Atta Wayo Saga In Perspective

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Alfred Agbsi Woyome has become a well-known name on the lips of many people across the streets and in many households in Ghana over the last two months. My grand mother asked me rhetorically if Mr. Woyome was able to have a sound sleep. I told her he brought this to himself. He bit off more than he can chew. Let us not forget last year, on Citi FM he attacked the integrity of Hon. Kennedy Agyapong and he admonished the security apparatus to arrest Mr. Agyapong. Subsequently, Mr. Agyapong on Adom FM also attacked the integrity of him and quoted portions of the Auditor General’s report to substantiate his points.

This 580 billion old Ghana cedis doled out to Mr. Woyome per the 2010 Auditor General’s report would not have gained the same magnitude in the media if it went through the normal rituals on the Public Account Committee (PAC) in parliament. All other judgment debts should also be scrutinized thoroughly and those found culpable should be made to refund our moneys and if possible appropriate criminal charges should also be preferred against the culprits. A lot have been said on this Woyome saga and I would not want to bore my readers. I will look at the Atta Wayo saga on three cardinal points; Corruption, Governance and Integrity.

Corruption: Woyome, which many people mistakenly pronounce as “Wayome” and its saga thereof has become a cancerous cell in the flesh of the ruling NDC. The colossal amount of moneys doled out to Mr. Woyome, Water Ville Company and other judgment debts captured in the Auditor General’s report and the complexities involved smells of conspiracy and gross corruption.

Last year, December 22, I heard David Annan, a solicitor for Mr. Woyome say on Radio Ghana that the NPP is a looting brigade. And that President Kufuor and his cohorts abrogated Woyome’s contract because it was getting to election 2008. They (NPP) thought Mr. Woyome would use the money in financing the NDC campaign. When asked about the contract Mr. Woyome had with President Kufuor’s administration he resorted to the agreement between the erstwhile government and Water Ville Company. His client, Mr. Woyome on Peace FM’s morning show said categorically he had no contract with President Kufuor’s government. I still cannot understand the negligence and irresponsible manner the government has handed this matter. For the Auditor General he should bow down his head in shame for his unnecessary “busy-body U-turn” press statement.

Governance: The Woyome saga has exposed the bad governance in this current administration. Whilst President Mills requested for a report during his vacation in New York, the deputy Chief of Staff, Alex Segbefia was defending Mr. Woyome on a national radio. Benjamin Akyena Brentuo, a special assistant to the deputy Chief of Staff was also acting as a media liaison officer to Mr. Woyome. Now, President Mills comes back to Ghana from his long trip and has asked the Economic and Organized Crimes Office (EOCO) to institute a fact finding into the Woyome saga. EOCO has also said they are interested in crimes and are not a fact finding body. The deputy Attorney-General, Ebo Barton Oduro also said on Joy FM the state has a bad case hence, they did not enter defense in court to challenge Mr. Woyome. I have catalogued these few events to show how insensitive the government has been with respect to this saga. Mrs. Betty Mould Iddrisu’s resignation has even been long overdue and many appointees connected to these losses of moneys should be fired.

It was pathetic when I heard a group called “Concern Members of the NDC” on various radio stations spew out ignorance. They are either misinformed or/and they deliberately want to be mischievous. They claim President Kufuor, Mr. Yaw Osafo Marfo, Hon. O.B. Amoah and others should be arrested and dragged before EOCO. Are they not aware Mr. Osafo Marfo and the others have gone to court to challenge the jurisdiction of EOCO to interrogate them? Until the court gives it verdict nobody can arrest them. They have also argued the 25 member committee (13 MPs from the majority and 12 MPs from the minority) of the PAC have the exclusive right to interrogate them in connection with the findings of the Auditor General’s report. And the sittings of the PAC would be broadcast on television and radio for the ordinary Ghanaian to know what actually happened.

I think Mr. Martin Amidu has done well by amending the earlier writ. But he should have resigned after releasing his explosive statement on Thursday, January 12 before his sack. As usual because of the incompetence and unnecessary faux-pas by this government, they have given an ambiguous reason in relieving Mr. Amidu of his post. Was it necessary at all? Because of insincerity and dishonesty on the path of government in this Woyome saga, we are told Mr. Amidu was fired because of misconduct in a meeting presided by President Mills. The said meeting was held on Friday, 13 January and later Daily Graphic reported that its sources at the castle told the paper Mr. Amidu pleaded for lenience. This has not been challenged by the presidency so far. On Thursday, 19 January, a statement was released and signed by the Chief of Staff, Mr. Martey Newman that’s says Mr. Amidu has been fired because of misconduct. What confusion!

