NPP Vice Chairman: We Do Not Question The Legitimacy of Prez Mahama

National Vice Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Fred Oware has debunked claims that the party is contending with the legitimacy of President John Dramani Mahama.

According to him, the NPP does “not question the legitimacy of the President” but rather what it has sought to do in the Supreme Court is to raise red flags over the declaration by the Chairman of the Electoral Commission, Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, who legitimized the victory of President John Mahama and the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

“We do not question the legitimacy of the President. We question the pronouncement or the declaration made by Afari Gyan on the 9th of December and that we’ve gone to court to disprove it that what he said was wrong; that it should have been the other way round,” he stressed.

Mr. Fred Oware disclosed this in an interview with Peacefmonline.com

Speaking in relation to the minority’s walkout of Parliament during the President’s sessional address last Thursday, February 21, he explained that the action by the minority caucus in Parliament was a legitimate one on the basis of the party’s decision to boycott any event that he (President Mahama) takes part in.

He strongly stated that the NPP MPs have never boycotted any Parliamentary activity as some critics believe the minority is in contravention with the constitution of the land to have boycotted proceedings in Parliament.

He therefore gave credence to the minority’s walkout during the President’s State of the Nation address, saying; “We have never boycotted Parliament. We’re still there. We have just boycotted an event, a single event.”

What that means is that all subsequent actions which were taken following that declaration become void…It should have even happened in the first place, so any progress will be inversed. In terms of that the party’s position is that we will not engage the President in anything that is of some tranzient nature temporarily, in the sense that once he loses the Presidency or our petition is upheld and he has to quit office, all those decisions will go away with him,” he further added.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

GFA Must Hold Talks With Ayew Brothers

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Free Zone Board,, Kojo Twum Boafo, has appealed to the Ghana Football Association (GFA) to hold talks with the Ayew brothers regarding their decision to temporarily exit the Black Stars. He expressed worry over the decision by the sons of Ghana’s football icon, Abedi Pele, saying their exit will have dire consequences on the nation’s football prospects, hence, a need for their inclusion in the Ghana senior team. “If they have indeed said they are not going to play for the Black Stars again, then it’s a problem. It’s a big problem…If the likes of Dede Ayew are refusing to play for your team, then you have some problem…it’s not a good decision for us at all.” The Ayew brothers on Tuesday, February 26, 2013 released letters insisting to retire from the Black Stars just weeks after the national side made a return from the Nations Cup in South Africa. Their decision comes on the heels of some perceived misunderstandings and confusions in the camp of the Stars. Andre Ayew was dropped from the squad to South Africa following the chap’s late return to Ghana to undergo medical treatment ahead the just-ended African Cup of the Nations. The obviously peeved Marseille Midfielder Andre Dede Ayew and his brother Jordan Ayew issued letters stating reasons for their shocking decision. Dede Ayew in his letter to the Football Association explained that his decision to withdraw his services "from the national team results from a number of issues or matters that have occurred quite recently, especially with regard to my relationship with the management team of the senior national team, the Black Stars." "These matters have so affected me emotionally and psychologically such that I am unable presently to offer the best of my services to my dear nation." Jordan Ayew also following his brother’s steps outlined his reasons saying; "The reasons for my decision, although personal, I believe, would eventually inure to the benefit of the Black Stars, the reason being that in this period of my temporary absence I intend not only to work hard in my club as a young player so I can obtain the quality, experience and stature necessary for a call up to play in the national team, but also ensure that my membership of the national team when I soon come out of my temporary resignation endures in a more secure manner so as to avoid the situation where I am unsure as to when my services are required for the national team." "The point I have just made is vindicated by the fact that although on every occasion that I have had the opportunity to play for my nation I have played to the best of my ability and served my nation with commitment, it appears that my efforts have not impressed the management team of the senior national team." he added. Kojo Twum Boafo, in an interview with Radio XYZ Wednesday morning, gave credence to the Ayew brothers’ position, highlighting that; “One thing that you gleen from both letters is that they are being very honest about how they feel. One of them is very annoyed that he was not considered good enough in the Cup of the Nations which is Andre; good enough as a striker to be called among the four strikers that were called. And he actually states quite openly that he’s not been considered, he supposed to be weighed down the pecking order.” He continued: “And then the other one also says that others have said they’ve left the team and they’ve come back, and being yield as good players. I think you know the direct reference that Dede is making. You know the direct reference that Jordan is making; I think that the best thing for us to do, for the handlers of the team to do is to call them and tell them that what they saying is not even something that we are going to accept.” He therefore advised the Football Association to take the necessary steps to address their (Dede and Jordan Ayew) concerns, so, they rescind their decision which he believes will consolidate the future of the Black Stars. “They have shown endless commitment to the course of the Black Stars. I don’t see why we cannot ask them to rescind their decision. I think they are very angry about something and we have to accommodate how they feel and move on…” he stressed.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

"I Would Rather Marry A Whiteman Than Marry Fred Nuamah" – Delay

Her name is Deloris Frimpong Manso, popularly called Delay. For some time now, she's managed to escape questions from the media about when she would get married or who she would get married to but this time has stuck her neck wide out.

Ghallywood actor cum entrepreneur, John Dumelo, who was a guest on the “Delay Show” last Friday, pushed her until she finally decided to answer the million dollar question.

When will you get married? That was a simple question from John Dumelo, an interviewee who turned to rather pose questions to the hostess of the “Delay Show”.

Delay tried to swerve the question several times insisting that she is the one doing the questioning and not the other way round but guest Dumelo also kept insisting on an answer from the Oman FM Presenter.

Delay asked John why he is so much interested in who she is going to get married to and John said “because there is someone in this industry who wants to marry you”.

Blushing TV/Radio Presenter, Delay now became interested and asked John who that person was. John revealed on national Television that Founder of Ghana Movie Awards Fred Nuamah want to marry her.

Though she disclosed she is not married, she sarcastically sworn on her television show never in her lifetime to ever tie the knot with Fred Nuamah.

Self-acclaimed ‘virgin’ Delay looking very disappointed said “I would rather marry a Whiteman than marry Fred Nuamah” and emotively blurted out that “he’s a nice guy and everything but hey, I don’t want to marry him.”

For the first time she opened up on her marital ambition stressing firmly that she will not dare marry a celebrity.

Meanwhile John Dumelo also talking about marriage, promised to unveil his wife in the years ahead.

Source: Eugene Osafo-Nkansah and Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi

Kwame Pianim Is Attempting To Distract The NPP From Its Course - John Boadu

A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has fired back at Mr. Kwame Pianim, an outspoken politician, economist, investment consultant and NPP Stalwart for his recent comments about the leadership of the party.

