace processes in conflict areas of the country, since state machinery was fully in charge.
Mrs Sai Cofie explained that if it became necessary for reasons to be given for Mr Poku’s removal, the President would do so.
“We cannot force the President to give the substantive reasons for his action. The President is strict and demands high standards from his officers,” she added.
She said no one could put his or her finger on the reasons for the President’s action and urged Ghanaians to leave it at that.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Information and National Orientation Minister, Mrs Oboshie Sai Cofie, has given the assurance that the exit of Mr Francis Poku as Minister for National Security will not create any security vacuum.
She said the country’s security was in safe hands and, therefore, there was no cause for alarm.
The President, Mr J.A. Kufuor, last Saturday relieved Mr Poku of his post as Minister for National Security in a statement signed by his Secretary, Ambassador D.K. Osei.
Responding to concerns on the implications of the sudden removal of the Security Minister, Mrs Sai Cofie said measures were in place to ensure the smooth running of the state security, including the Ghana 2008 tournament and the general election.
She reminded Ghanaians that until the appointment of Mr Poku as Minister for National Security in 2006, there was no minister responsible for security.
She said it was Mr Poku who supervised national security as the National Security Co-ordinator from 2001 until his appointment as the substantive Minister.
Mrs Sai Cofie said there was a substantive National Security Co-ordinator in place, in the person of Dr Sam Amoo, adding that Dr Amoo was an experienced person who was doing his job well.
She said Mr Poku’s exit would also not affect any of the peace processes in conflict areas of the country, since state machinery was fully in charge.
Mrs Sai Cofie explained that if it became necessary for reasons to be given for Mr Poku’s removal, the President would do so.
“We cannot force the President to give the substantive reasons for his action. The President is strict and demands high standards from his officers,” she added.
She said no one could put his or her finger on the reasons for the President’s action and urged Ghanaians to leave it at that.
No Security Worries
Page 29: January 18, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
UNDOUBTEDLY, global attention is currently on Ghana. Not for bad reasons, but for good reasons. The land of gold, the abode of peace, the home of hospitality, the gateway to Africa and the country championing African excellence, is hosting 15 other countries in a biennial soccer fiesta. The Ghana 2008 event, is not just bringing in the 15 teams and their supporters, but is also drawing dignitaries, tourists and lovers of football across the world to Ghana to the January 20 to February 10, 2008 event.
Even without such events, criminal activities have often threaten the siren atmosphere of the country. And with large numbers of people coming in, some with varied aims, it is important that the security agencies rise up to the task to sustain the recent soaring image of Ghana and live up to the standards of world governing body, FIFA standards.
It is in that vein that the security agencies, led by the Ghana Police Service, have masterminded a new operational strategy to ensure a peaceful and enjoyable Ghana 2008. The Ghana Police Service has re-structured its operational strategy from the routine law enforcement and keeping the peace to a proactive paradigm that calls for an increased police visibility and accessibility through day and night patrols with the view to preventing crime.
The strategy, known as the multi-agency approach, has been adopted as the security management style of the tournament. The ultimate objective of the strategy is to stem the tide in all violent crimes, especially armed robbery, reduce the fear of crime and to make all commuters safe. The strategy calls for the active involvement and proper co-ordination of all stakeholders under the security sector, both core and partners.
To operationalise the multi-agency approach, the security agencies have already collected, collated, analysed and disseminated intelligence among themselves and continue to do same as and when the intelligence was available.
Fortunately, the managers of Ghana 2008 security, have involved security officers of participating countries, stadium management staff, the National Ambulance Service, stewards and volunteers, ball boys and private security companies.
Under the strategy, the security agencies will be providing security for VVIPs and VIPS, provide security for the arrival and departure of match officials, teams, supporters, tourists and visitors coming from outside the country at all entry points and provide security escorts and outriders for match officials and players to their hotels.
Security is also to be provided at hotels, training pitches, the four stadia, venues of social activities and the site of the giant screen, ensure general security for spectators during and after matches, traffic management, day and night patrols, both foot and mobile at the four match centres to ensure general safety. Highway patrols both day and night on major routes to the four match centres would also be undertaken to make the highways safe while contingency plans have been made to provide security services throughout the country to ensure a successful tournament.
For those who fear that criminals and other unscrupulous persons from other countries may have easy access to the country to perpetuate crime, the good news is that the International Police Organisation (Interpol) is sending an Interpol Major Event Support Team (IMEST) to support their Ghanaian counterparts before, during and after the tournament. The IMEST will be base at all the entry and exit points of the country with state of the art technology to help track down any criminal as well as traffickers of both human and other illicit commodities such as drugs and weapons. Another group of the IMEST team would also operate from the Security Command Room located at the Ohene Djan Stadium. Another group of the IMEST team would join their counterparts from the Ghana Immigration Service and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to patrol all the entry points where they would be in close communication with the IMEST Control Rooms at the various stadia.
As part of the security management for the tournament, personnel of the various agencies, namely the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), have undergone a lot of training both local and abroad, to ensure a successful management and deployment plan of the security management strategy for Ghana 2008.
The personnel have been detailed to provide security for VVIPs and VIPs, provide security for the arrival and departure of match officials, teams, supporters, tourists and visitors coming from outside the country at all entry points as well as provide security escorts and outriders for match officials and players to and from their hotels.
They are also to provide security at hotels, training pitches, the four stadia, venues of social activities, the site of the giant screen, ensure general security for spectators during and after matches, day and night patrols, both foot and mobile at the four match centres to ensure general safety.
The security personnel are also to embark on highway patrols both day and night on major routes leading to the four match centres to make the highways safe.
To this end, the security agencies have established a command structure at three levels to facilitate communication.
A Gold Control Room will be established at the Police Headquarters with the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Timbillah as the Gold Commander.
The respective Regional Police Commanders for Accra, Ashanti, Western and Northern Regions, have been designated Silver Commanders while the various divisional and district commanders under them would serve as Bronze Commands. The Bronze Commanders will be supporting the silver commanders in discharging the various security responsibilities.
Among such responsibilities include conducting searches on all spectators to the stadia to track down unauthorised materials and prohibited objects such as fire crackers, fire arms, knives, narcotic drugs and alcoholic beverages.
The personnel would also be checking “ambush marketing” by non-accredited sponsors by any group of spectators especially supporter unions both local and foreign.
The security agencies through their combined efforts, would also provide adequate security at all vantage points and at all the sites of large screen for the live show of the matches and co-ordinate with other stakeholders before, during and after the matches.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr P. K. Acheampong admitted in an interview that the Ghana 2008 tournament would create more security challenges to the police.
He, however, assured the nation that with the comprehensive security management planning in place, supported by series of training both local and abroad, the police will measure up adequately to the task and hence ensure a successful tournament.
Mr Acheampong reminded the populace that security, peace and safety issues and concerns were no more the preserve of police organisations the world over.
He said policing or security issues were now a shared responsibility between the security services and the community.
“Against this background therefore, the Police Administration wishes to appeal to all and sundry to see themselves as active stakeholders in providing security for themselves as well as the communities within which they live,” he said.
The Director-General of Operations, Mr Timbillah, appealed to all visiting teams, officials and supporters and tourists to endeavour to respect the laws of the country and not to hesitate to contact the police for any assistance or to provide any useful information which would promote peace and a successful tournament.
He said the Sekondi venue was expected to pose the biggest security challenge relative to other match centres.
That, he explained, was because the venue would be hosting next-door neighbours, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
Mr Timbillah said as a result, the Central Region had been drafted to support the security operations of Western Region while the Upper East and West Regions would support the Northern Regional Command.
He said the other regions have been drafted to support the operations of the nearest venue region in their security operations.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would continue to display the legendary Ghanaian hospitality, generosity, care and love for the visitors and to cheer the national team up with a high level of decorum and respect the rule of law.
Mr Timbillah urged supporters to submit themselves to searches and desist from smuggling into the various stadia any unauthorised materials.
Story: Albert K. Salia
UNDOUBTEDLY, global attention is currently on Ghana. Not for bad reasons, but for good reasons. The land of gold, the abode of peace, the home of hospitality, the gateway to Africa and the country championing African excellence, is hosting 15 other countries in a biennial soccer fiesta. The Ghana 2008 event, is not just bringing in the 15 teams and their supporters, but is also drawing dignitaries, tourists and lovers of football across the world to Ghana to the January 20 to February 10, 2008 event.
Even without such events, criminal activities have often threaten the siren atmosphere of the country. And with large numbers of people coming in, some with varied aims, it is important that the security agencies rise up to the task to sustain the recent soaring image of Ghana and live up to the standards of world governing body, FIFA standards.
It is in that vein that the security agencies, led by the Ghana Police Service, have masterminded a new operational strategy to ensure a peaceful and enjoyable Ghana 2008. The Ghana Police Service has re-structured its operational strategy from the routine law enforcement and keeping the peace to a proactive paradigm that calls for an increased police visibility and accessibility through day and night patrols with the view to preventing crime.
The strategy, known as the multi-agency approach, has been adopted as the security management style of the tournament. The ultimate objective of the strategy is to stem the tide in all violent crimes, especially armed robbery, reduce the fear of crime and to make all commuters safe. The strategy calls for the active involvement and proper co-ordination of all stakeholders under the security sector, both core and partners.
