Story: Kwaku Tsen & Della Russel Ocloo, Tema
The President, Professor John Atta Mills, has said his office has been inundated with complaints of massive financial irregularities and shady deals at the Tema Port.
Expressing the concern during an unannounced visit to the Long Room of the Customs, Excise and Prevention Service (CEPS), the Fishing Harbour and the Golden Jubilee Terminal Point, all in Tema, President Mills said such complaints of impropriety at the ports seriously undermined the government’s efforts at raising adequate revenue for national development.
According to him, the complaints at the CEPS bordered on the under-declaration of goods, stressing that “if we examine the contents of items and their charges we discover that they do not tally”.
“We have the idea of what it costs overseas and, therefore, it beats our intelligence the kind and quantum of charges imposed on imported goods by the authorities concerned,” President Mills said yesterday.
He said developments on the ground seemed to suggest an unholy alliance among organisations which operated at the ports and the public to fleece the nation of much needed revenue.
President Mills noted with concern that the shady deals which went unnoticed at the ports and had existed for a very long time had enriched their practitioners and denied the nation of millions of cedis.
He said it was ironical that such nation wreckers and saboteurs who had siphoned the nation’s wealth were the most vociferous critics of the government’s policies and programmes.
President Mills also wondered about the kind of relationship which existed between suppliers of goods and the valuation authorities, stressing that the nation was being bled of money by people who exploited the seeming loopholes of procedures at the ports to enrich themselves.
He said revenue collected by CEPS, especially at the ports, constituted a significant source of revenue to the government, which was needed to undertake a number of development projects to provide relief for the people.
“We need to raise more money to provide social and economic infrastructure such as roads, schools, hospitals, bridges to improve the quality of life of the vast majority of the people and CEPS is one of the most important source,” President Mills said.
He advised personnel of CEPS to help the government to expose the bad lots amongst them who were tarnishing the image of the service.
Addressing fishermen and women at the fishing harbour, President Mills said the government would not renege on its promise of breathing new life into the economy to improve their social conditions.
He said the government inherited a disjointed economy, which it had spent the past year to fix in order to provide the people more opportunities through which they could improve their lives.
President Mills, therefore, enjoined them to exercise restraint, since the government had put in place measures tailored to provide jobs for the people.
“The government is not going to be distracted by unfortunate comments from those who have run down the economy yet complain that the economy has come to a standstill,” he said.
Representatives of the fishing community complained of lack of fishing inputs and pre-mix fuel, which, they said, was undermining their fishing activities.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Sunday, April 18, 2010
TEMA SOS COLLEGE TO ASSIST EDUCATION AT MAMPONG-AKUAPEM (PAGE 18, APRIL 17, 2010)
THE SOS Herman Gmeiner International College in Tema has donated an amount of GH¢2,500 to the Mampong-Akuapem Development Association (MAKAD) in support of the association’s community educational support programme.
The donation, which forms part of the school’s Learning Links Project under its Creativity Action and Service (CAS) programme instituted some 20years ago, was to help pupils and students in deprived communities have access to learning materials aimed at improving education in their communities.
The principal of the college, Mr Israel Titi Ofei, who presented the money to the association’s board, indicated that the project, since its inception, had given students of the college an opportunity to appreciate the problems of the less-fortunate in society.
This problem identification, according to him, had witnessed students developing the spirit of selflessness and empathy to put what they learnt into practice.
The learning links programme is an educational intervention aimed at offering children in the targeted communities access to reading materials through the provision of libraries stocked with books and other reading materials to help improve children’s reading abilities.
He challenged members of the association to develop mechanisms aimed at monitoring pupils’ attendance at the library all year round as the college was putting in place measures aimed at motivating pupils who had made considerable use of the facility through borrowing and reading of materials.
The Board Chairman of MAKAD, Mr Reindorf Perbi, who received the money on behalf of the association, expressed profound appreciation to the college for the gesture.
He indicated that the group’s association with the college had seen tremendous improvement in the education of children in the community.
Mr Perbi regretted that little attention was being given to the education sector although the country’s development depended heavily on the building of capacity of its human resource base through effective teaching and learning.
“It is sad to note that corporate institutions preferred sponsoring entertainment events like beauty pageants and football, while many schoolchildren who would take up the mantle of managing the economy tomorrow still learnt under trees across the country,” he lamented.
He paid tribute to Mr Henry Djabanor, the CAS co-ordinator of the school, for the initiative and promised that the money would be put to judicious use.
Mr Perbi appealed for more support for the project initiated by the college, calling on stakeholders and institutional bodies to develop quota systems towards the support of educational outreach projects.
Students of the college also volunteered to develop a database for the association to help them capture data meant for monitoring the attendance of pupils and students to the library.
