A 30-year-old businesswoman, Ms Amanda Oppong, has started vigorous house-to-house campaign at Asafo in Kumasi with the hope of mobilising the people to vote for her as their assembly woman for the Asafo Electoral Area.
Ms Oppong, who visited the Kumasi Office of the Daily Graphic as part of her campaign, said it was time women in particular and the youth in general, got involved in the district level election as a way of encouraging them to support development initiatives at the community level.
Ms Oppong is the youngest among the four candidates, including two other women, who are keenly contesting the election in the electoral area.
Giving reasons for her decision to contest the elections, she said she had something special to offer the Asafo community, and therefore appealed to the youth to actively support her campaign to enable her to win massively.
She said she was born and bred at Asafo and was therefore, conversant with the challenges facing the community. She said she would collaborate with the opinion leaders and leadership of the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly to address those challenges .
She mentioned sanitation as her priority, and that with only one dump site that serves the entire Asafo community, sanitation was not the best in the area. She said she had started negotiating with the KMA and other organisations to provide litter bins at vantage points at Asafo as a way of improving sanitation in the community, stressing that with hygienic environment, the health of residents would improve.
Ms Oppong said when elected, she would encourage parents to invest in their children’s education and also gave the assurance to collaborate with the KMA to support the education of brilliant needy students, saying “ many of them have the potentials to excel but their parents do not have the means to sponsor their education”.
She explained that the assembly had a special scholarship scheme to support them so she would take advantage of the scheme.
She said as a young woman, she would also liaise with the various sports personnel to nurture the potentials of the youth who have the desire to develop their talents in sports.
“ I will seek support for them, so that those who have special interest in football volley, tennis, hockey and basketball would be actively assisted”.
On her chances, she said, “my chances are very bright. I will continue with the house-to- house campaign and also mount a platform when the need arises to let the public appreciate the need to vote massively for me when the time comes”.
“Over the years, the people of North Suntreso have known me as the people’s mother due to the tremendous support I have offered the youth, children and the needy. That is why I am appealing to them to vote massively for me during the forthcoming district assembly elections so I can represent them at the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA)”.
These were the words of Madam Rosemary Adjei, aka, Nana Anima, a 45-year-old mother of four, who is contesting the elections in the North Suntreso Electoral Area with five others, including three men.
She said voting for her as the assembly woman would enable her collaborate with opinion leaders at the assembly and others at the highest level to lobby for support, and initiate programmes and policies to nurture potentials of the youth to enable them acquire employable skills.
She said she appreciated all the challenges that confront the community, stressing that it is time women in the community assumed leadership position, so that they will become initiators of policies and programmes that are people centred, to accelerate socio-economic development.
“ Since the inception of the district assembly concept, women in this community have supported the men to get into the assembly, and I think this is the time to give the same opportunity to women for them to be at the helm of affairs, considering the role they play in developmet” she said.
Nana Anima gave the assurance that she would not disappoint the people, if given the nod, stressing that the deplorable road network at North Suntreso, coupled with poor sanitation and drainage, as well as inadequate security that results in robbery and theft even at day time, will make her solicit the support from all sectors to make life more meaningful for the people.
She noted that because of the poor nature of the roads in the community, trotro and taxi drivers were reluctant to ply routes in the area, and gave the indication that she would lobby the department of urban roads to maintain roads in the community.
She said public places of convenience and public bath-houses in the community were in deplorable state, creating inconveniences for the community.
She said she would collaborate with the opinion leaders to form community watchdog committees, with the active involvement of the youth, to improve security in the area.
She also gave assurance to support the building of a fence wall at the Akosa D/A basic school to reduce intrusion and enhance teaching and learning.
Nana Anima said if given the nod, she would collaborate with relevant agencies to open employment avenues for the youth who have the requisite qualification.
“ You know I can do it, that is why you should offer me all the support and vote massively for me, and with your votes, I will assume leadership position to lobby for support that would bring meaningful development to the North Suntreso Electoral Area” she said.
Madam Esther Mensah, an incumbent Assembly woman of the Kensere Electoral Area in the Amansie West District in the Ashanti Region, is optimistic to retain the seat in the forthcoming district assembly elections. This is because she has endeared herself to the electorate over the last four years.
“Since I was elected as the assembly woman four years ago, I have made much impact by not only supporting communities in my electoral area to have projects such as electric power, but I am also helping to improve sanitation” she said.
