British Killer Was From A Devote Christian Home

Friends recall what Michael Adebolajo was like at Marshall Fields School (left) and after the brutal murder

When his old school friends saw him on the television drenched in blood, waving a cleaver and declaring jihad, they nearly fell off their chairs.

There was no mistaking Michael Adebolajo, their ‘bright and witty’ classmate from a devoutly Christian family.

They remembered his smile, him studying hard, taking the bus to school and playing football with his mates.

But, his athletic frame aside, he bore no resemblance to the ghastly figure now haunting the nation’s television screens.

For despite spouting rhetoric about supposed British crimes in ‘our lands’, Adebolajo is a British citizen born in London.

His mother and father are hard-working Nigerian immigrants from an academic family in West Africa who settled in London in the early 1980s. A Christian couple, they believed in assimilating into British life, and Michael seems to have forged easy friendships with schoolmates of all colours and creeds.

Virtually all the friends on his Facebook page have traditional British names such as Louise, Kelly, Robert, Craig, Gemma, Lauren and Paul, to name a few. Among them is Matthew Selt, now a professional snooker player.

He was ‘just a lovely, lovely guy’, in the words of former classmate Stephen Cavalier – who, as a serving PC in the Metropolitan Police – could scarcely have followed a different path.

Speaking at his home in Essex yesterday, Mr Cavalier said: ‘It seems odd to say it now, after the events of yesterday, but I remember him as just a lovely, lovely guy.

‘I knew Michael at Marshalls Park School in Romford when we were teenagers. He was a good sportsman and just an all-round nice guy.’

He said he was no longer close to Adebolajo, who had requested they become ‘Facebook friends’ a few years ago.

‘As soon as I saw the news last night I immediately recognised it was Michael. I was in shock really when I saw him.’

Adebolajo’s dark side seems to have been awakened in his mid-teens, around the time Tony Blair was sending British troops into Afghanistan and Iraq.

He descended into a world where he was consumed with jihadism and later joined several Islamist groups banned in Britain because they are considered so extreme.

Radicalised by the likes of hate preacher Anjem Choudary, he fell into petty crime. Alarmed by the changes they saw in their son, his parents moved the family to Lincolnshire to make a fresh start.

But it was too little, too late, to save their first-born from an ugly descent.

Friends said he became a heavy cannabis user after the move. One told the Daily Star: ‘His whole life was about cannabis. He said it expanded his mind.’

Adebolajo is also believed to have experimented with other drugs.

By 2003, he began calling himself Mujaahid – meaning ‘one who engages in jihad’. By 2006, he was allegedly marching with Islamic fanatics bearing placards exhorting: ‘Behead those who insult Islam’.

Last year, it is believed, police stopped him travelling to Somalia to fight alongside Al-Shabbab fanatics – the group behind the 2011 kidnapping of Judith Tebbutt and murder of her husband David.

Michael Olumide Akinbiyi Adebolajo was born on December 10, 1984, at Kings College Hospital in Lambeth, South London.

His Nigerian-born father, Anthony, was a student at the time, and went on to become an NHS nurse.

His mother, Tina, the niece of a university law professor in Benin, West Africa, was a housewife but she too dedicated herself to public duty by becoming a social worker.

They had a second boy, Jeremiah, 22 months later and then two daughters, and soon after the family moved to Romford in Essex, where Adebolajo attended Marshalls Park school from 1996 to 2001, and then Havering Sixth Form College for his A levels.

‘He was a Christian. A nice, normal guy. All his friends were white and used to go round to each other’s houses all the time,’ a former friend said.

Another classmate, Simon Collings, 25, said: ‘His family were very Christian. Him and his siblings are all religiously named – his brother Jeremiah and his sisters Blessing and Christiana. He was a clever guy.’ A woman purporting to be Adebolajo’s sister Blessing told the Romford Recorder newspaper yesterday: ‘We didn’t know he was going to do this.’

Schoolmate Darren Marsh added: ‘He was always a good guy at school and [would] do anything for anyone.’

James Smith said: ‘I’m not sure I quite believe this. I sat next to him in Sociology at college’, and Michaela Payne said, ‘As soon as I saw the news I almost fell off my chair.’

Neighbours of the family remembered them as friendly and welcoming churchgoers. But Graham Silverton, 63, who has lived in the street for 25 years, said neighbours had a particularly bad experience with Adebolajo when he was a teenager.

He said one of the neighbours’ children, a teenage girl, had gone to the Adebolajos door to retrieve a ball kicked into their garden and was insulted and punched by Adebolajo.

Another said the teenager was inviting groups of friends to sit in the garage and listen to loud music with ‘lots of beer’.

According to Choudary, Adebolajo embraced Islam around the age of 15 or 16. ‘I knew him as Mujaahid. He attended our meetings and my lectures,’ the preacher boasted.

After A levels, Adebolajo attended the  University in Greenwich, South-East London, and lived in student accommodation in the borough which has a large Muslim population.

He is believed to have attended the nearby Lewisham Islamic Centre mosque, which police visited yesterday. In 2006, the mosque’s cleric Shakeel Begg was recorded urging students to wage jihad against Israelis in Palestine.

Despite his Muslim beliefs, Adebolajo fell into petty crime including stealing mobile phones, and is understood to have spent a short spell behind bars for violent behaviour. On his Facebook page, he wrote recently: ‘Mostly HMP [prison]. I have been a naughty boy but don’t tell anybody. Nowadays I’m a personal trainer.’

A friend said: ‘Michael used to preach a lot about Islam. He told me he converted in jail.’

Adebolajo’s family lived in Romford until around 2004, when they moved to Lincolnshire. It is unclear if his parents are still a couple, or if they divorced around this time.

There was no answer at the five-bedroom detached village home in Saxilby, near Lincoln, where Adebolajo’s father, Anthony, is believed to live.

Last week, Adebolajo was spotted with his alleged accomplice preaching on the street outside Poundland in Woolwich town centre. For whatever reason, he decided words were not enough.

Dailymail

President Mahama Joins African Leaders To Celebrate AU

President John Dramani Mahama

President John Mahama and First Lady, Lordina, have arrived in Addis Ababa for the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU) and the 21st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

President Mahama is expected to hold a number of discussions with colleague heads of state, and grant audience to the UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, UNAIDS Executive Director Micheal Sidibe and the Executive Director of The Global Fund, Mark Dybul.

The President and other senior officials of his government will from today be engaged in various meetings outlined by the union to discuss issues affecting the continent.

President Mahama and his heads of state will also adopt various measures aimed at promoting growth and unity on the continent.

He will also participate in a forum of Heads of State and Government on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) before Saturday’s Anniversary Celebration.

The President’s delegation includes the Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh, Deputy Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu and the Executive Secretary to the President Dr. Raymond Atuguba amongst others.

Citifmonline

Asiedu Nketia Supports Petitioners On Irregularities

Asiedu Nketia

General Secretary for the National Democratic Congress and witness for the 1st and 3rd Respondents in the ongoing Presidential Election Petition in giving his evidence in chief at the Supreme Court, has backed the petitioners case on most of the major irregularities identified by the petitioners.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia made the concessions while being led in evidence by Counsel for the NDC, Tsatsu Tsikata on the 1st day of his appearance in the witness box as the petitioners had indicated that subject to the results of the ongoing KPMG audit, they had closed their case.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia, while speaking stated that all the parties and participating candidates before the elections agreed, as was also contained in the law, that every voter must be verified by the biometric verification device before he or she is allowed to vote.

He acknowledged that indeed it was for this reason that the parties also established that in the event a biometric verification device broke down in the course of the election, the device had to be replaced at the affected polling station and that in the event that that was not possible, voting at the station had to be postponed to the next day.

He noted that there was no circumstance per their agreement and laws which allowed voting to go on without prior biometric verification.

On the issue of presiding officer’s signature, Mr. Asiedu Nketia again stated that the presiding officer’s signature was very necessary and that the presiding officer had to sign the statement of poll and declaration of results form (pink sheet) before the results are declared.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia indeed admitted that there were a number of polling stations where the presiding officers’ signature was absent on the declaration form but said that once the polling agents had witnessed the form, there was no problem if the presiding officer didn’t sign.

On over voting, Mr. Asiedu Nketia could not give a clear and cogent answer on the irregularity as had been defined by the petitioners. He suggested that even if more ballots were found in the ballot box at the close of voting than ballots issued to voters, it could not be said to be over voting or wrong if the ballots in the box did not exceed the voters’ register at the polling station.

He also said that even if the ballots in the ballot box exceeded the number of ballots issued to voters on Election Day, it was alright as long as all the ballots in the ballot box had the stamp of the electoral commission.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia in giving his testimony also stated that he can confirm that no issue of over voting occurred in all the 26,002 polling stations across the country, defying the electoral commission’s admission that indeed a few polling stations were annulled as a result of over voting and voting without biometric verification and also his own Counsel’s attempt to show that over voting occurred in more polling stations than the petitioners had stated including some areas in the petitioner’s stronghold.

In another interesting twist, the NDC General Secretary, in relation to the filling of the ballot accounting section of the Pink Sheet before counting begins as is the stated rule for Election officials, stated that in the villages the election laws and rules were not adhered to as the Presiding officers had to meet the demands of the people.

“My Lords, I heard Dr. Bawumia speaking about the fact that the ballot accounting section of the pink sheet should be filled before the box is opened and I strongly disagree with him. Even though, that is what should be done in theory and as is written on the pink sheet and election guidelines, that is not what happened because in the villages, as soon as it is 5p.m, people start moving to the polling station and start shouting ‘chooboi, chooboi, we want to see what is in the box’ so in such situations, the officers open the box and count before the fill that part of the form”.

myjoyonline

Soldier, 25, slaughtered in the street by Muslim fanatics who was a ‘loving father to two-year-old son’

The MoD today revealed that the soldier slaughtered yesterday was Lee Rigby, who served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

The murdered soldier who was executed close to a military barracks by two Islamist fanatics was today named as Lee Rigby.

Police were this afternoon guarding the 25-year-old serviceman’s home in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

He was described as a ‘loving father’ to his son Jack, two.

Drummer Lee Rigby was just starting his Army career and had recently fought in Afghanistan with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

But as he walked towards the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south-east London yesterday afternoon, he was run down by a car on the pavement and hacked to death.

Drummer Rigby was known to his comrades as ‘Riggers’, who said he was a ‘popular’ and ‘very bubbly character’.

He was ‘one of the battalion’s great characters, always smiling’, friends said today.

Announcing his death The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: ‘Drummer Lee Rigby, or ‘Riggers’ to his friends, was born in July 1987 in Crumpsall, Manchester.

‘He joined the Army in 2006 and on successful completion of his infantry training course at Infantry Training Centre Catterick he was selected to be a member of the Corps of Drums and posted to 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

‘His first posting was as a machine gunner in Cyprus where the Battalion was serving as the resident Infantry Battalion in Dhekelia. Having performed a plethora of tasks while in Cyprus, he returned to the UK in the early part of 2008 to Hounslow, West London. Here, Drummer Rigby stood proudly outside the Royal Palaces as part of the Battalion’s public duties commitment. He was an integral member of the Corps of Drums throughout the Battalion’s time on public duties, the highlight of which was being a part of the Household Division’s Beating the Retreat – a real honour for a line infantry

‘In April 2009 Drummer Rigby deployed on Operations for the first time to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where he served as a member of the Fire Support Group in Patrol Base Woqab.

‘On returning to the UK he completed a second tour of public duties and then moved with the Battalion to Celle, Germany, to be held at a state of high readiness for contingency operations as part of the Small Scale Contingency Battle Group. In 2011 Drummer Rigby took up a Recruiting post in London where he also assisted with duties at Regimental Headquarters in the Tower of London.

‘An extremely popular and witty soldier, Drummer Rigby was a larger than life personality within the Corps of Drums and was well known, liked and respected across the Second Fusiliers. He was a passionate and life-long Manchester United fan.

‘A loving father to his son Jack, aged 2 years, he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The regiment’s thoughts and prayers are with his family during this extremely difficult time. “Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier.”’

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Taylor MBE, Second Fusiliers Commanding Officer, described Drummer Rigby as a ‘dedicated and professional soldier’ who was a ‘real character within the Second Fusiliers’.

He added: ‘Larger than life, he was at the heart of our Corps of Drums.  An experienced and talented side drummer and machine gunner, he was a true warrior and served with distinction in Afghanistan, Germany and Cyprus.

‘His ability, talent and personality made him a natural choice to work in the recruiting group.  He will be sorely missed by everyone in the Second Fusiliers.’

Captain Alan Williamson, Drummer Rigby’s Platoon Commander from 2010 to 2011, added that he was ‘a cheeky and humorous man, always there with a joke to brighten the mood’.

Cpt Williamson said: ‘An excellent side drummer and highly competent machine gunner, he was always there to help out the younger members of the Fire Support Group whenever possible.

And Warrant Officer Class 1 Ned Miller, Regimental Sergeant Major Second Fusiliers, said:  ‘Riggers is what every Battalion needs. He was one of the Battalion’s great characters, always smiling.’

Vicar Guy Jamieson, who married Drummer Rigby in 2007 to the wife whom he was separated from, at St Anne-in-the-Grove Church in Southowram, West Yorkshire, said it was an ‘absolute tragedy’.

He said: ‘When the news first came through yesterday I felt sickened. It’s abhorrent. We hear a lot about military tragedies overseas but the fact that it was in the street in a city makes it more horrific.

‘I remember his wedding well. He had already spoken to the chaplain at Catterick (Garrison) and came to me well prepared with lots of questions. The wedding day was wonderful.

‘Because it was a military wedding it requires a lot of preparation. I remember sitting next to Lee on the front pew before everything started and reminding him what his first words to say were.’

Military wives, police and members of the public were laying bouquets of flowers near the scene in honour of the murder victim today.

One note left said simply: ‘So sorry. Our thoughts are with your family, friends and comrades.’

Dailymail

TB Joshua Water Stopped

TB Joshua

The Prophet T.B. Joshua anointing water, the source of last Sunday’s stampede and death of four persons, will not be available for distribution until further notice.

The order was relayed to DAILY GUIDE yesterday by a representative of the Prophet in Accra, Samuel Excellence, during an interview.

“There are a lot of speculations going around but I must say that the church is not in any way proud of what happened. When the Prophet reviews his decision on the anointing water, any ministry or pastor in Ghana for that matter can request for it and it will be delivered to them. We believe that that will decentralise the distribution of the anointing water and reduce the crowd that comes to our church service,” he said.

He was speaking to DAILY GUIDE when a delegation from the Man of God visited the bereaved families in Accra yesterday.

An undisclosed amount of money was presented on behalf of T.B. Joshua to the various families towards the funerals of their loved ones.

“It is a tragic moment for us all, especially for the man of God. He sent us here to let you know that your pain is his pain and you loss is his loss as well. As we mourn, bear in mind that all is not lost,” Samuel Excellence, who is currently the acting Public Relations Officer of the church in Ghana, told the bereaved families.

He asked the families to inform the church about any plans pertaining to the funeral arrangement since “the prophet wants to be part of the entire process fully.”

Prophet T.B. Joshua, Founder and General Overseer of the Synagogue Church Of All Nations (SCOAN) dispatched the seven-member delegation to offer their sympathies and render condolences to the families of the four persons who lost their lives in last Sunday’s stampede.

The delegation officially delivered T.B. Joshua’s words of condolence to the affected families, assuring them of the prophet’s willingness to support them through ‘these difficult times’.

The deceased persons, Mike Teye, Esther Adabazie, Emmanuel Thompson Addo and John Brenoo, met their untimely death on May 19, when thousands of persons struggled for a brand new version of Prophet Temitope Balogun (TB) Joshua’s anointing water.

 By Nii Ogbamey Tetteh

Emergency services attended to the aircraft following the emergency landing

Both runways were closed at Heathrow airport after a British Airways plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

The Airbus A319, which was carrying 75 passengers on its journey to Oslo, was forced to return to the airport moments after taking off because of a ‘technical fault’, British Airways has said.

Dramatic footage from the scene shows smoke billowing from the plane while it is still in the air and eyewitness have described hearing ‘a blowout’ and seeing one of the engines on fire as it flew overhead.

Speculation has emerged that the plane had run into a ‘bird strike’

A Heathrow spokesman said all of the passengers have been ‘safely evacuated’ and ‘accounted for’.

The spokesman said the airport itself remained open, despite the closure of the runways following the incident at about 9am today.

Both runways at Heathrow Airport have been closed after a British Airways plane had to make an emergency landing

Officials have ruled out a terror attack and investigators are now looking into the possibility of a bird strike shortly after take-off.

Emergency vehicles surrounded the plane and emergency chutes could be seen being deployed after it landed.

Eye witness Clive Cook, who lives on the Heathrow flight path, described seeing smoke billowing from the plane, with the right engine on fire.

He told Sky News: ‘The actual engine itself was on fire.

‘This plane was coming over and suddenly the tone of the engine changed dramatically, and I could almost say it sounded as if it was like a blowout, or an explosion.

‘I’m absolutely certain that as it came through the clouds, and I looked up… the right engine was on fire, it wasn’t smoking, it was actually on fire.’

Mr Cook said he saw the plane over the Thames at Battersea as he was taking his daughter to nursery.

Another eyewitness, named only as Jamie, was working in his garden near to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, when he saw the plane.

He told Sky News: ‘All of a sudden we heard this almighty noise. It was like a fire jet going over. We could just see the right engine on fire – it was absolutely horrendous to see.

‘You don’t see things like that every day, it’s incredible really.

‘Your thoughts are with the people – if we could hear it that badly then what were the people going through on that plane?’

He said he thought the plane was just a few thousand feet above the ground and added: ‘It was below the clouds at this stage. To see an aircraft on fire – it wasn’t good to watch.’

A British Airways spokesman said a ‘full investigation’ was to be carried out into the incident.

The spokesman said: ‘The BA762, Heathrow to Oslo service, returned back to Heathrow shortly after take-off due to a technical fault.

‘The Airbus A319 aircraft was carrying 75 customers.

‘The aircraft landed safely and emergency slides were deployed and we are currently caring for our customers.

‘Emergency services attended the aircraft.

‘We will be carrying out a full investigation into the incident.’

London Fire Brigade said a crew from Heathrow fire station had assisted Heathrow Airport’s fire service with ‘an aircraft fire’.

‘We believe the fire is now out,’ it added.

The plane was on Heathrow’s northern runway which remained shut. Later the southern runway reopened.

Passengers on resumed flights at Heathrow were being warned to expect delays of 30-60 minutes as well as 30 minutes of aircraft taxiing time.