The SOS Herman Gmeiner College, founded as a secondary department of the SOS schools, was founded in 1990 by the SOS Kinderdorf International, a world-wide charitable organisation, to provide family life education for orphans and destitutes in the SOS villages.
The college, since its inception, has engaged in outreach programmes in deprived communities through the establishment of creativity action and service centres to enhance early childhood development of pupils who missed out on education owing to extreme poverty.
Over the years, the CAS programme has also provided drinking water and school blocks for communities such as Kakasunaka No.1 in the Tema metropolis, Dedenya in the Dangme East District in the Greater Accra Region and Aklamador in the Volta Region.
The donation, which forms part of the school’s Learning Links Project under its Creativity Action and Service (CAS) programme instituted some 20years ago, was to help pupils and students in deprived communities have access to learning materials aimed at improving education in their communities.
The principal of the college, Mr Israel Titi Ofei, who presented the money to the association’s board, indicated that the project, since its inception, had given students of the college an opportunity to appreciate the problems of the less-fortunate in society.
This problem identification, according to him, had witnessed students developing the spirit of selflessness and empathy to put what they learnt into practice.
The learning links programme is an educational intervention aimed at offering children in the targeted communities access to reading materials through the provision of libraries stocked with books and other reading materials to help improve children’s reading abilities.
He challenged members of the association to develop mechanisms aimed at monitoring pupils’ attendance at the library all year round as the college was putting in place measures aimed at motivating pupils who had made considerable use of the facility through borrowing and reading of materials.
The Board Chairman of MAKAD, Mr Reindorf Perbi, who received the money on behalf of the association, expressed profound appreciation to the college for the gesture.
He indicated that the group’s association with the college had seen tremendous improvement in the education of children in the community.
Mr Perbi regretted that little attention was being given to the education sector although the country’s development depended heavily on the building of capacity of its human resource base through effective teaching and learning.
“It is sad to note that corporate institutions preferred sponsoring entertainment events like beauty pageants and football, while many schoolchildren who would take up the mantle of managing the economy tomorrow still learnt under trees across the country,” he lamented.
He paid tribute to Mr Henry Djabanor, the CAS co-ordinator of the school, for the initiative and promised that the money would be put to judicious use.
Mr Perbi appealed for more support for the project initiated by the college, calling on stakeholders and institutional bodies to develop quota systems towards the support of educational outreach projects.
Students of the college also volunteered to develop a database for the association to help them capture data meant for monitoring the attendance of pupils and students to the library.
The SOS Herman Gmeiner College, founded as a secondary department of the SOS schools, was founded in 1990 by the SOS Kinderdorf International, a world-wide charitable organisation, to provide family life education for orphans and destitutes in the SOS villages.
The college, since its inception, has engaged in outreach programmes in deprived communities through the establishment of creativity action and service centres to enhance early childhood development of pupils who missed out on education owing to extreme poverty.
Over the years, the CAS programme has also provided drinking water and school blocks for communities such as Kakasunaka No.1 in the Tema metropolis, Dedenya in the Dangme East District in the Greater Accra Region and Aklamador in the Volta Region.
DEVELOP STRATEGIC MOVES TO IMPROVE REVENUE COLLECTION (PAGE 22, APRIL 17, 2010)
THE Deputy Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr Elvis Afriyie-Ankrah, has challenged metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies (MMDAs) to develop strategic interventions aimed at improving upon internally generated funds to support their common fund for their developmental needs.
He threw the challenge when he toured projects sites at Abokobi in the Ga East municipality as part of his tour of the MMDAs in the country.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said the promulgation of the Local Government Law, Act 462, as well as the Legislative Instrument that established the various assemblies, was to ensure that decentralisation and the local governance process created the needed avenue for wealth creation at the local level.
He said the ministry was conducting an institutional audit on the 60 new assemblies that were created to enable it to get an insight into the problems facing the them.
He commended the Ga East Municipal Assembly for initiating self-help projects such as the construction of a modern four-storey office complex to house its entire staff, and bungalows to house both the chief executive and the co-ordinating director, among other projects.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr John Kwao Sackey, who conducted the deputy minister round the project sites, said the office project, which was initiated in 2007 by the previous administration, came to a standstill in that same year owing to financial constraints.
According to Mr Sackey, official work resumed when the NDC government took office in 2009.
“I can assure you we have settled all outstanding debts, including other estimated project costs to the tune of GHҐ2 million, and since we do not owe the contractor, we expect the complex to be completed and handed over by the end of the year for occupancy,” Mr Sackey said.
The deputy minister also toured a community library constructed by the assembly at the cost of GHҐ649,000, as well as an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) centre.
The MCE told the Daily Graphic that the library project replaced a ‘thank you’ facility initiated by old pupils of the Presbyterian Primary and Junior High School located in the community.
