Go Away! NDC Goons Attack Minister

Posted: Daily Guide |Friday, 30 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The conference room of the Ministry of Information nearly turned into a jungle yesterday when angry foot-soldiers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) stormed the premises to cause confusion at a press conference being addressed by Minister of Youth and Sports, Akua Sena Dansua.

No sooner had the Minister started answering questions from journalists about the transfer of two directors of the Ministry to other Ministries than two angry men, reeking of cigarette, forcibly made their way to the packed conference room, shouting “you can’t sack anybody, go away.”

The comment diverted all attention including that of the Minister and other dignitaries like Information Minister John Tia Akologu to the two hoodlums.

Most of them were wondering how the two managed to enter the room to disrupt the programme with such comments, resulting in a temporary hold-up of the event which was aired live on national television.

Some NDC newspapers had taken on the Minister yesterday for causing the transfer of Abdulai Yakubu, the Chief Director and Allen Agbenetor, acting Head of Human Resource at the Ministry, who have been described as ‘NDC boys.’

An obviously shock-stricken Ms. Dansua, who watched in disbelief, stressed that the behaviour of the foot-soldiers could be part of a grand design by some members of her own party to push her out of government as Minister of Youth and Sports as was done to her predecessors.

However, she noted that no matter the extent to which those people took their schemes, they would definitely fail. Some journalists were compelled to drag the two hoodlums out.

Not even the presence of some gun-wielding policemen could scare them since they were still shouting at the top of their voices and insisting on being allowed to go and sit in the room.

Ms. Dansua, a former journalist with the stated-owned New Times Corporation, asked her colleague journalists to help her to succeed since at the end of the day, the credit would come to all journalists.

When the issue seemed to have died down, Western Regional Deputy Women’s Organiser of the NDC and a die-hard supporter of Sekondi Hasaacas football club, Araba Tagoe, smuggled the two NDC hoodlums into the room.

Not too long after the programme re-started, the two again began interrupting the Minister’s delivery, defying an order from John Tia for them to comport themselves.

Some media personnel who had been compelled to stand, in view of the fact that seats meant for them had been taken over by party supporters and the National Association of Women Supporters Union (NAWSU), informed the two policemen who took the two hoodlums out of the conference room.

They still struggled with the policemen since they did not want to leave.

Prior to that, some journalists had registered their protest at government’s decision to allow members of the public to attend the Meet-the-Press session which was specifically designed for government officials to address the media on issues relating to their various Ministries.

At this point, Information Minister John Tia had no option but to warn members of the public who got the opportunity to participate in the programme not to abuse the privilege since it was an entirely media programme, saying “it is not a forum for fisticuffs.”

Tsatsu Goes Wild Over $5m Oil Deal

Posted: Daily Guide |Thursday, 29 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Former Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC), Tsatsu Tsikata, who has landed a lucrative $5million consultancy deal in Ghana’s fledgling oil industry has hit back at his critics, warning that he would not hesitate to take legal action against those making unguarded utterances about the multi-million dollar deal.

According to Tsatsu, his company’s dealings with MODEC, the Japanese company specialized in engineering, procurement, construction and installation of floating production systems, including Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessels, were “legitimate business”.

Tsatsu, who is said to possess a 50 percent stake in Strategic Oil and Gas Resources (StratOil), has therefore not only sought to put some degree of fear in the media, but is also seeking to gag them from prying into the activities and operations of the off-shore registered company.

According to him, he reserved the right to take legal action against those who misrepresented facts concerning the agreement between the company and MODEC.

StratOil was said to have been paid $2 million as part of the consultancy fees in the preparation of tender for the supply of an FPSO to the consortium involved in developing Ghana oil in the Western Region.

However, his dealings with MODEC are a subject of investigation by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the World Bank.

The IFC and the World Bank are not impressed with the circumstances under which the $5 million contract was awarded to Tsatsu’s company.

The insurance cover for the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah provided by the Multinational Insurance Guarantee Agency (MIGA) has been suspended owing to the investigations.

StratOil secured the contract somewhere in June 2008 when Tsatsu was still languishing in jail for causing financial loss to the state.

A statement issued by StratOil and signed by its Corporate Affairs Executive, Stuart Sutton-Jones, cautioned the media to desist from any reportage that would land them in trouble.

The company has therefore given consent to MODEC to make a full disclosure of the details of their ‘confidential’ agreement to all shareholders who are participating with MODEC in the equity of the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah, as well as lenders to the project.

“It is a matter of great satisfaction to StratOil that the company could play a part in enabling the tremendous achievement of MODEC in winning a highly-competitive tender and in supplying this FPSO within a time frame which is a record in the industry for such a deep water project,” the statement said.

StratOil said “it is beneficial to the Jubilee project and to Ghana that the MODEC bid was a low-priced bid that met the highest technical standards in the industry and that is enabling first oil from the Jubilee field to be achieved in the 4th quarter of this year.”

A former Energy Minister in the erstwhile Kufuor administration, Joseph Kofi Addah, has joined calls for government to institute immediate investigations into the deal, considering the issues coming out of it.

Due to MODEC’s belated disclosure to the IFC and the World Bank about the award of the $5million advisory services contract to StratOil, the two institutions were said to have taken a decision to conduct due diligence on the contract, focusing on the nature of the services provided and the basis of the award of the contract, with suspicion of underhand dealings.

MODEC’s belated disclosure on July 13, 2010, two years after the award of the contract to StratOil, also indicated that MODEC (mv21) had already paid $2million to the company whilst another $3million was slated to be paid later this year when the first oil is produced.

Reports have it that the signing of MODECs Financing Deal (Loan Agreement & Shareholders Agreement) for the Kwame Nkrumah FPSO, which was slated for July 15, 2010, had to be postponed at the request of the IFC in order to enable it to complete its investigations into the $5m advisory services contract to StratOil.

Indications are that if the IFC and the World Bank should discover any wrongdoing in the award of the contract to Tsatsu’s company, they will withdraw their funding, a situation that is likely to lead to the other banks doing the same.

Should that be the case, it is believed that the partners would have to do what is called an EPCI, a comprehensive business solution developed specifically for the oil and gas industries, instead of a lease contract which adds another US$1 billion to the cost of the jubilee project.

Other than that, the partners may exercise the option to terminate the contract and possibly compel the FPSO Kwame Nkrumah to leave Ghana, thereby leading to a delay with no first oil for at least two years if a new vessel had to be built.

However, MODEC has also issued a statement in which it is quoted as saying it is “currently undertaking due diligence of the service agreement with Strategic Oil and Gas Resources Limited”, stressing that it has “retained outside independent counsel for this purpose.”

Bagbin Fights Jake Over STX Deal

Posted: Daily Guide |Wednesday, 28 July 2010

The Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, Alban Kingsford Sumani Bagbin, yesterday took time off his obviously busy schedule to brief the media about the much-talked-about $10 billion STX Korean housing deal which has been a subject of heated controversy, taking the matter to the door-steps of the National Chairman of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey.

With television and radio stations carrying live feeds to the homes of millions of Ghanaians, Bagbin described Jake as a “property looting chairman”, to the amazement of media personnel gathered at the event.

The Mills-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government has been working on the US$10 billion housing deal with STX Korea for the construction of 200,000 houses across the country in the next five years, putting the average cost of each house at $50,000.

The agreement, which was initially placed before Parliament, was quickly withdrawn by the government upon realising that the loopholes in it included the non-provision of a lender for the $10billion funding.

Though government claims the deal is the best answer to the over one million housing deficit in Ghana, the NPP and some stakeholders including civil society organizations, such as the Danquah Institute and the Imani Centre, have all raised issues with the terms of the agreement.

No costing was made for each of the housing unit, raising questions about its transparency.

But in his almost two-and-half hour presentation, Bagbin, Member of Parliament for Nadowli West, sought to justify why he thinks all Ghanaians including the NPP must stop bickering and buy into the housing deal.

The Minister used the meet-the-press to launch scathing attacks on Minority Members of Parliament (MPs) and NPP Chairman Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey for accusing him and other ministers- Attorney General and Finance and Economic Planning- of trying to kill the local real estate industry.

“Now let’s be clear here. I must state that these widely publicized claims are not only false but are motivated by mischief and I daresay naked jealousy,” he said, describing Jake as a “self-confessed property-looting chairman”.

The Minister said he could not understand why the NPP Chairman could liken the STX housing deal to “another M&J scandal in the making”.

Bagbin, who until his appointment as a Minister not too long ago, described Prof Mills as slow, was full of praise for the President this time around, with regard to the housing deal.

Bagbin said: “It is the aim of STX Korea to use Ghana as the launch pad to an integrated building and construction industry in the West African sub region.”