Dailymail

President John Mahama

DAILY GUIDE’s information has it that road contractors in the country have given the government up to tomorrow, Friday, May 24, to pay them for all road contracts they have executed over the last three years across the country or else they would advise themselves.

The ultimatum was issued yesterday, Wednesday, when some members of the Road Contractors Association (RCA) clad in red bands stormed the office of the Director of Legal Affairs of the Ministry of Finance, Mr Paul Asimenu to register their anger and frustration over government’s persistent refusal to pay them for contracts they have duly executed, some with bank loans and others with their own money.

“We have been officially awarded contracts, met all requirements and regulations governing such contracts and completed these contracts but up till now the government has not made any efforts to pay us for the contracts we have executed over the last three years,” Madam Joana Adjei, one of the contractors said stressing that all her businesses have severely been affected for non-payment of these contracts .

The government was said to be owing the contractors in excess of GH¢350 million as of June last year with some of the outstanding payments standing between one and three years.

“Government is owing us GH¢202 million road contracts to be funded from the consolidated fund, GH¢172 million to be funded from the Ghana Road Fund and GH¢88.8 million to be funded by the COCOBOD through the Ministry of Finance,” Mr Kwasi Baah, one of the contractors said.

According to Mr Baah, for the periods that the government had not honoured its obligations to them, the contractors had not been able to pay their workers, some over one year.

“These workers that we have employed also have dependants and so they have been putting a lot of pressure on us to pay them because they can no longer take of their family,” he said stressing that some of them had to always stay away from home to avoid their debtors coming to terrorise them.

“As I am standing here, I don’t even have GH¢100 in my pocket as a contractor with workers that I take care of,” one of the contractors said.

According to the contractors, the government has been tossing them and giving them vain promises about its commitment to pay them.

“We have always been meeting representatives of the government over our contracts money and the story has always been that we should wait for some time for the government to pay us. We are now fed up and have to advise ourselves,” Mr Baah said.

The Director of Legal Affairs at the Ministry told the contractors to come back tomorrow for a crucial meeting and the ministry’s final word on their situation.

 By Thomas Fosu Jnr

Justice Yaw Apau

THE ATTORNEY General’s Department has come under scrutiny for paying an amount of GH¢27 million as judgement debt to one Nana Owusu Akyaw Prempeh II, Worakesehene without proper notification to the Land Valuation Board (LVB).

The payment was made after a Kumasi High Court on August 26, 2008 ruled in favour of Nana Prempeh who had sued the LVB and the State Housing Company (SHC) Limited for not returning a stool land given to the state for the construction of a hospital in 1943, after the project was relocated to a different site.

The land was later handed over to the SHC and part to the Ghana Police Service for the construction of a barracks for its personnel.

The court then ruled that Nana Prempeh be paid GH¢49 million, which was later reviewed and reduced to GH¢27 million by the Attorney General.

Kwesi Bentsi-Enchill the Chief Valuer from the LVB who appeared before the Commission of Enquiry investigating the payment of Judgement Debts yesterday stated that though they (LVB) had officially written to the then Minister of Lands & Forestry not to pay any compensation for the land because it was given for free to the government, the AG paid the stated amount without notifying the Board.

Led in evidence by Dometi Kofi Sorkpor counsel for the commission, the Chief Valuer told the commission presided over by Justice Yaw Apau that “the LVB after receiving a copy of a petition to the presidency, went through the administrative procedures to establish the eligibility of the claim for compensation on that land.

“We investigated on the acquisition process to determine the terms and interest, and in 2007 subsequently communicated to the Minister that the land was given free of cost to government and therefore the board did not find it necessary to put up a valuation on the presumed compensation claim.”

He indicated that the legal suit was instituted based on the board’s letter to the Ministry not to pay the compensation.

Mr. Bentsi-Enchill provided the Commission with further corresponding on the issue.

Kwame Poku Boah, Counsel for the LVB also told the commission that when they got to know of the suit, they filed the necessary processes showing every intention that they wanted to pursue the matter.

He noted that “due to my tight schedule in Accra I handed over the brief and everything to the Kumasi office of the Attorney General’s Department. I did not hear about the matter again until I heard that monies were paid to the plaintiff as compensation.”

Dr. Mark Nii Akwei Ankrah, managing director of SHC, who also appeared before the commission on the same matter, stated that since he assumed office about three years ago he has only sighted a few files on the case, but nothing to do with the payment of the said amount.

“Unfortunately, the file I have does not provide any information on the payment made to Nana Prempeh, so I will not be able to confirm whether we (SHC) are aware of the actual payment,” the MD emphasized.

The ‘Commission of Enquiry into the payment of Judgement Debt and Akin’ under C.I. 79 was appointed by President John Dramani Mahama to investigate the payment of huge monies to individuals and companies, following a public uproar over payment of judgement debts.

Sitting continues on Tuesday May 28, 2013.

By Esther Awuah

The Tailors and Dressmakers after the deliberation

Members of the Dunkwa Tailors and Dressmakers Association (DTDA) have accused the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Assembly in the Central Region for allegedly slamming members of the association and other small scale businesses in the area with high taxes and fees.

According to them, the alleged move by the assembly was gradually collapsing their businesses since most of the members could not pay the high fees being charged by the assembly.

They have, therefore, appealed to the municipal assembly to always involve them and other private business associations operating in the area, in the assembly’s fee-fixing programmes and other decision making processes that affected the private sector.

At a day’s workshop to deliberate on the adverse effects the alleged high levies was having on small and medium scale businesses in the municipality, members of the DTDA wondered how the high fees being charged them, were determined.

The workshop was among other things aimed at discussing the impact of the high fees and levies on small and medium scale enterprises in the municipality.

Isaac Opoku, chairman of the DTDA indicated that the association, established in 1999, had about 110 members and was formed to promote businesses of members through the facilitation of capacity building, access to information and credits among others.

He, therefore, appealed to the municipal assembly to involve the members in the fixing of taxes and other levies to help ensure the growth and profitability of micro and small scale businesses.

Nana Ansu Adame Kofrobuor, Head of Enterprise Management Development Consultant and Business Service Provider, the convener of the workshop, bemoaned the fact that there was no effective dialogue between the municipal assembly and the private sector in the formulation of policies that affected the sector.

“As a result of multiple and high taxes by the assembly, small businesses, particularly tailors and dressmakers, are closing down their shops”, he stressed.

He pointed out that undoubtedly, small scale businesses operating in the municipality were contributing immensely to the assembly’s internally generated revenue and stressed that there was the need for the assembly to involve them in taking decisions that affected them.

Reacting to the concerns raised, the Upper Denkyira East Municipal Chief Executive, Peter Kofi Owusu Ashia chastised operators of small scale enterprises in the area for refusing to attend assembly meetings when they were invited.

He, therefore, encouraged owners of all sorts of businesses operating in the area not to hesitate to visit the assembly for answers to all their questions and other concerns.

 From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi

Alfred Vanderpuije, AMA Boss

An audit of the activities of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) between January 1 and December 31, 2011 has uncovered massive rot.

The audit report, which was commissioned under the signatory of the District Auditor of the Assembly, Gladys Anaglate, indicated that for the year under review, monies totaling GH¢1,303,074.88 were released to certain individuals for the construction of school structures to end the school shift system in the metropolis without passing through the tender process in contravention of the Public Procurement Act (PPA), Act 663.

Another amount of GH¢1,537,909.21, which represents payments made on 215 pay vouchers, was not captured in the electronic cash book, thereby understating the expenditure quoted in the 2011 financial statements.

Management of the Assembly did not only vary contracts without authority but also overpaid contractors by GH¢53,657.33 without recourse to the AMA’s tender committee.

The Assembly was therefore ordered to recover the amount involved from the beneficiary contractors.

Apart from that, a copy of the audit report, which is in the possession of DAILY GUIDE, indicated that there were no letters attached to payment vouchers totaling GH¢41,637.97 of three contracts awarded while purchases worth GH¢122, 041.30 were not routed through the Assembly’s store in contradiction of chapter 5 of section 0529 of Store Regulations.

Furthermore, 10 additional pay vouchers totaling GH¢197, 074.37 were not acknowledged by the beneficiaries while overpayment of GH¢9, 723.50 on seven pay vouchers without the necessary refunds into the Assembly’s account.

The auditors therefore directed the recovery of the amount involved from the affected officers.

The report also showed that special imprest amounting to GH¢23, 511.00 were not retired, resulting from adherence to sections 38 and 39 of the Financial Memorandum for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDA’s) 2004.

Pay-in-slips for which treasury receipts were issued for revenue collected could equally not be traced and presented for inspection by the auditors while dishonoured cheques of GH¢67, 520.82 were not recovered from taxpayers.

An amount of GH¢541, 538.56, which represents the revenue collected, was not captured in the electronic cash book.

Even though the Assembly claimed to have duly responded to the findings of the audit report, it was however not forthcoming with details on its responses to the paper for reconciliation.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the AMA, Nuumo Blafo, who visited the offices of DAILY GUIDE to provide details of the Assembly’s responses to the report, could not provide the supposed copies, which was in his possession.

This, he said, was because he had to seek clearance from the Accra Mayor, Alfred Oko Vanderpuye .

He requested to be given a day or two to produce the evidence.

However, virtually a week after the encounter, nothing was heard from either the Assembly or its PRO, leaving the paper with no option than to go ahead with this publication.

Almost a month after his visit, Nuumo Blafo said he had not secured the document from the Director of Finance to produce as evidence of resolving the issues as contained in the said report.

 By Charles Takyi-Boadu

Elvis Afriyie Ankrah

Government has launched investigation into the operations of the Ghana Youth Employment and Entrepreneurial Programme Development Agency (GYEEDA).

Information and Media Relations Minister, Mahama Ayariga asked persons and institutions, including the media, with any information on the dealings of GYEEDA to make them available to a committee tasked to investigate allegations of suspected mismanagement of some modules under GYEEDA, formerly called National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP).

In a statement issued in Accra yesterday, Mr Ayariga insisted that a committee set up by the Minister for Youth and Sports, Elvis Afriyie Ankrah was reviewing the entire process and would soon come out with a report.

It follows media reports of some financial malpractices in some of the modules under the GYEEDA programme including questionable contracts between government and some service providers.

“It will be important for media houses that have additional information or unearthed some further details to also assist the Committee with the information they have to help the investigative and review process.”

He pledged government’s commitment to a transparent and accountable governance module to promote cooperation with the media and the public in dealing with any identified misapplication of public resources.

Accra-based Joy FM claims its investigations revealed that government pays Zoomlion GHS500 for each beneficiary.

But the government has signed a contract with Zoomlion, which allows the company to keep GHS400 of that money as management fees.
This revelation was part of Manasseh Azure Awuni’s investigative report on how questionable contracts were robbing the nation of millions of cedis while beneficiaries’ service conditions continue to worsen.

Defense

But Zoomlion’s Director of Communications, Robert Coleman, who spoke on the issue on the Super Morning Show, explained that the GHS400 supports “empirical evidence” of expenses the company incurs which was submitted to the Ministry of Local Government.
He said there was clear evidence of logistics that were sent to workers on the field.

But his explanation angered some Regional Coordinators of GYEEDA.
Also speaking on the Super Morning Show on Wednesday, the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Coalition of GYEEDA Regional Coordinators, Samuel Atta Mensah challenged the company to provide better explanation.
He said Zoomlion, under the arrangement it has with the district assemblies, Local Government Ministry and Ministry of Health takes care of petty expenses.
“The district assemblies are paying for final disposal sites, and when you come to the bola containers, the district assemblies are paying for them too, so virtually government is paying for everything,” he indicated.
The Upper East Regional Coordinator of GYEEDA, Kopanamo James Kojo, told Joy News that apart from the Bolgatanga Municipality, shortage of equipment is widespread as some beneficiaries work with their bare hands.
Meanwhile, government has given the strongest indication that persons who will be found culpable in the ongoing GYEEDA investigations will not be spared.
Briefing the media at the Presidency on Wednesday morning, Deputy Information Minister Murtala Mohammmed said government will make public the findings of a committee investigating the matter.
Murtala Mohammed however asked the general public and the media with relevant information to make them available to the committee to enable them discharge their duties effectively.

Seth Terkper

For the first four months of 2013, Government’s fiscal deficit was equivalent to 3.8 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) as against a target of 3 percent.

This came to light after the Bank of Ghana (BoG) gathered provisional estimates on Ghana’s broad fiscal data.

The bank’s latest Monetary Policy Committee report stated that such a development was on the back of a significant shortfall in revenues with expenditures marginally below target.

“Total revenue and grants was GH¢6.3 billion against a target of GH¢7.1 billion. Of this, domestic revenue amounted to GH¢5.9 billion below the target of GH¢6.4 billion on account of lower tax revenues.

“Total revenue amounted to GH¢4.2 billion below the target of GH¢4.9 billion and the low tax revenue collection over the period was the result of lower company profits and lower imports due to the general slowdown in economic activity.”

It said grant disbursement also reduced by 38.3 percent, reflecting non-disbursement from the Multi-Donor Budget Support partners.

While non-tax revenues registered higher than budgeted at GH¢1.6 billion compared to target of GH¢1.5 billion, total expenditures, including payments for the clearance of arrears and outstanding commitments, amounted to GH¢9.7 billion lower than the budget target of GH¢9.8 billion.

“The wage bill amounted to GH¢3 billion against a target of GH¢2.8 billion. Similarly, interest payments amounted to GH¢1.6 billion against a target of GH¢1.1 billion.

These developments resulted in an overall budget deficit of GH¢3.4 billion (3.8 percent of GDP) in the four months of the year, as against a target of GH¢2.7 billion (3 percent of GDP).”

The deficit was financed mainly from domestic sources, resulting in net domestic financing of GH¢2.7 billion, higher than the budget target of GH¢2.2 billion.

The foreign financing component of the budget amounted to GH¢687.2 million, also higher than the GH¢482.1 million target.

The last surveys conducted in March and April by the Central Bank showed weakened sentiments by both businesses and consumers.

“The business index declined to 99.0 percent in March 2013 from 104.1 in December 2012. This was partly due to the energy crisis, which in turn lowered business optimism about growth prospects and heightened inflation expectations over the medium-term horizon.

Similarly, the Consumer Confidence Index also fell to 96.1 in April, from 105.0 in January 2013.”

Also, the Bank of Ghana’s Composite Index of Economic Activity, which measures the pace of economic activity contracted by 0.6 percent in March 2013 as against 14.8 percent growth in March 2012.

“All the components of the CIEA recorded negative yearly growth rates with the exception of tourist arrivals, domestic VAT and domestic money banks’ credit to the private sector.

On global developments, international commodity prices broadly softened in the first quarter of 2013.

Crude oil price ended the first quarter at US$112.56 per barrel, and are projected to end the year at US$100 per barrel. Gold prices declined sharply to US$1,400 per ounce as at May 21, and are forecast to rise only slightly to US$1,455 per ounce by year end.

However, cocoa prices were at US$2,176 per tonne in the first quarter and it is expected to end the year at US$2,475 per tonne.

 By Samuel Boadi

Richard Anderson and some Delta staff at the press conference

The leading United States carrier, Delta Airlines is hosting over 50 journalists from various countries across the globe including Ghana under its ‘Delta International Media Summit.’

The summit opened yesterday at Westin Times Square Hotel in New York where journalists were taken through the operations of the airline including its major breakthrough in consolidating its foothold in the aviation industry.

The airline is acquiring a stake in Virgin Atlantic, the London based airline.

Talks on the proposed deal have reached an advanced stage and it is expected to be consummated by the third quarter of the year, according to Richard Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Delta to journalists.

The climax of the three-day event is the official inauguration of Delta’s $1.4billion terminal at the JFK airport in New York. The new terminal four will be Delta’s operational hub at JFK.

Previous media summit took place in Atlanta, headquarters of the airline.

The airline’s senior management staff attended a press conference addressed by Richard Anderson, Chief Executive Officer.

Ed Bastian, President, Delta Air Lines was also in attendance.

Mr Anderson said the Atlanta based airline considers JFK airport as the most competitive market in the world, hence the huge investment. “JFK T4 (Terminal 4) is Delta’s most important global gateway, with service to 100 cities worldwide- more than any other carrier,” the Delta chief said.

The airline has strong international partners such as KLM/Air France and Alitalia, among other global players in the Asia and the Americas, in its quest to build a global brand.

Delta Airlines is the only carrier flying passengers direct from the Kotoka International Airport in Accra to the United States.

“Delta is reshaping its business model for stability and great customer service even with economic uncertainty and high fuel costs,” Mr Anderson intimated.

The airline has also invested in refinery to cut down on fuel cost.

Last year alone, it spent over $12billion on aviation fuel.

There was a breakout session with Perry Cantarutti, Senior Vice President Europe, Middle East and Africa where issues such as Economic development and tourism were discussed.

Cristyne Nicholas, Chair of the New York State Tourism Advisory Council; Ken Adams, Empire State Development president & CEO and Commissioner of the New York State Department of Economic Development and John Heimlich, Vice President and Chief Economist for Airlines for America were also in attendance.

The official opening of the new terminal will take place today with Richard Anderson addressing the gathering including Jos Nijhuis, President and CEO of Schiphol airport in Amsterdam, Holland.

The New York Mayor, Michael Bloomberg, US Representative, Gregory Meeks, New York Governor, Andrew Cuomo, Senator Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York will grace the occasion.

There will be a tour of the facility after the commissioning.

 From Fortune Alimi, New York

Haruna Iddrisu

Ghana’s trade deficit deteriorated to US$334.6 million for the first four months of this year from a near zero balance in the corresponding period of last year.

The country’s services, income and transfer account recorded a lower deficit of US$788 million compared to a deficit of US$986.8 million in 2012.

This situation was driven by some moderation in the prices of major export commodities on the international market and slower growth in imports, the Bank of Ghana (BoG) noted.

“Total exports declined by 7.3 percent in year-on-year terms to US$3.8 billion during the first quarter of 2013. Of the total, gold exports were US$1.5 billion, cocoa beans and products were US$725.8 million and crude oil exports amounted to US$1.1 billion.

“Total imports, on the other hand, recorded a marginal year-on-year growth of 0.8 percent to US$4.2 billion in the first quarter. Of this, non-oil imports went down by 7.1 percent to US$3.2 billion while oil imports increased by 44.2 percent to US$913.3 million.”

It said that net inflows in the country’s capital and financial account improved to US$1.4 billion compared to US$156.7 billion in 2012, adding that this was on the back of higher official capital inflows amounting to US$316.3 million, net short-term capital flows of US$262 million, portfolio investments of US$246.3 million and private capital of US$570 million.

The foregoing developments resulted in an improved balance of payments deficit of US$136.3 million in the first quarter of 2013 compared to a deficit of US$1.3 billion in the same period of 2012.