To operationalise the multi-agency approach, the security agencies have already collected, collated, analysed and disseminated intelligence among themselves and continue to do same as and when the intelligence was available.
Fortunately, the managers of Ghana 2008 security, have involved security officers of participating countries, stadium management staff, the National Ambulance Service, stewards and volunteers, ball boys and private security companies.
Under the strategy, the security agencies will be providing security for VVIPs and VIPS, provide security for the arrival and departure of match officials, teams, supporters, tourists and visitors coming from outside the country at all entry points and provide security escorts and outriders for match officials and players to their hotels.
Security is also to be provided at hotels, training pitches, the four stadia, venues of social activities and the site of the giant screen, ensure general security for spectators during and after matches, traffic management, day and night patrols, both foot and mobile at the four match centres to ensure general safety. Highway patrols both day and night on major routes to the four match centres would also be undertaken to make the highways safe while contingency plans have been made to provide security services throughout the country to ensure a successful tournament.
For those who fear that criminals and other unscrupulous persons from other countries may have easy access to the country to perpetuate crime, the good news is that the International Police Organisation (Interpol) is sending an Interpol Major Event Support Team (IMEST) to support their Ghanaian counterparts before, during and after the tournament. The IMEST will be base at all the entry and exit points of the country with state of the art technology to help track down any criminal as well as traffickers of both human and other illicit commodities such as drugs and weapons. Another group of the IMEST team would also operate from the Security Command Room located at the Ohene Djan Stadium. Another group of the IMEST team would join their counterparts from the Ghana Immigration Service and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) to patrol all the entry points where they would be in close communication with the IMEST Control Rooms at the various stadia.
As part of the security management for the tournament, personnel of the various agencies, namely the Ghana Police Service, the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana National Fire Service, the Ghana Immigration Service (GIS), the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) and the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS), have undergone a lot of training both local and abroad, to ensure a successful management and deployment plan of the security management strategy for Ghana 2008.
The personnel have been detailed to provide security for VVIPs and VIPs, provide security for the arrival and departure of match officials, teams, supporters, tourists and visitors coming from outside the country at all entry points as well as provide security escorts and outriders for match officials and players to and from their hotels.
They are also to provide security at hotels, training pitches, the four stadia, venues of social activities, the site of the giant screen, ensure general security for spectators during and after matches, day and night patrols, both foot and mobile at the four match centres to ensure general safety.
The security personnel are also to embark on highway patrols both day and night on major routes leading to the four match centres to make the highways safe.
To this end, the security agencies have established a command structure at three levels to facilitate communication.
A Gold Control Room will be established at the Police Headquarters with the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mr Patrick Timbillah as the Gold Commander.
The respective Regional Police Commanders for Accra, Ashanti, Western and Northern Regions, have been designated Silver Commanders while the various divisional and district commanders under them would serve as Bronze Commands. The Bronze Commanders will be supporting the silver commanders in discharging the various security responsibilities.
Among such responsibilities include conducting searches on all spectators to the stadia to track down unauthorised materials and prohibited objects such as fire crackers, fire arms, knives, narcotic drugs and alcoholic beverages.
The personnel would also be checking “ambush marketing” by non-accredited sponsors by any group of spectators especially supporter unions both local and foreign.
The security agencies through their combined efforts, would also provide adequate security at all vantage points and at all the sites of large screen for the live show of the matches and co-ordinate with other stakeholders before, during and after the matches.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr P. K. Acheampong admitted in an interview that the Ghana 2008 tournament would create more security challenges to the police.
He, however, assured the nation that with the comprehensive security management planning in place, supported by series of training both local and abroad, the police will measure up adequately to the task and hence ensure a successful tournament.
Mr Acheampong reminded the populace that security, peace and safety issues and concerns were no more the preserve of police organisations the world over.
He said policing or security issues were now a shared responsibility between the security services and the community.
“Against this background therefore, the Police Administration wishes to appeal to all and sundry to see themselves as active stakeholders in providing security for themselves as well as the communities within which they live,” he said.
The Director-General of Operations, Mr Timbillah, appealed to all visiting teams, officials and supporters and tourists to endeavour to respect the laws of the country and not to hesitate to contact the police for any assistance or to provide any useful information which would promote peace and a successful tournament.
He said the Sekondi venue was expected to pose the biggest security challenge relative to other match centres.
That, he explained, was because the venue would be hosting next-door neighbours, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire and Nigeria.
Mr Timbillah said as a result, the Central Region had been drafted to support the security operations of Western Region while the Upper East and West Regions would support the Northern Regional Command.
He said the other regions have been drafted to support the operations of the nearest venue region in their security operations.
He expressed the hope that Ghanaians would continue to display the legendary Ghanaian hospitality, generosity, care and love for the visitors and to cheer the national team up with a high level of decorum and respect the rule of law.
Mr Timbillah urged supporters to submit themselves to searches and desist from smuggling into the various stadia any unauthorised materials.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Poku's House besieged
Page 63: January 17, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FORMER national security chief, Mr Francis Poku and members of his household were today besieged by heavily armed policemen who prevented them from going out or receiving visitors.
It took the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah for the personnel of the Critical Incidence Response Team, drawn from the Ghana Police Service, to withdraw from Mr Poku’s residence.
Soon after, a new group of armed policemen were brought in but the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Patrick Timbillah also came in to instruct the armed men to leave with some having to sit in his car.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Office of the President, Castle, Osu, said “after Mr Francis Poku was relieved of his position as Minister of National Security on Saturday January 12, 2008, the national Security Council, as is routine and in conformity with world-wide practice, initiated a process of debriefing and completing a handing-over procedure”.
The statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, said “this morning, Mr Francis Poku’s security detail, which was a military detail, was replaced with police as is the norm with all ministers.”
It expressed surprise that the detail met some press men at the premises who apparently misunderstood their presence and carried the news in an exaggerated fashion, calling the incident a “house arrest”.
“This statement is to confirm that Mr Francis Poku is NOT and has not been under house arrest, and that the events of this morning have been the routine workings of National Security, Mr Francis Poku as a security professional himself is very much aware of these routine procedures,” it said.
It assured the nation that the on-going events are in the best interest of the country.
Earlier when Graphic got to the scene, Mr Poku, who was flanked by his children, had attempted to come out of the gate to usher his elder brother, sister and other relatives into the house, but was prevented by the armed policemen with the explanation that they had not received any instructions from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Acheampong, to allow Mr Poku out or allow anyone into the house.
Mr Poku reacted angrily saying “I do not take instructions from the IGP” and ushered in his guests.
From his demeanour, Mr Poku looked well composed and unperturbed by the events around him and scores of curious journalists had gathered around his residence, capturing every movement including the movement of security men coming in and going out with different cars.
An army officer, who seemed worried about the high degree alert of the armed policemen, advised the journalists to move away from the residence so that they were not caught up in any mishap should the unexpected happen, a warning which made some of the journalists develop gooze pimples and began looking for safer positions.
In the heat of the events, Mr Poku told the Daily Graphic on phone that the armed policemen came into the house at about 8:30am claiming they were under instructions not to let him or any member of his household leave the house.
He said he was told that his bodyguards and other security detail had also been withdrawn.
He said when he asked the reason for the restriction on his movement and that of his household, the policemen said they did not know.
“My brother, I have nothing to hide,” he stated.
Mr Poku said he had earlier been told that his name had been mentioned in connection with the issuance of a diplomatic passport to Mr Thomas Osei, the man who drove his car into the President’s car last November, an accusation he denied.
Inside the house, Mr Poku later told Daily Graphic that he had been preparing his handing over notes since Saturday, saying that “even this morning, they were here for correction of the notes and I made some additions”.
Daily Graphic learnt from other sources that the National Security Co-ordinator, Dr Sam Amoo, had called Mr Poku on Tuesday and asked him to appear the following day (today) before a National Security Council panel, but Mr Poku told Dr Amoo that he had to submit his handing over notes before any debriefing was done as was the practice.
Other intelligence and legal sources criticised the exercise, saying debriefing was not done under compulsive circumstances unless the person was under arrest.
The intelligence sources said the fact that Mr Poku had not stepped in his office since Saturday indicated that he had nothing to hide.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Raymond Atuguba, described the operation as illegal.
He said to restrict the movement of someone without telling him or her the reasons for the action, was against the liberties of that person.
He quoted Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, Act 30, as prescribing the procedures under which someone’s movement could be circumscribed.
“Those officers have violated every provision of the law. Once you place restrictions on his movement, then you have put him under arrest,” he said.
The Africa Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, described the incident as very unfortunate.
She said it was not only unlawful but also unconstitutional and illegal.
She said to do this to a security chief has its own security implications as tensions were bound to shoot up.
“What information were they acting on? I am certain they would be conscious with the swift public reaction and sit up,” she said.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FORMER national security chief, Mr Francis Poku and members of his household were today besieged by heavily armed policemen who prevented them from going out or receiving visitors.
It took the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah for the personnel of the Critical Incidence Response Team, drawn from the Ghana Police Service, to withdraw from Mr Poku’s residence.
