The President, who acknowledged the support of the people of Manya Krobo during the 2016 election, pledged his unflinching support to the chiefs and people of Manya Krobo.

[contextly_sidebar id=”KZVBC5hzYycIS2eG0j3cIgWMHyd8Sud1″]He made the pledge at Asesewa in the Upper Manya Krobo District, when he paid a visit to the town as part of his three-day tour of the Eastern Region.

“I choose to come here this time to seize the opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Today is the third time I am visiting the krobo land this year, and it is the truth the reason is that, I want Krobo land to be part of NPP territory so I want to say a big thank you to you all for voting for NPP and Joseph Tetteh as your Member of Parliament. Now we have Upper Manya, so it is left with Lower Manya and Yilo Krobo and we will be done”.

“Prior to the elections, a lot of people circulated baseless rumours that Krobo people will not vote for the NPP, they also added that I am an Akyem and when you vote for me, I will sack you all out of the Eastern Region, it is already one year I took over the presidency, and have you witnessed any thing they talked about? So now you all know the truth that I am part of you”.

“I am grateful for the help and support you have given to us, and I am determined with all my energy to make sure Ghana becomes the country of our dreams. I told Parliament at the beginning of my presidency that I am a man in a hurry, and this year I want to show to you that indeed I am a man in a hurry”.

President Nana Addo then assured the Kronor of Manya Krobo Nene Sakite II, that he will see to the realization of all his requests.

Nene Sakite II in his earlier address, requested for the creation of a new district, construction of a dinning hall, a classroom block for the Asesewa Senior High School, and the rehabilitation of some major roads.

President Nana Addo reiterated his commitment to addressing all the issues raised by the Kronor of Manya Krobo.

“Nene, I would want to assure you that everything you have requested for will be taken care of, the appeal for a new district, rehabilitation of the classroom block. Construction of the dinning hall and the provision of an ambulance and the roads in Asesewa will all get a face lift. Over these four years, you will see them being constructed one after the other”.

Lets stay united 

The President also emphasized the need for unity, saying “one thing that is important to me is that, we should stay united in our democracy. Our democracy allows us to have different parties, different point of view, but we should all stay united under the Ghana project, and enjoy life because that is my biggest ambition”.

“I know and believe we can all stay united and in harmony, Krobo’s, Akyems, Gas, Ewes, Nzemas, Hauzas, Mamprusis, and every tribe all of us together as one family for the betterment of one Ghana,” he added.

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By: Neil Nii Amartey Kanaku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The overlord of the Manya Krobo Traditional Council made this statement while addressing President Nana Akufo-Addo at the 2017 Manya Krobo Ngmayem Festival.

[contextly_sidebar id=”u7HlKxXeDCchqXz7tSda1LwJCcCZNQ8u”]”Our population has increased over time, new businesses have come in and there is pressure on existing amenities and my people are asking that a new district is created for us,” he said to the President.

“We believe we have earned it and it should be given to us because the creation of the new district will help us manage resources appropriately and judiciously,” the Kronor Of Manya Krobo stated.

More involvement in decision making for chiefs

Nene Sakite II, speaking on the lack of Traditional Rulers involvement in government, also pleaded with the President to consider giving chiefs and integral role in top government decision making and policies.

“When issues come up in the community the politically elected leaders are not there to provide solutions to, when electricity bills are skyrocketing the politicians are left out and chiefs are blamed.”

“Unity cannot be sold or bought and no country can develop in the midst of unrest and misunderstandings. Chiefs play a major role in ensuring a peaceful coexistence in the country. I, therefore, call on you Mr. President to use your office to provide Chiefs with resources to function in various capacities.”

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By: Neil Nii Amatey Kanarku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He also assured to fulfil all promises he made to Ghanaians prior to his election to the highest office of the land.

“Let me assure you that the pledges I made, particularly the one district, one factory pledge in the course of my campaign are going to be fulfilled to the latter. I am very grateful for the confidence that Tetteh Agblezie III has reposed in me. I am grateful to you sir and I will not let you down,” he said at Manya Krobo as part of his ‘Thank you Tour’ of the Eastern Region.

The president-elect also rejected claims that he would make life uncomfortable for Krobos who reside on Akyem lands and promised to live in peace and harmony with everyone.

“I want to tell you before the entire Krobo people that they should all feel secured. No danger is going to come to them in Akyem because of me.”

Akufo-Addo also mentioned that some Krobos will receive appointments in his new government.

“Nene Tetteh Agblezie was talking about placing the people of the area in the new Government. That is a pledge that is simple for me to make. Totti Boakye Agyarko and others are all going to find their place in the Nana Akufo-Addo government that is coming,” he added.

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By: Michael Tsatsu Axolu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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He said government has taken the needed measures to ensure that all the Krobo communities from Bokunor to Koforidua get access to pipe-borne water.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GvMRziaXfFqvTx9gFvVgUbwSEHMlo0C3″]President Mahama said, currently work is on-going to get pipe-borne water from Bokunor to Assewa for communities around Assesewa to benefit from potable water.

He said the contract was to help correct the unfair situation created when the initial project was implemented to get portable water from Bokunor in the Manya Krobo area to Koforidua and beyond under the Koforidua water project.

President Mahama was speaking at the grand durbar to climax the celebration of this year’s annual Nmayem festival of the chiefs and people of Manya Krobo at Odumase.

He said the 26 out of the 140 Krobo communities that were left out in the rural electrification project in some parts of Upper Manya, Yilo Krobo and the middle belt are being connected to the national electricity grid.

He said soon the Krobo –Odumase town, Assesewa and Sekesua communities’ town roads would be awarded on contract for rehabilitation and this would also affect the Atua Hospital road.

Nene Sakite, the Konor of Manya Krobo, commended the Finance Minister, Mr Seth Tekper and his staff at the Ministry for their good work for the country.

He said the chiefs and people of Manya Krobo are proud of Mr Tekper who is an indigene of the Manya Krobo Traditional Area.

The Konor also used the occasion to honour Mr Joseph Tettey Angmor on his appointment as the Deputy Eastern Regional Minister and presented him with a citation.

The Konor commended the government for the various developmental projects that has been implemented in the traditional area and appealed for the rehabilitation of the Odumase Krobo town roads especially the road leading to the Atua Hospital.

Nene Sakite appealed to President Mahama, who was the guest of honour at the durbar, to personally intervene and ensure early completion of the community day Senior High School which was being constructed at Obapa.

He said the project had come to a standstill and appealed for work to continue to enable young people in the traditional area to have access to secondary school education.

Nene Sakite appealed to all parties contesting this year’s presidential and parliamentary elections to gracefully accept the results of the elections and to conduct themselves in a way to guarantee the peace of the country.

He said the Manya Krobo Traditional Council has planned to construct a new three storey buildings to house the offices of the traditional council and also to construct a new palace with a museum to preserve and protect the history of the people of Manya Krobo.

He appealed to the citizens of Manya Krobo both home and abroad to come and support the traditional council to implement the project.

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Source: GNA

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The company, the R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company, promised a prompt appeal.

Michael Johnson Sr. died in 1996 after smoking for more than 20 years. In 2006, his widow, Cynthia Robinson, of Pensacola, sued R. J. Reynolds the maker of the Kool brand cigarettes her husband had smoked, arguing that the company had deliberately concealed the health hazards its product caused.

The four-week trial ended Wednesday. The jury deliberated for 18 hours over two days, first awarding $17 million in compensatory damages and then emerging at 10 p.m. Friday with a $23.6 billion punitive judgment.

“When they first read the verdict, I know I heard ‘million,’ and I got so excited,” Ms. Robinson said in a phone interview Saturday. “Then the attorney informed me that was a ‘B’ — billion. It was just unbelievable.”

She said Mr. Johnson, a longshoreman and hotel shuttle bus driver to whom she was married from 1990 until his death six years later, began smoking around age 13. He often lit a fresh cigarette with the butt end of another.

“He really did smoke a lot,” she said.

He had two children, who are now 23 and 29.

“The damages awarded in this case are grossly excessive and impermissible under state and constitutional law,” J. Jeffery Raborn, vice president and assistant general counsel for R. J. Reynolds, said Saturday in a statement. “This verdict goes far beyond the realm of reasonableness and fairness and is completely inconsistent with the evidence presented. We plan to file post-trial motions with the trial court promptly and are confident that the court will follow the law and not allow this runaway verdict to stand.”

Such efforts by the industry are often successful. In October 2002, a Los Angeles jury awarded $28 billion in punitive damages against Philip Morris USA. In August 2011, an appeals court reduced the punitive damages to $28 million.

The Florida case was among the thousands of the so-called “Engle progeny” cases that stemmed from a 2006 court decision ruling that smokers could not file class-action suits but were free to do so individually.

That decision reversed a $145 billion verdict in a class action awarded in 2000 on behalf of a Miami Beach pediatrician, Howard A. Engle. An appeals court voided the award, saying it was excessive and the cases of individual smokers were too disparate to be considered as a class.

The plaintiffs petitioned the Florida Supreme Court, which upheld the decertification of the class but permitted individuals to sue, which set the stage for Ms. Robinson’s lawsuit.

Friday’s verdict was the highest granted to an Engle progeny case.

Ms. Robinson was represented by Christopher M. Chestnut, based in Georgia, and Willie E. Gary and Howard M. Acosta, both based in Florida.

“The jury just got it,” Mr. Chestnut said. “The jury was outraged with the concealment and the conspiracy to conceal that smoking was not only addictive but that there were deadly chemicals in cigarettes.”

He said the jury seemed most persuaded by 1994 C-Span footage of tobacco industry executives claiming smoking did not cause cancer and was not addictive, and by 60-year-old internal documents showing the company knew otherwise.

Scott P. Schlesinger, a Fort Lauderdale, Fla., lawyer who has sued big tobacco but was not involved in the Robinson case, said a verdict this large is not typical.

“There have not been multibillion-dollar punishments in the Engle cases for one reason: We are afraid to ask for them. We are afraid of what will happen in the appellate process,” he said. “This verdict is important because it goes back to an ongoing saga that goes back to 1990. People have been filing suit one by one, and we have been winning about 70 percent of them.”

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Credit: New York Times

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