Mr. Pianim speaking in an exclusive interview with Africawatch blamed the NPP national executives for exhibiting “intellectual and mental laziness” and therefore called for “an emergency national congress of the party to decide on its boycott of certain key national events including the vetting of ministerial nominees of President John Mahama and his State of the Nation Address" and other activities headlining the President.

Speaking in an interview with Joy FM, an Accra-based radio station, he explained that the NPP’s boycott which the leadership says is in furtherance of the party’s position regarding the 2012 Presidential elections, for which they are challenging the results at the Supreme Court in hope to overturn the legitimacy of President Mahama, poses danger to the future of the party.

According to him, the NPP leadership is “not thinking logically” and so, is going down “a dangerous slope” as a result of the decision to distance themselves from all events of President John Mahama.

Taking keen notice of his comments, John Boadu doubts the logic in Mr. Pianim’s statement as regards to the party’s decision and so, stated categorically that the NPP bigwig is “also exhibiting laziness and lack of intellectualism.”

Explaining further in an interview with Peacefmonline.com, he downplayed Mr. Pianim’s call on the party’s leadership to hold an emergency congress to address the concerns raised, stating that; “For one to call for an emergency congress, I don’t know whether he’s aware of the cost of having an emergency congress. I don’t know whether he is aware…Even if we still don’t have any case in court, we’ve not yet gotten to a position where congresses across board will be done. So, nobody is wasting anybody’s time.”

John Boadu believes the comments by the member of the party are attempts to distract the NPP from their course to delegitimize the President who the petitioners; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Dr. Mahamudu and Jake Obetsebi in the Presidential election case before the Supreme Court claim connived with the Electoral Commission to rig the December 7 and 8 polls.

He therefore advised the NPP to stay focused because “some of these things are distraction.

Some of these things, if you are not very careful will let you concentrate your efforts on things that don’t matter because we are in this country where we’re bedevilled with severe epileptic energy crises.”

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Nana Akomea: Kwame Pianim’s Statement Is Unfortunate

The Communications Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Akomea has expressed disappointment in Mr. Kwame Pianim, a member of the party, for making disparaging remarks about the decision taken by the leadership to boycott certain key national events including the vetting of ministerial nominees of President John Mahama and his State of the Nation Address. Mr. Pianim, an outspoken politician, business economist and investment consultant in an exclusive interview with Africawatch blamed the NPP national executives for exhibiting “intellectual and mental laziness” According to him, the party is heading in the wrong direction. Mr. Pianim added that “the boycott [of the President’s inauguration] somehow portrayed the NPP executives as confused people”. Mr. Pianim had called for “an emergency national congress of the party to decide on its boycott of certain key national events” and other activities involving the President. Kwame Pianim speaking in an interview with Joy FM, an Accra-based radio station, also noted that the NPP’s boycott which the leadership says is in furtherance of the party’s position regarding the 2012 Presidential elections, for which they are challenging the results at the Supreme Court in hope to overturn the legitimacy of President Mahama, poses danger to the future of the party. According to him, the NPP leadership is “not thinking logically” and so, is going down “a dangerous slope” as a result of the decision to distance themselves from all events headlining the President. He argued that though the NPP under the auspices of its 2012 Presidential candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his Running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and the party’s National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi Lamptey, has dragged the President and the Electoral Commission to court seeking redress over their electoral fraud case; according to the constitution of the land, President Mahama was legitimately elected until proven otherwise by the Supreme Court. But Nana Akomea has described the comments as unfortunate saying he (Mr. Pianim) should have “availed himself” by conferring with the party leadership before making a public declaration of his position. He held the view that; “The issues that Mr. Pianim chose to raise in the media, the party views them as unfortunate…it will be very good for all of us if prominent people like Mr. Kwame Pianim will just approach the party; the Chairman says that Mr. Pianim has not bothered to even speak to him about the issues he’s talking about which is unfortunate because we must pull together.” He asserted in an interview with Citi FM Tuesday morning that Mr. Pianim “doesn’t support our challenging the results…he doesn’t support the challenge that we have put up at the court.” He further explained that the party’s decision to pursue its case in the court was mandated by the National Council which he said is the second highest decision-making body of the party and so, the leaders “are convinced that our actions will inure to the benefits of the party. We are absolutely convinced about that unless anybody can point anything to the contrary. If you can show me that this decision or this action is having a negative impact. If you can demonstrate it to me, then we can talk but as far as we’re concerned, the decisions we have taken, the actions we have taken in Parliament, outside Parliament and so on inure to the benefits of the party.” “The decision for example to boycott the inauguration of President Mahama as one platform of protest was not a decision taken by one or two people. It was a decision taken by the National Council, not everybody would agree but it is a decision that is properly taken,” he added.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

We've Leadership Crisis…Mahama Is Perplexed By Lingering Problems

A Communicator of the Progressive People's Party says President John Dramani Mahama is bewildered by the lingering crises that have befallen the Ghanaian citizenry. Charles Owusu making his assertions on Peace FM’s political programme “kokrokoo” on Monday, spelt out to the host, Kwami Sefa Kayi, that the Mahama-led government is bereft of the leadership skills that will help resolve the challenges confronting Ghanaians. He explained that for the economy to grow, the leadership should “walk its talk”, something he believes is uncharacteristic of the Mahama-led adminstration. Expounding further, he noted that President Mahama, then Vice President under the late President John Evans Atta Mills’ regime, “couldn’t help Ghana for any fruitful thing to come into the nation”, hence, the incumbent government is “in leadership crisis.” Expressing his view in relation to the President’s inaugural State of the Nation address last Thursday, he said the Mahama-led government has virtually done nothing to ensure that the crippling energy and water problems are rectified in order to ease the burdens on the citizenry and therefore emphasized that what Ghana needs is “a courageous person who can help the nation.” He cited that; “since the inception of this government, for four years; we have the National Identification Authority which has been thrown away. How are you going to get taxes? So, we’ve highly increased taxes, which as a result, importers are suffering. It (taxes) has been imposed on fuel and the economy is suffering tremendously.” He added that the frequent power fluctuations and water shortages call for answers from government. However, he said, “the NDC and President Mahama cannot fight it. The government cannot fight it unless God steps in.” He also revealed that the “laptop per child project” which was initiated by the late President Mills under the NDC’s Better Ghana Agenda only benefited cronies of the governing party, stressing that government officials embellish policies on paper but hardly roll out any action programmes. He therefore advised the ruling party under the leadership of President John Mahama to seek the face of God in order to relieve the fears of Ghanaians. To him, only God can salvage the economy since President Mahama and his government have failed woefully to find lasting solutions to the plight of Ghanaians, and as a result, implored the governing party to invoke the help of God to remedy the situation or else the economy may crumple. According to him, the President should seek guidance from God in his quest to resolve the challenges facing the economy. He stressed that “if we keep shifting blame, it won’t help”, so, “Let’s kneel down and plead with God to intervene for a change in Ghana.”

