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President direct public inquiry in to Ejura incident

President Nana Akufo-Addo has directed the Interior Minister Ambrose Dery to commence public inquiry into circumstances that led to the unfortunate Ejura incident on Tuesday, June 29, 2021

In a statement issued by the Direct of Communication, Office of the President, Eugen Arhin noted that the president has directed the sector minister to provide detailed report of the inquiry, with recommendation for action within ten days Friday, July 9, 2021 to the President.

And further pointed out int the statement that the President is saddened by the death of Ibrahim Mohammed, Murtala Mohammed and Abdul Nasir Yussif.

He extends condolences to the deceased families and wished the injured speedy recovery.

Ghanamps.com

Ten MDAs to appear before PAC today

Ten (10) Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) are schedules to appear before the Public Account Committee today, Wednesday, as the Committee continues sitting review the Auditor General’s Report for the period 2017 under review.

First to appear before the Committee would be the Ministry of the Interior, to be followed by Gender Children and Social Protection, Employment and Labour Relations, Judicial Service, Government Machinery, Sanitation and Water Resources, Finance, Ghana Revenue Authority, Information and Controller and Account General.

The Committee in its earlier meetings advised personnel appearing before the Committee to represent these MDAs to be truthful in their submissions to avoid sanctions.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Humado calls on ECOWAS governments to provide funding for vaccine production

A former member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECWOAS) 4th Parliament representing Ghana, Clement Kofi Humado has advised governments within the West African sub-region to provide the needed support to research institutions to possible production of vaccines against the coronavirus.

Mr. Humado believes providing national diseases research centers with adequate funding would enable them go the long hall to produce vaccines to fight against COVID-19.

According to him in Ghana the Noguchi Memoria Research Center is one that could help produce vaccine to fight the pandemic, and further added that there are similar research centers in the sub-region like Senegal.

And in the case of Senegal, its research center is affiliated to similar centers in France, and pointed out in an interview that as a former Minister of Food and Agriculture, he supervised Kpong and Tamale Research Institutes produce new castle vaccine for birds and cattle.

“We have the capacity, all we need is the funding and technical assistance you can see from what has happened so far that the develop countries United States, Britain among others, they produce vaccines for their populations, they do not care about the third world so in such circumstances what do we do?”, he queried

And further added that as a sub-region, we should not fold our arms and wait until they are satisfied with their programme before they turn to us, “we would have perished, ECOWAS Parliament’s Committee on Health needs to be issuing communiques to remind the Authority of Heads of States, and also the Commission represented by West Africa Health Organisation to look at containment preparation for the future in other to safeguard the population of West Africa”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

“We are not here to witch-hunt or personalize issue” —PAC chairman

Chairman of the Public Account Committee (PAC) of the 8th Parliament, James Klutse Avedzi has noted that the workings of the Committee is not to witch-hunt anyone nor do they as a Committee personalize issues before them.

According to him the Committee has the powers of a High court under Article 106 of the 1992 Constitution, hence they can invite witness to appear before them to demand documents to aid their working.

On Tuesday, June 29,2021 in his open remarks he noted that those who do not tell the truth before the Committee, there are consequences and when that is found out it amount to perjury and they would surfer for it.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghananmps.com

“Doctors and Nurses are accountants in some health facilities” —Health Minister

Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman Manu has told the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that in some facilities in the country, doctors and nurses were playing roles as accountants, because those health facilities did not have employed accountants when he took over as a sector minister.

This came to light when he appeared before the PAC on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 as sector minister supervising some health agencies who had one or two infractions the work of the Auditor General captured for the year under review 2017.

According to the Minister there are six thousand five hundred health facilities at the very low district including CHPS compounds, and “health insurance claims are taken by doctors and nurses who are not accountants”, he lamented.

Mr. Agyeman Manu told the Committee that this happens because those health institutions do not have financial clearance and further added that since he became the sector minister, he has recruited over hundred thousand workers with administrators and accountants making up the number.

And stated that issues of irregularities with regards to finance for health institutions would be addressed.

    Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

MDAs urged to be truthful at PAC—Ranking

Ranking Member of the Public Account Committee (PAC) Kofi Okyere Agyekum has advised public officials from Ministries, Departments and Government Agencies who appear before the Committee that is currently holding public hearing to be truthful.

According to him the constitution of Ghana has impose on them a duty to ensure that the tax payers’ money is being utilised effectively for the good of Ghana as the committee is working to unravel the challenges in the system.

“If we ask a question and you do not have the answer just say so, you do not have the answer, do not try to dribble the Committee that would not work”, he admonished.

He made this remarks on Tuesday, June 29, 2021 when the following Ministries appeared before the PAC: Ministry of Food and Agriculture, Health, Transport and Chieftaincy and Religious Affairs, the Auditor General’s report for the year end December 31st 2017.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

EJURA MP calls for full-scale investigation into military shooting in the constituency

The Member of Parliament for Ejura-Sekyedumase, Muhammad Braimah Bawah has called on the Military High Command, Minister of Defence, the National Security Minister to institute a full-scale investigation into the shooting incident in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Constituency.

The MP who was surprised that professionally trained security personnel could not exhibit professionalism in crowd control rather than fire live bullets into the crowd was nothing short of deliberate intention to kill the people.

In a statement on the floor of the House he said, the security agencies have several means of controlling crowd, “but to fire live ammunition means that the soldier deliberately did it; and we have a footage showing the soldier squatting and shooting into the crowd. We cannot use our tax-payers money to buy uniform for you, pay you, buys guns for you to come and kill us”

He said the conduct of the security is highly uncalled for, and has worsened the already polarized security situation in the constituency.

