Ghana movies Nigeria movies Music videos Chat Discussion Entertainment News TV VibeGhana

Kwesi Pratt Cautions Asantehene

2010-03-17T20:11:00Z

The Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr, has waded into the Tuobodomanhene / Techimanhene / Asantehene fray by issuing a rather terse note of caution to the Asantehene asking him to be circumspect in his utterances.

Mr. Pratt strongly believes that much as the action by the Techimanhene, Oseadeeyo Ameyaw Akumfi IV, deserves outright condemnation, the statement by the Asantehene was unbecoming of a great king, who is highly regarded in the country, more so when he is mediating in the Dagbon Chieftaincy dispute.

According to him, the action by the two statesmen has desecrated the chieftaincy institution in the country.

“It’s about time our chiefs were made to understand that Ghana does not belong to them…those days of the “ahenfie” police….severing off people’s heads for wronging a king are past…We are in 2010…Our chiefs, should permit me to say, reason carefully before taking decisions,” he crossly said.

On Friday, March 5th, some unidentified heavily built men alighted from a white Ford bus with registration number AW 2873 Z, and in Rambo style, kidnapped the Chief of Tuobodom, Nana Asare Baffour II, who owes allegiance to the Asantehene, and sent him to the Techimanhene’s palace, where he was allegedly physically assaulted.

The incident occurred whiles the Wenchi High Court was sitting.

The inaction by the police and the lack of proactiveness by the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs in settling the dispute incurred the displeasure of Otumfuo Osei Tutu.

The visibly angry 16th occupant of the Golden Stool, at the press conference yesterday questioned why the actions of the Techimanhene have not received outright condemnation and the rather long silence over the issue by the appropriate quarters.

The Asantehene thereby issued an ultimatum to government to make its position clear and threatened that, should the appropriate agencies fail to call the Techimanhene to order, he (the Asantehene) will “arrest him just as a hawk grabs a hen, if the Techimanhene dares travel through Kumasi.”

But speaking on Peace FM’s “Kokrokoo”, Mr. Pratt lashed out at the Asantehene calling his pronouncements reckless which could endanger the lives of the two ethnic groups in particular, and Ghanaians in general.

“Kwami, I believe Otumfuo stills heads the Eminent Committee of Chiefs mediating in the Dagbon crisis…he is sitting on the committee advising the Dagombas,…he should rather advice himself, its important…the statement he made threatening the Techimanhene…what will be the consequences for both Asantes and the people of Techiman….my goodness, what is this?” an exasperated Pratt said.

The Insight Managing Editor was equally uncharitable to the Techimanhene censuring him for his role in the kidnapping of the Tuobodomhene, Nana Asare Baffour II.

“And this Techimanhene, what is his problem?...This is a serious matter…How can send macho men to arrest someone who you think has wronged you? You bring him to your palace, strip him naked and subject him to severe beatings…Is that how we want to live in this country?” he questioned.

Mr. Pratt was however, quick to add that he was in tandem with the statement made by the Asantehene that state institutions must be allowed to work and the law made to take its course.

“It does not matter whether you are Otumfuo or whatever…it does not matter whether you are the President…, from today to go…anyone who flouts the law must be brought to book and dealt with accordingly by the law,” he said.

Kwesi Pratt told Kwami Sefa-Kayi, host of the morning show programme. He recalled the instance where he and other colleague journalists were warned never to step foot in Kumasi after making certain comments about the Asantehene. Kwesi Pratt said.

He added that our traditional rulers should refrain from acts that will unnecessarily raise tension in the country.

“Ghana is a constitutionally democratic and Republic country…Our chiefs should think of Ghana first...when they do all this and it degenerates itself a battle, in the final analysis, the ordinary Ghanaian will bear the brunt of all this…the tax payer’s money will be used to engage the services of security personnel to bring peace in the area…indeed we’re tired of them,” Kwesi Pratt said.

Source: PeaceFm

Analysts Dismiss Calls by Libyan Leader Moammar Gadhafi to Split Nigeria into Two Countries

2010-03-17T20:07:00Z

At least 13 people have been killed in the latest sectarian violence to hit central Nigeria. As investigations begin into the latest violence in the central city of Jos, the government and prominent groups are searching for a lasting solution. Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi has a proposal that’s getting a lot of attention. He says Nigeria should be split into two independent countries.

