Category: News

The Speaker of Parliament, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin has warned the Majority Leader and Suame MP, Osei-Kyei Mensah-Bonsu to desist from publicly countering his pronouncement as Speaker.

His comment follows the Majority in Parliament accusing him of impatience for asserting the Legislature is broke.

The speaker on Thursday cautioned the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta not to treat Parliament like Ministries, Departments, and Agencies by asking for budget cuts and starving the institution of funds.

Addressing the media Friday morning, Majority Chief whip Frank Annor-Dompreh revealed that 25 million cedis allocation for goods and services for Parliament which had been outstanding had been released while going through paper works while the Speaker was telling the whole world the institution was broke.

According to the Nsawam-Adoagyiri MP, a little restraint from the speaker would’ve been better.

The Majority Leader Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu has also made similar comments in media interviews on the matter.

But speaking on the floor of the House on Friday, Speaker Bagbin did not take such accusations lightly, explaining that his revelation Parliament was broke caused the Finance Minister to immediately release the funds yesterday.

He warned the Majority Leader not to ever counter his (Speaker’s) comment publicly saying “enough is enough”.

“…It is important that when the Speaker speaks from the chair, the Leader of the House that is the Leader of the Members of Parliament (Majority Leader) is not seen to be the one countering what the Spokesperson of the Arm of Government (Speaker) says. If they want us to give documentary evidence about the non-funding of the House for this year we’ll provide them. So when I heard that the Leader of the House had gone on air to say that what I said is not true, it saddens me. In response to what I said yesterday, the government proceeded to quickly release money yesterday to the House for the House to function. There’s evidence to that and that is on record.”

He added: “I will not take the Majority Leader always going on air to counter what I say particularly when I say it on the Chair. I will not take that, I am in control here and I will continue to be in control until my term of office ends or you decide otherwise as Members to remove me as the Speaker of the House by the votes of three-quarters of the Members of the House. Please, this is the last time I will refer to it and this is enough notice to whoever thinks that he has the same authority as the Speaker. I will take this in a conclave when the House convenes Tuesday, we’ll discuss it as Leaders in a pre-sitting meeting before we sit on Tuesday. Enough is enough.”

2018 National Science & Maths Quiz finalists West Africa Senior High School (WASS) are fired up for this year’s competition after booking a place in the finals of the Greater Accra Championships.

The team had already booked a place in the national contest after seeing off Tema Senior High School, Accra Girls’ SHS and Frafraha Community SHS in the preliminary contest on Wednesday, May 25.

In the first semi-final clash on Friday, WASS came face-to-face with perennial qualifiers and 2013 champions St Thomas Aquinas Day SHS as well as St Mary’s Girls’ SHS and St Margaret Mary SHS.

With 45 points at the end of the contest, the Wassarians became the first finalist of the Greater Accra Championship. St Aquinas amassed 36 points while Mary’s and St Margaret had 14 and 8 points respectively.

There will be three more semi-final contests involving giants Presbyterian Boys’ SHS and dark horses Accra Academy.

The regional finals will be held on Saturday, May 28.

Director of legal Affairs of the National Democratic Congress, Mr Abraham Amaliba has said he will not fault the Dome-Kwabenya Member of Parliament Sarah Adwoa Safo for travelling out of the country to attend to family affairs, leaving her ministerial functions for almost one year.

He however blamed President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo who, in his view, did not manage the situation well.

The Gender Minister who is one of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) lawmakers who have been referred to the Privilege Committee of Parliament by the Speaker for absenting themselves without permission, broke her long silence on Thursday May 26 while speaking to Accra-based Joy FM.

She said among other things that “I will be returning definitely to serve my people. I lead and serve the people of Dome-Kwabenya and I have done that for the past 12 years and I know exactly what my responsibilities are and I am definitely going to do that. As you know, my son is unwell and has to transition to school, so I have to ensure that all that is settled before I can resume my duties and that is exactly what I am doing,” she said.

She added, “I have been doing a lot to take care of my children which the law requires and as you know here in the foreign land, I have to comply with whatever I am directed to do and until all that is sorted out, I have to do what I have to do and then I will return to my duties.”

Speaking on this development on the New Day show on TV3 with Johnnie Hughes, Friday May 217, Mr Amaliba said “Its refreshing to hear from Adwoa Sarfo … Yesterday, she was clear, concise and I realized that this is a person who is normal.”

“I will fault the appointor for this matter, why will the president keep her for almost one year when the president knows that she is out there.”

Daniel Toffey was a gospel artist who died while on a flight from Accra to Washington after visiting Ghana to honour the funeral of his in-law and to meet his family.

According to Graphic Online, they left Accra on May 22, 2022, late Sunday night.

However, disaster struck onboard United 997 in the middle of the Atlantic when the young Daniel died of a pulmonary embolism.

[A pulmonary embolism (PE) is a blood clot that forms in one of the body’s blood vessels (often in the leg). It then proceeds to a lung artery, where it restricts blood flow abruptly].

According to Dntghana, Daniel Junior died while his father Daniel Toffey Sr. watched helplessly from afar.

“He kept saying ‘Daddy I can’t breathe, Daddy I can’t breathe,’” the senior Toffey narrated to DNT in an interview.

The sufferer was alleged to have attempted to rise up to use the restroom after sitting for a while when his movement got wobbly and he was soon gasping for oxygen.

“We need a doctor, we need a doctor,” one young lady exclaimed. Suddenly, the elder father felt compelled to leap from his business class seat and run to the situation, despite the fact that the flight crew had asked everyone to remain seated.

