No matter how often one faults the duiker, its swiftness can never be faulted, as this quality embedded in the duiker , is always admired.
It is for this reason that I have always admired the Ashanti Regional Police Command , for its vigilance in instilling discipline among motorists as a way of curbing the spate of carnage in the region.
Their vigilance on the road networks in the Ashanti Region, is admirable, in that, police could be spotted at vantage points from dawn to dusk, scrutinising motorists to ensure that their vehicles are not only road-worthy, but also have the requisite documents.
Motorists who have developed the appetite of driving at break-neck speed, especially on the accident prone Kumasi-Obuasi road, and that of the Kumasi-Sunyani road, sometimes laugh at the wrong side of their cheek when they are caught red-handed with the speed radar, an instrument the police use in bringing over speeding motorists to book .
Such motorists are sometimes dragged to the courts to explain why they are deliberately putting their lives and those of other road users at great risk.
Some of the operations of the police along the trunk roads in the region, have also led to the arrest of hardened criminals , many of whom were escaping with their booty, thereby facilitating their prosecution and incarceration .
Their vigilance on the road network in the Kumasi Metropolis, especially during the morning rush hours, mostly create sanity on the road, making it possible for commuters to reach their destinations on schedule to operate its businesses.
In spite of such outstanding qualities of the Ashanti Regional Police Command, there is one flaw which is gradually becoming a blot in their operations.
This flaw, which is very palpable, is the apathetic posture the police in the region have assumed towards the recklessness of users of bullions, especially when there is no emergency .
It is a fact that, police in the region are always eager to strictly apply the needed sanctions against commercial and private drivers who disregard road-traffic regulations .
This, according to the police, are the disciplinary measures meant to create sanity on the roads to make travelling more conducive , comfortable and enjoyable.
No matter how minor their offences are, commercial drivers, especially, are sure to suffer the wrath of the police.
With this at the back of their minds, motorists are eager to ‘shake’ the hands of police in their own small way, even if no offence has been committed.
This, according to some of the motorists, is to free them from unforeseen hazards and time wastage at the police stations and the courts .
Such strict application of the law by the police, regarding the instilling of sanity on the road, is highly commendable, as it sometimes helps to reduce the risks road users are prone to.
However, when it comes to applying the same sanctions against drivers who use bullions of financial institutions, the police are found wanting in ensuring their compliance of the road traffic regulations .
The refusal of the police to use the disciplinary rod , has made the bullion drivers to assume high profile complex,thereby creating the impression that they are operating on a different planet, and can, therefore, drive anyhow and anywhere on the roads, irrespective of what time of the day.
That bullions play useful roles in sustaining business transaction in the country is not in doubt.
In fact recognising their significance in sustaining business transactions, the public, especially motorists , readily give way to such vehicles , just as they do to ambulances , all to reduce the risk of keeping them in traffic.
Drivers of such vehicles have, therefore, taken the advantage motorists offer them for granted by assuming that the road networks were primarily constructed solely for their use.
With the police in the region refusing to bring them to order, such drivers have succeeded in creating an unnecessary state of panic for law-abiding motorists.
A typical example of this was vividly displayed by a driver of a national ambulance in Kumasi, four years ago.
This driver decided to use a vehicle belonging to the state, meant for an emergency health care services, to celebrate the victory of a local football club.
Moments after he heard that his team had beaten a rival soccer club by a lone goal in Kumasi during a competitive match, he got hold of the ambulance, which was by then parked at his residence, draped his dog in the colours of his team, put the pet into the bucket of the ambulance, and dashed onto the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital –Bekwai roundabout trunk road at top speed while blowing the siren.
Disregarding other road users and putting their lives at great risk, the driver continued to drive recklessly to and fro, creating a state of panic for road users , many of whom had to swerve to avoid crashing into the ambulance.
Eventually, the ambulance driver lost total control of the vehicle and smashed the vehicle into an oncoming articulated truck a few metres from the Shell fuel station at the Bekwai roundabout, damaging the vehicle beyond repairs.
The driver, and his dog, however, escaped unhurt, but to date, the ambulance has been confined to the garage with no intention of repairing it again due to the severe damage caused and the cost involved.
As usual, a committee was set up to investigate the incident the outcome of which has not been made public up since then.
Just like the errant ambulance driver, those who use bullions seem to have taken their privilege on the road for granted, and are, therefore, abusing it with impunity.