“His simplistic solution cannot work because Nigeria is not neatly divided between Christians and Muslims,” says Innocent Chukwuma, head of the CLEEN Foundation, a Lagos-based pro-democracy group.

He says although some agree with the Libyan leader, the proposal would not work in a complex country like Nigeria.
“Down in the North, you also have a significant Christian population as you also have a significant Muslim in the South. So if you have you say you are given the North to the Muslims and the South to the Christians, what do you do about the Christians in the North and the Muslims in the South?”

Chukwuma agrees that the circle of violence will continue to put pressure on the country’s unity. Only a sustained government effort to prosecute those responsible, he says, will reduce the calls for the dissolution of the current political arrangement.

“There is that fear that if the federal government does not quickly come to a solution on this intractable sectarian violence, it might get out of hand. But I don’t see it getting to such a situation that people would whole-heartedly drift back to their places of origin.”

The real danger about the current spate of killings in Jos, says Chukwuma, is the possibility in might spread to other parts of the country.

It will spread if the government continues to do nothing, he says. “But I think in this latest one, a number of people have been arrested who they say have confessed. So if they quickly bring those people to trial, it would go a long way in reassuring people that they don’t need to take the laws into their hands.” VOA

Why Bother: An Archaic Educational System Thriving In The New World-Economy!

2010-03-17T04:00:00Z

Why Bother: An Archaic Educational System Thriving In The New World-Economy!

Our students need real-life, modern- day experiences in efforts to help their communities and country to prosper.

THE NEW-WORLD ECONOMY is here to stay indefinitely, and the traditional customers are getting increasingly wiser and picky, demanding more mileage out of their money. So should we bother?

No one can deny it: The old -world economic order (or should I have said, ‘disorder’?) is shattered, and gone forever. It’s never coming back. In its place is a generally tougher, creative, customer- oriented, demanding marketplace.

The new “Customers” have unlimited power and they could be thousands of miles away from the source of the products or services they use. In other words, all the power has returned to customers and they know it. The new customers have power of choice more than ever and the ordinary, lousy products and services are not going to be tolerated.

Also, the New Economy has created customers who spend money more judiciously, so money will be attracted only to businesses or individuals that offer much more appealing and complete value propositions. In addition, businesses and individual entrepreneurs willing to survive should have superior and gold-plated reputations, unique positioning, exceptionally effective marketing and an outstanding customer -service; before, and after the sale. Business success is not given on a silver platter any more. This is not the economy as we once knew it----it’s THE NEW ECONOMY ,so we better get used to it.

So how prepared are we as a nation? Are our schools and colleges up to the task?

Is our new educational reform ready and designed to take all that into account and train a labor- force which can meet the new customers’ needs, interests and desires---with the hope to bolster competiveness abroad and create jobs at home?

With that in mind, our new educational reform should also meet our everyday needs and solve our emerging problems. That is why we have to imbue our students with important values, volunteerism, community service experiences and mandatory entrepreneurial competency.

In his State of the Nation Address in Parliament this year, President John Atta Mills touched on school reform and the need to provide infrastructural facilities for Senior Secondary schools. However, nothing was said about how to imbue our students with values and skills that transcend traditional academic content, which will ultimately help shape their views of the world and cause them to strive to make a difference in their communities and society; respond boldly, creatively, intelligently, and responsibly to the new World Economic Order.

The current world recession was caused by series of human negative tendencies like; bad company sales practices, lazy and inept salespeople, sloppy over-staff, abysmal customer service and excessive demand of goods and services. People turned their houses into ATM machines and used the equity in their houses for exotic vacations and feast at expensive places. All that could have been avoided if fiscal education was given a priority. So if we don’t have successful examples to follow in our quest for change, we should simply "look at what everyone around us is doing and do the opposite".

What good is our educational reform when our students can not transform and transfer what they learn in the classrooms to solve real life problems? What good is our traditional education when we can’t find solutions to our everyday emerging problems and make a difference in our communities, towns, villages and neighborhoods? What good is our educational system when our labor force cannot even meet its’ customers’ needs and desires?

