Journalist Under Attack By Police.

The Enchi District Police Commander, DSP Isaac Akligbe is preparing to charge Nana Yaw Asaasewura, a radio presenter at Trikie FM in Enchi for spreading false information against NADMO officials.
DSP Isaac Akligbe said that the presenter failed to provide evidence to back his claim that these NADMO officials have diverted relieve items to their girlfriends.
He went ahead to caution broadcasters against such unguarded statements, adding that “the police has great respect for the media and would not want to enforce the long arm of the law on media personnel.”
He advised presenters and broadcasters to cross check their facts before putting it across to listeners.
Nana Yaw was arrested last week following his comments against the NADMO officials after rumors emerged that some people did not receive some of the relieve items.
The regional minister confirmed the fact that some people did not receive the relieve items because items was not enough after touring the flood areas.
However Nana Yaw Asaasewura, the presenter thinks his human right is being trampled upon.

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Akpeteshi Can Cause Epilepsy : Chief Psychiatrist

The Chief Psychiatrist at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Dr. Akwasi Osei has disclosed that excessive consumption of strong alcoholic drinks like Akpeteshi, Gin and Whiskey causes epilepsy.

He made this known in an interview on Adom FM, explaining that heavy drinking is the major contributing factor leading to epilepsy in the Ghana.
Dr. Akwasi Osei further explained that when people get drunk and fell, they normally hit their head on the ground and this could damage their brain.
He therefore cautioned the entire public to take alcoholic drinks that have nutritional value and are good for the body. “You can drink palm wine or red wine once in a while because it is good for the body”, he said.
In another development, a consulting Naturopath at the Good Life Natural Health Clinic, David Nii Amankwa Addo admitted to a Ghananewslink.com reporter that strong alcoholic drinks such as ‘Akpeteshi’, Gin, Whiskey and other highly spirited drinks causes severe damage to the human body, blood and brain.
He also cautioned that these strong alcoholic drinks can cause brain damage, which can lead to epilepsy and madness .He therefore advised that people should not be habitual drinkers because it can affect their brains and their body as a whole.

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Court Sets Asabe's Wife Free

Zuleika Lorwia, the former Information Minister’s wife has won a case against the Bureau of National Investigation (BNI) in which she was accused of assault and forceful retrieval of items from a public officer.

However, she was found liable for verbal assault.

The charges were leveled against her after she allegedly fought officers of the BNI when they attempted to prevent her husband, Asamoah-Boateng and the family from leaving the country.

The Asamoah-Boateng’s were being investigated for causing financial loss to the state in the award of an 86,000 Ghana cedi refurbishment contract to Plexicom, a company belonging to Zuleika’s sister.

Judge Adwoa Coleman acquitted and discharged Zuleika of the first two charges but cautioned her on the last charged.

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Bawku Curfew Hours Reviewed

A statement signed by the Interior Minister, Martin Amidu said the Curfew hours imposed on the Bawku Municipality and its surroundings have been reviewed and renewed.
The statement also said with effect from Monday July 19th, the curfew hours has been changed from 6:00pm - 5:00pm to 10:00pm - 5:00am each day.
It further said that government continues to be encouraged by the sustained peace in Bawku and appealed to the Chiefs, Elders, Opinion leaders, youth and people of the area to be tolerant of each other to ensure Bawku regains its status as a commercial centre in the region.

Government repeated that there was a ban on all people in the Bawku Municipality and its immediate environs; Zabzugu, Binduri, Pusiga and Zoasi from carrying arms or any offensive weapons. Any person found violating the directive would be arrested and prosecuted.

The Ministry also on the advice of the Northern Regional Security Council and by an Executive Instrument renewed the curfew imposed on the Gushegu Township and its immediate environs for a week with effect from Monday, July 19.

The curfew hours for the Gushegu Township remain from 12 midnight to 4:00 am each day

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Floods Destroys Farmlands In Keta

Hundreds of hectares of farmlands have been submerged by the recent downpour destroying crops worth thousands of Ghana cedis in the Keta Municipality
Togbe Azadagli III, Keta Municipal Director of Agriculture told members of the National Task Force on Floods during a visit to the area on Saturday that about 100 acres of maize farms belonging to the Farmer Based Organizations that received support under the Millennium Challenge Authority (MCA) Project at Anloga were among the crops affected.
The Task Force,led by Mr. Joseph Yileh Chireh, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, toured flooded areas in the Keta Municipality and Ketu-South District,
Togbe Azadagli noted that the farmers received GH¢76,525 of MCA support in terms of fertilizers, seeds and land preparation.
Mr Kofi Portuphy, National Coordinator of the National Disaster Management Organization (NADMO) expressed the need for the development of appropriate infrastructure in support of projects.
He explained that the floods could have been prevented in the farms if drainage was considered at the planning stage of development.
Mr. Sylvester Tornyeava, Keta Municipal Chief Executive, called for the dredging of the Keta Lagoon to enable water to flow through it and also to minimize the extent of floods in the Keta area.
He called for more MCA support for the farmers to enable them to grow vegetables when the floods recede in August.
The team also visited Vodza, Kedzi and Anyanui areas in the Keta Municipality and Adina Denu and Agbozume in the Ketu-South District.
Mr Yileh Chireh noted that the devastation caused by floods in the area was extensive and had given new lessons in culvert designing and the height or thickness of roads.
He noted that there was the need to revive communal spirit, which had died down in communities.