It is not uncommon to see these drivers blasting their horns in irritating manner, and moving threateningly in traffic, putting the lives of motorists at great risk.
Long before the financial institutions open at 8:30 am , many of such bullions are seen on the road networks of the metropolis moving at top speed.
The recklessness also continue after the financial institutions had closed from business, indicating that, it is not responding to emergencies that cause such drivers to misbehave on the road but they do so for reasons best known to themselves.
With their hazard lights blinking menacingly and their horns blowing furiously, these drivers move in the middle of the single carriage road networks, daring oncoming vehicles , many of which have to swerve sharply to avoid any head-on collision.
Ironically , many of such attitudes happen right in the glare of the Police Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) personnel who are rather ready to apply the disciplinary rod against taxi and trotro drivers, but always turn a blind eye when it comes to these potential murderers, the bullion drivers.
This is also happening at a time the public are raising eyebrows about the carnage on the roads.
Many fatal accidents that had claimed precious lives over the years in the Kumasi metropolis , were attributed to human errors, just as it happened on August 16,2010 when 19 innocent passengers died in the Greater Accra Region.
On Monday, August 16, 2010 the recklessness of a Metro Mass Transit driver resulted in the death of 19 innocent passengers, including a Police Chief Inspector , with 55 others sustaining various degrees of injuries .
The bus with registration number, AS 6059-10 , crushed into a stationary truck at Koni-Kabu near Dawa in the Dangme East District of the Greater Accra Region.
The Transport Minister , Mr Mike Hammer, who went to the accident scene, was beside himself with grief , and bemoaned the spate of accidents in the country, saying the country losses as much as $16.5 million annually through accidents.
The media has raised the attitude of bullion operators with the Regional Police Command over the years and as usual , the Police had always assured to bring them to order, but such assurances are yet to be manifested on the road as they do to other road users .
This is also happening at a time that the public is becoming more concerned about the number of people being killed on the road on a daily basis through accidents.
Many of such accidents are preventable, and that is why the police should be seen to be checking any form of recklessness , no matter where it comes from.
In the Ashanti Region alone, 53 passengers , including 25 females , lost their lives through fatal accidents between January and March this year, and 535 others suffered various degrees of injuries, causing them to depend on families and friends for their livelihood.
As many as 74 pedestrians, were also knocked down by vehicles in the region between January and March this year, creating a state of insecurity for pedestrians.
During the same period last year, 75 passengers in the region died through vehicular accidents , but the injury toll was pegged at 403.
In all, as many as 498 vehicles, including 160 private cars ,were involved in accidents in the Ashanti Region alone between January and March this year.
22 motor cycles were also recorded to have been involved in accidents during the same period in the region, this year.
Last year, the number of vehicles recorded to have been involved in accidents in the region were 576.
Carnage on the road can be reduced, if motorists are made to appreciate that they will not be spared if they flout road safety regulations.
Police will be doing more harm than good to the public, if they discriminate in applying sanctions against all manner of road users as it is happening in Kumasi.
Perhaps the police in the region are eagerly waiting for drivers operating bullions to start slaughtering law-abiding motorists, including police officers to generate national outcry before they decide to finally act.
Since prevention is always better than cure, it would serve the interest of majority of Ghanaians if Police acted swiftly as they sometimes do, to bring reckless bullion operators to order before they succeed in reducing the road network in the region to a slaughtering house
Sunday, August 29, 2010
KUMASI VAT OFFICE CAUTIONS BUSINESS COMMUNITY (SPREAD, AUGUST 28, 2010)
The Kumasi Office of the Valued Added Tax (VAT) has warned the business community in the metropolis that they risk being arrested and prosecuted if they falsify or destroy basic accounts records on taxes collected from clients on behalf of the VAT.
Mr Francis Ajor of the Suame VAT Office, who gave the warning at a seminar organised to educate restaurants and hotel operators in Kumasi, explained that as agents of the VAT, they needed to keep basic account records for a minimum of six years before disposing of them.
He pointed out that before destroying any business records, the law demanded that the business community should apply and explain the rationale behind their action and should also wait for an endorsement before they could carry out their actions.
Explaining further, he said some businessmen and women deliberately falsified some records of their operations after they had collected VAT from clients, and to avoid detection, they either hid the records or burnt them.
“The taxes you collect from clients on behalf of the state are revenue from the informal sector for national development, and not your capital or profits, so under no circumstance should you fail to render proper accounts to the VAT office,” he noted.