Besides providing infrastructures and other learning tools, let’s set the bar a little bit higher by demanding a great deal from the teachers and students, and offer challenging learning environment that harnesses and broadens our potentials. There is a need to motivate our students to strive for valuable knowledge and ideas that can transform our society.

We also have to teach our students fiscal management and financial responsibilities because we live in a country where individuals who earn less than GH 500.00 a month, own a cellphone that costs about three times of their monthly salaries. What is wrong with that picture? We should not forget that the world recession and the economic meltdown were caused in part by excessive consumer –demand and greed on the part of those who were cashing in on that demand by gullible customers.

Also, to make education more in tune with our needs we have to motivate Ghanaian students to give their time and energy to serve other people or their country with integrity. This could be done through Community Service Learning that can change a young person’s world view.

Undoubtedly, our colleges and schools should dedicate to nurturing critical thinking, effective communication skills coupled with practical community service training. Our new education should develop community -minded young adults who will intend possess ‘service’ as part of their lives and give their time and energy to help causes such as children’s welfare, health, environment, housing and literacy.

It‘s nice to talk about the provision of infrastructures but, it remains to be seen whether that alone can transform and revitalize our ailing educational standards. Gradually, as a nation we’re spending more money on booze than books. There are more drinking bars in Ghana than libraries. Yet we’re expecting to get world -class intellectuals who are going to deliver us from the socio-economic doldrums.

Using community service learning tools, incorporating them with our available resources will give students valuable lessons not found in the traditional academic curriculum. That will be the kind of reform we should strive for. We need to challenge and change the mindsets of our young people so as to inculcate in them responsibility, integrity, work ethics, fairness and other values that every successful society needs in order to stand on its own.

In this post-economic downturn world, we should have a second thought about our archaic educational system. We can’t and shouldn’t give our future leaders any mediocre, assembly- line type of education, which is irrelevant to our needs, aspirations and survivability and expect them to do the right thing for the nation and the society.

No wonder, in our part of the world the more education we attain the more inhumane and corrupt we become. Or is it the more corrupt and inhumane we become the more education we seek to cover our tracks? Go figure! We must be doing something fundamentally wrong to our educational system that needs radical changes to enable our children to attain fit-for- purpose education which is required of this modern age.

It should be noted that any meaningful reform must reduce poor standards of education and revolutionize our teaching methods. But, the government needs to show that it can overcome the choked-hold it has sustained from the Teachers’ Union. Dare we say?

Welcome to the New World Economic Order!

Kwaku Adu-Gyamfi (The Voice Of Reason)
NJ, USA

Brother of NPP activist loses wife. Blames death on unprofessional conduct of Nurses.

2010-03-17T04:00:00Z

Brother of NPP activist loses wife. Blames death on unprofessional conduct of Nurses.

It was a gloomy atmosphere at House Number 12, Israel, near Florensa Hotel when Mr. Frank Ayim Damptey returned from a one week business trip abroad to meet his household in mourning.
Mr. Frank Ayim Damptey, who is the MD/CEO of Tata Beverages Company Limited is a junior brother of Daniel Danquah Damptey, an NPP activist and regular columnist of most newspapers and websites.
The businessman had returned to the country on Friday, 12th March, 2010, a \day earlier than schedule and decided to surprise his family members at home. Unknown to him, a surprise was awaiting him at home.
He had “chattered” a taxi expecting to see smiling faces beckoning him home. The taxi driver who took his luggage to the house returned to tell him: “Sir, I think there is a funeral going on in your house”. When he summoned courage to get to the house, family members “picked race” or “scattered in various directions for safety” for nobody wanted to be the one to deliver the tragic news to him. The man bore his tragic loss like the stoic philosophers of old on hearing the devastating, but only after shedding some tears. He could not fathom what could have happened for he had spoken to the wife and his children the previous day and the wife did not give him any notion that there was something amiss.