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Sack Milovan Rajevac: Nana Akomea

Nana Akomea, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Okai-koi South said categorically that Black Star’s coach Milovan Rajevac should be sacked.
He made this known on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana show hosted by Shamima Muslim when he was asked to comment on the performance of the Black Stars in the tournament.
Nana Akomeah explained that he felt Prince Tagoe was one lousy player who needed to be taken off the field. “Milovan’s timing for substitution is very poor. Why will you let a player who is not performing well play full time when you have other players on the bench? Of what use is a winger who can’t even cross the ball for strikers from the wings?” He said.
He further asked that why are we keeping the coach if the team is not playing well.
In another development coach Milovan Rajevac insisted that he will carry on with his traditional 4-3-2-1 formation in our pending matches.
He further defended his tactical formation, which the critics cited for Ghana’s inability to score more than one goal in a match.
Coach Milovan is more concerned about his team’s conversion rate; he does not only consider the 4-3-2-1 formation as the most progressive, especially, at such high levels, but rather blames the frontline players for not being able to utilize their chances created in matches.
Addressing the issue of Ghana’s poor conversion rate during matches, Milovan explained that the players sometimes hold on to the ball for too long. He noted that in our match against USA on Saturday it is very important that the Black Stars scored a ‘proper goal’.

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We Have Been Vindicated – AMA Boss

The Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly, Alfred Vanderpuije says the AMA was not wrong in pulling down houses supposedly built on waterways in most parts of the capital.
Alfred Vanderpuije explained that the demolishing exercise carried out at Osu, Mataheko, Sakaman, Odorkor, Kaneshie, chorkor and other surrounding areas in the capital helped to prevent some of these areas from experiencing severe floods as compared to the previous years
He noted that the demolishing exercise was a move in the right direction, adding that AMA would continue to demolish houses built on waterways to prevent floods during severe rainfall.
“Ghanaians must thank the president and government for taking such a bold step to decongest the city,” the AMA Boss said, and advised all citizens to stay away from unhelpful politics.
17 people were reported dead at Ashaiman due to the torrential rains which led to severe flooding in most parts of Ashaiman and the Tema Municipalities.
A total of 35 bodies have so far been retrieved from floodwaters across the country by volunteers and rescue workers and hundreds of people are reported to have lost properties amounting to millions of Ghana Cedis in what Ghanaian media consider the nation’s worst flood disaster.

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The President Has Said It Well, But?

President Mills has cautioned that government would not hesitate to demolish structures that are situated on waterways in every part of the country.

His statement follows the Chief Executive of the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA), Alfred Vanderpuije’s position that the demolishing exercise that took place around some areas like Osu and Sakaman earlier this year prevented those areas from flooding.

On Tuesday, The AMA Boss said that more lives would have been lost had they not done that job.

A lot of lives are lost every year just because people continue to build on water ways, and also because of inadequate drainage facilities in most communities, and even in places where they exist people keep dumping refuse and other solid waste in them; this makes it difficult for water to flow to where it is supposed to when it rain.

There is a big argument surrounding the flooding issue. Every year when the rains come, parts of the country always get flooded.

Some parts of Abose Okai, Kaneshie and other part of Accra got flooded in 2009 as a result of choked gutters and poor drainage system in the area.

Ghana has been facing the issue of poor drainage for a very long time.

There are areas in Accra that do not have drains and as a result, these areas flood anytime the rains come.

As the issue of demolishing of structures, which have been built on water ways is being tackled, the districts, municipal and metropolitan assemblies and the government in collaborating with the Ministry of Roads and Transport should also try to identify ways of planning the drainage systems in the country and how to distil choked gutters in the country.

It is about time that horrible attitude of dumping refuse in the gutters by residents be stopped.
The masses also should be educated on the dangers involved in dumping them in the drain and how to properly dispose refuse in order to save us all and our properties.
Bismarck Nii Ogbamey Tetteh

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GFA Clear the Atmosphere of Doubt

The Ghana Football Association (GFA) has confirmed that Sulley Muntari is still a member of the Black Stars team for the World Cup tournament underway in South Africa.

