As it appears, we did not even read it! But, I come again to reiterate this same point again as we make our New Year resolutions.  I promise to keep this article short so you will read!

As it is our ritual, we are busily putting down our”great expectations” to God requesting him to forcefully honour at all cost. We want new jobs, continue that building project or buy new fleet of cars, and also travel opportunities and more. Also we look at higher academic laurels to our chain. And that is normal with every human being, don’t get me wrong.

I read an article this week which   the Principal of Jackson College of Education, Mrs Theodosia is eliciting engagement which makes the teaching of  ”corruption ” a compulsory subject right from the basic education right up to the university education levels.

Whiles that view could be a layer to solving the hydra headed situation the Ghanaian society is currently bedevilled with, I ask, who is going to teach the subject and how exemplary is the one? Right from the clergy, political and the ordinary man on the street doing the criticism of the assumed corrupt is corrupt himself!

We refuse to honour our tax responsibilities yet we want development in our communities. Those who pay falsify their tax liabilities to the state.

Our communities are filthy because we dump rubbish anywhere when no one is watching. Our gutters are choked and the stench is killing us .we build houses without toilet facility because the building authority will not do their monitoring work of ensuring that is done.

Well, my proposition is, as we put our requests to God for a brighter 2018, I wish for all us to also ask God to make us change agents- at the personal level to the fight against corruption at all levels.

In that wise, I cease taking 10% or ‘brown envelope’ for that contract, will not condone, connive or implicitly do anything with underlying undertones to making money inappropriately. Also I will retire all expense for that project – including the remaining resource honestly.  As a policeman, it is my duty to protect the citizenry and not collecting moneys from them for same.

As a Judge, Politician, Pastor and Reverend Minister, Chief, Educationist, Civil Servant, Media Practitioner ,Student, Labourer , National Service  Personnel (NSS)  and all others, we resolve to fighting  corruption in 2018 and beyond by first being agents of change and reporting corruption to the appropriate institutions for  prosecution and ensuring prosecution wherever they may be.

Wishing all Ghanaians a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous Corruption free Happy New year!

–

Ebenezer Annang/ [email protected]

A  National Service Personnel.

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Police Inspector Bernard Paa Ahinsan, who represented the state, prayed the court, presided over by His Worship, Thomas K. Ofidie, to remand the accused into police custody, to allow them some time to further investigate the case.

[contextly_sidebar id=”17Xav1dubauEVuzDgqkjPB44v6ZfXCCt”]Jiang Gen Hai, allegedly shot and killed Nana Boah, who had accompanied his friend, a plumber, to demand GHc150 as his workman’s pay for services he had rendered to the Chinese.

He’s believed to have been shot and killed instantly by the Chinese after an argument ensued over the refusal of the Chinese national to pay for the amount he had been charged by the plumber.

Initial reports had suggested that the Ghanaian was shot mistakenly, although that has also not been confirmed.

Eyewitnesses told Citi News that during the confrontation, a gun brought out by one of the Chinese was seized by the two Ghanaians but a second gun was reportedly fired by the Chinese, killing the witness, Nana Boamah instantly.

The youth of Wassa Akropong responded in anger by burning some 14 cars belonging to the Chinese nationals in the town, and also vandalizied other properties.

The suspect was arrested by the police and sent to the Asankragua Divisional Command. He was subsequently transferred to the Western Regional Police Command in Sekondi.

Police say he will be charged for murder, and he is to reappear in court on 26th October, 2017.

Crackdown on Chinese

The incident angered the youth of the town who burnt and vandalized properties belonging to the Chinese nationals.

About 14 cars belonging to the Chinese, as well as some of their shops, have been burnt by the irate youth.

Police had to relocate about 48 Chinese nationals to safety following the rioting.

Later on, angry youth also set up checkpoints on the Wassa Akropong High street in search of Chinese nationals following the killing, which heightened already existing tensions because of Chinese involvement in illegal mining.

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By: Obrempong Yaw Ampofo/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Enninful, who has previously worked for Italian and American Vogue, will take over from Alexandra Shulman, who announced her departure in January.

Condé Nast International’s Jonathan Newhouse said Enninful was “an influential figure in the communities of fashion, Hollywood and music”.

He is currently the fashion and creative director at W Magazine, where he has worked since 2011.

The 45-year-old will start his new role on 1 August.