But the most pathetic aspect of the whole thing was the unprofessional attitude exhibited by the staff at the Maternity wing at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on the night of Thursday, 11th March ,2010. The deceased, Diana Ayim who was about Seven and half Months pregnant collapsed at home at about 10.05pm or thereabout and was first rushed to the La-Paz Community Hospital for treatment. But Staff at the Hospital after taken a critical look at her condition directed that she be taken to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
At the Maternity section of the Hospital, the Nurses on duty refused to do anything to alleviate her condition. They said that they were not admitting any new patient due to water shortage at the hospital and that was that. Not even passionate entreaties from family members to the nurses to go and take a look at the patient then in a vehicle could move them from the top of Mount Olympus they thought they were occupying. With utter detachment, they said the patient be taken to either Ridge or 37 Military Hospital.
By the time staff at the Ridge Hospital attended to her, she was stone dead.

Such callous display of “power” by the Nurses at the Maternity Wing of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on the night of Thursday, 11th March, 2010 calls for condemnation by concerned people in the country. Isn’t it time the appropriate authorities took measures to bring such culprits to book to serve as a deterrent to others? What prevented the nurses on duty to go and take a critical look at the patient before ordering that she be taken elsewhere for treatment? If they had done that, perhaps her life might have been saved. Are the Nurses telling us that because there is no water at the hospital, somebody who is in dire need of medical attention will not be treated at the hospital? What about asking the family members of the patient to bring water to the hospital for the upkeep of the patient? I bet, some families might even donate tanks of water.

By the callous and unprofessional conduct of the Nurses at the Maternity wing of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, the family has lost not only a mother and a wife who was very dear to us but also a baby who might have grown up to be part of the problem solving body in the country.

Meanwhile, the One Week gathering of the Bempong family of Gyakiti and the Damptey (Bretuo) family of Abomoso and Sankubenase will take place on Friday, 19th March, 2010 at House Number 12, Israel, near Florensa Hotel, Alhaji.

Daniel Danquah Damptey (danieldanquah_damptey@ yahoo. com

Mills Is Being Inconsistent - Jake

2010-03-16T09:44:00Z

The Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Jake Otanka Obetsebi Lamptey has revealed that “there is something really amiss if the President should say the Ga Mantse is on the stool illegitimately.”

Speaking exclusively to the New Crusading Guide, Jake, as he is well known by, said by the courtesy call he paid to the Ga Mantse, Nii Tawiah II yesterday, he and his party considered it as a means of showing respect to the ‘owner of the Ga land.’

He said since his party’s headquarters is situated on Ga Land, he saw no mistake in paying a courtesy call on the Ga Mantse and his other sub-chiefs.Asked if he shouldn’t have waited till disputes surrounding the legitimacy of the Ga Mantse were resolved, Mr. Obetsebi Lamptey said, “It was not wrong being at his enstoolment and so there should be nothing wrong with my paying a courtesy call on my king and ask for his blessings.”

Distancing himself or the party from the Ga Mantse, he maintained, would amount to inconsistency not only on his part, but that of the NPP as well since he and some of his party members were present at the Ga Mantse’s enstoolment.

He recalled that he was not alone at the Ga Chief’s enstoolment but recollected vividly that he saw former President Rawlings and President Mills – who was then the presidential candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) – which government he (Mills) now heads.

He was however, quick to add that neither he nor his party was in the best position to advise President Mills and his NDC compatriots on what to do; but cautioned that their duty was to keep the country peaceful for the current generation and posterity.

Readers will recall that no so long ago, Prez. Mills relayed to Ghanaians his thoughts about the kingship of Nii Tackie Tawiah, known in private life as Mr. Joe Blankson, noting that he is on the stool illegitimately and so did not invite him (Ga Chief) to the State of the Nation’s Address read in Parliament recently by him (President). This issue raised so much controversy as a section on the Ga Traditional Council recognizes him as such and the other, recognizes him as the “wrong man in the right place.”

This controversy led to the Ga Mantse flaying the President due to some assumptions made by the former that not only was the latter’s occupancy of the stool illegitimate, but also for the reason that he (Ga Mantse) had associated himself with the opposition NPP. The Dsaasetse – one of the traditional elders of the stool – rendered apologies to the President and disassociated himself and the Council from the utterances of the Ga Mantse saying, “the Ga Paramount Dsaasetse, the only legitimate and customarily mandated and recognized body of king-makers of the Paramount Stool have not at anytime installed anyone as Ga Mantse, since the demise of our illustrious Boni Nii Amugi II, for the Ga State.”