Sounding more like a Public Relations Officer of the company, the Housing Minister said, “Indeed, under this housing venture, STX Korea has proposed to build major cement, steel and power generating plants/factories here in Ghana to anchor the economy in its movement to the middle income status”.

Apart from supplying building materials to support its construction project in Ghana, “the operations of STX Korea in other African countries will be anchored largely on the cement and steel factory to be located here in Ghana,” he noted, stressing, “Indeed, the planned construction of the cement factory is expected to create over 40,000 jobs in Ghana alone.”

To his Minority MPs, Bagbin said: “I am fully aware we haven’t agreed much on every issue on this huge housing deal.

And I know there are certainly times in the future where we will part ways on how to best tackle the dire housing needs of our people”, describing the deal as the largest and single most ambitious project in the country.

The STX deal, according to critics, would lead to the eventual mortgaging of Ghana’s yet-to-be-explored oil.

On May 4, 2010, the Government of Ghana sought to push through several loan agreements under a certificate of urgency when Parliament was on recess.

One was a Suppliers Credit Financing Agreement between the Government of Ghana and STX Engineering and Construction Limited (a subsidiary of the STX Group, Korea) for an amount of $1,525,443,468.00 to construct 30,000 housing units for the Security Services - with 20,000 units for the Police Service (including 10,240 units), and the remaining 10,000 to be spread among the other security agencies, including the Military and the Prison Service.
Vice President John Dramani Mahama led a government delegation to South Korea to complete agreement formalities on the housing project and sign another MOU on an infrastructure establishment project with STX, targeting Ghana's oil.

Road Block For Kofi Boakye

Posted: Daily Guide |Tuesday, 27 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Credible reports available to DAILY GUIDE indicate that former Director of Operations of the Ghana Police Service, ACP Nathan Kofi Boakye has been cleared of any impropriety in connection with the missing MV Benjamin cocaine scandal.

Sources at the seat of government, Osu Castle, and the police headquarters, have confided in DAILY GUIDE that ACP Kofi Boakye can now sleep well, with the allegations of professional misconduct unable to stand on their feet.

The former Accra Regional Police commander, who is now head of the police educational unit, was referred to the Police Service enquiry under instructions from the Police Council, headed by Vice President John Mahama.

However, there seems to a deliberate attempt by some current and former senior police officers including a former Inspector General of Police (IGP) who works with the current NDC administration, to mount a road-block on his path after he had been exonerated by the enquiry board.

This is in spite of an earlier reinstatement and restoration of full benefits to Kofi Boakye by President John Agyekum Kufuor and a subsequent Appeal Court ruling which cleared him of any wrong-doing and criminal liability.

Spokesman for Vice President Mahama, John Jinapor last week told DAILY GUIDE that the matter involving Kofi Boakye will be part of several issues that will be considered by the Police Council at its next meeting, possibly this week.

This was when the paper sought to ascertain whether the report of the enquiry was before the Vice President and what was being done about it.

Mr Jinapor therefore gave the Vice President’s word that nothing untoward will be done by the Police Council on the report of the service enquiry.

Castle sources have told DAILY GUIDE the officers involved in this scheme have even succeeded in writing to the President and the Police Council to either retire or not assign Kofi Boakye to any mainstream police duties that will put in him in public light but instead confine him to auxiliary duties.

This seems to have created tension among the top brass of the Police Service and even in government circles, since most of these former IGPs, except one who is still influential in the current administration, are said to have criticized any such move to either retire or confine a thoroughbred police officer like Boakye, who is known for his crime-busting credentials, to the fringes.

One of such IGPs is reported to have retorted: “We will be glad to have the names of those petitioners and compare their records to that of the young man.”

Vice President Mahama is however said to be more than willing to stamp his authority and do the right thing in line with the rule of law, justice and fair play.

Kofi Boakye has declined to make any substantive comment about the issue.

When contacted yesterday, he had this to say: “Nothing has been communicated to me and I don’t want to make any comment about it.”

He is therefore awaiting a final determination of his fate by the Police Council.

ACP Kofi Boakye was interdicted in 2007, following the recommendations of a committee chaired by the current Chief Justice, Georgina Wood, which investigated the much-publicized MV Benjamin cocaine scandal.

The recommendations of the same committee led to the prosecution and subsequent conviction of Kwabena Amaning alias Tagor, and Issa Abass for their involvement in the case; but they were later freed after an Appeal Court heard their case.

Though the Georgina Wood committee made recommendations for Mr. Boakye to be prosecuted, the police administration, which was then headed by Patrick Kwarteng Acheampong, decided to interdict him in order to conduct further investigations.

A day before leaving office, former President Kufuor ordered the reinstatement of Kofi Boakye and ordered the police administration to pay him all his entitlements.

However, on assumption of office, the Mills administration asked the Police Chief to remain on leave, until a final determination by the Police Council. He was subsequently recalled and asked to face a service enquiry.

The Appeal Court, in its ruling by Justices Peasah, Addo and Appau in the infamous MV Benjamin cocaine scandal, wondered why the Police Chief has been made to suffer what they described as an ‘unjustifiable fate’ for such a long time since in their wisdom, he did not do anything wrong to warrant his suspension or interdiction from service.

According to the judges, the then Director in Charge of Operations of the Ghana Police Service was desperate in clearing his name that had been linked to the 76 missing parcels of cocaine.

“The appellants could not have conspired by stating that they agreed to reap the benefits of the cocaine,” the judges said, emphasizing that “he (Boakye) was right in adopting lawful and unlawful means to establish the source of the 76 parcels of cocaine.

“The said conversation could not be termed as a confession statement.”

Meanwhile, the former Deputy Director and Head of Operations at the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), Ben Ndego, who was asked to proceed on an indefinite leave after the disappearance of the MV Benjamin cocaine, has been re-instated by the government with full salary and benefits.

Suicide At Ridge

Posted: Daily Guide |Saturday, 24 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Barely 48 hours after a nine-year-old boy was reported to have hanged himself at Bekwai in the Ashanti Region, a man in his late 30s, has also committed suicide in another bizarre circumstance.

This time around, the body was discovered by some workers who were working at a fill-in project site in one of the colonial buildings at North Ridge in Accra, around 4.00pm on Thursday and they reported it to the Nima police.

At the time the police got to the scene, the body of the victim, which was hanging loosely on a shredded polo shirt tied to an iron rod in the uncompleted building, had started decomposing, with the deceased person’s tongue sticking out of his mouth.

The victim, who spotted a pair of tight black jeans, had clenched his fists.

Residents of the area who had gathered there could hardly stand the terrible stench emanating from the decomposing body.
The police, led by Chief Inspector A.B. Appau, head of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Nima District Police, did not find it easy cutting the rope on which the body was hanging since they could equally not stand the stench, considering the fact that they were working with no protective gear.

They however managed to cut the rope and conveyed the body to the mortuary.

This virtually summed up the strain and hazards that the country’s ill-equipped police personnel have to go through each passing day in the line of duty.

What seemed to have baffled the minds of all around and even the police team was the sighting of two pairs of slippers at the scene of the incident.

It raised questions as to what those two pairs of slippers were for, since the victim could possibly be the owner of one of them.
It was therefore not clear what a man who was going to commit suicide would be doing with two pairs of slippers.

This remains a puzzle yet to be unraveled by the police in their investigations.

The workers at the site, including one Stephen AcheampongArhin, Manager of Sasco Properties, which is developing the site, have denied knowing the victim.

They believe he may have scaled the wall to commit suicide- that is if he indeed hanged himself- since the place is not only gated but also locked, with people living there.

In the other incident, Gideon Owusu, a nine-year-old pupil had taken the Amoamo community in the Bekwai Municipality of the Ashanti region by surprise and hit his mother like a punch with a suicide at a nearby bush.

The class-two pupil of Amoamo R/C Primary School, on the afternoon of last Thursday, allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself with a small piece of cloth after the school’s break time.

The police are investigating the two incidents.

Samia Weeps For Sekou

Posted: Daily Guide |Saturday, 24 July 2010

The only daughter of Ghana’s first President, Samia Yaaba Nkrumah has expressed worry about the strained relations between her brother, Sekou Nkrumah and President John Evans Atta Mills.

Breaking her silence on Sekou’s dismissal, Samia, who is also the Convention People’s Party (CPP) Member of Parliament for Jomoro in the Western Region, thought it was an unpleasant experience for her brother to be thrown out of his job.

Much as she respected Sekou’s personal views and the fact that they belonged to two different political parties, the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the CPP, Samia stressed the hope that her brother would find a way to make amends with the President.

Sekou was recently sacked as Coordinator of the National Youth Council after he made critical comments about President Mills and his leadership style in an interview he granted to AfricaWatch magazine.

Though government and the Council Board, chaired by Esther Cobbah, said his dismissal had nothing to do with his comments about the President and attributed it to unsatisfactory performance, Sekou thought he was victimized.