Indiscipline which the NDC want Ghanaians to see as democracy, lack of coherence and hands off leadership in government is shameful to say the least. An independent investigation should be constituted to bring to light the allegations made by Mr. Amidu. If the former Attorney-General and former running mate to then candidate Mills, Mr. Amidu alleges his life is in danger under the Presidency of Prof. Mills, are the rest of us safe? He should also come out with the name of his former colleague minister who wanted to conceal a gargantuan crime against the state.

Integrity: President Mills’ intergrity has been fractured by this Woyome saga. I am yet to come to terms with what President Mills meant by, he was unaware of the money given to Mr. Woyome. Interestingly, our President says his target is not Mr. Woyome and that he is not about to embarrass the recipients of judgment debts. He is interested in how the liabilities came about. Is it that President Mills is not in charge or/and he is condoning broad daylight corruption? Both sides of the coin are not in the interest of Ghana. Sincerely, I see no reason why Mr. Woyome and Water Ville Company should not be target for a criminal investigation aside the civil matter in court. Mr. President, you have the opportunity to redeem yourself and the government from this Woyome scandal. Ghanaians and the international communities are watching keenly to unfolding events.

And to those defending the indefensible, there is a saying that “If a hooligan isn’t repulsive to you, it’s easy to tell that you are one yourself; admire a robber, and then you may be a crook”

The future of this country belongs to we the youth and if we are endearing this high economic hardship meted to us, why should the tax payers money be given to some few individuals for no work done? The dishonesty that shrouds these colossal amounts of moneys given to selected individuals is heart breaking. And, we the youth especially have the power to send this government to opposition for a more responsible government to reclaim what belongs to us and also to put this country on the right pedestal.

God bless us all.

Solomon Kabu ([email protected]) 0241133727

Is God really the president of Ghana?

Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei
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Ghanaians are well-noted for our fanatic religiosity which makes it easy for us to adopt this ‘fama nyame’ attitude even in the face of clear bullying by plain-faced cowards and fictitious pious people. With this typical Ghanaian religiousity, we have often been hoodwinked by extremely hungry hyenas that come to us in sheep-clothes. These people present themselves as true embodiment of character of the almighty God only to lead us astray and into the abyss. In recent times, there have been numerous cases of ‘men of God’ going on rampage and sexually abusing married women, young girls, and in some cases, complete infants who have absolutely nothing sexually attractive about them. These despicable cases of sexual abuse by these pastoral charlatans have been possible, largely on the account that, the average Ghanaian married woman will be prepared to forego the needs of her husband under the instruction of her so-called pastor.

A married woman who probably has not undertaken her domestic assignment required of her as a wife, will hurriedly rush to deliverance service by a new ‘prophet’ in town. Some of them get so engrossed in such practices to the extent where the survivals of their very marriage lives begin to suffer. And when this happens, the old lady sitting her somewhere and minding her own business then becomes the obvious target of senseless witchcraft accusations. Such accusations have also resulted in completely innocent aged people being tortured, with some of them, often murdered.

Abusing God’s name

These unfortunate incidents are taking place in our nation just because some extremely wicked people who know absolutely nothing about the gospel of Christ, have realized that the average Ghanaian will quickly swallow, hook-line-and-sinker, even cow-dung only if it is presented in the form of the gospel. As a result, these ‘men of God’ invest heavy resources in securing airtime on Radio/TV and only thing they do with these airtimes is to simply invite people into their churches by announcing their phone numbers on air and giving directions to their locations.

On air, these so-called men of God will extol their personal healing prowess and how they can bring instant relief to every troubled soul. Some of them will claim they have been to Israel and are back with special anointing oil mixed with special herbs plugged from trees planted on the grave of Jesus Christ!!Some of them even go to the extent of claiming that their special healing anointing-oil was squeezed out of olive trees planted on the exact location where Joseph(the father of Jesus Christ) met and proposed marriage to the virgin Mary(the mother of Christ).

Such embellished lies, in the final analysis, do have some effect on some gullible individuals in our society who then end up falling pray to these wolfs!!As a matter of fact, some men too, in their attempt to travel abroad in order to change their economic circumstances, have fallen prey to these charlatans when they are duped of hard-earned resources that could have rather been put into a useful venture here at home.

