The man, whose name was given as Kofi Emmanuel, was a mason who hailed from Kpando in the Volta Region.

According to neighbours who spoke to Citi News, Kofi Emmanuel lived together with a woman, who he fathered three children with until recently when they separated due to a misunderstanding.

According to a co-tenant, Michael Gozah, the deceased was very reserved and lived peacefully with him and other neighbors in the vicinity.

Mr. Gozah said the deceased took to drinking after he and the wife separated.

“He is a very calm man and lived very peacefully with all of us until he unfortunately passed on this morning. We all suspect he has been thinking a lot ever since his wife left him,” he said.

Residents were shocked on seeing him hanging from a scaffold that was used for construction at the site.

“It is still not clear why Fo-Kofi, as he is popularly known; took his life. We are really surprised at this unfortunate happening,” one resident said.

Officers from the EMEFS police station were at the scene,  and have since conveyed the body to the police hospital for autopsy.

–

By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post 50-yr old man allegedly commits suicide at Tema appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The exercise, led by the Metropolitan Chief Executive, Felix Mensah Nii Anang-La has market women, security agencies and Zoomlion Ghana workers participating.

They cleaned all the principal streets of Tema, market centres, schools and hospitals.

The 61st independence anniversary was launched in Accra with a focus on keeping Ghana clean to help curb the increasing rate of malaria, cholera and other diseases in the country.

In this regard, Kofi Adda, the Minister of Sanitation, has tasked Regional Ministers, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives to lead the cleanup exercises in their regions and districts.

Addressing the traders and residents at the various locations, Mr. Anang-La expressed concern with the apathetic and lukewarm attitude of some of the people, who only looked on unconcerned whilst others partook in the cleanup exercise.

He said such attitudes did not show respect for authority and likened it to homes where children were disrespectful to their parents.

“Democracy does not mean being disrespectful,” he said, adding that “we all have to join hands to make our surroundings free from mosquitoes and other diseases.”

 “I am grateful to the media for the part it played by reminding Ghanaians to actively participate in the exercise. The assembly will enforce the laws on sanitation by arresting and prosecuting offenders and appealed to the courts to impose hefty fines on culprits,” Mr Anang-La said.

The Mayor pleaded with the residents to change their attitudes towards the national sanitation day and actively participate in it, and urged the traders on the pavement to move to the Hawkers’ Market.

Mr. Anang-La warned that with effect from Monday, the Assembly would take a legal action against those who litter the streets.

He appealed to the media to embark on an educational campaign on good sanitation practices to curb the menace of indiscriminate disposal of waste.

He praised personnel of the Military, the Eastern Naval Command, the Ghana Immigration, Ghana National Fire Service (GNFS), Police, the Tema Restoration Ambassadors and other youth groups that participated.

–

Source: GNA

The post TMA leads clean-up exercise in Tema appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The deceased was on admission at the Tema General Hospital with general body weakness, severe headaches and profuse vomiting of blood clots.

[contextly_sidebar id=”kBTBKzR8vQrND3oXW3E5eo1xZmrdjzHE”]Prior to his admission, he was said to have traveled through the Eastern, Volta and Brong Ahafo Regions but finally settled at Ashaiman for about a month.

Head of Public Relations Unit at the Ghana Health Service, Rebecca Ackwuonu, told Citi News the Ministry of Health is mounting a strict surveillance on people the deceased came into contact with prior to his brief stay at the Tema General Hospital.

“He settled in Ashaiman for about a month trying to look for a job, and the incubation is between two and twenty-one days, so we are limiting it to Tema and Ashaiman, and we have started contacting people already, our surveillance department is doing that now,” she said.

The Ministry said it has already supervised the burial of the deceased.

Ghana was alerted of the disease recently following an outbreak in Nigeria. The World Health Organization (WHO), has said it is teaming up with national and international health agencies to tackle what has been noted to be the country’s biggest outbreak.

The latest figures show 1,081 suspected cases of the disease, including 90 deaths.

This number is more than the 305 cases reported all of last year in Nigeria.

Authorities of the Ghana Health Service have told Citi News they are currently in a meeting to find a solution to the outbreak.

General information on Lass fever

Lassa fever is an Acute Viral Haemorrhagic Fever illness which is endemic in West Africa. The incubation period is 6-21 days.

The onset of the fever has non-specific signs and symptoms but fever, general weakness and malaise have been noted in its early stages.

This is followed by headaches, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and abdominal pains.

Severe cases may progress to show facial swelling, and bleeding.

Shock, seizures, disorientation, and coma may be seen in the late stages.

About 80 % of Lassa Fever infections are mild or asymptomatic.

WHO has said the best way to prevent the disease is by promoting good community hygiene to discourage rodents that spread the disease from entering homes.