As a member of the Defence and Interior Committee, he said he intend to petition the Chairman of the Committee so that they can summon these security chiefs before the committee and the House for answers.

He feared that the unprofessional actions of the security when not checked would pose danger to everybody, hence the perpetrators should be made to face the full force of the law.

Mr. Bawah however, appealed to the youth to remain calm to avert any further loss of lives, adding that no life lost is acceptable but the numbers is heartbreaking.

He was delighted that the police have arrested the two individuals believed to be behind the gruesome murder of “FixTheCountry” activist, Ibrahim Mohammed alias ‘Kaaka’ adding that it is progress, hence they should remain calm to ensure the investigation is carried to its logical conclusion.

 Joint police and military personnel on Tuesday clashed with agitating youth in the Ejura-Sekyedumase Constituency, who were protesting the killing of a social activist, Ibrahim Mohammed alias ‘Kaaka’ in the area killing two with four others sustaining serious injuries.

Dominic Shirimori/Ghanamps.com

Coalition moves to criminalize LGBTQ activities

A private members  bill has been presented to the Speaker of Parliament, Alban Bagbin for onward presentation to Parliament to be passed into law to criminalize activities of LGBTQ activities in the country.

Mr. Samuel Nartey George, Member of Parliament for Ningo Prampram, and a member of the Coalition of MPs against LGBTQ+ which consists of some eight members of parliament presenting the Bill to the Speaker at a Speaker’s Prayer Breakfast Meeting on Tuesday, June 29,2021 is confident the bill against the activities of LGBTQ+ when passed into law will become a reference point for countries, and Parliaments across the world.

According to him, the bill is drafted to promote love, and not hate, but seeks to “criminalize not just the activities, but the promotion, advocacy, funding of LGBTQ+ activities and all of its forms.”

“It will therefore become criminal upon the successful passage of this bill into law for anybody to produce any promotional materials, or for any TV station to show content that supports it, anybody who wants to provide funding for LGBTQ activities, and those engaged in it”

This bill, he noted, also seeks to segment those who are engaged in it. “We’ve established clearly, homosexuality is not a human right, it is a lifestyle choice, and so we respect the human rights of homosexuality practitioners to get a free and fair trial, however, their sexual orientation and choices cannot be deemed to be a human right and this is in consonance with the 1992 Constitution”

According to Sam George, the bill actually protects practitioners from extra judicial treatments; “we believe that they must be put before a competent court to trial their case”, adding that it also provides for practitioners to have medical, psychological support for those who wants it.

“The bill is not looking to jail everybody, but it is actually a reformative tool in the hands of our courts to help people who wants to break from a lifestyle they have found themselves in”, he assured.

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Alban Sumana Bagbin, receiving the Bill commended the members of the Coalition of MPs against LGBTQ+ for their bold step to protect the sanctity of the Ghanaian society from what he described as a pandemic worse that coronavirus, in the midst of threats from various groups.

He assured all religious leaders who were heavily represented at the meeting that they would work assiduously to ensure parliament pass this Bill into law in this session or by close of this year.

He assured that the Bill is drawn in accordance with all provisions in the constitution, our laws, and international conventions, “it is a law that even those who are against it would find it difficult not to accept it.”

Ghanamps.com

Public institutions should show respect to each other —Rockson Dafeamekpor

Member of Parliament for South Dayi, Etse Kwame Rockson-Nelson Dafeamekpor said it is very important that public institutions in Ghana show respect to each other for efficient and effective delivery.

This was when the Ministries of Roads and Highways, and Works and House failed to show up at the first meeting of the Public Account Committee (PAC) in the 8th Parliament.

According to him it is not a good start for the work of the Committee and he does not think it has happened before that a Ministry has been invited by PAC, and they failed to show up, even not being courteous to write a letter to explain their inability to show up.

“Their inability to come is a gross show of disrespect to Parliament and it is worrisome. I do not know how much it costs parliament to organise these public hearings, so I am unable to tell if surcharging them is punitive enough”, he said in an interview.

And said, he does not know if this would serve as a deterrent to other public institutions that are yet to appear before the Committee, “PAC is working for the betterment of the nation”, he stated.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com

Judgement Debt: AG’s comment born out of malice and ignorance” —Dr. Donkor

Former Minister for Power under John Dramani Mahama’s administration, Dr. Kwabena Donkor said he played no role in the $170million US dollars judgement debt incurred by the state in the Ghana Power Generation Company (GPGC) power deal.

The judgement debt as determined by the court was for wrongful termination of the contract.

According to him the Attorney General and Minister of Justices’ comments that the deal was bad was born out of malice and ignorance.

“We had the cheapest and lowest tariffs, it has a shorter duration of four years, it was the only agreement that did not require Government of Ghana security, so how bad can this be. You were all in parliament when the Minister of Finance came here to say that for four years, we had paid about nine hundred million dollars for excess capacity”.

In an interview with members of the parliamentary press corps he pointed out that he is not worried about the comments from the AG that there would be an investigation into the deal, adding that he acted in the best national interest.

And if anybody disagrees with him, the person has the right to investigate it. “AG as the number one lawyer, you do not sit on national radio and try to intimidate people like me, I cannot be intimidated, they should explain why they terminated the contract?”.

In addition, the arbitration panel in London said the termination was wrong, “if the AG want me to go to the Police Criminal Investigation Department (CID) they are professionals there and not political foot soldiers, I have been to the CID headquarters several times”.

Kwaku Sakyi-Danso/Ghanamps.com