He pledged the assembly’s commitment to the government’s better Ghana agenda and appealed to the ministry to facilitate the release of the third quarter tranche of the assembly’s share of the common fund.
He threw the challenge when he toured projects sites at Abokobi in the Ga East municipality as part of his tour of the MMDAs in the country.
Mr Afriyie-Ankrah said the promulgation of the Local Government Law, Act 462, as well as the Legislative Instrument that established the various assemblies, was to ensure that decentralisation and the local governance process created the needed avenue for wealth creation at the local level.
He said the ministry was conducting an institutional audit on the 60 new assemblies that were created to enable it to get an insight into the problems facing the them.
He commended the Ga East Municipal Assembly for initiating self-help projects such as the construction of a modern four-storey office complex to house its entire staff, and bungalows to house both the chief executive and the co-ordinating director, among other projects.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr John Kwao Sackey, who conducted the deputy minister round the project sites, said the office project, which was initiated in 2007 by the previous administration, came to a standstill in that same year owing to financial constraints.
According to Mr Sackey, official work resumed when the NDC government took office in 2009.
“I can assure you we have settled all outstanding debts, including other estimated project costs to the tune of GHҐ2 million, and since we do not owe the contractor, we expect the complex to be completed and handed over by the end of the year for occupancy,” Mr Sackey said.
The deputy minister also toured a community library constructed by the assembly at the cost of GHҐ649,000, as well as an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) centre.
The MCE told the Daily Graphic that the library project replaced a ‘thank you’ facility initiated by old pupils of the Presbyterian Primary and Junior High School located in the community.
He pledged the assembly’s commitment to the government’s better Ghana agenda and appealed to the ministry to facilitate the release of the third quarter tranche of the assembly’s share of the common fund.
Friday, April 16, 2010
TEMA PARENTS SCHOOL TO RE-OPEN-APRIL 21 (DAILY GRAPHIC, FRI APRIL 9) PAGE 11
THE Tema Parents Association School is to re-open on the 21st of April to enable academic works continue.
The children would have their revision exercises from April 21 to 24, 2010 ahead of their second terminal examinations which begins from April 26 to 30, 2010.
The school was closed down recently following the outbreak the HINI Influenza (Swine Flu) that hit it and infected a number of the children.
The school was schedule to reopen on May 5, 2010, nut that had to change to the new date to enable the rest of the academic works take place.
Assistant Headmaster of the school, Mr Abraham Afer, who disclosed this said, the decision to reopen the school earlier than originally announced was taken after an emergency meeting with the school's management and officials of the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate.
The health directorate had ealier supervised a fumigation of the school's premises and given the directive for the school to be re-opened.
‘I can assure the safety of pupils should they returned back to school, as most parents has complied with directives to get their children tested and treated for the infection’, he said.
Mr Afer noted that, the school’s directive to parents to get their wards tested saw 21 new cases being recorded after the initial 15 that was detected before the break.
He further appealed to parents to send their children for screening and testing should they detected any sign of flu.
Mr Afer commended parents of the first two pupils who took steps to alert the school authorities on the situation when the disease was first reported.
The school was closed down temporarily on the 14th of march after an emergency meeting held by the Interim Management Committee (IMC), the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), the Tema Metropolitan Directorate of Education and the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate after it was detected 15 pupils tested positive for the H1N1 infleunza.
The outbreak was believed to have spread in the school through a child who was sent outside the country on vacation by the parents and might have been infected there.
The children would have their revision exercises from April 21 to 24, 2010 ahead of their second terminal examinations which begins from April 26 to 30, 2010.
The school was closed down recently following the outbreak the HINI Influenza (Swine Flu) that hit it and infected a number of the children.
The school was schedule to reopen on May 5, 2010, nut that had to change to the new date to enable the rest of the academic works take place.
Assistant Headmaster of the school, Mr Abraham Afer, who disclosed this said, the decision to reopen the school earlier than originally announced was taken after an emergency meeting with the school's management and officials of the Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate.
The health directorate had ealier supervised a fumigation of the school's premises and given the directive for the school to be re-opened.
‘I can assure the safety of pupils should they returned back to school, as most parents has complied with directives to get their children tested and treated for the infection’, he said.
Mr Afer noted that, the school’s directive to parents to get their wards tested saw 21 new cases being recorded after the initial 15 that was detected before the break.
He further appealed to parents to send their children for screening and testing should they detected any sign of flu.
Mr Afer commended parents of the first two pupils who took steps to alert the school authorities on the situation when the disease was first reported.
The school was closed down temporarily on the 14th of march after an emergency meeting held by the Interim Management Committee (IMC), the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA), the Tema Metropolitan Directorate of Education and the Greater Accra Regional Health Directorate after it was detected 15 pupils tested positive for the H1N1 infleunza.
