May 07.05.2012 -Latest GhanaWeb-News

BY Alhassan M. Murtala-Tamale
A journalist and aspiring parliamentary candidate for Tamale Central constituency, Mahama Sayibu has called on President Mills to sack the Northern Regional Minister for his ethnocentric comments in 1994 during the Dagomba Nanumba Konkomba war.

He says even though it’s been eighteen years since he made those comments on the floor of parliament, his decision to storm radio Justice, a Tamale based radio station to try to justify those comments last week shows that he has no regret for the comments and could say worse things if a similar situation presents itself.

Mr. Sayibu says as head of the REGSEC the recap of such comments in the media that konkombas are like Israelis and that if you kill one Konkomba they will kill ten of your own has brought back painful memories amongst Dagbombas and Nanumbas who are beginning to wonder whether the minister in this election year can be fair to his opponents.

Mr. Sayibu says if the President allows the minister to continue to be at post, his position as chairman of REGSEC could compromise ethnic and political harmony in the region, a situation that constitutes a substantial risk of threat to peace.

He adds that people have so lost confidence in Mabingba’s neutrality that recently a meeting of Abudu and Andani chiefs addressed by him was boycotted by one of the factions.

According to him, the minister has also gained notoriety for storming radio stations and intimidating media persons, as action that is not good for his NDC party that is still struggling to win the favour of the media.

Mr. Sayibu advises the media personnel not to allow Mabingba to intimidate them since he has no power what so ever to set the agenda for them.

He warns that any attempt by Magingba to trample upon his right as an individual or that of his admirers and sympathizers will be fiercely resisted.

He adviced the minister to rather concentrate his efforts in resolving footsoldier concerns if he has nothing doing in his office.

Preliminary investigations into weapons intercepted by police in Kumasi on Sunday have revealed that the guns are only meant for the firing of musketry.

The arms were aboard a Metro Mass Transit bus with registration number AS 6810 Z bound for Tamale from Osino in the Eastern Region.

The Ashanti Regional Police Commander DCOP Augustine Gyening told Luv FM they are not offensive weapons.

He added that the impounded weapons had no cartridges and only uses gunpowder, corroborating the earlier story of the suspects that were returning from a funeral with the said weapons when they were apprehended.

He further added that police will conduct further enquiries before the suspects are freed.

He chastised the suspects for not informing the police before embarking on the journey with the musketry. He revealed that the statement of the suspects would be taken after which they would be granted bail.

The driver of the bus who was also arrested has however been granted bail.

Although, it has never been in doubt that, the Leader and Presidential Candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo is no match for His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills as far as the impending presidential election is concerned, the NPP flagbearer himself has finally thrown in the towel.

Demonstrating clearly that he did not have what it takes to lead, and being indecisive, the NPP flagbearer, during an interview with Joy FM’s Sammy Darko, surrenders leadership of this country to President Mills, when he failed to comment on the war declaration by the Assin North Member of Parliament (MP), Kennedy Agyapong.

In his absolute refusal to speak to the Kennedy Agyapong’s comments, the NPP flagbearer stated emphatically that unless he hears President Mills speak to the issue, he was not going to comment either, since the President is the leader of the nation.
“President Mills must lead for us to follow”, Akufo-Addo stated.
This goes to confirm that, lacking the needed leadership skills, he cannot make any sensible speech, unless he gets clue from the president, since he has always been his mentor.
Evident that, he, all the time, wants to learn from President Mills, the NPP flagbearer, in smart but fruitless move, changed the president’s door-to-door (in other words retailed) campaign to ‘listening tour’ that landed him in people’s house, to eat.
As a copycat, he ended up in Israel to pray for forgiveness, so he can be considered as a good Christian by Ghanaians, just as President Mills.
It would be recalled that, NPP MP Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, weeks ago, on his radio station OMAN FM declared war on Ghana, and in addition to his genocidal statement, calling on Ashanti’s to slaughter people of Ga-Dangme and Ewe origin.

The Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) has expressed dismay at the decision by government to sign a contract with a South African construction firm Guma Group, for the construction of 500 housing units for the police and military personnel.

Vice President John Mahama on Friday, superintended over the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Ghana and the Guma Group of South Africa, to roll out housing units for the security agencies.

But President of the Ghana Real Estates Developer Association, Dr. Alex Tweneboah says, government’s decision to rather settle on a foreign group to put up 500 housing unit is disappointing.

“Look at Teshie-Nungua, who built Teshie-Nungua? Look at Tema Community 18, 19, who built that? Look at Awudome Estates, who built that? Is it not Ghanaians? Are you telling me that 500 houses, there is no Ghanaian company [that can construct them]”? Dr Tweneboah asked.

He insisted there were local real estate companies that were very capable of undertaking the projects.

He said even if “our proposal was not satisfactory enough, one would have thought that at least they would have invited us to, perhaps, discuss where the proposal fell down so we could perhaps go back and amend it and present it to them.”

Meanwhile Minister for Works and Housing, E.T. Mensah has reiterated Government’s desire to provide affordable housing.

He told Joy News government has not shut its doors on local housing companies.

He said GREDA and other local companies would be given the opportunity as long as they meet the standard criteria.

