Drivers of the Quality Bus System (QBS), otherwise known as Aayalolo in Accra, are on strike over management’s inability to pay them their outstanding salaries.

This has left some passengers who patronize the bus service stranded.

This would be the third time Aayalolo drivers have embarked on such an action over unpaid salaries.
The drivers who spoke to Citi News said talks with management to help create a union for their welfare have fallen on deaf ears.

“Since we started this job, from 2016 till now, we have not been paid regularly and fully,” one driver said.

“As at now, we don’t have any money, we are constantly borrowing, and the little money they give us we use it to pay our debt and we are back to square one, so we are begging the government to do something about it,” another driver said.

The Public Affairs Manager of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), managers of the QBS, Fred Chidi, said on Eyewitness News that management of GAPTE is shocked at the action of the drivers.

According to him, the drivers’ concerns are already being addressed.

“As we speak right now, the national labour commission intervened in the matter. The case is at arbitration as the rule states that once a case is in arbitration, the partners are not supposed to do anything to rock the boat, and so that is where we are. The workers’ group reported this case to the labour commission and the commission has taken over the matter, we’ve been at arbitration since June, so we were surprised this morning when the drivers refused to work,” he said.

Last year, the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development charged the newly-inaugurated Board of the Greater Accra Passenger Transport Executive (GAPTE), to investigate the circumstances under which the management of the Aayalolo buses accrued huge debts, particularly in relation to the purchase of fuel.

According to them, the Board must probe the structure and the mode of fuel distribution for the buses.

The situation has led to low patronage of the system resulting in the inability of the company to earn enough to cover operational costs.

Addressing the media after a tour of some bus terminals, the Chief Executive Officer of GAPTE, Sampson Gyamenah, admitted that low patronage of the bus service since the programme commenced in 2016 has kept the company in the red.

“We still have a long way to go to be able to break even. We are ramping up the number of passengers and that is the real challenge. When we started the patronage was very poor. In December, we were doing an average of 1, 400 passengers a day.”

Credit: citinewsroom.com

A group known as the Okyeman Youth Association, has asked Stan Dogbe, a former presidential staffer, to apologize to the Okyenhene for supposedly insulting the King over his comments on the death of former Vice President of Ghana, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur.

Mr. Dogbe in a Facebook post, told the Okyenhene to stop the “recklessness of seeking cheap popularity by going to public events and seeking to share coloured stories” in reference to the King’s narration which suggested that Mr. Amissah Arthur, who had collapsed at the Airforce Gym in Accra, was taken to hospital in the bucket of a pickup due to the absence of an ambulance.

Mr. Kwesi Amissah-Arthur died on Friday morning at age 67 at the 37 Military Hospital.

In a statement, the Okyeman Youth Association said that Mr. Dogbe’s statement was reckless and disrespectful.
“The Okyeman Youth Association finds comments very reckless and disrespectful to not only the Okyenhene or the people of Akyem descent, but also the chieftaincy institution of the country and consequently condemns this unprovoked attack on the person of the Okyenhene in no uncertain times.”

The group is therefore asking Stan Dogbe “to apologize to the Okyenhene and the good people of Okyeman.”



No ambulance; Amissah-Arthur was transported in pickup

“We gathered around him and pumped his heart as hard as we could; yelled out his name. His wife was calling on Jesus, ‘save him…’, I just said, call the ambulance and let’s take him to the hospital. Something dawned on me when we took him, there was no ambulance, there was no car, we threw the former vice president in a pick-up, put him in the back and drove to the 37 Military Hospital” the Okyenhene said.

Stan Dogbe criticizes Okyenhene



Stan Xoese Dogbe said “he [Okyenhene], was not the only one present when the tragedy struck our late boss and VP of this country to go around talking. He had a luxury vehicle there, and many others had their cars there, if he had a good heart and spirit of helping others, maybe; just maybe, he would have sent him to the hospital in his car.”

Amissah-Arthur to get state burial
The president, Nana Akufo-Addo, has announced that the late vice president will be given a state burial and that from July 3, 2018, all flags in the country will fly at half mast.

“I have decided, and it is an obvious decision that he should be given a full state burial, and as of today, and for the next five days, Ghana’s national flag will fly in half-mast, here and across the country in commemoration of the death of our former vice president”, the president told Amissah-Arthur’s family when they called on him.

Credit: citinewsroom.com

Sacked Chairperson of the Electoral Commission Charlotte Osei has said she will allow a period of mourning the late Vice-President Amissah-Arthur before responding to the President's decision to sack her after three years.

In a terse statement released a day after she was removed from office together with her two deputies, Mrs Charlotte Osei said her singular objective has been to build a truly independent unbiased, free and fair Electoral Commission that can withstand political pressure and influence.

She was, however, unable to execute her objective following her impeachment from office on the basis of misbehavior and incompetence.