The seminar was the second in a series being organised for restaurants and hotel operators to sensitise them to ensure that their business operations conformed with the provisions enshrined in the VAT Act, 1998 (ACT 546).
About 100 participants attended the seminar, which also sought to educate them on the role of the VAT in sustainable national economic generation to support national development.
In his presentation, Mr Ajor said, basic record keeping in business did not only enhance transparency, but also enabled the business community to detect any anomaly and remedy it, thereby sustaining their operations.
He said such actions also helped the VAT service to collaborate with them in terms of taxes collected on behalf of the state.
“VAT without records undermine operations, and give room for assumptions, which is not the best,” he advised.
He, therefore, charged them to file their returns as regularly as possible and negotiate with the VAT if they had any problem for failing to file their returns at a particular point in time.
He urged them to charge VAT “on all services you offer your clients, including short time, to ensure that you support the state to generate the needed revenue that would enhance accelerated national development”
He expressed concern about the attitude of some traders who refused to offer themselves voluntarily for registration.
Mr Francis Ajor of the Suame VAT Office, who gave the warning at a seminar organised to educate restaurants and hotel operators in Kumasi, explained that as agents of the VAT, they needed to keep basic account records for a minimum of six years before disposing of them.
He pointed out that before destroying any business records, the law demanded that the business community should apply and explain the rationale behind their action and should also wait for an endorsement before they could carry out their actions.
Explaining further, he said some businessmen and women deliberately falsified some records of their operations after they had collected VAT from clients, and to avoid detection, they either hid the records or burnt them.
“The taxes you collect from clients on behalf of the state are revenue from the informal sector for national development, and not your capital or profits, so under no circumstance should you fail to render proper accounts to the VAT office,” he noted.
The seminar was the second in a series being organised for restaurants and hotel operators to sensitise them to ensure that their business operations conformed with the provisions enshrined in the VAT Act, 1998 (ACT 546).
About 100 participants attended the seminar, which also sought to educate them on the role of the VAT in sustainable national economic generation to support national development.
In his presentation, Mr Ajor said, basic record keeping in business did not only enhance transparency, but also enabled the business community to detect any anomaly and remedy it, thereby sustaining their operations.
He said such actions also helped the VAT service to collaborate with them in terms of taxes collected on behalf of the state.
“VAT without records undermine operations, and give room for assumptions, which is not the best,” he advised.
He, therefore, charged them to file their returns as regularly as possible and negotiate with the VAT if they had any problem for failing to file their returns at a particular point in time.
He urged them to charge VAT “on all services you offer your clients, including short time, to ensure that you support the state to generate the needed revenue that would enhance accelerated national development”
He expressed concern about the attitude of some traders who refused to offer themselves voluntarily for registration.
SERIAL ROBBER JAILED 30 YEARS (PAGE 20, MIRROR, AUGUST 28, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi
THE penchant of a 24-year-old man to rob students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), of their cash and other valuables, received a jolt when he was finally arrested and convicted to serve a 30-year jail term with hard labour by a Kumasi Circuit Court.
The convict, Isaac Kofi Tawiah, who together with an accomplice identified only as Ben, pounced on a female student at the KNUST around 7:30 p.m. on April 5, 2010, and robbed her of an amount of GH¢120.00, was arrested barely a week later after they had committed the crime.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery, but after four months trial, the court found him guilty of the charges and convicted him accordingly.
The student had gone to the KNUST branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank around 7:30 p.m. to withdraw cash with her ATM card, but moments after she had withdrawn the money, the convict and his accomplice who had laid ambush attacked her with a sharp knife, and succeeded in robbing her of the money, purse containing her Mobile phone and student identity card.
They also took away the ATM card before escaping with their booty.
Tawiah, who claimed to be a dealer in second hand clothing at the Central Business District in Kumasi, was arrested around 6:30 p.m. at the KNUST lorry station on April 12, 2010, when he attempted to board a mini bus.
Unknown to him, his victim had spotted him at the lorry station, and therefore raised alarm, causing sympathisers to arrest him and later handed him over to the police.
Following the arrest, Tawiah admitted attacking the student and depriving her of the money, Mobile phone, identity and ATM card s.
He led the police to Amakom, a Kumasi suburb, where the mobile phone was retrieved, but failed to produce the other items.
He also led police to the abode of his accomplice, Ben, but the fugitive had by then vacated from the premises. Police are therefore hunting for him to assist in their investigations.