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By: Farida Yusif/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post MoH urges Ghanaians to keep calm over Lassa Fever appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The money thought to be in the region of GH¢200,000 was meant to pay the February salaries of the company’s workers.

The robbers are believed to have followed Mr. Safiadeen from the bank and shot him in his Toyota Corolla and made away with the amount. In the meantime, the company has closed down temporarily, whiles arrangements are being made to airlift the body of the deceased to his home country, Lebanon.

While many Ghanaians have noted this incident as the latest in a growing list of armed robbery attacks in various parts of the country, others wondered why the company had decided to withdraw such a huge sum of money instead of paying their employees through the bank.

The Human Resource Manager of the Company, John Okoe Laryea, admitted that prior to the incident, this method of payment had seemed convenient, but insisted that the company would change their routine.

“It’s not an issue per se. Sometimes you want to do your work in a convenient manner but what has happened is a sign that it is not a convenient way of doing payments. We’ve learnt our lessons in a very difficult way and we’re hopeful that things will change in the near future,” he told journalists including Citi News‘ Anass Seidu.

‘Workers understand’

As a result of Tuesday’s attack, workers of the company might have to wait a little longer for their salaries.

However, Mr. Laryea believes that the staff understand the “difficult situation” the company is in at the moment and aren’t demanding to be paid.

“It’s a very difficult situation but as we all know Ghanaians are very considerate when it comes to sharing our brother’s pain. They understand that if this situation hadn’t happened, they would have been sorted out by now. The workers understand that we are in a difficult time so they are taking it easy. Hopefully, in due course, all these things will be sorted out. They know that there isn’t a single period where their money had been held for days before being paid. They are joining the company in these hard times to see what happens in the future,” he said

Back on Monday.

Mr. Laryea added that the workers of the company, who were a little shaken after the incident, had been given a few days off to recover.

He, however, expressed his hope that work would resume on Monday.

“Yesterday, we only operated until the incident, after which we shut everything and went home. Some of us followed to the hospital and went to the police station for an official complaint to be made and the police came back to do further investigations. Today we’ve closed and tomorrow as well, we aren’t working. God willing, we’ll come back on Monday to continue our activities,” he added.

The Police have since stated that they are on a manhunt for the suspects involved. This incident adds to the growing number of robbery incidents in recent times.

On Tuesday, there were two robbery attacks in the North Kaneshie area which left some persons injured.

There have also been a number of robbery attacks in some parts of Accra and Koforidua in recent days.

‘We’re ready to die’

Despite these constant attacks the Director of Operations for the Ghana Police Service, COP George Akufo Dampare has said although his outfit is logistically deficient, they are ready to put their lives on the line to ensure the safety of every Ghanaian.

Speaking on the Citi Breakfast Show, Dampare also noted that the support of the citizens will go a long way to help the Police Service combat the increasing rate of crime in the country.

“We want to give them [citizens] the assurance that we will go every length, including losing our lives to make them safe. We understand that we are not there yet, in terms of the full complement of our equipment. We also understand that over the years, government after government has made an attempt to bring us to a particular level in terms of equipment,” he said.

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By: Edwin Kwakofi & Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Lebanese man’s killing: We won’t carry bulk cash again- Delta Agro firm appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Tema Regional Police PRO, Joseph Benefo Darkwa, the Police on Tuesday around 5:30pm received information that four armed men had attacked the Mintason Forex Bureau at Tema Community One in a Toyota Corolla with registration number GR 4208-17.

He said the police, on receiving the information, quickly dispatched its patrol team to the scene while other officers lay in ambush at some vantage points in the area.

Mr Darkwa noted that the armed men who were firing gunshots in the process of the robbery upon seeing the police and sensing danger snatched a motorbike from a passerby and bolted with the booty.

The Police retrieved from the scene, a magazine loaded with one live 9mm ammunition, the car used for the robbery and an additional car number plate bearing registration number GR 2619-17.

The salon car of the suspects together with other exhibits have been sent to the Regional Police Headquarters while a full-scale investigation has been launched into the incident.

He said the Tema Reginal Police Command is however appealing to the general public for any information that will lead to the arrest of suspects involved in the incident.

–

By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Tema Police on manhunt for 4 forex bureau robbers appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The collision occurred at the junction of the GHACEM road on Monday evening.

An eyewitness, who gave his name as Kwesi Appiah, told Citi News that an onlooker who rushed to the scene of the crash did not find any engineer or conductor in the train after the crash.

The train, with at least six coaches, however had its engine running.

“As I speak, there is nobody in anybody of the coaches and there is nobody in the head as well. But the head has its engine and there isn’t any driver or any conductor,” the eyewitness said.

The Chief Executive of the Ghana Railway Authority, Richard Dombo, speaking on Eyewitness News later on, clarified that the collision occurred in a confined environment meant for the rehabilitation of old trains.

He reminded that train operations had been suspended between Tema and Accra since October 2017, following the derailment of a train at Achimota.