Meanwhile, the Ga Mantse lauded the NPP and described them as very familiar friends of the Ga State. He also said “the NPP’s visit is very essential because it opens some avenues of communication between the people of the Ga State and at least one of the political units that vie for power to guide this country into greater prosperity.”

Source: The New Crusading Guide

CJA Pushes For Prosecution Of Gh¢166m Embezzlers

2010-03-12T08:07:00Z

The Committee for Joint Action (CJA) has called on government to immediately prosecute all public officials cited for embezzling about GH¢166.1 million in the 2008 Auditor General’s report.

According to the committee, it will be detrimental for government to ignore the call for accountability on the part of public officials, who have engaged themselves in financial malfeasance and blatant thievery, as has been officially captured by the report.

“Government must, as a matter of urgency, prosecute these crooked officials,” a leading member, Mr. Edward Bawah, charged, insisting that “punitive actions ought to be taken against the offending officials in order to deter others from engaging in similar practice.”

Mr. Bawah, who was speaking at a press conference in Accra, warned that, the CJA will not relent on its call for corrupt officials named in the report to face the law.

He regretted that despite numerous exposures made by the CJA in the past, government, especially the Kufuor-led administration, made no effort at instilling accountability in government agencies by prosecuting offenders. Giving details of the report, Mr. Bawah mentioned that over 20 government agencies, including some ministries were involved in cash irregularities which amounted to GH¢166.1 million, representing 177.4% over that of 2007.

He stated that the cash irregularities accounted for 92.8% of the total financial irregularities mainly due to four factors, which are imprest holders refusing to account for imprests, lack of supervisory controls over revenue collection; failure of officers to obtain supporting documents for funds disbursed, and the ineffectiveness of Internal Audit Units within the Ministries.

Procurement and stores irregularities cost the nation GH¢ 898,350 in 2008, indicating an increase of 24% over that of 2007. Payroll overpayments amounted to GH¢ 762,886, while contract irregularities amounted to GH¢3.4 million.

Stating some specific findings, Mr. Bawah mentioned that the VAT Service acquired the Bannet building, near Busy Internet, Accra, for GH¢874,154. He stated that interestingly, the building was rehabilitated at a cost of GH¢ 2,387,216 although it was leased for only 11 years with no possibility of extension.

He added that three Oil Marketing Companies (OMCs), which reneged on their scheduled payment plan to the tune of GH¢ 2,768,908.00 were not asked for guarantees and have not paid their debts.

MINISTRY OF TRADE

On Ministry of Trade, Mr. Bawah quoted from the report that “contrary to regulation of the Financial Administration Regulation, the Ministry opened and operated an account at the Accra High Street Branch of Barclays Bank in October 2005.”

“An amount of GH¢2 billion was transferred into it from the ministry’s main account which earned an interest of GH¢7.8 million, and the GH¢ 2 billion withdrawn,” he said, adding that the GH¢2 billion was not accounted for, neither was the GH¢7.8 million,” he asserted.

Still on the Ministry of Trade, the report captured that two private enterprises in the garment industry that were given grants totaling GHc288,000 to undertake capacity building abandoned the projects . “No attempt has been made to recover the monies,” he said, pointing out that a draft agreement commissioned at a cost of GHc 4,650 were never utilized. A building in Kumasi that was renovated by the ministry in 2006 at a cost of GHc11,492 was still standing unused in 2008 because additional funds were not made available for completion of the project.

Also, a strategic plan prepared at a cost of GHc45,696 in 2006 has been left to gather dust, he added.

He stated that the ministry made payments amounting to GH¢ 273,310 for repairs and maintenance without certification.

MINISTRY OF INTERIOR

Under the Ministry of Interior, cash irregularities amounted to GH¢286,241 and US$13,485.

These were in respect of misappropriation of proceeds of tender documents; disbursements from revenue collected and unauthorized use of internally generated fund.

MINISTRY OF HARBOURS AND RAILWAYS

Here, management misapplied an amount of GH¢600,000 out of GH¢2,150,000 voted for the payment of end of service benefits for 674 retrenched Railway workers. “It is worth noting that during this period, workers of the Railway company had not been paid for years,” he said, hinting that it may have accounted for the non-payment of salaries.