Giving the facts before the court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amoo-Yartety, a State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Lawrence –Otoo-Boison, said the complainant, who is a student at the KNUST, had gone to the university branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank on April 5, 2010, to withdraw cash with her ATM card when the convict and his accomplice attacked her with a sharp knife.
He said the complainant who was traumatised by the agony she went through, managed to report her ordeal to the security personnel at the KNUST, but a search mounted for their arrest proved futile.
Mr Otoo-Boison said around 6:30 p.m. on April 12, 2010, whilst the victim was alighting from a vehicle at the KNUST lorry station, she spotted her attacker at the station, and therefore raised alarm, causing sympathisers around the area to arrest Tawiah and hand him over to the police to assist in their investigations.
THE penchant of a 24-year-old man to rob students at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), of their cash and other valuables, received a jolt when he was finally arrested and convicted to serve a 30-year jail term with hard labour by a Kumasi Circuit Court.
The convict, Isaac Kofi Tawiah, who together with an accomplice identified only as Ben, pounced on a female student at the KNUST around 7:30 p.m. on April 5, 2010, and robbed her of an amount of GH¢120.00, was arrested barely a week later after they had committed the crime.
He pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery, but after four months trial, the court found him guilty of the charges and convicted him accordingly.
The student had gone to the KNUST branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank around 7:30 p.m. to withdraw cash with her ATM card, but moments after she had withdrawn the money, the convict and his accomplice who had laid ambush attacked her with a sharp knife, and succeeded in robbing her of the money, purse containing her Mobile phone and student identity card.
They also took away the ATM card before escaping with their booty.
Tawiah, who claimed to be a dealer in second hand clothing at the Central Business District in Kumasi, was arrested around 6:30 p.m. at the KNUST lorry station on April 12, 2010, when he attempted to board a mini bus.
Unknown to him, his victim had spotted him at the lorry station, and therefore raised alarm, causing sympathisers to arrest him and later handed him over to the police.
Following the arrest, Tawiah admitted attacking the student and depriving her of the money, Mobile phone, identity and ATM card s.
He led the police to Amakom, a Kumasi suburb, where the mobile phone was retrieved, but failed to produce the other items.
He also led police to the abode of his accomplice, Ben, but the fugitive had by then vacated from the premises. Police are therefore hunting for him to assist in their investigations.
Giving the facts before the court presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amoo-Yartety, a State Attorney, Mr Emmanuel Lawrence –Otoo-Boison, said the complainant, who is a student at the KNUST, had gone to the university branch of the Ghana Commercial Bank on April 5, 2010, to withdraw cash with her ATM card when the convict and his accomplice attacked her with a sharp knife.
He said the complainant who was traumatised by the agony she went through, managed to report her ordeal to the security personnel at the KNUST, but a search mounted for their arrest proved futile.
Mr Otoo-Boison said around 6:30 p.m. on April 12, 2010, whilst the victim was alighting from a vehicle at the KNUST lorry station, she spotted her attacker at the station, and therefore raised alarm, causing sympathisers around the area to arrest Tawiah and hand him over to the police to assist in their investigations.
COUPLE ENGAGE IN ARMED ROBBERY (PAGE 19, MIRROR, AUGUST 28, 2010)
From George Ernest Asare, Kumasi.
THE dream of a couple, Amaglo Cudjoe, 25 and Nana Yaa, 23, to use foul means to make money to supplement their farming income backfired as passengers in a Nissan Urvan mini bus who saw the couple attacking a taxi driver with a knife and hammer to deprive him of his vehicle and money quickly arrested the man .
The taxi driver, who was identified as Yaw Sarpong, suffered multiple injuries when he was persistently stabbed and hit with the knife and hammer by the couple.
He died on the spot moments after the passengers came to his rescue, but not until Cudjoe was arrested.
His wife, Nana Yaa however, managed to escape into the bush, and had since been at large.
Cudjoe, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery when he appeared before a Kumasi Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amoo-Yartey. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, but confessed his crime in the course of the trial, explaining how his wife put intense pressure on him to indulge in armed robbery to supplement their meagre income from farming.
He also admitted to the prosecuting witnesses claims about their attack on the taxi driver after they had hired him from Ejisu Zongo under the guise of conveying goats from Onwe to Ejisu for sale.
After a trial which lasted for eight months, he was found guilty of the charges and convicted to serve 80 year jail term with hard labour.