The outbreak was believed to have spread in the school through a child who was sent outside the country on vacation by the parents and might have been infected there.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
NO DIRECTIVE FROM PRESIDENT ( DAILY GRAPHIC, WED APRIL 15, 2010) FRONT B
THE Minister of Information, Mr John Tia Akologo, has denied that President John Evans Atta Mills has directed that only the Tema Oil Refinery (TOR) should procure crude oil for the refinery.
He says the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is the entity currently mandated to lift the country-to-country crude oil from Nigeria.
However, he explained that the mandate of the GNPC did not debar TOR from procuring its own crude or securing oil supplies from other sources.
Reacting to concerns by some workers of TOR over the state of business at the refinery, Mr Akologo assured the public that there was enough fuel stock, in spite of the shutdown of TOR.
According to the minister, figures released to the government by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) showed that the current stock available could last for the next five weeks.
He said there was also arrangement, “as is always the case, to secure more supplies, taking into consideration the production schedules of TOR”.
He explained that the immediate reason for the shutdown of the refinery was the inability of the supplier sourced by TOR to deliver on the scheduled date between April 8 and 10, 2010.
The minister said the supplier, Apasuo, was unable to deliver because the vessel bringing the crude oil did not meet the required standards of the Tema Offshore Mooring.
According to the him, “It can, therefore, not be true that the Minister for Energy or any other government official has flouted any directive or denied TOR the opportunity to procure crude for its operations.”
“Indeed, TOR’s own schedule for crude imports shows as many as six different companies lined up to supply crude between now and the middle of May this year,” he stressed.
Mr Akologu said contrary to the claim by workers, the present arrangement allowed the GNPC and TOR to work together until such time that TOR was able and had the ability to raise letters of credit on its own.
“The government remains committed to the financial restructuring of TOR, which involves the injection of funds into the refinery. That has been demonstrated with the recent payment to the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) of GH445 million on behalf of the refinery,” he said.
Workers of TOR yesterday renewed their call for the removal of the Energy Minister, Dr Joe Oteng Adjei, for decreeing that the GNPC must be the only agency supplying crude oil to the refinery, reports Della Russel Ocloo from Tema.
The workforce, wearing red armbands, amidst the singing of war songs, also called on the President to take immediate steps to dissolve TOR’s board of directors for gross incompetence.
They also accused officials of the GNPC and its Board Chairman, Mr Ato Ahwoi, of usurping their influence to make the refinery a tolling facility as part of their objective to maximise profit, at the expense of the taxpayer.
Speaking at an emergency meeting to press home their demand, in the wake of crude oil shortage that has hit the refinery, leading to the shutdown of the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) and the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) plant, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Union, Mr Daniel Fugah, regretted that the issue of crude oil for production was still hanging as an albatross around the neck of TOR’s management and the government.
According to him, the management of TOR supported the union’s protest against the GNPC’s tolling arrangement which would see the corporation paying a processing fee of $32.5 per metric tonne of crude of oil belonging to the GNPC refined by TOR.
He regretted that the minister and his cronies, as well as other faceless people in and out of government, were still working around the clock to see the tolling agreement through.
According to the union, the management of the refinery spent a huge amount of money through a ‘gasification’ process when restarting the plant, leading to acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country.
Mr Fugah stated that the Ministry of Energy and the management of TOR could have saved the refinery the $300,000 being lost daily as a result of the shutdown of the RFCC on April 7, this year.
The Secretary of the Junior Staff Union, Mr Gideon Avorgbedor, stated that during his visit to the refinery last September, the President had been emphatic on reviewing the monopoly of Sahara Oil’s supply of crude oil in the country.
The move, according to him, resulted in a meeting among officials of TOR, the GNPC, the ministry and the Chief of Staff, during which a mandate was given to TOR to procure its own crude oil, process and market it.
“Why is TOR being prevented from procuring crude oil through Sahara Oil?” he asked.
He also alleged that the GNPC’s continued insistence on the tolling agreement was informed by the usurping of power and influence by its Board Chairman, Mr Ahwoi.
He also asked whether Dr Oteng Adjei, as the Minister in charge of the sector, was happy with the daily dwindling in fortunes of the refinery.
The Secretary of the Senior Staff Union, Mr Ato Anderson, indicated that the life span of the plants was diminishing owing to the frequent shutdowns, saying that “a refinery is supposed to be shut down in 18 months owing to its petrochemical nature”.
When contacted, Dr Oteng Adjei refused to comment on the allegations.
According to him, he was out of the country and had not received any information on the workers’ protest from his deputy.
He, however, said he would respond appropriately as soon as he got back to the country in a day or two.
The Chief Executive of the GNPC, Nana Boakye Asafu Adjaye, could also not be reached for his comment, as he was reported to be in a meeting.
