The Directorate has set up a five-member team to investigate the circumstances surrounding the violent demonstration which destroyed sections of dormitories, administrative block and classroom structures last Saturday.

[contextly_sidebar id=”oEtujJWbXo0cKbmWkzTsUrwkhffC2D8I”]The Upper West Regional Director of Education, Evans Kpebah, told Citi News that the team has just a week to submit a report for a swift action to be taken.

He said the membership of the Committee investigating the incident includes the police, the regional directorate of education, and other stakeholders.

The Upper West Regional Director, who visited the school on Sunday morning with a police team, said: “the situation is currently under control.”

He however declined to comment on the issues that triggered the demonstration, saying “I don’t want to tamper with the investigations.”

Possible cause of rioting

Citi News sources however say the students acted in protest against a disciplinary measure imposed on one of them, by a friend of a teacher of the school, who had accompanied the teacher to the premises that night.

Sources said the visiting friend of the teacher went as far as lashing the student for a “misbehaviour” [improper dressing], a situation that angered the students who reacted in a violent manner.

Other student riots

The most recent student riots occurred at Dabokpa Technical Institute in the Northern Region, and the Gyaama Pensan Senior High Technical School in the Kwabre East District  of the Ashanti Region.

In March 2017, Dabokpa Technical Institute in the Northern Region was temporarily shut down following the riot.

In December 2017, angry Gyaama Pensan Senior High Technical School students protested against the headmaster of the school, whom they say prevented them from partaking in extracurricular activities such as inter-school sports competition, quizzes and entertainment.

The students have vandalized school properties including the vehicle of the headmaster and his apartment.

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By: Mahama Latif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post U/West: Erimon SHS closed down after students’ riot appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Speaking at the annual festival of the Lawra traditional area in the Upper West Region, to climax their annual Kobine festival, the president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, reiterated his administration’s commitment to the development of agriculture in order to improve the quality of the lives of Ghanaians.

“Agriculture remains the fuel that powers all our activities in Ghana, as we have seen, we ignore it at our risk. Now, government will certainly not ignore it, it is my pledge, that farmers, food crop farmers, fish farmers and livestock farmers will all have the support and respect they deserve from my government,” Nana Addo said.

He added that, government, with the assistance of the government of Canada, would purchase the 3,000 motorbikes and 250 pickups to help farmers improve the agricultural sector of Ghana.

The Paramount Chief of the Lawra traditional area, Naa Puowele Karbo III, commended the president for his government’s interventions in the sector which have resulted in an improvement in agriculture in the area.

He also challenged government to expedite action on the national climate change policy to ensure its implementation at the regional and district level, to address issues of climate change in the region, since the region is most at risk of climate change.

“We are aware that the national climate change policy has been formulated but its implementation is yet to trickle down to regional, sub regional and local levels,” he said.

Naa Puowele Karbo III, stated that, agricultural platforms intended to mainstream climate change issues into the district assembly planning and budgeting processes, have been established, but bemoaned the fact that their operationalization has been bedeviled with apathy, lack of resources and funding.

The Member of Parliament for Lawra, who is also the Deputy Roads and Highways Minister, Anthony Abayifaa Karbo, confirmed that funds have been released to contractors working on major roads in the region, and pleaded with the residents to support the government to deliver on its promises.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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Naaa Abaifah Karbo, the Paramount Chief of the Lawra traditional area, and his sub-chiefs, were on hand to welcome the President.

The festival is celebrated to express gratitude to the gods and the ancestors of the Lawra traditional area in appreciation of a bumper harvest.

The 2017 celebration of the Kobineh festival marks the 41st of its kind. People from all walks of life, including persons from the Ivory Coast, make their way to the festival.

The Lawra constituency is currently in the governing New Patriotic Party’s hands after Anthony Karbo seized the opportunity presented to him by the division within the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in its traditional stronghold.

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By: Latif Mahama/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nana Addo joins Lawra for Kobineh festival climax [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The two, Peter Assibi Kaayir and Hajia Bintu Alhassan, were expelled for endorsing the nomination form of the incumbent Member of Parliament for Lawra, Samson Abu, who has also been expelled from the party for contesting the 2016 elections as an independent candidate.

[contextly_sidebar id=”9WhHwp8gviyUuLzImB06DE2i1MKvVil3″]A statement signed by the party’s Constituency Chairman, Joshua Lotaa, said the two have also been openly campaigning for Mr. Abu ahead of the polls.

The dismissal of the two follows the NDC National Executive Commission’s (NEC) expulsion of some 23 disgruntled members who are contesting the elections as independent parliamentary candidates.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of the party, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, said the decision was taken because the candidates per their actions have breached the party’s constitution.

The two breached party’s constitution

The Lawra NDC in its statement also justified their sacking of these two individuals saying, “the conduct of these persons is in breach of articles 45 ad 46 of the party’s constitution. Accordingly and in line with directives issued by the General Secretary, the two persons have ceased to be members of the party with immediate effect.”

The statement added that “they are therefore no longer executive members of the party and cannot hold themselves out as such. They are to return all party property in their possession to the Constituency Chairman.”

Speaking in a subsequent interview with Citi News, Mr. Lotaa confirmed that the party expelled the two because of their allegiance to the current MP, Sampson Abu.

“Once you don’t go by the party law or the party rules, we don’t allow you to be here. Go ahead and have your independence and continue do for you candidate whatever you want. But let’s have our peace of mind to work for our candidate.”

“We have tried to solve these problems and yet they decide to go ahead to do what they want… we don’t need to come back again looking for you and begging you to come back and work for the party,” Mr. Lotta said.

Samson Abu ordered to return party van

Meanwhile, Mr. Abu has been ordered to return a party van in his possession.

A seperate statement said, “following your decision to run as an independent candidate and in compliance with the press statement issued by the General Secretary on 1^st November 2016, we request the immediate return of the party’s van with registration No. GB2786-12 which has been in your custody since November 2012.”

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

The post 2 NDC members expelled for endorsing independent candidate appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This followed the party’s decision to expel 23 members contesting as independent candidates in the 2016 elections.

[contextly_sidebar id=”E87ygZy7SQSOENZRbri7aeR4iJTpgpRK”]The NDC, in a statement signed by its General Secretary, explained that the party expelled the members because the 23 persons breached the party’s constitution.

The party also directed the independent candidates to stop campaigning with the party’s colors, and suggested that those campaigning for only the NDC Flagbearer, President John Mahama, without the NDC parliamentary candidates, did not have the party’s interests at heart.

In an interview with Citi News’ Sixtus Dong Ullo however, Mr. Bandana, said he was at peace with his expulsion from the NDC, but insisted that the party could not prevent him from campaigning for President Mahama.

“To say that nobody should use the names of key party executives or the President in their campaign – I don’t know how they seek to interpret that. I don’t know really know what that means. I think it is quite arrogant posturing. The decision by the NEC [National Executive Committee] is quite arrogant and I don’t think that is how our democracy should be handled.”

Mr. Bandana asserted that, expulsion could not be “used to curtail the freedom of choice of any individual because if you tell me I cannot even tell people to campaign for the President, you cannot tell me that.”

Samson Abu urges expelled members to accept suspension

The NDC MP for the Lawra Constituency going independent, Samson Abu, also said it would be unfair for the party to bar the expelled members from campaigning for the President.

Mr. Abu argued that, he had the right to choose and campaign for whoever he wished to be President.

“The President needs votes and the President needs my vote as well. Whether I belong to a party or I am an independent person, I have the right to choose my President. Whilst I am choosing, I have the right to seek the support of others for us to toe the same line or to all support the same President.”

Mr. Abu also urged the the expelled members to accept their suspension from the party in good faith saying, “all those going independent should receive this information in good faith, because once you know you are going independent, you should know that the rules of the party must come into play,” he said.

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

The post NDC’s posture is arrogant – expelled member appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Samson Abu, the incumbent MP for the area on the ticket of the NDC, left the party after his narrow defeat in the NDC primary where he lost to Bede Ziedeng by 14 votes.

In a letter signed by Upper West Regional EC  Director, Azu Bosco Anyigire, the EC explained to Samson Abu that the similarity of his colours to that of the NDC is in breach of the law.

“I humbly wish to inform you that your colours as an independent candidate are similar to that of the National Democratic Congress (NDC). This is a breach of the law and I advise that you change your colours with immediate effect.”

“The Commission will apply all sanctions if you fail to comply,” the letter added.

Following Samson Abu’s defeat at the primary, his camp leveled allegations against Bede Ziedeng, accusing him of manipulating the voter’s register to his advantage.

Though Bede Ziedeng denied the accusations, attempts by the NDC hierarchy to mend the rift between the two proved futile, as Samson Abu eventually presented his nomination forms to EC to contest as an independent candidate.

This turn of events has presented the New Patriotic Party (NPP) its best chance to win the seat with its aspirant for the area, Anthony Abayifaa Karbo, looking to take advantage of the the anticipated split votes between the Samson Abu and Bede Ziedeng.

Follow the hashtag #GhElections on Social Media for election related stories

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

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“The EU must release the 60 million Euros that our Minister of Finance has been requesting for in the last two months in order that he can have some support for his budget,” the Minister of Trade and Industry, Mr. Haruna Iddrisu said.

Citi News has gathered that the Finance Ministry has been chasing the funds for over two months.

President John Dramani Mahama earlier also urged the EU to disburse the funds when he held discussions with the President of the EU, Jose Manuel Barroso at Brussels.

Speaking at an EU Business Summit, Mr. Iddrisu said the funds will among others reduce government’s high budget deficit.

The Minister also emphasized the need to secure the fund to address the country’s current economic challenges saying “If we don’t check the current challenges facing the Ghanaian economy, we will be opening it up to more risks, which in itself will be a disincentive to our investments.”

Meanwhile the board of the World Bank is expected to review a proposal for a 50 million dollar donor support fund to Ghana.

The funding will be used to finance the Ghana Social Opportunities Project. The project is expected to strengthen and expand support through the expansion of the coverage of Livelihood Empowerment against Poverty (LEAP).

The World Bank last week gave Ghana a 229 million dollar grant to support two programmes expected to accelerate access to education and health delivery in the country.

73 million dollars of the amount was allocated to the Maternal and Child Health &Nutrition Improvement Project while 156 million dollars was allocated to the Ghana Secondary Education Improvement Project.

The intervention was approved by the Board of Executive Directors of the World Bank Group on May 20, 2014.

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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Release funds to support 2014 budget – Minister to EU appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.