Thursday, 7 June 2018

GFA SPEAKS OUT



The Ghana Football Association is asking Ghanaian journalist, Anas Aremeyaw Anas to furnish it with a copy of his latest exposé on corruption in local football dubbed ‘Number12.’
It said this would enable them ensure that an independent body investigates the allegations of corruption captured in the film.
In a statement issued on Thursday, June 7, 2018, the GFA said it takes the allegations “very seriously” and wishes to take steps to address them.
“…We view the allegations circulating in the media very seriously and would wish to take immediate steps to address them,” the statement said.
It further assured that it would not shield any official found to have taken bribes to breach football procedures.
The credibility of the Ghana Football Association, which manages all national football activities in the country has been dented by Anas Aremeyaw Anas’ investigative film which exposes massive rot and corruption in local football.
The video among other things captured top officials of the football association including its President Kwesi Nyantakyi taking bribes to influence the offer of an invitation of players to the national team, influencing the duration of playing offered to some players and influencing the selection of unfit players and referees to participate in games.
Also, more than 100 referees were caught on tape taking bribes to manipulate the outcome of games in a team’s favour.
Following the first screening of the video on Wednesday which attracted more than 3,000 persons, many have begun calling for a complete dissolution of the Ghana Football Association (GFA) and immediate resignation of its embattled president, Kwesi Nyantakyi.
Kwesi Nyantakyi, who is also the first Vice President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) is yet to comment on the film.
He is already facing investigations from the Criminal Investigations Department of the Ghana Police Service after President Akufo-Addo filed a complaint after watching excerpts of Anas’ video that the embattled FA President was using his name to lure foreign investors.
Read the GFA’s full statement below:  
The Ghana Football Association (GFA)’s attention has been drawn to the airing of a documentary by Tiger Eye PI alleging acts of corruption by some match officials and senior officials of the federation.
The Gfa was not provided with an opportunity to watch the premiering of the documentary as it was neither provided with an advanced copy of the said documentary nor furnished with tickets by Tiger Eye PI to watch the airing.
Though the GFA did not commission Tiger Eye PI to undertake this exercise and have not been provided with the opportunity of watching the documentary, we view the allegations circulating in the media very seriously and would wish to take immediate steps to address them.
To this end, we believe its only fair and proper that Tiger Eye furnishes us with the said documentary and hereby request Tiger Eye as a matter of urgency to furnish us with all the recorded material on this documentary to enable us to forward it to the appropriate quarters for further investigations.
The GFA wishes to emphasise that it is an association incorporated under the laws of Ghana and as such governed by the laws of Ghana as well as its own Rules and Regulations. It is also affiliated to CAF and FIFA
The GFA wishes to place on record that, there will be no attempt of a cover-up or shield any of our members caught in alleged acts of corruption.
The GFA wishes to assure all that as an institution it does not condone any manner of corrupt practices.
We wish to put on record that eight months ago, we got evidence of some external influences seeking to manipulate matches in our various competitions.
As soon as it became clear to us that we were facing the possibility of some external influences seeking to destroy the sanctity of the game in Ghana, we wrote to FIFA seeking assistance to help combat this menace.
The action we took was in furtherance of the GFA’s desire to fight against match manipulation and maintain the integrity of our game and federation.
We received a full FIFA response a few days later, with an action plan on how we can fight the menace of match manipulation through a roadmap for the implementation of the national integrity initiative.
We are still working with FIFA Integrity Department to find the appropriate dates for the action to help educate our members on the dangers of this menace.
The GFA will subsequently be undertaking a holistic review and continue with our reforms geared towards the enhancement of its operations in dealing with alleged acts of corruption in the game.
We urge the football fraternity to remain calm and provide us with all the support we need as we bid to restore confidence and trust in our beautiful game.
We ask anyone with information about these allegations to get in touch with us through info@ghanafa.org

By: Jonas Nyabor/citinewsroom.com/Ghana

Thursday, 5 May 2016

CLEAN THE REGISTER, COURT ORDERS EC.

The Supreme Court has ordered the Electoral Commission to delete from the electoral roll names of all dead people and persons who used the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card to register to vote. This, according to the Court is because the register in its current form, is not reasonably credible.
The apex court also ordered the EC to allow those whose names will be removed because they used the NHIS card as proof of citizenship to register, an opportunity to register if they qualify. The court gave its ruling on a case brought by two politicians seeking to challenge the credibility of Ghana's electoral roll.
THE SUPREME COURT OF GHANA
The two opposition politicians, a former Youth Leader of the People's National Convention (PNC), Abu Ramadan and an NPP youth leader, Kwame Baffoe have been insisting that the voters' register in its current state is not fit to be used for the November election.