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

NPP MPs Are “Dreamers” Who Are “Out of Reality”

Ras Mubarak, a youth activist of the ruling National Democratic Congress(NDC) and a defeated Member of Parliament (MP) for Ablekuma North Constituency in the 2012 elections, has launched a caustic attack on the minority Members of Parliament for their conduct in Parliament on Thursday, describing them as “dreamers” who are “out of reality.”

According to him, the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) members have not yet woken up from the past and so, they continue to adopt a retrogressive approach towards national issues.

Explaining the repercussions of the minority’s attitude, Ras Mubarak stated categorically in an interview with Peacefmonline.com that; “The NPP is stuck in the past, they are not thinking progress…you expect that seven years down the line, they would have learnt from some of the mistakes from the past and actually did the right thing. The NPP claims it is Nana Addo, Bawumia and Jake who are in court and not the party, yet they will take decision for the whole party. Because they are saying that because the three individuals are in court, they are using their party structures to boycott a session as important as the President’s address.”

“They are stuck in the past because if you say the NDC abstained in 2007, so it is okay for you to also abstain in 2013; clearly you are out of touch…Clearly, you are saying that two wrongs make right. And for me, that is retrogressive because we ought to be making progress as a country. What looked like a bad thing in 2007 should equally be bad in 2013?” he explained.

The minority bench in Parliament last Thursday walked out on President John Dramani Mahama in agreement with their party’s directives.

NPP leadership; Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, his Running mate Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia and National Chairman, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey have petitioned the Supreme Court, challenging the legitimacy of President Mahama.

In accordance with the pending case in court, the opposition members have sought to boycott all activities involving the President; a position the party holds.

The minority members walked out of Thursday’s parliamentary event that saw President Mahama give his maiden State of the Nation Address, in protest against him.

The NPP General Secretary, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie commenting on the minority’s partial participation in the State of the Nation Address, labelled the President's speech as “boring” adding that it will not survive the test of time.

According to him, the President lacks credibility and has virtually proven to be untrustworthy; a reason why the minority dissociated themselves from his speech. He also asserted that the speech didn’t reflect the true state of the nation.

“People don’t trust him. And in last year’s elections, we talked about that which is why from the figures that we have, from the monumental evidence that we have gathered; everything points to the fact that he was not the winner of the elections…they don’t trust him. He lacks credibility,” Sir John as he is popularly called said in an interview with Peacefmonline.com.

Despite the minority’s strong position, Ras Mubarak outlined that the speech rather reflected the candid nature of the President as he pledged to tackle the challenges confronting the nation.

He stressed that the NPP MPs’ abstention from the Nation Address revealed the “hypocrisy” in the party, calling on them to forfeit their emoluments too as a matter of principle.

He also disclosed that the minority in spite of their sturdy disapproval of the President’s legitimacy benefit from the financial purse of the legislative body and so cited that an allowance to a tune of GHC 50,000 has been allocated to each MP to cater for their housing deficits.

“As they abstain from some of these activities, I’m sure it will be interesting if they tell their constituents that they will forfeit their salaries over the period that they have abstained from some of these parliamentary sessions…the NPP people should tell us whether or not they are going to forfeit their salaries and emoluments because some of their constituents don’t have the kind of luxury that they enjoy,” he said.

He however expressed excitement over the President’s first Nation Address saying he judiciously rolled out measures to curb the energy crises and through good governance his administration will provide high quality education, good healthcare, build infrastructure across the country in order to create a robust economy.

He was consequently elated; “by the fact that the President did not let us down. I am excited by the fact that the President has provided hope for the people of Ghana. Now, the policies of the NDC are hinged on four pillars. The first pillar is putting the people of Ghana first…I necessarily will encourage everyone to support the President because things will get a lot better if we are all putting our shoulders to the wheel.”

He further slammed the minority for flaunting placards on the floor of Parliament since to him, the minority caucus “exhibited indiscipline. They exhibited an attempt to insult the millions of Ghanaians…”

He therefore issued a stern warning to the minority members saying; “They can scheme their scheme. That they can plot their plot. That they can dream their dream of making Nana Addo, President, that will not happen because President Mahama is a truly elected President of the Republic until any court says otherwise.”

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Mahama Only Delivered A “Flowery, Extravagant” Speech... -Kwesi Pratt

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. says President John Mahama in his inaugural State of the Nation address only delivered a “flowery, extravagant” speech instead of tackling the core issues that the nation is grappling with.

According to him, the President’s speech did not reflect the current situation in the country but rather he sought to bombard the nation with a barrage of promises, when Ghanaians are craving for an escape route from the crises that have bedeviled the economy.

Contributing to a panel discussion programme on Radio Gold’s “Alhaji and Alhaji” programme over the weekend, Kwesi Pratt said that though President Mahama spoke lengthily, his address did not carry weight so far as the energy and water crises among other challenges facing the nation are concerned.

To him, the President should have addressed these salient issues which he said are the most pressing needs of the citizenry, instead of following his Predecessors who made several declarations but virtually did not fulfil their pledges to Ghanaians.

He therefore outlined his expectations saying President John Mahama should have also touched on the resuscitation of the defunct Kumasi Shoe Factory which he sees as a major boost in the private sector.

President John Dramani Mahama last Thursday delivered his first State of the Nation address to the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic.

The address was in accordance with Article 67 of the Constitution, which mandates the President to at the beginning of each session of Parliament deliver a message on State of the Nation.

Addressing the nation, the President talked on a variety of issues in several sectors of the economy.

In the education sector, he pledged his government’s commitment to tackling the challenges the education sector is grappling with in order to meet the educational demands on government.

He revealed that under his leadership, government will construct ten satellite campuses to make communication and information dissemination easier in tertiary schools in the country and also expand the on-going school feeding programme to all public basic schools in rural communities.

He further reiterated that government will construct 200 Senior High Schools across the country to resolve the problems confronting second cycle institutions, adding that ten public polytechnics in the nation will be upgraded into full-fledged technical Universities.
    
In the energy sector, President Mahama noted that his government is making frantic efforts to curtail the nation’s erratic power supply and so, revealed some interventions he is making to rectify the energy problem.

He assured the citizenry that Ghana will increase power generation to ensure that we have reliable power supply and become a net exporter of power in years to come.

He also made very revealing points which seek to either address or boost the progress of the nation in all facets such as agriculture, health, creative arts among others.

In spite of these assurances, Kwesi Pratt however expressed discontent with the President’s speech saying Ghanaians are “fed up” with public officials making excuses which according to him will not ward off the corruptible practices in the various government agencies and public sector organizations.