He says the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) is the entity currently mandated to lift the country-to-country crude oil from Nigeria.
However, he explained that the mandate of the GNPC did not debar TOR from procuring its own crude or securing oil supplies from other sources.
Reacting to concerns by some workers of TOR over the state of business at the refinery, Mr Akologo assured the public that there was enough fuel stock, in spite of the shutdown of TOR.
According to the minister, figures released to the government by the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) showed that the current stock available could last for the next five weeks.
He said there was also arrangement, “as is always the case, to secure more supplies, taking into consideration the production schedules of TOR”.
He explained that the immediate reason for the shutdown of the refinery was the inability of the supplier sourced by TOR to deliver on the scheduled date between April 8 and 10, 2010.
The minister said the supplier, Apasuo, was unable to deliver because the vessel bringing the crude oil did not meet the required standards of the Tema Offshore Mooring.
According to the him, “It can, therefore, not be true that the Minister for Energy or any other government official has flouted any directive or denied TOR the opportunity to procure crude for its operations.”
“Indeed, TOR’s own schedule for crude imports shows as many as six different companies lined up to supply crude between now and the middle of May this year,” he stressed.
Mr Akologu said contrary to the claim by workers, the present arrangement allowed the GNPC and TOR to work together until such time that TOR was able and had the ability to raise letters of credit on its own.
“The government remains committed to the financial restructuring of TOR, which involves the injection of funds into the refinery. That has been demonstrated with the recent payment to the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) of GH445 million on behalf of the refinery,” he said.
Workers of TOR yesterday renewed their call for the removal of the Energy Minister, Dr Joe Oteng Adjei, for decreeing that the GNPC must be the only agency supplying crude oil to the refinery, reports Della Russel Ocloo from Tema.
The workforce, wearing red armbands, amidst the singing of war songs, also called on the President to take immediate steps to dissolve TOR’s board of directors for gross incompetence.
They also accused officials of the GNPC and its Board Chairman, Mr Ato Ahwoi, of usurping their influence to make the refinery a tolling facility as part of their objective to maximise profit, at the expense of the taxpayer.
Speaking at an emergency meeting to press home their demand, in the wake of crude oil shortage that has hit the refinery, leading to the shutdown of the Residual Fluid Catalytic Cracker (RFCC) and the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU) plant, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Union, Mr Daniel Fugah, regretted that the issue of crude oil for production was still hanging as an albatross around the neck of TOR’s management and the government.
According to him, the management of TOR supported the union’s protest against the GNPC’s tolling arrangement which would see the corporation paying a processing fee of $32.5 per metric tonne of crude of oil belonging to the GNPC refined by TOR.
He regretted that the minister and his cronies, as well as other faceless people in and out of government, were still working around the clock to see the tolling agreement through.
According to the union, the management of the refinery spent a huge amount of money through a ‘gasification’ process when restarting the plant, leading to acute shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in the country.
Mr Fugah stated that the Ministry of Energy and the management of TOR could have saved the refinery the $300,000 being lost daily as a result of the shutdown of the RFCC on April 7, this year.
The Secretary of the Junior Staff Union, Mr Gideon Avorgbedor, stated that during his visit to the refinery last September, the President had been emphatic on reviewing the monopoly of Sahara Oil’s supply of crude oil in the country.
The move, according to him, resulted in a meeting among officials of TOR, the GNPC, the ministry and the Chief of Staff, during which a mandate was given to TOR to procure its own crude oil, process and market it.
“Why is TOR being prevented from procuring crude oil through Sahara Oil?” he asked.
He also alleged that the GNPC’s continued insistence on the tolling agreement was informed by the usurping of power and influence by its Board Chairman, Mr Ahwoi.
He also asked whether Dr Oteng Adjei, as the Minister in charge of the sector, was happy with the daily dwindling in fortunes of the refinery.
The Secretary of the Senior Staff Union, Mr Ato Anderson, indicated that the life span of the plants was diminishing owing to the frequent shutdowns, saying that “a refinery is supposed to be shut down in 18 months owing to its petrochemical nature”.
When contacted, Dr Oteng Adjei refused to comment on the allegations.
According to him, he was out of the country and had not received any information on the workers’ protest from his deputy.
He, however, said he would respond appropriately as soon as he got back to the country in a day or two.
The Chief Executive of the GNPC, Nana Boakye Asafu Adjaye, could also not be reached for his comment, as he was reported to be in a meeting.
Man Pulls Gun On Assembly Officials (DAILY GRAPHIC, APRIL 6, 10) Metro Page
Story: Della Russel Ocloo, Tebibianor near Teshie
A demolition exercise of underground water tanks embarked on by officials of the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) almost turned bloody when a man pulled a gun threatening to shoot the team.