Daniel Toffey Junior, who worships with PIWC in Columbus North, choked to death in flight despite having as many as seven doctors on board and tools with which those doctors were “impressed” for United Airlines to have aboard.

The flight left around 11 p.m. on Sunday from Kotoka International Airport and was due to arrive at Washington Dulles early the next day.

However, due to the sad incident, the aeroplane was rerouted to Bermuda, where all 178 passengers stayed at Grotto Bay Resort before continuing their journey to Washington.

The departed father was doing well despite the tragic loss, Jesse Lasuer, a business class neighbour, informed DNT. “You can just feel the sorrow in his eyes,” Lasuer recalled, “even though he is holding up pretty great.”

Daniel Toffey Sr. had travelled to Ghana with his wife and son, a Gospel Artist, to attend an in-funeral. law’s The wife stayed behind, while the father and son drove to Pataskala, Ohio, a Columbus suburb.

Junior Toffey was set to release his CD on June 4 in Columbus, with Joe Mettle expected to attend.

Reacting one person who witnessed the incident wrote:

“I was on the flight and I witnessed everything fiilifili. Hmmmm! This world is full of uncertainties. We got stranded at the Bermuda Airport for almost fifteen hours before they got us a flight to Washington Dulles Airport last night. It was a harrowing experience. I have never experienced such a thing in my life. Terrible. Anyway, I pray for the soul of that young man.”

The Western Region Director of the Veterinary Service Department, Dr. Simon Gbene, has stated that one can be jailed for six months for keeping wild animals like tigers as pets.

Mr. Simon Gbene, who was speaking in an interview with Nhyiraba Paa Kwesi Simpson on Connect FM’s Omanbapa morning show, indicated that it is against the laws of Ghana to keep such wild animals without permit.

According to him, anyone found culpable can be fined or jailed for six months or both.

“Tigers are wild animals and it is very dangerous to keep them as pets. They are capable of killing human beings. Anyone who wants to keep them must secure the needed permit, the person should have the needed training to keep them from causing harm to other persons. It is stated black and white in the laws that anyone who is found keeping tigers and other wild animals without permits can be fined or jailed for six months,” he disclosed.

He adds that people who keep such wild animals must be reported to the police for an arrest to be effected.

“If you are living in a community and you see a neighbour keeping tigers or any other wild animals like snakes, lions etc. in their homes, immediately report them to the police. I will never advise anyone to keep tigers as pets because when they grow, they can be dangerous to even the owner,” he stated.

He says tigers can infect human beings with rabies and other diseases.

“Tigers can also transmit rabies to humans so it is not advisable to keep them at homes.”

His comments follow a move by well-known businessman Freedom Jacob Ceaser to keep seven-month-old wild cats in his home.

He has explained that his decision is to boost the tourism potentials of the country but many Ghanaians seem unhappy about it.

In the meantime, Western Region Director of the Wildlife Division of the Forestry Commission Enock Ashie Amasa indicates that an official statement will be released to spell out the next action of the division.

He says there is a general wildlife regulation on how to keep wild animals domestically.

The Government of Ghana has been told to immediately institute measures to forestall food crisis from occurring in the country.

Private legal practitioner, Mr Kwame Jantuah said it is unthinkable that Ghana is experiencing high prices of tomatoes whereas the produce can be cultivated in the country in large supplies and sold at less cost to feed the population.

He explained that the political challenges in Burkina Faso is affecting the supply of tomatoes to Ghana, hence leading to shortage of the commodities.

This, in his view, would not be happening if Ghana were to be producing tomatoes on a large scale.

Speaking on the New Day show on TV3 with Berla Mundi on Friday May 20, he said “we are sitting by water but we are using spit to wash our face. Why are we having problems with tomatoes in this country the mian ingredeint of food? Because of the challenges in Burkina Faso. We have land and we are not growing.

“We are going into food crisis and nobody is saying Ghanaians, is high time you started growing food in your onw homes. Because of the challenges in Burkina Faso the prices of tomatoes had gone up, how can we be sitting by water and be using spit to wash our face? wouldn’t it be nice of the Agriculture Minister came and said look the way we are going, in the next couple of years it is going to be very challenging , we are bringing in a policy for everybody to have a small garden in their homes.”

On the issue of food shortage, the General Secretary of the Ghana Agricultural Workers Union (GAWU), Mr Edward Kareweh, last week told Ghanaians to prepare for hunger this year if immediate steps are not taken by the government to invest in the agriculture sector of the economy.

In his view, there is a deliberate attempt to reduce agriculture output in Ghana due to the low investments in the sector.

Contributing to a discussion on the impact of the ongoing geopolitical tension between Russia and Ukraine on food supply in Ghana, Mr Kareweh said on TV3’s New day show with Johnnie Hughes on Monday May 16 that “As we speak, the food you are eating was not produced in 2022. There will be hunger, already there is hunger and the hunger will be more because I don’t foresee government getting money to support farmers to produce.”

He added “there is deliberate policy to reduce out put. When you refuse to invest what are you doing?”

He further said that Ghana does not have enough food available to feed the people for even one month without importing more food commodities.

The reality is that a lot of food items are imported into the country therefore, when upheavals and other economic challenges occur in those countries, automatically they become Ghana’s issues, Mr Kareweh added.

“The realty is that we do not have enough food in this country. The reality is that we import so much into this country. So if there is a problem in those country you import those problems,” he said.