Soon after, a new group of armed policemen were brought in but the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Patrick Timbillah also came in to instruct the armed men to leave with some having to sit in his car.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Office of the President, Castle, Osu, said “after Mr Francis Poku was relieved of his position as Minister of National Security on Saturday January 12, 2008, the national Security Council, as is routine and in conformity with world-wide practice, initiated a process of debriefing and completing a handing-over procedure”.
The statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, said “this morning, Mr Francis Poku’s security detail, which was a military detail, was replaced with police as is the norm with all ministers.”
It expressed surprise that the detail met some press men at the premises who apparently misunderstood their presence and carried the news in an exaggerated fashion, calling the incident a “house arrest”.
“This statement is to confirm that Mr Francis Poku is NOT and has not been under house arrest, and that the events of this morning have been the routine workings of National Security, Mr Francis Poku as a security professional himself is very much aware of these routine procedures,” it said.
It assured the nation that the on-going events are in the best interest of the country.
Earlier when Graphic got to the scene, Mr Poku, who was flanked by his children, had attempted to come out of the gate to usher his elder brother, sister and other relatives into the house, but was prevented by the armed policemen with the explanation that they had not received any instructions from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Acheampong, to allow Mr Poku out or allow anyone into the house.
Mr Poku reacted angrily saying “I do not take instructions from the IGP” and ushered in his guests.
From his demeanour, Mr Poku looked well composed and unperturbed by the events around him and scores of curious journalists had gathered around his residence, capturing every movement including the movement of security men coming in and going out with different cars.
An army officer, who seemed worried about the high degree alert of the armed policemen, advised the journalists to move away from the residence so that they were not caught up in any mishap should the unexpected happen, a warning which made some of the journalists develop gooze pimples and began looking for safer positions.
In the heat of the events, Mr Poku told the Daily Graphic on phone that the armed policemen came into the house at about 8:30am claiming they were under instructions not to let him or any member of his household leave the house.
He said he was told that his bodyguards and other security detail had also been withdrawn.
He said when he asked the reason for the restriction on his movement and that of his household, the policemen said they did not know.
“My brother, I have nothing to hide,” he stated.
Mr Poku said he had earlier been told that his name had been mentioned in connection with the issuance of a diplomatic passport to Mr Thomas Osei, the man who drove his car into the President’s car last November, an accusation he denied.
Inside the house, Mr Poku later told Daily Graphic that he had been preparing his handing over notes since Saturday, saying that “even this morning, they were here for correction of the notes and I made some additions”.
Daily Graphic learnt from other sources that the National Security Co-ordinator, Dr Sam Amoo, had called Mr Poku on Tuesday and asked him to appear the following day (today) before a National Security Council panel, but Mr Poku told Dr Amoo that he had to submit his handing over notes before any debriefing was done as was the practice.
Other intelligence and legal sources criticised the exercise, saying debriefing was not done under compulsive circumstances unless the person was under arrest.
The intelligence sources said the fact that Mr Poku had not stepped in his office since Saturday indicated that he had nothing to hide.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Raymond Atuguba, described the operation as illegal.
He said to restrict the movement of someone without telling him or her the reasons for the action, was against the liberties of that person.
He quoted Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, Act 30, as prescribing the procedures under which someone’s movement could be circumscribed.
“Those officers have violated every provision of the law. Once you place restrictions on his movement, then you have put him under arrest,” he said.
The Africa Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, described the incident as very unfortunate.
She said it was not only unlawful but also unconstitutional and illegal.
She said to do this to a security chief has its own security implications as tensions were bound to shoot up.
“What information were they acting on? I am certain they would be conscious with the swift public reaction and sit up,” she said.
Poku's House besieged
Page 63: January 17, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FORMER national security chief, Mr Francis Poku and members of his household were today besieged by heavily armed policemen who prevented them from going out or receiving visitors.
It took the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah for the personnel of the Critical Incidence Response Team, drawn from the Ghana Police Service, to withdraw from Mr Poku’s residence.
Soon after, a new group of armed policemen were brought in but the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Patrick Timbillah also came in to instruct the armed men to leave with some having to sit in his car.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Office of the President, Castle, Osu, said “after Mr Francis Poku was relieved of his position as Minister of National Security on Saturday January 12, 2008, the national Security Council, as is routine and in conformity with world-wide practice, initiated a process of debriefing and completing a handing-over procedure”.
The statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, said “this morning, Mr Francis Poku’s security detail, which was a military detail, was replaced with police as is the norm with all ministers.”
It expressed surprise that the detail met some press men at the premises who apparently misunderstood their presence and carried the news in an exaggerated fashion, calling the incident a “house arrest”.
“This statement is to confirm that Mr Francis Poku is NOT and has not been under house arrest, and that the events of this morning have been the routine workings of National Security, Mr Francis Poku as a security professional himself is very much aware of these routine procedures,” it said.
It assured the nation that the on-going events are in the best interest of the country.
Earlier when Graphic got to the scene, Mr Poku, who was flanked by his children, had attempted to come out of the gate to usher his elder brother, sister and other relatives into the house, but was prevented by the armed policemen with the explanation that they had not received any instructions from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Acheampong, to allow Mr Poku out or allow anyone into the house.
Mr Poku reacted angrily saying “I do not take instructions from the IGP” and ushered in his guests.
From his demeanour, Mr Poku looked well composed and unperturbed by the events around him and scores of curious journalists had gathered around his residence, capturing every movement including the movement of security men coming in and going out with different cars.
An army officer, who seemed worried about the high degree alert of the armed policemen, advised the journalists to move away from the residence so that they were not caught up in any mishap should the unexpected happen, a warning which made some of the journalists develop gooze pimples and began looking for safer positions.
In the heat of the events, Mr Poku told the Daily Graphic on phone that the armed policemen came into the house at about 8:30am claiming they were under instructions not to let him or any member of his household leave the house.
He said he was told that his bodyguards and other security detail had also been withdrawn.
He said when he asked the reason for the restriction on his movement and that of his household, the policemen said they did not know.
“My brother, I have nothing to hide,” he stated.
Mr Poku said he had earlier been told that his name had been mentioned in connection with the issuance of a diplomatic passport to Mr Thomas Osei, the man who drove his car into the President’s car last November, an accusation he denied.
Inside the house, Mr Poku later told Daily Graphic that he had been preparing his handing over notes since Saturday, saying that “even this morning, they were here for correction of the notes and I made some additions”.
Daily Graphic learnt from other sources that the National Security Co-ordinator, Dr Sam Amoo, had called Mr Poku on Tuesday and asked him to appear the following day (today) before a National Security Council panel, but Mr Poku told Dr Amoo that he had to submit his handing over notes before any debriefing was done as was the practice.
Other intelligence and legal sources criticised the exercise, saying debriefing was not done under compulsive circumstances unless the person was under arrest.
The intelligence sources said the fact that Mr Poku had not stepped in his office since Saturday indicated that he had nothing to hide.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Raymond Atuguba, described the operation as illegal.
He said to restrict the movement of someone without telling him or her the reasons for the action, was against the liberties of that person.
He quoted Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, Act 30, as prescribing the procedures under which someone’s movement could be circumscribed.
“Those officers have violated every provision of the law. Once you place restrictions on his movement, then you have put him under arrest,” he said.
The Africa Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, described the incident as very unfortunate.
She said it was not only unlawful but also unconstitutional and illegal.
She said to do this to a security chief has its own security implications as tensions were bound to shoot up.
“What information were they acting on? I am certain they would be conscious with the swift public reaction and sit up,” she said.
Story: Albert K. Salia
FORMER national security chief, Mr Francis Poku and members of his household were today besieged by heavily armed policemen who prevented them from going out or receiving visitors.
It took the intervention of the Chief of Defence Staff, Lt Gen J. B. Danquah for the personnel of the Critical Incidence Response Team, drawn from the Ghana Police Service, to withdraw from Mr Poku’s residence.
Soon after, a new group of armed policemen were brought in but the Director-General of Police Operations, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Mr Patrick Timbillah also came in to instruct the armed men to leave with some having to sit in his car.
Meanwhile, a statement from the Office of the President, Castle, Osu, said “after Mr Francis Poku was relieved of his position as Minister of National Security on Saturday January 12, 2008, the national Security Council, as is routine and in conformity with world-wide practice, initiated a process of debriefing and completing a handing-over procedure”.
The statement signed by the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mrs Oboshie Sai-Cofie, said “this morning, Mr Francis Poku’s security detail, which was a military detail, was replaced with police as is the norm with all ministers.”
It expressed surprise that the detail met some press men at the premises who apparently misunderstood their presence and carried the news in an exaggerated fashion, calling the incident a “house arrest”.
“This statement is to confirm that Mr Francis Poku is NOT and has not been under house arrest, and that the events of this morning have been the routine workings of National Security, Mr Francis Poku as a security professional himself is very much aware of these routine procedures,” it said.
It assured the nation that the on-going events are in the best interest of the country.