In the end, these evil men of Satan masquerading as pious men of God, end up destroying once peaceful homes, turn bosom friends into bitter foes, thriving entrepreneurs into abject paupers, stable minds into sad illusions, perfect dreams/visions into mirage and self-confidence into self-pity. Unfortunatlety,evil practices of these ‘men of God’ are being replicated, on a rather massive scale, by some individuals within our political class who go about shouting on roof-tops, their self-acclaimed piety, ‘asomdweeheneship’ and Christian divinity.

The people of this nation went to the polls in 2008 to elect a president to lead us. A little over 50% of the voting population voted for Atta-Mills, based on what he and members of his party told the people of this nation. Ghanaians were made to accept the argument that the NPP administration had come to worsen their economic woes and for their human dignity to be restored, it was incumbent on the citizenry to massively vote against the NPP.

The people of this nation were told that they were being governed by evil people who had no sympathy for the down-trodden and also had no fear of God in them. As a result, a man born of a woman and is therefore susceptible to every fallibility under the sun, was consciously packaged and presented to the people of this nation, as someone who had just descended from heaven with no blemish. The great deception of 2008 And just like how these fake pastors ply their trade, the people of Ghana were deceived into believing that someone with the qualities akin to that of apostle Paul, had been discovered after painstaking search in the holy land of Christ’s ancesstory and carefully transplanted here in our land.

They said this super-pious being was going to deliver us from all our socio-economic woes. We were also promised of a paradise-like Ghana where corruption, immorality, hunger, homelessness, sickness and ‘pocketisis’ (empty pockets) shall be a thing of the past. We were also to have government officials who hate 4-WD vehicles, multi-billion dollar mansions, juiciest contracts et all. Bachelors and spinsters who were finding it almost impossible to secure marriage partners due to lack of resources, brought about by joblessness, were promised of a ‘better Ghana’ where every indi vidual was guaranteed a beautiful/handsome bride/bride-groom respectively.

And with such juicy promise of a land where there is plenty of milk and honey, and that poverty and squalor were going to be a thing of the past for every Ghanaian so we could simply lie in bed for honey to be dripping, constantly, into our mouths, you can certainly bank your hopes on being swarmed by eagerly expectant legion. The NDC, in addition to this wicked deception, employed other ‘bugabuga’ tactics as banishing NPP polling agents from their Volta Region stronghold and invasion of EC with murder weapons. In the end, the results went in their favour.But just like these fake pastors, the NDC, after deceiving the people with sweet promises to vote for them, have ended up duping them of the little resources they had, by way of imposition of wicked taxes, high fuel prices, astronomic road tolls, exorbitant food prices and so on. Novelties vrs empty promises The little line of social nets as NHIS,MMT,LEAP,school feeding programme, antenatal care and so on, have all been allowed to collapse by people who presented themselves as saviours but have turned out to be just like these ‘men of God’ who go about defrauding people. As a result of current joblessness, inspite of ‘creation’ of multi-billion job placements as announced by ‘pikin na boloo’ Ablakwah, existing marriages are collapsing like packs of cards. Unmarried young-women promised of blissful matrimonies, by the NDC, are fast going down the menopausal hill while the young-men are fast losing their testicular-virility with its resultant fading libido.

The streets of our nation’s major cities and towns that were to be transformed into the likes of Paris and Geneva, within a period of one-hundred days, are now sanctuaries of decaying mountainous filth. Fatalistic cholera disease has now become the lot of the already suffering Ghanaian.

The gold-paved roads of a promised paradise where we were all to be walking hand-in-hand in perfect love and happiness have now been turned into grounds of mass murder through horrific road accidents. Our modest places of work and humble abodes have come under mysterious hellish infernos. Poverty-induced Suicides and stress related spousal butchering have become the order of the day. Lately, the greatest of all abomination in the sight of God, which is homosexualism, as our Asante folks will fittingly put it; ‘ate atesei wo Ghana’. Appointees of the current administration are going on rampage with guns at the heads of young-women and subjecting them to ferocious bouts of sexual abuse.HIV-carrying managers of state institutions are demanding sex from job-seeking young female graduates and infecting some of them in the process.

What the current Mills-Mahama administration has done, and continues to do to the people of this nation, is flawlessly akin to activities of these fake pastors who are wreaking havoc in homes, inflicting pain on people and shattering hopes of already hopeless citizenry.

And inspite of all these, the president still goes about proclaiming that God is the president of this grand deception that has landed us in the current mess we find ourselves in as a people. The question then is: will God, in His infinite wisdom, preside over such downright chaos and grand deception? Oh, what a sacrilegious hypocrisy!!!

Justice Abeeku Newton-Offei

E-mail: [email protected]

Ghanaians Must Stop Paying Taxes!

