Workers of Intercity STC (ISTC) have called on the Ministry of  Transport to constitute an independent committee to examine their grievances critically to avoid any protracted and unforeseen development in the forward march of the organisation. They stressed that the committee of enquiry set up earlier to investigate the circumstances leading to workers agitation was not properly constituted, and that they disagreed with its recommendations. These were contained in a petition addressed to the minister and signed by Messrs Samuel Clottey and Hope Kofi Klu, chairmen of the Senior Staff and the Junior Staff unions. It said the ISTC Board, the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and management, who constituted the committee, were the same entities against whom the workers had levelled allegations. “We, therefore, find the setting up of the committee of enquiry as ill-fated and not human centred,” it stated. The petition said the protest by the workers in September, last year was to draw attention to the need for the stakeholders to take steps to recapitalise and ensure the growth and sustainability of the company, but strangely the committee did not take account of that in its report. It said looking at the sensitivity of the grievances raised by workers and the recommendations of the committee, it was clear that nothing concrete had been done or achieved in the interest of the company and its employees. “Our major concern as workers is to ensure that the government salvages this onetime very promising, successful and vibrant transport organisation,” the petition stated. It would be recalled that workers of ISTC, on September 25, 2013, began a three-day protest to register their rage and despair at management’s inability to address their concerns. According to the workers, management had refused to pay their provident fund and had not increased their salaries for 10 years, although the managing director had allegedly increased his salary twice within the period. They, therefore, decided to lay down their tools until management addressed all their concerns.  

Ten Child Panel members have attended a day's training workshop organised by the Department of Social Welfare and the World Vision-Ghana at Effiduase in the Ashanti Region to equip them with skills required to mediate on matters affecting children. The workshop was also to enlighten them on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which places the child at the centre of issues affecting children and to equip them with skills for proper documentation of cases that are brought before them. Topics treated Topics treated at the workshop were definition of child, welfare principle, non-discrimination, right to name and nationality, right to education and well-being, parental duty and responsibility, and duties of panel members. The Ashanti Regional Director in charge of Child Rights, Protection and Promotion at the Department of Social Welfare, Mr Kofi Adu, advised the panel members to take the training seriously and practise what they had learnt. He said child development was crucial to the advancement of society and urged the panel members to work closely with the Social Welfare Department to promote development of children. Before the workshop, the panel members were  sworn in by the Sekyere East District Magistrate, Mr Jacob Amponsah, who charged them to work diligently to protect the right of the child at all times. The District Director of the Department of Social Welfare, Mr John Ofori Attram, said the inauguration of the panel conformed to Section 27 of the Children's Act 1998 (Act 560), which states, “There shall be established in each district such number of Child Panels as the district assembly may consider necessary”. Child delinquency He noted that child delinquency resulting from parental neglect was on the ascendency and expressed the hope that the inauguration of the panel would help ease the workload on the family tribunal. He called on the district assembly to support the panel members financially and provide them with the necessary logistics to perform their duties efficiently and effectively. He expressed gratitude to World Vision-Ghana, a child welfare organisation, for coming to their aid. The District Co-ordinating Director, Mr Michael Owusu Amoako, who read a speech on behalf of the District Chief Executive, Mr Adjei Mensah, observed that the nation's future depended largely on the development of children and entreated the panel members to broaden their knowledge in their various fields of operations to promote the welfare of children. Panel members The 10-member panel  comprises Mr James Atobra Boateng, the assembly’s Social Services subcommittee chairman; Mr Isaac Appau, Justice and Security subcommittee member; Mr John Ofori Attram, Secretary of the committee; Mr Richard Donkor, District Information Officer; and Nana Ohene Asiedu, a representative of the Effiduase Traditional Area. The rest are Nana Sefa Kanto, a representative of the Asokore Traditional Area; Madam Christiana Adjei, Women's representative; Inspector Regina Owusu, Ghana Police Service representative; Mr Asare Danso, community representative; and Farouk Mohammed, a teacher. Present at the ceremony were heads of departments and schoolchildren drawn from the various schools within the district.  