Earlier when Graphic got to the scene, Mr Poku, who was flanked by his children, had attempted to come out of the gate to usher his elder brother, sister and other relatives into the house, but was prevented by the armed policemen with the explanation that they had not received any instructions from the Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Patrick Acheampong, to allow Mr Poku out or allow anyone into the house.
Mr Poku reacted angrily saying “I do not take instructions from the IGP” and ushered in his guests.
From his demeanour, Mr Poku looked well composed and unperturbed by the events around him and scores of curious journalists had gathered around his residence, capturing every movement including the movement of security men coming in and going out with different cars.
An army officer, who seemed worried about the high degree alert of the armed policemen, advised the journalists to move away from the residence so that they were not caught up in any mishap should the unexpected happen, a warning which made some of the journalists develop gooze pimples and began looking for safer positions.
In the heat of the events, Mr Poku told the Daily Graphic on phone that the armed policemen came into the house at about 8:30am claiming they were under instructions not to let him or any member of his household leave the house.
He said he was told that his bodyguards and other security detail had also been withdrawn.
He said when he asked the reason for the restriction on his movement and that of his household, the policemen said they did not know.
“My brother, I have nothing to hide,” he stated.
Mr Poku said he had earlier been told that his name had been mentioned in connection with the issuance of a diplomatic passport to Mr Thomas Osei, the man who drove his car into the President’s car last November, an accusation he denied.
Inside the house, Mr Poku later told Daily Graphic that he had been preparing his handing over notes since Saturday, saying that “even this morning, they were here for correction of the notes and I made some additions”.
Daily Graphic learnt from other sources that the National Security Co-ordinator, Dr Sam Amoo, had called Mr Poku on Tuesday and asked him to appear the following day (today) before a National Security Council panel, but Mr Poku told Dr Amoo that he had to submit his handing over notes before any debriefing was done as was the practice.
Other intelligence and legal sources criticised the exercise, saying debriefing was not done under compulsive circumstances unless the person was under arrest.
The intelligence sources said the fact that Mr Poku had not stepped in his office since Saturday indicated that he had nothing to hide.
A lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, Dr Raymond Atuguba, described the operation as illegal.
He said to restrict the movement of someone without telling him or her the reasons for the action, was against the liberties of that person.
He quoted Article 14 of the 1992 Constitution and the Criminal Procedure Code, Act 30, as prescribing the procedures under which someone’s movement could be circumscribed.
“Those officers have violated every provision of the law. Once you place restrictions on his movement, then you have put him under arrest,” he said.
The Africa Co-ordinator of the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative (CHRI), Nana Oye Lithur, described the incident as very unfortunate.
She said it was not only unlawful but also unconstitutional and illegal.
She said to do this to a security chief has its own security implications as tensions were bound to shoot up.
“What information were they acting on? I am certain they would be conscious with the swift public reaction and sit up,” she said.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
CID investigates attempted suicide
Page 3: January 12, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A businessman who has fallen victim to a 419 scam is being investigated by the police for attempted suicide.
The man, Woolf Alistair, said to be a Director of Woolf Global Resources Company Limited, allegedly took an overdose of sleeping tablets on January 8, this year, to end his life after he stated in a suicide note that one Alhaji Iddrisu, had ruined his life.
“I have taken an overdose of sleeping tablets because I have been ruined by Alhaji and I have no means of dealing with the situation,” the suicide note, which had the time 5:20 a.m. and dated January 8, 2008, read.
He was resuscitated at a clinic at West Legon, after the police broke into his hotel room to pick him up.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the manager of the hotel at Haatso, called the police to inform them that the room of Alistair had been locked from within and that attempts to open it had failed.
He said a team was despatched to the hotel and when the door to the room was forced opened, Alistair was found unconscious on his bed.
He said just as the police were making efforts to pick up the body, they found the suicide note.
DCOP Adu-Poku said Alistair was sent to clinic for treatment and was resuscitated and discharged the following day.
According to him, it was during his interrogation that Alistair claimed that one Alhaji Iddrisu had defrauded him of thousands of dollars under the pretext of supplying him with more dollars.
DCOP Adu-Poku said Alistair had claimed that Alhaji Iddrisu had performed some rituals to supply trunkloads of dollars in $100 bills.
He said it was after such rituals that Alistair became convinced that Alhaji Iddrisu could help him.
Alistair, who admitted in his statement to the police that he had fallen victim to such scams in Abidjan and Cotonou, said he travelled to Britain to bring in more cash for Alhaji Iddrisu to double for him.
The suspect alleged that after collecting the money, Alhaji Iddrisu, who is now being sought out by the police, told him that he was travelling to Dodowa to bring the money to him.
Alistair said he called Alhaji Iddrisu’s cell phone that same evening but it was switched off.
He said he also got through the line the next day but a woman, who claimed to be the wife of Alhaji Iddrisu, responded to the call and told him that Alhaji Iddrisu had been arrested by Togolese security personnel.
He said from then on, he became convinced that he had been duped again and decided to end his life.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A businessman who has fallen victim to a 419 scam is being investigated by the police for attempted suicide.
The man, Woolf Alistair, said to be a Director of Woolf Global Resources Company Limited, allegedly took an overdose of sleeping tablets on January 8, this year, to end his life after he stated in a suicide note that one Alhaji Iddrisu, had ruined his life.
“I have taken an overdose of sleeping tablets because I have been ruined by Alhaji and I have no means of dealing with the situation,” the suicide note, which had the time 5:20 a.m. and dated January 8, 2008, read.
He was resuscitated at a clinic at West Legon, after the police broke into his hotel room to pick him up.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID), Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the manager of the hotel at Haatso, called the police to inform them that the room of Alistair had been locked from within and that attempts to open it had failed.
He said a team was despatched to the hotel and when the door to the room was forced opened, Alistair was found unconscious on his bed.
He said just as the police were making efforts to pick up the body, they found the suicide note.
DCOP Adu-Poku said Alistair was sent to clinic for treatment and was resuscitated and discharged the following day.
According to him, it was during his interrogation that Alistair claimed that one Alhaji Iddrisu had defrauded him of thousands of dollars under the pretext of supplying him with more dollars.
DCOP Adu-Poku said Alistair had claimed that Alhaji Iddrisu had performed some rituals to supply trunkloads of dollars in $100 bills.
He said it was after such rituals that Alistair became convinced that Alhaji Iddrisu could help him.
Alistair, who admitted in his statement to the police that he had fallen victim to such scams in Abidjan and Cotonou, said he travelled to Britain to bring in more cash for Alhaji Iddrisu to double for him.
The suspect alleged that after collecting the money, Alhaji Iddrisu, who is now being sought out by the police, told him that he was travelling to Dodowa to bring the money to him.
Alistair said he called Alhaji Iddrisu’s cell phone that same evening but it was switched off.
He said he also got through the line the next day but a woman, who claimed to be the wife of Alhaji Iddrisu, responded to the call and told him that Alhaji Iddrisu had been arrested by Togolese security personnel.
He said from then on, he became convinced that he had been duped again and decided to end his life.
Fake government official jailed
Page 40: January 11, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 45-year-old unemployed, John Bennett Mahama, has been jailed two years by the Sampa Magistrate’s Court in the Brong Ahafo Region, on charges of misrepresentation as a government official and with the intention of defrauding.
John Mahama was arrested in Sampa by security operatives after he was found boasting in town that he was going to save the position of some District Chief Executives (DCEs) whose fate hanged in the balance.
A source close to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) told the Daily Graphic that following the dismissals of 13 DCEs on November 16, last year, some unscrupulous persons started contacting some DCEs whose names were not mentioned to collect money from them.
It said the callers, who claimed to be officials at either the Office of Chief of Staff or National Security, told the unsuspecting DCEs that the reports of their performance appraisal were not in their favour.
It said the callers then suggested that the DCEs should “do something” so that they (callers) could use the money to mediate on their behalf to forestall their dismissals.
The source said the callers often requested GH¢500 and above depending on the resourcefulness of the district.
According to the source, another group of callers, claiming to be university students, told the DCEs that they had been engaged to do the appraisal performance themselves and gave indication that the reports were not in their favour.
The source indicated that some of the frightened DCEs had to part with some fuel allowance and requested the callers to return on another date to enable them (DCEs) to mobilise substantial amounts for the “big men” in Accra.
The source said after collecting the fuel allowance, the callers never showed up.
In the case of John Mahama, the source said he approached a female DCE to demand GH¢500 for the purpose but was asked to come another time.
The source said John Mahama was spotted at Sampa boasting to some friends about how he had put fear into some DCEs about their imminent dismissal.
It said John Mahama had claimed that the affected DCEs were willing to part with substantial amounts of money to enable him to save them from being dismissed.
Unfortunately for John Mahama, there were some security operatives around and he was subsequently arrested.
It said during interrogation, he admitted the offence and was jailed on January 7, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
A 45-year-old unemployed, John Bennett Mahama, has been jailed two years by the Sampa Magistrate’s Court in the Brong Ahafo Region, on charges of misrepresentation as a government official and with the intention of defrauding.
John Mahama was arrested in Sampa by security operatives after he was found boasting in town that he was going to save the position of some District Chief Executives (DCEs) whose fate hanged in the balance.