She explained that she started with a programme to provide communities in her electoral area with electric power when she was elected as assembly woman, a situation, which she said was enhancing income generation activities, especially among the youth.
“It is for this reason that I have confidence in the electorate that they will give me all the necessary support to retain the seat and continue initiating development projects at the grassroots” she said.
According to Madam Mensah, a male candidate is also contesting her seat but said, “he would be no match for me because I have firmly gained grounds”.
She said before she was elected in 2006, she worked with a non-governmental organisation (NGO), providing primary health care to the various communities in her electoral area.
She said through that programme, she saw that health care was very challenging, so she devoted of her time to it, providing quality healthcare to many people, “ so they approached me to stand for the district level election and voted massively for me”.
Madam Mensah said, notwithstanding her initiatives “much needed to be done, especially in the field of education. “That is why they are encouraging me to contest again to support the youth to focus on their academic programmes”
She said inadequate educational infrastructure and facilities were undermining quality teaching and learning, and pointed out that results of the last BECE were bad and that posed problems to parents.
She gave the assurance that she would support the construction of a library facility to inculcate the culture of reading among the youth.
This, she said, would enable the youth improve on their academic performance, get better grades, and gain admission in to second cycle and tertiary institutions.
She said she was also in the process of lobbying the Amansie West District Assembly to improve the drainage system and sanitation in the area to reduce erosion, which was affecting the various communities.
She said she was keen to procure a cassava processing machine for farmers to enable them process their cassava and increase their earnings from farming.
She called on the electorate at the Amansie West District to support the election of more women to enable them to initiate projects that would impact positively on their lives, explaining “with more women at the helm of affairs, we would be able to initiate projects that would impact positively on your lives to reduce poverty which affects most rural communities”.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
POLICEMAN SHOT DEAD BY SUSPECTED ROBBERS (BACK PAGE, NOV 24, 2010)
A Detective Sergeant of the Ashanti Regional Police Command was found murdered by suspected armed robbers on the Wonoo–Kumawu road in the early hours of yesterday.
The deceased, Sergeant R. Akakpo, was said to have been attacked by a gang of armed robbers while travelling in his private saloon car.
Sources indicated that Sgt Akakpo, who died on the spot, following gunshot wounds he sustained, was attached to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department as a photographer.
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The Regional Police Command has started investigations into the incident.
The Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Yusif Tanko, confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway to unravel the mystery behind the attack.
He also confirmed that the Sergeant was not in uniform when he was attacked.
At the time of going to press, the Regional Police Commander, Mr Patrick Timbilla, together with some other police personnel, were on their way to the spot where the incident occurred on a fact-finding mission as part of police investigations.
Three of the robbers were alleged to be in masks, and moments after they had gunned down the policeman, they escaped in a taxi they hijacked from a driver.
The robbers later abandoned the Opel Vectra with registration number GW 4303 S.
At a media briefing in Kumasi, Chief Inspector Tanko said the robbers blocked the road with logs and succeeded in attacking a couple who were on their way to hospital, robbing them of their mobile phone and cash.
He said Sgt Akakpo, who was by then travelling to Kumawu from Kumasi, chanced upon the couple lying on the road with the road blocked, so he attempted running over the logs, but the vehicle developed a fault, causing it to stop abruptly.
He said the robbers then ordered him to alight from the vehicle, and before he could alight, they shot him at close range.
Chief Inspector Tanko appealed to the public to volunteer information that would facilitate the arrest of the robbers.
The death of Sgt Akakpo is the third to be associated with robbers in the Ashanti Region in recent times.
Just before the 2008 elections, one Chief Inspector Joseph Nyame was gunned down by robbers, and on Sunday, September 19, 2010, Constable Frank William Blankson, who was on guard at Sweet Pub drinking spot at Danyame in Kumasi, was also shot dead by a gang of robbers.
The police reacted swiftly by arresting one of the suspects, identified as Hafix Malik, who had by then disguised himself by dressing like a woman.
Malik was arrested at Allah Bar when he had put on a headgear and a muffler with a baby girl strapped to his back to evade police arrest.
The police also arrested Maria Fuseini, 26, the sister of Malik, alleged to have aided her brother to disguise himself in an attempt to elude the police and travel to Tamale.
The deceased, Sergeant R. Akakpo, was said to have been attacked by a gang of armed robbers while travelling in his private saloon car.