The student who posted nude pictures of his fiancée on Facebook in retaliation for being jilted by her wept uncontrollably at the Circuit Court in Accra last Wednesday, February 5, 2014. Henry Alibah pleaded guilty to the offence and wept as his lawyer implored the court to have mercy on him. His tears did not evoke any sentiments in the trial judge, who reminded him that emotions did not come to play in the law. That reminder, nonetheless, did not stop him from shedding more tears. He will be sentenced on February 18, 2014. Snippets of offence The accused person, who posted the nude pictures of his former fiancée on Facebook on November 25, 2013, added the caption: “Porn star, pay and f**k.” He then proceeded to attach his former fiancee’s mobile phone number to the uploaded picture for interested persons to call. He was first arraigned on January 22, 2014, and a plea of not guilty was entered on his behalf by the court, presided over by Ms Ellen Vivian Amoah. Counsel for Alibah, Mr Gad Cobbinah, told the court at its sitting in Accra last Wednesday that his client had showed remorse and would, therefore, not repeat that act again. According to counsel, the accused person had apologised to the complainant, her family and the respective schools they both attended. Mr Cobbinah stated that his client was a first offender and, therefore, averted the court’s mind to the fact that the law allowed either the imposition of a fine or a bond to be of good behaviour as punishment for Alibah’s offence. The charge According to the prosecution, Alibah committed the offence at Mamprobi in Accra after his 10-minute ultimatum to the complainant to rescind her decision to leave him had lapsed. He has been charged with causing emotional, verbal or psychological abuse, contrary to Section 1 (b) (iv) and Section 3 (2) of the Domestic Violence Act 737/07. Facts of the case An Inspector of Police, Mr Kofi Atimbiri, told the court that the complainant was, for the past two years, the fiancee of the accused person. However, the complainant called off the relationship three months ago via a telephone call but her decision infuriated the accused person, who insisted the relationship be continued. According to the prosecution, Alibah had earlier called the complainant and warned her to return to him or have her naked pictures posted on Facebook. On November 25, 2013, the accused person again called the complainant on phone and gave her 10 minutes to change her mind or have her naked pictures uploaded on Facebook. He uploaded the pictures after the 10 minutes had lapsed and he had observed that the complainant was not prepared to return to him. The complainant’s friends saw her naked pictures on Facebook and quickly drew her attention to the issue. She later reported the matter to the police, resulting in the arrest of the accused person. Writer’s email: [email protected].  

Dukes Petroleum Company, with 34 trading outlets throughout the country, has presented a 42-inch flat screen television and its accessories to the science department of Swedru Senior High School (SWESCO). The donation was in response to a request by the science department of the school to help it improve the teaching and learning of science. Making the presentation, the General Manager of the company, Mr Bernard A. Havor, said it was part of the company’s corporate social responsibility to support institutions in its catchment areas. He noted that the donation also formed part of the 10th anniversary celebrations of the company which is slated for the latter part of this year. According to him, the television was also to enable the science club of the school to view science-based audio-visual tapes to enable the students to better appreciate and understand most of the things they were taught in class. He appealed to the authorities of the school to maintain the television to ensure that it benefited future generations. The headmistress of the school, Mrs Agnes Leticia Hawkson, who received the items, expressed gratitude to the company and said it was a very important teaching and learning aid for science and added that it would improve the performance of the students. She was hopeful that the gesture would further strengthen the bond between the company and the school and that the company would regularly aid the school. Also present at the ceremony was Mr John K. Afram, a director of the company.  

