Month: October 2020

Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye on Tuesday, October 13, 2020 asked non-Members of Parliament, the media and the public to leave the chamber, when the Interior Minister, Ambrose Dery was ready to start his briefing.

According to him in the contest of privilege, if the sector Minister on Interior and National Security want to brief the House it should be so.

“I should not go and bring spectators before the House to be briefed when he has requested so, please this is my order at this stage, non-members of the House should leave and MPs are going to be briefed by the Minister and listen to him”.

This happened in the wake of the Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu requesting that non-members of the House be part of the briefing.

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Speaker of Ghana’s Parliament, Professor Aaron Michael Oquaye has urged lawmakers in the seventh Parliament of the fourth Republic to approach the third meeting of the fourth session with all seriousness despite the upcoming December 7, 2020 presidential and parliamentary elections.

According to him, regardless of the elections, the third meeting is crucial and all promptness should be attached to it, and Members of Parliament cannot afford to abandon the work of the House.

In his remarks to welcome MPs for the third meeting, he reminded them that it is important they leave a legacy for the next generation, as MPs were encouraged to submit various thematic areas, they have identified in their constituencies to be used in drafting the Private Member’s Bill.

He also announced the publication of a well-researched “parliament of Ghana’s, statements on the floor” in an upcoming book.

The Speaker added that, the Parliamentary Service Board at its twenty-fifth regular meeting August this year approved in principle proposal for the establishment of a virtual parliament, and a committee comprising the first Deputy Speaker and the Minority Leader to assist in realignment of the Standing Orders towards the implementation of the virtual Parliament.

“Hon. Members, the opportunity to work for our country is a rare one, thus, let us strive for our hard-work to speak for itself, and I wish you all the best”.

Speaker Oquaye further told the lawmakers that he led a parliamentary delegation to commiserate with the former President Jerry John Rawlings, on the occasion of the demise of his mother, Madam Victoria Agbotui.

And the House had the opportunity of hosting a twelve-member delegation from the Federal Republic of Nigeria led by the Speaker of the House of Representative, Dr. Femi Gbajabiamila at his invitation.

Adding that a bilateral discussion held centered on matters pertaining to the relations between the two countries in the wake of the disquiet arising from the implementation of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre (GIPC) Act, 2013 (Act 865).

The two speakers expressed their commitment of their respective legislatures to continuously employ legislative diplomacy as tool to complement efforts of the Executive in the promotion of peace, security, economic integration and development between both Ghana and Nigeria and on the African continent as a whole.

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Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 in the company of a high-level delegation from the Parliament met with the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of Guinea, M. Kabinet Cisse and his team.

He congratulated the Commission, and commended their efforts to ensuring a solid electoral process.

Speaker Tunis further stressed that the process of cleaning up the voter’s roll was a major boost in the Commission’s preparation for a free and fair elections, and admonished the Commissioners to maintain their neutrality at all times.

And further affirmed that Community Parliament’s goal is to offer support to the Guinean people, and reiterated parliaments neutrality and respect for their constitution, and prepared to provide technical support when needed.

“Guinea’s peace is cardinal to the stability of the sub-region and the parliament would do all in its authority to secure free, fair and credible elections in the Republic of Guinea”, he said.

The Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament indicated that, a team of fifteen-member delegation would be sent to observe the upcoming presidential election as part of the ECOWAS observer mission, and called on all stake holders to be law abiding as he wished the people of Guinea a peaceful election.

Republic of Guinea is expected to hold its presidential elections on October 18, 2020 as there would be twelve candidates vying for the presidency, including the incumbent President Alpha Conde.

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Speaker of the Community Parliament, Rt. Hon. Sidie Mohammed Tunis has paid a courtesy call on President Alpha Conde at Conakry on Tuesday, October 6, 2020 at the presidential lodge.

According to the Speaker, he was pleased to be in Guinea as a guest of the National Assembly, and thanked the president for the hospitality shown him and his delegation since they arrived in the country.

In his remarks he outlined activities undertaken by the fifth Community Parliament since its inauguration in March of this year in Niger.

He further outlined his vision of making the Community Parliament a peoples Parliament and emphasized during his tenure, he would seek to engage National Parliaments of the Communities frequently, and pointed out that it would fully support the ECOWAS integration programs.

The Speaker disclosed that, the Community Parliament is closely following the electoral process in Guinea and stands to support the Independent National Electoral Commission of the country, as it prepares for the presidential election.

And fifteen Community lawmakers would be dispatch as part of the ECOWAS observer mission to witness the October 18 2020 presidential polls.

Speaker Tunis used the opportunity to convey a special message from President Julius Maada Bio of the Republic of Sierra Leone, to his Guinea counterpart on bilateral relations between the two West African countries.

On his part President Alpha Conde, thanked the Speaker and his delegation for their visit and expressed is desire for more integration process in the sub-region, and further noted that ECOWAS having a single currency would be a big step towards achieving the integration process.