The following is the full statement;

PRESS RELEASE

[29th June, 2018]

I have been truly overwhelmed by the hundreds of calls, prayers and messages from all over the country and the international community, expressing shock and disappointment at the recommendation by the Committee (set up by the Chief Justice) to the President of the Republic, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to remove me from office as the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission.

I wish to acknowledge all the concerns and to express my deep appreciation to all of you for the show of support. With the heartbreaking news of the sudden demise of our former Vice-President, H.E. Kwesi Bekoe Amissah-Arthur, I will at this time, withhold my response to the President’s decision, while we commiserate with his family and pray for the peaceful repose of his soul.

At this sad time as a country, we are unified in our grief, respect and appreciation for this great man of our land and someone I had deep respect and admiration for.

Despite all the attacks, the character assassinations, the falsehoods, the curses,and the relentless plots and threats against my family and I over the past three years of my service as the Chair of the Electoral Commission, I chose to remain silent and focused on delivering on my constitutional mandate to the best of my ability.

Indeed, the records show that I presided over the 2015 district assembly election and the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections to the best of my ability. I prefer to leave the standard and quality of those elections for Ghanaians, history and posterity to judge.

I still consider it a great honour and privilege to have been given the opportunity to serve my nation at very high levels during my period in public service.

I still hold the view and belief that our country deserves an Electoral Commission that is truly independent, unbiased, free, fair and firm, and can fight-off all attempts to politically capture, manipulate, influence and control it.

This was always my cardinal objective and my approach to my work. In due time there will be ample opportunity to fully address these matters once and for all.

Thank you.

God bless us all.

Signed

Charlotte Osei

Credit: Myjoyonline.com

DMC Ghana, an advertising agency in Accra has released a short film addressing Tramadol abuse in Ghana.

The skit directed by Harold Yeboa Amoa stars Comedian Jerry who plays Jerry, a boy who died after abusing the painkiller. In the video, Jerry puts Tramadol pills into a flask containing juice, drinks it and enters the bathroom to shower, with the intention of getting ‘high’ before breakfast.

His mother enters his room, sees a box of Tramadol on the sink but she’s so oblivious about the situation because she thinks her son is trying to get rid of a mild pain.

The video titled “Tramol”, a local slang for Tramadol addresses the high probability of some parents ignoring certain signs linking their children to drug addiction.

“Unlike marijuana or cocaine, Tramadol can be purchased at a pharmacy even though prescriptions are now required. Since it is a well packaged drug, teen abusers can keep them in their rooms without arousing suspicion from parents and this makes it more dangerous”, says Harold.

Tramadol abuse has been on the rise among the Ghanaian youth and this has been a major concern for the government. In March this year, a junior high school student in Accra died after taking 10 tablets of Tramadol.

The Ministry of Health has taken steps to curb the situation by restricting it to buyers without prescription. The advertising company is hoping that the video would draw parents’ attention to some signs of drug addiction they usually ignore.

WATCH THE SHORT FILM BELOW:



By: Michael Yerb (GIJ, Accra)

Over one hundred pupils from Nima cluster of schools in Accra have been sensitized against drug abuse.

The initiative according to the organizers is to join the fight against the prevalence of drug abuse especially tramadol among the youth in the country . The Students were educated on the effect of drug abuse and how it can be prevented.

Students between the ages of 15 and above from upper primary and JHS of "Nima 2" Basic school benefited from the event.

Educating the students on the theme "Drug abuse", a psychiatric clinician Seidu Asima, reiterated the need for the students to become an ambassadors in campaigning against the menace.

He said, drug abuse is Increasing among the youth and hence the need for sensitization.

"Today you will become an ambassador, when you go home pass it on to your friends, your brothers, your parents and to everybody", The clinician advised.

He added that drug abuse affect individuals physiological and psychological hence can cause hallucination, Nausea, vomiting, sweating, dizziness among others.

Mr. Seidu Asima however, advised the students to report anything wrong with them to their parents, community elders, Teachers, Pastors and Imams or visit the hospitals before taking any drug.

He cautioned the students to desist from taking unprescribed drugs since it can affect them.

Speaking to GIJ News, the member of project management Committee of Junior Chamber International (JCI) Accra Elite chapter Karimatu Fuseini
said the selection of Nima Cluster of schools became necessary due to the increase of drug usage among some people in the area.

She said the situation was revealed earlier to them by the assembly man of the area.

"We spoke to the assembly man of Nima-west so he thought it wise that we do it in the school as they are the young ones coming up",she stated.

She further pledged her organization's support to help sustain the initiative in the school.

"The headmaster has given us the go-ahead of visiting them twice every term so it's a privilege. We would really love to be coming for evaluation and also continue the process because it's a trending issue in the whole world now", she added.

Meanwhile, the headmaster of the school Mr. Noah Ayisi has bemoaned the abuse of drugs among students.