“Sekou is an adult and he has his views…his personal views and his independent views and I cannot impose my thinking on him,” Samia told Joy FM.

That notwithstanding, she felt it was her responsibility to protect Sekou as a junior brother.

She said Sekou, who dissuaded her from contesting the Jomoro seat on CPP ticket, made a choice to join the NDC which should be respected. The legislator noted: “He makes a choice with his political views or his statements.”

Asked whether she felt disappointed by Sekou’s criticism of the President, Samia had this to say: “I cannot judge him…err Sekou opposed my standing on CPP ticket and I did not, lets say retaliate. I think people are free to hold their own views.”

Just as she could not judge her brother’s comments, Samia stated she could also not judge the decision of the President to relieve him of his appointment, saying, “I always believe there is solution to every problem. That every mistake, every error can be rectified.”

She expressed the hope that Sekou and President Mills would find an amicable solution to the rift between them.

Sekou’s dismissal as Coordinator of the National Youth Council, only days after he criticised the leadership style of President Mills, took effect on Thursday July 22, according to the deputy Sports Minister, Nii Nortey Duah, who signed the dismissal letter.

Dr Sekou Nkrumah, Kwame Nkrumah’s third son and a member of the National Democratic Congress, predicted his own dismissal.

In his frank interview in the July edition of the AfricaWatch magazine, Sekou said the President was out of touch with happenings on the ground and things were not on course; but that those who knew this were afraid to speak, out for fear of losing their jobs.

"It looks like we now have a situation where people are appointed to positions, whether big or small, and they don't serve the nation but rather the party or the people who put them there. They are gagged because they are afraid to speak their minds or say things as they really are, lest they are removed from those positions," he pointed out.

Sekou said President Mills lacked the charisma, dynamism and strong will to lead Ghana.

In the brutally frank interview, he said the National Democratic Congress government has so far failed Ghanaians.

“A lot of people see Mills as an academic and a gentleman. But, in the political arena, you need to be strong-minded, and it looks like this leadership quality is missing in Mills.

“So I guess we need a more strong-willed, dynamic personality, a charismatic person to inspire national confidence, and also to let the population see the national agenda and feel part of it.”

Sekou said more about the President of Ghana: “There is the impression that he is not able to make decisions. But again if you do not go through the democratic process, you are not strong enough to handle such a situation because those small battles that take you to the top shape you, they make you strong, and give you the courage to face the challenges that come your way in office.”

He blamed the founder of the NDC, former President Jerry John Rawlings, for imposing Mills on his party.

“I think, to a large extent, [Rawlings] is to blame for the situation because really, he put Mills in the leadership position of the NDC, and it was not done through a proper internal democratic process.”

Dr Nkrumah continued, “In leadership, you need to struggle to emerge, anything in life you need to struggle for it. So in a sense Mills did not struggle for the leadership, and you can see that right from 2004 when Kwesi Botchwey stood against him, the latter flopped miserably; and in 2006 Spio Garbrah also flopped miserably against Mills.”

He added, “So nobody could stand against Mills because he was Rawlings’ man. Rawlings created that situation. If he had allowed somebody to succeed him democratically in the NDC, it would have been different. I mean Mills as vice president was fine but to lead, the person must, on his own, struggle to emerge as a leader, sometimes based on what he or she has done; but Rawlings did not give this process a chance at all.”

In the interview, Dr Nkrumah supported calls that a new candidate within the NDC must challenge Mills in 2012.

Ghana Is Collapsing

Posted: Daily Guide |Friday, 23 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The 2008 presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and a leading contender in the party’s flagbearership race, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo believes Professor John Evans Atta Mills and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration have mismanaged the economy of Ghana to the extent that it is heading for collapse.

He therefore charged the good people of Ghana to show them the exit, come December 2012, since according to him, the NDC as a party and government does not have the slightest idea about how to manage and run a country.

Addressing party delegates at the Tip Toe Lane in Accra on Wednesday, as part of his campaign in the Ayawaso Central Constituency, Nana Addo said, “The NPP must come back in 2012 to inject fresh energy into the Ghanaian economy, which is now crawling under the Mills administration; and this will surely happen if we elect the most popular and experienced candidate to lead the party into that fight.”

For this reason, he tasked delegates who would be voting in the forthcoming party primary to work harder after the NPP congress to help the party win the votes of the majority of Ghanaians in the 2012 elections.

Over the years, Nana Addo noted, the NDC as a party has proven not to be straight in their ways, and for that matter it would be important for the NPP to strengthen its grassroots to ensure that victory is not stolen from them in the 2012 elections.

Nana Addo said he is optimistic that when presented once more as the presidential candidate of the NPP, the party will recapture power in 2012.

“I am confident that by the grace of God, and with unity within our ranks, if you elect me as flag-bearer into the 2012 general elections, victory will come our way as a party,” he intimated.

With him were Sheik I.C Quaye, MP for Ayawaso Central; Prof. Mike Oquaye, MP for Dome Kwabenya and Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament; Madam Frema Akosua Osei-Opare, MP for Ayawaso West Wuogon; Shirley Ayokor Botchway, MP for Weija; Elizabeth Sackey, MP for Okaikoi North; Alhaji M.N.D. Jawula, former chief Director at the Ministry of Health; and Lord Commey, the immediate past National Organiser of the NPP, as well as his ‘Victory 2012’ campaign team.

Nana Addo appealed to them to consider a candidate who the general public and the majority of NPP delegates all over the country are calling for, saying:

“Put your ears down and choose a candidate whom the majority of Ghanaians are calling for to lead our great party once again in the upcoming election and vote him as flag-bearer of our party, so that our work in 2012 would be easier.”

That notwithstanding, he stressed the need for unity in the NPP, advising delegates and supporters of the party to rally behind any candidate who emerges the flagbearer, since he believes the NPP is larger than any individual seeking to lead the party.

To this end, he indicated that the results of the upcoming NPP flagbearership contest on August 7, 2010 “would determine the fate of our dear nation in the upcoming years”, believing that a successful primary by the NPP, with the most experienced and popular candidate elected as flagbearer, would increase the party’s chances and promote unity for the party to wrestle power from the ruling NDC in the 2012 general elections.

“It is important for the NPP to win back power from the NDC in 2012 because Ghana must move forward,” he said.

Later at the Apostolic Church in Nima, where Nana Akufo-Addo and his team met with delegates of the Ayawaso East Constituency, there was near-stampede due to the fact that the majority of residents consider him one of his their own- a ‘Nima Boy’.

Hundreds of party faithful clad in NPP colours and dozens on motorbikes escorted him as he walked from Nima Roundabout through to the Apostolic Church where he and his team met with the delegates.

Ministers Panic Over Reshuffle

Posted: Daily Guide |Wednesday, 21 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
A news story about an imminent cabinet reshuffle in the Mills administration has sent fear among Ministers, particularly those whose names popped up as likely causalities.

Sources said the news story sent shockwaves in government circles, with jittery ministers making frantic calls to the seat of government, the Osu Castle and to close associates of the president in order to get their way through in the confusing logjam.

Speculations were rife that some supposed powerful but ineffective Ministers including Information Minister John Tia, Trade and Industry Minister Hannah Tetteh, Women and Children’s Affairs Minister Juliana Azumah-Mensah and Youth and Sports Minister Akua Sena Dansua will all be shown the exit for non-performance.

Unable to control the effect of the story coming from National Democratic Congress (NDC) power house, the Ahwoi brothers’ controlled Ghana Palaver, the presidency was left with no option but to deploy a fire fighting measure to douse the spreading rumour of imminent reshuffle which government officials were shying away from commenting on, on Monday when the story broke.

The impending cabinet reshuffle, which has been dismissed as untrue, is said to be part of a re-invigorating exercise in which the president would ostensibly bring on board some fresh limbs from his much-awaited ‘team A’.

Coming from no less a pro-NDC newspaper like the Ghana Palaver, owned by the Ahwois brothers, one of whom is seen by party members as the de facto ‘Prime Minister’ of the Mills administration, the story seemed to have gained momentum.

Though Hannah Tetteh was active in her post as the Communications Director for the NDC in the 2008 election campaign, her impending removal as a Minister is likely to give Kwesi Ahwoi, the Food and Agriculture Minister, a competitive advantage in the race to pair with Vice President John Mahama in the event that President Mills is unable to contest again.

Veep’s ‘darling girl’ Hannah, DAILY GUIDE learnt, was being edged out for Kwesi Ahwoi since they were both seen as likely running mates in the event of picking the flag-bearer slot.

Though not a sure-bet in itself, what seems to have given the ministers a glimmer of hope was a statement put out by the Head of Communications at the Presidency, Koku Anyidoho, saying President John Mills had no such intention of offloading the ‘excess luggage’ in his administration.