However, the stock of public debt increased to GH¢38.3 billion (43.2 percent of GDP) at end April 2013 from GH¢35.1 billion in December 2012.

Of this, the stock of domestic debt amounted to GH¢20.3 billion compared to GH¢18.5 billion in December 2012.

“External debt stood at US$9.5 billion up from US$8.8 billion over the same period.”

From January to mid-May 2013, the local currency cumulatively depreciated by 2.3 percent against the US dollar. During the first quarter, the real exchange rate appreciated by 5.9 percent.

Furthermore, private inward transfers received through the banking system for the first quarter declined by 14.1 percent on a year-on-year basis to US$3.9 billion.

Of the total transfers, US$393.2 million accrued to individuals compared to US$478.5 million in the same period of 2012.

“Gross international reserves amounted to US$5.2 billion at the end of April 2013 compared to a stock position of US$5.4 billion at the end of December 2012. This is equivalent to 2.9 months of import cover.”

 By Samuel Boadi

Asare Akuffo – President of Ghana Association of Bankers

Total assets of the country’s banking industry increased to GH¢29.6 billion at the end of April 2013 compared to GH¢23.2 billion in April 2012.

This was driven mainly by advances which accounted for 42.5 percent of the total amount.

The asset growth was aided by deposits which recorded an annual growth of 22.4 percent as against GH¢20.7 billion at the end of April 2013.

Non-performing loans (NPL) ratio within the banking industry decreased to 13.3 percent in April 2012, while the ratio, excluding the loss category, declined to 5.2 percent from 6.1 percent in the same period.

The sector’s performance was strong in the first four months of the year with increased competition, improved liquidity and profitability, the Central Bank indicates.

Noting that interest rates on the Treasury Bill market broadly declined, it explained: “Between December 2012 and April 2013, both the 91-day and 182-day Treasury Bill rates remained broadly unchanged at 23 percent. The 1-year note rate fell from 23 to 22.1 percent while the rate on the 2-year note declined from 23 to 22.4 percent. The 3-year bond rate fell from 21 to 16.9 percent. Because there was no issue of the 5-year bond, the rate therefore remained unchanged at 23 percent.”

Meanwhile, the latest credit conditions survey by BoG showed a general net tightening of credit conditions.

With the exception of consumer credit which saw some easing, the credit stance for other types of loans including small and medium-scale enterprises, large enterprises, short and long term loans, were tightened.

Additionally, annual growth in private sector credit slowed to 28.7 percent in nominal terms at the end of March 2013 from 44.6 percent in March 2012.

Similarly, annual growth of the real private sector credit was 17.6 percent in March 2013, down from 32.9 percent in March 2012.

While the weighted average interbank rate declined to 16.9 percent in April 2013 from 17.5 percent in December 2012, average lending rates of the banks were revised upwards to 27.1 percent in April 2013 from 25.7 percent in December 2012.

By Samuel Boadi

Emmanuel Armah Kofi-Buah, the Minister of Energy and Petroleum cutting the tape to officially inaugurate the Dansoman District of ECG

The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) would soon adopt Live-line routine maintenance strategy where power would still be on while maintenance is being undertaken by technicians.

“The essence of the project is to carry out planned maintenance and fix faults on energized networks. This will benefit customers immensely because they will continue to enjoy electricity supply as we work live on our distribution networks at all voltage levels,” stated Rev William Hutton-Mensah, the Managing Director of ECG.

He announced this when he launched a GHC1.8million ultra-modern office complex for the Dansoman district of the ECG last Friday.

CITY & BUSINESS GUIDE gathered that the Live-line project has reached an advanced stage of implementation as a contract has been signed with partners to commence the setting up of systems for the project. Already, technicians of ECG are being trained for the project.

The ECG is currently receiving serious backlash from the general public for the persistent power cut that has negatively affected Ghanaians for almost a year.

But Mr. Hutton-Mensah said the embattled power company would boost its capacity to improve power supply.

The country is currently running over 200 megawatts of shortfalls resulting in the erratic supply.

Even though there is a huge supply shortage, the company is still battling with system losses caused by illegal power connections and archaic equipment.

“Currently our system loss figure stands at 23 percent from 26 percent (in 2012), and we hope to reduce it further to about 21 percent by the close of the year,” the managing director explained.

By Raphael Ofori-Adeniran

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President John Dramani Mahama

President John Mahama and First Lady, Lordina, have arrived in Addis Ababa for the Golden Jubilee Celebration of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), now African Union (AU) and the 21st Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government.

President Mahama is expected to hold a number of discussions with colleague heads of state, and grant audience to the UNDP Administrator, Helen Clark, UNAIDS Executive Director Micheal Sidibe and the Executive Director of The Global Fund, Mark Dybul.

The President and other senior officials of his government will from today be engaged in various meetings outlined by the union to discuss issues affecting the continent.

President Mahama and his heads of state will also adopt various measures aimed at promoting growth and unity on the continent.

He will also participate in a forum of Heads of State and Government on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) before Saturday’s Anniversary Celebration.

The President’s delegation includes the Foreign Minister Hannah Tetteh, Deputy Information Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu and the Executive Secretary to the President Dr. Raymond Atuguba amongst others.

Citifmonline

Asiedu Nketia

General Secretary for the National Democratic Congress and witness for the 1st and 3rd Respondents in the ongoing Presidential Election Petition in giving his evidence in chief at the Supreme Court, has backed the petitioners case on most of the major irregularities identified by the petitioners.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia made the concessions while being led in evidence by Counsel for the NDC, Tsatsu Tsikata on the 1st day of his appearance in the witness box as the petitioners had indicated that subject to the results of the ongoing KPMG audit, they had closed their case.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia, while speaking stated that all the parties and participating candidates before the elections agreed, as was also contained in the law, that every voter must be verified by the biometric verification device before he or she is allowed to vote.

He acknowledged that indeed it was for this reason that the parties also established that in the event a biometric verification device broke down in the course of the election, the device had to be replaced at the affected polling station and that in the event that that was not possible, voting at the station had to be postponed to the next day.

He noted that there was no circumstance per their agreement and laws which allowed voting to go on without prior biometric verification.

On the issue of presiding officer’s signature, Mr. Asiedu Nketia again stated that the presiding officer’s signature was very necessary and that the presiding officer had to sign the statement of poll and declaration of results form (pink sheet) before the results are declared.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia indeed admitted that there were a number of polling stations where the presiding officers’ signature was absent on the declaration form but said that once the polling agents had witnessed the form, there was no problem if the presiding officer didn’t sign.

On over voting, Mr. Asiedu Nketia could not give a clear and cogent answer on the irregularity as had been defined by the petitioners. He suggested that even if more ballots were found in the ballot box at the close of voting than ballots issued to voters, it could not be said to be over voting or wrong if the ballots in the box did not exceed the voters’ register at the polling station.

He also said that even if the ballots in the ballot box exceeded the number of ballots issued to voters on Election Day, it was alright as long as all the ballots in the ballot box had the stamp of the electoral commission.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia in giving his testimony also stated that he can confirm that no issue of over voting occurred in all the 26,002 polling stations across the country, defying the electoral commission’s admission that indeed a few polling stations were annulled as a result of over voting and voting without biometric verification and also his own Counsel’s attempt to show that over voting occurred in more polling stations than the petitioners had stated including some areas in the petitioner’s stronghold.

In another interesting twist, the NDC General Secretary, in relation to the filling of the ballot accounting section of the Pink Sheet before counting begins as is the stated rule for Election officials, stated that in the villages the election laws and rules were not adhered to as the Presiding officers had to meet the demands of the people.

“My Lords, I heard Dr. Bawumia speaking about the fact that the ballot accounting section of the pink sheet should be filled before the box is opened and I strongly disagree with him. Even though, that is what should be done in theory and as is written on the pink sheet and election guidelines, that is not what happened because in the villages, as soon as it is 5p.m, people start moving to the polling station and start shouting ‘chooboi, chooboi, we want to see what is in the box’ so in such situations, the officers open the box and count before the fill that part of the form”.

myjoyonline

President John Dramani Mahama

President John Dramani Mahama will leave Accra on Thursday to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to take part in activities to commemorate the 50^th Anniversary of the formation of the Organisation of African Unity, now the Africa Union.

A statement signed by Deputy Minister for Information Felix Kwakye Ofosu, said the President, while in Addis Ababa, would take part in a forum of Heads of State and Governments on the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

“President Mahama is expected to share with colleague heads of state, Ghana’s experience, learning and benefits from the APRM,” the statement noted.

With many of the continent’s leaders looking up to him to champion a number of causes, President Mahama is expected to hold a number of meetings and also address the AU session on the way forward for the continent; enhancing security, improving human settlement and the fight against HIV and AIDS.

Accompanying the President is the First Lady, Lordina Mahama, who will be attending a summit of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV & AIDS in Addis Ababa.

From Ethiopia, President Mahama will pay a three‐day state visit to France at the invitation of President François Hollande and also attend the fifth TICAD Conference in Japan.

Philip Addison and Justice William Atuguba

There was objection galore at the ongoing landmark Presidential Election Petition, when the principal witness, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, was re-examined at the Supreme Court yesterday.

Almost every question posed by the petitioners’ lead counsel, Phillip Addison, was characterised by concerted objections from all the counsels for the three respondents namely, Tony Lithur (for President John Dramani Mahama), James Quarshie-Idun (Electoral Commission) and Tsatsu Tsikata (National Democratic Congress).

As a result, the nine-member panel, chaired by Justice William Atuguba, had to spend considerable length of time before either overruling or sustaining the objections on each occasion.

The re-examination of Dr. Bawumia became possible following the announcement by Mr. Tsikata that he had brought his cross-examination to an end after 13 days of grilling the witness but had indicated that he would conclude finally subject to the report to be submitted by KPMG, a reputable international accounting firm that has been chosen to count the number of pink sheets attached as exhibits by the petitioners.

Following the objections, Dr. Bawumia, who normally spoke for hours in previous proceedings, was virtually on holiday yesterday as most of the questions he was supposed to answer were truncated by the objections from the respondents’ counsels.

First Salvo

Nana Akufo-Addo, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and some NPP members leaving the Court yesterday

It was Tony Lithur who fired the first salvo when he objected to Mr. Addison’s question on further and better particulars that Dr. Bawumia had been referring to during cross-examination in respect of particulars and pinks sheets covering 11,842 polling stations with their specific categories of violations, malpractices and irregularities.

Just as Dr. Bawumia said, “Yes, my lords, I have the further and better particulars”, Mr. Lithur objected vehemently.

Mr. Lithur: Objection! There is no ambiguity here, the questions were answered directly and clearly…in our cross-examination, the scope is very clear, it can’t be used as an opportunity to lead evidence in chief…. (Counsel for the third respondent Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata also rose to object to the question)

Mr. Tsikata supported Mr. Lithur saying “the further and better particulars are part of the pleadings in this proceeding and there is really no basis on which some document claimed to be further and better particulars by the witness can be put in at this point in time. The further and better particulars were filed in the pleadings and we have copies of what was filed, I believe your lordships have copies of what was filed.”

Mr. Quarshie-Idun: My lords, I also object to the line of questioning on the same grounds stated by my learned friends.

Counsel: My lords, the witness was accused of misleading the court, and that the further and better particulars did not contain the information that he says it contains. That is a matter that goes to the credibility of the witness, and we are entitled in re-examination to raise that issue and vindicate the credibility of the witness. The further and better particulars is a document that has been supplied to all the respondents and, therefore, it is not a document that will take any of them by surprise. They have asked questions on it; they have denied certain information that is in it…My lords, there are quite a number of authorities on the point and because I foresee my learned friends getting up every now and again to object, maybe I should refer your lordships to the authorities we have so that a ruling is made to clarify the issue (He referred the court to several precedents including the case of NDK Financial Services versus Arnold Agyei, Richard Agyei, Benjamin Agyei and Sophia Mensah. Mr. Lithur cuts in….)

Mr. Lithur: I suppose when it comes to that we are covered by our legislation, resort to Common Law decisions are quite irrelevant and the relevant position as contained in the Evidence Act, 1975 (He reads the relevant portions)…Clearly, re-examination as of right only arises when it’s a new matter contrary to the authorities that my learned friend has read….It is an amazing suggestion indeed that what is considered as pleading is being sought to be tendered. I think it’s completely inappropriate.

Mr. Quarshie-Idun: My lords, I would also just briefly add that this is a matter on which we have earlier pleaded that we have not received the full complement of the 11,000 odd exhibits, my lords. As far back as 27^th of February, in paragraph 18 of our second amended answer, this pleading was made, so it is not a matter that first came up in cross-examination.

Mr. Tsikata: I may also just add that the pleading in respect to the further and better particulars that were ordered by your lordships were responded to in terms that were documented before the court and those documents before the court, need no further tendering in evidence, they are already part of the record of this court.

Counsel: If it’s part of the record, I ‘m wondering why my learned friends are opposing it. Again, counsel for second respondent indicated what we were saying. He says that the further and better particulars do not contain all the information that we are asserting it contains. We think it is a matter that should be tendered before this court to have a look at it and see whether whatever we are saying is true or not….(Judges conferred and the objection was sustained, but counsel rose to ask the court to furnish him with the reasons for sustaining the objection to serve as a guide).

Justice Atuguba: There is a number of reasons, but I will just give one: The pleadings are already part of the records and their tender in evidence is out of place.

As a result, Mr. Addison reframed his question asking: “Dr. Bawumia, during cross-examination, you told the court that you were no longer relying on the 11,842 polling stations, and that you have deleted from that list 704 polling stations, now all attempts by you to give a list of these 704 polling stations were resisted by counsel for respondents, now do you have a list with you?” to which Dr. Bawumia responded, “Yes, my lords.”

Mr. Lithur again raised objection…

Mr. Lithur: Objection! The witness was very clear about the time when he was testifying where he has deleted polling stations that he did not require for this case and that evidence was given under examination-in-chief. In fact, during the examination-in-chief, he was permitted to tender a revised analysis based on the polling stations that he said he had deleted and pursuant to that, he delivered to this court as exhibit, a list of polling stations that they said they were no longer going to rely on. This was when he was leading evidence. My lords, if the witness had this material before the commencement of trial, he ought to have-during the time he was giving his evidence-in-chief-, given that to the court. Being confronted in cross-examination with materials that he has supplied which shows numerous duplications, what they are trying to do is to clean up the table. I think that is not part of the scope of re-examination. The opportunity was there when he was testifying. This is not a matter that they can use re-examination to reintroduce…. (Mr. Tsikata also rose to support a similar view expressed by his colleague, Mr. Quarshie-Idun was also in full support)

Counsel: My lords, we are seeking to tender this document with leave of the court. The respondents have had every opportunity to cross-examine the witness on 11, 842 and therefore it includes those that he is relying on and those he says he is not relying on. Now this list would assist the court in ascertaining the case of the petitioners, which has narrowed it down from 11,842 to 11,138(He referred the court to the proceedings of April 24, 2013 where the judges agreed that furnishing them with a list of the deleted polling stations would be useful to the court)….I think this is the appropriate time to tender the list of 704 polling station that the petitioners say they are no longer relying on. (Mr. Tsikata protested, saying that if a new list was tendered, then he would be forced to cross-examine on that list.)

Counsel: It is not a new list. It is contained in the 11,842 polling stations. They have had the opportunity to cross-examine the witness on these polling stations. We are assisting the court by providing this list of 704 polling stations which the witness says he is no longer relying on. Several times, reference was made by the witness during cross-examination. He was not given the opportunity to tender it and now is the time to tender it with the leave of the court. As I have already pointed out, your lordships thought that it would be useful to have it…. (Judges conferred again; Justice Atuguba read the ruling)

Justice Atuguba: 7 to 2, Akoto-Bamfo and Gbadegbe dissenting, objection is over-ruled.

CD Rom

The petitioners then sought to tender the CD Rom which they said contained exhibits in electronic form of the 704 polling stations that they said they were no longer relying on in their analysis.

The respondents, again objected arguing that the court already have enough exhibits to decide the matter but Mr. Addison parried the objections saying the CD-ROMs were to ease the evaluation.

Justice Atuguba later sustained the objection so the CD Rom was not tendered.

6,823 Polling Stations

Counsel: Dr. Bawumia, during cross-examination, counsel for third respondent suggested to you that your duplicate serial numbers category-the exhibit P series-, involve half of the 6,823 polling stations and that you have double counted and padded this category of polling stations and pink sheets, simply to mislead the court and increase the number of polling stations in order to shore up your claim. He asked you to provide a list of counterpart duplicate serial numbers, of which you did and which was used in cross-examination, but which, however, counsel refused to tender. Do you have the list with you?

Witness: Yes, my lords, I have the list.

Counsel: Now what would you like to do with the list?

Witness: I would like to tender it if it pleases the court.

This time around the respondents’ counsel did not raise any objection except for Mr. Lithur to say: “I am making some reservations about the list,” and for Mr. Tsikata to say there were ‘typos’ that needed to be corrected.

The court then overruled Mr. Lithur’s objection regarding the ‘categories session’ on the list which he identified when he expressed the ‘reservation’ and ordered the typos to be rectified.

Mr. Addison then asked Dr. Bawumia to address the accusation by Mr. Tsikata that the petitioners deliberately selected violations, irregularities and malpractices from polling stations in the strongholds of President Mahama but just as the witness answered, Mr. Lithur objected again.

The First respondent’s counsel argued that when the question was posed during cross-examination, Dr. Bawumia denied it categorically and that there was no ambiguity which needed re-examination.

Mr. Addison pointed out that the respondents were attacking the credibility of the witness and also bad faith had been raised by Mr. Tsikata and Dr. Bawumia needed to clear the air once and for all.

The court in a 6-3 majority decision with Justices Julius Ansah, Rose Owusu and Annin-Yeboah dissenting, sustained the objection.

Methodolgy Question

Mr. Addison again asked Dr. Bawumia to explain to the court the methodology used in concluding his analysis since during cross-examination the witness had been attacked by the respondents for padding pink sheets to make up the numbers.

Mr. Lithur objected saying that it was a matter for examination-in-chief which the petitioners failed to do and were seeking to introduce it at re-examination stage while Mr. Tsikata said “the court’s function cannot be seized. Issues of methodology are completely irrelevant.”

Mr. Quarshie-Idun, for his part, said “this is not a matter for re-examination but a matter for addresses,” but Mr. Addison replied that padding of pink sheets was raised in cross-examination and did not come up during examination-in-chief.

“He has been called dishonest when he insisted there was no double-counting. This is the opportunity to clear the air,” Mr. Addison argued.