Sources indicated that Sgt Akakpo, who died on the spot, following gunshot wounds he sustained, was attached to the Regional Criminal Investigations Department as a photographer.
The body of the deceased has been deposited at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital for autopsy.
The Regional Police Command has started investigations into the incident.
The Regional Police Public Relations Officer, Chief Inspector Yusif Tanko, confirmed the incident and said investigations were underway to unravel the mystery behind the attack.
He also confirmed that the Sergeant was not in uniform when he was attacked.
At the time of going to press, the Regional Police Commander, Mr Patrick Timbilla, together with some other police personnel, were on their way to the spot where the incident occurred on a fact-finding mission as part of police investigations.
Three of the robbers were alleged to be in masks, and moments after they had gunned down the policeman, they escaped in a taxi they hijacked from a driver.
The robbers later abandoned the Opel Vectra with registration number GW 4303 S.
At a media briefing in Kumasi, Chief Inspector Tanko said the robbers blocked the road with logs and succeeded in attacking a couple who were on their way to hospital, robbing them of their mobile phone and cash.
He said Sgt Akakpo, who was by then travelling to Kumawu from Kumasi, chanced upon the couple lying on the road with the road blocked, so he attempted running over the logs, but the vehicle developed a fault, causing it to stop abruptly.
He said the robbers then ordered him to alight from the vehicle, and before he could alight, they shot him at close range.
Chief Inspector Tanko appealed to the public to volunteer information that would facilitate the arrest of the robbers.
The death of Sgt Akakpo is the third to be associated with robbers in the Ashanti Region in recent times.
Just before the 2008 elections, one Chief Inspector Joseph Nyame was gunned down by robbers, and on Sunday, September 19, 2010, Constable Frank William Blankson, who was on guard at Sweet Pub drinking spot at Danyame in Kumasi, was also shot dead by a gang of robbers.
The police reacted swiftly by arresting one of the suspects, identified as Hafix Malik, who had by then disguised himself by dressing like a woman.
Malik was arrested at Allah Bar when he had put on a headgear and a muffler with a baby girl strapped to his back to evade police arrest.
The police also arrested Maria Fuseini, 26, the sister of Malik, alleged to have aided her brother to disguise himself in an attempt to elude the police and travel to Tamale.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
COMPUTER LITERACY...Now pre-requisite for employment (NSEMPA, BACK PAGE, NOV 15, 2010)
By George Ernest Asare, Jachie-Pramso.
“Computer literacy has now become a pre-requisite for employment, so this is my widow’s mite to help students of JAPASS become computer literate to enable them be abreast of modern trends in communication”
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, who is supporting the development of educational infrastructure at Jachie-Pramso Senior High School (Mighty JAPASS) with the construction of a Computer laboratory for the school, said this during the 40th anniversary celebration of JAPASS.
Desire
He pointed out that his desire to construct the computer laboratory for the school, was borne out of the fact that without computer literacy, students from the school would be handicapped when applying for jobs and pointed out that with the computer laboratory, students would have the opportunity of being introduced into the basics of computer literacy, which he said, had now become the major component of securing job opportunities.
Constructional work for the project, estimated at GH¢30,000 is expected to begin early next year. Already, the MP has contracted architects to come out with drawings and designs that would meet the specifications of the computer laboratory, expected to accommodate 50 students.
Commendation
Mr Osei-Mensah commended the Parents Teacher Association (PTA) of JAPASS for their sense of commitment and initiatives, which he said, had made it possible for them to initiate many development projects for the school.
He pointed out that with the pace at which the school was expanding, and the increasing number of students being admitted each academic year, there was the need to protect the land earmarked for the development of the school.
Mr Osei –Mensah therefore, appealed to the Chiefs of Jachie and Pramso to discourage the encroachment on any part of the school land, saying, any thing contrary to the protection of the school lands would undermine the expansion of educational infrastructure in future.
Collaboration
He also urged the head mistress of the school to collaborate with the PTA and the Board of Governors of the school to secure the needed documents covering all school land to prevent any form of encroachment.
Mr Osei Mensah paid glowing tribute to the executive members of the Old Students association for their sense of dynamism, in making it possible for them to support the 40th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the school, which also coincided with the speech and prize giving day celebrations.
He challenged old students of JAPASS residing in Accra and other parts of the country, to come together to form a vibrant regional associations to enable them support the development initiatives of the school.