He told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that there was no credibility in the speculations.

“As at the time of speaking with the president this morning, he stated emphatically that he had no such intentions,” he said, stressing the need for all in government to rid their minds of such fears and concentrate on duties assigned them at their respective Ministries.

Mr. Anyidoho expressed worry at the panic the speculation had succeeded in creating in government circles, especially among ministers, saying “that’s the more reason why the president instructed that I speak to the issue officially because it is important that we calm nerves and allow people to stay focused on their mandate.”

Otherwise, he said, “people are apprehensive, people are anxious, people are panicking. You don’t get any results and you don’t get anything done.”

In spite of this respite coming from the seat of government, some ministers are still apprehensive about the denial, considering the fact that not too long ago, Koku denied a similar speculation about the president’s intentions to sack some District Chief Executives (DCE) in the Northern region.

When he was asked about the issue, Koku totally denied, saying that the president had no such intentions.

But barely 24 hours after the president arrived in Accra, a statement was issued from the Castle relieving some three DCEs of their positions, making the president’s spokesperson appearing a bit unreliable.

NPP Clears Way For Congress

Posted: Daily Guide |Tuesday, 20 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The atmosphere at the national headquarters of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) yesterday was one that showed a party poised for unity and victory, come December 2012, as the much-hyped crisis meeting ended with presidential aspirants exchanging banters.

The five flag bearer-aspirants of the party had met with members of the Council of Elders, chaired by one time presidential advisor on health, Prof Fred Torgbor Sai, to deliberate on issues on procedures and processes governing the impending national delegates’ congress scheduled for August 7, 2010.

Sources close to the party told DAILY GUIDE that the meeting agreed to close the proxy votes which, as at yesterday, had registered 64 votes; 63 from overseas branches and one from a local member.

The aspirants were also given up to tomorrow to nominate their agents to be submitted to the various constituency election committees and fixed August 2, 2010 for resolving all outstanding issues including the validation of the voter register.

The meeting will reconvene on July 29 to assess the implementation of the roadmap for a successful congress.

The Election Committee will also meet the Electoral Commission tomorrow to finalise the process of printing the ballot papers for the polls.

First to arrive at the meeting’s venue was Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, followed by Kumasi-based lawyer Evangelist John Kwame Kodua.

Not too long thereafter, the 2008 presidential candidate of the party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, showed up, with Isaac Osei in tow and then Alan Kwadwo Kyerematen.

Each of these five aspirants was received with a rousing welcome by several members of the party who had gathered there to cheer them on.

Half-way through the meeting, Isaac Osei and Mr. Kodua had to seek permission to leave the meeting to attend to some pressing issues.

After going into close-door meeting for almost three hours, the Council opened its doors to members of the media, with the various aspirants beaming with smiles and exchanging pleasantries.

Prof .Sai said all was clear for the party’s delegates’ congress and that the congress could go on without any hitch.

“All the problems that have been raised either in the press or to the executives were addressed this afternoon,” was how he put it.

Most of these problems, according to Prof. Sai, related to issues around procedures and processes that were to be followed between now and the time of the election.

Prof. Sai was made to chair the meeting to avoid a case of conflict of interest since the party did not want Clement Tedam, acting chairman of the Council of Elders who also doubles as the chairman of the party’s Election Committee, to be seen like a judge in his own cause.

The meeting was said to have taken place, as the chairman said, “In complete amity”, noting “there were a lot of friendliness, a lot of banter and sometimes even complete happiness.”

The outcome of the meeting goes to allay the fears of party supporters that the congress date might have to be reviewed, given the threats to resort to the court for an injunction to suspend the internal polls by some aggrieved persons.

The register or album of delegates has been a subject of controversy in the past few weeks, culminating in last week’s press conference by the four concerned presidential hopefuls, which necessitated the meeting.

Sekou's Bombshell: Mills Can't See

Posted: Daily Guide |Monday, 19 July 2010

THE DISMISSED Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, has dropped what looks like the deadliest bombshell on the National Democratic Congress (NDC), confirming media speculations that President Atta Mills has serious difficulties with his sight.

Sekou, who was relieved of his duties a few days ago, claimed that together with other members of the Kwame Nkrumah Centenary Committee, he went to the Osu Castle to present their report to the president just before he was sacked and saw something that struck him.

He came out of that meeting with the president, with news that he thinks may not be palatable to the ears of several Ghanaians who have been debating the issue of the president’s health for some time now, suggesting that Ghana’s president may be a ‘walking blind man.’

The issue of the president’s health has always received ferocious response from his handlers, who appear to have something to hide from the public.

Recently, Herbert Mensah, an inside operative of the NDC, made public that in the run-up to the 2008 election, the then candidate Mills was suffering from hallucination, which created panic among ‘insiders’.

Speaking on Oman FM’s ‘National Agenda’ programme and other radio stations including Radio Gold last Friday, Sekou Nkrumah said when they went to the castle, he and the other members of the committee had the opportunity of shaking hands with the president before they presented the report to him.

In the process, he said, something significant struck him which he thought might have triggered the reaction to the interview he granted and his subsequent dismissal since he believes what he said might have disorganized the president and the Presidency.

“That is the problem my brother but I don’t think people in this country will want to know the truth. I believe the president cannot see because I shook his hand and I don’t think he knew who he was shaking the hands with,” he noted.

Sekou said he had no bad intentions when he made those revelations because he was part of the delegation that accompanied then candidate Mills to the Nzema areas when he was campaigning to be president. “I just captured some of the things that I observed there,” he stated.

Sekou believes that his comments about the president’s health may have hit some raw nerves, thereby necessitating his removal.

In spite of that, the strong-willed Sekou said he had no regrets for what he said since they were said in good faith.

“So that’s the point, he looks fine health-wise but I’m not too sure whether he can see…I am talking about his eye-sight, that’s why I said if you read the interview, I think that is the raw nerve that I must have hit,” he said, emphasizing “I am saying that the impression I am seeing, the president cannot see and I am saying that is what triggered this whole reaction.”

Sekou added “the point is to do with NDC-made promises, is the NDC delivering. If NDC is not delivering, the buck ends with the president and that’s why I am saying he has to take the responsibility and that’s why if somebody is criticizing the president, I think it should be taken in good faith.”

For now, he said, it is for the NDC as a party to sit and reflect on whether or not to use President Mills in the next elections or look for an alternative.

“We are in government and I’m not too sure whether to continue with the same leadership,” he stated.

He believed there was more to the president feeling threatened and insecure in his position than the issue about Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings wanting to run for his position.

“Maybe to them, the people are threatening them, so if the president cannot see, does that threaten…can he do his job, does it threaten his position, does it call for his resignation?

I don’t know but I am saying that it looks like in this country, if people express themselves freely, then they are being victimized.

But I don’t know, those are questions I can throw out there because I slept over the matter, reflected deeply and realized that no, the way they are reacting about this issue there is something more to it,” he stated.

Asked whether Ghanaians should consider the president’s health, Sekou said “if that is why he seems to be unable to perform, yes, it is a question that can be raised and I think it’s a genuine question.”

Sekou said he was not going to let himself go down since he joined the NDC when it was in opposition and it could not have offered him anything.

He has decided to take a few days off to reflect and work with the party since “you don’t have to be in government to help the NDC.

I mean the party is there, I can find a way of trying to help the party to help grow stronger and we can also add the leadership that some of us think will be dynamic enough to lead a big platform like the NDC that will represent the interest of the ordinary people.”

Sekou said “life goes on” since he does not pretend and think more of himself, adding “I will be involved in the NDC, even more so now “because it looks like when you accept a position with the government, it looks like you cannot express your views and so on.”

“You know it was a harmless interview and I expressed opinion. I mean I didn’t insult anyone. I didn’t have any bad intentions and so on but then… is it if you are in government that means you are gagged. It’s never been my style.

I’ve always been a freethinker, somebody who expresses himself and that’s what I fought for, democracy in this country. We fought military dictatorship; we’ve come a long way…I still hold those values high and I will continue to do that,” he stressed.

Sekou questioned the vision of the very advisory board, headed by Esther Cobbah, which recommended his dismissal, asking rhetorically “what are they doing.

Do they have a vision themselves and what have they done since they have been in that advisory role?”

Asked whether he thinks the president has been fair to him, Sekou said “I don’t think so, I think it was the reactions of the publication because the problems I had with the board were issues… I don’t think they were very serious issues. I had stated in other interviews that it’s an advisory board, they seem to want to run the day-to-day affairs and that created some kind of tension between me and them.”

He recalled how the board, on the instructions of the sector Minister, cancelled a scheduled meeting they were supposed to attend when the story was first published in DAILY GUIDE and then asked him to render an apology for the comments he made in that interview since it was generating a lot of heat from within government circles.