MINISTRY DEFENCE

Mr. Bawah stated that in the Support Services Brigade, cash irregularities totaling GH¢473,61) for repairs was unsatisfactory completed and had no certification.

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

An amount of 76,761 euros which was transferred to the Copenhagen Mission on 2nd August 2006, could not be traced to the Mission’s accounts.

MINISTRY OF FINANCE AND ECONOMIC PLANNING

The Audit report captured that, total release from Non-Road Accounts in violation of procedures for accessing funds from the consolidated amounted to GH¢3,066,742.

Also, the ministry failed to collect taxes amounting to GH¢2,590,922 at the Abeka Lapaz DTO alone. CEPS The CJA concluded that post clearance short collections amounted to GH¢13,655,166. Source: Enquirer

President Mills welcomes alternative political views

2010-03-11T18:14:00Z

President John Evans Atta Mills on Wednesday said divergent political views were ideal for good democratic practice.

However, he noted that political leaders should use State resources to advance the cause of the people and improve their living standards.

President Mills was hopeful of a bright future for Africa, but observed that politics would ever be present with different and alternative views, and the objective should always be to improve on the lives of the people.

He made the observation when Mr Charles Stith, Director of African Presidential Archives and Research Centre (APARC), presented a copy of the African Leaders State of Africa Report 2009 to him at the Osu Castle, in Accra.

President Mills called on African leaders to learn from each other, including lessons and suggestions proffered in the report, and work hard with the available resources to lift their peoples from the doldrums.

He pointed out that the 21st Century was for Africans therefore Africa should get its act together and become a shining example for other continents.

Mr. Stith, a former US Ambassador to Tanzania, is touring eight African nations for the release of the report.

They are Tanzania, South Africa, Ghana, Botswana, Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi and Cape Verde.

President Mills is among 14 African leaders featured in the report.

The report, in its eighth year, is one of APARC's core projects and represents a unique perspective on Africa.

A statement from the Boston University APARC, said: "it reflects positive development toward democratic and free market reform on the continent".

Source: GNA

Ghana to host 2016 Nations Cup

2010-03-11T18:11:00Z

Ghana may bid for the hosting rights of the 2016 African Cup of Nations two years after staging the continent's most historic event ever.

Gabon and Equatorial Guinea are billed to jointly host the next biannual showpiece in 2012 before Libya takes the stage two-years on.

Ghana could go for another bit of the cherry in 2016, according to President John Evans Atta Mills.

President Mills has told the Confederation of African Football (CAF) President, Issa Hayatou that Ghana would seriously consider an appeal to bid for the hosting rights of the Africa Cup of Nations.

The President who would be a recipient of a CAF Platinum award at the Glo-CAf Awards slated for Accra on Thursday, March 11 at the plush Banquet Hall of the State House in Accra told Alhaji Hayatou and his delegation at the Castle on Wednesday that Ghana would also be interested in other tournaments on the continental body's calendar.

President Mills said the country is counting on CAF to help develop football in Ghana.

Alhaji Hayatou told President Mills that Ghana's rich democratic credentials and testimony of good impressions from Sports writers across the continent would influence the decision to invite the country to bid for the hosting rights for future tournaments.

Ghana is believed to have raised the benchmark when 15 teams joined the Black Stars for the 2008 tournament that was won by Egypt in Accra.

Source: GNA

Drogba Crowned African Player of the Year

2010-03-11T08:13:00Z

Ivorian striker Didier Drogba has been crowned African Footballer of the Year for the second time in his career.

Drogba, previously decorated in 2006, brushed aside stiff opposition from Cameroonian forward Samuel Eto’o Fils and Ghanaian midfielder Michael Essien to claim the coveted prize.

The Chelsea hit-man was named the Glo-CAF Player of the Year 2009 at the Awards Gala held on Thursday, March 11, at the Banquet Hall, State House in Accra, Ghana.

It served a grand birthday present for Drogba whose 32nd birthday coincided with the ceremony that seeks to reward the finest footballers, officials and administrators for their contribution to the development of the game.

An official of the Ivorian Football Federation (FIF) received the award from the Vice President of Ghana, John Mahama who was assisted by CAF President Issa Hayatou, amidst cheers from the packed hall.

