The holiday is to enable the celebration of the Eid ul-Adha.

A statement signed by the sector minister, Ambrose Dery entreated the public to observe the holiday throughout the country.

The Eid ul-Adha is an Islamic religious festival to mark the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham) to follow Allah’s command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

The day is celebrated by Muslims all over the world and is characterized by the slaughtering especially sheep and cow,and offering of Eid prayers.

Other sacrifice buffalos and sheep to make the day.

The celebration is also known as the Festival of Sacrifice.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post September 1 declared as public holiday appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Ministry has therefore called on the general public to disregard the news item suggesting it is doing this.

[contextly_sidebar id=”FQjnPrxb2mu4lFnMlpa0hCQC88cU6yvX”]Rumours were rife on social media over the weekend that the Ministry has enforced a new Communications Regulation that entails surveillance of calls and social media interactions by Ghanaians secretly.

But according to the Ministry, there was no such regulation.

A statement from the Ministry signed by Mrs. Adelaide Anno-Kumi, the Chief Director, said it would not undertake any such endeavour that amounts to an invasion of the privacy of citizens.

“The Ministry of Interior’s attention has been drawn to a news item making rounds on social media which is alleging that, the Ministry will be enforcing a new Communications Regulation which will entail surveillance of calls and social media platforms by the Ministry of Interior.

“The Ministry wishes to emphatically state that there is no such new communication regulation and thus calls on the general public to disregard the news item. The Ministry wishes to assure the general public that, no one’s communication device, be it mobile hand device, Personal Computer etc. is connected to any system at the Ministry of the Interior,” the statement said.

It added that “in as much as the safety, peace and security of citizens is our primary concern, we will not do anything tantamount to the invasion of the privacy of citizenry and an affront on the respect of the fundamental human rights of the citizenry.”

It further called on the general public to disregard any information within the public domain that suggests that it is secretly monitoring the conversation of Ghanaians.

“The Ministry, therefore, wish to state emphatically and unambiguously that, the news item is false and should be disregarded by the general public. The Ministry takes this opportunity to wish the general public happy Easter celebrations.”

Some Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and lawyers, forced government to withdraw, review and resubmit a Bill before Parliament to enable a lawful interception of postal packets, and telecommunication messages for the purpose of fighting crime and suppressing organised crime.

The Bill, in its earlier state, was to empower the country’s security agencies to intercept messages linked to money laundering, terrorism, narcotic trafficking, identity theft and were generally for the protection of national security.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post Interior ministry denies tapping into phone calls appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Of the three, the Interior Ministry alone received the highest of GHs1.3 billion, followed by the Ministry of Defence, which received GHs760 million.

More on the 2016 budgetary allocation for these sectors are captured in the infographic below.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

The post #GhBudget: Interior, Defence ministries got GHs2.1bn in 2016 [Infographic] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

He said except for security personnel who would be given time for their assignments on the day, especially those travelling, the Election Day would remain a working day for public servants.

Mr Bani said this when he addressed the Volta Regional Security Council and the Regional Election Taskforce during a working visit to the Region.

[contextly_sidebar id=”iNsEbOK48QQIz0wxZIfiu3v5yetW5P3P”]The visit was to afford the Minister the opportunity to assess the preparedness of the Election Taskforce ahead of the elections.

He said the Government expected all heads of institutions to “provide an enabling environment” for workers to exercise their franchise.

Mr Bani reassured of the preparedness of the security services to ensure event-free polls and warned against hate speeches.

He said political parties and individuals engaging in hate speeches would soon be made to face the law.

Mr John Kudalor, the Inspector General of Police, tasked the Police to make all hotspots an “enabling environment” and ensure that all registered Ghanaians were allowed to vote.

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Source: GNA

The post December 7 not holiday – Interior Ministry appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The Interior Ministry had announced in a statement that, Friday, November 4, would be National Farmers Day, but will not be observed as a Public Holiday, noting that, December 2, will remain the Public Holiday, despite the Farmers Day celebration being brought forward.

[contextly_sidebar id=”K4ad4XLrFEm6PdDnpS4I5fk2eYCbYU3V”]The first Friday in December is normally earmarked as the Farmers Day holiday, but the ceremony accompanying the event has been brought forward to November 4 because of the December 7 elections.

Despite the earlier statement, the Deputy Minister of Interior, James Agalga, said on Accra-based Starr FM that tomorrow [Friday], would be a holiday.

Mr. Agalga’s comments, coupled with the circulation of conflicting statements from the Interior Ministry regarding the holiday, led to some confusion in the public domain.

But in an interview with Citi News, the Deputy Minister corrected the impression and confirmed that tomorrow [Friday], November 4, is not a holiday.

Mr. Agalga noted that, “the holiday as provided for in the statutes falls on 2nd December so come 2nd December, the holiday will be observed. But for tomorrow, we are only going to mark the Farmers Day celebration and the activities that will accompany it.”

He also explained that, the holiday could not be brought forward with the celebrations because some legislation would have to be amended to make that possible.

“It is a question of law, the Public Holiday Act. If you look at the schedule, 2nd December is captured therein as the Farmer’s Day holiday. You would have to amend the law and legislation, and going through the parliamentary procedure will not be easy so we leave it the way it is,” Mr. Agalga stated.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Friday, Nov. 4 not a holiday – Interior Ministry clarifies appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.