This, he said, would adequately motivate the current students for them to focus on their academic programmes and develop their potentials more effectively to enable JAPASS produce students with the requisite employable skills capable of supporting sustainable socio-economic development in the country.
Appeal
He also appealed to the government to support the development initiative of the school by constructing a three-storey building dormitory to address the accommodation problems facing male students in the school.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors of JAPASS, Nana Nsuase Poku Agyeman III, commended the head mistress of the school for collaborating with the teaching and non-teaching staff to instill a high level of discipline among students, making it possible for them to focus on their academic programmes.
He said with all hands on deck in the form of maintaining discipline, improving academic performance and the provision of educational infrastructure on campus, the school would realise its objective of becoming one of the best, not only in the region, but the country as whole.
In his address, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku -Manu, commended the Chiefs and people of Jachie and Pramso for their foresight, which he said, made it possible for them to establish the school which was now becoming the centre of excellence of academic programmes in the Bosomtwe district.
Past students
“ The school can now boast of having produced highly placed people, including Professor Ken Agyemang Attefuah who is contributing immensely towards the development initiatives of the country” he noted, stressing “ what is worth commending is the fact that the school is not as resourced and endowed as some of the schools in the region, but it has held its own principles and standards, and managed to make significant impact in the educational landscape of the country”.
Mr Opoku-Manu promised to donate 100 bags of cement to support the construction of on-going projects in the school and urged the old boys “ to rally behind the school authorities to ensure that the up-grading of the school became reality and meaningful.
He assured all that “government would continue to support the school as a way of propelling it to an enviable height in future”.
The District Chief Executive of Bosomtwe, Mr Nti Berko, also promised that that the Assembly would start the construction of a three-unit classroom block immediately to enhance teaching and learning in the school.
He also assured the school that the assembly would donate 50 bags of cement to the school to support on-gong projects.
“Computer literacy has now become a pre-requisite for employment, so this is my widow’s mite to help students of JAPASS become computer literate to enable them be abreast of modern trends in communication”
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Bosomtwe, Mr Simon Osei Mensah, who is supporting the development of educational infrastructure at Jachie-Pramso Senior High School (Mighty JAPASS) with the construction of a Computer laboratory for the school, said this during the 40th anniversary celebration of JAPASS.
Desire
He pointed out that his desire to construct the computer laboratory for the school, was borne out of the fact that without computer literacy, students from the school would be handicapped when applying for jobs and pointed out that with the computer laboratory, students would have the opportunity of being introduced into the basics of computer literacy, which he said, had now become the major component of securing job opportunities.
Constructional work for the project, estimated at GH¢30,000 is expected to begin early next year. Already, the MP has contracted architects to come out with drawings and designs that would meet the specifications of the computer laboratory, expected to accommodate 50 students.
Commendation
Mr Osei-Mensah commended the Parents Teacher Association (PTA) of JAPASS for their sense of commitment and initiatives, which he said, had made it possible for them to initiate many development projects for the school.
He pointed out that with the pace at which the school was expanding, and the increasing number of students being admitted each academic year, there was the need to protect the land earmarked for the development of the school.
Mr Osei –Mensah therefore, appealed to the Chiefs of Jachie and Pramso to discourage the encroachment on any part of the school land, saying, any thing contrary to the protection of the school lands would undermine the expansion of educational infrastructure in future.
Collaboration
He also urged the head mistress of the school to collaborate with the PTA and the Board of Governors of the school to secure the needed documents covering all school land to prevent any form of encroachment.
Mr Osei Mensah paid glowing tribute to the executive members of the Old Students association for their sense of dynamism, in making it possible for them to support the 40th anniversary celebration of the establishment of the school, which also coincided with the speech and prize giving day celebrations.
He challenged old students of JAPASS residing in Accra and other parts of the country, to come together to form a vibrant regional associations to enable them support the development initiatives of the school.
This, he said, would adequately motivate the current students for them to focus on their academic programmes and develop their potentials more effectively to enable JAPASS produce students with the requisite employable skills capable of supporting sustainable socio-economic development in the country.
Appeal
He also appealed to the government to support the development initiative of the school by constructing a three-storey building dormitory to address the accommodation problems facing male students in the school.
The Chairman of the Board of Governors of JAPASS, Nana Nsuase Poku Agyeman III, commended the head mistress of the school for collaborating with the teaching and non-teaching staff to instill a high level of discipline among students, making it possible for them to focus on their academic programmes.