The chiefs and queen mothers of the Volta region have expressed mixed feelings about Nana Akufo-Addo’s statement reiterating his commitment towards promoting ethnic unity.

The NPP flagbearer during a courtesy call on the Chiefs and queen mother’s last Friday stated that he does not condone any comment by any member of his party that promotes ethnic war.

The Vice President of the Volta regional House of Chiefs, the paramount Chief of Likpe traditional area, Nana Soglo Alloh, in an interview with XYZ News said some of the Chiefs expected the NPP Flagbearer to have commented specifically on the ethnocentric comments made by NPP MP Kennedy Agyapong.

“There were mixed reactions because Nana Addo’s visit was purely a courtesy call on the Chiefs and in the course of his message to us we wanted him to touch on this issue [Ken Agyapong saga]”.

“One of the chiefs asked him about it and he said because the matter is in court he couldn’t comment any further on it so we couldn’t push him any further on that”.

A GHANAIAN woman was yesterday arrested in possession of six kilogrammes of heroin worth 270m/- at the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) in Dar es Salaam.

The Head of the Anti-Narcotics Drugs Unit, Senior Assistant Commissioner of Police (SACP), Mr Godfrey Nzowa, told a news conference that Emanuella Adom (51) was arrested when she was about to board Kenya Airways flight to return to Accra, Ghana.

"We arrested her at around 4:00am. The drugs were hidden in her two suitcases," Mr Nzowa said. He said the woman is in police custody pending further investigations and arraignment.

Adom hold passport number G 0084666 and upon conviction may get life imprisonment sentence or a fine that is three times of street value of the seized drugs.

Mr Nzowa said the suspect had been in the country since April 27 and was living at Gates of Paradise Hotel, Mbezi Beach area in Dar es Salaam. He said the woman was on holiday in the country, according to immigration records.

On Saturday, another woman, a Zambian national Mary Mvula (30) purged 49 pellets of heroin worth 32m/- she had carried in her stomach. The woman was arrested on May 2, at JNIA after police suspected her of carrying drugs since she stayed for three days without going to the toilet.

Meanwhile, Anne Robi reports that police in Dar es Salaam have arrested 31 people for allegedly being in possession of bhang and illicit liquor known as 'gongo.'

The suspects were arrested during a swoop over the weekend. Police said 17 suspects were arrested in Kigogo, seven in Kawe, three in Bunju and the rest at Kilimahewa area in Temeke District.

Addressing a news conference in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Kinondoni Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr Faustine Shilongile, said that suspects from Kinondoni were arrested in unlawful possession of 60 pellets of bhang and 24 litres of 'gongo.'

He named some of the suspects as Rhoda Shekimweli (28), Semeni Mpinde (32), Shukuru Jumanne (19), Shaban Msuya (22), Asha Juma (23), Mohammed Ally (40) and Moses Mhina (20).

The rest are Mohammed Habibu (27), Ally Yusuf (30), Abubakar Idrissa (30), Juma Abeid (28) and Michael Roma (28).

Meanwhile, the Temeke Regional Police Commander (RPC), Mr David Misime named those arrested in Temeke district as Abduli Nassor (20), Haji Abdallah (20), Hassan Said (18) and Salehe Mohammed (31).

Mr Misime said that the suspects were arrested at Tandika area in Temeke District in a swoop over the weekend.

The Bank of Ghana is warning the public against dealing with 4 Microfinance Companies.The Companies are MEDLORM Microfinance Limited, African Guarantee Trust, Abbey Cash Microfinance Limited and Swift Financial Services.

The Central Bank says it has neither licensed any of these nor had any of them apply for a license. The Bank says members of the public who transact business with any of these four institutions therefore do so at their own peril.

Meanwhile, the Bank of Ghana is warning Microfinance Companies with provisional licenses to desist from advertising as if they have been fully sanctioned. So far, the Central Bank has granted 45 provisional licenses whilst other applications are still being processed.

The Bank is also requesting the Companies to stop using the Bank of Ghana’s licensing process as an advertising tool for their businesses

Seventeen Fulani herdsmen have been arrested to assist the police in their investigations into the death of two farmers at Nkoduawa, a village near Abetifi in the Eastern Region.

The farmers, identified as Kofi Hotovie, 55, and his son, Abraham Sogu, 19, were allegedly shot dead on April 27, 2012 by two Fulani herdsmen who fled into the bush.

The two were shot while preparing supper about 7 p.m. on that fateful day.

Their bodies were first taken to a morgue at Nkawkaw, but later transferred to the Police Hospital morgue in Accra for autopsy, while the Fulanis had been sent to the Regional Police Headquarters in Koforidua for interrogation.

A policeman in Mpraeso told graphic.com.gh that the suspects were believed to be part of a syndicate which committed the act.

According to him, cattle belonging to the Fulani herdsmen had, for some time now been destroying crops and farmlands in Abetifi and its environs which had incurred the wrath of the farmers.

Accordingly, he said, the police and other security agencies had been organising joint operations to prevent the cattle from destroying crops and farmlands.

The policeman expressed surprise that the two farmers had to be shot by the Fulanis in their house and indicated that investigations were going on to identify the actual culprits for them to be arraigned.

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