“I said no, I was not going to withdraw it, I didn’t insult anybody or anything. I just wanted to make a statement and for that statement to be captured in the minutes, so I don’t think I was a big deal at all,” he said.

This, he said, was because he had the opportunity of reading the article on the interview he granted the magazine and discussed it with friends and thought there was nothing wrong with it, except the timing, coming at a time when former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings had stirred controversy in government and the party about her intentions to run for the flag-bearer position of the NDC.

Sekou may have joined the stables of the party’s founder, Jerry John Rawlings, Dr. Ekwow Spio-Garbrah and Ras Mubarak, who have been critical of Mills and his style of government.

Spio Blows Mills

Posted: Daily Guide |Saturday, 17 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The dismissal of Sekou Nkrumah as co-ordinator of the National Youth Council is generating a lot of heat in the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), as key and influential members of the party keep criticizing the president’s decision.

Latest to join the fray is a Vice Chairman of the party, Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, who thinks the president is virtually becoming a dictator than a modern-day democrat who believes in dissenting views.

Sekou had said that President Mills was not cut out for presidential office, suggesting that the former law lecturer was only fit for the classroom.

The statement caused panic in government, leading to Sekou’s dismissal on Thursday; three days after DAILY GUIDE published an interview granted to AfricaWatch magazine.

But Dr. Spio-Garbrah says that by sacking Sekou, President Mills would be carving a bad image for the NDC as a ‘vindictive government’ since “it gives some unfortunate impression that soon after somebody has made statements that seem critical of the president or the government, that the person’s appointment should be terminated.”

He believed if Sekou’s appointment was terminated based on the charges that had been preferred against him before he made the damning assessment on the president, it would have been easy to make the case that he was incompetent.

Dr. Spio-Garbrah wondered whether Sekou was the most incompetent appointee serving in the Mills administration, asking rhetorically “of all the people that have been appointed by the Mills administration, is Dr. Nkrumah the most incompetent; is the board applying some criteria to him which may not be applied to other institutions of the same government?”

Spio described some of the Mills appointees as ‘Team B’ and stressed the need for what he described as ‘some across the board approaches’ in such situations.

Meanwhile, there are several of such government appointees in acting positions whose appointments have not been confirmed by their respective boards, over a year after appointments.
It is therefore not clear whether they equally qualify to be branded as incompetent as Sekou.

Considering the fact that Sekou was sacked for supposedly being incompetent or better still unimpressive, as the Board of the National Youth Council (NYC), chaired by Esther Cobbah, puts it, Spio thinks that those who worked on the controversial STX Korean housing deal should also be axed, suggesting that they did not do the proper job which led to its withdrawal from Parliament.

“If you hear that STX has been withdrawn from Parliament and you are in London or New York, you feel sad because the president knows that when some of us were in cabinet, many of such projects that had question marks against them were halted right in the cabinet itself, they didn’t go to Parliament and the same proposal would be submitted over and over again by the respective minister until cabinet was satisfied that the document itself could stand the test of time outside cabinet,” he said.

Furthermore, he said, “if for whatever reasons, some cabinet ministers are not bold enough to express their views or if they feel that if their views are contrary to others they may get terminated, then you may get these kinds of situations.”

Spio noted that the timing of the termination of Sekou’s appointment created a bad impression about the government since it puts it in bad light and further deepened the perception that the Mills government was intolerant of dissenting views.

He was however not the least surprised at the decision to dismiss Sekou since it was a reflection of what several other outspoken members of the party, like himself, had had to endure, as they had either been hounded from office or faced some sort of persecution from members of the Mills administration for speaking their mind.

He noted that “if people were invited to comment on the government’s performance and after they comment they are either victimized, or in this case their appointments are terminated, it then gives a wrong impression on what the government is trying to do”.

Mills Hits Back: Sekou Is Useless

Posted: Daily Guide |Friday, 16 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC), Dr Sekou Nkrumah, has finally been booted out of office after making a damning criticism of President Atta Mills and his leadership style.

Sekou had said that President Mills was not cut out for presidential office, suggesting that the former law lecturer was only fit for the classroom.

The statement caused panic in government, leading to his dismissal yesterday; three days after DAILY GUIDE published an interview granted to AfricaWatch magazine.

A letter dated July 15, 2010 and signed by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Nii Nortey Dua, sent to Sekou and copied to the Secretary to the Vice President, Chief of Staff and the Chairperson of the National Youth Council, said Sekou Nkrumah who had told the magazine that he was not afraid of dismissal had been relieved of his appointment.

“I write to inform you that on the recommendation of the Board of Trustees of the National Youth Council, based on your performance at post, it cannot recommend confirmation of your appointment as Acting National Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council,” the letter said.

For this reason, the Deputy Minister stated, “I hereby on the authority of His Excellency President John Evans Atta Mills terminate your appointment as Acting Co-ordinator of the National Youth Council with effect from July 22, 2010.”

Government has offered to pay Sekou three months salary in lieu of notice and consequently requested him to prepare and submit a comprehensive handing-over note to the Director of Administration at the NYC before his final exit.

He has thus been asked to hand over all government or NYC properties in his possession to the Director of Administration.

Sekou, third son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, had told the AfricaWatch magazine that “a lot of people see Mills as an academic and a gentleman.

But, in the political arena, you need to be strong-minded, and it looks like this leadership quality is missing in Mills.

So I guess we need a more strong-willed, dynamic personality, a charismatic person to inspire national confidence, and also to let the population see the national agenda and feel part of it.”

Dr. Nkrumah was asked: “Is the Mills government on course to deliver its pre-election promises of a Better Ghana?”

He answered: "Honestly, there is a big question mark because since the NDC came to power in January 2009, there has not really been any serious change in real terms.

"From where I am standing, I can see clearly that since coming to power, the Mills government has not fulfilled its promises. I know it is not politically correct, but that's a fact."

The AfricaWatch magazine asked Dr. Nkrumah, “Is the economy any better now than when President Mills met it in January 2009?”.

He answered "I am not an expert, but it doesn't seem to be better now than when the NDC met it. I don't think much has changed."

Though the interview with Sekou was conducted two weeks ago, it was not until its publication in DAILY GUIDE on Tuesday that it really hit the government, paving way for his dismissal.

Sekou said he bore nobody grudges for his dismissal. “I have nothing against the board. I have nothing against the President,” he told Joy FM yesterday.

He had earlier met President Mills before his letter was delivered to him.

He said he was going to clear the air after the dust of his removal had settled, especially on the allegation that he was incompetent.

NYC Board Chairperson Esther Cobbah has been offering some explanation as to why he was given the boot.

Aside the charge that the Board was unimpressed about his work, Ms. Cobbah said Sekou “blames everybody else but himself for the shortcomings of the council" since he took over the place and yet "has not provided any vision or plan for the council."

This compelled the Board to take a unanimous decision not to confirm his appointment, she said.

That notwithstanding, she said, Sekou had shown gross disrespect to the membership of the Board, making reference to a recent interview he granted Joy FM in which he said that government had rejected the National Youth Policy.

She therefore denied the claim that government had directed the Minister of Youth and Sports to draft a new National Youth Policy in two weeks, as suggested by Sekou, adding that he did not demonstrate circumspection in his public utterances.

Born and bred in his father’s Convention Peoples’ Party (CPP), Sekou Nkrumah defected to join the NDC in April 2007.

Sekou said he would relocate to the NDC headquarters where he would have more time to do party work.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, the National Youth Organiser of the CPP, Kwabena Bomfeh Jnr. aka Kabila, ridiculed Sekou’s dismissal, saying that “it shows a government that is not ready to take criticisms from within.”

He believed the Co-ordinator had merely been sacrificed on the altar of truth to appease the whims of party foot-soldiers who had been craving for his dismissal since he made those critical comments about the president’s leadership style, saying “it shows a vindictive president.

“This is again a manifestation that we have only got a president who listens to foot-soldiers and not the concerns of Ghanaians,” he emphasized.

Sekou To Go After Showing Mills Red Card

Posted: Daily Guide |Thursday, 15 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The Coordinator of the National Youth Council (NYC) and son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Sekou Nkrumah, appears to have incurred the wrath of President Atta Mills and members of his administration, following comments he made about the performance of the President since he assumed office.

Deputy Information Minister James Agyenim-Boateng dropped the hint yesterday when he spoke on Joy FM’s ‘Super Morning Show’.

Though Agyenim-Boateng does not want to link the dismissal of Sekou to his comments about the President, the deputy minister noted that the Board of the National Youth Council was unimpressed about Sekou’s output and delivery since he took office and was therefore ready to relieve him of his appointment and look for a replacement.

Whilst he rubbished Sekou’s claim that President Mills lacked the charisma, dynamism and strong will to inspire hope in the populace, the deputy minister said the President was unfazed by such comments and criticisms but rather took them in good faith since he believed in dissenting views.