"Drug abuse has been a major problem in Nima community here and With the inception of tramadol it is becoming worse.

We see it mostly in the attitude of the boys especially, as some becomes rebellious and and truant", the headmaster revealed.

He said the situation is pathetic and getting worse hence continues sensitization ceremonies and other events will help curb the menace.

Mr. Ayisi expressed satisfaction for the timely intervention from JCI Accra Elite group.

"The event is very very timely because looking at the situation, the tramadol abuse is becoming a menace in our community here in Nima. So it's very very timely", he said.

He however call on civil society organizations and other Non-profit organizations to emulate JCI Accra Elite initiative to help win the fight against drug abuse.

He said government should also intensify efforts to regulate tramadol and other drugs which has become readily available to the youth in the country.

Some participants speaking after the event were optimistic of carrying the cross to become an ambassadors in educating others on drug abuse.

Credit: Richard Mensah

A 42-years-old taxi driver has died through electrocution at Gomoa Akramang in the Central region.

The deceased, Kwame Sampah, according to reports was killed on the spot during Monday’s heavy downpour which has rendered many homeless in Accra.

A family member, Raymond Otabil, in an interview with Adom News said the deceased had gone to re-connect his power after it had gone off during the rains.

He added that the deceased stepped into a stagnant water which had electricity wires in it, killing him instantly.

Raymond Otabil attributed the sudden demise of his brother to the limited access to electricity in the Akramang community.

Credit: Adomonline

Human rights activists and stakeholders in the justice sector have advocated that people who are involved in petty offences should not be treated as criminals or made to face imprisonment.


They want offences such as petty stealing, unlawful entry, unlawful assembly, negligently causing harm, loitering and general nuisance to public order to attract non-custodial sentences.

In pursuit of this goal, a research report dubbed: “Decriminalising and Declassification of Petty Crimes in Ghana” was launched in Accra on Wednesday.

Key stakeholders in the human rights and justice sector, including the Commissioner of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), Mr Joseph Whittal, and a member of the Council of State, Mr Samuel Okudzeto, were present at the launch.

Representatives of the Ghana Police Service, Legal Aid, the Attorney-General’s Department, Ministry for the Interior and the Ghana Prisons Service were also present to support the initiative.

The research

The 77-page document provides the findings and views of key stakeholders in the justice sector on the need to decriminalise certain petty crimes and declassify others.

Ninety respondents drawn from civil society organisations (CSOs), legal practitioners, the Law Reforms Commission, judges, CHRAJ, the Prisons Service and other stakeholder institutions were relied on for the research.

The research reviewed offences in legal documents such as the Criminal Offences Act, 1960 (Act 29), the Road Traffic Act, 2004 (Act 683), the Domestic Violence Act, 2007 (Act 732), the Children’s Act, 1998 (Act 560), and the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766).

Among other things, the research recommended that the government should implement a number of non-custodial sentencing regimes as punishment for minor offences and restrict traditional custodial sentences to punishing more serious crimes.

Findings

Presenting the details of the report, the Head of the Public Law Department of the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) Law School, Mr Edmund Amarkwei Foley, said a strong case had been established for petty offences to be decriminalised or reclassified to make the criminal justice system more rehabilitative.

“We found out that there is no clear-cut definition for petty offences in Ghana. But these petty offences affect people who are vulnerable and poor in society.

“Some of the offences that are considered felonies could be stepped down while others ought to be removed from our statutes outrightly,” he stated.

He added that the research report would serve as a basis to engage with Parliament and strengthen advocacy for the introduction of non-custodial sentences and amendments of some of the laws.

Timely launch

Mr Whittal described the launch of the report as timely, saying the time had come to take a second look at the petty crimes and the penalty regimes for such offences.

He called on the Attorney-General’s Department to take a second look at the Criminal and Other Offences Act as part of measures to review the penal justice system.

For his part, Mr Okudzeto observed that the decriminalisation of petty offences would help to decongest the country’s prisons.

“People have sometimes been jailed for stealing cassava or a bunch of bananas and domestic misunderstandings which could be settled through alternative means.

“It is important to take the move to decriminalise these crimes seriously so that poor and vulnerable people do not end up in prison unduly,” he said.

Credit: myjoyonline

The 2017 Ghana’s Most Beautiful Eastern region representative, Naana Serwaa Boateng had an interaction last Saturday with 80 participants on issues related to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights at Mensah Dawa in the Eastern Region.

Visuals for Gender has successfully organized a two-day workshop on how to produce insightful data visualizations and applications that will educate the ordinary Ghanaian on gender-based violence at their Office Complex (Mobile Web GH) located in North Legon, Accra.

President and Founder of The Youth Mirror, Dr. Solomon Nat. Ablampah has tasked everyone to be strong enough so as to make and achieve new, but greater things in life.