He wondered why government officials who slack in their duties are not sanctioned and so, believed it is about time President Mahama begins to crack the whip on the inefficient workers in the public sector.

He therefore called on President Mahama to put the necessary structures in place to improve the lives of Ghanaians.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Dr. Sekou Nkrumah: There Is No Need For Nkrumah’s Statue Now

Son of Ghana's first President, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah has made a passionate call on President Mahama and government to address the needs of Ghanaians at the expense of erecting a statue of his father which he says has no “direct relevance” to the nation’s progress.

Relaying his information in an interview with Okay FM, he charged government to focus on resolving the water and energy crises crippling the economy, rather than raising a statue of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

He believes putting up another monument for Osagyefo Nkrumah is a complete diversion of attention from tackling the challenges confronting the Ghanaian citizenry and so, posited that President Mahama should put his priorities in order.

Speaking to host Kwame Nkrumah “Tikese” on Okay FM’s newspaper Review, Sekou Nkrumah stuck firmly to his assertions stating that; “There’s been a lot done for Nkrumah in Ghana and outside. I don’t think we need to continue drumming that point…What Nkrumah was representing was really the development of this country; infrastructure, the foundation for the growth of this nation.

“The issue is that focusing on putting a statue at the Kwame Nkrumah circle of Nkrumah while people are struggling with basic necessities of life, I don’t think it’s a proper thing,” he said.

He appealed to government not to pay so much attention to “putting up statues of Nkrumah while we have so many other statues of Nkrumah anyway.”

In furtherance of his position, he explained that; “At this particular moment when most Ghanaians are struggling with basic needs like water and electricity. Most people are going without water for months. Many people are suffering this electricity being put on and off and so on. It’s affecting not only people at homes but also at work, productivity and so on… So, if we want to honour his memory, I think we should be paying more attention and that this goes for government to put in place the necessary infrastructure.”

He therefore advised President John Mahama to shift his priorities on outlining solutions to counteract the challenges hindering the progress of the economy, particularly in the energy and water sectors.

“Government should put his priorities in order and tackle them. The ones that are more necessary should be tackled first and those that when there’s enough wealth for us to share, when the channel of living is high, then we as a country also can think of putting up statues and things of that sort.” he stressed.

President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday, February 14, announced that government would this year mount a statue of Ghana's first President Dr. Kwame Nkrumah at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle.

He indicated that the statue, similar to the one erected at the African Union (AU) headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, would serve as a lasting memory to the former President.

The President also revealed that he had presented an Amendment to the Holidays Act to Parliament to make Nkrumah's birthday a statutory one, something he said would avoid the frequent signing of Executive instruments to declare his birthday as a holiday.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Sir John Lauds NPP MPs “Stealers” Placard

General Secretary of the opposition New Patriotic Party, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie has applauded the minority Members of Parliament for brandishing boldly-inscribed placards during the President’s State of the Nation Address to register their disapproval of President Mahama’s legitimacy as the Head of State under the Fourth Republic.

The NPP MPs were seen hovering placards with inscriptions “Stealers” in the House, obviously to express their displeasure with the President’s State of the Nation Address on Thursday.

Though some critics have taken keen interest in lambasting the minority for walking out of a State function, Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie, popularly called Sir John, described the minority’s attitude as a “part of parliamentary process” and so found no fault with the minority’s dramatization in the House.

Speaking in an interview with Peacefmonline.com on the minority’s partial participation in the State of the Nation Address, Sir John labelled President Mahama’s speech on the floor of Parliament as “boring” adding that it will not survive the test of time.

According to him, the President lacks credibility and has virtually proven to be untrustworthy; a reason why the minority dissociated themselves from his speech and also asserted that the speech didn’t reflect the true state of the nation.

He further said the minority “walk out” of Parliament was as a matter of principle as the party has rejected the legitimacy of President John Mahama and pledged to distance itself from any proceedings involving him.

“People don’t trust him. And in last year’s elections, we talked about that which is why from the figures that we have, from the monumental evidence that we have gathered; everything points to the fact that he was not the winner of the elections…they don’t trust him. He lacks credibility,” he emphatically stated.

Expressing satisfaction with the minority’s action, he disclosed that the minority only attended Thursday’s event to “transact parliamentary business” but had to walk out because; “any other matter…like appointment of his (President Mahama) Ministers and his vetting, we will not take part because as soon as the Supreme Court concludes its verdict which we believe we will win; Nana Addo will then be made President of Ghana.”

“So, it was right that they did that and we’re very proud of them. And Ghanaians are very proud of them walking out of this Nation address, because it will not stand the test of time… Nana Akufo-Addo after the Supreme Court’s decision would bring the true State of the Nation Address,” he added.

Though the NPP “Members of Parliament shall continue to engage in oversight responsibility in Parliament as it shall be given to them” according to Sir John, nonetheless they shall boycott events headlining President Mahama.

This he reiterated is in accordance with the party’s principled position.

He however denied giving directives to the minority to walk out of the Parliament House saying; “the MPs are very decisive. They are carefully following the principles.”

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

"When There Is A Decade of Decay, That Decay Cannot Be Fixed In A Matter Of Months"

“ ..I was more than satisfied because I know the truth about the situation,I know the truth about the power situation, I know the truth about the water situation, the type of investment that have gone in it and the thing we have to remember as Ghanaians is that when there is more than a decade of decay, that decay cannot be fixed in a matter of months…,” these were the words of the General Secretary of the ruling national Democratic Party(NDC) after the President’ State of the Nation's Address on Thursday.

The General Secretary of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has promised Ghanaians that the erratic power supply currently being faced by Ghanaians will soon be rectified by the Mahama-led administration.

According to him, Ghana is at a “threshold of a major breakthrough” as government makes frantic efforts to curb the energy crises in the country.

“I think that the difficulties we are experiencing now are temporary,” he stated.

In an interview with TV3 after the State of the Nation address by the President on Thursday, General Mosquito, as he is affectionately called, expressed satisfaction with President’s approach on the energy sector, saying, government has made several interventions to improve the energy situation and so stressed that the country will in the next three months experience a major leap in power generation.

He was optimistic that electricity distribution to deprived areas will be stabilized during the four-year term of President John Mahama.

He explained that the power fluctuations are as a result of demand exceeding generation and therefore believed the Mahama-led administration will take the necessary steps to address the situation.

“..All the projects that he (President Mahama) spoke about, they are projects that we are witnesses to and all the timelines he’s talking about are timelines that we are all aware of…so, I think that the difficulties we are experiencing now are temporary and within a matter of two-three months, we will make a quantum leap in the energy generation to an extent that we will be able to stabilize the distribution,” he said.

He added that he was very confident of the measures being put in place to restore energy.