“It is not your normal coach. It is one of those that the Ghana Railway Company has taken to rehabilitate. It is one of those that is otherwise called scrap… Let this go out to the public, that no derailment as in affecting the public took place. Yes; it may have crashed into a vehicle, but that vehicle belongs to the engineering team,” Mr. Dombo explained.

On the speculation that the train was running without a driver, Mr. Dombo added that initial reports indicated that the brakes of the train failed.

“It is not an automatic rain that moves on its own. In this context, it is a coach that was being rehabilitated that ought to be on its own, [supported by] an independent brake application or wedges… The brakes failed whiles it was in the shed. So when you say driverless train, it is a misrepresentation. It is as if a driver just abandoned ship and the train just went on its own way.”

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post ‘Driverless scrap train’ crashes into vehicle at Tema [Photos] appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

This comes after several concerns were raised about the safety of the structures by managers of the flats, the Tema Development Corporation.

The flats have developed deep cracks with iron rods protruding from the concrete and the plastering peeling off.

The four flats, which are blocks 407, 408, 410 and 415 since 1982, have been declared inhabitable, but the occupants have been in court battling the issue out until a definite directive was given by the high court  in 2018, directing the occupants to vacate by 31st January for its original owners [TDC] to redevelop them.

As at Thursday morning, the flat was empty with just a handful of residents loitering around with their luggage.

The spokesperson for the affected residents, Adjei Lomotey, noted that “though we are not happy with the decision by the court asking us to move out, we have decided not to appeal the decision any longer, but allow TDC to carry on with its intended developmental agenda”.

He said ” we have had some agreement with TDC which is that, TDC says it will give us the first option to purchase the affordable houses when completed, and that is yet to be put on paper, so we would want that to be done as soon as possible so we are not pushed away when the time comes”.

Meanwhile, the Greater Accra Regional NADMO Coordinator, Archibald Cobinah, has declared the site of the four flats a danger zone.

The four flats have all been cordoned off with the entrances to the various rooms braced with wood to prevent occupants from entering.

The affected residents include 53 children and 134 adults.

However, there are some other flats that are equally weak with similar cracks in them as those earmarked for demolition, but it is not clear what the TDC intends to do with them.

Their reason is that, those flats have been bought by their occupants, and so they do not have control over them any longer.

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By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Occupants of ‘condemned’ Kaizer Flats in Tema move out appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

Mr. Felix Mensah Nii Annan-La says the TMA under his stewardship would pursue a sustained development on all facets of infrastructure in the Metropolis.

He said this during a sod-cutting ceremony for the construction of a fence wall for the Community Seven Number One Basic School as well as six other public schools in the Metropolis.

He said, “What we require as an Assembly is your support and assurance that as residents, teachers and parents, we shall uphold our civic responsibilities at all times and also support the Tema Restoration Agenda.

Pledging the construction of a twelve storey classroom block for the school in addition to the walls, the MCE assured that TMA would continue to make good use of revenue realized from rate payers in Tema.

He observed that as a result of the implementation of policies such as the School Feeding Programme, enrollment in basic schools had increased, and facilities overstretched “therefore there is the pressing need for the Assembly to modernize, expand and in some instances, completely overhaul the existing facilities to accommodate our children.”

Mr. Annan-La said, as part of the Tema Restoration Agenda, the TMA, is committed to providing access to quality education for every child in the Metropolis, adding that “our commitment hinges on the fact that a nation can only progress when its people are educated and have skills to support themselves.”

The Tema Metropolitan Director of Education, Mrs. Margaret Nsiah Asamoah, said the situation in most of the public schools within the Metropolis poses  a threat to students and teachers, because the schools had become dumping sites for refuse with people regularly encroaching their lands.

She observed that, teachers and students would feel safe to teach and learn respectively, and therefore urged the community members to support the TMA by taking care of the school facilities.

The Headmistress of the Community Seven Number One Basic School, Madam Gloria Agbeshie, said the school is in the middle of the community, and without walls, so the children easily go out of the school into the community.

She said, “Even in the evening, smokers settle here and the most annoying thing is when they finish smoking they would smear the place with toilet, making the children to clean up fecal matter most of the time before they start learning.”

Madam Agbeshie added that, “Others use the school as a walkway, with people walking through to their destinations and then thieves and mentally-ill people run through the facilities at anytime, so the construction of the wall is really a dream come through.”

The Tema Metropolitan Engineer, Maxwell Adu-Boateng, said the TMA had a plan to wall 36 public schools in the Tema Metropolis.

He said the first phase of the project which would be completed in three months, would see the walling of Adjetey Ansah Basic School, Manheam, Tema Newtown, Community Seven Number One Basic School, Kotobabi Basic School, Batsona, and Lashibi School Complex, Lashibi, among others.