Since the Electoral Commission rejected a demand to compile a new voters' register, the two politicians are arguing that it should at least conduct an exercise to clean up the document by removing names of persons deemed ineligible to be on the roll.

This validation process, they say would be deemed a compromise after months of pressure from opposition parties on the EC yielded no results. There are voters on the register who used an outlawed National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) card to register to vote. The Electoral Commission (EC) has said it can identify the names of those registrants and can, therefore, strike out the names.
Counsel for the two who sued the EC, Nana Asante Bediatuo sought to introduce fresh evidence which suggested that the EC lied to the Apex court when it stated that it could identify such voters on the electoral roll.But the court denied the application to produce fresh evidence and gave it ruling on the matter.
The judges also asked the EC to remove from the register all minors who registered in the last elections in 2012. The Supreme Court in its ruling on Thursday unanimously asked the EC to do all it can to consult others in its work.
Credit: www.myjoyonline.com
Standby for an article on this developing story. Thanks for reading.  

Monday, 7 December 2015

CIB, ADDRESSING SECURITY CHALLENGES

I hear stories of people being robbed everyday on our airwaves. The only question I ask myself is whether the menace will one day stop. It is for this reason that I wish to introduce to you Corporate Intelligence Bureau (CIB) Limited. This security company is one of the fastest growing security companies located at Achimota with branches all over Ghana. Some of the services provide are manned guarding, tracking of vehicles, electronic security (panic alarms, access control devices and CCTV camera installations). SoftTribe, Ghana Police and CITI FM are partners in providing electronic alarms with a response time of less ten minutes. Captured below is some information about the security company currently making strides in the security industry with experts and professionals at the helm of affairs.
Corporate Intelligence Bureau (CIB) Limited, a security service provider in Ghana established was established in 2010. It has been licensed to operate under the laws of the republic of Ghana by the Ministry of Interior. The primary objective of CIB is not only to prevent loss or damage to properties, but to provide professional resources and experts to carter for your safety needs. We provide a wide range of services to meet all of a company’s or individual’s security related needs.
Through professionalism CIB has earned an excellent reputation in the industry. The quality of service has been the driving force of the company’s tremendous success. We are proud to invite you to join the Corporate Intelligence Bureau family where we believe that your security is our concern.
LOGISTICS AVAILABLE TO COMPANY
•Patrol vehicles
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Our guards are also well and fully equipped with;
•Truncheons
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LIST OF CLIENTELE
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Thursday, 11 December 2014

SOLI WAHALA

This article on "Soli", monies paid to journalist after an event. This wonderful piece was put together by Franklin Badu Jnr a journalist and posted on www.citifmonline.com. I believe you will find this journalistic piece interesting. Please note that your comments are welcomed. 
I believe two words have been trending in the minds of many Ghanaians for the past two months, “corruption” and “dumsor dumsor”. Barely a week passes without the publication of a scandalous story that involves known public officials and the current energy crisis has made the word “dumsor dumsor” a chewing gum in the mouths of many.
However, the two words have unfortunately been surpassed by the word “soli,” by the kind courtesy of the British High Commissioner to Ghana and the “twin” civil society groups, IMANI and Occupy Ghana. Just like many other English words which have their etymology from a Greek or Latin word, the word “soli” seems to have been coined from the English word solidarity. According to the Longman dictionary, solidarity means “loyal agreement of interests, aims or principles among a group.”
JOURNALISTS