And added that the introduction of ECO would smoothen the path towards a truly unified ECOWAS, and also further added that the partnership between the Community Parliament and that of Guinea National Assembly is sentimental which was reciprocated by the Speaker.

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As the third meeting of the seventh Parliament starts today, forty-two bills are expected to be presented.

Some of the Bills are Judicial Service Bill, 2020, Creative Arts Bill, 2020, Council of State Bill, 2020. Meanwhile, nineteen Bills are currently at the Committee level, and include Exemptions Bill 2019, at the Finance Committee, Anti-Money Laundering Bill 2019, at the Finance Committee, and Public University Bill 2020.

There are also four Bills at the consideration stage. Motions for debate and statements would be admitted by the Speaker during this meeting.

In a statement by the Director of Public Affairs, Kate Addo noted that the House would continue to observe the COVID-19 protocols during the meeting.

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The Speaker of the Community Parliament, Rt. Honorable Sidie Mohammed Tunis has pledged the House’s support to the National Assembly of Guinea, with its rich experience of mediation to engage in meaningful dialogue surrounding the perceived tension.

He made this remark when he addressed the first Session of the National Assembly of the Republic of Guinea at the invitation of the President of the Assembly.

He also noted that the laws to be formulated by the ordinary session would seek equity and fairness for all, most especially the young generation, adding that the issue of unemployment among the youth should no longer be accepted.

According to the Speaker, this problem of unemployment is usually exploited by terrorist, and military groups who conscript the youth for little or nothing, but rather use them to perpetrate harm in the communities.

Again, the youth have had to risk traveling across risky waters in search of greener pastures in Europe, some of whom unfortunately meet their untimely death, and it is time to stop folding our hands and watch these happen.

“We must secure a future for our younger generation as no excuse would be adequate enough to compensate for our failure to do s. Young people have aspirations, they want to work, they want to have a future, and it is our job to let them achieve this”.

The Speaker further added that, he is convinced that when the gap between the rich and the poor is bridged, the ECOWAS Region would emerge stronger and better for everyone.

“The Republic of Guinea has had its fair share of violence, attack on harmless civilians and political tension, this is not the Guinea we want now and certainly not the Guinea we want for our children, threat to your peace is a threat to regional peace”, he added.

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The Speaker of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Parliament, Rt. Honorable Sidie Mohammed Tunis accompanied by a high-power parliamentary delegation had arrived in Conakry in the Republic of Guinea on Sunday, October 4, 2020.

The delegation will grace the opening of the First Ordinary Session of its National Assembly today Monday, October 5, 2020.

The entourage was welcomed by the President of the National Assembly of Guinea, Rt. Honorable Amadou Damaro Camara and other members of government.

According to Article 68 of the Guinea Constitution, the Ordinary Session is set for April 5 and October 5 every year as the dates on which the National Assembly shall meet for a period not exceeding ninety days.

Speaker Tunis is expected to address the opening ceremony and hold talks with a number of stakeholders during the week-long visit to Guinea.

Guinea is expected to hold its presidential elections next year, and on his arrival the speaker told journalists he is confidence Guinea will remain peaceful and reiterated ECOWAS’s support for Guinea’s development and prosperity.

“Guinea is an integral member of ECOWAS and we are going to do all in our powers to ensure that it remains a peaceful and prosperous nation”, he added.

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President of Nigerians in the diaspora organization, Ghana chapter, Kingsley Ewa Attoe, has admonished the media, both home and abroad to project balance stories about Nigerians, as the country marks its sixtieth independent anniversary on Thursday, October 1, 2020.

According to him, he is not asking the media to change facts of reportage that the media carries, but stories on Nigerians should be balanced.

“As we journey on the 60 years, it is important that our story changes and these stories can only change if we are intentional with our acts”.

In a statement to mark the independence celebration, he pointed out that when Nigerian students achieve laurels in academia, or a professor is honored, it hardly makes the headlines but when a Nigerian does something as little as break-up with a lady, they are called unreliable heartbreakers.

“For every Nigerian who has committed a crime, there are hundreds who are impacting lives positively, but never get recognized”, he lamented.

He added that “it is time every Nigerian intentionally promote his or her country as we become purposeful in our statements, and those of us in the diaspora, it is time to mention the name and identity of Nigeria wherever we achieve a new feat and lend a hand or impact lives and promote greatness that is associated with Nigeria”.

Mr. Ewa Attoe urged the youth to show more interest in Nigeria, as failure of every government is the failure of the youth. “You do not relinquish your power after elections, you can still contribute to national discourse and show more interest in governance”.

On the tensions that manifests annually between Nigerian and Ghana with regards to retail trading, he encouraged his Ghanaian counterparts to be more accommodating, and see Ghana as a home based on the good stories, they have heard from their parents from one generation to the other. “We will not soil the brotherliness that exist between both countries”.

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