A source close to the Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) told the Daily Graphic that following the dismissals of 13 DCEs on November 16, last year, some unscrupulous persons started contacting some DCEs whose names were not mentioned to collect money from them.
It said the callers, who claimed to be officials at either the Office of Chief of Staff or National Security, told the unsuspecting DCEs that the reports of their performance appraisal were not in their favour.
It said the callers then suggested that the DCEs should “do something” so that they (callers) could use the money to mediate on their behalf to forestall their dismissals.
The source said the callers often requested GH¢500 and above depending on the resourcefulness of the district.
According to the source, another group of callers, claiming to be university students, told the DCEs that they had been engaged to do the appraisal performance themselves and gave indication that the reports were not in their favour.
The source indicated that some of the frightened DCEs had to part with some fuel allowance and requested the callers to return on another date to enable them (DCEs) to mobilise substantial amounts for the “big men” in Accra.
The source said after collecting the fuel allowance, the callers never showed up.
In the case of John Mahama, the source said he approached a female DCE to demand GH¢500 for the purpose but was asked to come another time.
The source said John Mahama was spotted at Sampa boasting to some friends about how he had put fear into some DCEs about their imminent dismissal.
It said John Mahama had claimed that the affected DCEs were willing to part with substantial amounts of money to enable him to save them from being dismissed.
Unfortunately for John Mahama, there were some security operatives around and he was subsequently arrested.
It said during interrogation, he admitted the offence and was jailed on January 7, 2008.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Review NABPTEX Law - Apori
Page 43: January 10, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Chairman of the Conference of Polytechnic Rectors, Dr Samuel Obeng Apori, has called for a review of the National Board for Technician and Professional Examinations (NABPTEX) Law to enable the polytechnics to operate as full autonomous bodies.
He said although the Polytechnics Act (Act 745) accorded polytechnics full autonomy as tertiary institutions which ran and awarded their own degree programmes, the non-review of the NABPTEX Law (PNDCL 321) posed legal technicalities which might infringe upon the ability of the polytechnics to operate as full autonomous bodies.
The NABPTEX, he said, was set up to supervise curriculum development, implementation and monitoring, as well as to be in charge of examinations and the award of diplomas to students upon completion of their studies.
Dr Apori, who was speaking on, “Polytechnic Education in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects”, at the 59th Annual New Year School in Accra yesterday, said the review was necessary, since the polytechnics were now responsible for their own curriculum development and award of certificates.
The New Year School, which is on the theme, “Tertiary Education and National Development”, is being organised by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the University of Ghana, Legon.
He said whatever restrictions were imposed on the polytechnics by PNDCL Law 321 had been technically removed and they could now operate as other fully-fledged tertiary institutions in Ghana, with the capacity to mount their own programmes at certificate, diploma, bachelors, masters, doctoral and even post-doctoral levels, once they met the requirements set by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for tertiary institutions in the country.
He said NABPTEX might be given the role to co-ordinate the relationship between the polytechnics and the various relevant professional bodies.
Dr Apori said with the new law, which allowed the polytechnics to run degree programmes, students who chose to pursue those programmes had the opportunity to progress in their studies to the highest level, stressing that “technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will become more attractive to students”.
With that development, he said, the negative perception of polytechnic graduates as being inferior to traditional universities graduates would be removed.
He said it would also prevent polytechnic graduates from abandoning their training to enrol in universities to pursue general degree courses.
Dr Apori said polytechnic education offered a correct mix of theory and practice in the training of students, explaining that while education in the country appeared to be shifted to the two extremes of theory and practice, polytechnic education sought to combine the two types of training.
He also called for greater collaboration between the country’s polytechnics and industries to help achieve the purpose for which the polytechnics were established.
He said apart from providing avenues for industrial attachment for polytechnic students, industry could consult the relevant departments in the polytechnics with their problems, for which the polytechnics could provide consultancy based on empirical research.
According to him, the collaboration between the polytechnics and industry needed to be extended to the areas of curriculum development, delivery and assessment.
Dr Apori also suggested the provision of micro-credit support for polytechnic graduates to engage in self-employment ventures.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Chairman of the Conference of Polytechnic Rectors, Dr Samuel Obeng Apori, has called for a review of the National Board for Technician and Professional Examinations (NABPTEX) Law to enable the polytechnics to operate as full autonomous bodies.
He said although the Polytechnics Act (Act 745) accorded polytechnics full autonomy as tertiary institutions which ran and awarded their own degree programmes, the non-review of the NABPTEX Law (PNDCL 321) posed legal technicalities which might infringe upon the ability of the polytechnics to operate as full autonomous bodies.
The NABPTEX, he said, was set up to supervise curriculum development, implementation and monitoring, as well as to be in charge of examinations and the award of diplomas to students upon completion of their studies.
Dr Apori, who was speaking on, “Polytechnic Education in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects”, at the 59th Annual New Year School in Accra yesterday, said the review was necessary, since the polytechnics were now responsible for their own curriculum development and award of certificates.
The New Year School, which is on the theme, “Tertiary Education and National Development”, is being organised by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the University of Ghana, Legon.
He said whatever restrictions were imposed on the polytechnics by PNDCL Law 321 had been technically removed and they could now operate as other fully-fledged tertiary institutions in Ghana, with the capacity to mount their own programmes at certificate, diploma, bachelors, masters, doctoral and even post-doctoral levels, once they met the requirements set by the National Accreditation Board (NAB) for tertiary institutions in the country.
He said NABPTEX might be given the role to co-ordinate the relationship between the polytechnics and the various relevant professional bodies.
Dr Apori said with the new law, which allowed the polytechnics to run degree programmes, students who chose to pursue those programmes had the opportunity to progress in their studies to the highest level, stressing that “technical and vocational education and training (TVET) will become more attractive to students”.
With that development, he said, the negative perception of polytechnic graduates as being inferior to traditional universities graduates would be removed.
He said it would also prevent polytechnic graduates from abandoning their training to enrol in universities to pursue general degree courses.
Dr Apori said polytechnic education offered a correct mix of theory and practice in the training of students, explaining that while education in the country appeared to be shifted to the two extremes of theory and practice, polytechnic education sought to combine the two types of training.
He also called for greater collaboration between the country’s polytechnics and industries to help achieve the purpose for which the polytechnics were established.
He said apart from providing avenues for industrial attachment for polytechnic students, industry could consult the relevant departments in the polytechnics with their problems, for which the polytechnics could provide consultancy based on empirical research.
According to him, the collaboration between the polytechnics and industry needed to be extended to the areas of curriculum development, delivery and assessment.
Dr Apori also suggested the provision of micro-credit support for polytechnic graduates to engage in self-employment ventures.
No "Politics" on Campuses: form civic associations instead- Prof Ninsin
Front Page: January 10, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Director of Research of the Institute of Democratic Governance, Professor Kwame Ninsin, has kicked against the formation of wings of political parties in the various tertiary institutions.
He explained that the political wings on the campuses of our tertiary institutions only served as breeding grounds for future leaders to learn the tricks of manipulating the populace during elections, how to steal and work against the national interest.
Contributing to a discussion on, “Deepening Democratic Culture in Ghana”, in Accra yesterday, he said students in the tertiary institutions should be encouraged to form civic associations to learn the rights and responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution and how to rise up to defend them.
The discussion was part of the ongoing 59th Annual New Year School being organised by the Institute of Adult Education of the University of Ghana, Legon, on the theme, “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Prof Ninsin said the formation of the civic clubs would serve as a forum to discuss the rights enshrined in the Constitution and the well-being of the citizenry, so that the students could take the government to task on its responsibilities.
In that way, he said, Ghana would be building the capacity to cherish and defend the country’s democracy.
Prof Ninsin, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, Legon, said democracy was not just about elections or people speaking their minds but a collection of a body of rights, including free speech, voting and association.
He said it was the responsibility of the state to ensure that the citizenry enjoyed those rights and explained that it was only when the citizenry knew about those rights that the government could not take them for granted.
He cited, for instance, the situation where there had been talk about decentralisation, although everything was centralised.
Prof Ninsin said the district assemblies and sub-units needed to be restructured and strengthened and the staff motivated to encourage local participation, as it was intended to be.
Contributing to the discussion, Dr Kumi Ansah-Koi, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, Legon, said the country could consider the issue of mandatory voting, as pertained in Australia to address the low voter turn-out at local elections.
He said another issue for consideration could be proportional representation, as pertained in Germany and Israel.
Dr Ansah-Koi also proposed for debate the amendment of the Constitution to empower institutions such as the Legislature to function more effectively.
He said it was also important for the independence of the Electoral Commission (EC) to be guaranteed through financial autonomy and security of staff and prevent the declaration of results by political parties, as occurred in 2004.
He said the state must also address the issue of party financing and enforce the laws on party financing, especially the provisions on foreign support.
Dr Ansah-Koi said another major issue which needed to be addressed to deepen democracy was the gender imbalance in the political system, saying the country could address the problem through either a quota system or affirmative action.
He said democracy was not a computer process which needed to be manipulated to make it perfect, noting that there was no perfect democracy anywhere in the world and that it required the will and determination of the populace to entrench it.