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Generational Thinkers, is a group made up of ambitious and inspirational young men and women. The group which has a prime objective of ensuring an egalitarian method of compensation, where there will be equity, peace, tranquility, justice and fairness in all spheres of the governing dispensation of this nation.

It is very unfortunate that from the beginning of the fourth republic, we have never been enthused about the way and manner in which our dear country has been run by our politicians.

We have monitored and delved into the historical development of our dear country and if something drastic is not done to rescue the country from our greedy politicians from further deepening the woes of the country by their corrupt act of governance, this country will soon find itself in a shamble beyond repairs as we indicated in our previous press release.

We made it clear in our previous release that, we were going to embark on a ‘SPIRITUAL NATIONWIDE MARCH’ to express our displeasure with our current order, but after a series of consultation with our forefathers, we have been alerted that they are livid at the way the resources and the taxes are been used. They have stated that we should stop paying taxes in this country until the authorities in charge stop using the monies paid as tax to pay their political party financiers, buying medals to award themselves, channeling those resources in an unproductive venture and a lot more.

Our call to Ghanaians not to pay tax is simply due to lack of trust in the authorities of this country for consistently misusing public funds. We have realized that both the NPP and NDC who have been in charge of Ghana since 1992 are likeminded. When it is time for them to take decisions that will benefit members of their party, they hasten; just take a look at the WOYOME SAGA. On the contrary, when it comes to developmental issues, they take piecemeal approach and adopt tactics that has lead to the current kwashiorkor nature of Ghana. They have no love, vision or plan for the development of Ghana. The earlier we all stopped their source of income the best.

We are therefore calling on all Ghanaians irrespective of where they are, what they do and where they work to stop paying tax in order to bring the authorities to order. We wish to invite all well-meaning Ghanaians who have the interest of the country at heart to join in this positive defiance.

Signed:
ABUBAKAR MUBARAK (MP)
AG. COORDINATOR
Email: [email protected]
0208343258

Betty’s resignation:

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“Per the standards set for Ghanaians in 1979, most of Prof. Mills’ appointees should be led to Teshie shooting range this afternoon.”

This was a comment posted on my facebook wall by one Fusieni Issah of SIC Financial Services Limited in reaction to Hon. Betty Mould-Iddrisu’s resignation. Such benighted commentary from a seemingly educated Ghanaian saddens my heart.

The people of Ghana have a right to feel outraged by the loss of public funds through negligence on the part of politicians and civil servants. The expression of anger over the judgment debt paid to Mr. Alfred Woyome is therefore rightly placed. However, it is very important we are guided by the principle of legal right and democracy.

Democracy is so much more than going to the polls and having elections. The building blocks of a democratic society, among other components include the principle of legal right. It is only the courts, which are vested with the authority to pronounce guilt on anyone, and if we truly want our country to stand out as a shining example of the rule of law, if we want outsiders to look at our country with reverence and respect, we ought to submit to the courts instead of trials in the courts of public opinion.

It is hard not to notice the personal attacks on Betty. These attacks are not only unfair; they are a prelude to a subversion of justice. The case is under investigation, she has stepped aside as a measure of goodwill and that is good news.

Whether she was pushed out or she jumped is immaterial. We should focus on getting to the heart of the issue; we should be encouraging people to cooperate with EOCO, and not crucifixion on the basis of suspicion of negligence. Her decision to resign is commendable and does her more good than harm. It is in the government’s best interest. If a government gets attacked incessantly over a controversy involving one of its members, the best thing such a member could do is to put country and government over personal interest by stepping aside and that is exactly what Betty has done. If the people feel she has done anything wrong, let judgment take its course in the courts and not the media. Betty Mould has endeared herself as the woman who put down her job to save her government from being distracted.

Ras Mubarak

www.rasmubarak.net [email protected]

For God’s Sake Jake Hand Over Ridge Residence

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In the continent of Africa and the little space that God has given to us called Ghana, there are some issues which make you wonder whether the Good Lord did us a big disfavour by giving us an insight to the written language “education”. To exacerbate our problems the ‘devil” added politics into the potent mixture of greed, incompetence and poverty stricken Africa. For example, every issue in contemporary Ghana is seen within the context of NDC or NPP. A time will come when even the food that we eat will be a determining factor in our political allegiance.

It is a bloody shame- we have lost the ability to debate, analyse, convince and use data and statistics to argue our point. Just last week a young gentleman was jailed 2 years for stealing 2 fowls in our NPP and NDC country by a learned Judge. Two days ago a young lady from the Volta Region lost her life due to her inability to pay for the cost of blood. These are not phantom stories, they are not numbers, they are real people, citizens of Ghana and they all have families.

