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

Actress Juliet Ibrahim is preaching motivation on her Instagram page.

The actress who was once a refugee in Ghana has now become a household name in the entertainment industry.

In a short story on her page sighted by MyNewsGh.com, she shares her journey from a nobody to a household name.

Read the full text of her life-changing journey

It started as a dream, tirelessly working from one set to another; filming over 6 movies in a month just to make a living. She recalled how her immune system will break down and her loved ones would ask “can’t you just take time off and rest?” Just like every girl, She had a dream, She wanted to accomplish her resolution set out before she turned 30! In April 2015, Juliet bought her first house as her 29th birthday gift. ‘I’m extremely grateful to God Almighty who has been able to allow this nobody be a somebody! ‘Says Juliet.

Many don’t know what being a refugee is like; literally she had nothing and had to start from scratch to get to where she is today. This is just the beginning of many more blessings to come because whatever you believe you can achieve. Time and hard work makes a difference!

It started as a dream, tirelessly working from one set to another; filming over 6 movies in a month just to make a living. She recalled how her immune system will break down and her loved ones would ask “can’t you just take time off and rest?” Just like every girl, She had a dream, She wanted to accomplish her resolution set out before she turned 30! In April 2015, Juliet bought her first house as her 29th birthday gift. 'I’m extremely grateful to God Almighty who has been able to allow this nobody be a somebody! ‘Says Juliet. Many don’t know what being a refugee is like; literally she had nothing and had to start from scratch to get to where she is today. This is just the beginning of many more blessings to come because whatever you believe you can achieve. Time and hard work makes a difference! #NeverGiveUp #Testimony #MisFitToHero #OSG @olorisupergal @thetosinajibade

A post shared by Juliet Ibrahim (@julietibrahim) on Jul 2, 2018 at 2:24pm PDT

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)

Imagine this: At 14-years-old, your father dies, forcing your family into a life deprived of education and the essentials needed to survive. Determined to succeed, you work as a head porter, escape the horrors of sexual abuse, and save enough for school, only to have it stripped away when a bus hits your mother who needs the money for medical care.

“Listening to the story sounds like a movie,” said the host of Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Daniel Dadzie, who spoke exclusively with Teni Agana, a woman who turned a life of trial into triumph. Agana is the latest honoree of Ashesi University’s Scholarship, Leadership & Citizenship Award, a distinction given exclusively to three graduates who exceed expectations of the school’s core values. It is the highest award a student can receive at the school.

Agana’s fairy-tale is one punctuated with the exhaustive efforts of gruelling work, blood, sweat and tears. And her climb to the top was nothing short of poignant.

She lived in Takoradi until 14, when her father suddenly passed away. Unpaid bills were mounting, and it forced her mother to move the grieving family back up North, where they were originally from.

Ghana’s Northern Region is known for its limited resources to education but she says “we moved because we didn’t have to pay rent in our family house and we didn’t have to pay electricity because there was none.”

To help the family, Agana assisted her mother working at a "chop bar" an eatery that serves local dishes, to fund fees at her school, where she earned top marks.

She recalls a moment that changed the trajectory of her life forever: “I saw a picture of a girl with a graduation gown and it was so beautiful. I didn’t understand what [the gown] was, but I knew it was linked to an education.”

So she got to work. She became a head porter, carrying heavy loads for people for a paltry fee, and worked at a local market, where she dodged encounters of rape. She recalls nights where she didn’t have a place to sleep, so she’d sleep on filthy market grounds, where she’d tie her leg to that of another female, protecting them from men who could possibly rape them.

“We used a basin as a pillow. It was normal,” she said.

“It was normal?” Dadzie asked.

“Yes, because I had to keep moving,” she replied emphatically. “I starved myself to save for school.”

With the help of her mother and the GH¢15 Teni made a day, she gathered enough money for school fees, but tragedy struck the family again when a bus hit her mother, leaving her in critical condition and in need of money for medical care.

“All the money we saved we had to pay for her hospital bills,” she sighed as she fought back tears.

The accident ended up being a blessing in disguise.

“At the hospital, I met a woman who was crying because her only child needed blood. I checked my blood and found out I was O positive.” Agana’s blood type matched the child’s and she proceeded to donate her blood.

She says the woman thanked her and told her about Comfort, a campaign designed to educate girls from the north of Ghana. During the application process, she applied for a scholarship funded by MasterCard. She was awarded money and gained acceptance to Ashesi University, one of Ghana’s premier private schools.

“Ashesi is everything. It is different in a good way,” but it didn’t come without challenges. During her first year there, she decided to study computer programming although she never touched a computer prior, she said. At the end of her first year, she failed 3 out of 4 classes. Her GPA stood at 1.25.

“The next semester I had to work extra hard. At the end of the year, the school gave me a personal academic advisor. Then I went to 3.0 [G.P.A]. Then I got on the Dean’s list.”

Then she won the Scholarship, Leadership & Citizenship Award, a highly-selective award given only to the school’s top students. She graduated from the University last weekend and has already dived into national service where she teaches in Ghana’s poverty-stricken rural areas.

“It fills us with gratitude and pride if we can put people like Teni on a dramatically different path,” said Ashesi University’s President Patrick Awuah. “We’re all very proud of her.”

A university colleague added that “we are so happy for you. This is just the beginning with more to come.”

When asked how she managed to escape the forceful pull of poverty to become top talent at a prestigious University, she replied, “I believe that we don’t choose who we are, but we choose who we become. I could have given up but there are a lot of people available who are willing to help. It’s on you to make it.”

Credit: Myjoyonline.com

A 24-year-old man from Southampton, England, was banned from contacting his parents for five years after they got so fed up with his constant pestering for money that they got a restraining order against him.

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

Fast rising Ghanaian Musician Aqweci Y-Zee also know as the Da Rap Scientist has finally released the much anticipated song titled "Body Yaayi" which features Joojo.

Produced by Forqzybea, the song is tipped by a lot of music lovers as a hit already considering the lyrical prowess of these duo and the rendition made out of it.

Trust me, this tune is nice and danceable.

Donwnload the #BodyYaayi below and enjoy!

#BodyYaayi [Download]



About Aqweci Y-Zee

He is authority when it comes to music. Aside music, he's a laboratory technologist by certification from Accra Technical University thus the name "Da Rap Scientist".

Other hit songs from this great musician include;

This Girl

Gyae Su (Cry no more)

Mimshe Daa (Everlasting Joy)

Bost ma brain

Sweet Thing

Konongo Kaya featuring Fingers (Belce)

Storm is Over featuring Kumi Guitar

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