–

Source: GNA

The post TMA to wall all public schools in Tema appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the residents, these two key stakeholders under whose purview the community is situated have failed to live up to expectations.

The residents, who on their own are putting up a ¢500,000 modern police post, say they have a duty as responsible citizens to contribute their quota to the development of their community.

They however complained about not getting enough support from the authorities in achieving their development agenda.

The plush community located off the Tema-Aflao highway, is faced with some key challenges including security, severe traffic jams during peak and off peak hours including weekends, as well as failure on the part of TDC to ensure strict enforcement of its own by-laws.

“We have gotten to a point where those of us living here cannot plan anything on this road because at any point in time there is traffic, even on Sundays. This is all because of official neglect. We in this community are not looking for any big thing from authorities, all we need is for them to manage the traffic situation and provide appropriate road signs for us”

The residents mentioned that “the main entry and exit points into the community is one major flash point where six accidents have occurred between June and December this year, and this is quite a worrying situation for us. All we ask of from authorities is that some mitigation measures should be put in place to address our concerns. We need basic things like traffic lights and road signs to communicate to drivers plying the route”

The Chairman of the Residents Association, Bagnaba Van-Gogh, together with some of his executives and members, noted that the Tema Development Corporation and the Kpone Katamanso District Assembly have failed in addressing their concerns, although they have on several occasions written to them to help address these challenges.

“We as an Association have drawn the attention of the Tema Development Corporation to certain lapses in the implementation of the acquisition of lands and its development and maintenance in the community but to no avail. We expect TDC to come to us and look at our concerns and help address them.”

“This is basically a well zoned out community, but in recent times there’s been some infringement which we require our land Lord being TDC to come and address because what we see now is some people converting their lands from residential to commercial properties which would create serious problems for us in future. ”

Mr. Van-Gogh said TDC must be up and doing and ensure it sticks by its own by-laws as well as ensure strict compliance by all, irrespective of one’s status.

Outlining some of the key challenges facing the community, Mr. Van-Gogh said ” the Association requires TDC to as a matter of urgency ensure fallow lands are developed with immediate effect since such lands pose security threats to residents. Last month, but for the alertness of some residents, we almost had a fire outbreak at one of the areas when someone set fire into a fallow land which had outgrown with weeds and this almost extended to a neighbour’s home.”

He said “We need KKDA to remove the road ramps and re-programme the traffic light at the TT brothers traffic light area, and the Kpone barrier area to ease the traffic situation on that stretch. TDC and KKDA must as well come out clear and loud to address our basic needs including the situation at our entry and exit points. The accidents are too many and can be avoided” He added

“We shall continue to raise issues on our basic needs until the problems are resolved.” Mr Van-Gogh concluded.

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By: Elvis Washington/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Comm. 25 residents unhappy with TDC over poor security, traffic woes appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The fisher -folks are also accusing their leadership of diverting the product and causing an artificial shortage.

[contextly_sidebar id=”OfEZsaThrOGmGWszAt7ARRYFRs0hI3I2″]Their threats come on the back of recent reports by Citi FM of massive diversion of premix fuel nationwide, as exposed by the National Petroleum Authority  [NPA].

At least 200 cases of premix fuel diversions have been cited by the NPA since January 2017.

In all those instances, the product was documented to be sent outside the Greater Accra region, but ended up within the region, according to information obtained by the NPA’s BRV Tracking System and Returns.

But within Tema, problems of the distribution of the product also exist.

Fishermen have been complaining about the scarcity of the products, but the product was found to be readily available on the black market on a ‘connection basis’.

Most of the pump stations at the Tema New Town landing beaches had their machines covered with sacks, and there were empty gallons because they were not getting consignments of premix fuel when Citi News’ Elvis Washington visited the area.

There were also about 500 canoes sitting idle at that landing beach with a number of frustrated fishermen who disclosed their struggle to get premix fuel for fishing.

“If you go out right now saying you want to buy some premix fuel, you would find plenty people selling. I could direct you to a place, but of I were to go there to buy, they would tell me it is finished. However, if they see someone from outside, they would sell the fuel for double the price.”

“We are going to wear our red bands because we voted for the party [NPP] to take care of us not so that we will die… by next week, we are going to hit the street. We are waiting for a permit. So the government must act. Things may get out of hand here. The big men will just realise that everybody is fighting in Tema,” another fisherman stated to Citi News.

Other instances of Premix shortage

Effects of these premix diversions have been noted in the Western Region, where fisherfolk have said the supply of premix has not been regular all year.

The Western Region has had 189,000 gallons of premix fuel diverted 14 times, mainly to Tema, since January 2017.

Fishermen in the Ekumfi District and the Mfantseman Municipality of the Central Region are also experiencing a severe shortage of premix fuel.

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

The post Frustrated Tema fishermen threaten demo over premix shortage appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.