A Deputy Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs Augustina Akosua Akumanyi, said the commission had, with its limited resources, formed more than 2,000 civic clubs in second-cycle schools throughout the country.
She said the clubs were meant for the members to study and discuss the Constitution.
She said what needed to be addressed seriously are the attitudinal problems of Ghanaians in relation to punctuality, honesty, patriotism, among others.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Director of Research of the Institute of Democratic Governance, Professor Kwame Ninsin, has kicked against the formation of wings of political parties in the various tertiary institutions.
He explained that the political wings on the campuses of our tertiary institutions only served as breeding grounds for future leaders to learn the tricks of manipulating the populace during elections, how to steal and work against the national interest.
Contributing to a discussion on, “Deepening Democratic Culture in Ghana”, in Accra yesterday, he said students in the tertiary institutions should be encouraged to form civic associations to learn the rights and responsibilities enshrined in the Constitution and how to rise up to defend them.
The discussion was part of the ongoing 59th Annual New Year School being organised by the Institute of Adult Education of the University of Ghana, Legon, on the theme, “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Prof Ninsin said the formation of the civic clubs would serve as a forum to discuss the rights enshrined in the Constitution and the well-being of the citizenry, so that the students could take the government to task on its responsibilities.
In that way, he said, Ghana would be building the capacity to cherish and defend the country’s democracy.
Prof Ninsin, who is also a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, Legon, said democracy was not just about elections or people speaking their minds but a collection of a body of rights, including free speech, voting and association.
He said it was the responsibility of the state to ensure that the citizenry enjoyed those rights and explained that it was only when the citizenry knew about those rights that the government could not take them for granted.
He cited, for instance, the situation where there had been talk about decentralisation, although everything was centralised.
Prof Ninsin said the district assemblies and sub-units needed to be restructured and strengthened and the staff motivated to encourage local participation, as it was intended to be.
Contributing to the discussion, Dr Kumi Ansah-Koi, a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science of the University of Ghana, Legon, said the country could consider the issue of mandatory voting, as pertained in Australia to address the low voter turn-out at local elections.
He said another issue for consideration could be proportional representation, as pertained in Germany and Israel.
Dr Ansah-Koi also proposed for debate the amendment of the Constitution to empower institutions such as the Legislature to function more effectively.
He said it was also important for the independence of the Electoral Commission (EC) to be guaranteed through financial autonomy and security of staff and prevent the declaration of results by political parties, as occurred in 2004.
He said the state must also address the issue of party financing and enforce the laws on party financing, especially the provisions on foreign support.
Dr Ansah-Koi said another major issue which needed to be addressed to deepen democracy was the gender imbalance in the political system, saying the country could address the problem through either a quota system or affirmative action.
He said democracy was not a computer process which needed to be manipulated to make it perfect, noting that there was no perfect democracy anywhere in the world and that it required the will and determination of the populace to entrench it.
A Deputy Chairperson of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mrs Augustina Akosua Akumanyi, said the commission had, with its limited resources, formed more than 2,000 civic clubs in second-cycle schools throughout the country.
She said the clubs were meant for the members to study and discuss the Constitution.
She said what needed to be addressed seriously are the attitudinal problems of Ghanaians in relation to punctuality, honesty, patriotism, among others.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Adopt modern approaches in tertiary education - Fobih
Page 24: January 8, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Professor Dominic Fobih, has called on tertiary institutions to adopt more modern and innovative approaches to providing tertiary education to the increasing number of qualified students.
He said given the current large number of students, new approaches, including taking advantage of new technologies such as audio-visuals and online learning, would have to be adopted to manage the situation.
Prof Fobih made the call in a lecture on, “The Current Educational Reform: Implications for tertiary education”, for participants at the 59th Annual New Year School in Accra yesterday. The school, which is being organised under the auspices of the Institute of Adult Education of the University of Ghana, is on the theme, “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Prof Fobih noted that many of the policy interventions at the basic level, such as the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the school feeding programme, were aimed at ensuring that all children of school age went to school.
“As enrolment at the basic level increases, there must be corresponding expansion at the secondary and tertiary levels to be able to absorb and meet the needs of the increasing number of students,” he said.
Prof Fobih said another implication of the new educational reform was the provision of a regulatory framework to promote the participation of the private sector in the provision of tertiary education.
He said with the emergence of private tertiary institutions, the need to ensure that proper regulatory processes were put in place to safeguard public and national interest in terms of the provision of quality tertiary education had become more urgent now than before.
Prof Fobih said the older universities were expected to mentor and provide guidance for the emerging tertiary institutions to maintain the quality of education at that level.
According to him, the serious challenges of the new educational reform were funding and sustainability.
“There is the need to develop a comprehensive framework for financing tertiary education that will ensure sustainable funding to meet the ever expanding need to provide quality tertiary education. This framework should include issues such as scholarships for needy students, funds for research and incentives for innovation and creativity,” he added.
In response to a question as to whether a change in government would not result in a change in the educational policy of the present government, Prof Fobih said an Education Bill was currently before Cabinet to discuss all issues relating to the country’s educational system and that it would involve parliamentary debate and subsequent passage to serve as a framework for the country’s educational system.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Kwesi Yankah, who chaired the function, said a serious issue which needed to be addressed was the progression of HND holders from the polytechnics to the mainstream universities.
He said the issue had become topical because there was a gap between the syllabus of the polytechnics and that of the universities.
He said although some of the private universities were giving admission to HND holders, the levels to which they were admitted varied.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Professor Dominic Fobih, has called on tertiary institutions to adopt more modern and innovative approaches to providing tertiary education to the increasing number of qualified students.
He said given the current large number of students, new approaches, including taking advantage of new technologies such as audio-visuals and online learning, would have to be adopted to manage the situation.
Prof Fobih made the call in a lecture on, “The Current Educational Reform: Implications for tertiary education”, for participants at the 59th Annual New Year School in Accra yesterday. The school, which is being organised under the auspices of the Institute of Adult Education of the University of Ghana, is on the theme, “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Prof Fobih noted that many of the policy interventions at the basic level, such as the introduction of the Capitation Grant and the school feeding programme, were aimed at ensuring that all children of school age went to school.
“As enrolment at the basic level increases, there must be corresponding expansion at the secondary and tertiary levels to be able to absorb and meet the needs of the increasing number of students,” he said.
Prof Fobih said another implication of the new educational reform was the provision of a regulatory framework to promote the participation of the private sector in the provision of tertiary education.
He said with the emergence of private tertiary institutions, the need to ensure that proper regulatory processes were put in place to safeguard public and national interest in terms of the provision of quality tertiary education had become more urgent now than before.
Prof Fobih said the older universities were expected to mentor and provide guidance for the emerging tertiary institutions to maintain the quality of education at that level.
According to him, the serious challenges of the new educational reform were funding and sustainability.
“There is the need to develop a comprehensive framework for financing tertiary education that will ensure sustainable funding to meet the ever expanding need to provide quality tertiary education. This framework should include issues such as scholarships for needy students, funds for research and incentives for innovation and creativity,” he added.
In response to a question as to whether a change in government would not result in a change in the educational policy of the present government, Prof Fobih said an Education Bill was currently before Cabinet to discuss all issues relating to the country’s educational system and that it would involve parliamentary debate and subsequent passage to serve as a framework for the country’s educational system.
The Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Prof Kwesi Yankah, who chaired the function, said a serious issue which needed to be addressed was the progression of HND holders from the polytechnics to the mainstream universities.
He said the issue had become topical because there was a gap between the syllabus of the polytechnics and that of the universities.
He said although some of the private universities were giving admission to HND holders, the levels to which they were admitted varied.
Great Kosa needs money for mass production
Page 24: January 7, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE General Secretary of the Kristo Asafo Mission, Mr Festus Owusu Badu, says lack of finances is impeding the large scale production of inventions of Great Kosa Ltd, a subsidiary of the Mission.
He said the church currently depended on its own finances to come out with the various products put on display.
He said the products were to showcase the capability of the Ghanaian and show that with requisite funding, Ghana would move to a world of its own.
Mr Badu was speaking at a forum of participants of the 59th Annual New Year School in Accra yesterday.
The school, which is being organised by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the University of Ghana, is on the theme “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Mr Badu said the company was currently holding discussions with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for financial support to expand its production base.
At the same time, he said, the company was negotiating with some Chinese companies to assist in establishing assembly plants for the mass production of its inventions.
He said the leader of the mission, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, was making every effort to assist in the use of technology to help in Ghana’s development efforts.
He said the over-reliance on foreign products was not good for the country.
Mr Badu said development in the modern world depended on technology without which no country could progress.
He explained that the dependence on foreign products meant that the country was helping the foreign countries to develop their technologies.
“We must develop our own technology to develop our economy by creating employment for our people and, thereby reduce poverty in the country,” he added.
Mr Badu said the mission had also documented all its production processes, including filming, and was in the process of securing the intellectual property rights to those products.
The acting Director of the IAE, Dr D. Oduro-Mensah, said the decision to invite the mission for an interaction with the participants was in line with the theme of the school.
He said the choice of Apostle Safo was also because he had started something on his own so that the participants could learn something from him.