He said with all hands on deck in the form of maintaining discipline, improving academic performance and the provision of educational infrastructure on campus, the school would realise its objective of becoming one of the best, not only in the region, but the country as whole.
In his address, the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku -Manu, commended the Chiefs and people of Jachie and Pramso for their foresight, which he said, made it possible for them to establish the school which was now becoming the centre of excellence of academic programmes in the Bosomtwe district.
Past students
“ The school can now boast of having produced highly placed people, including Professor Ken Agyemang Attefuah who is contributing immensely towards the development initiatives of the country” he noted, stressing “ what is worth commending is the fact that the school is not as resourced and endowed as some of the schools in the region, but it has held its own principles and standards, and managed to make significant impact in the educational landscape of the country”.
Mr Opoku-Manu promised to donate 100 bags of cement to support the construction of on-going projects in the school and urged the old boys “ to rally behind the school authorities to ensure that the up-grading of the school became reality and meaningful.
He assured all that “government would continue to support the school as a way of propelling it to an enviable height in future”.
The District Chief Executive of Bosomtwe, Mr Nti Berko, also promised that that the Assembly would start the construction of a three-unit classroom block immediately to enhance teaching and learning in the school.
He also assured the school that the assembly would donate 50 bags of cement to the school to support on-gong projects.
ARCHBISHOP MENSAH DECRIES FREQUENT CHANGES IN EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM (PAGE 19, NOV 13, 2010)
THE Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, Most Rev. Thomas Kwaku Mensah, has expressed concern about the frequent changes in the educational system in the country, saying, “over the years, educational reforms have not been allowed to work for a reasonable period of time for effective evaluation of such reforms to take place.”
He pointed that the hasty changes tended to deprive the country of the capacity to make informed decisions on the future of our educational system.
Addressing a cross-section of the public during the 10th anniversary celebration of Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School in Kumasi, Most Rev. Thomas Mensah stated “while the church follows laid-down principles of education of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to achieve academic excellence, it, at the same time, teaches children that God has put us in this world for a purpose to prepare to return to Him after death”.
He said man had a dual responsibility of not only utilising the natural and human resources at his disposal for the good of the present and future generations, but should also support sustainable national development.
Archbishop Mensah said the church sought to do this by inculcating in students the need for them to respect and protect one another, as well as seek to live in harmony with one another and in peace with their neighbours.
He said the Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School, established 10 years ago by the Kumasi Catholic Archdiocese, was meant to contribute to the human capital development of the nation, explaining that “ the greatest asset and holistic education is the means by which this capital is developed”.
Archbishop Mensah said their main objective was to “develop in the youth the spiritual, physical, intellectual and moral aspects for them to be committed to sustainable national development”.
He gave the assurance that they would not relent in their effort to partner the government to nurture the potential of the youth holistically, including helping them to acquire moral principles needed to enhance accelerated national development.
Archbishop Mensah also advised teachers to be disciplined in all their endeavours, saying, “ we need teachers with disciplined minds and character to prepare our children for them to be dedicated and committed to support the development of our country”.
The Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr. J. K. Onyinah, said Catholic principles were synonymous with quality education with emphasis on moral and spiritual training.
He commended the church for establishing schools noted with academic excellence in the country, including that of the Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School, saying students produced from such schools had excelled in many areas of national endeavour.
He pointed that the hasty changes tended to deprive the country of the capacity to make informed decisions on the future of our educational system.
Addressing a cross-section of the public during the 10th anniversary celebration of Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School in Kumasi, Most Rev. Thomas Mensah stated “while the church follows laid-down principles of education of the Ghana Education Service (GES) to achieve academic excellence, it, at the same time, teaches children that God has put us in this world for a purpose to prepare to return to Him after death”.
He said man had a dual responsibility of not only utilising the natural and human resources at his disposal for the good of the present and future generations, but should also support sustainable national development.
Archbishop Mensah said the church sought to do this by inculcating in students the need for them to respect and protect one another, as well as seek to live in harmony with one another and in peace with their neighbours.
He said the Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School, established 10 years ago by the Kumasi Catholic Archdiocese, was meant to contribute to the human capital development of the nation, explaining that “ the greatest asset and holistic education is the means by which this capital is developed”.