The Ivorian forward will also receive 20,000 US Dollars for being named the foremost footballer on the continent for the second time in his illustrious career. The winner was decided by votes from the coaches of the National Associations affiliated to CAF.

The coronation of Drogba was the climax of the ceremony that saw two members of the gold-winning Ghana U-20 team; Dominic Adiyiah and coach Sellas Tetteh picking up the Young Player of the Year and Coach of the Year respectively.

Three-time Africa club champions, T.P. Mazembe of DR Congo were named the Club of the Year, and captain Tresor Mputu Mabi as the winner in the Best Player on the Continent category.

The South African Supporters Club, famous for the blowing of the ‘Vuvuzela’ were decorated as the Best Supporters Club whilst Algeria’s superb form during the year earned the National Team of the Year award.

The fans of Sudanese giants Al-Hilal went home with Fair Play prize whilst Ex-footballers, Stephen Keshi of Nigeria, Senegalese Jules Bocande and Oswaldo Saturnino de Oliviera “Jesus” of Angola were each presented with the African Football Legend award.

Ghana President, John Evans Atta Mills was also presented with the Platinum Award.

Award winners
Glo-CAF Player of the Year
Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire)

Inter-Club Player of the Year
Mputu Mabi (T.P. Mazembe and DR Congo)

National Team of the Year
Algeria

Club of the Year
T.P. Mazembe (DR Congo)

Young Player of the Year
Dominic Adiyiah (AC Milan and Ghana U-20)

Coach of the Year
Sellas Tetteh (Ghana U-20)

Fair Play Award
Al Hilal fans

Best Supporters Club
South Africa Supporters Club

African Football Legend
Stephen Keshi (Nigeria)
Jules Bocande (Senegal)
Osvaldo Saturnino de Oliviera “Jesus” (Angola)

Platinum Award
Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana

CAF Best XI
Goalkeeper – Muteba Kidiaba (T.P Mazembe and DR Congo)
Defenders – John Pantsil (Fulham and Ghana), Nadir Belhadj (Portsmouth and Algeria), Wael Gomaa (Al-Ahly and Egypt)
Midfielders – Alexander Song (Arsenal and Cameroon), Michael Essien (Chelsea and Ghana), Seydou Keita (Barcelona and Mali), Yaya Toure (Barcelona and Cote d’Ivoire)
Attackers – Tresor Mputu Mabi (T.P. Mazembe and DR Congo), Samuel Eto’o (Inter Milan and Cameroon), Didier Drogba (Chelsea and Cote d’Ivoire) Source: CAF

NDC Steps Up Efforts To Jail Kufuor’s Men

2010-03-09T15:19:00Z

The Attorney General and Minister for Justice, Betty Mould Iddrisu might be doing her best, but it seems it is not being appreciated.

She would be receiving the most shocking news of her life time as the National Democratic Congress government initiates moves to drop her in preparations towards the prosecution of former Ministers of state under the erstwhile New Patriotic Party administration.

Her drop would pave way for a formidable force who could put up a fierce fight in court against NPP ministers who could be cited for corruption.

Betty Mould is considered as a soft person who cannot work to the expectation of her bosses. Initially Interior Minister, Martin Amidu was penciled for the position to begin the prosecution, but because of public outcry at that time, the government felt it would tantamount to succumbing to pressure.

In a mini reshuffle which is expected to come out soon it is expected to send shock down the spines of many people. President Mills has declared the year 2010 as an action year which would see the prosecution of former ministers of state under the Kufuor administration. The decision to replace Betty, the Patriot has gathered was informed by the desire by some top goons in the party to see NPP members jailed.

President Mills in his second state of the nation address served notice that his administration would not leave any stone unturned to prosecute subsequently jail present and former ministers of state.
Former President Jerry John Rawlings had also accused the Mills administration as being slow to prosecute former ministers of state whom he had always accused of being corrupt.

It would be recalled that Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings recently at the inauguration of the National Executive Committee of the NDC asked President Mills to start prosecuting former ministers of state.

It can also be recalled that Betty Mould who went to court seeking to convict five soldiers for allegedly murdering Mr. Rokko Frimpong, finally withdrew out of the case, because to her, it was more justifiable to prosecute the initial suspects in the case.

Source: The Patriot