The GFA noted that Sulley Muntari reacted angrily and in a way that was offensive to the team’s Code of Conduct in the outcome of Ghana’s game against Australia last Saturday at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium, Rustenburg.

He was accordingly reprimanded for his behaviour with the player explaining that, his actions were borne out of his frustration by the team’s inability to record a win.
Muntari has since apologized to the Management, technical team and playing body of the Black Stars.

The player has also reiterated his commitment and loyalty to the team and his readiness to play and give off his utmost best to the team.

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Checks and Balances in the Media

It has become a common say that the media is the fourth estate of a nation besides the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The media is suppose to bridge the rift between the government and the governed, providing a platform for social debate and consensus building as well as the stage for diverse ideologies on the best development prospects for the nation.
Many international organizations in formulating their index variables for measuring the development of a country don’t fail to consider the “freedom of expression” in each country. Due to the pivotal role of the media in the worldwide campaign for greater freedom, the expression freedom of speech is frequently used interchangeably with freedom of the media.
Freedom of speech has never been practiced in its absolute form but has been curtailed by various forms of limitations from governments, agencies and trade associations.
In its broad sense it isn’t just the liberty towards verbal speech but also the will to seek, receive and to impart ideas or facts on a subject.
In Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, freedom of speech forms part of the fundamental human rights of an individual likewise in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights where it stands for “the right to hold opinions without interference. Everyone shall have the right to freedom of expression.”
Reporters without borders, a team of global media monitors in a publication in the first quarter of the year ranked Ghana as first in terms of press freedom in Africa and the twenty seventh in the world. This comes as an indication of the increasing respect for freedom in the country.
Indeed Ghana has come a long way in terms of press libration. Backtracking to the regime of the first President of the republic, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, informed by his socialist ideas intended to make the media a partner of the government in their development efforts. The media will associate with the government and communicate the intent of policies so it can galvanize mass support from the governed.
Though many who buy into such socialist ideas believe it was the best thing for a young independence, it can equally be argued that it places some undesirable limitations on the practice of journalism. Particularly, it does not allow public debate and stifles the quest for alternative developmental ideas.
Subsequently, the country witnessed even more stringent limitations under different regimes through the enactment of draconian laws and jurisprudence. A classic example of such a law is the Criminal Libel Law to which many media practitioners have fallen victim.
In May 1999, an Accra High court leveled civil damages to the tune of 40 million cedis (4,000 Ghana cedis) against the publishers of the Ghanaian Chronicle after the court found libelous a report by the paper alleging self-dealing and other misconduct by the then Minister of Roads.
While public officials could resort to the law to protect their reputation to provided no excuse of libel for journalists, not even for those who genuinely err in practice without the share intent to do so.
Thankfully, 2001 saw the repeal of the Criminal Libel Law through a unanimous vote by parliament and the passage of the Criminal Code (Repeal of the Criminal and Seditious Laws-Amendment Bill) Act 2001
On the flip side of the coin, there is the need for some form of regulation for any kind of profession. This helps to wean off unprofessional tendencies as well as maintain decency within the profession.
In the first quarter of this year, Ghanaians were stupendously dismayed by the confessions of Baby Ansabah, (whose real name is Ebenezer Ato Sam) the editor of the ‘Punch newspaper’ about how he deliberately published maligning stories about the health of the then candidate Mills now president of Ghana.
He was relentless in publishing how sick his subject (President Mills) was, suggesting that the professor was going to drop dead anytime. This sought to score point for an opposing candidate and render Mills unpopular.
So the question still remains as to the best way to maintain checks and balances in the media practice. One suggestion is self regulation and the observation of ethics in the media.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), a professional body for media practitioners is championing this course with its adoption of the code of conduct for the media.
Article 1 for instance stipulates that, “the duty of every journalist is to write and report the truth, bearing in mind his/her duty to serve the public. The public have the right to unbiased, accurate, balanced and comprehensive information as well as express themselves freely through the media. A journalist should make adequate enquiries and cross-check his/her facts.”
But can an organization whose membership is wholly voluntary and again without any legal enforcement powers manage such a vibrant and devise industry like the media. Either way, the media excruciatingly cries for some regulation.
To prevent the reoccurrence of the earlier mentioned external regulation, the media must be seen to be performing it’s duties with every iota of professionalism. After all, it’s the fear of the media that leads governments to take protective measures.
As put by Napoleon Bonaparte, "I fear the newspapers more than a hundred thousand bayonets."
ARCHIBALD MANU OWUSU-ANSAH JNR

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