After the news was announced, designer Marc Jacobs tweeted: “Congratulations to our longtime friend @Edward_Enninful, the new editor of British Vogue! We can’t wait to see what you do! ”

• Born in Ghana, he moved to the UK and started his fashion career aged 16 when he was spotted by a model scout in London.
• He began working alongside the founders of i-D magazine, and was promoted to fashion director aged just 19, a position he held for more than two decades.
• He is well connected. Very well. His Twitter profile features him with Michelle Obama.
• He was appointed OBE in the Queen’s 2016 Birthday Honours for services to diversity in the fashion industry.
• He is good mates with Pharrell.
• Some of the biggest names in fashion have worked with him, including Giorgio Armani, Christian Dior, Dolce and Gabbana, Mulberry, Valentino, Calvin Klein, Fendi, Gucci, Hugo Boss and Missoni.
• Condé Nast praised Enninful’s work at Italian Vogue under its late editor, Franca Sozzani, as having “attained landmark status in recent cultural history”.

Caroline Rush, chief executive of the British Fashion Council, told the BBC: “Anything that promotes diversity and gender equality in the industry is incredibly important, but there’s no doubt that Edward’s been appointed because of his talent.”

“He brings a very distinct point of view in terms of the imagery that he has been associated with, and I think that’s going to be really exciting to see how that is translated into the pages of Vogue.”

–

Source: BBC

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Managing Director of MMT, John Awuku Dzuazah, warned that any attempt to get the company honour its tax obligations to the state could see it go down.

“We will be making a case to the sector Minister so she can forward it to Cabinet and parliament,” he said.

MMT was established in 2003 by the government in collaboration with the Agricultural Development Bank (ADB), National Investment bank (NIB), Prudential Bank, SIC, SSNIT and GOIL.

It currently has a vehicle fleet of 1,128 that is projected to double by 2018.

The company is expected to take delivery of 230 new buses by the end of this year to support its operations.

Over the years, several transport companies, such as OSA, set up by the state have collapsed due to revenue leakages and mismanagement.

STC, one of the surviving state-run transport companies, is not profitable and is now facing operational challenges – forcing its biggest shareholder, SSNIT, to lose interest in the business.

Mr. Dzuazah said government’s intervention and support saved MMT from collapse about five years ago as the company’s profitability waned. He said MMT’s profitability hinges on its ability to effectively compete with private transport companies by charging commercial and competitive rates for its services.

“Without the intervention of government, this company would have collapsed about four years ago. If the support from government had stopped, this company would have collapsed.

“MMT is not allowed to charge commercial rates. The private operators charge higher than we do. We charge about 15- 20% lower than the private transport companies. “This gap between charging commercial rates and subsidized rates, somebody must bear that responsibility – and that’s government. We also provide free bus rides for schoolchildren, and that’s our social intervention programme.

“MMT will be profitable if we are allowed to charge commercial rates. But because it is a social programme, we are not allowed to charge commercial rates. We have to sometimes go to areas where the roads are not good. “We will continue to charge lower fares, but we want to run it as a commercial business,” he said.

In spite of its indebtedness to the state, the Metro Mass Transit (MMT) Company has set a revenue target of GH¢ 154 million from its operations this year as it launches its five-year strategic plan and ICT-based fuel and vehicle tracking system in Accra.

Last year, the company’s revenue reached GH¢ 123 million, culminating in a net profit of GH¢ 9.2 million.

According to the company’s financial projections outlined in the strategic plan, it expects an 8.6% increase in net profit after tax margin for this year over the figure recorded in 2013.

The increase in the company’s financial target hinges on the company’s strategy to cut down on operational costs through reduced fleet downtime and fuel consumption, reduced loses on intra-city services, review fares and profitability of routes, and also trim overage employee retention schemes.

The MMTs strategic plan launched in Accra spans a five- year period from 2014-2018.

The strategic plan is anchored on seven basic objectives: improve the safety of passengers and staff; improve customer service; expand access to MMT services; establish a great workplace; increase profitability and attain financial sustainability; adopt environmentally-friendly practices and attain ISO certification 9001.

The company is hopeful that the development of its five- year strategic plan, which will incorporate various ICT platforms into its operations, will help to address most of the teething concerns of customers.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of MMT, Osabarima Ansah Sasraku III, said development of the strategic plan is meant to provide a sense of direction in running the company as it strives to build an efficient bus system.

“These interventions, we believe, will transform MMT into a great workplace…The Board will provide the necessary leadership and direction, and will demand accountability and responsibility from management in the implementation of these programmes,” he said.

Osabarima Ansah Sasraku III called on the company’s employees and shareholders to support implementation of the strategic plan, indicating that the free bus ride programme for schoolchildren in uniform will be extended to persons with disability.

Source: B&FT

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