Giving the facts before the court, Ms. R.D. Anita Wasse, a State Attorney, said both Cudjoe and Yaa live at Asotwe, while the taxi driver, was residing at Abonkro, near Ejisu.
She said Yaa had always been complaining about their meagre income and therefore put pressure on Cudjoe for them to indulge in armed robbery to enable them generate additional income to enhance their self esteem.
She said with the intense pressure, Cudjoe finally bowed to the wife’s idea for them to indulge in armed robbery, so on December 18, 2009, the couple went to Ejisu and hired the services of the deceased under the guise of conveying goats from Onwe to Ejisu for sale.
Ms Wasse said the deceased charged them a fare of GH¢60 and on reaching Donaso, near ‘Nyame ye Obolo’ prayer camp junction, Yaa asked the deceased to stop for her to attend to call of nature.
She said as soon as the deceased stopped Cudjoe attacked the deceased with a knife and a hammer and succeeded in robbing him of GH¢20.00
She said in the course of the attack, the deceased suffered from multiple injuries at the thigh and chest and therefore bled profusely, leading to his death on the spot.
She said fortunately, some passengers in a Nissan Urvan bus were attracted to the scene, and went to the aid of the deceased, but they were too late.
She said they however, managed to arrest Cudjoe and handed him over to the police, but were unable to arrest Yaa who had by then escaped into a nearby bush.
THE dream of a couple, Amaglo Cudjoe, 25 and Nana Yaa, 23, to use foul means to make money to supplement their farming income backfired as passengers in a Nissan Urvan mini bus who saw the couple attacking a taxi driver with a knife and hammer to deprive him of his vehicle and money quickly arrested the man .
The taxi driver, who was identified as Yaw Sarpong, suffered multiple injuries when he was persistently stabbed and hit with the knife and hammer by the couple.
He died on the spot moments after the passengers came to his rescue, but not until Cudjoe was arrested.
His wife, Nana Yaa however, managed to escape into the bush, and had since been at large.
Cudjoe, was charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and robbery when he appeared before a Kumasi Circuit Court, presided over by Mr Emmanuel Amoo-Yartey. He pleaded not guilty to the charges, but confessed his crime in the course of the trial, explaining how his wife put intense pressure on him to indulge in armed robbery to supplement their meagre income from farming.
He also admitted to the prosecuting witnesses claims about their attack on the taxi driver after they had hired him from Ejisu Zongo under the guise of conveying goats from Onwe to Ejisu for sale.
After a trial which lasted for eight months, he was found guilty of the charges and convicted to serve 80 year jail term with hard labour.
Giving the facts before the court, Ms. R.D. Anita Wasse, a State Attorney, said both Cudjoe and Yaa live at Asotwe, while the taxi driver, was residing at Abonkro, near Ejisu.
She said Yaa had always been complaining about their meagre income and therefore put pressure on Cudjoe for them to indulge in armed robbery to enable them generate additional income to enhance their self esteem.
She said with the intense pressure, Cudjoe finally bowed to the wife’s idea for them to indulge in armed robbery, so on December 18, 2009, the couple went to Ejisu and hired the services of the deceased under the guise of conveying goats from Onwe to Ejisu for sale.
Ms Wasse said the deceased charged them a fare of GH¢60 and on reaching Donaso, near ‘Nyame ye Obolo’ prayer camp junction, Yaa asked the deceased to stop for her to attend to call of nature.
She said as soon as the deceased stopped Cudjoe attacked the deceased with a knife and a hammer and succeeded in robbing him of GH¢20.00
She said in the course of the attack, the deceased suffered from multiple injuries at the thigh and chest and therefore bled profusely, leading to his death on the spot.
She said fortunately, some passengers in a Nissan Urvan bus were attracted to the scene, and went to the aid of the deceased, but they were too late.
She said they however, managed to arrest Cudjoe and handed him over to the police, but were unable to arrest Yaa who had by then escaped into a nearby bush.
GNAT OFFICERS UNDERGO OREINTATION SEMINAR (PAGE 11, AUGUST 27, 2010)
THE Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) has organised a four-day orientation seminar for their newly-elected regional and district officers in Kumasi to help improve their proficiency in communication skills to enhance effective operations of the association.
About 47 participants, including GNAT Ladies Coordinators and Field Research Assistants, attended the seminar which sought to build their capacity in basic rudiments of public relations practice for them to promote the interest of members in their respective localities.