The court, in a 5-4 majority with Justices Jones Dotse, Paul Baffoe-Bonnie, Annin-Yeboah and Sulley Gbadegbe dissenting, sustained the objection.

The Clash

In the latter stages of the proceedings, there was a near clash between the bench and Mr. Addison when he said the court was compelling him to ‘truncate’ his re-examination.

The court had unanimously ruled that a document Mr. Addison sought to tender in respect of re-categorisation of some of the exhibits could not be tendered and was subsequently marked as ‘Rejected’.

However, Mr. Addison was of the opinion that once the court had earlier in a 5-4 majority overruled the respondents’ counsels objection to the re-examining of the re-categorisation of some of the exhibits that the witness said were mislabelling during cross-examination, he was seeking leave of the court to get the right document to tender in evidence.

Justices Atuguba, Sophia Adinyira, Sulley Gbadegbe and Vida Akoto-Bamfo dissented.

The court later unanimously sustained an objection to the tendering of the document in respect of re-categorisation of some of the exhibits because it said the document bore no exhibit number and respondents’ counsels had been able to convince the court that allowing the document to go in would mean an introduction of evidence through the back door.

Counsel: My lords, this issue has been ruled on by the court. It will amount to re-arguing the same old point. We talk of re-categorisation; this is a list which shows the new category and the old category, the region, the constituency, the polling station, polling station code and serial number. I don’t know what else they want to be there. We say that we are showing the re-categorisation and that is exactly what has been done in this document. We have argued at length on this, your lordships have gone in, you come back; you’ve ruled on it, you are still taking up objections to it, it would be endless.

Mr. Lithur: My lords, it’s the exhibit number that are re-categorised, there is no exhibit number…

Justice Rose-Owusu: Mr. Addison, I thought your question was which polling stations that are affected by your re-categorisation, so it is not the whole of the pink sheets that they are talking about. So as he is saying, at least you must indicate exhibit and the polling stations which have been moved from one category to another.

Counsel: My lords, that is what is shows; that is what it does….(Judges confer again) This is our document and we wish to tender it through the witness and we have indicated the categorisation, we can’t maintain the old exhibit numbers because the category has changed and this is what we have indicated on this….My lords, if the court would like us to put the old exhibit number on them, we would do that…(Mr. Quarshie-Idun, agreed with the suggestion for exhibits to be affixed with exhibit numbers. Mr. Lithur drew attention to the fact that the situation has implication on people’s votes, judges consulted and eventually, Justice Atuguba read the ruling)

Justice Atuguba: By unanimous decision, the objection is sustained.

Counsel: My lords, so what does that mean, we have to provide the exhibit numbers?

Justice Atuguba: When an exhibit is tendered and rejected or rejected, it has to be marked “tendered” and “rejected”.

Counsel: My lords, we made the offer to put in the exhibits…

Justice Atuguba: That one… (laughs and counsel interrupts)

Counsel: This court has ruled that we can ask these questions [about the re-categorised list]  and if there is any dissatisfaction with the manner in which it has been done, it can be corrected because this would amount to over-ruling your earlier ruling which gave us the right.

Justice Atuguba: Not at all, we allowed you to follow suit properly and you didn’t follow properly so that is it.

Counsel: But, my lords, we are talking of substantial justice here; this court has said that we can give evidence on the re-categorisation and there is an issue about exhibit numbers. We are praying that the court gives us leave so that tomorrow, we would bring another list with the exhibit numbers. This is in the interest of justice.

Mr. Tsikata: My lords, counsel for petitioners had the opportunity to tender, we raised an objection, it has been sustained. He had indicated before lunch that he will end his re-examination. My lords, we are not in the world of Houdini, I do not think that we should entertain this shuffling of things without any specific references and that’s what your lordships have ruled.

Counsel: My lords, we are seeking to come back tomorrow first thing in the morning to tender in the document with the exhibit numbers. As regards the re-categorisation, this court has ruled, and has ruled that we can give evidence on that….

The Give-and-take

Justice Atuguba: Apart from this, do you have any further questions in your re-examination?

Counsel: My lords, subject to this [re-tendering the re-categorisation exhibits], we would end our re-examination….

Justice Atuguba: In these circumstances, because the matter has been ruled upon, that ends the proceedings of re-examination.

Counsel: No, my lords, that’s not the end of the re-examination…

Justice Atuguba: But you said subject to…

Counsel: Well, my lords, there was a ruling in this court allowing us to lead evidence on the re-categorisation. As it is now, through the back door, we have been denied that right. The same right given to us has been taken away and therefore, we cannot say that we have ended re-examination…

Justice Atuguba: Well, our view is that this is ended because your last question was about this tendering and the ruling on it closes the matter. You said subject to tendering the document, which we have ruled on. So for us, we have closed the matter.

Counsel: My lords, in view of the present ruling, we think that it is only fair that we are allowed, in the interest of justice, to carry on with our re-examination; unless of course the court is curtailing our right to re-examination.  Are we to take it that our re-examination has been curtailed by the court?

Justice Atuguba: Mr. Addison, we have ruled that following our understanding of what you did. You said you have just one question.

Counsel: No, I didn’t say I have one last question, I said subject to the ruling of the court…

Justice Atuguba: Yes, and the ruling of the court …(Addison interrupts)

Counsel: The court ruled in our favour and somehow through the backdoor, that ruling has been negated….

Justice Atuguba: What ruling…

Counsel: In that ruling, the court gave us the right to go on with leading evidence in the re-categorisation and somehow, it’s been negated.

Justice Atuguba: Look, I think that we have tried to be tolerant, but we cannot take dictation from the bar….

Counsel: My lords, we are not dictating to the bench, we are asking for leave from the court. If this document has been refused to go in, we would like to lead evidence on the issue of the re-categorisation because the document that we are going to tender in support of our case has been refused now, that’s all we are asking for. We are not dictating to the bench….

Justice Atuguba: (On top of his voice) Mr. Addison, we have ruled, we heard all that you said and we have explained to you that if you had retreated, we would have probably considered that, but you did not….

Counsel: So the court is curtailing our re-examination?

Justice Atuguba: We have not curtailed, we have gone according to your undertaking…

By William Yaw Owusu & Raphael Ofori-Adeniran

Alhaji Ibrahim Mobila

Alhaji Ibrahim Mobila, a former cadre who is nursing the ambition of becoming the Northern Regional Chairman of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC), says Trade and Industry Minister, Haruna Iddrisu is not sponsoring his campaign.

Reports say the activities of Alhaji Mobila are being financed by Hon Iddrisu, who is also the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tamale South.

He has also denied campaigning ahead of the party’s regional delegate’s congress.

Though Alhaji Mobila disclosed his intention to contest for the position, he said he was awaiting official directives from the party’s headquarters in Accra before he would officially declare his stance.

In a press release copied to DAILY GUIDE on Wednesday, he noted that he was capable of financing his campaign.

According to him, he has been in business for the past decades but ventured into politics to help support humanity for a positive change.

In that regard, he disclosed that his intention to contest for the regional chairmanship position of the NDC was borne out of the desire to serve the people.

“As a cadre, I believe in the rules that established the party and will abide by it,” he noted.

Explaining further, Alhaji Mobila said the NDC in the Northern Region has over the past few years experienced several humiliating defeat in many constituencies which hitherto were held by NDC.

He called for a new leadership to improve the fortunes of the party since they risk losing more seats in 2016.

He made reference to the loss of 11 seats in the region in the 2012 elections.

Alhaji Mobila promised to recapture all 11 seats when given the opportunity to steer the affairs of the NDC in the Northern region.

Alhaji Mobilla cited challenges currently facing the party and reiterated the need for principles of accountability, social justice to salvage the sinking image of the NDC.

 From Stephen Zoure, Tamale

Joe Debrah

Business man and former Board member of Kumasi Asante Kotoko Kennedy ‘Cappuccino Agyepong has flown into the country, ex-Porcupine Warriors star Joe Debrah for the Hearts/Kotoko Oldies clash at the Baba Yara Stadium in Kumasi on Sunday.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE SPORTS from his base in Germany, Joe Debra praised Kennedy Agyepong, CEO of Kenpong Group of Companies, for the efforts the latter made in bringing him down for the ‘big game’.

“Kenpong is the one bringing me down to Ghana for the match. He is paying for my ticket and everything. Besides that he has done a lot for me and I will continue to pray for him.

“I know the fans have missed me all this time. Even though I might not perform like I used to, I will do my best to make them happy on Sunday,” Joe Debra added.

Retired footballers of the two glamorous clubs in the country will cross swords in Kumasi this Sunday.

Dubbed ‘Historic Clash’, the contest is being organized by Anim Addo, a producer at Peace FM, an Accra-based radio station.

The match is intended to rekindle the healthy rivalry existing between the two sides.

Former Kotoko stars Joe Debrah, Frimpong Manso, Opoku Afriyie, Prince Adu Poku, Isaac Kwakye and Prince Opoku Polley are expected to feature in the game.

Black Stars ex skipper Stephen Appiah will lead the Phobians, who are expected to parade players like Abladey Kumah, Ishmael Addo and Emmanuel Armah ‘Senegal’.

At a press conference in Kumasi, Mr Anim Addo indicated that the game would be played in a two-legged format, with Kumasi hosting the first leg and Accra the return leg.

Mr Addo stated that part of the gate proceeds would be donated to the Kumasi Children’s Home, with the remainder going to the combatants as appearance fees.

He urged football fans to throng the stadium to support a worthy cause.

Mr. Addo is being partnered by the Despite Group of Companies to organize the historic event.

Saka Quaye, the Ashanti Regional Sports Development Officer, urged the organizers to go a step further by organizing matches between old players of the various national teams in the West Africa sub-region.

 FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi

Lionel Messi with Neymar

Lionel Messi believes Neymar would make a “wonderful addition” to the Barcelona squad should he opt to move to Camp Nou.

Speculation has intensified in recent weeks over where the Santos star will be plying his trade next season, with Barcelona currently attempting to negotiate a deal despite the player’s insistence he will remain in Brazil until 2014.

However, should such a move materialise, Messi feels the starlet would add a different dimension to Barca’s attacking threat.

“I do not know if he will end up at the club or not. However, it is true that he is a player who would bring a very different dimension to the team,” he told Qatar Alkass. “Of course he would be a wonderful addition.”

The Argentina international then looked ahead to next year’s World Cup in Brazil and insists he wants to taste glory at the tournament irrespective of what it could mean for his reputation in the history of the game.

“All I care about is winning the World Cup,” he said. “I won’t be thinking about whether it will mean I am the best player ever or not.”

The 25-year-old also praised former coaches Frank Rijkaard and Bayern Munich-bound Pep Guardiola, a man who Messi believes will be a huge hit at Bayern and wherever he chooses to go in future.

“He [Rijkaard] was the one who believed in me when I was 17,” the Argentina skipper added. “It was one of the most important times of my life working under him, and Pep told me I was the best player he has ever coached.

“He will succeed at Bayern. He will succeed anywhere he goes because his understanding and reading of the game is like nobody else’s.”

Michael Essien and his boss Jose Mourinho

Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien has jumped to the defence of departing Real Madrid manager Jose Mourinho, insisting he is not what many people think he is.

The iconic Portuguese coach though loved by many is also widely loathed.

His critics believe he comes across as an arrogant person with his no-nonsense, tough-talking style.

Mourinho is one manager who wouldn’t mind offering a ‘stupid’ answer when ‘stupid’ questions are thrown at him during press conferences.

His immense passion for the sport, obvious through his sometimes very frantic antics and celebrations on the touchlines, is sometimes interpreted as disrespectful to opposing teams.

This plus widespread rumours he is a destructive character in the dressing room does not endear him to many neutrals though he is widely loved.

Essien, who is likely to reunite with Mourinho at Chelsea next season, as being aggressively speculated, however says many have the wrong perception of the iconic manager whose true colours are only revealed once you get close enough.

“He is a lovely man,” the Ghana international said in excerpts of a promotional video for his upcoming charity event in Ghana.

“When you work with him and get close to him you will understand the sort of person he is.
“He is very passionate about the game, he gives everything and he is very friendly, a very funny man.

“It’s funny how some people see him, like when he is giving interviews and stuff but he is totally like a lovely man.”

Mourinho is expected to make his third visit to Ghana this June on the invitation of Michael Essien to grace the latter’s charity event.

MTNFootball

Mouganie (3rd L)with Gifty Asare Ekeocha, PRO, Latex Foam, presenting the cheque to Mr Nyantakyi. With them are Emmanuel Gyimah, FA Gen. Sec., Ike Addo, Marketing and George Afriyie, Ex.Co Member

Latex Foam has signed a sponsorship deal, subject to annual renewal for five years, with the Ghana Football Association (GFA) at its head office in Accra.

The package, $100,000 per year for five years, was intended to cushion the senior national male soccer team, the Black Stars, and the FA in its operations.

Rolling out at its Switch Back Road office yesterday, Jamil Mouganie, Deputy General Manager of Latex Foam said it was an honour and a privilege to support the team.

“In our business, we believe for every individual to give his best shot by way of productivity, the mind and the body will require good rest. We at Latex Foam believe if you sleep well, you dream well, hence this support.

“We want to make sure that our players and the technical team sleep well, so they can dream well, and realize their dream of making their third successive World Cup appearance and winning many more trophies for the country.

“We consider this package a dream one simply because we believe it will cushion them to realize their dreams. Anytime they represent us, they do it (dream), and winning the World Cup has been a dream, but we hope this support will them realize that dream,” Mouganie said.

He pledged his outfit’s continued support as the years roll by.

GFA chief Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi indicated that the financial boost will go a long way to support the FA in the smooth running of its day-to-day activities.

According to him, the package had come at an opportune time as the team prepare in their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers and ultimately make it to Brazil 2014.

“This package will certainly go a long way to alleviate our financial burden. We need such support to take care of our administrative expenses. Government alone can’t support us all the time. I want to assure you that you wouldn’t regret associating with us,” said Mr Nyantakyi.

He appealed to West Africa’s biggest foam manufacturers to consider throwing their weight behind the various Supporters Unions by way of sponsorship in future.

Public Relations Officer of Latex Foam Gifty Asare Ekeocha, revealed that the team will benefit from their products by way of rewards.

By Kofi Owusu Aduonum

Kwadwo Asamoah

The Sports Writers Association of Ghana (SWAG) will, in collaboration with communication giants MTN-Ghana, organize the 38th edition of the SWAG Awards on Saturday June 29 at the Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra.

The event is expected to confer honours on 20 sports men and women drawn from 15 sporting disciplines and five institutions for their contribution to the development of sports in the country.

Winners will receive trophies, medals, certificates, products from corporate sponsors among other attractive prizes on the night as prizes for their efforts.

A statement from the secretariat of the Association said this year’s event will as usual attract a number of international sports personalities and other high profile individuals in the country.

It added that the public will also have the opportunity to participate in the selection of winners for the Sports Personality of the Year and Footballer of the Year awards, through text messages and online voting.

The event will see Kwadwo Asamoah, Emmanuel Clottey and Dede Ayew vying for the Footballer of the Year award, with Patricia Okyere going for the Female Footballer of the Year, whilst Massud Didi Dramani will be decorated with the Coach of the Year award.

Moses Odjeir of premier league side Tema Youth will go home with the Promising Star of the Year award, as John Ampomah and Janet Amponsah will go home with male and female athletes of the year awards respectively, with Derek Abrefa and Cynthia Kwabi as Male and Female Table Tennis Players of the year.

In other categories, the Golfer of the Year awards will go to Emos Korblah (Male) and Beatrice Vetch-Bempong (Female), with Elikem Akaba (Male) and Juanita Korwu (Female) as Hockey Players of the Year, whilst Janet Ampomah will be awarded as the Weightlifter of the year, with swimming prodigy Abeiku Johnson as the Discovery of the Year.

Berekum Chelsea, 2012 Confederation of Africa Football (CAF) campaigners, will be the Club of the Year, with the Black Maidens as the National Team of the Year.

Owner and bankroller of Berekum Chelsea, Ghana’s Para-cyclist Alem Mumuni, Tesano Dolphins and late President John E. Mills, late vice president Alhaji Aliu Mahama will be part of the award winners in the Special Meritorious awards category.

Friends recall what Michael Adebolajo was like at Marshall Fields School (left) and after the brutal murder

When his old school friends saw him on the television drenched in blood, waving a cleaver and declaring jihad, they nearly fell off their chairs.

There was no mistaking Michael Adebolajo, their ‘bright and witty’ classmate from a devoutly Christian family.

They remembered his smile, him studying hard, taking the bus to school and playing football with his mates.

But, his athletic frame aside, he bore no resemblance to the ghastly figure now haunting the nation’s television screens.

For despite spouting rhetoric about supposed British crimes in ‘our lands’, Adebolajo is a British citizen born in London.

His mother and father are hard-working Nigerian immigrants from an academic family in West Africa who settled in London in the early 1980s. A Christian couple, they believed in assimilating into British life, and Michael seems to have forged easy friendships with schoolmates of all colours and creeds.

Virtually all the friends on his Facebook page have traditional British names such as Louise, Kelly, Robert, Craig, Gemma, Lauren and Paul, to name a few. Among them is Matthew Selt, now a professional snooker player.

He was ‘just a lovely, lovely guy’, in the words of former classmate Stephen Cavalier – who, as a serving PC in the Metropolitan Police – could scarcely have followed a different path.

Speaking at his home in Essex yesterday, Mr Cavalier said: ‘It seems odd to say it now, after the events of yesterday, but I remember him as just a lovely, lovely guy.

‘I knew Michael at Marshalls Park School in Romford when we were teenagers. He was a good sportsman and just an all-round nice guy.’

He said he was no longer close to Adebolajo, who had requested they become ‘Facebook friends’ a few years ago.

‘As soon as I saw the news last night I immediately recognised it was Michael. I was in shock really when I saw him.’

Adebolajo’s dark side seems to have been awakened in his mid-teens, around the time Tony Blair was sending British troops into Afghanistan and Iraq.

He descended into a world where he was consumed with jihadism and later joined several Islamist groups banned in Britain because they are considered so extreme.

Radicalised by the likes of hate preacher Anjem Choudary, he fell into petty crime. Alarmed by the changes they saw in their son, his parents moved the family to Lincolnshire to make a fresh start.

But it was too little, too late, to save their first-born from an ugly descent.

Friends said he became a heavy cannabis user after the move. One told the Daily Star: ‘His whole life was about cannabis. He said it expanded his mind.’

Adebolajo is also believed to have experimented with other drugs.

By 2003, he began calling himself Mujaahid – meaning ‘one who engages in jihad’. By 2006, he was allegedly marching with Islamic fanatics bearing placards exhorting: ‘Behead those who insult Islam’.