What angers most ordinary Ghanaians is the sheer hypocrisy and “joined-up” economic crimes being committed by the educated elite on the majority impoverished souls. Bear in mind, the Arab Spring Awakening was begun by a small petty trader in Tunisia who set himself alight. Why? “his small kiosk” his only means of earning peanuts was going to be demolished

What has got my back up? As reported in the news, the Supreme Court (SC) has directed its registrar to serve hearing notices on Okudzeto Ablakwa and Emmanuel Omane Boamah in the case in which the two are challenging Hon Jake’s right to purchase a Government bungalow he occupied as a Minister of State. The two were seeking a declaration that by virtue of Articles 20(5), 23, 257, 258,284 and 296 of the 1992 Constitution, the Government was obliged to retain and continue to use in the public interest the property in dispute.

Folks you know what, our most learned Judges and brightest legal brains decided to adjourn the case sine die. For Heaven’s Sake “Learned Judges”, do not confuse us mere mortals with big legal jargons. Haba! Do we need the Supreme Court to decide on this issue? The Former Minster of Housing, Lands Commissioner and all those involved in this shameful and disgraceful sale of this property must bow down their heads in shame.

The patience of most Ghanaians is fast running out! Many Ghanaians live in abject poverty, suffer daily treatment of poverty psychosis, are hounded out of their shed in the name of the law, and are sick and tired of our elected politicians, educated ones, opinion leaders using Articles and legal procedures to confuse them.

Even my “uneducated” aunties at Nkawie knows that the palace built by the late chief of Nkawie belongs to the whole village and is meant as a living quarters for the current chief- and cannot be sold to any ex-Chief. What about our Learned Judges?

Haba, Haba, Haba! Why, Why, Why- awurade yesu hun ye mobo. Just let us assume that

Alasdair Darling, the former Finance Minister in the Labour Government decided to purchase

his official residence, No 11 Downing Street after leaving office – what would have been the

reaction? Folks are you aware that the first Chancellor to occupy No 11, was Lord

Henry Petty in 1828 and it still serves as the residence of the current Chancellor George

Osborne.

Hon Jake, Please return this property and stop contesting this case- you will and must not be

allowed to acquire No 2 Mango Street, Ridge.

Kufuor, Appiah-Danquah

Komla Dumor; Ghana’s Pride on BBC

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Komla Dumor

Ghana’s ace BBC news anchor, Komla Dumor, makes another jump not only to the top but a platform that uplifts the pride of Ghana. Komla Dumor, the only West African presenter on BBC World News, keeps soaring as he makes an intriguing breakthrough in broadcast journalism.

He commenced his journalism career at Joy Fm as a traffic watch reporter revealing the challenges people encounter on the road. His firm control over the foreign dialect, English, and perfect description of the traffic situations confronting the nation pulled to his side many admirers.

Komla Dumor made his mark after the departure of Tommy Annan-Forson who was then the host of the Super Morning Show on Joy Fm. After Tommy¹s departure,he assumed the role of the Super Morning Show host, re-branded it and became a suitable replacement. In a later time, he had become the focus of many Ghanaians as during his reign on radio in Ghana, he was unmatchable.

He became the mouthpiece for the voiceless in the country and trumpeted the interest of the masses for prompt response. Vendors, Taxi drivers, hawkers and several Ghanaians took their turns to make their voices heard. Komla did what many could not do by attacking the controversies of life and ensuring the underprivileged are well catered for.

His diligence and determination won him the Best Journalist of the Year award in 2003, conferred on him by the Ghana Journalist Association.

His achievements within the media fraternity could not have been more honorable without projecting his dream beyond the shores of Ghana. The climax of his hard work saw him become the only West African presenter with the African Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

In September 1, 2008, he was promoted from the African Service to the World Service of the corporation. With this promotion, he was on his way to reaching millions of people in the world. He has today made himself and the nation proud as the first Ghanaian and African to hop to such stage on BBC.

He has interviewed legendary personalities on the world map and Wednesday, January 25, 2012 is no exception as he hosted one of Microsoft¹s giants, Bill Gates, on various BBC screens across the world.

The 56 billion dollar face of Microsoft, Bill Gates, not only a powerful personality but also the second richest man in the world, was interviewed by Ghana¹s pride Komla Dumor today. The interview centered on a variety of issues basically a reaction to earlier speech by US President Barak Obama who called for an imposition of higher taxes on the wealthy.