“To the cynics, they will continue to doubt, but the fruits will show and justify the efforts that we’ve put in. And when you take the rehabilitation of the grid; electricity grid throughout the country and the investment in new transformers, in new substations and so on. I think that these are the right things that ought to have been done in previous years but because of neglect, we are suffering the consequences. We will get out of this and we can assure Ghanaians that Ghana will never back into this amount of difficulties with our power,” he assured all.

The President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama, in his first State of the Nation Address to Parliament, said that his government is making frantic efforts to curtail the nation’s erratic power supply. The President called on the citizenry to grit their teeth as government works around the clock to resolve the problem. He noted that since power was critical to the development of the country, he would go the extra mile to expedite works at the energy sector which has a direct bearing on productivity in the industrial and the agricultural sectors. He further professed on the floor of Parliament that the current situation was nothing good any government could write home about and that the magnitude of the crisis, has caused him sleepless nights. President Mahama therefore assured Ghanaians that despite the challenges facing the nation, Ghana will increase power generation to ensure we have reliable power supply and so, become a net exporter of power in years to come. He assured Ghanaians that the Mahama-led government will soon nip the problem in the bud.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Parliamentarians To Receive Free Fully-Connected Laptops

Members of Parliament will soon be furnished with fully-connected laptops to help them execute their duties effectively in the House and their constituencies.

President John Dramani Mahama revealed this during his first State of the Nation Address in Parliament on Thursday, February 21, 2013, as a fulfillment to a manifesto promise.

He said government will provide Parliamentarians with laptops which are fully connected to the internet, to serve as an interface between them and their constituents.

He also indicated that Parliament is to be strengthened through a democracy fund proposed by the Constitutional Review Commission. This is to provide sustainable funding for the Members of the House.

“Mr. Speaker, a strong Parliament is a strong democracy. Strengthening Parliament is also a crucial element in managing a successful transition to middle income status. This includes ensuring that Parliament has the capacity to play its oversight role effectively.” he said.

He noted that; “..the Job 600 project which will ensure that Members of Parliament can operate from decent offices is almost complete. MPs can expect to be furnished with new laptops, with full internet connectivity to facilitate communication between their offices and their constituents as promised in the NDC manisfesto.”

The MPs will also benefit from the housing project by the Mahama-led government in order to safeguard them.

President Mahama also disclosed that a new Parliamentary Chamber block at the State House will be constructed under his leadership.

He said: “We will this year commence a feasibility study for the construction of a new Parliamentary Chamber block, on the premises of the State House. We will also explore appropriate housing for MPs in order to guarantee their safety and security.”

He also promised to instil discipline in the Parliamentary hierarchy.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Prez Mahama: Govt To Construct 10 Satellite Campuses; School Feeding To Be Expanded

President John Dramani Mahama says that government will construct ten satellite campuses to make communication and information dissemination easier in tertiary schools in the country.

Delivering his maiden State of the Nation’s address to the Sixth Parliament of the Fourth Republic, he pledged his government’s commitment to tackling the challenges the education sector is grappling with in order to meet the educational demands on government.

He promised to enhance the training of more teachers and provide them with incentives which will boost teaching and learning in schools. He stated that his government will implement a distance education programme for teachers in order to address the unemployment situation in the country.

Addressing the nation, President Mahama pledged to expand the on-going school feeding programme to all public basic schools in rural communities and also added that under his tenure, schools under trees will be fully eliminated so as to provide high quality education.

He further reiterated that government will construct 200 Senior High Schools across the country to resolve the problems confronting second cycle institutions.

He also stated that he will ensure that ten public polytechnics in the nation are upgraded into full-fledged technical Universities and also promised to enact a bill that will see in construction a new University in the Eastern Region to address the challenges in the education sector.

His government, he noted, will continue the distribution of free laptops, school uniforms and exercise books to public schools and students. Government will further equip the visually and hearing impaired with essential devices to aid them in teaching and learning.

President Mahama called on religious bodies and communities to partner government in improving the education sector of the economy.


Read below excerpts of the President’s State of the Nation address:

   
“Mr. Speaker, our quest to build an equitable society in which the productive capacities of our people are tapped for national development will come to nought if we do not give our children sound, meaningful and relevant education. This is even more imperative in today’s knowledge-based economy. Any nation whose people do not have the required level of education will be left behind. Towards this end, we will prioritize and expand access to education at all levels. We will aggressively address quality enhancement and outcomes at all levels by putting in place measures to monitor quality of education service delivery, especially teaching and learning at the various levels of our education system.

“We will reward outstanding educational service providers to boost morale in the sector and work to improve gender parity in education. We will encourage community participation in the management of schools. We will work towards standardization and affordability in school fees.

“Mr. Speaker, I extend a hand of partnership to our social partners; the religious bodies with long-standing roles in the provision of educational services and private sector operators of education service to engage in this national reconstruction exercise for expanding access and improving quality of education in Ghana.

“To this end, district assemblies will be required to incrementally build new structures in all existing public schools to serve the needs of kindergarten education. We shall expand training of kindergarten teachers to ensure that our children all over the country acquire basic numeracy and literacy skills before they start primary education.

“We will over the next four years construct a total of 200 new community-based Senior High Schools...”

“In the next few months, government will roll out a special sandwich teacher educational training programme targeted at our unemployed graduates in preparation for the full implementation of our access to secondary education programme.We will lead a process to modernize and increase the number of colleges of education with special emphasis on deprived areas and communities. We will design and implement a distance education programme for teachers with ten decentralized satellite campuses across the country.”

“Government will facilitate the completion of ongoing construction of assessment centres and equip our special education units with the necessary teaching and learning aid including devices for the hearing and visually impaired.”

“Mr. Speaker, this year; we will initiate a bill for parliamentary consideration towards the establishment of a new University in the Eastern region. This University will be committed to sustainable environmental development and research. In addition, we will begin the roadmap for converting our existing ten public polytechnics into fully-fledged technical Universities.”


Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Bob Marley Movie Premiers First Time In Africa At National Theatre On February 22

Jamaican reggae superstar, the Legendary Nesta Robert Marley, known worldwide as Bob Marley, may have passed through the transition period of life but his legacy still lives on from posterity to posterity. Call it reincarnation; the reggae maestro is set to resurface in Ghana this month but this time he will not be doing just music but also mix up with a real feel of his lifetime and experiences. Music fans and enthusiasts of Bob Marley’s achievement are yet to have the first ever peek into the real life of the father behind reggae. The Rita Marley Foundation, a non-profit organization, presents the West African premiere of a feature film produced by Kevin MacDonald, dubbed “Marley” at the National Theatre on February 22, this year. This revealing feature movie promises to give entertainment folks a more emotional connection with Bob Marley. It is sure to become the definitive documentary on the much beloved King of Reggae. Internationally, the name “Marley” has become synonymous with reggae music and the culture of Jamaica. It is no concidence that talented Grammy nominee Rita Marley, originally called Rita Anderson, is also touted as the only “Queen of Reggae” due to her exceptional exploits as an integral part of Bob Marley’s legendary career. She wears many hats as the main engineer of her husband’s achivements. Her instrumental role saw the vision and wisdom of Bob Marley become manifest. She continues to be committed to his great works. Rita Marley’s music career is no less than her husband’s outstanding exploits in the reggae fraternity. She has debuted four albums, all to her credits. Her albums “Who Feels It Knows It”, “Harambe”, the 1992 Grammy nominated album “We Must Carry On” and “Spectacle For Tribuffalos” among other classic albums have pushed the Reggae Queen onto the zenith of success. Her sizzling 1982 hit “One Draw” created shockwaves around the world and was highly patronized. “One Draw” made music history as the first reggae single to top the Billboard Disco Charts. Top of all her entertainment flavour is her thrilling live performances which are captured on the Marley Magic videotape as a memento of the 1996 concert, which broke attendance records for the annual Summer Stage Concert in the United States. Her recent album “Sunshine After Rain” features tracks produced by her son Stephen Marley, Sly and Robbie and Wyclef Jean. Rita Marley upholds the artistic and cultural standards of reggae and continues to take it to new heights. Her music reflects the versatility and diversity of Reggae. She is also a prolific writer and has authored her multi-lingual autobiography “No Woman No Cry” which was launched recently in Europe and Africa. The book even before it is released on a mass scale has already been receiving rapturous reviews. Her foundation engages in social welfare programmes for the deprived children and the elderly around the world, particularly in Africa. This Friday, 22nd February, 2013 will indeed be a day to remember because attendees to the National Theatre will get the chance to watch all-faceted life moments of the Reggae heavyweight. The feature movie “Marley” will be the first ever in Ghana. The movie premiere will give audience a warm red carpet reception and a cocktail treat. There will also be a photo exbition to the delight of patrons. Already, patrons are grabbing tickets awaiting the date to peep at the yet-to-be discovered wonderful moments of Bob Marley. Show times for the premiere are pegged at 2:00 pm for the First show with provisions also made for a second session of the priemiere at 7:30pm. Tickets are available for GHC 50 (VIP), GHC 30 for Adults and GHC 10 for students. Don’t miss out, Come feast your eyes on the triple-packed Bob Marley hour! Marley, One Love!! We Jammin, We Must Carry On Jah!!!

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/ Peacefmonline.com

Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Protection Will Not Promote Gay Rights - Prez Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama, in his inaugural State of the Nation Address, has defined the role of the newly-designated Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection stating emphatically that the mandate of the sector Minister is not to promote gay rights. President Mahama on the floor of Parliament today indicated that the Ministry is primarily tasked to protect the welfare of all Ghanaians and so, ensure that the poor in society are not marginalized. Coming to the defence of the sector Minister, Nana Oye Lithur, the President noted that “Oye Lithur is experienced and capable and many would see her expertise through her work soon.” This is seemingly to prove her critics wrong in critiquing her performance as Head of the Ministry. Nana Oye Lithur’s appointment as Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection courted controversy in the moral fabric of the nation as some civil societies and the Clergy Association slammed her for supporting the rights of gays. The critics called on her to declare her stance on the practice of homosexuality in the country, fearing that she would compromise the position of Ghana on the issue. Following her vetting, Nana Oye Lithur made it clear that her ministerial appointment will not be exploited to promote the practice but rather she seeks to protect the rights of all Ghanaians, including homosexuals. President Mahama also gave credence to Nana Oye Lithur’s position, opining that; “the mandate of the ministry for Gender, Children, and Social Protection is not for the promotion of gay rights but to bring the fragmented schemes addressing marginalized people together.” He further stressed that; “the ministry will establish a database of our poorest people and work to enhance their access to social benefits. We cannot advance as a nation half poor and half rich."

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Ministry of Education: There Are Enough Facilities For WASSCE Exams

The Education Ministry has discounted claims that about 400,000 students in second cycle institutions across the country are riddled with challenges as they ginger up to write their West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) this year.

The students are reported to be burdened with challenges such as inadequate examination halls, invigilators and science laboratories for practicals.

The problem is said to be compounding due to the fact that two batches; the fourth year and third year streams of students in Senior High Schools, will be writing the examination which is scheduled for April/May 2013.

But the Public Affairs Director, Paul Krampah has downplayed the reports, stating emphatically that the examination halls are adequate to accommodate the students for the impending WASSCE.

He revealed that the last four years of the late President Mills’ administration saw in construction 3000 classrooms to add up to the existing ones, which is a major boost in the education system.

Speaking on Okay FM on Wednesday, Mr. Krampah reacting to a revealing Daily Graphic publication explained that; “over the past four years, 3000 additional classrooms were provided in all the Senior High Schools throughout the country. So, now the children are being taught in classrooms. If there’s time for examination, the classrooms will be used for examination. In the second cycle institutions, we don’t have special examination halls as we have in tertiary institutions. So, if they are talking about they are scrambling for space, I don’t see anything extraordinary about that because they already study in classrooms and those classrooms can be used as examination halls for the impending WASSCE Examination.”

The Kufour administration expanded the duration of SHS from the initial three years to four years on a premise that the students will have ample time to be studious in order to churn out excellent teeming SHS students into the various tertiary institutions in the country.

The Kufour government believed the four-year programme would boost the performance of the students but his successor, the late President John Evans Atta Mills reverted the duration to three years, arguing that the school facilities were inadequate to accommodate the swarming numbers of the students.

A Daily Graphic Publication dated February 20, 2013 noted that; “With a few weeks to the commencement of this year’s West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), serious challenges such as inadequate examiniation halls, invigilators and science laboratories for practicals have been identified.”

It further revealed that “this year, 409832 candidates will sit the examination throughout the country, as against the 173,655 who wrote the examination last year. Some of the schools are wondering how to handle the candidates when they write core subjects such as English Language, Mathematics, Integrated Science and Social Studies. The challenge has necessitated the rescheduling of this year’s Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) from April to June.”

According to the publication, the schools are calling on the Education Ministry to enable the first and second-year students to go on holidays in order to get enough rooms for examination halls.

It also cited the inadequate number of invigilators for this year’s WASSCE as another problem the second cycle institutions are grappling with.

However, the Public Affairs Director of the Ministry says the stakeholders; the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) and Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS), have indicated their willingness to invigilate the examination even though they have requested allowance from the Ministry.

He told host Kwame Nkrumah “Tikese” that; “There is no cause for alarm because already over 3000 extra classrooms have been provided by the government. Such classrooms are adequately enough to be used as examination halls. So, there shouldn’t be any cause for alarm at all.”