Last year, it is believed, police stopped him travelling to Somalia to fight alongside Al-Shabbab fanatics – the group behind the 2011 kidnapping of Judith Tebbutt and murder of her husband David.

Michael Olumide Akinbiyi Adebolajo was born on December 10, 1984, at Kings College Hospital in Lambeth, South London.

His Nigerian-born father, Anthony, was a student at the time, and went on to become an NHS nurse.

His mother, Tina, the niece of a university law professor in Benin, West Africa, was a housewife but she too dedicated herself to public duty by becoming a social worker.

They had a second boy, Jeremiah, 22 months later and then two daughters, and soon after the family moved to Romford in Essex, where Adebolajo attended Marshalls Park school from 1996 to 2001, and then Havering Sixth Form College for his A levels.

‘He was a Christian. A nice, normal guy. All his friends were white and used to go round to each other’s houses all the time,’ a former friend said.

Another classmate, Simon Collings, 25, said: ‘His family were very Christian. Him and his siblings are all religiously named – his brother Jeremiah and his sisters Blessing and Christiana. He was a clever guy.’ A woman purporting to be Adebolajo’s sister Blessing told the Romford Recorder newspaper yesterday: ‘We didn’t know he was going to do this.’

Schoolmate Darren Marsh added: ‘He was always a good guy at school and [would] do anything for anyone.’

James Smith said: ‘I’m not sure I quite believe this. I sat next to him in Sociology at college’, and Michaela Payne said, ‘As soon as I saw the news I almost fell off my chair.’

Neighbours of the family remembered them as friendly and welcoming churchgoers. But Graham Silverton, 63, who has lived in the street for 25 years, said neighbours had a particularly bad experience with Adebolajo when he was a teenager.

He said one of the neighbours’ children, a teenage girl, had gone to the Adebolajos door to retrieve a ball kicked into their garden and was insulted and punched by Adebolajo.

Another said the teenager was inviting groups of friends to sit in the garage and listen to loud music with ‘lots of beer’.

According to Choudary, Adebolajo embraced Islam around the age of 15 or 16. ‘I knew him as Mujaahid. He attended our meetings and my lectures,’ the preacher boasted.

After A levels, Adebolajo attended the  University in Greenwich, South-East London, and lived in student accommodation in the borough which has a large Muslim population.

He is believed to have attended the nearby Lewisham Islamic Centre mosque, which police visited yesterday. In 2006, the mosque’s cleric Shakeel Begg was recorded urging students to wage jihad against Israelis in Palestine.

Despite his Muslim beliefs, Adebolajo fell into petty crime including stealing mobile phones, and is understood to have spent a short spell behind bars for violent behaviour. On his Facebook page, he wrote recently: ‘Mostly HMP [prison]. I have been a naughty boy but don’t tell anybody. Nowadays I’m a personal trainer.’

A friend said: ‘Michael used to preach a lot about Islam. He told me he converted in jail.’

Adebolajo’s family lived in Romford until around 2004, when they moved to Lincolnshire. It is unclear if his parents are still a couple, or if they divorced around this time.

There was no answer at the five-bedroom detached village home in Saxilby, near Lincoln, where Adebolajo’s father, Anthony, is believed to live.

Last week, Adebolajo was spotted with his alleged accomplice preaching on the street outside Poundland in Woolwich town centre. For whatever reason, he decided words were not enough.

Dailymail

Emergency services attended to the aircraft following the emergency landing

Both runways were closed at Heathrow airport after a British Airways plane was forced to make an emergency landing.

The Airbus A319, which was carrying 75 passengers on its journey to Oslo, was forced to return to the airport moments after taking off because of a ‘technical fault’, British Airways has said.

Dramatic footage from the scene shows smoke billowing from the plane while it is still in the air and eyewitness have described hearing ‘a blowout’ and seeing one of the engines on fire as it flew overhead.

Speculation has emerged that the plane had run into a ‘bird strike’

A Heathrow spokesman said all of the passengers have been ‘safely evacuated’ and ‘accounted for’.

The spokesman said the airport itself remained open, despite the closure of the runways following the incident at about 9am today.

Both runways at Heathrow Airport have been closed after a British Airways plane had to make an emergency landing

Officials have ruled out a terror attack and investigators are now looking into the possibility of a bird strike shortly after take-off.

Emergency vehicles surrounded the plane and emergency chutes could be seen being deployed after it landed.

Eye witness Clive Cook, who lives on the Heathrow flight path, described seeing smoke billowing from the plane, with the right engine on fire.

He told Sky News: ‘The actual engine itself was on fire.

‘This plane was coming over and suddenly the tone of the engine changed dramatically, and I could almost say it sounded as if it was like a blowout, or an explosion.

‘I’m absolutely certain that as it came through the clouds, and I looked up… the right engine was on fire, it wasn’t smoking, it was actually on fire.’

Mr Cook said he saw the plane over the Thames at Battersea as he was taking his daughter to nursery.

Another eyewitness, named only as Jamie, was working in his garden near to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea, when he saw the plane.

He told Sky News: ‘All of a sudden we heard this almighty noise. It was like a fire jet going over. We could just see the right engine on fire – it was absolutely horrendous to see.

‘You don’t see things like that every day, it’s incredible really.

‘Your thoughts are with the people – if we could hear it that badly then what were the people going through on that plane?’

He said he thought the plane was just a few thousand feet above the ground and added: ‘It was below the clouds at this stage. To see an aircraft on fire – it wasn’t good to watch.’

A British Airways spokesman said a ‘full investigation’ was to be carried out into the incident.

The spokesman said: ‘The BA762, Heathrow to Oslo service, returned back to Heathrow shortly after take-off due to a technical fault.

‘The Airbus A319 aircraft was carrying 75 customers.

‘The aircraft landed safely and emergency slides were deployed and we are currently caring for our customers.

‘Emergency services attended the aircraft.

‘We will be carrying out a full investigation into the incident.’

London Fire Brigade said a crew from Heathrow fire station had assisted Heathrow Airport’s fire service with ‘an aircraft fire’.

‘We believe the fire is now out,’ it added.

The plane was on Heathrow’s northern runway which remained shut. Later the southern runway reopened.

Passengers on resumed flights at Heathrow were being warned to expect delays of 30-60 minutes as well as 30 minutes of aircraft taxiing time.

Dailymail

Ellie Sanders, (pictured with mother, Kelly) 4, was born without a right ear and has hearing loss meaning she will struggle to hear her teachers when she starts school in September

A girl born with one ear is being denied a hearing aid for her first day of school because of where she lives.

Ellie Sanders, four, was born with a rare condition called hemifacial microsomia which affects the development of the lower half of the face.

It left her with just one functioning ear, meaning she desperately needs a special device to allow her to hear her teachers clearly on her first day of school in September.

Her mother Kelly, 31, applied for the bone anchored hearing aid implant (Baha) which transmits sound directly through the skull and reaches the inner ear.

But she says Ellie is the victim of a ‘postcode lottery’ with two NHS trusts arguing about who should pay the £3,000 bill.
While other children elsewhere in Britain get the aid Ellie, from Truro, Cornwall, faces starting school without one.

Ms Sanders said: ‘Other families in the same situation elsewhere in the UK have been offered a Baha. They don’t have to go crawling around to other trusts.
‘I don’t know how long this process is going to take. It’s just so unclear where we stand, whereas other people seem to have great support.

‘Ellie struggles now in a nursery setting. We have become more concerned with her affected side and how she will cope with starting school in September, but they seem to be passing the buck.’

Ms Sanders first tried unsuccessfully to get a Baha from the former Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust which later became NHS Kernow.

When she asked NHS Kernow for the device she was told she couldn’t have one and was instead directed to NHS England, which has also failed to deliver.

After endless consultations and letters Ms Sanders now fears the vital aid will not reach her daughter before she starts school.

A spokesman for NHS Kernow said: ‘This particular type of equipment is funded by NHS England. We have written to the consultant caring for Ellie to advise him of this.’

NHS England refused to comment on individual cases but a spokesman said: ‘From April 1, 2013 there was a new national commissioning policy in place providing guidance on bone anchored hearing aids for hearing loss.

‘This now ensures patients have the same access to treatment irrespective of where they live in the country.’

Dailymail

The MoD today revealed that the soldier slaughtered yesterday was Lee Rigby, who served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

The murdered soldier who was executed close to a military barracks by two Islamist fanatics was today named as Lee Rigby.

Police were this afternoon guarding the 25-year-old serviceman’s home in Middleton, Greater Manchester.

He was described as a ‘loving father’ to his son Jack, two.

Drummer Lee Rigby was just starting his Army career and had recently fought in Afghanistan with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

But as he walked towards the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, south-east London yesterday afternoon, he was run down by a car on the pavement and hacked to death.

Drummer Rigby was known to his comrades as ‘Riggers’, who said he was a ‘popular’ and ‘very bubbly character’.

He was ‘one of the battalion’s great characters, always smiling’, friends said today.

Announcing his death The Ministry of Defence said in a statement: ‘Drummer Lee Rigby, or ‘Riggers’ to his friends, was born in July 1987 in Crumpsall, Manchester.

‘He joined the Army in 2006 and on successful completion of his infantry training course at Infantry Training Centre Catterick he was selected to be a member of the Corps of Drums and posted to 2nd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

‘His first posting was as a machine gunner in Cyprus where the Battalion was serving as the resident Infantry Battalion in Dhekelia. Having performed a plethora of tasks while in Cyprus, he returned to the UK in the early part of 2008 to Hounslow, West London. Here, Drummer Rigby stood proudly outside the Royal Palaces as part of the Battalion’s public duties commitment. He was an integral member of the Corps of Drums throughout the Battalion’s time on public duties, the highlight of which was being a part of the Household Division’s Beating the Retreat – a real honour for a line infantry

‘In April 2009 Drummer Rigby deployed on Operations for the first time to Helmand Province, Afghanistan, where he served as a member of the Fire Support Group in Patrol Base Woqab.

‘On returning to the UK he completed a second tour of public duties and then moved with the Battalion to Celle, Germany, to be held at a state of high readiness for contingency operations as part of the Small Scale Contingency Battle Group. In 2011 Drummer Rigby took up a Recruiting post in London where he also assisted with duties at Regimental Headquarters in the Tower of London.

‘An extremely popular and witty soldier, Drummer Rigby was a larger than life personality within the Corps of Drums and was well known, liked and respected across the Second Fusiliers. He was a passionate and life-long Manchester United fan.

‘A loving father to his son Jack, aged 2 years, he will be sorely missed by all who knew him. The regiment’s thoughts and prayers are with his family during this extremely difficult time. “Once a Fusilier, always a Fusilier.”’

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Taylor MBE, Second Fusiliers Commanding Officer, described Drummer Rigby as a ‘dedicated and professional soldier’ who was a ‘real character within the Second Fusiliers’.

He added: ‘Larger than life, he was at the heart of our Corps of Drums.  An experienced and talented side drummer and machine gunner, he was a true warrior and served with distinction in Afghanistan, Germany and Cyprus.

‘His ability, talent and personality made him a natural choice to work in the recruiting group.  He will be sorely missed by everyone in the Second Fusiliers.’

Captain Alan Williamson, Drummer Rigby’s Platoon Commander from 2010 to 2011, added that he was ‘a cheeky and humorous man, always there with a joke to brighten the mood’.

Cpt Williamson said: ‘An excellent side drummer and highly competent machine gunner, he was always there to help out the younger members of the Fire Support Group whenever possible.

And Warrant Officer Class 1 Ned Miller, Regimental Sergeant Major Second Fusiliers, said:  ‘Riggers is what every Battalion needs. He was one of the Battalion’s great characters, always smiling.’

Vicar Guy Jamieson, who married Drummer Rigby in 2007 to the wife whom he was separated from, at St Anne-in-the-Grove Church in Southowram, West Yorkshire, said it was an ‘absolute tragedy’.

He said: ‘When the news first came through yesterday I felt sickened. It’s abhorrent. We hear a lot about military tragedies overseas but the fact that it was in the street in a city makes it more horrific.

‘I remember his wedding well. He had already spoken to the chaplain at Catterick (Garrison) and came to me well prepared with lots of questions. The wedding day was wonderful.

‘Because it was a military wedding it requires a lot of preparation. I remember sitting next to Lee on the front pew before everything started and reminding him what his first words to say were.’

Military wives, police and members of the public were laying bouquets of flowers near the scene in honour of the murder victim today.

One note left said simply: ‘So sorry. Our thoughts are with your family, friends and comrades.’

Dailymail

machete killer

A HEROINE strokes a young soldier lying dead in the road yesterday as a cleaver-wielding jihadist who tried to behead him crows: “We swear by almighty Allah!”

The appalling scene — as two maniacs plumbed depths of barbarity that chilled the nation — was captured at 2.20pm on a London street.

The fanatics’ victim — in a Help for Heroes top — was walking on a pavement when the pair screeched round the corner in a car and mowed him down.

Moments later — armed with a gun, knives and a cleaver — they clambered from the wreck of their blue Vauxhall Tigra, which had ploughed into a road sign.

The beasts, who struck yards from a primary school, then launched into a frenzy of bloodlust as the soldier in his early 20s lay helpless — mercilessly stabbing and hacking at him.

Brave cub pack leader Ingrid Loyau-Kennett, 48 — the blonde standing yards from one bloodied killer in our photo — battled to talk him out of slaughtering others.

Witnesses told how just moments earlier the terrorists’ victim had been practically “decapitated”.

Van loader Joe Tallant, 20, said: “There were two black guys walking around his body, saying, ‘This is what God would’ve wanted’.” Horrified passers-by saw the pair finally drag his body into the middle of the road in triumph.

Ingrid jumped off a passing bus to try to save the soldier — rushing to check his pulse with the woman pictured on the ground with him.

Terrifying … shopper walks past unaware as heroine cradles dying soldier at feet of knifeman

The butchers made no attempt to flee — instead proudly strutting around as they waited for gun cops.

The ranting pair, who paused to film themselves as they hacked at their victim, used the 20 minutes it took for armed officers to arrive to demand witnesses also capture their savagery on mobile phones.

One, clad in black and his hands soaked in blood as he clutched a cleaver and a knife – today identified as Michael Adebolajo – boasted: “It is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth — by Allah.”

In surreal mobile phone footage taken before anti-terror cops swooped, unsuspecting pedestrians — including women carrying shopping — pass the scene of horror, some oblivious to the slaughter outside Woolwich Barracks in South East London.

Traffic there ground to a halt, with buses and lorries pulling over, as armed cops finally reached the scene.

One of the terrorists — both thought to be al-Qaeda-inspired “lone wolves” — rushed towards a silver BMW armed response car as his pal raised his pistol.

Two cops — one a policewoman — immediately opened fire. Both the fanatics fell wounded.

An air ambulance landed in the playground of Mulgrave Primary School — where kids were feared to have witnessed the outrage — to rush the most badly wounded of the madmen for surgery. Last night he was in a “serious condition”. The other was taken to a separate London hospital by road. His condition is not believed to be life-threatening.

Local resident Graham Wilders, 50 — whose nine-year-old son Steven is a pupil at the school — told how children were leaving as the bloodbath unfolded.

He rushed to warn them, yelling to teachers: “There’s a gunman — get everybody inside.” Minutes earlier he had been driving home with his wife Julia when they saw the soldier’s body in the road.

Mum-of-four Julia, 51 said: “Two black guys looked like they were trying to resuscitate a white guy on the floor.

“Then I saw they were using cleavers to hack him up.” Graham told how they went to take another look after parking up at their house. He said:

“When we walked back, one of the men pulled a handgun out from behind him.

“There was a lorry and it looked like he was waving it at the driver.

“He got out of his cab and legged it. It was absolutely terrifying.

“All I could think about was that it was school home time and my son would be walking down here soon.

“I saw a load of kids come out the gates. I yelled at them to get back.

“They closed the gates and kept everyone in. That was when I heard four shots. My wife saw the police shoot the guys.

“I can’t believe this has happened. But it could’ve been so much worse. Those kids were just feet from the men with the gun.”

Head David Dixon, who saw the body in the road, said: “We needed to go into our emergency procedures to make sure the children were as safe as possible.”

Another shaken witness said: “The blood was everywhere — trickling down the road.”

The soldier was a Fusilier, sources said last night.

Woolwich’s MP Nick Raynsford said after speaking to commanders at the famous Royal Artillery barracks: “It is my understanding this man was a serving soldier based at the barracks.

“He had been on duty in central London and was making his way back to the barracks.”

His killers were thought to be British citizens of West African descent.

They were said to have yelled: “Allahu Akbar”, meaning God is Great.

One radical Muslim who claimed to have grown up with one of the fanatics said he was known by a Muslim alias meaning: “He who fights jihad.”

Abu Nusaybah said the Brit-born killer — raised as a Christian — embraced Islam in 2003.
But he added: “I didn’t know the change was like this.”

Home Secretary Theresa May summoned an urgent meeting of the government’s emergency committee COBRA.

Army cadets due to meet at the barracks today were told not to arrive in uniform. Woolwich police commander Simon Letchford said patrols would be beefed up — adding: “I am asking people to remain calm.”

Help for Heroes branded the murder “sickening” — and said: “We are desperately saddened.”

But firebrand Muslim preacher Anjem Choudary — an ex-pupil of Mulgrave Primary School — said: “This incident is indicative of how the foreign policies of David Cameron and his predecessors are failing.”

Thesun

Carlos Sekyi, GHAMRO Chairman

Five music pirates who were arrested from their various hideouts in Accra recently by the tasked force of the Ghana Music Rights Organization (GHAMRO), have been jailed by the AMA Motor and Sanitation Court at Abeka in Accra.

The courts fined the five pirates 500 penalty units each (300 million old Ghana cedis) or in default collectively serve 10 years in prison for reproduction and distribution of audio and visual works contrary to section 42(1) of the Copyright Act 690.

Briefing the court on Friday, May 17, Inspector Hanson Armah stated that the complainant Eric Tetteh and GHAMRO taskforce members together with the police stormed Osu, La,  37 Lorry stations and its environs and found the accused persons namely Bernard Amakye, Awal Mohammed, Owusu Gabriel, Andy Obeng and Opoku Maxwell with their laptops illegally downloading songs for commercial purposes. They were arrested, sent to the Tesano Police Station and subsequently charged and arraigned before court.

Four of the accused persons pleaded guilty with explanation, whilst the 2nd accused Mohammed Awal pleaded not guilty to charges preferred against them.

Prosecuting witnesses Emmanuel Adjei and Eric Tetteh stated in open court that it took the GHAMRO Taskforce over two weeks to secretly monitor the unlawful downloading and sales of musical works of several artistes including Sarkodie, Daddy Lumba, R2 Bees, Hannah Marfo and Akua Serwaa by the accused persons, adding that their illegal activities were captured in pictorial form which they used as evidence exhibited in open court.