That notwithstanding, he noted, what the NYC boss said was far from the reality on the ground since it was not only preposterous but also baseless.

He stressed that President Mills had made significant progress in the management of the economy since he took over the reigns of power about 19 months ago.

“We have an excellent leader in President John Evans Atta Mills. We have a president who is fair and firm. He is in control and in charge of affairs.

We have a president who is committed to the prudent and efficient management of the economy. We have a president who is honest, trustworthy and is committed to the fight of corruption.”

According to him, “if these are not the virtues of an excellent leader, then I do not know what we want in an excellent leader.”

Sekou Nkrumah, who had thrown more light on the raging issue of the president’s incompetence in follow-up interviews on a number of radio stations, after DAILY GUIDE’s publication on Tuesday, has currently disappeared from public view.

He failed to turn up for a scheduled interview in the studios of Joy FM yesterday and subsequently refused to answer queries from DAILY GUIDE about the board’s intention to sack him.

Asked whether he was aware of the NYC board’s intention to relieve him of his appointment, Dr Nkrumah only said “I am not giving any interviews” and hung up his phone.

It is however believed that Sekou is merely being sacrificed for the comments he made about the president.

Sekou had told the ‘AfricaWatch’ magazine that “a lot of people see Mills as an academic and a gentleman. But in the political arena, you need to be strong-minded, and it looks like this leadership quality is missing in Mills.

So I guess we need a more strong-willed, dynamic personality, a charismatic person to inspire national confidence, and also to let the population see the national agenda and feel part of it.”

Dr. Nkrumah was asked: "Is the Mills government on course to deliver its pre-election promises of a Better Ghana?"

He answered: "Honestly, there is a big question mark because since the NDC came to power in January 2009, there has not really been any serious change in real terms."

He stated that "from where I am standing, I can see clearly that since coming to power, the Mills government has not fulfilled its promises. I know it is not politically incorrect, but that's a fact."

The AfricaWatch magazine asked Dr. Nkrumah, “Is the economy any better now than when President Mills met it in January 2009?
"I am not an expert, but it doesn't seem to be better now than when the NDC met it. I don't think much has changed," he said.

Pratt Predicts Doom For NDC

Posted: Daily Guide |Wednesday, 14 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
THE MANAGING Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt, says the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) is likely to lose the 2012 general elections if it continues to handle the affairs of the country as it is now.

He believes the NDC is currently charting a course that would eventually lead them into opposition and has therefore warned the leadership of the party to put their house in order before the disaster befalls them.

“2012 is crucial, if they lose it, they’ve lost it forever,” was exactly how he put it when he spoke on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show yesterday.

According to him, the current division and various interests in the NDC have the tendency to degenerate into chaos if not properly handled.

In a subsequent interview with DAILY GUIDE, Mr. Pratt asked, “If they succeed in undermining the current administration and create the impression that this administration has failed and so on, who is going to vote for them?”, adding “they will not win the elections.”

He said “if they don’t win the elections and another party (the NPP) wins the elections, look at all the prospects available to that party.

If nothing at all, the oil revenue will plug the holes in the budget. Anybody who is in power and has so many resources will be able to solve the basic problems of the people; electricity, water and so on.”

For this reason, he noted that any party which manages to win power has the tendency of staying in power for a very long time.

If this should happen, he does not envisage the NDC coming to power anytime soon, since according to him, it will take them several years to win back the confidence of Ghanaians.

He said “it is obvious some people are trying to undermine the credibility of the President from the statements they make. If you, for instance, consider the utterances of the former President, he says the government is not only slow but it is in reverse. He refers to the current President as Konongo ‘kaya’.”

“All of these things are indications that…and listening to Nana Konadu’s interview on Joy FM and listening to some key people in the administration, it is obvious that there is some effort to undermine the authority of the President to create the impression that the government has failed and all of that. It is clear,” he stated.

Mr. Pratt could not fathom why certain elements in the NDC and specifically those suspected to be agents of the Rawlingses would prevent any journalist from performing his legitimate duty.

This, he said, was because the NDC as a party and a political institution has come of age to be still associated with such acts that would affect its image.

He said it was because of that negative image that the likes of the late Justice D.F. Anang and President Mills, who were ‘outsiders’, were invited to join the party.

According to him, this was part of the NDC’s image-saving campaign which goes way back to the days of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) where journalists were arrested and thrown into jail without cause.

Mr. Pratt was speaking about the supposed abduction of his photographer, Mohammed Dauda, when he attempted to take shots of the Adjiringano residence of the former First Family.

Dauda and his other colleague, Duke Tagoe, had gone to Rawling’s Adjiringano residence to take shots of the building for a story they were doing but minutes after they got there and attempted to take the picture, a vehicle with about five occupants pulled up and ordered Dauda to enter.

When he refused and took to his heels, they chased him into a nearby bush where they captured him and took him to a house where he later escaped from.

Though Mr. Pratt insists that one of the gentlemen who abducted the photographer, whose name was given as Nartey, is an agent of ex-President Rawlings, the office of the former President has denied any complicity in the issue, claiming that the story was only cooked-up to put the former First family in bad light and public ridicule.

JJ Weeps Over NDC Attacks

Posted: Daily Guide |Wednesday, 14 July 2010

Former President Jerry John Rawlings is not a happy man, as key and influential figures in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) keep tormenting him and his family each passing day.

Spokesman for Mr. Rawlings, Kofi Adams summed up the frustrations of the ‘old man’ when he spoke on various radio networks across the length and breadth of the country yesterday, trying strenuously to defend the Rawlingses over the issue of their accommodation which has eventually degenerated into an abduction issue.

With ‘stupid ministers’ falling on each other to denigrate the NDC founder, Kofi Adams said there was a deliberate and orchestrated attempts to cause disaffection for Mr. Rawlings using an Accra-based private radio station belonging to acolytes of President Atta Mills.

The spokesman said Mr. Rawlings was well aware of such covert moves by members of his own party to undermine him.

He cited the supposed abduction of a photojournalist from The Insight newspaper, Dauda Mohammed, by supposed agents of the Rawlingses as a classical example- indicating that the former First family was not happy about these developments and the attacks on them by influential members of the party and government.

“This one; it is not the opposition that is doing it, it is our own NDC members,” he alleged.

For some time now, Mr. Adams said, “we’ve picked up intelligence reports that even from within our own party, some government appointees this is (sic) what they’ve been thinking, this is what they’ve been up to, to do in the Rawlingses…It’s amazing but President Rawlings has worked so tirelessly to bring his own party back to power and yet some government elements feel he is the last person they want to hear about, the last person they want to deal with.

So anything they will do, in close partnership with journalists ready and willing to do him in, they will manage…This is a classical example of one of those things that have been put up.”

Though he would not disclose the identity of any individual or group of persons in the NDC he described as detractors of the Rawlingses, Kofi Adams questioned the reason why the alleged abduction of the cameraman was first aired on Radio Gold, owned by the Ahwois, stressing that greed and lies could lead to the party’s collapse.

“The first station they called into was Radio Gold. If it was true that (sic) why should a party founded by the former President have his own party members doing this to him…greed and lies is what will destroy this party and our government. And some of us we’re getting tired of this,” was how he put it.

Mr. Rawlings’ Spokesman therefore considers the accounts of Dauda Mohammed and his colleague Duke Tagoe, both from the Insight newspaper, which suggested that the former was abducted by agents of the Rawlingses when they went to his private residence at Adjirigano near East-Legon in Accra to take pictures of it, as concocted.

This, according to him, was because they are part of a group of selected journalists brought together with the objective of “doing in the former President.”

No matter the length they go to pursue this supposed objective, Mr. Adams, who doubles as Deputy General Secretary of the NDC said, those elements in the NDC and their journalist-agents would not succeed in carrying out their hidden but now open agenda since it would fall flat.

“When you listen to their account of events, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist, you don’t need to be a security expert to know that these are persons who have been put up to do this.

They made an arrangement but did not know that they’ll be exposed…these are persons put together to do in the former president, but it will not wash,” were his exact words.

Pratt Boy Grabbed

Posted: Daily Guide |Tuesday, 13 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
A reporter of The Insight newspaper who went to the Adjirigano private residence of former President Jerry John Rawlings with his colleague to take shots of the building was picked up by men suspected to be security details of the former president.

The two journalists, Dauda Mohammed and Duke Tagoe, had gone to the place to take the picture of the building as part of a story they were doing regarding the ‘homelessness’ of the former first couple.

But minutes after they arrived at the scene and attempted to take pictures of the building, Duke, who escaped the arrest, narrated that a vehicle which had been patrolling the area pulled up and ordered his colleague, Dauda, to enter.

The former President has dissociated himself from the alleged abduction. As at press time, Dauda had been freed.