The world-class interview today can go into the history of Ghana as the first Ghanaian journalist to host the most wanted Microsoft giant in the world. Komla Dumor has indeed lifted the flag of Ghana high and indeed, Ghana is the gateway to Africa.

Story by Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/X fm 95.1/Accra/Ghana

MASS TRANSIT PROGRAMME WILL REDUCE TRANSPORTATION COST -AGANGA

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Mass transit programme will reduce transportation cost -Aganga
From WALTER UKAEGBU, Abuja
Thursday, January 26, 2012

The Minister of Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, has said that Federal Government’s Mass Transit Programme would reduce the cost of transportation across the country. Speaking during the flagging off of the operations of the mass transit buses in Abuja, Aganga said the Federal Government was committed to ensuring the successful implementation of the policy.

“If you look at the transportation cost, it has four major areas, which are: maintenance cost, financing cost, overhead cost, fuel cost and. However, the only part that was affected by the removal of the fuel subsidy was the fuel cost. If you look at the cost and the contribution to the total cost, fuel contributes about 26 per cent of the total cost of transportation fare.
“Assuming you were buying PMS at N141, the maximum increase in transport fare should not have exceeded 30 per cent for PMS driven vehicles.

For diesel-powered vehicles, it shouldn’t affect transportation fare significantly because there was no increase in the price of diesel. But the experience was that transport fare went up significantly. We then computed the impact of the access to the mass transit-revolving loan at zero percent. If you compare that to getting a commercial loan of about 18-21 per cent, that immediately brings the price down. And when we computed it, the price is supposed to be the same or lower than the pre-removal of subsidy, which was what the president directed us to work towards.

Aganga noted that, owing to incentives provided by the Federal Government to transport operators, they (transport operators) had agreed to reduce the cost of transportation by at least 20 per cent. “I am delighted that the NURTW, NARTO and other transporters agreed that if we are able to make that loan available to them on those terms, they will charge 20 per cent less than what they charged before subsidy was removed.

Unfortunately, we were able to put it to work immediately because of the strike. But I am delighted to say that few days ago, the scheme started operating in Abuja. And the routes we went to, pre-subsidy removal they were charging N100 for that route but post subsidy removal they were charging between N150 and N200.

Nationwide Defenders of Corruption

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A talk about the bad effects of corruption on our people, country and continent will be a mere waste of breath. Everyone knows how this menace has eaten us up, barely putting our development, both national and individual on a halt. It is therefore heartbreaking to know that people supposed to put up a fierce fight against it rather shamelessly defend same.

I have little time to waste on the Woyomegate saga. But I can’t ignore the dismissal of Hon Martin Amidu under such bizarre circumstances. It still baffles me that president Mills came on Radio Gold to defend his friends associated to this gargantuan crime of looting the state of close to a trillion cedis. It touched my spine that words like “I am not here to disgrace the beneficiaries of the judgement debt” could emanate from the very mouth of our head of state. What is even more surprising is that, three days after the Ex Attorney General(Hon Martin Amidu) had initiated the process of trailing the “gargantuan Criminals” and to use his position as the state attorney to prosecute them for the crimes against the country, President Mills saw it fit to dismiss him.

I can’t stop thinking of the big blow this has done to our fight against corruption. I am not Mr Amidu’s fan but anybody who takes the step Mr Amidu took in circling the Robbers of our land will sure be a hero to me. Instead of gaining support and strengthening, he has rather been thrown together with his ideals of integrity and patriotism into the cold.

Apart from the president not giving any tangible reason for chasing the sincerely nationalistic minded man from office, his(the president’s) remaining integrity when it comes to fighting corruption has been washed away by the flimsy and shallow excuse that Mr Amidu’s behavior is not up to the standard of a minister of state. His defense of Mutaka and the dismissal of those who blew the whistle on the former Youth and Sports Minister coupled with the surprising transfer of the TOR whistle blowers had successfully portrayed the president as one who was in accord with those found culpable for corrupt practices. This latest development relating to his once running mate shows he is not only in accord with such corrupt officials but actually teams up with them to defend the evil they do against this state.

For the first time I have been courageous to say without doubt that all the atrocities the lieutenants of President Mills are committing are with his blessings. He has in dismissing Mr Amidu showed that he will defend those who will do anything at all to the state whilst pretending to be obedient to him. If you are the type of Sekou Nkrumah who will see the wrong and point it out or like Martin Amidu who will be prepared to bring the criminals in his government to book, you cannot work with him. Be a Rawlings and point to his mistakes and you will be called a “dog”.