Archbishop Mensah said their main objective was to “develop in the youth the spiritual, physical, intellectual and moral aspects for them to be committed to sustainable national development”.
He gave the assurance that they would not relent in their effort to partner the government to nurture the potential of the youth holistically, including helping them to acquire moral principles needed to enhance accelerated national development.
Archbishop Mensah also advised teachers to be disciplined in all their endeavours, saying, “ we need teachers with disciplined minds and character to prepare our children for them to be dedicated and committed to support the development of our country”.
The Ashanti Regional Director of Education, Mr. J. K. Onyinah, said Catholic principles were synonymous with quality education with emphasis on moral and spiritual training.
He commended the church for establishing schools noted with academic excellence in the country, including that of the Martyrs of Uganda Jubilee School, saying students produced from such schools had excelled in many areas of national endeavour.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
BOSOMTWE RURAL BANK SUPPORTS KUNTANASE POLICE (PAGE 46, NOV 18, 2010)
The Bosomtwe Rural Bank has donated GH¢1,000 to the Kuntanase District Police Command to enable it to repair its broken-down vehicle.
The donation is to facilitate the movement of the police towards the maintenance of adequate security to enable law-abiding citizens concentrate on their core businesses.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr Philip Bondah, who presented the money on behalf of the bank, gave the assurance that the bank would continue to support the police in diverse ways for them to effectively police the Bosomtwe District and its environs.
He said it was only when the public actively supported the police in diverse ways that the latter would be adequately motivated to discharge their responsibilities more meaningfully.
Mr Bondah said during the joint 40th anniversary and Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Jachie-Pramso Senior High School, the Bosomtwe Rural Bank supported the school with 50 bags of cement to enable it to complete the boys’ dormitory which is under construction.
He gave the assurance that the bank would continue to support development initiatives of organisations, groups and individuals to accelerate the pace of development of the district.
The District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Edward Osei, who received the money on behalf of the police, commended the board and management of the Bosomtwe Rural Bank for the quick response to the needs of the police.
He said the support would enable the police to respond to distress calls to maintain law and order.
He appealed for public support, especially in respect of accommodation, explaining that because of inadequate accommodation, many of the policemen were compelled to stay far from their duty points.
He gave the assurance that the police would continue to maintain law and order in the district to bring about peace and security for law-abiding citizens to concentrate on their businesses.
The donation is to facilitate the movement of the police towards the maintenance of adequate security to enable law-abiding citizens concentrate on their core businesses.
The Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Bank, Mr Philip Bondah, who presented the money on behalf of the bank, gave the assurance that the bank would continue to support the police in diverse ways for them to effectively police the Bosomtwe District and its environs.
He said it was only when the public actively supported the police in diverse ways that the latter would be adequately motivated to discharge their responsibilities more meaningfully.
Mr Bondah said during the joint 40th anniversary and Speech and Prize-giving Day of the Jachie-Pramso Senior High School, the Bosomtwe Rural Bank supported the school with 50 bags of cement to enable it to complete the boys’ dormitory which is under construction.
He gave the assurance that the bank would continue to support development initiatives of organisations, groups and individuals to accelerate the pace of development of the district.
The District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Edward Osei, who received the money on behalf of the police, commended the board and management of the Bosomtwe Rural Bank for the quick response to the needs of the police.
He said the support would enable the police to respond to distress calls to maintain law and order.
He appealed for public support, especially in respect of accommodation, explaining that because of inadequate accommodation, many of the policemen were compelled to stay far from their duty points.
He gave the assurance that the police would continue to maintain law and order in the district to bring about peace and security for law-abiding citizens to concentrate on their businesses.
POLICE FOR HUNT FOR SUSPECT ...The illegal water connection (PAGE 23, NOV 18 2010)
THE Suame District Police Command is searching for a man suspected to have illegally connected water to his premises at Abrepo Junction in Kumasi, since 2007.
Officers of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) who chanced on the illegal connection have on several occasions disconnected the pipe lines, but the suspect has, on each occasion, reconnected without recourse to paying any reconnection fee or water bills.
So far, the suspect, identified as Isaac Osei who, according to the GWCL officials, described himself as a Security man operating at a sensitive part in Kumasi, has accumulated Gh¢2,200 in bills and efforts to retrieve the money from him have proved futile.
Last Friday, the GWCL officials went to his house once again to disconnect the pipeline he had connected illegally and Police officials who accompanied them to effect his arrest were disappointed because the suspect once again eluded them.