Soli in journalism practice, an amount of money paid to a journalist after he/she covers an event for publication for their respective media organisations. It is difficult to know when the soli practice started but a retired photographer who worked for one of the biggest newspapers in the country said that he has been a beneficiary of the soli in his entire 40 year career as a photo journalist.
Let’s forget about the whole research requirement of a margin of error and for the purposes of this article assume that the soli practice began 40 years ago although further enquiries I have made suggest it is likely to have been more than that.
As a practicing journalist, I have been a beneficiary of this soli on countless occasions. After the program is over, the event organizers hand over an envelope containing money to you mostly with a charming smile. Once you are on their list as an invited journalist, they “sort you” out as soon as they can but they are mostly lukewarm towards uninvited journalists who are usually called “paparazzis”.
The arguments being made by opponents of this practice is that the practice equates to corruption or is likely to breed corruption since the monies paid are expected to tilt the objectivity of the journalists in his or her reportage in favor of the “pay-master”. The British High Commissioner to Ghana John Benjamin in his recent remarks on this matter is quoted as saying “If those journalists who pride themselves on reporting corruption in others, then ask for unofficial payment for themselves, isn’t that a touch hypocritical?” I have been reporting for almost two years and I have barely seen any journalist accredited to cover an event demanding the payment of any amount. What I can confirm is that “paparazzis” are always on the neck of event organizers for money.
Most if not all paparazzis lie about their affiliation to a media organisation. They are a strong cartel of unqualified persons who parade themselves as journalists just to make a living. How on earth can soli be equated to corruption? In my opinion corruption is the abuse of a position of trust to gain an unfair advantage. How does a “harmless” envelope end up being corruption.
And to the lawyers who claim soli is an act of corruption how do they juxtapose the soli practice to the real legal meaning of corruption. Can I be taken to court for taking soli on the charge of corruption? Granted that the practice is corrupt how does the payment implicate all actors involved as corrupt. Every event organiser knows reporters are not the final decision makers in story selection and publication. So how does soli influence story selection, story placement and publication?
IMANI and OccupyGhana have received extensive media coverage on almost every event they have organised. They have never paid soli, at least according to them, but their events are well publicised because of good content. This goes to add that they are heavily supported by the media so what did they seek to achieve by circulating a release banning soli which for me, cast a slur on the image of journalists who cover their programmes.
Yes I am aware of the PR gimmick they attached to their soli press release when they commended journalists and media organisations who continue to help them in their activities so was it necessary to create a media frenzy on soli, just to strengthen their anti-corruption campaigns?
An argument regularly made is that media owners have the responsibility to pay journalists and not event organizers. Yes that is very true and valid but does a tip from an event organiser necessarily devalue the responsibilities of an employer? I know for a fact that civil societies are funded by foreign donor foundations in their activities.
To ensure trust and evidence that such funds are used for the planned purpose, some if not all civil societies, use media publications as part of their proof to these foundations that the funds were actually used for the intended purpose. That is why most of them have framed media articles and recorded tapes of their programmes at their offices. I have been harassed and embarrassed by some leaders of these civil societies just because I failed to give them evidence of their events. That is an example of how our work attracts funding for their activities.
So what is the big deal if they handover an envelope to me after I cover their event. It is not that I demand it. If it is given to me I will take it but I will not demand for it. How does that make me corrupt or immoral? There is a widespread practice in the western countries where tips are given to waiters after a service? Is it immoral for the waiter to receive the tip because he is paid by his employer? If the waiter accepts the offer does that make the waiter corrupt or immoral? I will take the soli any day, any time because it is not immoral and it does not and will not influence my objectivity.


Tuesday, 9 September 2014

BE SERIOUS TO MOVE FORWARD.

Many people have expressed worry over the way Ghanaians make a joke out of serious developments. For over two years now, the working group or those in the job sector have been complaining about what they describe as high cost of living in the country. This led to a massive demonstration staged by Organised Labour against the government of the day on July, 2014. These are excerpts of how the capital Accra was painted red during the day of the demonstration.

DEMONSTRATORS

DEMONSTRATORS WITH POLICE GUIDE
 
DEMONSTRATORS DISPLAYING PLACARDS 
The following day every social media, print, electronic and international media was full of images, videos and sound bites of how the demonstration was organized in Accra and parts of the country. Prominent Ghanaians were however worried about the economic hardship facing the people. The government in its quest to better the lives of Ghanaians was seen as doing nothing, despite the fact that it had put measures in place to stop the depreciation of the Ghana Cedi which is country’s currency against the dollar. It is sad to note that while stringent measures are being implemented, some have taken to social media platforms to make fun of the government of the day. In the opinion of many people the government is doing nothing. This is how the picture was painted on asocial media platform like whatsapp.



THE GHANA CEDIS CHASING THE US DOLLAR


Some economist also made projections suggesting that, before the end of year 2014, the US dollar will be equivalent to four Ghana cedis ($1=₵4) as compared to the current ($1= ₵3). The social media platforms have given so much power to Ghanaians and using it wisely can help in the development of the Country. Issues cannot be solved if we give negative comments as well as making fun out of them. To add to the recent events of jokes share on social media is the widespread allegations that the deadly Ebola virus which has claimed the lives of over 1,900 people in West Africa is in Ghana. Health authorities quickly had to step up to debunk these rumors. Recently the National Service Secretariat also had to refute reports on social media platforms that service personnel have been posted to Ebola Control Centers. A similar joke was shared last year when postings were released and some altered images were immediately posted on social platforms indicating that a student had been posted to a Chop Bar (Local Restaurant). This is obviously a joke perpetrated by some Ghanaians who think that it is good to make a joke out of serious developments. The earlier we begin to tackle issues affecting this country head-on the better. Government needs our support and ideas to move this nation forward. It is good to have a great sense of humor but when it comes at the detriment of our development than we must put a stop to it. A word to the wise is enough.           