The seminar which was on the theme: “Effective communication of Public Relations Strategies to achieve maximum results,” formed part of the operations of the association to improve internal communication skills among members as a way of having a formidable front in addressing issues that promote their interest in particular and society in general.
The Public Relations Officer of GNAT, Mr Peter Tetteh Korda, urged the participants to focus on the seminar to enable them to become proficient in public relations.
This, he said, would enable them to recognise the need to appreciate the challenges confronting their colleagues and devise effective means of taking prompt action to address them.
“The Pubic Relations Department of the association has taken it upon itself to join the campaign to sensitise the officers since everyone in the association has a public relations function to perform,” he stated.
He noted that when this takes root in their midst, each member will be able to respond to requests for information in a manner that promotes the pursuit of the association’s goals.
Mr Korda said their operations were key to the effective development of the association, and explained that issues relating to the Trade Unions, Public Affairs and the education and professional development of the GNAT reinforced the need for them to educate their rank.
He said since teachers were still considered to be credible opinion leaders, it was important for them “to expand and deepen their frontiers of knowledge on issues such as politics, culture, the economy, religion, HIV and AIDS and International Relations for them to be of utmost benefit not only to their students, but their communities as well.”
On the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), Mr Korda noted that it had reached a stage of migration from the old salary structure to the Single Spine Salary Structure.
He said due to the nature of their work, the migration would be done on individual basis, but assured that “all teachers on the payroll of the Controller and Accountant-General will be migrated to the SSSS before the close of the year.”
The Assistant PRO of GNAT, Ms Aqua Kotoku, urged the participants to implore all tools of public relations when interacting with members for them to realise their desired objectives.
She advised them to devise means of having fruitful interaction with the media and also organise talk shows as a way of informing and educating members on issues that promote their interests.
She said it was equally important for them to organise annual events, regular exhibitions, frequent staff durbars, as well as conferences and press soirees, among other programmes, as a way of putting messages across to their internal and external publics.
Ms Kotoku said with regular interactions with the publics and applying the requisite communications skills and strategies, they would be able to achieve maximum results and leave a legacy that would be cherished by the present and future generations of their core members.
About 47 participants, including GNAT Ladies Coordinators and Field Research Assistants, attended the seminar which sought to build their capacity in basic rudiments of public relations practice for them to promote the interest of members in their respective localities.
The seminar which was on the theme: “Effective communication of Public Relations Strategies to achieve maximum results,” formed part of the operations of the association to improve internal communication skills among members as a way of having a formidable front in addressing issues that promote their interest in particular and society in general.
The Public Relations Officer of GNAT, Mr Peter Tetteh Korda, urged the participants to focus on the seminar to enable them to become proficient in public relations.
This, he said, would enable them to recognise the need to appreciate the challenges confronting their colleagues and devise effective means of taking prompt action to address them.
“The Pubic Relations Department of the association has taken it upon itself to join the campaign to sensitise the officers since everyone in the association has a public relations function to perform,” he stated.
He noted that when this takes root in their midst, each member will be able to respond to requests for information in a manner that promotes the pursuit of the association’s goals.
Mr Korda said their operations were key to the effective development of the association, and explained that issues relating to the Trade Unions, Public Affairs and the education and professional development of the GNAT reinforced the need for them to educate their rank.
He said since teachers were still considered to be credible opinion leaders, it was important for them “to expand and deepen their frontiers of knowledge on issues such as politics, culture, the economy, religion, HIV and AIDS and International Relations for them to be of utmost benefit not only to their students, but their communities as well.”
On the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), Mr Korda noted that it had reached a stage of migration from the old salary structure to the Single Spine Salary Structure.
He said due to the nature of their work, the migration would be done on individual basis, but assured that “all teachers on the payroll of the Controller and Accountant-General will be migrated to the SSSS before the close of the year.”
The Assistant PRO of GNAT, Ms Aqua Kotoku, urged the participants to implore all tools of public relations when interacting with members for them to realise their desired objectives.
She advised them to devise means of having fruitful interaction with the media and also organise talk shows as a way of informing and educating members on issues that promote their interests.
She said it was equally important for them to organise annual events, regular exhibitions, frequent staff durbars, as well as conferences and press soirees, among other programmes, as a way of putting messages across to their internal and external publics.
Ms Kotoku said with regular interactions with the publics and applying the requisite communications skills and strategies, they would be able to achieve maximum results and leave a legacy that would be cherished by the present and future generations of their core members.