Judge Antwi Barima stated that music piracy had destroyed the careers of several brilliant creators including the late Snr Eddie Donkor and Akwasi Ampofo Adjei, and it was time to mete out appropriate punishment to offenders to serve as a deterrent. He said the “guilty with explanation” pleas of four of the accused persons “could not see the light of day neither could their respective explanations hold water”, and that the “not guilty” plea of Mohammed Awal was “highly vexatious, unmeritorious and frivolous” in the light of irrefutable evidence of Awal in the act of illegally selling songs of artistes.

After stating that “he who does not punish evil commands it to be done”, the judge convicted and sentenced the accused persons. He then ordered that all infringing equipment used by the accused be instantly destroyed on the court premises under the supervision of the court registrar and the prosecutor, which was immediately carried out by crushing, burning and finally dumping at a rubbish dump near the court premises.

Present in court throughout the proceedings were GHAMRO Chairman Carlos Sakyi and board member Mark Okraku Mantey, who called the ruling a monumental victory for composers and producers, many of whom had gone bankrupt due to blatant robbery of their music in practically every part of the country.

They promised to continue waging a relentless war on piracy to bring prosperity and relief to music owners and investors in Ghana.

Jackie Appiah

All roads are expected to lead to the Silverbird Cinema in Accra on Friday evening as the latest romantic comedy starring top actors, Omar Sheriff Captan, Adjetey Anang and Jackie Appiah among others, hits the big screens.

The movie would be unveiled at a red carpet grand premiere Friday evening.

In past weeks, various casts have been talking about their roles on various media platforms.

The calm-actor, Omar Sheriff Captan had last week created the impression that the movie would be his last before he moves on to his other dream of becoming a man of God.

The new movie, directed by Frank Rajah, is from the stables of Raj Films and Heroes Production.

It also stars USA-based Cameroonian actress Okawa Shaznay, Uche Iwuannyawu, Henry A Asiedu and Liberian-born-Ghanaian actress, Chichi Neblett among others.

This group of actors and a number of others would be gracing the red carpet, come May 24.

The new film is arguably the first film that paired the two actors, Jackie Appiah and Adjetey Anang as lovers.

It is the next romantic comedy to rock the movie scene. ‘Cheaters’ follows the stories of several young couples caught up in a web of love, lies and extra-marital affairs. It throws more light on the assumption that marriage is the only war in which one sleeps with the enemy. If the couple is inseparable, it usually takes five people to separate it and ‘Cheaters’ reflects just that. In this film, love is portrayed as a mysterious adventure that takes one through many twists and turns.

One adds a bit of infidelity to the mix and he or she has the perfect recipe for disaster.

Movie enthusiasts are encouraged to wait until May 24, to watch how these love-torn couples struggle to make it through another overrated love-fest called Valentine’s Day.

By Francis Addo

Bola Ray (middle) in a pose with Edem (left) and WizKid

On June 29, Ghanaian music fans would witness the much awaited historic musical concert dubbed ‘Ghana Meets Naija’, at the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) in Accra at 8:00p.m.

The music concert, organised by the nation’s entertainment powerhouse, Empire Entertainment, would witness an unprecedented list of some of the biggest names in both Ghanaian and Nigerian music, and probably Africa as a whole, in a concert only fit for the gods of music.

One would wonder if the conference centre would be able to handle the enormity of this event, considering the long list of ‘giant’ artistes billed to rock the concert.

Among artistes to be on stage for the groundbreaking event are music heavy weights  R2Bees, who just won six awards including Artiste of the Year at the 2013 Ghana Music Awards; Edem, Okyeame Kwame, Raquel, E.L., Xo Senavoe, Dr Slim, Dobble  among others.

The Nigerian line-up includes Wizkid, Burna Boy, Timaya and a host of others.

The event was announced with an official launching ceremony on Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Hotel in Accra.

Nathaniel Kwabena Anokye Adisi, aka Bola Ray, CEO of Empire Entertainment speaking at the launch noted that the concert was built on the solid foundation of harnessing the talents of both countries for unity.

He promised that the event which was in its third edition would not just be a night of glitz and glamour but something that had never happened in Ghana’s entertainment scene before.

Some of the artistes at the launch ceremony promised to give fans nothing but fun.

Empire Entertainment has become synonymous with organizing the biggest and most entertaining raves in the country and building on from last year, the ‘Ghana Meets Naija’ brand has become entrenched in the minds of music fans as the ultimate musical mega jam.

As such, nothing less than spectacular performances, an electrifying ambiance and an absolutely exciting show can be expected on the night of June 29.

‘Ghana Meets Naija’ concert is brought to you by MTN and RLG with support from Hennessey and powered by Empire Entertainment and Media GH.

By George Clifford Owusu

EL

E.L, the versatile singer, songwriter, and producer, will on Saturday June 1, stage a live musical concert at the Alliance Française in Accra.

E.L, who has promised to perform his favourite hit songs to satisfy patrons who will attend the show, is expected to surprise the audience with a blend of different varieties of music inspired from various sources.

The event, which is expected to attract a large number of music fans, as well as stakeholders in the music industry, will kick off at 8:00pm.

This would be his first public performance after his ‘Something Else’ won the overall best ‘Album of the Year’ over the weekend at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs).

His stagecraft and creative performance on stage during the Vodafone Ghana music Awards held last Saturday earned him the credential as one of the most thrilling hip-life artistes in the country.

E.L is noted for his unparalleled and irresistible stage presence that gets his audience asking for more anytime he performs.

E.L says he is ready to unleash an extraordinary performance on the night; one that his fans have never witnessed before.

E.L. is an enterprising young music icon who has appeared on many musical concerts held in the country and performed with music stars like Sarkodie, J. Martins, 9ice, Fabulous and Rick Ross.

A natural performer with good stagecraft, any time he grabs the microphone on stage, music fans see him as a real music icon whose presence will boost the image of Ghanaian music on the international scene.

Unarguably, one of the biggest producers cum rappers, he has lent his blend of hip-hop/afro beat sounds and voice to major hits for the likes of  Sarkodie’s ‘You Go Kill Me’, ‘Dangerous’, D-Black’s ‘Get on the Dance Floor’, Reggie Rockstone’s ‘Rockstone’s Office’, Asem’s ‘Check Your Weight’ and many more.

This event is powered by The 12 with support from BBNZ, Heel the World, Bob Pixel Photography, George Britton and Edge 53, BuzzGH, HypeNation, Lynx TV and YFM.

By George Clifford Owusu

Don Jazzy

Some selected award winning musicians from Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa have been invited to perform at the launch of Big Brother Africa show on Sunday May 26.

The big night will also see 28 new housemates being revealed to audiences in over 50 African countries for season 8 of Big Brother Africa, The Chase.

Multi award-winning record producer, singer, songwriter and musician Don Jazzy, D’ Prince and Wande Coal will be on stage for their collaborative performance.

Audiences can look forward to sassy and upbeat tunes from Kenya’s very own award winner STL, who promises to deliver an unforgettable and lasting performance with her distinct pop, soul and rap sound.

One of South Africa’s leading Afro Pop music groups, Mafikizolo will also serenade audiences with their soulful and rhythmic tunes on the big launch night.

The continent can expect a sensational performance that will ignite the Big Brother live show stage.

The line-up will also include a slot for some comic relief from Kenyan stand-up comedian Daniel Ndambuki, popularly known as Churchill.

The highly talented entertainer has also become a household name with his TV show called ‘Churchill Live’.

President John Mahama

One of the qualities of a leader and for the purposes of this commentary, the President, is firmness, decisiveness and readiness to take responsibility for the repercussions of such decisions.

Whoever occupies the seat of president takes decisions on behalf of the citizenry and implements them for the general good of the nation. The President should be ready to take responsibility for the fallouts that these decisions would engender.

Some decisions have improved the ratings of presidents while others have prompted their premature exit from the high office.

They would be considered ineffective presidents who suffer from indecisions in the face of a plethora of options, especially so, since running a government is about taking decisions.

Our President appears to be a victim of this ailment, as he finds it difficult to take decisions and inclining more towards announcing his intentions than actually walking his talks.

It is good he has observed and remarked about the financial anomalies at the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA). He has also served notice that he would descend upon defaulting officials in the revenue collection agency.

While it is in order for the President to intervene in matters which threaten the economy and other sectors upon which the survival of the state hinges, such talks should be walked.

There appears to be an all-permeating incidence of lethargy in government business as things fall apart in governance; a situation attributable to a conclusion by many Ghanaians about the inability of the centre to hold adequately.

Until there is a reversal of the prevailing trend in governance, the impression about the President’s inability to take decisive action to rectify faulty government departments would continue to hold sway even as things continue to fall apart.

Putting CEPS on the spot, as contained in the presidential warning, reminds many about how the late President John Evans Atta Mills stormed the Tema Port and observed that officials of the Service, when they are posted to the facility, built houses within two months of being there.

The late President only succeeding in making the headlines and that was all.

Picking on CEPS is downplaying the challenges facing the country today. All government agencies are plagued with challenges of indifference on the part of personnel to the ultimate detriment of Ghana.

Action will always speak louder than words and so we would rather the President walked his talks and not the reverse.

A general cracking of the whip on all government agencies will be preferable to limiting it to CEPS alone because, after all, there is a high level of indifference towards graft across the board.

L/Cpl Obeng `Darko Stylish , Lance Corporal Dasmani Faisal, Isaac Larbi and Christopher Quainoo in police custody.

Sgt Frederick Afari of the Recce Regiment and his colleagues of the Engineer Regiment L/Cpls Obeng Darko and Dasmani Faisal are some of the bad nuts in the Ghana Armed Forces.

They should be de-enlisted because they do not meet the disciplinary standards of a soldier. Why a senior non-commissioned officer would slap a police woman two times and threaten a third is something beyond our ken.

The negative headlines the slapping sergeant and soldier armed robbers attracted in the media are certainly not in the interest of the military. All of them regardless of their offences have dragged the enviable image of the Armed Forces into disrepute.

The consolation however is that they constitute only a small segment of the military institution. This is the reason why such elements should therefore be cashiered after the necessary probes have been conducted.

While the senior non-commissioned officer from Recce misbehaved in the street in uniform, the others have been robbing people of their monies; conducts incompatible with their status as soldiers of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Being a human institution and a microcosm of society, such isolated instances are bound to be recorded occasionally, which we do acknowledge.

However, what matters is how these anomalies are tackled. Let us know the actions taken against such miscreants, otherwise, it would be taken that they are being shielded.

Military training by its nature is intended to instil discipline in the soldier. The drill square, weapon training shed, the bush exercises which the recruit or cadet goes through, are all geared towards ensuring discipline. When however a soldier is arrested for conducting himself in a manner inconsistent with military tradition, the appropriate action must be taken against him and where necessary, the public notified through the media.

A few weeks ago, the military high command had cause to deal with the issue of two photographers suffering the high-handedness of some military policemen during the last independence anniversary parade in Accra.

This anomaly, happening again in another form, calls for a similar attention and another look at the background check preceding the enlistment of soldiers. This is not the first time that soldiers have assaulted police personnel. It happened a few years ago in Tamale and the then CDS had to intervene. We would have thought that such an anomaly would never be repeated but here we are again.

We have seen the correspondence of regret from the Armed Forces about the misconduct and wish to state that it is in order the Sergeant be released to face the full rigours of the civil law which supersedes military law.

As for the soldier armed robbers theirs is a fait accompli. Let them be processed for court immediately as they say adieu to the military.

TB Joshua

Religion was rightly described by Karl Marx as the opium of the people; an observation which continues to find credence in various historical developments in the local context.

Many so-called men of God in the various faiths have exploited the foregone to their economic advantage; they don the most expensive fabric and jewelry even as their congregations live in abject penury promising to have the key to paradise and ascribing all earthly challenges to demons whose antidote they possess.

The sense of fear and seeming invincibility that they exude prepares the grounds for further exploitation of their flock.

The self-exalted, often flamboyant and loud personalities who straddle their congregation as super humans, are held in extraordinary awe.

With no form of regulation of their spiritual occupations by the state, they have a free range to operate in the face of a willing mass of gullible people requiring immediate deliverance from their multitude of earthly predicaments.

That is the true picture of the spiritual state of the country today, one waiting for the least spark to combust.

Nigeria has recorded many of such situations as in the Maitatsine Sect which fought a bloody war with Nigerian soldiers before finally being dislodged and the enslaved people eventually exorcised. Enter the Boko Haram and the Nigerian national security is shaken to its marrow.

Ghana had its share of the fallouts of a mismanaged faith when thousands of her citizens wholly obsessed by news about a certain bottled spiritual elixir intended for gratis distribution thronged a space relatively smaller than their numbers.

The stampede and resultant repercussions which followed are now household knowledge in the country and beyond.

The country has become a receptacle for various messiahs, local and foreign, whose extremist views and dispositions have the potency to breach national security.

The state and security agencies have mostly closed their eyes on the operations of these faith professionals; a phenomenon appearing in all the faiths-Christianity, Islam and even traditional religion.

A close monitoring of the practices of such messiahs who are soon elevated to the levels of supernatural beings and therefore infallible, should not be ignored by the various agencies of national security and the citizens too.

We have observed over the years how unfortunately an aspect of the political leadership has fallen in love with some of these faith practitioners, thereby opening the floodgates for citizens to follow suit.

Poverty provides fertile grounds for the festering of commercial theology. Little wonder thousands trekked to the synagogue of all-nations to be delivered through the anointing water which never came anyway.

We are not by this commentary questioning the importance of spiritualism and the hereafter. Ours is bringing to the fore the unbridled exploitation of gullible Ghanaians and the dangerous repercussions these hold for the nation’s security.

Need we not change our perceptions of these latter day messiahs and their elixirs regardless their faiths?

Ghana’s renowned ICT wizkid Herman Chinery-Hesse, on his cell phone

THE DEPUTY Director of Engineering of the National Communications Authority (NCA), Henry Kanor has cautioned cell phone subscribers against long use of mobile telephones on the ear.

According to him, the long usage has negative health implications on the individual, rekindling the widespread controversy about mobile phones usage and its health implications.

According to Mr. Kanor, cellular phones emit radiofrequency energy known as radio waves, a form of non-ionizing radiation that could cause health problems for the user.

Speaking at a sensitization forum in Obuasi on electromagnetic fields exposure and health implication, the Deputy Director said, as the number of calls per day, length of each call, and the amount of time people used cell phones have increased, it was important for users to use hands-free.

For him, it would be better for people to resort text-messaging for long communication to save them from any possible health implication.

The forum was a joint public education campaign of the Ministry of Communication and the Ghana Investment Fund for Electronic Communications (GIFEC).

Desmond Boakye, director at the Ministry of Communications, said the 21^st century had witnessed an explosion of technological applications that rely on electricity and thus produce electromagnetic fields: “We cannot avoid this because technology makes our lives healthier, wealthier and safer. It is a major contributor to the economic and social progress that enhances our quality of life as Ghanaians,” he noted.

“As of March this year, 2013, there were 26, 464, 964 telephone subscribers or mobile phones users in Ghana – each one with its own electromagnetic fields,” he disclosed.

Sherry Ayittey

Acting United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Ghana representative, Sarah Hague, has called on African leaders to ensure universal birth registration of children in Africa, including Ghana.

Hague, in a statement to mark the 50^th anniversary of the African Union said, “The 50^th ‘birthday’ of the African Union is a chance to make a lasting commitment to the continent’s children by giving every child a name and legal status.”

The child population of Africa is expected to rise to 130 million by 2025; demographic studies show, with almost one in every three children globally, expected to live in Africa by mid-century.

She said children could be denied access to basic services like schooling as a result of an absence of legal identities.

“Without details of their age, they cannot be easily protected against child labour, human trafficking, early marriage, commercial sex exploitation and other forms of exploitation,” she said.

Hague thus noted that the first step to ensuring that every child, everywhere, was protected and had access to their rights was to be counted and given a legal identity.

According to the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey 2011only 62 percent of children under five in Ghana have their birth registered, indicating that nearly 40 percent of Ghanaian children are not counted as citizens.

The UNICEF Ghana representative noted that in Ghana rural children were much less likely to be registered and this put them at risk of being cut off from social services and legal protection crucial to their survival and future.

“Ghana’s most important resource is its children and its future will be built by its children, so their rights need to be protected,” the acting UNICEF Ghana representative said.

She said UNICEF Ghana is working with the government to register 90% of children under five by 2016 in furtherance of its efforts to register more than 4,000 children’s births in hard to reach areas of the Upper East and Eastern regions last year.

“We welcome the anniversary’s focus on Africa’s collective future,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Martin Mogwanja. “By starting with strong civil registration systems, not only will the continent be closer to meeting its commitments to children but these investments will help inform planning needs for the next generation as well as meeting broader development goals.”

The ward and theatre block

A NEW maternity and theatre block for the Fomena Health Centre to promote health delivery has been inaugurated at the community in the Adansi North District of the Ashanti Region.

The MTN Ghana Foundation constructed the single-storey block, which has 20 beds and a theatre at a cost of GH¢250,000.

Until this new health infrastructure, the Fomena Health Centre did not have wards for admission, which made it impossible for the centre to perform to its maximum capabilities.

The centre would provide students of the Community Nursing Training School the opportunity to have clinical experience at the health centre.

In his inaugural address, James Bukari Basintale, MTN general manager for the Northern Business District, said the construction of the block was part of the company’s commitment of helping to improve healthcare delivery in the country.

Mr. Basintale said since Ashanti Region was statistically leading in maternal deaths with the ratio standing at 315 per 100,000 live births, it called for joint efforts by all stakeholders in improving the situation.

“The provision of this infrastructure is therefore expected to help reduce maternal mortality, increase access to primary healthcare and also help Ghana attain the millennium development goals,” he pointed out.

According to him, MTN was extremely proud of the investment as the theatre and wards would serve thousands of people living in and around the Adansi North District.

Mr. Basintale stated that MTN Ghana Foundation had invested over GH¢11, 000,000 on various community development projects in the areas of health and education.

The District Chief Executive (DCE), Alhaji Abdul-Lateef Majdoub, conceded that the challenges in the sector were quite enormous for government alone to cope with. He therefore called on corporate organizations to emulate the kind gesture of MTN.

He said the search for an approved health facility befitting the status of Fomena had been a priority to him since assumption of office as the DCE.

 From Ernest Kofi Adu, Fomena

A Pregnant Woman

Some pregnant women in the Brong Ahafo Region have expressed worry over the high demand of items that are taken from them before delivery at the various hospitals and clinics in the region.