In that way, he said, the participants could also see how to link tertiary education with such practical experiences to help push the Ghana’s quest to become a middle-income country.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE General Secretary of the Kristo Asafo Mission, Mr Festus Owusu Badu, says lack of finances is impeding the large scale production of inventions of Great Kosa Ltd, a subsidiary of the Mission.
He said the church currently depended on its own finances to come out with the various products put on display.
He said the products were to showcase the capability of the Ghanaian and show that with requisite funding, Ghana would move to a world of its own.
Mr Badu was speaking at a forum of participants of the 59th Annual New Year School in Accra yesterday.
The school, which is being organised by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the University of Ghana, is on the theme “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Mr Badu said the company was currently holding discussions with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning for financial support to expand its production base.
At the same time, he said, the company was negotiating with some Chinese companies to assist in establishing assembly plants for the mass production of its inventions.
He said the leader of the mission, Apostle Kwadwo Safo, was making every effort to assist in the use of technology to help in Ghana’s development efforts.
He said the over-reliance on foreign products was not good for the country.
Mr Badu said development in the modern world depended on technology without which no country could progress.
He explained that the dependence on foreign products meant that the country was helping the foreign countries to develop their technologies.
“We must develop our own technology to develop our economy by creating employment for our people and, thereby reduce poverty in the country,” he added.
Mr Badu said the mission had also documented all its production processes, including filming, and was in the process of securing the intellectual property rights to those products.
The acting Director of the IAE, Dr D. Oduro-Mensah, said the decision to invite the mission for an interaction with the participants was in line with the theme of the school.
He said the choice of Apostle Safo was also because he had started something on his own so that the participants could learn something from him.
In that way, he said, the participants could also see how to link tertiary education with such practical experiences to help push the Ghana’s quest to become a middle-income country.
Save GETFUND - Prof Adow-Obeng declares
Front Page: January 5, 2008.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Emmanuel Adow-Obeng, has expressed concern over the financial demands on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and called for the preservation of its original mission.
He said the GETFund was currently under severe pressure from demands it was not intended to support originally.
“Besides, it is becoming the sole source of funding (apart from personnel emoluments) for the tertiary institutions rather than as supplementation,” he said.
Prof Adow-Obeng expressed this concern when he delivered the keynote address at the 59th Annual New Year School which opened at the University of Ghana, Legon, yesterday.
The school, which is being organised by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the university, is on the theme: “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Prof Adow-Obeng noted that the challenges of infrastructure, occasioned by high student numbers, resulted in the government setting up and sustaining the GETFund.
He, however, pointed out that “if information through the grapevine on the 2008 GETFund allocations to tertiary institutions is true, then they will be woefully inadequate to support anything meaningful in our institutions this year”.
He said dwindling financial resources had led to the introduction of creative and innovative ways in diversifying the sources of funding by the institutions, such as fees paid by foreign students, fees paid by full-fee paying Ghanaian students, commercialising of facilities and consultancies.
Prof Adow-Obeng noted that because of the crucial need to finance itself, the universities had drawn closer to industry in what had been termed the “knowledge business”.
According to him, the impetus for research was moving away from the traditional passive pursuit of knowledge in the Ivory Tower to research conducted in response to the immediate needs of industry.
“This shift has served to strengthen research activities within the university and clarified the relationship with industry,” he noted.
Prof Adow-Obeng, therefore, stressed the need to create a research fund to resource tertiary institutions, both public and private, and other research institutions.
He also called for the establishment of a technology centre to bring together researchers and industry to facilitate the processing of research results for commercialisation and the transfer of technology to business and industry.
Prof Adow-Obeng expressed concern over the duplication of programmes by both public and private tertiary institutions in the country.
“What is happening now is that a number of our universities are engaged in providing the same service. Good as this may be, it is still grossly inefficient, especially since we are duplicating structures, human resource, financial outlay and even programmes,” he said.
“We should aim at establishing national and regional centres of excellence as a way of reducing cost and pool resources and expertise for greater effectiveness and impact,” he said.
Prof Adow-Obeng said there was a life-sustaining symbiotic relationship between tertiary institutions and the nation.
He said what tertiary institutions required of the government was a deeper commitment to growth and development, stressing that “the institutions demand and deserve the full support of the government and industry”.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, Professor Emmanuel Adow-Obeng, has expressed concern over the financial demands on the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and called for the preservation of its original mission.
He said the GETFund was currently under severe pressure from demands it was not intended to support originally.
“Besides, it is becoming the sole source of funding (apart from personnel emoluments) for the tertiary institutions rather than as supplementation,” he said.
Prof Adow-Obeng expressed this concern when he delivered the keynote address at the 59th Annual New Year School which opened at the University of Ghana, Legon, yesterday.
The school, which is being organised by the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the university, is on the theme: “Tertiary Education and National Development”.
Prof Adow-Obeng noted that the challenges of infrastructure, occasioned by high student numbers, resulted in the government setting up and sustaining the GETFund.
He, however, pointed out that “if information through the grapevine on the 2008 GETFund allocations to tertiary institutions is true, then they will be woefully inadequate to support anything meaningful in our institutions this year”.
He said dwindling financial resources had led to the introduction of creative and innovative ways in diversifying the sources of funding by the institutions, such as fees paid by foreign students, fees paid by full-fee paying Ghanaian students, commercialising of facilities and consultancies.
Prof Adow-Obeng noted that because of the crucial need to finance itself, the universities had drawn closer to industry in what had been termed the “knowledge business”.
According to him, the impetus for research was moving away from the traditional passive pursuit of knowledge in the Ivory Tower to research conducted in response to the immediate needs of industry.
“This shift has served to strengthen research activities within the university and clarified the relationship with industry,” he noted.
Prof Adow-Obeng, therefore, stressed the need to create a research fund to resource tertiary institutions, both public and private, and other research institutions.
He also called for the establishment of a technology centre to bring together researchers and industry to facilitate the processing of research results for commercialisation and the transfer of technology to business and industry.
Prof Adow-Obeng expressed concern over the duplication of programmes by both public and private tertiary institutions in the country.
“What is happening now is that a number of our universities are engaged in providing the same service. Good as this may be, it is still grossly inefficient, especially since we are duplicating structures, human resource, financial outlay and even programmes,” he said.
“We should aim at establishing national and regional centres of excellence as a way of reducing cost and pool resources and expertise for greater effectiveness and impact,” he said.
Prof Adow-Obeng said there was a life-sustaining symbiotic relationship between tertiary institutions and the nation.
He said what tertiary institutions required of the government was a deeper commitment to growth and development, stressing that “the institutions demand and deserve the full support of the government and industry”.
Friday, January 4, 2008
US sailors were with 2 ladies- Police reveal
Front Page: January 4, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Police Service has disclosed that the two US sailors who were found dead in a room at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel on New Year’s Day were in the company of two women.
It also confirmed that the sailors had sex with the women and took pictures of the act.
Furthermore, the two officers have been identified as Petty Officer (First Class) Patrick Brendan Mack, 22, of Warren, Michigan, and Fireman Lonnie Lee Davis Jr, 35, of Riverdale, Georgia.
Both sailors were permanently assigned to the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), an amphibious landing dock ship with its home base in Little Creek in Virginia.
The only survivor who was found unconscious but was revived later has been identified simply as Charles Clair Metayer.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service is currently developing the film of the pictures taken by the sailors and their lady partners before their bodies were found in the hotel room.
Confirming some details to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Director-General of the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, said information available to the police indicated that some other colleagues of the deceased were with them but they left the hotel for the ship, which was anchored on the Ghanaian coast.
He said when the film was developed, all those present would be identified to assist in the investigations.
DCOP Adu-Poku said the bodies, which were still at the Police Hospital morgue, were expected to be flown to Germany today for post-mortem to help establish the cause of death.
He said the police were trying to secure entry visas for the detectives and a pathologist to accompany the bodies to Germany for the post-mortem.
The sailors, said to be on “on shore leave in West Africa”, were found dead in their hotel rooms in Accra on New Year’s Day.
The two naval officers were part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS), an initiative recently launched by the US to support regional maritime security and safety in West and Central Africa.
It began the training of Ghana’s Naval officers in Tema on November 20, 2007.
The APS is a floating continuing education and training facility located on board the USS Fort McHenry, a 185-metre dock landing ship normally used to support amphibious operations, which is expected to impart knowledge on issues such as maritime security and fisheries protection to Ghanaian Naval officers.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Ghana Police Service has disclosed that the two US sailors who were found dead in a room at the La Palm Royal Beach Hotel on New Year’s Day were in the company of two women.
It also confirmed that the sailors had sex with the women and took pictures of the act.
Furthermore, the two officers have been identified as Petty Officer (First Class) Patrick Brendan Mack, 22, of Warren, Michigan, and Fireman Lonnie Lee Davis Jr, 35, of Riverdale, Georgia.
Both sailors were permanently assigned to the USS Fort McHenry (LSD 43), an amphibious landing dock ship with its home base in Little Creek in Virginia.
The only survivor who was found unconscious but was revived later has been identified simply as Charles Clair Metayer.
The Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service is currently developing the film of the pictures taken by the sailors and their lady partners before their bodies were found in the hotel room.