The Ashanti Regional Manager of GWCL, Mr Boakye Frimpong, who briefed the media after the disconnection exercise, expressed concern about the attitude of the suspect, saying the company extended an olive branch to the suspect to “come forward for free regularisation of their service but he refused.”
“We were hoping that people will seize the opportunity, but we still have offenders who do not want to pay for water used,” he complained.
Mr Frimpong explained that the activities of the suspect came to public domain in 2007, when one of their meter readers “discovered that he had illegally connected our water to his premises at Abrepo Junction and disconnected him and left a message for him to report at our North District Office.”
He said the suspect did not only fail to respond “but instead reconnected the line without approval.”
He explained that the situation continued for five times “and anytime we disconnected the line, he reconnects. This happened in June 2007, October 2007, April 2008, August 2009 and November 2009.”
According to Mr Frimpong, it was such attitude displayed by the suspect that compelled the District Office to report his action to the Loss Control team who “went to disconnect the pipelines and served him a letter to come to the Regional Office, but this time too, he refused and again reconnected the line.”
He said it was after all efforts to get the suspect to use the appropriate channels had failed that they resorted to effect his arrest to retrieve the money owed the company.
Officers of the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) who chanced on the illegal connection have on several occasions disconnected the pipe lines, but the suspect has, on each occasion, reconnected without recourse to paying any reconnection fee or water bills.
So far, the suspect, identified as Isaac Osei who, according to the GWCL officials, described himself as a Security man operating at a sensitive part in Kumasi, has accumulated Gh¢2,200 in bills and efforts to retrieve the money from him have proved futile.
Last Friday, the GWCL officials went to his house once again to disconnect the pipeline he had connected illegally and Police officials who accompanied them to effect his arrest were disappointed because the suspect once again eluded them.
The Ashanti Regional Manager of GWCL, Mr Boakye Frimpong, who briefed the media after the disconnection exercise, expressed concern about the attitude of the suspect, saying the company extended an olive branch to the suspect to “come forward for free regularisation of their service but he refused.”
“We were hoping that people will seize the opportunity, but we still have offenders who do not want to pay for water used,” he complained.
Mr Frimpong explained that the activities of the suspect came to public domain in 2007, when one of their meter readers “discovered that he had illegally connected our water to his premises at Abrepo Junction and disconnected him and left a message for him to report at our North District Office.”
He said the suspect did not only fail to respond “but instead reconnected the line without approval.”
He explained that the situation continued for five times “and anytime we disconnected the line, he reconnects. This happened in June 2007, October 2007, April 2008, August 2009 and November 2009.”
According to Mr Frimpong, it was such attitude displayed by the suspect that compelled the District Office to report his action to the Loss Control team who “went to disconnect the pipelines and served him a letter to come to the Regional Office, but this time too, he refused and again reconnected the line.”
He said it was after all efforts to get the suspect to use the appropriate channels had failed that they resorted to effect his arrest to retrieve the money owed the company.
DON'T USE POLITICIANS FOR RADIO TALK SHOWS (PAGE 13, NOV 18, 2010)
A LECTURER at the Department of Publishing Studies of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr Kwasi Opoku-Amankwa, has called on radio stations to stop the use of politicians as panel members for morning show discussions.
He said politicians discuss issues based on party affiliations, denying the people objective analysis of matters affecting national development.
Speaking in an interview, Dr Opoku-Amankwa stressed the need for panel discussions not only to be composed of technocrats with deep knowledge of issues at stake, but also people who would discuss such issues dispassionately to accelerate sustainable national development.
He also expressed concern about the over-reliance on newspapers in discussing radio morning show programmes in the country.
The lecturer noted that the situation had been the main cause of political intolerance, resulting in the use of insults and foul language on radio.
He pointed out that the over-reliance on newspapers for morning show programmes proved that the radio stations did not have their own programmes to be discussed each morning.
“This tell us that on their own, they do not have planned programmes for their listeners. This is not good enough, because discussions which have politicians as the main panel members give the politicians the leeway to do things the way they want, instead of putting them on the carpet to address issues of national concern,” he stated.
Dr Opoku-Amankwa, therefore, challenged proprietors of radio stations to impress upon their producers to change the format of over-dependence on newspapers for their morning show programmes.