The Speaker of Parliament, Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, has directed the Parliamentary Select Committee on Works and Housing to investigate the demolition of houses at Adjei Kojo, a suburb of Tema, by the Tema Development Corporation (TDC) and report its findings to the House for it to take a decision on the matter. He also directed that the Chairman of the Committee on Parliamentary, Constitutional and Legal Affairs, Mr Alban Bagbin; a former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, Mr E.T Mensah; and the Chairman of the Committee on Lands and Forestry, Mr Albert Abongo, who is also a former Minister of Water Resources, Works and Housing, be made part of the team. Mr Adjaho gave the directive after the Member of Parliament (MP) for Tema West, Ms Irene Naa Torshie Addo (NPP), had made a statement condemning the exercise carried out by the TDC. The statement drew comments from other members of the House, many of whom agreed with Ms Addo that the action by the TDC was irresponsible. Ms Addo said the action of the TDC must not be repeated anywhere in the country. She said it was unfortunate that at a time when the government was soliciting help from international organisations to build houses for workers, a government agency would demolish houses built by people struggling to eke out a living in these difficult times. Some MPs disagree Some MPs, notably Mr Sampson Ahi (NDC, Bodi) and David Tetteh Assumeng (NDC, Shai Osudoku), however, sought to suggest that the House was making a fuss over the issue. Mr Ahi said the residents of the area had sought legal redress at the courts and lost, a situation which gave the TDC the right to embark on the action. Mr Assumeng said a similar exercise had been carried out by the TDC elsewhere in 2006 but that had not generated any national debate and not being raised on the floor of the House and wondered what was special about the Adjei Kojo case. They were both stopped in their tracks by Mr Adjaho, who said Ms Addo, as a representative of the victims of the demolition, had every right to raise the issue on the floor of the House. He also advised Mr Ahi not to go into the legal merits of the case on the floor of the House. Mr Adjaho’s intervention prevented the issue from degenerating into partisanship. Ms Addo’s statement Ms Addo said there were steps that needed to be taken before any demolition exercise was carried out but the TDC failed to adhere to those regulations. The TDC, she said, needed to perform an asbestos abatement exercise, remove hazardous or regulated materials, obtain the necessary permits, submit the necessary notifications and disconnect utilities, among many others, but it failed to do all that. “Mr Speaker, there are many questions one needs to ask. How did the residents acquire the land? How did they build their houses and live there for seven to 10 years without being noticed by the TDC? Why were the structures not pulled down at the foundation stage? How did they connect electricity and water without permits? Should the conduct of the TDC and the TMA go unpunished when they have been collecting penalties and property rates from the so-called illegal residents? What reliefs were available to such residents, even if refugees from neighbouring countries are taken care of in this country?” she asked. Ms Addo said the effects of the demolition exercise at Adjei Kojo could not be quantified because it did not only displace people by making them look like refugees in their own country but also shattered the dreams and aspirations of their children. She said children and adults now slept in the open, a situation which made them vulnerable to the bites of mosquitoes, snakes and other insects. “We cannot also overlook the vices that could rear their heads, such as rape, theft and so on. Children are not able to go to school any longer. Food, shelter and water have now become a burden for a family which hitherto was able to fend for itself without support from anybody. The open defecation which is now the norm for the displaced citizens should be of great concern. This has its own attendant ailments and effects on the people,” she said. Ms Addo said the use of extreme force by the security operatives could lead to serious riots which might affect the peace and stability of the country. Contributions Contributing to the statement, Mr Assumeng, after he had been stopped by the Speaker from proceeding with the argument that the House was worrying itself unnecessarily over the demolition, said the matter needed to be referred to the leadership for action. The MP for Asawase, Alhaji Mohammed Mubarak Muntaka (NDC), said Parliament needed to look at the root cause of the problem and not deal with the symptoms. He said the House needed to ascertain who sold the land to the residents, who approved the building permits, why the officers who should have ensured that the buildings did not spring up in the area failed to discharge their duties and who connected water and electricity to the area. The allegation that property rates were collected from the people, among other things, he said, needed to be investigated. He also dwelt extensively on the frustration people went through to enquire about land at the Lands Commission and said that problem was partly responsible for