100 REMAND PRISONERS GET REPRIEVE (PAGE 3, AUGUST 27, 2010)
MORE than 100 remand prisoners in the Ashanti and Brong-Ahafo regions whose cases had not been heard for specific periods have been given some reprieve under the Access To Justice Programme.
About 101 such inmates were granted bail during a special court sitting at the Kumasi and Sunyani prisons, while 10 other remand prisoners in Sunyani were acquitted and discharged by the special court.
At the Sunyani sitting, 41 remand prisoners were granted bail to reappear at a later date, while in Kumasi, 60 remand prisoners were granted bail.
The beneficiary remand prisoners, alleged to have committed minor offences, had been in prison between three months and 11 years without trial, and were treated under the programme designed to decongest the country’s prisons of remand inmates.
The continuous denial of the judicial process to determine the fate of such inmates is said to be a major cause of congestion in the country’s prisons, a situation which affects the smooth operations of Prison officers and their desire to implement programmes that would reform the inmates effectively.
The acute congestion also affects the health of the prisoners and the cost of treatment, as well as the budget for managing them.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on their operations, the Project Co-ordinator of Access to Justice, Mr Isidore Kwadwo Tufuor, said their initiative stemmed from the problems at the prisons and congestion in them.
Expressing concern about the congestion at the Prisons, Mr Tufuor explained that Access to Justice, funded by the Fordham Law School, aimed at providing legal aid for remand prisoners who had been incarcerated for a long time without trial.
He said their operations, which would be undertaken annually, would not only create avenues for remand prisoners to have access to justice, but would also reduce the acute congestion at the prisons considerably.
On why the remand prisoners were granted bail, he said their offences were minor so they deserved to be granted bail.
He said those who were acquitted and discharged had also either been denied access to justice for a long time or had minor offences pending against them.
This, he said, informed the trial judges to acquit and discharge them as the only option to grant them justice.
He described their initiatives as very successful, explaining that they did not anticipate that as many as 101 remand prisoners would be granted bail in Kumasi and Sunyani within a short time.
Mr Tufuor denied issues raised by a State Attorney in Kumasi that the Attorney General’s Department and the police in the region were not given sufficient time to investigate those who were recommended for bail, and that some of those granted bail had lied about their offences and period of incarceration to win the sympathy of the judiciary, saying sufficient time was given before they sat on their cases.
He explained that a stakeholders meeting was held in Kumasi on August 3, 2010 during which the Attorney General‘s Department was amply briefed on the initiatives and requested to inform their counterparts in Sunyani to prepare for the project.
He said if the department in Sunyani responded positively to the initiative, making it very successful , then those in Kumasi had no cause to complain.
He, however, commended them for their co-operation which enhanced the success of the programme.
Mr Tufuor also commended the Bar associations of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, the police, Judiciary and Social Welfare, among other social groups, for their support.
He gave the assurance that the Leitner Centre for International Law would make the project an annual affair and offer justice to prisoners who deserved it.
He appealed to all stakeholders to continue to support the project to reduce congestion associated with remand prisoners in the country.
About 101 such inmates were granted bail during a special court sitting at the Kumasi and Sunyani prisons, while 10 other remand prisoners in Sunyani were acquitted and discharged by the special court.
At the Sunyani sitting, 41 remand prisoners were granted bail to reappear at a later date, while in Kumasi, 60 remand prisoners were granted bail.
The beneficiary remand prisoners, alleged to have committed minor offences, had been in prison between three months and 11 years without trial, and were treated under the programme designed to decongest the country’s prisons of remand inmates.
The continuous denial of the judicial process to determine the fate of such inmates is said to be a major cause of congestion in the country’s prisons, a situation which affects the smooth operations of Prison officers and their desire to implement programmes that would reform the inmates effectively.
The acute congestion also affects the health of the prisoners and the cost of treatment, as well as the budget for managing them.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on their operations, the Project Co-ordinator of Access to Justice, Mr Isidore Kwadwo Tufuor, said their initiative stemmed from the problems at the prisons and congestion in them.
Expressing concern about the congestion at the Prisons, Mr Tufuor explained that Access to Justice, funded by the Fordham Law School, aimed at providing legal aid for remand prisoners who had been incarcerated for a long time without trial.
He said their operations, which would be undertaken annually, would not only create avenues for remand prisoners to have access to justice, but would also reduce the acute congestion at the prisons considerably.