Retired WO1 Edmund Voegborlo is one of a group of operators in the community who have constructed underground wells connected to hydrants belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to siphon water for commercial activities.
He arrived at the scene at about 10:30a.m. when the exercise was underway, entered his room and came out with a pistol loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition and went into a frenzy without any provocation.
He was, however, overpowered by some officials of the municipal Security Council detailed to oversee the exercise, and sent to the Teshie Police station where he was detained.
Voegborlo who claimed to be serving as an operative with the National Security confessed to officials Thursday that he often sold the siphoned water from the main connection line at night to tanker services which in turn supplied the community at exorbitant rates.
His action could, however, not deter the officials who swiftly demolished his tank as well as others within the community and its environs that had been illegally connected for sale to tanker services.
Owners of the underground wells in an attempt to outwit officials about the illegal activities, have constructed bedroom facilities on top of them. The structures have since been demolished by the assembly.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, told the Daily Graphic that the illegal activities of the underground operators, apart from compromising the quality of the water being supplied to the community, was also responsible for the perennial water shortage within Teshie and its environs.
According to him, owners after being granted permit for the construction of the wells often acquired 10inch pipes which they used to illegally tap into the GWCL main lines within the community.
Mr Mensah called for a review of the GWCL Act of 1996 to spell out stiffer punishment for offenders, as according to him, persons arrested and prosecuted in the past paid a maximum fine of GHC180 as stipulated in the law.
The General Manager (customer care) at Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), Mr Daniel Moumaalah, expressed regret at the action of the residents of the community who often applied for permit to construct the wells for domestic use.
The trend, according to him, had seen about 40 per cent of supply not billed appropriately owing to the illegalities.
He said 50 per cent of water produced by the company could not be accounted for as a result of illegal connection contributing massively to huge revenue loss.
‘If the above mentioned percentage were to be leaking through burst pipe lines, there would have been massive flooding in Accra’, Mr Moumaalah said.
He appealed to the general public to appreciate AVRL’s monitoring efforts aimed at reducing incidents of perennial water shortages being experienced across the length and breadth of the country.
He also challenged the assembly to consider passing a regulation making illegal water connections punishable so as to deter people from engaging in it.
The Teshie District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Tibil Punobyin, said Voegborlo had earlier been charged for illegal connection of public utility and was set to make an appearance on Wednesday, April 7, for threatening death and for first degree felony under the criminal code, Act 29 of 1960 after investigations.
A demolition exercise of underground water tanks embarked on by officials of the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) almost turned bloody when a man pulled a gun threatening to shoot the team.
Retired WO1 Edmund Voegborlo is one of a group of operators in the community who have constructed underground wells connected to hydrants belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to siphon water for commercial activities.
He arrived at the scene at about 10:30a.m. when the exercise was underway, entered his room and came out with a pistol loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition and went into a frenzy without any provocation.
He was, however, overpowered by some officials of the municipal Security Council detailed to oversee the exercise, and sent to the Teshie Police station where he was detained.
Voegborlo who claimed to be serving as an operative with the National Security confessed to officials Thursday that he often sold the siphoned water from the main connection line at night to tanker services which in turn supplied the community at exorbitant rates.
His action could, however, not deter the officials who swiftly demolished his tank as well as others within the community and its environs that had been illegally connected for sale to tanker services.
Owners of the underground wells in an attempt to outwit officials about the illegal activities, have constructed bedroom facilities on top of them. The structures have since been demolished by the assembly.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Daniel Amartey Mensah, told the Daily Graphic that the illegal activities of the underground operators, apart from compromising the quality of the water being supplied to the community, was also responsible for the perennial water shortage within Teshie and its environs.
According to him, owners after being granted permit for the construction of the wells often acquired 10inch pipes which they used to illegally tap into the GWCL main lines within the community.
Mr Mensah called for a review of the GWCL Act of 1996 to spell out stiffer punishment for offenders, as according to him, persons arrested and prosecuted in the past paid a maximum fine of GHC180 as stipulated in the law.
The General Manager (customer care) at Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), Mr Daniel Moumaalah, expressed regret at the action of the residents of the community who often applied for permit to construct the wells for domestic use.
The trend, according to him, had seen about 40 per cent of supply not billed appropriately owing to the illegalities.
He said 50 per cent of water produced by the company could not be accounted for as a result of illegal connection contributing massively to huge revenue loss.
‘If the above mentioned percentage were to be leaking through burst pipe lines, there would have been massive flooding in Accra’, Mr Moumaalah said.
He appealed to the general public to appreciate AVRL’s monitoring efforts aimed at reducing incidents of perennial water shortages being experienced across the length and breadth of the country.
He also challenged the assembly to consider passing a regulation making illegal water connections punishable so as to deter people from engaging in it.