Obviously aware of the danger that awaited him, Dauda, who is a photojournalist, declined the unsolicited offer of entering the house and took to his heels whilst the vehicle and its occupants, suspected to be agents of the Rawlingses, pursued him into a nearby bush where he was allegedly captured and dragged on the ground.

Duke said a BMW with registration number GW 8180 R took Dauda to an unknown destination whilst he (Duke) managed to escape to report the incident at the East-Legon Police Station.

Duke said he suspected the former first couple had a hand in the capture of his colleague although they denied any involvement in it.

It is believed that the two journalists went to Adjirigano to take pictures of the building to do a story about the unfolding events concerning the accommodation issue of the Rawlingses, after former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings had told the whole world that they were looking for a place to rent due to government’s supposed inability to provide them with a suitable shelter after their house was razed down by fire on February 14.

Managing Editor of the newspaper Kwesi Pratt Jnr. expressed dismay at the development.

He told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that he could not fathom why a journalist would be prevented from taking shots of a building which had not been designated as a security zone.

He therefore did not see the wisdom in anybody saying his reporters should have taken permission from the owners of the building before attempting to take the pictures since, according to him, they did not enter the house but attempted to take the pictures from the street.

Meanwhile, the office of Mr. Rawlings has denied having anything to do with the incident.

Spokesman for the former President Kofi Adams was on various radio stations yesterday defending the Rawlingses, saying that no such incident took place at the Adjirigano house.

He claimed the story was a fabricated one, adding that any attempt to ridicule or put the Rawlingses in a bad light would backfire.

A statement put out by the office later expressed surprise at the story, stating “no one within the residence has accosted any intruder or passerby and any attempt to link persons in the residence to an alleged assault is a blatant lie and mischievous.”

The statement said “the caretaker who was the only person within the premises has reported no incident whatsoever and confirmed that he is unaware of any incident taking place within the environs of the house. He has been within the premises performing his duties and has not ventured outside.”

Almost five years ago, Wednesday July 27, 2005, Mr Pratt went to take his memorable ‘just-one-shot’ of the African Regent hotel which was a subject of a controversy near President John Kufuor's private residence at Airport West.

He however did not take the shot from the entrance of the hotel, which would have meant walking on the main road to the president's house.

The Police had built a heavy presence in the area prior to the midday deadline Mr. Pratt had issued. He took the shot from the top of the railway bridge near the Shangri La Hotel with no molestation whatsoever.

Konadu Boys Hit ‘Stupid’ Ministers

Posted: Daily Guide |Monday, 12 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Friends of Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings (FONKAR) are at it again; this time round, hurling insults at two young deputy Ministers, virtually describing them as stupid.

At the receiving end of these insults are the deputy Ministers of Information, James Agyenim-Boateng and that of Environment, Science and Technology, Edward Omane-Boamah, for ostensibly opening their mouths too wide against former First Lady Nana Konadu, who appears to be nursing a presidential ambition.

The two deputy ministers, who were said to be displaying “flowery stupidity, mental incompetence and unbridled arrogance,” by FONKAR, were said to have commented on the reason why the former first couple continued to stay apart after their official residence at Ridge gutted fire.

In a statement signed by Ransford Vanni-Amoah and Dela Coffie, founder and communications director respectively, on behalf of the group, they expressed reservation about comments made by the two deputy Ministers about the accommodation issue of the former first family which has become an issue for public discussion since Nana Konadu said she and her husband had been compelled by circumstances to look for a place to rent.

The group said it took exception to the reckless and cold-hearted comments by the Minister (s) that the Rawlingses had rejected all provisional accommodation offered them by government, since according to them, Agyenim-Boateng lied that Mr. Rawlings liked the facility but his wife and their idol rejected it.

That, they said, was because the fact on the ground did not support “such reckless assertion and we are unnerved by the Minister’s shallow-mindedness and his attempt to turn the Rawlingses against each other.”

“Just as we thought that Herbert Mensah, the man in the centre of the negotiation, has clarified the issue, Omane Boamah, deputy Minister of Science and Technology, reiterated the earlier position by James Agyenim-Boateng on Joy FM’s Newsfile programme on Saturday 10th July 2010,” the statement said .

FONKAR therefore wonders why “responsible Ministers of state will display such flowery stupidity, mental incompetence and unbridled arrogance in this sensitive issue”, saying, “To suggest that Mrs. Rawlings rejected the facility on the grounds of preference rather than security considerations is ridiculous, unfounded and deplorable stunt.”

The group has therefore asked the Chief of Staff, Henry Martey Newmann, to come clear on the issue to set the records straight since it is of the conviction that what has been put in public domain is nothing but a deliberate lie, because “we are amazed at the level of extreme obsession by people in government to run down the Rawlingses and will not sit by and allow ‘strangers’ in the NDC to destroy what has been built for well over 19 years.”

The leadership of FONKAR said it was compelled to issue this statement because it had the conviction that “the display of unmatched folly by James Agyenim-Boateng, Omane Boamah and their likes, by spewing out nonsense, is becoming unbecoming.”

Rather than tolerate plurality, they noted with emphasis that “the President and his advisors have continued to use their position as a platform to engage in behaviors that are untypical of the NDC.”

The group has therefore asked President Mills to show leadership and get rid of ‘political vultures agent-provocateurs’ whose sole aim was to destroy the party with their greedy and politics of attrition, whilst calling on the Rawlingses to remain calm in the face of undue provocation.

“Rather than engage these natters and rabble rousers and fall knee-deep into their maggot-filled cesspit, the Rawlingses must exercise maximum restraint to preserve their nobility and stature among their admirers,” the group said, adding “after all, there will be no NDC without the Rawlingses.”

The group has therefore vowed heaven and earth to deny those it calls ‘unscrupulous elements’ the unsavory reputation they are desperately seeking to earn.

Should they continue with their agenda to discredit the Rawlingses, FONKAR says “we will have no alternative but to declare them WANTED in the NDC.”

Konadu Rejected Houses

Posted: Daily Guide |Friday, 09 July 2010


By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Government has denied claims by former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyemang Rawlings that it had virtually neglected former President Jerry Rawlings after fire destroyed his Ridge residence.

Information Minister John Tia, in a statement issued in Accra yesterday, countered claims by Nana Konadu that little had been done by government to look for an alternative accommodation for her family to live in since the fire incident.

The statement indicated that it was rather the Rawlingses who rejected offers made to them by government, adding “it (government) has done everything within its power to ensure that the former First Family is properly re-settled.”

Mr. Tia said government had been in constant touch with members of the ex-President’s team who had indicated a preference for the reconstruction of the burnt Ridge residence.

The ex-President’s team, led by Herbert Mensah, a close confidant, indicated the Rawlingses’ preference for a rented facility for the period of reconstruction of the gutted house when they rejected the initial offers.

Government, Mr Tia said, had been “awaiting indication of their preferred premises.”

He said “the rent for the said premises will be borne by government”.

In the light of this, government has stressed its commitment towards ex-Presidents of the country, though the issue of former President John Kufuor remains unresolved.

Far from what Nana Konadu was reported to have said on Joy FM, the Information Minister insisted “government has taken the necessary steps to ensure that this is done and is awaiting certain information from the ex-President’s team to be able to conclude arrangements to ensure that reconstruction work commences.”

The former First Lady had said she had been compelled by circumstances to “perch” with her mother whilst her sweetheart shuttles between Tefle in the Volta Region and Accra, a situation she said was not good for a couple.

But Mr. Herbert Mensah, who has been having discussions with the Office of the Chief of the Staff on behalf of the former first family, has denied that Nana Konadu had accused government of neglect, saying she was taken out of context.

He told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that it was not only inaccurate but also offensive and misleading for James Agyenim-Boateng, a deputy Minister of Information, to create the impression that the Rawlingses were offered an accommodation but turned it down.

Mr Agyenim-Boateng had said that the former first couple had rejected three places that had been shown to them, with the explanation that they wanted to rebuild the gutted house.

“Indeed we have tried to provide the former First Family with accommodation that is befitting, that can reasonably guarantee their safety and security pending renovation works on their Ridge residence which [got] burnt down.”

He said they were first offered a residence at the AU Village, which is “pretty close to their burnt residence” as a holding place for them but they “turned down” the offer.

The residence of the former National Security Co-ordinator, Francis Poku, was refurbished to befit their status but that was also rejected.

"We felt that it was reasonably safe and secure for holding a former president and his spouse. The place was prepared to befit their status in terms of their safety and their security.

Again, the former President did like the place but the former First Lady did not like the place, based on that, it was turned down," the Deputy Minister said.

According to Mr. Agyenim-Boateng, the Rawlingses said they wanted to select their own contractor, do their own design and supervise the project themselves even though the cost would be borne by the State.