Confirming some details to the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Director-General of the CID, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, said information available to the police indicated that some other colleagues of the deceased were with them but they left the hotel for the ship, which was anchored on the Ghanaian coast.
He said when the film was developed, all those present would be identified to assist in the investigations.
DCOP Adu-Poku said the bodies, which were still at the Police Hospital morgue, were expected to be flown to Germany today for post-mortem to help establish the cause of death.
He said the police were trying to secure entry visas for the detectives and a pathologist to accompany the bodies to Germany for the post-mortem.
The sailors, said to be on “on shore leave in West Africa”, were found dead in their hotel rooms in Accra on New Year’s Day.
The two naval officers were part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS), an initiative recently launched by the US to support regional maritime security and safety in West and Central Africa.
It began the training of Ghana’s Naval officers in Tema on November 20, 2007.
The APS is a floating continuing education and training facility located on board the USS Fort McHenry, a 185-metre dock landing ship normally used to support amphibious operations, which is expected to impart knowledge on issues such as maritime security and fisheries protection to Ghanaian Naval officers.
New Year School Opens tomorrow
Page 25: January 3, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Annual New Year School opens in Accra on Friday on the theme, ”Tertiary Education and National Development”. The Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, will perform the opening ceremony at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon. It will be the 59th in the series.
Other activities of the school will take place at the K.A. Busia Auditorium, with study group sessions taking place at the Jones Quartey Building.
The school, which is under the auspices of the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the University of Ghana, will have Professor Emmanuel Adow-Obeng, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, delivering the keynote address.
The school, organised by the IAE every year to discuss issues of national interest, has, since its inception, dealt with a wide range of topics on education, politics, environment, social, national security, peace and stability, among others.
Participants from all over the country and with varied backgrounds are expected to attend the one-week school, during which they will discuss various issues pertaining to tertiary education and make recommendations for consideration by the government.
The Director of this year’s school, Mr Ishmael W. Parry, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the theme was chosen to throw a searchlight on tertiary education and national development.
He said the school would examine how well tertiary education had fared in national development and attempt to identify the challenges confronting the sector, vis-à-vis its relevance to national development, and recommend possible solutions to address them.
According to him, it had been 50 years of tertiary education in the country, within which period the number of public universities had increased to six, with several private universities.
Moreover, he said, other institutions, such as teacher training colleges, nurses training colleges and polytechnics, had all been upgraded to tertiary status.
Mr Parry said those institutions had produced different professionals for the nation who were taking vital decisions for the country.
He explained that it was, therefore, essential to evaluate the performance of the sector.
He said the main theme had also been broken into sub-topics, with professionals and practitioners expected to deliver lectures at the various sessions.
According to Mr Parry, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Professor Dominic Fobih, would deliver a lecture on the current educational reform and its implications for tertiary education.
He said the Chairman of the Conference of Polytechnic Rectors, Dr Samuel Obeng Apori, who is also the Rector of the Takoradi Polytechnic, together with Mrs Rita Kaine, the Registrar of the Accra Polytechnic, and Mr Richard Nkrumah, the President of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), would discuss polytechnic education in Ghana, the challenges and prospects.
Mr Parry said another symposium on resourcing district assemblies for local governance would attract Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi and Prof Yaw Boakye-Dankwah as speakers.
He said the Principal of the Ghana Telecom University College, Dr K. Osei Darkwah, and the Director of the ICT Directorate of the University of Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Owusu Oware, would deliberate on increasing the utilisation of ICT in tertiary education.
Story: Albert K. Salia
THE Annual New Year School opens in Accra on Friday on the theme, ”Tertiary Education and National Development”. The Vice-President, Alhaji Aliu Mahama, will perform the opening ceremony at the Great Hall of the University of Ghana, Legon. It will be the 59th in the series.
Other activities of the school will take place at the K.A. Busia Auditorium, with study group sessions taking place at the Jones Quartey Building.
The school, which is under the auspices of the Institute of Adult Education (IAE) of the University of Ghana, will have Professor Emmanuel Adow-Obeng, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast, delivering the keynote address.
The school, organised by the IAE every year to discuss issues of national interest, has, since its inception, dealt with a wide range of topics on education, politics, environment, social, national security, peace and stability, among others.
Participants from all over the country and with varied backgrounds are expected to attend the one-week school, during which they will discuss various issues pertaining to tertiary education and make recommendations for consideration by the government.
The Director of this year’s school, Mr Ishmael W. Parry, told the Daily Graphic yesterday that the theme was chosen to throw a searchlight on tertiary education and national development.
He said the school would examine how well tertiary education had fared in national development and attempt to identify the challenges confronting the sector, vis-à-vis its relevance to national development, and recommend possible solutions to address them.
According to him, it had been 50 years of tertiary education in the country, within which period the number of public universities had increased to six, with several private universities.
Moreover, he said, other institutions, such as teacher training colleges, nurses training colleges and polytechnics, had all been upgraded to tertiary status.
Mr Parry said those institutions had produced different professionals for the nation who were taking vital decisions for the country.
He explained that it was, therefore, essential to evaluate the performance of the sector.
He said the main theme had also been broken into sub-topics, with professionals and practitioners expected to deliver lectures at the various sessions.
According to Mr Parry, the Minister of Education, Science and Sports, Professor Dominic Fobih, would deliver a lecture on the current educational reform and its implications for tertiary education.
He said the Chairman of the Conference of Polytechnic Rectors, Dr Samuel Obeng Apori, who is also the Rector of the Takoradi Polytechnic, together with Mrs Rita Kaine, the Registrar of the Accra Polytechnic, and Mr Richard Nkrumah, the President of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), would discuss polytechnic education in Ghana, the challenges and prospects.
Mr Parry said another symposium on resourcing district assemblies for local governance would attract Mr Maxwell Kofi Jumah, Mr Kwamena Ahwoi and Prof Yaw Boakye-Dankwah as speakers.
He said the Principal of the Ghana Telecom University College, Dr K. Osei Darkwah, and the Director of the ICT Directorate of the University of Ghana, Mr Emmanuel Owusu Oware, would deliberate on increasing the utilisation of ICT in tertiary education.
2 US sailors die in hotel
Front Page: January 3, 2008
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO US Navy sailors, said to be “on shore leave in West Africa”, were found dead in their hotel rooms in Accra on New Year’s Day.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, told the Daily Graphic that the cause of death was not known but said the CID was investigating the incident, in collaboration with US Navy officials.
He said a third sailor who was found to be in coma had been revived.
The two naval officers were part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS), an initiative recently launched by the US to support regional maritime security and safety in West and Central Africa.
It began the training of Ghana’s Naval officers in Tema on November 20, 2007.
The APS is a floating continuing education and training facility located on board the USS Fort McHenry, a 185-metre dock landing ship normally used to support amphibious operations, which is expected to impart knowledge on issues such as maritime security and fisheries protection to Ghanaian Naval officers.
DCOP Adu-Poku said the US Embassy had flown in an investigator from Italy to work in collaboration with the CID in finding clues to the deaths.
He said the bodies, which were currently at the Police Hospital morgue, would be flown to Germany for post-mortem to help establish the cause of death.
He explained that US Embassy officials said the US had modern facilities in Germany to help undertake a thorough post-mortem analysis.
Consequently, he said, a Ghanaian pathologist and an investigator would accompany the bodies, which were expected to be flown to Germany today.
DCOP Adu-Poku said the third US Naval officer who was revived at the 37 Military Hospital had been discharged and was assisting in investigations.
He said the identity of the resuscitated officer was being withheld for security reasons, while the identities of the deceased were yet to be communicated to their next of kin.
Story: Albert K. Salia
TWO US Navy sailors, said to be “on shore leave in West Africa”, were found dead in their hotel rooms in Accra on New Year’s Day.
The Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Frank Adu-Poku, told the Daily Graphic that the cause of death was not known but said the CID was investigating the incident, in collaboration with US Navy officials.
He said a third sailor who was found to be in coma had been revived.
The two naval officers were part of the Africa Partnership Station (APS), an initiative recently launched by the US to support regional maritime security and safety in West and Central Africa.
It began the training of Ghana’s Naval officers in Tema on November 20, 2007.
The APS is a floating continuing education and training facility located on board the USS Fort McHenry, a 185-metre dock landing ship normally used to support amphibious operations, which is expected to impart knowledge on issues such as maritime security and fisheries protection to Ghanaian Naval officers.
DCOP Adu-Poku said the US Embassy had flown in an investigator from Italy to work in collaboration with the CID in finding clues to the deaths.
He said the bodies, which were currently at the Police Hospital morgue, would be flown to Germany for post-mortem to help establish the cause of death.
He explained that US Embassy officials said the US had modern facilities in Germany to help undertake a thorough post-mortem analysis.
Consequently, he said, a Ghanaian pathologist and an investigator would accompany the bodies, which were expected to be flown to Germany today.
DCOP Adu-Poku said the third US Naval officer who was revived at the 37 Military Hospital had been discharged and was assisting in investigations.
He said the identity of the resuscitated officer was being withheld for security reasons, while the identities of the deceased were yet to be communicated to their next of kin.
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