The Education Ministry will hold a meeting with stakeholders on Thursday, February 21 to address their concerns.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Kwesi Pratt Blasts Government Officials

Kwesi Pratt Jnr. Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, has launched a blistering attack on government appointees for their languorous attitude in rendering their service to the nation. Kwesi Pratt, who obviously was alarmed at the unbearable working characters of government officials and employees in the public sector, lambasted them for the woes that has befallen the country. Speaking in relation to the erratic water supply in the nation, he explained on Peace FM’s political discussion programme “kokrokoo” on Tuesday that, the officials tend to lose sight of the plight of the citizenry as soon as they gain placements in government offices. According to him, some public sector personnel were virtually “destitute” but when they gained positions of authority, they start to lord it over others instead of devising ways to solve challenges facing the nation. He expressed disgust over such behaviours, thereby calling for an instilment of discipline in the workforce. He exclaimed that “when our leaders go to their offices, they complain about their chairs. So, all the chairs, paintings, carpets and virtually everything are changed.” “Meanwhile, when you look at the houses they used to stay in before they become government officials; even “goats” will not live in such a place. But as soon as he becomes a government official, he wants an ultra-modern air conditioner. He wants new carpets...sliding doors and so on. But they won’t also work,” he screamed. He further disclosed that according to a World Bank report, Ghana is demanded to pay up debts to a tune of about 4 billion dollars in order to boost the country’s progress. He therefore expressed strong disappointment in government and the water sector workers for the crippling effects of the water shortages on the economy. He revealed that defunct machinery and poor treatment of the nation’s water bodies among other practices as some major causes of the erratic supply of water to communities in the country. “We are blessed with gold and diamond...we have water; we have learned people,” yet according to him, the nation is still inundated with economic problems. “What offence have we committed to go through this suffering?” he asked.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

GWCL Deny Usage of Expired Chemicals

The Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) has denied claims that it used expired chemicals to treat water for public consumption. Reports that the Water Company had introduced expired Aluminium Sulphate into the Weija dam for distribution went viral in the media over the week but the company has categorically distanced itself from the reports, stating that the chemical is still undergoing series of tests. Public Relations Director of the GWCL, Stanley Martey allayed fears that the country’s water systems have been polluted for consumption by Ghanaians, saying the consignment of the chemical was seized for critical scrutiny. An Aluminium Sulphate imported from China by the Ghana Urban Water Company to distil tap water was reported to have expired in June last year raising serious questions about its effectiveness. Critics believed the expired Alum would create health problems for consumers and called for public queries into the issue. Speaking in an interview with Peace FM on the “kokrokoo” programme, Stanley Martey explained the circumstances that led to the importation of the chemical into the country. “We have processes you follow to import chemicals into the country. This process kept long, so, we even encountered some challenges at the Harbour. So, we realized that the expiry date was due. So, the standard board checked the efficacy or the potency of the chemical and they told us that although the expiry date was due, the chemical was still efficacious or potent to be used. So, they released the chemical. “But when the chemical came to our place at the warehouse…I still will not be myself if I have to see expired product being introduced into water production because you consume water directly into your body. So, we just invited National Security to help us so that we clear that chemical; that particular consignment [it was just one batch, that particular chemical] out of the warehouse. That was what happened. So, we haven’t gotten to that point that we are going to use the product,” he told the host. He added that though the chemical was stalled at the Port for almost 10 months, the chemical did not expire in June, 2011 because; “that is the date for manufacturing. The manufacturing date is June 2011, so, it wasn’t possible that the product which is from China will arrive in Ghana on the date that it was manufactured. It is not possible. So, we were doubtful about the product. So, we needed to do some investigations; so, we had to isolate the product.” Mr. Martey noted that the chemical was taken through some tests and upon realizing the expiry date of the product; the company has rejected the usage of the chemical. He said; “The life span of the product in the container…means between the manufacturing date and the expiry date is just one year, which itself is not clear to us. Because even from the manufacturer’s end through bagging and through shipment to Ghana could take over 6 months…We buy the chemicals in bulk, sometimes for a whole year or we make an order for a 2-year consignment and they are delivered in batches.” “So, for them (CEPS and Ghana Standard Board) to have released means there was nothing wrong with the product. It was potent and efficacious to be used, except that we needed to do more checks on when the thing got to us. The thing got to us just a day before yesterday, and they started to deliver. And that’s when we also called in National Security, so, it didn’t even spend two-three days at our warehouse. It was in process of review and we stopped them.” According to him, there’s no cause for alarm because the Managers of Ghana’s water distribution system “haven’t used it and there’s no way that we will use it until we are cleared with all these things. When we clear all these things, and we can use it, then we will. But at this time; no, we’re not clear in our minds…So, there’s no way we’ll compromise on that one. If we do anything like that, look at the revenue we’re going to lose…there’s no way we’ll compromise on that one.”

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

What At All Does Ghana Need To Generate Biogas From Human Excreta??? Kwesi Pratt Asks

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr., has charged authorities in the energy sector to integrate the production of biogas into generating power for the nation. This he believes could go a long way to alleviate the energy crisis that has since bedeviled the nation. He explained that the introduction of biogas to serve as supplement to the generation of electricity by the Volta River Authority will help remedy the unremitting blackouts in the country. According to him, other developed countries run on biogas as a component of energy supply, and therefore wondered why the country has not yet opted for such initiative. He therefore bemoaned the lack of ingenuity on the part of the energy companies since according to him, it is about time the country generates power via processing of biogas. “What at all do we need to generate biogas from human excreta?...Biogas, biogas; what at all do we need before we can generate biogas?” he rhetorically questioned. He also appealed for the establishment of solar panels to complement the energy capacity in the country. He blurted: “We are here in Ghana. We are living on the equator…we cannot erect solar [panels]. That’s incredible…There is a shortfall, meaning the generation does not cover anything…We are just wasting money.” The seasoned journalist also lashed out at government agencies and Ministries blaming them partly for the energy crisis in the country. He chided government for not amortizing its debts to the energy suppliers in the country in order to assist them supply enough power to various communities in the country. Speaking on the issue of the current energy challenges that the nation is grappling with, Kwesi Pratt, who was contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”, ascribed the electricity fluctuations to the indebtedness of government agencies, Ministries and the energy companies to the ECG. He disclosed that the Volta River Authority (VRA), Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) together with GRIDCO have run into debts; a cause for the dwindling power supply. He therefore expressed worry saying “Government departments, Ministries and Agencies who draft a budget for all their utilities yearly, are also indebted to the Electricity Company of Ghana to a tune of Gh230 million cedis. GRIDCO owes VRA, ECG is indebted to GRIDCO and so on; so, meaning the money to do major operations is inadequate and the government too is not financing them.” He however wondered why the nation is still saddled with energy problems and also accused state authorities for not taking supervisory responsibility over the operations of the energy companies; VRA, ECG and GRIDCO, and so, issue sanctions to them when they fail to supply power to the country. Meanwhile, the Volta River Authority has projected next month to find a lasting solution to the rampant blackouts. Head of Corporate Affairs of VRA, Sam Fletcher, assured the nation that the Authority is working assiduously to ensure that the thermal plant with an installed capacity of 132 megawatts becomes fully operational by the end of February to ameliorate the enegy situation in the country.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Mahama’s “Kume Preko” Administration Is Really “Insensitive” – Sammy Awuku