The Teshie District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Tibil Punobyin, said Voegborlo had earlier been charged for illegal connection of public utility and was set to make an appearance on Wednesday, April 7, for threatening death and for first degree felony under the criminal code, Act 29 of 1960 after investigations.
Friday, April 9, 2010
FREIGHT FORWARDERS ASSIST FRAFRAHA FOSTER HOME (PAGE 30, APRIL 9, 2010)
MEMBERS of the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF) Ladies Club have donated food items and toiletries costing GH¢1,500 to inmates of Christ Faith Foster Home located in Frafraha, as part of their 10th anniversary celebrations.
Ms Regina Badu, the President of the group, said the donation of the items, which included two cartons of frozen fish, 10 bags of rice, five cartons of Key Soap, six gallons of vegetable cooking oil, cartons of milk, bags of sachet water and canned tomatoes, was part of their social responsibility programme aimed at reaching out to institutions that are striving to improve the lives of the less privileged.
Ms Badu stated that running a home in our part of the world could be a tiresome mission, hence, the need for individuals and corporate bodies to support institutions and persons that were striving to transform the life of future leaders who are underprivileged.
‘For us as a body made up of women, who understand nurturing and mentoring, we deem it necessary to provide sustainable means by reaching out to the disadvantaged’, she noted.
Ms Badu stated that the club’s decision to reach out to the orphanage was informed by the fact that it was set in the rural area.
She, therefore, commended managers of the home for the relentless efforts they were making to ensure that the orphans become responsible citizens.
The club has also promised to support the home twice a year for the next five years to care for and educate the orphans.
Sometime ago, the club donated a number of bedsheets, pillows and their cases to the maternity ward of the Tema General Hospital.
The Assistant Supervisor of the home, Madam Henrietta Asare-Agyemang, who received the items on behalf of the home, expressed profound appreciation to the group for the gesture.
She indicated that the home, established in 1972 by a German missionary and his Ghanaian counterparts, depended on the benevolence of individuals, groups and corporate societies to cater for the orphans whose ages range between 5-23 years.
The home, apart from providing care and support for orphans, has contributed massively towards educating young people who missed formal education as a result of extreme poverty, as well as orphans.
Madam Agyemang, who was so touched by the benevolence of the group, prayed for God’s blessings for the donors, noting that although many people had pledged their willingness to support the home, few people and organisations have lived up to the task.
She appealed for logistic support from the Ghana Education Service and other institutions to improve teaching and learning at the home.
Ms Regina Badu, the President of the group, said the donation of the items, which included two cartons of frozen fish, 10 bags of rice, five cartons of Key Soap, six gallons of vegetable cooking oil, cartons of milk, bags of sachet water and canned tomatoes, was part of their social responsibility programme aimed at reaching out to institutions that are striving to improve the lives of the less privileged.
Ms Badu stated that running a home in our part of the world could be a tiresome mission, hence, the need for individuals and corporate bodies to support institutions and persons that were striving to transform the life of future leaders who are underprivileged.
‘For us as a body made up of women, who understand nurturing and mentoring, we deem it necessary to provide sustainable means by reaching out to the disadvantaged’, she noted.
Ms Badu stated that the club’s decision to reach out to the orphanage was informed by the fact that it was set in the rural area.
She, therefore, commended managers of the home for the relentless efforts they were making to ensure that the orphans become responsible citizens.
The club has also promised to support the home twice a year for the next five years to care for and educate the orphans.
Sometime ago, the club donated a number of bedsheets, pillows and their cases to the maternity ward of the Tema General Hospital.
The Assistant Supervisor of the home, Madam Henrietta Asare-Agyemang, who received the items on behalf of the home, expressed profound appreciation to the group for the gesture.
She indicated that the home, established in 1972 by a German missionary and his Ghanaian counterparts, depended on the benevolence of individuals, groups and corporate societies to cater for the orphans whose ages range between 5-23 years.
The home, apart from providing care and support for orphans, has contributed massively towards educating young people who missed formal education as a result of extreme poverty, as well as orphans.
Madam Agyemang, who was so touched by the benevolence of the group, prayed for God’s blessings for the donors, noting that although many people had pledged their willingness to support the home, few people and organisations have lived up to the task.
She appealed for logistic support from the Ghana Education Service and other institutions to improve teaching and learning at the home.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
MAN PULLS GUN ON ASSEMBLY OFFICIALS (PAGE 29, APIL 6, 2010)
A DEMOLITION exercise of underground water tanks embarked on by officials of the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) almost turned bloody last Thursday when a man pulled a gun threatening to shoot the team.
Retired WO1 Edmund Voegborlo is one of a group of operators in the community who have constructed underground wells connected to hydrants belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to siphon water for commercial activities.
He arrived at the scene at about 10:30a.m. when the exercise was underway, entered his room and came out with a pistol loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition and went into a frenzy without any provocation.