On why the remand prisoners were granted bail, he said their offences were minor so they deserved to be granted bail.
He said those who were acquitted and discharged had also either been denied access to justice for a long time or had minor offences pending against them.
This, he said, informed the trial judges to acquit and discharge them as the only option to grant them justice.
He described their initiatives as very successful, explaining that they did not anticipate that as many as 101 remand prisoners would be granted bail in Kumasi and Sunyani within a short time.
Mr Tufuor denied issues raised by a State Attorney in Kumasi that the Attorney General’s Department and the police in the region were not given sufficient time to investigate those who were recommended for bail, and that some of those granted bail had lied about their offences and period of incarceration to win the sympathy of the judiciary, saying sufficient time was given before they sat on their cases.
He explained that a stakeholders meeting was held in Kumasi on August 3, 2010 during which the Attorney General‘s Department was amply briefed on the initiatives and requested to inform their counterparts in Sunyani to prepare for the project.
He said if the department in Sunyani responded positively to the initiative, making it very successful , then those in Kumasi had no cause to complain.
He, however, commended them for their co-operation which enhanced the success of the programme.
Mr Tufuor also commended the Bar associations of the Ashanti and Brong Ahafo regions, the police, Judiciary and Social Welfare, among other social groups, for their support.
He gave the assurance that the Leitner Centre for International Law would make the project an annual affair and offer justice to prisoners who deserved it.
He appealed to all stakeholders to continue to support the project to reduce congestion associated with remand prisoners in the country.
OTUMFUO CUP IN SEMIS TODAY (PAGE 31, AUGUST 27, 2010)
Kumasi soccer fans will have a real taste of local soccer brewed at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium today as Obuasi Ashgold and Accra Hearts of Oak clash in the first semi finals of the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Charity Foundation match, while Wa All Stars also clash with Kumasi Asante Kotoko in the second semi-final match.
All Stars achieved this feat by defying all odds to defeat Alhaji Grunsah’s King Faisal by a lone goal when they clashed last Wednesday, while Ashgold accounted for Bechem Chelsea 5-3 on penalties after 90 minutes gruel without any goal.
Soccer fans did not turn out in their numbers to watch the opening matches, but with both Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko playing the same day at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, fans would be eager to watch the two most glamorous clubs on Friday.
With the current form of Accra Hearts of Oak, fans would expect them to devour Ashgold to set a date with Kotoko who are also expected to tear All Stars apart to set a date with their arch rivals in the grand finale.
The opening math between All Stars and King Faisal was quite dicey as both teams struggled to outdo each other
It was Joshua Otoo of All Stars who put his team on the winning way in the 39th minute by pouncing on a long cross and delivered a bullet that beat Ibrahim Iddrisu in post for Faisal.
Efforts by Faisal to equalise proved futile as the visitors defended their lone goal stoutly throughout the second half to set a date with Kumasi Asante Kotoko
The second match between Ashgold and Chelsea did not produce any goal and during the penalty shootout, the Obuasi lads carried the day to set a date with Hearts who have triumphed over them on two occasions during their 2010 Top 4 encounter.
All Stars achieved this feat by defying all odds to defeat Alhaji Grunsah’s King Faisal by a lone goal when they clashed last Wednesday, while Ashgold accounted for Bechem Chelsea 5-3 on penalties after 90 minutes gruel without any goal.
Soccer fans did not turn out in their numbers to watch the opening matches, but with both Accra Hearts of Oak and Kumasi Asante Kotoko playing the same day at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, fans would be eager to watch the two most glamorous clubs on Friday.
With the current form of Accra Hearts of Oak, fans would expect them to devour Ashgold to set a date with Kotoko who are also expected to tear All Stars apart to set a date with their arch rivals in the grand finale.
The opening math between All Stars and King Faisal was quite dicey as both teams struggled to outdo each other
It was Joshua Otoo of All Stars who put his team on the winning way in the 39th minute by pouncing on a long cross and delivered a bullet that beat Ibrahim Iddrisu in post for Faisal.
Efforts by Faisal to equalise proved futile as the visitors defended their lone goal stoutly throughout the second half to set a date with Kumasi Asante Kotoko
The second match between Ashgold and Chelsea did not produce any goal and during the penalty shootout, the Obuasi lads carried the day to set a date with Hearts who have triumphed over them on two occasions during their 2010 Top 4 encounter.
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