Considering the fact that the AU Village has been a subject of a raging controversy, Mr. Mensah asked rhetorically, “Would it not be a bit stupid for President Rawlings to go and stay in that place when you say you want to go and charge the people?”

Aside that, he said “you see how open it is, if somebody even wants to shoot you from somewhere, they have no high walls in terms of security. So it is not like you are offering a sensible alternative.”

On Francis Poku’s house, Mr. Mensah indicated that it was the former President himself who said it was inappropriate since it raised a lot of security-minded issues, considering its location and the nature of the previous occupant.

“Not at any point in time did President Rawlings say that he was happy to stay there and she (Nana Konadu) was the one who said she was not happy to stay there,” he stated.

When Nana Konadu appeared on that Joy FM programme to tell Ghanaians and supporters of the ruling government as to whether or not the 2008 Presidential Candidate of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo would pose a threat to the chances of the NDC if he was elected to lead the party for the 2012 general elections, she declined to comment.

The former First Lady parried the question and said she preferred to focus on the 31st December Women’s Movement, an NGO she formed, the difficulty women and children go through and the negative effects of the Internet on children.

“Let’s talk about positive things,” she added.

That notwithstanding, she said the NDC had pretty good chances at the 2012 elections if it tackled the issues that went wrong during the eight years of the NPP in power.

For her, the future was bright, not necessarily because of what the NDC government had done or might be doing but by just looking at the supposed rot that engulfed the country during the NPP era.

Nana Konadu said the NPP totally impoverished Ghanaians.

“I believe the issues that we (31st December Women’s Movement) fought for are still relevant. We have to look at what went wrong and see what can be done right,” she said.

STX In Massive PR Gimmick

Posted: Daily Guide |Wednesday, 07 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
IN THE face of the stiff opposition from industry players and civil society organisations against a US$10billion housing deal between it and the Government of Ghana (GoG), STX Corporation (Korea) has launched a massive public relations campaign to clear any doubts about the deal.

The documentary, which spans between10 and 15 minutes, is currently being aired on all major television stations in the country.

It outlines the achievements of the company since it was established some years ago, alongside some of its ongoing projects, including the deal it has signed with the GoG for the construction of 200, 000 housing units for the various security agencies.

In the said documentary, STX recounts its achievements in several countries in the areas of ship-building business, offshore business, diesel engine, business for ships & military, diesel power business, industrial plant business, construction, energy, shipping and electronic equipment (TASS, TACM, Radar..).

It also talks of how the company has helped in developing those countries.

In spite of this, some civil society organisations, including the Imani Centre for Policy and Education and the Danquah Institute, have raised concerns about the deal.

Imani believes that the Parliament of Ghana does not have sufficient information before it to make the right and necessary determinations relevant to the STX-Ghana contract, stressing “as things stand now, the conduct of the Parliament of Ghana has been the least commendable in this whole affair.”

The think-tank believes that by Parliament’s conduct and misconduct, it has betrayed the confidence of stakeholders across this country, regarding its capacity to act diligently and steadfastly in the supreme interest of the people of Ghana.

The Ghana Real Estate Developers Association (GREDA) backtracked on their opposition to the STX deal, asking Parliament to pass the deal.

They however made a proposal for an alternative deal, which they want considered alongside STX, which would enable GREDA to provide 5,000 housing units for government per year at an estimated cost of $90,000.

STX Corporation is a South Korean holding company engaged in the provision of trading services. Headquartered in Gyeongsangnamdo, South Korea, the company operates its business through two divisions; trade and ship maintenance.

Its trade business division provides shipping and energy materials, coal, oil, steel and others. Its ship maintenance business offers cargo management, marine technical, insurance, crew management and other related services.

The company had four local subsidiaries including STX Offshore & Shipbuilding, STX Engine, STX Heavy Industries, STX PanOcean and STX Energy.

STX Offshore & Shipbuilding is the world's fourth largest shipbuilder, recently acquiring Norwegian Shipbuilder Aker Yards in order to diversify their product line.

Aker Yards, as Europe's largest shipbuilder, had technical background in Cruise ship building.

The STX Group, formerly Ssangyong Heavy Industries, recently had an Initial Public Offering (IPO) of STX PanOcean. The IPO gave the group a substantial amount of cash to acquire Aker Yards.

Kofi Wayo Insults MPs

Posted: Daily Guide |Tuesday, 06 July 2010

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
The foul-mouthed politician and founder of the United Renaissance Party (URP), Charles Kofi Wayo, seems to have bitten more than he can chew as he has incurred the wrath of Ghana’s Parliament.

He is reported to have made very disparaging comments about Parliament as an institution, describing it as useless and its ‘Honourable’ members as criminals.

Kofi Wayo made the comments on Accra-based Citi FM’s current affairs programme, ‘Point Blank’, on Republic Day, July 1.

But in a sharp and swift rebuttal, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Adenta constituency in the Greater Accra Region, Kojo Adu Asare, has threatened to drag him to the Privileges Committee of the House to answer questions pertaining to his comments, since he considers them as not only disparaging, but that they also raise questions about the image and credibility of Parliament and its ‘Honourable’ members.

He has thus, together with MP for Fanteakwa, Kwabena Amankwah Asiamah, decided to take the issue up since, according to them, they are not criminals.

Speaking on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ morning show yesterday, they expressed the hope that Kofi Wayo would muster the same courage that he had when he was making those comments, to appear before the Privileges Committee when he is summoned to substantiate the charges he has leveled against Parliament.

On ‘Point Blank’, Mr. Wayo, who has over the years cultivated a habit of attacking government officials and institutions without fear, made a categorical statement that “the parliament itself is a useless place, the people there don’t need to be there, they don’t! They are criminals, a lot of them in there.”

This is a man who tried to enter Parliament, the very institution he denigrates in disparaging words as useless, but failed.

He also threw caution to the wind and went ahead to say “there is a Catherine Afeku there, she has been to court and a judge has found her guilty…nobody sacks her”, defying protests by the programme host to desist from maligning people, insisting that he had documents to back his claim.

Furthermore, Mr. Wayo said “a few weeks ago, you have this guy, what’s the name, what’s that guy’s name, some MP guy, he got involved in a gold scam; right, so why don’t parliament sack him? Eh, eh, Amoateng, he’s been arrested for cocaine, what has parliament said?

Have they thrown him out? He’s been convicted, ha...the former Speaker (of Parliament) allegedly stole a lot of things, where is he? But Ataa Ayi, what did he steal before he is in jail? The big men don’t go to jail….”

For this reason, the leader of the URP said not only are the country’s Parliamentarians a bunch of self-seeking individuals but are also mostly criminals, since, according to him, Ghana continues to be governed by colonial rules that do not favour the masses but only the elite.

Majority Leader in Parliament Cletus Avoka and MP for Okaikoi South, Nana Akomea, also expressed surprise at Wayo’s comments when DAILY GUIDE contacted them.

Mr. Avoka said he was going to discuss the issue with the leadership of the House and act appropriately.

Much as he appreciates Mr. Wayo’s concerns for the masses, Nana Akomea said, Wayo’s comments are unfortunate since he failed to provide any substantial evidence for the allegations, adding “I would wish that Mr. Wayo will desist from this kind of comments.”

He was not the least surprised at the decision of his colleagues to drag Kofi Wayo before the Privileges Committee since, according to him, those comments impugn on the integrity of Parliament and its members, saying “if you accuse Parliamentarians of criminality, that’s a serious charge because you are asking that they be prosecuted.”

For this reason, Nana Akomea said it would be entirely right for any MP to take the issue up.

In a country like Ghana, where “we have no water to drink”, Wayo insists that no one has any right to buy Pajero’s and Land Cruisers with tax payers’ money, saying “you don’t! We must all sacrifice to build the nation.”

Minority leader and MP for Suame, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu, did not take the issue kindly when it came up for discussion in Parliament.

He thus stressed the need for the issue to be referred to the appropriate committee for further investigations and if possible, invite Mr. Wayo to defend his claims, because Parliament is made up of distinguished personalities.

The Minority leader asked members not to glorify the statement, especially coming from “people, with all respect, who have shown to be irresponsible and belong to the lunatic fringes of society.”

Over the years, Kofi Wayo, who made heavy claims of being an oil expert and an ammunitions dealer, has been using a programme he hosts, ‘Common Sense’ on Vibe FM, to slander people, especially high government officials, calling them thieves.

He however failed to lift oil for the country when he was recently given the ‘golden’ opportunity.

Though Mr. Wayo declined to speak to DAILY GUIDE yesterday, he denied slandering all members of Parliament, because he was referring to some of them and not all.

However, the paper can report on authority that nowhere in his statement did Kofi Wayo use the word ‘some’.

Meanwhile, the House is set to decide whether or not to refer the issue to the Privileges Committee today.