Monday, 5 May 2014

WOYOME TELLS TODAY


Alfred Agbesi Woyome, the businessman at the centre of the GH¢51.2 million judgement debt saga, will today mount the witness box to open his defence at the Economic and Financial Division of the Accra High Court.
Woyome had his application of  'no case' dismissed by the court, presided over by Mr Justice John Ajet-Nassam, last Wednesday, May 30, 2014.

Charges
The embattled National Democratic Congress (NDC) financier is facing charges of defrauding by false pretences and causing financial loss to the state in the trial that has been ongoing for more than two years.
He obtained a GH¢51.2 million judgement debt payment, but the state contends that the payment was procured fraudulently.
He has pleaded not guilty and is currently on bail.

Prosecution’s case
Woyome, according to state prosecutors, made a false representation in February 2010 that the government owed him money for his services of providing financial engineering for the rehabilitation of the Kumasi, Accra and El-Wak stadia, ahead of the 2008 African Cup of Nations.
The submission of ‘no case’ was announced in court in February by Mr Osafo Boabeng, lead counsel for Woyome, immediate­ly after the prosecution, led by Mathew Amponsah, had informed the court that the prosecution had closed its case.

Woyome's argument
In the submission of 'no case', Woyome had argued that the state had not made out its case against him and, therefore, he had no case to answer.
The state presented nine witnesses, including Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, a Minister of Education and Sports in the Kufuor administration.

“I will tell it all”
Immediately after his application was thrown out by the court, Woyome, in an interview with journalists, said the court hearing would be an opportunity for him to tell the public what had happened from the beginning to the end.
"I think this opportunity which has come today will give me a courtroom opportunity to be able to tell the good people of this country about what happened from the beginning.
“So I think I thank God for today and I thank God who has led me throughout these two and a half years of something that has been prolonged deliberately or whatever it is.
“Then Ghanaians will understand and take a cue from me that no matter the situation, the Constitution of this country must be protected and each individual must stand firm,” he stated.
He added that he would ensure that his legal team helped “to quicken the story to the Ghanaian people because Ghanaians need to understand what happened and the politics behind it”.

SOURCE: DAILY GRAPHIC





Tuesday, 24 December 2013

5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE TAKING YOUR EX BACK.


If you are considering taking your ex back after a big blunder, here are five important questions to think through before opening your heart to him again.

1. Can you forgive him for what he did that caused your breakup?
If you are still angry and feel you cannot trust your ex, even if you still love him, that is not going to provide the best foundation for future love. You've got to find a way to forgive him if you want things to work out

Talk about what happened calmly. See if he has grown or learned anything since the breakup. Does he express regret for what happened and has he apologized? If you can answer yes to these questions, then you have a shot of creating a new future together. As Alexander Pope once said, "To err is human; to forgive, divine."

2. How much "repair work" do you think is required?
Sometimes, when a man wants you back, you start wishing you could fix more than what caused the breakup. If a big list comes to mind about your ex that you want to improve, that's not a good sign. Only so much repair work can be done. My relationship advice is to be realistic about what you want and need from him, or you might be getting back into a no-win situation.

3. Can you let go and not bring his mistake up all the time?
After you make up and decide to go for round two, you need to find a way to face the future together. Taking your ex back means you are willing to start fresh with a clean slate. You need to let go of whatever happened and be done with it. However, if you plan to use his error against him every time you have a fight, you'll wear him down and cause a new rift to grow between the two of you.

4. Can you respect him again?
In order to have a loving, lasting relationship, respect for each other is essential. If your ex made a mistake that has undermined your respect for him, rekindling that flame might be very difficult. It could take time, and that's why taking things slow with your ex is a smart strategy.

Don't just jump in feet first! Take your time to see if he has changed and shows signs of real commitment to your future together. That's not something you can tell after one hot date and great make-up sex. Let things unfold naturally before you merge your life with his and end up broken-hearted again.

5. Is there anything you might have done that contributed to the breakup?
Often breakups are not one-sided. It's worth taking a look at what you might have done that contributed to the split, because it often takes two to tango and fight. This is not always true, of course, but a willingness to look at your own stuff shows your desire to improve and learn how to compromise when appropriate.

Compatibility issues cannot always be resolved
Many times a breakup was for a good reason — the two of you had compatibility issues. You can't change everything about a man; even a couple of things might be impossible. Patching up a relationship in which you got along well is a lot easier and more advisable than a match filled with arguments and problems.

If you can't forgive him, insist on fixing him, can't let go of what happened, can't respect him, or simply look at your own part in the breakup, you might want to say no to getting back together. Be honest with yourself and him as well. It's better to admit that even though you loved each other, you just weren't a good romantic fit. Contrary to legends and literature, love absolutely does not conquer all.


SOURCE: citifmonline.com