According to them, since the government stopped taking money for delivery the midwives in the hospitals have taken advantage to demand things that are not needed for delivery.

“We are sometimes forced to buy things like tom brown, Lucozade, one pack of toilet roll and other things that are not used at the hospitals. This has forced many of us to deliver at home,” one woman mentioned.

She alleged that if a pregnant woman is not able to buy all the things demanded by the midwife before delivery the pregnant woman is sometimes maltreated at the hospital.

This was revealed on Ark FM in Sunyani, where pregnant women called in on the morning show to share their experience on how they were maltreated when they were unable to provide the things demanded by the midwives.

They therefore called on the hospital authorities in the Brong Ahafo Region, especially those at the regional hospital, to check the demanding habit being exhibited by the midwives.

Meanwhile, a National Democratic Congress (NDC) activist in Sunyani, Raphael Cubagee, has confirmed the worry of the pregnant women after he said his wife went through the same ordeal when she went to the hospital about two years ago to deliver.

“I had to pack a full suitcase of items that were demanded by the midwife, but she was also forced to buy tom brown at the hospital which she never used,” he alleged.

The Senior Nursing Officer at the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital, Rita Adwoa Ansong, has refuted some of the allegations by the pregnant women and called on the pregnant women to report any nurse who forced them into buying items like Lucozade and tom brown at the hospital.

She also mentioned that some of the things demanded by the various midwives are highly needed for the safety of the pregnant women, her baby and the nurse that would deliver the baby.

 From Vivianna Mensah, Sunyani

James Ohemeng Kyei, Sherry Ayittey, Dr. Tia Sugri, deputy minister of health and Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa.

The Ministry of Health (MoH) in furtherance of its efforts to ensure healthy living and expansion of the pharmaceutical industry has inaugurated two committees to oversee the establishment of a bioequivalence centre and investigate into the eating habits of Ghanaians.

The 10-member committee of experts for the establishment of bioequivalence centre has been tasked, among other things, to develop protocol to attract funding for the project and determine the necessary organization and management systems that would ensure compliance with the general regulatory requirement in the World Health Organization (WHO) bioequivalence guidelines.

The committee is also expected to design a financial model for the project and possible sources of funding, propose a location, modalities for land acquisition as well as the structure of the project and determine the comprehensive needs of the centre.

The task of the six-member diet and healthy living committee is to research into the health risks of salt and sugar intake, recommend appropriate edible fats in Ghana and the levels and types of salts and sugars for consumption and provide guidelines for implementation of the recommendation within the context of historical, cultural and traditional practice.

Inaugurating the two groups in Accra, Minister of Health Sherry Ayittey, said the inauguration ushered in a new era for the pharmaceutical industry, not only in Ghana, but for the sub-region.

She said the centre would ensure that medicinal products supplied for procurement by international agencies met WHO’s norms and standard with respect to quality, safety and efficacy.

“Medicines for the treatment of priority diseases produced locally can now compete internationally and this will create more confidence in the population for medicines produced locally and eventually reduce the cost of locally produced medicines.”

She said the lack of standard bioequivalence centre in Ghana has deprived local manufacturers the opportunity to be included in accessing global funds because they are not WHO prequalified.

“The millions of dollars released under the Global Fund to procure anti-malarial, anti-retroviral and anti-tuberculosis medicines are used to procure such medicines from other countries, notably the Far East and Europe and this go to support their economies whereas we continue to wallow in poverty.

“There is therefore the urgent need to support local pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in the sub-region and their products to be internationally accredited and prequalified by strengthening the quality systems through the set-up of a bioequivalence testing centre,” she said.

Mr. James Ohemeng Kyei, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana and chairman of the committee on experts for the establishment of bioequivalence, expressed the appreciation of the committee for being chosen to serve on the committee.

Pharmacist Kyei said only 20 percent of the market share of essential medicines consumed in the health sector is manufactured locally and only three percent of qualified pharmacists are in the pharmaceutical manufacturing sector.

He therefore called on the ministry to give the needed support to the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana.

Professor Akosa, chairman of the committee on diet and healthy living, also promised the minister to deliver on its task and ensure that every Ghanaian eats well and increases their life expectancy.

The committee of experts for the establishment of bioequivalence centre membership includes Mr. James Ohemeng Kyei, president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, Mrs. Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, chief pharmacist and director of Pharmaceutical Services, Professor of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, John Kwakye, of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and Mrs. Edith Andrews-Anna representing the World Health Organization (WHO).

Other members are Mr. Ben Botwe, pharmaceutical consultant, Dr. Stephen Opuni from the Food and Drugs Authority, Mrs. Emma Ofori Agyemang, deputy director, Ministry of Health,  Mr. Kwasi Poku Boateng an industrial pharmacist and Mrs. Grace Issahque from the Attorney General’s Department.

The committee on diet and healthy living include Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Professor Reginald Ocansey, Dr. Kaku Kyiamah, Mr. Kofi Adusei, Mrs. Wilhemina Okwabi and Ms. Juliet Asare-Adjei.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri

Africanus Owusu-Ansah

DOCTOR: Foul whisperings are abroad; unnatural deeds

Do breed unnatural troubles. Infected minds

To their deaf pillows will discharge their secrets:

More needs she the divine than the physician:-

God, God forgive us all!-

Macbeth: William Shakespeare.

There are more questions than answers

Pictures in my mind that will not show

There are more questions than answers

And the more I find out the less I know

Yeah, the more I find out the less I know.

I’ve asked the question time and time again

Why is there so little of a moment

Oh, what is life, how do we live

What should we take and how much should we give.

Jonny Nash

JUSTICE KPEGAH can be described as indomitable and irrepressible.

He is formidable, irresistible, formidable and impregnable. Many Ghanaians were commiserating with him – showing sympathy, remorsefulness – not because he had gone the way of all flesh, but because they thought his physical strength had waned, and he losing Round 1 in his battle against Nana Akuffo Addo, they had decided to down their arsenal. The ‘Thrilla in Manila’ had become still-born.

Little did the ‘sympathisers’ know that what had dulled and numbed Kpegah’s limbs had not dimmed and blunted his faculties – he still had his wits about him to fire salvos at anyone within range.

In an article in the ‘Daily Graphic’ of May 17, 2013, captioned ‘Kpegah cautions Legal Bodies’, he “cautioned the General Legal Council, the Judiciary and the Ghana Bar Association not to conspire to frustrate him in his case against Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo – Addo…”

He writes: “I hope they will maintain the independence required by the ethics of our profession. They should not push me to the wall to make a number of damning revelations that will haunt them for the rest of their lives”. What revelations, and what about himself?

He continues: “Let me also caution those in the judicial set – up, who have resorted to using acts of intimidation such as transfer out of Accra and promotion to cow judges into deciding cases in their favour. At the premises of the courts, there is an inscription that ‘JUSTICE IS NOT FOR SALE; however, what obtains in our justice system today is that ‘JUSTICE IS FOR SALE’ to the highest bidder”. And what happened in his time as a judge?

After a long narration of the case against Nana Addo, he went into an over – drive into attacking the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood of being “neck – deep in the dismissal of my case by the Fast Track High Court.”

Obviously, no one expected Kpegah to shout the accolades of the trial court judge, Mrs Cecilia Sowah whom he describes as “fair and firm”.

But how does the person he describes as “loudmouth”, Ebow Duncan, come in? How true is it that he was “openly boasting in a Cape Coast drinking spot that (Kpegah’s) case against Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo would be dismissed”? If I may ask, what does Kpegah mean by this paragraph: “He (Lawyer Ebow Duncan) stated emphatically that ‘they’ had pre- arranged with Her Ladyship the Chief Justice, Georgina Theodora Wood to put Justice Mrs Cecilia Sowah on my case so they can expose her relationship with the Vice – President, Amissah – Arthur.

“It is an open secret that the Presiding judge, Justice Mrs Cecilia Sowah is a sibling of his Excellency the Vice President. The Chief Justice, Her Ladyship Georgina Theodora Wood thus colluded with Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo and his agents in order to set up this innocent judge and thereby create the impression that the ruling government is behind this suit”. Mrs Cecilia Sowah is a sibling of the Vice President, so what?

It is difficult to appreciate the import and impact of the last paragraph: “Besides, the Chief Justice is well aware of the good relationship I have always had with Justice Mrs Cecilia Sowah and, therefore, she deliberately put her on my case as a potential set – up. This set – up was staged so that should the ruling go my way the paid agents and assigns of Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo will then go on a wild media propaganda that I was very close to this Honourable Judge during my days as a judge in Cape Coast. They had also lined up a number of paid agents and assigns as witnesses to come and testify to it”.

There are just too many questions –perhaps more questions than answers. Is this simply loose talk or a planned tirade of someone who is peeved? So Justice Kpegah needs to be told that when one loses a case in the High Court, he can go to the Court of Appeal and from there to the Supreme Court? Why does he not do exactly that, but resorts to the media and other avenues to make his case? OR is it Kpegah’s double who is writing the scripts for him? OR is Kpegah displaying his character as a ‘snake in the grass’ – a shady, deceitful, cunning character who could strike without warning?

OR Does he reckon the collateral damage that he is inflicting on the legal bodies: the General Legal Council, the Judiciary and the Ghana Bar Association. But it is not just these bodies; included are his own family, his close associates, organisations he has worked for before, or any person or association he is in touch with.

Sometimes, the damage may not be apparent, but latent- but will be there, all the same. OR why does Kpegah throw caution to the wind, and plunge himself into this unnecessary fracas? Is it senility or senescence or sheer wickedness?

In my wild dreams one such character, Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s ‘Christmas Carol’ readily  comes to mind. Charles Dickens’s character, the miserly, sour, stingy semi – recluse displays not only the ideological and ethical changes that had occurred within his psyche, but also the emotional transformation that has engulfed him. This results from supernatural visits from his dead business partner, Jacob Marley, and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet – to – come .

Charles Dickens writes of Scrooge: “Oh!  But he was a tight – fitting hand at the grindstone. Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!

“External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no falling snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty

“Nobody ever stopped in the street to say with gladsome looks, ‘My dear Scrooge, how are you, when will you come to see me?’ No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o’ clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such a place, of Scrooge. Even the blindmen’s dogs appeared to know him and when they saw him coming on, would wag their tail as though they said ‘No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master.”

In the story, the first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes and reminds him of his youth, when he was more innocent.

Then the second spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of hearty celebrations in many homes, with his impoverished clerk Bob Cratchit whose sick son Tiny Tim cannot obtain medical attention because of Scrooge’s unwillingness to pay Cratchit a decent salary,. The third spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to come takes Scrooge to visions of the future: Tiny Tim’s death , Scrooge’s own death, with his business  partners refusing to attend his funeral unless there is lunch: Scrooge’s neglected and untended grave – all prompt the miserly Scrooge to swear to change his way to avert the ‘shadows of what may be’.

Scrooge wakes up in the Christmas morning beaming with joy and love, becoming a different man overnight; he now treats his fellow men with compassion, generosity and love.

In Macbeth, Act 2 Sc 3, Macduff, after seeing the dead body of King Duncan addresses Lady Macbeth. “O gentle lady, ‘Tis not for you to hear what I can speak. The repetition in a woman’s ear Would murder as it fell”.

I do not think Kpegah considered it worthwhile to read my article “Kill All The Lawyers”, nor the concluding part of “Debonair, Genteel Behaviour At The Supreme Court”. Who am I to advise a former Supreme Court Judge?  Whatever agony or pain is coming upon Kpegah is self-inflicted. All I can do is to wish him well; otherwise, the more he writes, the more he castigates others, the more satanic he bleats and squirms, the worse he should expect from some people. Scrooge.

Africanus Owusu-Ansah

africanusoa@gmail.com

Guidance comes from the root word ‘to guide’ which could also mean to bring out or to lead. Vivian etel (2007). The concept guidance also means to monitor, direct or to help an individual to achieve his or her aspirations in life.

Guidance is a process of helping someone to make a good and informed choice. It involves making people understand themselves and what goes on around them. According to Shertzer and Stone (1976), Guidance is a process of helping an individual to understand himself and his world.

Counselling on the other hand is a relationship between a Professional Counsellor and a client where the counsellor assists the client to overcome a challenge. The counselling relationship is an open relationship where the client feels free to share his/her problem with the counsellor in a free environment created by the counsellor.

Thompson and Poppen (1972) defined Counselling as a person to person relationship in which one person helps another to solve a problem.

ASSISTANCE

From this background, the existence of the Guidance and Counselling unit in our educational institutions is inevitable; hence the unit must be strengthened and equipped with professionals to offer assistance to the youth in schools for them to achieve their future aspirations. This is because most students in school are in their adolescent stage and this is a formative stage which demands guidance, especially in the form of information giving.

The recent happenings in our educational institutions across the country leave much to be desired.  The report that some students are involved in prostitution, armed robbery and homosexuality among others must be a concern for all of us. For me, it is a manifestation of failure on our part to tighten institutions which are mandated to be in charge of our youth development in the country. In addition, the youth are deeply rooted in foreign culture since nobody is ready to inculcate our values and ideals in them. Not long ago there was a report that 8000 gays including Junior High School students have registered with an NGO in the Central and Western regions. There was another revelation that more basic school students now smoke and the sodomy of five students at the Adisadel College by their Mathematics teacher. The sodomy of the 15-year-old boy in Takoradi by an adult and the dismissal of a lesbian lecturer at the Takoradi Polytechnic were signals that there was a serious problem in our schools, especially the boarding houses. Unfortunately, after such reports I have not seen any pragmatic effort being put in place to prevent more innocent young people from becoming victims of many of these vices. In recent times, there have been reports of suspension of students across the country for committing several offences.

SUSPENSION

According to a myjoyonline report, the Northern Business Senior High School in Tamale suspended over 950 of their final year students with Kumasi Girls also doing same to over 400 students during the Easter celebrations, this year, for various offences. The Daily Graphic, in its 1^st April edition also reported that 85 students from Keta Business College and Abor Senior High School were withdrawn for a similar offence.

The number of students involved in all these incidents is very worrying and should be a source of concern for all patriotic Ghanaians who have youth development at heart. The fact that the number of affected students is overwhelming means that there is a serious problem with the systems and institutions mandated to check the behaviour of our students.

Whilst I commend school authorities for taking disciplinary actions against them, I also believe that the solution to curb this menace goes beyond suspensions.

We must come to terms with the adolescence stage which is very critical and sensitive to the development of the individual.

Most people take decisions such as choice of career, programme of study in higher institutions, personal development etc and therefore it is important that we have strong institutions in place to provide Guidance and Counselling to them.

It appears our concentration is on teaching of content and passing of examinations which has become the business of the day in most of our schools, at the expense of our moral and social lives. Whilst I acknowledge teachers for doing their best to make sure students pass and become successful people, we must also make sure we don’t produce people who will have social and moral issues with the larger society. I call for the opening of counselling centres in all our first and second cycle institutions to serve as a catalyst in giving useful information to help students to understand themselves and the world around them.

ESTABLISHMENT

The establishing of counselling centres at all levels of education is inevitable in our quest to promote a healthy lifestyle of our younger generations. The training of more educational counsellors who would facilitate guidance talks through information giving should be the priority of the Ghana education service. Such centres may also liaise with local NGOs and communities in organizing programmes for teachers and parents to create awareness of the consequences of behaviours such as homosexuality, drug addiction, early sex, abortion etc. It is obvious that children who fall prey to their victims are innocent and naive. It is therefore our duty as a country to protect them. Educational counsellors must facilitate the strengthening of clubs and associations in our schools. Such clubs give opportunity to students to share ideas on many of these issues which are gradually becoming a problem.

I also urge civil society organizations to offer assistance to schools in their catchment area in this direction.

Professor George Kankam of the Department of Psychology and Education, University of Education states: “If education has any fundamental, then the fundamentals of guidance and counselling will constitute the fundamental of education”.

Guidance and Counselling should therefore move hand in hand in our educational setup to assist students to properly adjust to the school environment.

BY ALI TANTI ROBERT

YOUTH MEDIA GROUP

YES GHANA

Obuasi

Sydney Casely-Hayford

It is 4am.  The lights just went out at McCarthy Hill and I am stumped.

I deliberately caught an early night, try to catch up on sleep and start an early day, Sunday.

We had a little storm, a mild rainfall and “dum,” shades of the bad old days when you knew for certain that rain come light go.

I just returned from a trip to Dubai and Abu Dhabi and I forgot within a week that power is not stable, water does not flow and the Glo internet service is unpredictable.  My Glo service is out this morning, I have been trying to get a solution since 8am, and I have a lot of work to do.  It is 11am and vive la difference.  You cannot compare Accra to Dubai, there is no anchor dot to even start the debate.  Accra scores no points over the city built in a desert and flourishing to no end.

I doubt if there is any Minister or MP in this country, who has neither lived, studied nor visited Dubai yet.  What do they see when they get there?  Doesn’t any of it rub off on them?  Make them think they would like to live in a city where the roads are seven lanes wide, buses pick up on time from air-conditioned stations, the metro rail service is unmanned and runs on time?

What about taxis that are all Toyota Camrys and you can hire a Lexus taxi at a cost no different from the regular metered taxis in the city?  What about 24-hour shopping malls, where everything under the sun is available?  And that is just a sample of the stuff I appreciated on my first trip.  What do they bring back from these visits?  This was my first time to Dubai, it is more classy than the USA, UK and South Africa where I have spent a fair bit of time.  The architecture, boy!  So here I stop, because it is so easy to get carried away.  The concern is what do we bring back from travel and escapades like this?  This morning, I am asking, “What are we doing?”

The answer might lie in Gloria Akuffo’s filing cabinets and her hard drives.  Yet again some to be caught thieves, raided Gloria’s offices and this time, dismantled and took away the hard drives in her computers.  Purpose?

She is touted as the lead counsel for the Petitioners in the ongoing case at the Supreme Court and she might have been foolish enough after the first break-in to leave sensitive information on the drives.

Something that might incriminate her and the team, some evidence that could be sneaked in at this late stage, could turn the tables on the NPP challenge and nullify or terminate the case.  On the other hand, it could be a simple thief needing a twenty-one gigabyte hard drive and there are none in town, except someone mentioned that Gloria had some computers with the exact specification needed.

Makes you wonder, on hindsight, whether when both rear tires burst on Bawumia’s Toyota Landcruiser, it was a factory default by the manufacturers or something more sinister to stop the now star witness from testifying in court. Just saying.

This is so P(NDC) days, but now with a less cowering Ghanaian citizen and a few milestones of democracy between our prayer beads and rosaries, we fight back through law courts, which character is tested to the limit.