A clear show of the presidents disapproval of the bold initiative of Hon Martin Amidu is his appointment of EOCO to handle a case which is obviously outside of their jurisdiction whilst the then Attorney general who has the constitution authority to prosecute such cases was ignored. Because long before now, as Mr Amidu said in his press statement, his work was a threat to President Mills’ corrupt cronies and his favorite “rented publishers”.

If president Mills had any trust in him what could have prompted referring this case to EOCO when it is clearly within the jurisdiction of the attorney generals office? The worst show by any Ghanaian head of state in his stance against corruption is that of President John Evans Atta Mills in the Woyomegate saga and the dismissal of Hon Martin Amidu. And the entire administration and it’s “mouths pieces” are supporting this bad stand nationwide and defending corruption together with their leader without any shame.

Reagan Adomah Koduah.

London, UK. e-mail: [email protected]

WORK GROUNDED IN CHEVRON AS IJAW WOMEN LOCK OUT WORKERS

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Work grounded in Chevron as Ijaw women lock out workers
From EMMANUEL OGOIGBE, Warri
Thursday, January 26, 2012

Activities were grounded at Chevron yesterday in Warri, Delta State as scores of Ijaw women locked out workers of the multibillion naira company in protest against alleged marginalization and inhuman treatment. The protesters from Kolu Ama clan, in Bayelsa State said the American oil giant since 1953 had made life miserable for the oil bearing community and vowed not to leave the office premises until the misdeed against them was addressed.

The protesters, who were half-naked carried placards with the inscriptions, ‘Chevron must go, we don’t need your food’, ‘since 1953 Chevron has been operating in the area there is no visible progress, no meaningful development’, we want World Heath Organization to come to our aid.’ Others inscription were “we are suffering, we have no potable water, no light, many lives have been lost as a result of Chevron’s insensitivity to our plight”, we are fed up with the divide and rule tactics of Chevron.”

Speaking, the leader of the group, Mrs. Epowotei Edi, told newsmen that they decided to take the action because Chevron had refused to listen to their complaints.“We are not leaving this premises until our issue is solved. Chevron has been operating in our area since 1953 and there is nothing to show that Kolu-Ama is an oil producing area,” said the leader, who is also the wife of Kolu-Ama King community.

“Most pathetic is that Chevron used dynamite while prospecting for oil but after five days, angry wave took over the whole area and devastated the community and it’s source of livelihood,” she said bitterly. According to her, each time there was oil spill, Chevron in its deceitful manner would bring food only without adequate compensation, lamenting that recently there was gas explosion in the area, which destroyed the community source of livelihood, yet Chevron was trying to cover-up the massive spillage.

CORRUPTION IS TEARING NIGERIA DOWN –OPADOKUN

News Ghana
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Corruption is tearing Nigeria down –Opadokun
By CHINELO OBOGO
Thursday, January 26, 2012

• Opadokun

Former secretary of Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Ayo Opadokun has described government’s fight against corruption as insincere. In an interview with CHINELO OBOGO, he speaks on the fight against the menace and other national issues.
Government’s fight against corruption

Honestly, the Federal Government is only pretending to be fighting corruption but in their hearts, there is nothing to show that they are serious about it. To the extent that the major personalities that are supposed to be fighting corruption are neck deep in it. When you have an attorney-general that has a unique profile of dubious style, they will not be able to do anything about corruption.

On the executive side of the government, you will know that they are not interested. There is a litany of cases of corruption that the Nigerian media has published and laid out, yet the government has done nothing about it. For instance, the Electricity Corporation of Nigeria set up by government to make power generation, transmission and supply easier, especially in the big states…the chairman of the Power Committee in the House of Representatives went and collaborated with the officials of that organisation and awarded contracts worth over N5 billion in a disorganised manner, not following any procedure. That matter was charged to court to fulfil all righteousness. So, who are they fooling? The level of corruption in Nigeria is tearing us down and the perpetrators are not willing to give up.

For instance, the success of the Aladja Steel Company for some time now has been frustrated by our executive from becoming useful and productive. Right from the time of Obasanjo, the executive gives out that organisation to private ventures in a very tattered Memorandum of Understanding and agreement, not knowing that when the people get there, they continue to steal the assets of the organisation and this has gone on more than five times. That place is now a shadow of itself. I continually ask myself why this country remains comatose when we have a legislature that is supposed to be doing the checks and balancing, ensuring that the executive performs to the dictates of the law.