the situation Ghana now found itself. Alhaji Muntaka said it was painful for people to toil for years to put up houses, only for state organisations to pull them down in a few minutes. He wondered why the TDC should look on while people put up structures on the land and then move in later to demolish them. He said any official of the TDC or any other organisation found to have given approval for the construction of the buildings or whose actions and inaction had led to the problem in Adjei Kojo needed to be punished. The MP for Sunyani West, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah (NPP), said it was unfortunate that innocent people bore the brunt of the inaction of public servants. He said there were laws regulating development which district, municipal and metropolitan assemblies were under an obligation to enforce but had failed to enforce which resulted in such demolitions. He said the length of time used to process applications was one of the factors that made people develop their plots of land without the requisite documents. Mr Awuah urged the assemblies to work hand in hand with the traditional authorities to ensure that development was controlled. He also called for a “synchronisation” of the laws establishing the TMA and the TDC, “so that we have one agency controlling development, otherwise we will continue to have these problems”. The MP for Nadowli/Kaleo, Mr Alban Bagbin (NDC), said the law establishing the TMA and the TDC were “conflicting and needed to be looked at again”. He said over the years, Human Rights Watch had mentioned Ghana as a country which abused human rights by demolishing houses and added that the tag was a bad one for a country in which democracy thrived. “The time has come for us to take up this matter and deal with it once and for all,” he said. The MP for Bimbilla, Mr Dominic Nitiwul (NPP), asked, “If the area where the demolition occurred is an illegal settlement, why did the utility companies collect bills form the residents.” Adjei Kojo case The Adjei Kojo case, he said, needed not to be taken in isolation and added that such demolitions occurred all over the country on a regular basis. The Minority Leader, Mr Osei Kyei-Mensah Bonsu (NPP), said it appeared as if both parties (the TDC and the residents) were not being candid on the issue. He said the demolition was carried out in a cruel manner and wondered if the TDC could not have waited for the residents to retrieve their items before the exercise. He said it was sad that the Land Administration Project (LAP) which was instituted to deal with problems associated with land acquisition had failed to address the problems.  

The Koforidua circuit court yesterday heard a chilling story of how two men said to be members of a gang of robbers that has been terrorising doctors of the Koforidua Medical Village locked up some of the doctors in their rooms and raped their female guests. The two - Samuel Kwame Akwetey (alias Agbeko) and Isaac Agomor - after satisfying themselves, called Gideon Boateng, one of their accomplices, who came in his vehicle and carted away a number of stolen items belonging to the doctors. The other members of the gang said to be responsible for a spate of armed robberies in other parts of the New Juaben Municipality are Godwin Ametorwu, Charles Awuku and Muhamed Zibo who, together with Boateng, were said to be accomplices. The six have been charged with conspiracy, rape, and armed robbery and dishonestly receiving and made their maiden appearance at the court a couple of days ago, but have again been remanded in custody to re-appear on February 17. Another person alleged to be a member of the gang, Harrison Ofori,is currently on the run. The adjournment is to enable the police ample time to complete their investigations. The prosecutor, Mrs Emily Addo Okyireh, a Chief State Attorney, pleaded with the court to give the police a few days to complete their investigations. Presenting what she referred to as a brief fact of the case, Mrs Addo Okyireh told the crowded court, presided over by Mr Ebenezer Osei, that on December 22, 2012 at about 1.30 a.m. while the doctors were asleep, Akwetey, Agomor (alias Baba), Ametorwu and Harrison, armed with a pistol and machetes, broke through the windows and attacked the doctors. She said they locked up the doctors in different rooms after which Akwetey and Agomor raped their female guests. Mrs Addo Okyireh stated that the robbers then called Gideon Boateng, who came in his Toyota Corolla saloon car, with registration number GE 2882- 12, to cart away the booty, made up of various items and cash. She further told the court that on January 23, this year (2014), a good Samaritan spotted Akwetey in the business area of Koforidua and caused his arrest. Akwetey, the prosecutor stated, during police interrogation, mentioned Agomor,Ametorwu and Harrison as other accomplices, as well as Awuku and Zibo who, he said, received the stolen items. Mrs Addo Okyireh said a number of items such as a pistol, belonging to one of the doctors, laptops, a DSTV decorder, 21 wax prints, which had been identified by some of their victims as theirs, had been retrieved from the gang. A car jack, two machetes and an industrial cutter suspected to have been used by the robbers in their operations have also been retrieved.