He was, however, overpowered by some officials of the municipal Security Council detailed to oversee the exercise, and sent to the Teshie Police station where he was detained.
Voegborlo who claimed to be serving as an operative with the National Security confessed to officials that he often sold the siphoned water from the main connection line at night to tanker services which in turn supplied the community at exorbitant rates.
His action could, however, not deter the officials who swiftly demolished his tank as well as others within the community and its environs that had been illegally connected for sale to tanker services.
Owners of the underground wells in an attempt to outwit officials about the illegal activities, have constructed bedroom facilities on top of them. The structures have since been demolished by the assembly.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Mensah Sackey, told the Daily Graphic that the illegal activities of the underground operators, apart from compromising the quality of the water being supplied to the community, was also responsible for the perennial water shortage within Teshie and its environs.
According to him, owners after being granted permit for the construction of the wells often acquired 10inch pipes which they used to illegally tap into the GWCL main lines within the community.
Mr Sackey called for a review of the GWCL Act of 1996 to spell out stiffer punishment for offenders, as according to him, persons arrested and prosecuted in the past paid a maximum fine of GHC180 as stipulated in the law.
The General Manager (customer care) at Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), Mr Daniel Moumaalah, express regret at the action of the residents of the community who often applied for permit to construct the wells for domestic use.
The trend, according to him, had seen about 40 per cent of supply not billed appropriately owing to the illegalities.
He noted that 50 per cent of water produced by the company could not be accounted for as a result of illegal connection contributing massively to huge revenue loss.
‘If the above mentioned percentage were to be leaking through burst pipe lines, there would have been massive flooding in Accra’, Mr Moumaalah said.
He appealed to the general public to appreciate AVRL’s monitoring efforts aimed at reducing incidents of perennial water shortages being experienced across the length and breadth of the country.
He also challenged the assembly to consider passing a regulation making illegal water connections punishable so as to deter people from engaging in it.
The Teshie District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Tibil Punobyin, said Voegborlo had earlier been charged for illegal connection of public utility and was set to make an appearance on Wednesday, April 7, for threatening death and for first degree felony under the criminal code, Act 29 of 1960 after investigations.
Retired WO1 Edmund Voegborlo is one of a group of operators in the community who have constructed underground wells connected to hydrants belonging to the Ghana Water Company Limited (GWCL) to siphon water for commercial activities.
He arrived at the scene at about 10:30a.m. when the exercise was underway, entered his room and came out with a pistol loaded with 11 rounds of ammunition and went into a frenzy without any provocation.
He was, however, overpowered by some officials of the municipal Security Council detailed to oversee the exercise, and sent to the Teshie Police station where he was detained.
Voegborlo who claimed to be serving as an operative with the National Security confessed to officials that he often sold the siphoned water from the main connection line at night to tanker services which in turn supplied the community at exorbitant rates.
His action could, however, not deter the officials who swiftly demolished his tank as well as others within the community and its environs that had been illegally connected for sale to tanker services.
Owners of the underground wells in an attempt to outwit officials about the illegal activities, have constructed bedroom facilities on top of them. The structures have since been demolished by the assembly.
The Municipal Chief Executive, Mr Mensah Sackey, told the Daily Graphic that the illegal activities of the underground operators, apart from compromising the quality of the water being supplied to the community, was also responsible for the perennial water shortage within Teshie and its environs.
According to him, owners after being granted permit for the construction of the wells often acquired 10inch pipes which they used to illegally tap into the GWCL main lines within the community.
Mr Sackey called for a review of the GWCL Act of 1996 to spell out stiffer punishment for offenders, as according to him, persons arrested and prosecuted in the past paid a maximum fine of GHC180 as stipulated in the law.
The General Manager (customer care) at Aqua Vitens Rand Limited (AVRL), Mr Daniel Moumaalah, express regret at the action of the residents of the community who often applied for permit to construct the wells for domestic use.
The trend, according to him, had seen about 40 per cent of supply not billed appropriately owing to the illegalities.
He noted that 50 per cent of water produced by the company could not be accounted for as a result of illegal connection contributing massively to huge revenue loss.
‘If the above mentioned percentage were to be leaking through burst pipe lines, there would have been massive flooding in Accra’, Mr Moumaalah said.
He appealed to the general public to appreciate AVRL’s monitoring efforts aimed at reducing incidents of perennial water shortages being experienced across the length and breadth of the country.
He also challenged the assembly to consider passing a regulation making illegal water connections punishable so as to deter people from engaging in it.
The Teshie District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Samuel Tibil Punobyin, said Voegborlo had earlier been charged for illegal connection of public utility and was set to make an appearance on Wednesday, April 7, for threatening death and for first degree felony under the criminal code, Act 29 of 1960 after investigations.
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