After a couple weeks of battering his witness on the stand, my feelers in town say Tsatsu has thrown out what little credibility he brought to the courtroom.  His cross has gone on too long, too very boring, repetitive and in some measure very rude.  Most people I spoke with say he has tried deliberately to hold back the end result.  I read a piece on the web, were someone did ask the question, if Tsatsu really believed the NDC won fairly, why not move faster and get the final decision out to the public?  A rhetorical question because Tsatsu will certainly not reply.

We are coming to the end of this case; I sense it.  The Justices must be tired, it is hot under the gowns and the seats are not the most comfortable in town.  They certainly do not recline and you cannot catch a snooze like Asiedu Nketia does from time to time after lunch recess.

Tsatsu’s tedium has run them ragged and from Monday we will pace this better.  Not sure what will happen next, but if the NDC calls witnesses to the stand, I suggest to the NPP side “no questions for this witness your Honors.”

Oh, but we must cross-examine Afari Gyan to establish his state of mind and of course we must get our “Opia relief” with Asiedu Nketia.  Why not?  There has to be some hilarity to all this.

What happens after KPMG confirms the numbers at the end of two weeks? Which is a ridiculous timeframe for the assignment by the way.

It cannot take that long to verify numbers.  There is no audit opinion required to do this count, it has already been grouped and analysed and their job is to confirm that analysis.  For the same reason I said a few weeks ago that this should be a freebie by KPMG, I say they can give this result in two days.  It is a no-brainer verification assignment and speed is of essence.  It will be better that they throw staff at it, pull an all-nighter and get it done, if it needs that.  But it doesn’t.  Counting 11,842 twice is nothing.  First you do a raw count, should take maximum two hours with 12 people, including recording and creating a check sheet.  Then you do another two hour count of the exhibit groups with the same twelve persons; it is the same sheets.

Allow some time to go over because it is such a sensitive issue; so take a day to write a properly worded report and we are done.

Now if KPMG says the numbers are true.  What now EC and NDC?  We finally have a numeric confirmation but we will need a quantification of the drift of votes between the candidates.  This should be done to make the Court’s decision balanced and cogent.

Alternatively, let’s say the numbers are short.  Let’s say the Court Registry is faulted because they did not deliver the right quantity to the NDC side.  Should they have waited all this time before making this an issue?  Ah!  I have some illogical problems with this.  The first thing we should have done was to agree the number of votes in play, from day one.  The last thing we need is for the Respondent’s camps to say they now need more time to go through any extra sheets they were not given.  But even if this is so, how does the end game change?

If KPMG verify only 8,600 sheets, the case will have to be decided on that number.  The key thing is the final quantification.

If you go to court to say someone has stolen 11,842 cedis from your account and later the bank confirms that only 8,600 was stolen, you have to modify your loss claim to 8,600 and that is all you get.

Does it become a new case?  I think we are in interesting waters here.  More fat to the Justice’s seats.  There is an unprecedented decision in the offing.

Otumfuo did a little tactical maneuver.  Seeing as he, just as I see that the end is nigh, he scuttled over to JDM and Nana Addo to confirm that they will stick to their agreed decisions that will couple them to a violent-free historic acceptance of the outcome.

Why he had to talk to the “chaos manufacturer” JJ Rawlings, I have no idea.  There is no coup offering here for Jerry John, Ghana wants to do this respectably.  Both candidates are reminded.  But read Otumfuo’s next interlay on Chieftancy.  I think he has a little history-knowledge gap.

President Mahama realized how important this case is to our democracy.  In his State of the Nation Address in January he refused to acknowledge that before his Presidency was a looming legal challenge.

This week, he applauds the legal toll road and now understands the state in which we found ourselves at the beginning of the year.

I waxed royally with Gertrude and Gertrude on Emirates flight back to Ghana.  Both very pleasant ladies and I doff my hat off to the pair, we bonded immediately, they on Facebook, me, pleasant smiles that made me feel that coming back to Ghana was an experience after all.  Right side Gertie even gave me good advice on my duty free purchase with no hesitation.  Thanks peeps, you made my trip.

And it got me thinking.  Emirates is what Ghana Airways could have been if we had a mind to handle it as a private craft and manage it as a business instead of a toy for ministers and MPs.  The rice and agushie stew lunch offering was superb, washed with fruit, cool water, juice of choice and apple crumble for desert.  And that was in the economy seat.  Can we do Ghana Airways again?  This time differently?  Maybe we learn from mistakes past?

My favorite group swept the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards show.  Big Up R2Bees.  Shoot me a new one.

Ghana, Aha a ye de papa.  Alius valde week advenio. Another great week to come!

Set aside, for the moment, the ongoing Supreme Court case, and focus instead on a very serious issue which could affect the nation in the foreseeable future.  In fact, put aside, for the moment, the insecurity at Kumasi and travel along with me as I deal with this topic.  We all seem to have closed our eyes at the menace while Rome continues to burn.  It did not start today and may not end tomorrow.  What is disturbing is that the whole issue is growing day by day.  You may not observe the menace if you are living in opulent areas where children get the best of education and have easy access to their laptops. If you happen to visit my holy village you will see what I am going to write about and indeed, you will move in sympathy with parents who are overwhelmed by what is happening.  I am talking of teenage pregnancy which is in the ascendancy.

Today in Ghana, it is no more a surprise when you see a 13-year-old girl carrying pregnancy or having a little baby strapped on her narrow back.  Our little girls have all too soon acquired very strong sexual desire and are out there “opening up” for whosoever cares to “enter the Black hole of Calcutta”.  Today in God’s own country, there is in the empire, lust and nudity which have threatened to become a fashion.  We have come face to face with the danger of veritable alienation among the young girls who are supposed to be in schools rather than carrying babies on their narrow backs.  For now you may think the situation, as far as teenage pregnancy is concerned, is not a problem.  Pray to God so that you may live for 20 years and you will realize the danger.

In 20 years’ time these innocent children who are born today by teenagers will be old enough to handle guns.  Majority of them would not be able to acquire education and as such they will surely become a burden and a liability to society.  These are the children who will eventually take over from where Ataa Ayi left off.  When this comes to pass, you who used all your resources to educate your child will be in danger. And of course, your children too will be in danger.  That is why we need to boldly tackle the issue holistically.  We need to find the causes and nip the menace in the bud rather than waiting to treat the symptoms as we are doing.

One major reason why teenage pregnancy is in the increase is poverty.  That is why you hardly see pregnant little girls in places where the rich dwell. Many parents these days find it difficult to make ends meet or provide three square meals a day for their wards not to talk of paying school fees.  Such children are left to fend for themselves.  Sometimes these unfortunate children offer sex for food and other goodies.  In some cases they roam the streets in search of men who will sleep with them and give them money to buy clothes since their parents cannot afford to buy them such clothes.  In their attempt to entice men who seek canal communion  and end up impregnating them, these little girls fail to seek sartorial propriety, decency, protocol and decorum in their dressing.  In fact, their dress comportment has nothing good to write home about.  They dress to attract men instead of pleasing God.  Parents watch helplessly when their children put on these unacceptable dresses which expose their nudity simply because they were not the ones who bought the dresses for them.  The sad aspect of this issue is that some parents dress like the girls do and so they don’t have the moral right to sanction these children.

Another reason is the hard drug craze which has threatened to attract God’s fury on society as a whole.  Spare some time and visit one of these ghettoes and “basis” where these drugs are sold and see for yourself.  These girls and boys who should have been in schools spend the whole day smoking marijuana and sniffing cocaine.  Because the devil finds work for the idle hand, these children enter town with the sole aim of stealing in order to make money to buy drugs.  When they fail in their bid to get something to steal, they turn to sell their clothes in order to get money to buy marijuana, cocaine, heroin and akpatashie to top it up.  When they mix up these drugs, they become daring and start going on robbery spree.  We used to see only grown up men and women who are addicted to one hard drug or the other, but these days, things have changed.  You see a teenager addicted to a drug so much so that she or he cannot eat without taking cocaine, marijuana etc.  When a girl becomes “high” she exposes herself to the danger of being raped and also flouts the rules of continence.

Peer influence is yet another reason why our little girls go out there ‘opening up’ and end up carrying unwanted pregnancies.  That is why parents should watch and study female friends of their daughters.  Some parents do not have time for their daughters simply because they are too busy in their quest for money.  Such girls who lack parental guidance easily go wayward.  If your daughter befriends girls of that nature, they teach her bad things.  If such wayward a girl gets a boyfriend, she introduces the friend of the boyfriend to your innocent girl.

We shy away from sex education and use custom and tradition as a barrier.  In fact, we see sex education as a taboo even in this 21^st century. Instead of mothers discussing sex issues with their daughters, they pretend the child will automatically come to know everything about sex when she grows.  That, to me, is a very big mistake.  Parents and teachers should be at the forefront as far as sex education is concerned.  When the girl comes to realize the gravity and implication in sex, she will not venture into that arena.  Pornography, for example, is another way of introducing girls to sex.  Parents must educate their children about the danger in watching pornographic films.  In this age of internet connectivity, there is the need for parents to educate their girls to avoid browsing pornographic materials on the internet.  And of cause, internet café attendants can also do the nation a favour if they don’t allow girls to browse pornographic materials at their cafes.

It is an undeniable fact that many a time broken homes breed wayward girls.  Because the man and the woman no longer stay together, the responsibility of taking care of the girl child becomes a problem.  The situation becomes worse when the girl child finds herself in the custody of the mother.   Women are naturally very busy.  You either see them at the saloon or the market.  When they are not in these places, expect to see them gossiping or at the party.  In such circumstances, the girl child seizes the opportunity to do the unthinkable.

Free SHS And Teenage Pregnancy

My personal research indicated that majority of these teenagers who get impregnated could not go beyond the Junior High School.  Because they pass out of the JHS at a tender age, they are unemployable.  The best job that they could do is to sell ice water and doughnuts.  Such girls are always prone to the danger of being lured into having sex with adults or their fellow male JHS counterparts.  That is why the idea of a free SHS was laudable.  It is very sad to mention here that those who voted against the free SHS are most affected because majority of them are poor and cannot afford to take their children to SHS, thereby exposing them to early pregnancy since the devil finds job for the idle hands.  Come to my holy village and see pregnant teenagers sleeping in a single room with their parents.  As to how the man will get a chance to go near the wife at night, your guess is as good as mine.  In some instances men who impregnate these girls fail to take responsibility.  Parents are then forced to add extra responsibility by caring for the pregnant daughter and her siblings.  If it happens that the wife is also pregnant, then “wahala don come be that”. The situation is very worrisome, heartbreaking, heartrending and heart-raking.  Let us spare some time to pray on this canker!!!

By Eric Bawah

Baaba Eshun-Wilson

Aside the illegality associated with galamsey, it is also extremely dangerous as many young men unfortunately lose their lives in the course of these mining activities.

The main scare regarding this illegal practice is the extreme harm it causes to the environment since no proper measures are taken to ensure that the environment is protected. For instance, the alluvial gold is washed with mercury in rivers that the local folk use for their livelihood/domestic purposes, thereby poisoning these water bodies, the aquatic organisms dwelling in them and lastly the people…

The question that continues to linger in the minds of many Ghanaians is; with the knowledge of all these dangers associated with galamsey, why is it still such the most sought-after “profession” in the Northern and middle belts of Ghana? Why do the youth, especially, still continue to venture into a business that is not safe and could possibly claim their lives? Where lies the sense in that?

Well, for starters, the rate of unemployment among the youth is a very big deal. The unemployed youth in Ghana have come to a point where they do not mind how they make a living and hence, most often choose the easiest way. Majority of those who engage in ‘galamsey’ are young uneducated men simply sourcing for ways to make a living. Coupled with the fact that ‘galamseyers pay neither tax to the Government nor royalties to chiefs of the lands on which they mine on makes it one of the easiest “occupations” to engage in.

Some Galamsey operating busy at work

The bottom line is that galamsey will not and cannot be halted anytime soon. Regardless of the number of deaths encountered or the bills/amendments passed in Parliament, there’s no means to stopping this age-old practice here. Currently, there are well over 600,000 illegal miners in Ghana (minus the foreigners who also take part in this) with the majority being able-bodied young men. Over the years, governments have failed to find an immediate, efficient and effective solution to the unemployment crisis resulting in the youth looking for ways and means to make a living through all sorts of dubious means.

The point is, rather than continue to embark on fruitless actions to halt ‘galamsey,’ which is highly impossible, a solution should be sought to ensure that the environment stays safe and protected.

Many people would disagree with this suggestion since Ghana preaches anti-corruption, fairness and justice. But then again, in a country that has failed to provide her young men and women with legitimate employment opportunities, what’s there to do? Sit around and wait for another election period and listen to promises by presidential candidates that are never fulfilled? Certainly not! Drastic times call for drastic measures; and as dangerous and damaging galamsey is to the country’s environment, not to mention her reputation as well, the youth in this country have to eat. It is rather unfortunate that they have to resort to taking on such a dangerous “profession”, for mining itself is dangerous and deadly. Legally recognized mining companies that take all the necessary precautions to ensure the safety of their workers still encounter numerous and unfortunate deaths; how much more galamsey operators?

Galamsey will not end today, tomorrow or even in 20 years’ time and there is a large portion of the population that continues to add to those willing to engage in this practice.

Focus needs shift from the fact that more and more people are engaging in this practice, to what can be done to ensure that the environment is not harmed. For instance, what can be done to prevent the vegetative cover of most farm lands from being degraded? The main reason for the rapid deterioration of the land occurs mainly as a result of inappropriate working practices, can this be further examined so that methods can be changed and replaced with less harmful methods that would not leave the lands in such deplorable states for decades? Can the dug-out pits be covered properly to prevent unknowing humans and livestock from falling in and losing their lives?

-      baaba.lou@gmail.com

 Baaba Eshun-Wilson

Improved: Scotland-based Touch Bionics says the latest i-limb boasts unparalleled dexterity and superior control and ease of use

A teenage boy who lost an arm and a leg as a baby has become the first person in the UK to be fitted with a prosthetic hand that is so advanced it can be controlled via a smartphone app.

Patrick Kane, 16, is now sporting the i-limb ultra revolution, which can be remotely-controlled and comes complete with an iOS app allowing the wearer to control its grip.

Patrick can also take advantage of five individually powered digits – including a rotating thumb – on the prosthetic, which is Scottish firm Touch Bionics’ most advanced yet.
The teenager, from London, lost all of the fingers on his left hand after contracting meningococcal septicaemia – the virulent form of meningitis – when he was just nine-months-old.
Doctors were also forced to amputate Patrick’s right leg below the knee, and part of each finger from his right hand.

The student – who was fitted with his first prosthetic through the NHS shortly after his first birthday – previously wore an i-limb ultra, but has now become the first person in the UK to be fitted with the new, more advanced version from the brains at Touch Bionics.

Featuring a rotating wrist and an aluminium chassis, the firm claims their creation is the most dextrous prosthetic limb ever made.

It’s unique app capability means the wearer can choose from a range of 24 different grips at the touch of a button. The app can also offers training on how to best use the device and can diagnose problems with it.

Previously Patrick could use only four pre-set grips on the go, and would have to return to his computer to alter the settings.

The i-limb is so sensitive it can be used to grip a single sheet of paper, play Connect Four or tie shoelaces – but it is also powerful enough to withstand the strain of 90kg weights in the gym.

The covering can be made to match the wearer’s natural skin tone, but Patrick chose a jet black version of the i-limb, which costs from £25,000 to upwards of £80,000, depending on how far up the arm it needs to extend.

‘I have only had it for 24 hours and it’s not so much that it allows me to do new things but it will allow me to do things more smoothly and naturally,’ Patrick said.

‘The movement runs much more smoothly. I have been practising playing Connect 4 with it.

‘There are custom grips I can choose so if I have a certain tennis racquet or cricket bat I could choose a grip for it to fit it perfectly and it will remember that.

‘I also use it in the gym, on the rowing machine and using weights and pulleys,’ he said.

The advanced prosthetic uses muscle signals to shift into a series of pre-set patterns.

It achieves this by using electrodes in the wrist to pick up electrical impulses created by contracting muscles, which are interpreted by a computer in the back of the hand.

Each of the fingers bends at the joints and can be adapted to fit around any shape of object the owner wants to hold.

These pictures show Patrick using his new bionic hand to grasp a range of items from a smartphone and a water glass to a rubber ball and a single coin.

The bionic hand can also be used for various tasks from typing to tying shoe laces.

It comes in black or neutral, can automatically return to a natural position after a period of inactivity and is powered by a battery.

The device is so technical that users have to undergo rigorous training in order to get the most out of it.

 Dailymail

A phone too far? The Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone was the first ‘phablet’ but now an even bigger version has been launched

It is the biggest smartphone on sale, with a giant 6.3inch screen.

Samsung’s new Mega Galaxy handset look more like a tablet than a phone – and has already been slammed as ‘just too big’.

Samsung hopes the big design will appeal to commuters and others who regularly watch films on their gadgets.

Tecno N7

TECNO GHANA, a leading dual SIM mobile phone brand, has launched its new 3.75G Android smartphone – TECNO N7– onto the Ghanaian market at a short but colourful ceremony in Accra.

Designed for users with high demand for smartphones, the TECNO N7 will be available at all TECNO outlets in Ghana, the company noted.

Building on the success of the popular TECNO N3, the TECNO N7, a dual SIM smartphone, features the combination of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with a 1GHz dual core CPU and runs on a 5-inch touch screen.

“With the TECNO N7, we want to offer young Ghanaians a more superior smartphone with high-end performance and a better user experience,” Mounir Boukali, PRO of TECNO Mobile, commented.

With a 1GHz dual core processor, the device offers users a fast data processing speed and the ability to use multiple applications at the same time, along with a smooth web browsing experience.

TECNO N7 users can download over 800,000 innovative and interesting apps.

The TECNO N7 presents users with an amazingly smooth operation experience while viewing messages, multimedia, web content or games, among others.

The device comes with a variety of applications that allow the consumer to connect to their social networks with ease.

And one such application worthy of note is Flash Share, a unique transfer software that allows one to share files of any format and size at an amazingly fast speed and does not require internet connectivity, WIFI or SIM card.

Other notable features of this Android-driven smartphone include a 5 mega pixel rear camera with flash, a 0.3 mega pixel front camera and a powerful 2,300mAh battery, which allows the users to enjoy five hours of talktime. Also, the device combines a 4GB ROM and 512GB RAM with expandable memory of up to 32GB.

TECNO also offers an 8GB memory card.

“We always endeavour to provide suitable products to the consumer based on market demand. There is no doubt that people’s demand from smartphones is met in the N7. We will have more smartphones coming onto the market soon, which will meet the needs of diverse groups of people,” Boukali confirmed.

By Samuel Boadi