They will budget for some activities within a year and you will find out that five years later, that thing for which they budgeted money has not been done, yet nobody is doing anything about it. Under our constitution, the legislature has what is called ‘oversight function’ of their various committees. But why is it that nothing has happened, and no one has been brought to book? It is because, the parliamentarians themselves as a corporate body and many of its members are neck deep in corruption. That is why those over inflated contracts cannot even be located.

Maybe the small group of the present lawmakers that are articulate will be able to raise their voices against the evil regime that is prevailing in our land, but these people are only in the minority. So the executive is totally bereft of sanity and the parliamentarians are worse off because they compromise themselves a lot. From the media reports that we have been getting, what they do is that they go to a ministry or parastatal and they force them to come and defend their budgets before their committees. This action is very wrong, and it ought not to be so, because they are not supposed to rewrite the budget that was sent by the executive. But that is what they normally do now. After they inflate it, they ask for their own share.

Democracy vs. the military regime
It is painful to compare the military to democracy because they are poles apart. The best of the military should not even be compared to our democracy. When people compare former president Olusegun Obasanjo’s tenure as a military president and his tenure as a civilian president, I will say that there were some factors that were at play that made it look like he performed better as a military president. As a military president, he was actually not in charge, because there were people in there like the former Chief of Staff, Theophilus Danjuma who could call him to order if he tries to roughshod anyone.

He was not the most loved as the military head of state; it was because of the discretion of Gen. Danjuma who insisted that since Murtala has died, the next most senior was Obasanjo and he should take over. There was a lot of pressure on Danjuma to take over but being a decent man, he rejected the offer and instead supported Obasanjo to emerge as the Head of State.
However, what we are supposed to have now is a democracy, but what we have is a decadent situation. Honestly, any decent person can achieve and perform excellently well in this system if he has the political will to do so. There is substantial evidence to show that after Obasanjo retired as a military Head of State, he felt very bad that there was not enough money to do what he wanted to do.

But the thing with Obasanjo is that if you help him, he will pay you back in betrayal. He will do everything to make you feel sorry for yourself. During his time, he knew that a lot of corrupt activities were going on at the state and the national level but he did not do anything about it unless the fellow involved raised a political opposition against him. Some of the things that are traceable to him now ought not to have happened. For instance, before the end of 2004, Obasanjo knew how wicked James Ibori was in the manner by which he was handling everything about the affairs of Delta State. They had it on good authority, lots of evidence on how he was changing naira into hard currencies.

He decided to be so friendly with Obasanjo so much so that if Obasanjo wanted anything, Ibori will use the state’s money and get it for him. That is why he provided so much money to run Yar’adua’s presidential elections and that was why he and his friends were able to execute a lot of things during Yar’adua’s tenure. Another instance is that of his private Doctor friend, Dr. Makonjuola whom he made permanent secretary of Ministry of Defence. There was a time when over N400 million was traced to Makonjuola’s account. They allowed him to be taken before the court and that ended the matter.

Anyone that is willing to reduce corruption to the barest minimum, can handle corruption..there was this research by the Economic intelligence Bureau that said that from the time of Obasanjo till now, Nigeria has earned over N233 billion dollars..where is the evidence? Where was the money spent? What we have is the total collapse of our economy and infrastructure? Many people have died because they could not afford drugs worth N1000 but when our supposed leaders are sick, some of them are even flown with air ambulances abroad to receive treatment. When we talk of education, in the last four to five years, less than 20 per cent of our students are able to pass Mathematics and English successfully. What kind of society is that? Their own children are abroad so they do not care about you or I. The succeeding governments in Nigeria are not ready to fight corruptiuon, they just mouth it and this amounts to mere rhetoric.

The Judiciary
I base my premise on one perspective and that is, when you have leaders who have the political will to do what is right, they can do anything because they control the political equation. They decide who emerges as the Judge. Higher benches in Nigeria are now on the basis of loyalty to government for all time. So the judiciary has corrupted and perverted itself. The perverted minds that have occupied the highest offices of our land have deliberately conspired to pervert justice. Those in the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal and other privileged positions now depend on whom you know.

That is why most of those who could not succeed in private practice are the ones in the High Courts. Like the former Chief Justice of Lagos who during the time of Babangida as President said that he was the almighty, so he issued a decree that no one should challenge him. That is why we had a situation some months back where the National Judicial Council that is supposed to be the greatest promoter and defender of the rule of Law decided to ignore it and become a judge in its own court. It was the same Ibrahim Auta that gave the infamous judgement that led to the killing of Ken Sarowiwa and the Ogoni nine

This system is so perverted. So for one to perform successfully, the person has to be a self-contented person who is not ready to acquire wealth indiscrimately.

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