He said radio stations should rather devise formats that would reflect the promotion of health, education, agriculture and environmental issues among others, and stressed that such issues were key to sustainable national development.
Dr Opoku-Amankwa pointed out that the over-concentration of newspapers and use of foul language on radio undermined the primary objectives of journalists being the watchdogs of society, explaining that radio stations fail to explore areas that would put politicians on the carpet for them to respond to issues they had failed to address over the years.
“It is not good to discuss headlines of newspapers from morning to midday, based on partisan lines because such discussions do not help to properly address issues that promote accelerated and sustainable national development,” he said.
He pointed out that by designing well-defined formats and communication plans for such morning show programmes, as well as inviting technocrats with deep-seated knowledge as panel members instead of those affiliated with particular political parties, the radio stations would be able to explore the problems that had undermined the effective and efficient development of education, health, sanitation and agriculture, among others, which he said had become major problems in the country over the years.
“Our first year students are still not in the classrooms because there are no facilities to accommodate them for them to start their academic programmes. Teachers are not attending to them, and from the look of things, it is not likely that they would undertake any serious academic programme before the terms ends. These are the issues that should be taken up by the radio stations, because the students are supposed to complete their programme in three years, so efforts should be made to ensure that they do not suffer unduly,” he bemoaned.
Dr Opoku-Amankwa also pointed out that the issue of armed robbers harassing the citizenry, which the police had described as being over-blown by the media, are other concerns that should be properly investigated by the media to calm the nerves of the public.
He pointed out that so far, our politicians have proved that they are not capable of addressing the problems of educational reforms, so the media should also take up the challenges affecting education reforms in the country from pre-school level to tertiary and explore means by which the citizenry can take to address the challenges.
He said politicians discuss issues based on party affiliations, denying the people objective analysis of matters affecting national development.
Speaking in an interview, Dr Opoku-Amankwa stressed the need for panel discussions not only to be composed of technocrats with deep knowledge of issues at stake, but also people who would discuss such issues dispassionately to accelerate sustainable national development.
He also expressed concern about the over-reliance on newspapers in discussing radio morning show programmes in the country.
The lecturer noted that the situation had been the main cause of political intolerance, resulting in the use of insults and foul language on radio.
He pointed out that the over-reliance on newspapers for morning show programmes proved that the radio stations did not have their own programmes to be discussed each morning.
“This tell us that on their own, they do not have planned programmes for their listeners. This is not good enough, because discussions which have politicians as the main panel members give the politicians the leeway to do things the way they want, instead of putting them on the carpet to address issues of national concern,” he stated.
Dr Opoku-Amankwa, therefore, challenged proprietors of radio stations to impress upon their producers to change the format of over-dependence on newspapers for their morning show programmes.
He said radio stations should rather devise formats that would reflect the promotion of health, education, agriculture and environmental issues among others, and stressed that such issues were key to sustainable national development.
Dr Opoku-Amankwa pointed out that the over-concentration of newspapers and use of foul language on radio undermined the primary objectives of journalists being the watchdogs of society, explaining that radio stations fail to explore areas that would put politicians on the carpet for them to respond to issues they had failed to address over the years.
“It is not good to discuss headlines of newspapers from morning to midday, based on partisan lines because such discussions do not help to properly address issues that promote accelerated and sustainable national development,” he said.
He pointed out that by designing well-defined formats and communication plans for such morning show programmes, as well as inviting technocrats with deep-seated knowledge as panel members instead of those affiliated with particular political parties, the radio stations would be able to explore the problems that had undermined the effective and efficient development of education, health, sanitation and agriculture, among others, which he said had become major problems in the country over the years.
“Our first year students are still not in the classrooms because there are no facilities to accommodate them for them to start their academic programmes. Teachers are not attending to them, and from the look of things, it is not likely that they would undertake any serious academic programme before the terms ends. These are the issues that should be taken up by the radio stations, because the students are supposed to complete their programme in three years, so efforts should be made to ensure that they do not suffer unduly,” he bemoaned.
Dr Opoku-Amankwa also pointed out that the issue of armed robbers harassing the citizenry, which the police had described as being over-blown by the media, are other concerns that should be properly investigated by the media to calm the nerves of the public.
He pointed out that so far, our politicians have proved that they are not capable of addressing the problems of educational reforms, so the media should also take up the challenges affecting education reforms in the country from pre-school level to tertiary and explore means by which the citizenry can take to address the challenges.
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