A Deputy Communications Director of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has slammed the current administration led by President John Dramani Mahama in unsavoury terms, labeling it a “Kume PreKo” government, due to the recent price hikes in petroleum products in the country and the frustrations some Ghanaians have been expressing over energy crisis interrupting daily life and commerce. Sammy Awuku insists the Mahama-led “Kume PreKo” government has sought to aggravate the plight of Ghanaians by shooting fuel prices up in spite of the fact that the less privileged in society cannot make ends meet. Whiles the Ghana Water Company is rationing water in some parts of Accra due to malfunctioning filters at its Weija Dam, the Electricity Company of Ghana has also embarked on a load shedding exercise as a result of a shortfall in the power supply. As these are not unbearable enough, government, through the National Petroleum Authority (NPA), over the weekend, announced a 15% to 20% hike in the pricing of petroleum products; Petrol, Kerosene, Diesel and Liquified Petroleum Gas (LPG) despite intense calls to subsidize fuel in the country. The fuel price increments saw transport fares shoot up but critics fear the impact will not only affect transportation, but also the prices of other commodities as well. This they argue will disadvantage the poor in society. These factors, according to the NPP Communicator, does indicate that the current administration is insensitive to the needs of Ghanaians. To him, he will not be surprised should President Mahama’s reign be recorded as the “shortest-lived” administration in the annals of the Ghana’s political history. Contributing to a panel discussion on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo” Morning Show, he called on Ghanaians to “resist” the fuel price increases since he believes the increases will rather benefit the rich, Ministers and cronies of the government in the country. Describing the upward adjustment in fuel price as “a dangerous path” that the nation is plying, he admonished Ghanaians to advise themselves, saying “this fuel increment should be resisted because the timing of it; it raises question marks about government’s sensitivity. It is insensitive.” “I knew this government will not go anywhere. No wonder it’s going to be the shortest-lived government in our history because every policy they introduce is to further cripple the poor,” he told host Kwame Sefa Kayi.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

Govt To Blame For Increase In Petroleum Products – Nana Akomea

Member of Parliament and Communications Director of the opposition New Patriotic Party(NPP), Nana Akomea says government should be blamed for the current fuel price hikes. Contributing in a panel discussion programme on Accra-based Asempa FM on Monday, Nana Akomea chided government for the 20% increment in petroleum prices which he believes will invariably affect the prices of commodities in the country. According to him, the fuel price increases will reflexively cause transport fares and pricing of market products to shoot up. This he believes will overburden the underprivileged in societies in the country. He explained that the “disturbing” situation has arisen as a result of the devaluation of the Ghanaian currency. “There has been a drastic depreciation in the cedi as against the dollar rate,” he said, stating that the dramatic changes in the exchange rate have called for the percentage rise in the pricing of petroleum products. He further said that though government has no control over the price increments in the supply of oil from foreign countries, it however has the propensity to ensure that the dollar rate appreciates the country’s currency; adding that the fuel prices would not have increased by such high percentages if government had taken the necessary steps to expeditiously strike equal balances in the exchange rate.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana

VRA: Unforeseen Power Generational Defects Has Contributed To Energy Crises

The Volta River Authority (VRA) has attributed the current energy crises to unforeseen power generation defects, which it says have made it operationally difficult to supply electricity across the country. Following the recent power fluctuations which have since courted controversy over which supplier should be blamed for the shortcomings, the VRA has claimed responsibility for the insufficient electricity supply to various communities in the country. Mr. Sam Kwesi Fletcher, VRA Head of Coporate Affairs, in an interview with Kwame Sefa-kayi on Peace FM’s morning show programme,“kokrokoo”, indicated that the energy situation has arisen as a result of the imbalances in supply and demand for electricity. According to him, the supply of power to vicinities and residential areas of the country has dwindled because of the high demand on the Authority to generate power for the entire nation. He explained that the supply cannot meet the demand for power but hoped the shortfall will be rectified to remediate the situation. Making clarification about the causes of the power fluctuations, he expounded that the Authority noticed defects in the Takoradi Thermal Power Station (TTPS) at Aboadze, in which three turbines developed faults which complicated the operations of the Authority to generate power for the transmission company, GRIDCO. “The problem emanated from Aboadze. We have something called the switch yard, it’s like a substation but it’s the first substation we generate power before GRIDCO does transmission throughout the country…it encountered some problem and so, it couldn’t sustain the load from the machines. So, the machines also became faulty. “So, there was a need for us to switch it off for repairs and then, restart the machines…Three machines run down immediately…When the lights go out, most of the problem is from generation. Because we don’t have enough supply,” he said. He continued that the Authority encountered problems with a substation at Aboadze, which affected the generation machines. If the machines had not been restarted; they would be overloaded from the already 250 megawatts power capacity to 400 megawatts. This he said would intensify the load on the power generation machinery. He therefore emphasized the need for an establishment of reserves to store up enough energy to complement the supply of power to various areas in the country. With the economy growing rapidly, there is a huge demand for electricity; he said, adding that the demand does not correspond with the capacity of energy the company generates for transmission. He further detailed that the company is expected to produce about 1700 megawatts to 1720 megawatts each day and this comes on the back of the energy needs which hike up by 10% per year. He therefore proposed for government’s assistance to set up a storage facility to augment the supply of power to the country. He highlighted: “We have to produce exactly 1720. If we even meet the demand but we don’t have a reserve. And our reserve, the only way we can get a reserve is when we have a machine available so when anything goes bad, we can start that machine…Having a reserve is as important as producing enough to meet the demand.” The power failures were expected to be resolved this year. Several Ghanaians hoped it would be a thing of the past to experience the regular blackouts in 2012, but this has hit the rocks. Day in and out, the nation is plunged into total darkness despite the incessant concerns raised by stakeholders. However, the VRA projects next month to find a lasting solution to the rampant blackouts. Head of Corporate Affairs of the VRA assured the nation that the Authority is working assiduously to ensure that the thermal plant with an installed capacity of 132 megawatts becomes fully operational by the end of February to ameliorate the energy situation in the country. He commended government for supporting the company to amortize its debts and also subvert the cost involved in generating power from crude oil.

Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana