Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Mr. Kumi alleged that, some state officials, including assembly members, have been extorting money from LPG Marketers across the country, since the deadly Atomic Gas explosion, and the subsequent directives from government to sanitize the industry.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ofpQjO4eyrLoLql8JMLORGviISP0k0u8″]This revelation comes a day after the Association suspended the sale of LPG products across the country, with the excuse that they are carrying out maintenance works on their facilities.

However, many have said the shutdown is a deliberate move to frustrate the supply of gas, considering that the LPG Marketers have vehemently kicked against Government’s approach towards ensuring safety in the sector following the Atomic Junction explosion.

Mr. Kumi indicated that, some stations are even facing a threat of closure by the assembly members who are supposedly extorting money from them.

“We have assembly men going round our stations that they want to close it down. There is a whole extortion business going on by this team.”

The Association’s members, some of who shutdown from Wednesday, October 19, have not indicated when it will allow members resume regular operations.

The Association had  indicated that, the closure was to allow for a safety audit.

Mr. Kumi has however clarified that, the move is primarily a response to government’s decision to close down some high risk fuel stations.

“This is as a result of the measures being taken by the authorities to close down our stations…We have identified what the problems are; so let’s deal with the problems, but we have the authorities going round, closing down our stations, extorting monies from our members, and we feel that this is a very unfair treatment. We are just reacting to what the authorities are doing…”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post State officials are extorting money from us – LPG Marketers appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The National Executive Committee of the party suspended Atik after a meeting on Saturday

[contextly_sidebar id=”wVNOHX51P1nTmxkg6vBB2H1xEFsyjsJY”]Mr. Atik, who is insisting he has not been suspended, described moves to get him out of office as illegal.

“I’m still the General Secretary of the People’s National Convention until we go to Congress. There is even confusion in what people are communicating. Some said I’ve been suspended for my misbehavior towards the appointment of Mr. Mahama which we did not even get the opportunity to discuss.

“In anyway what do they mean by misbehavior towards his appointment and for which reason some group of people will sit there and say they are handing me a suspension . They do not have that competence so I will treat it as the joke that it deserves and continue to perform my duties,” Atik Mohammed said.

Atik Mohammed had called for the resignation of Dr Mahama from the party as he had shown ‘bad judgement’ in accepting the position.

He is quoted as having said that the party could “not even be sure where [Dr Mahama’s] loyalty is anymore . . . he cannot continue, in my opinion, to be the leader of the party.”

Dr. Edward Mahama, who has been flagbearer of the PNC five times, was named Ambassador-at-Largeby President Akufo-Addo a few weeks ago.

However, some officials of the party, including National Chairman, Bernard Mornah expressed their reservations about the appointment suggesting that it would limit his objectivity on national issues.

Bernard Mornah also stated that Dr Mahama had violated his own principles, having reportedly opposed the appointments of other party members by previous governments, a claim the former flagbearer has categorically denied.

“Edward Mahama had refused to become vice president of Ghana; he also refused a health Minister position before. He had led and supervised the suspension of party members who did not allow their appointment to come to the party before they were appointed into other positions like Mallam Issah,” he told Citi News.

“Even Thomas Atiga, the Ashanti Regional Secretary then who went to support Patricia Agyei’s candidature in the Asawase by-election were all dismissed because Dr. Mahama won’t countenance it. And those other individuals who went their way, he considered that as poaching of our members. And we have been lampooned together including Ambrose Dery among others.”

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By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
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The post ‘I’m still at post’ – PNC’s Atik Mohammed insists appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Confirming the decision on Eyewitness News on Monday,  the Deputy Minister, said the suspension, which is in response to public concerns over the fees, will give Parliament time to reassess the Legislative Instrument supporting the fee.

“We are suspending it to ensure that the right things are done. If I say right things are done, I mean the public has not been given enough education. One of the major issues that has come up is the issue about the cost- the fees that they are paying , although it has been approved by Parliament. If it means that we have to go back to Parliament to amend that part of the fees that will be collected so people can have some respite, why not? What the Minister has done is to make sure that we listen to cry of the Ghanaian people…”

Mr. Glover explained that National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), in a bid to protect road users, introduced this intervention even before the NPP administration took over the helm of affairs.

“The principle and concept behind this idea was to get rid of broken down vehicles that were killing people on the roads. It is based on this idea that the National Road Safety Commission started this project way back before the NPP government came to office.”

[contextly_sidebar id=”r2LLbzILVmex3OGiWHEWqRvWTWyQ6Msc”]Government announced the suspension after the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament met with the Road Safety Commission, the DVLA and other stakeholders over the matter.

According to the Ranking Member on the Committee, Governs Kwame Agbodza, the committee wants to probe the issues surrounding the implementation and possibly recommend the recall of the Legislative Instrument supporting the fee.

Some MPs including the Deputy Minority Leader, James Avedzi Klutse, had earlier called for the policy to be scrapped following these reactions. But Osei Wusu said the critics lack understanding of the issue.

Prior to the suspension, the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Joe Osei-Owusu, had described as narrow-minded, arguments against the mandatory towing fee.

In a Citi News interview, Mr. Osei-Owusu argued that, the policy is in the supreme interest of road users after research showed that a huge number of road accidents are caused by broken down vehicles.

The NRSC is expected to begin a nationwide towing programme in July 2017, to ensure that all vehicles that breakdown on highways are cleared off the roads.

For this reason, drivers are required to pay a road safety fee ranging between GHC 10 and GHC 200 in addition to their road worthy certification fees. Commercial vehicles and taxes will pay GH¢40, mini buses will pay GH¢80, while heavy duty trucks will pay between GH¢80 and GH¢200 annually, depending on their tonnage. Non-commercial vehicles are expected to pay GH¢20. The Road Safety Management Services Limited (RSMSL) has already acquired some 118 trucks ahead of the implementation, for the exercise. But several persons have kicked against the policy calling on government to scrap it immediately.

A former President of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE), Ing. Magnus Lincoln Quarshie however says the approach is a total rip-off.

Mandatory towing fee criticisms baseless – Osei-Owusu 

But Osei-Owusu, who once headed the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA), insisted in an interview with Citi News’ Duke Mensah Opoku that the counter arguments are not tenable.

“Your car may never have to be towed but you can run into a vehicle that is disabled. Sometimes we are just parochial; we discuss the issue only on one side. What you are discussing is not your vehicle; it is the risk to road users. The risk that a broken down vehicle possesses is not to only the driver but to everyone who plies the road,” he stated. He urged that the arguments should revolve around the dangers that such broken down vehicles could cause to human lives. “Anytime there is a disabled vehicle on the road, there is a risk to the life of every road user. So if we don’t focus on removing the risk to the road and we focus on how much will it cost, who is doing the work, we’ll be missing the problem. It’s my vehicle that has broken down, and during the time, I don’t have money and it will genuinely happen to many people.”

“That is what politicians do; jumping on bandwagon…sometimes I think that some politicians are too hasty. If you ask them to go deep into the matter they have not even considered all the issues. As far as I’m concerned it is a risk to everybody.”

The 1st Deputy Speaker who was a lead discussant during the formulation of the policy in 2011, said initially the policy was to charge only heavy duty truck owners, but it was later extended to other categories of vehicles in order to create a pool of funds for undertaking such programme.

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By: Ebenezer Afanyi Dadzie & Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Tow tax implementation suspended – Titus Glover appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Some security personnel hired to guard the party’s headquarters in Asylum Down clashed with old security guards on Monday.

The clash occurred when the old guards prevented the new guards from taking over their duties because according to them, they were not informed about the new arrangement.

On Eyewitness News, Mr. Blay also dismissed assertions that the NPP is currently in crisis, explaining that the sheer magnitude of the party makes it susceptible to challenges “in terms of administration, policies and even control of the party.”

He indicated that the leadership of the party is taking steps to ensure they are in absolute control so as to curtail some of these challenges.

According to him, it is no big deal for a party member to take the party to court,adding that it would have been very much appreciated if party members did not proceed to court with party matters, but “if it happens, I don’t think based on that you come to the conclusion that the party is not capable of taking over power.”

Mr. Blay insisted that Ghanaians should not describe the party’s challenges as “a crisis and I will not say it is a power struggle that has affected the leadership because of a change of guards.”

“Don’t interpret that to mean there is a big crisis in our party that we cannot contain or we cannot stand it; that is not the case,” he maintained.

He urged supporters and sympathizers of the party to “relax” and support the party, but “if they are not supporting the party, they should go ahead and rejoice. Maybe they think that will be the end of the party; it won’t happen.”

By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan

The post We are ready to govern despite challenges – Freddie Blay appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

”The party is not sleeping, it is very awake, very responsible and doing what a responsible party in opposition should do; we are a  party that is very much involved in what is happeing in this coutry,” he said.

The Former first Deputy Speaker of Parliament was responding to comments by Prof Kwame Karikari that the NPP as a the biggest opposition party in the country has failed to demand accountability from the current government.

“In our country now, the opposition parties are asleep,” Professor Karikari had said.

But Speaing on Eyewitness News on Monday, Mr. Blay expressed surprised and amazement at the criticism by the professor.

”… our voice can be heard everywhere, the minority in parliament have been criticing this government for all the bad things that are happening to this country; from the economy to corruption,” he noted.

Mr. Blay also said contrary to claims by Prof Karikari that the NPP is occupying its time “by eating each other up rather than targeting all the exposé the media houses are doing” ; he said the NPP has its eye on the ball, as well as scrutinizing and criticing the government on the management of the economy.

”Our former vice presidential candidate, Dr. Bawumia  has given two lectures; he criticised the government, he proposed solutions…,” he added.

He said the NPP has always ppoined out what is wrong but the government is ”intransigent”.

Mr. Blay disputed the allegations tht the NPP is unconcerned about pertinent national issues. He opined that the NPP has always provided alternative and ideas in addressing national issues but the ruling government would not listen.

”At every opportunity we will tell Ghanaians what is wrong; we’ve told Ghanainas that the worst thing that is facing this country is corruption. This government is [entangled] with seriuos corruption,” he said.

He concluded that the NPP has brought to bare all the difficulties the government [NDC government] is facing but they would not heed to good council.

The NPP has been criticized for their constant boycott of national programmes. The latest was their decision to boycott the National Economic Forum which was organized by government for all stakeholders to deliberate and find effective ways through which the country’s economy could be revived and stabilized.

The former Executive Director of the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA), Prof. Karikari  added that the NPP’s  posturing seems to suggest that they are not interestd in the development and running of the country.

By: Evans Effah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post NPP is not ”sleeping” – Freddie Blay appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.