The school is currently under investigation after a complaint was filed by one Supi Kofi Kwayera, alleging financial and procurement irregularities.

[contextly_sidebar id=”hTPhZxLXDPtXB2pLE3sX8rWJNixt1DZu”]The school’s council subsequently set up a fact finding committee to investigate the case.

However a statement, which was signed by the Chairman of the Governing Council, Prof. Emmanuel N. Abakah, and copied to the acting Vice Chancellor and acting Registrar, indicated that, “whilst the above-mentioned investigations are in progress, the Council has been informed of alleged removal of vital documents from files at some offices that are at the centre of the investigations at dead night.”

The statement indicated that, the move will allow EOCO and other stakeholders conduct their investigations without compromise.

“Thus, at its meeting held on 31^st October, 2017 to discuss the interim report of the fact finding committee, the Governing Council decided that to enable the Committee, EOCO and BNI to do a thorough work without being impeded, undermined, compromised and or shipwrecked, with immediate effect, you and the following officers should step aside while investigations are ongoing”

Persons expected to step aside include

Prof. Mawutor Avoke                       Vice Chancellor

Dr. Theophilus Senyo Ackordie     Finance Officer

Ms. Sena Duke                                   Internal Audit

Ms. Mary Dzimey                              Acting Head of Procurement

Ing. Daniel Tetteh                             Ag. Deputy Director of Works and Physical Development

Background

A Winneba High Court some months ago also ordered the Vice Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avokeh, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council is determined.

The order also affected the institution’s Finance Officer.

The order was made in a case brought before the court by Supi Kofi Kwayera, who insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer, were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.

The plaintiff adduced that the University’s Council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university, and rather allowed and permitted the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council as if same had been properly constituted.

This, Mr. Kwayera insisted was unlawful, and hence his legal action against the University of Education, Winneba.

However, before the substantive claims were looked into, the University, through its lawyers, applied to the court to dismiss the suit on the three counts, but the application was dismissed.

The University’s branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), also applied to join the application but it was turned down.

–

By: Marian Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah

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According to a copy of the application sighted by Citi News, the plaintiffs have filed the application because the then-President of UTAG-UEW Chapter, Dr. Samuel Ofori Bekoe, did not consult members before filing a court process in September in the name of the Association, hence their decision to challenge the actions of their President.

[contextly_sidebar id=”ZPDvCUkUN3sd8eIFZgb7JjPWBbDJhGlO”]The latest action relates to a writ filed in May 2017, where one Supi Kofi Kwayera, adduced that the university’s council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new governing council for the university.

The plaintiffs, in their lawsuit, said Dr. Samuel Ofori Bekoe’s decision came as “a surprise and a shock, since no meeting was ever convened on the Kumasi campus, Mampong campus or Wineba campus to take a decision to meddle in the court case.”

They also said Dr. Samuel Ofori Bekoe did not have the capacity to represent the UTAG UEW chapter “since no such consent and authority was given to him by the members to depose an affidavit in court.”

Aside from the other issues raised, the plaintiffs added that, Dr. Atuguba “was never engaged by members through any resolution.”

“In effect, no decision was ever taken by UTAG UEW chapter to appoint Dr. Raymond Atuguba as its lawyer,” the lawsuit added.

Background to UEW litigation

A Winneba High Court in July ordered the Vice-Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avokeh, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council is determined.

The order also affected the institution’s Finance Officer.

The order was made in a case brought before the court by Supi Kofi Kwayera who insisted that the Vice-Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.

The plaintiff held that the University’s Council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university, and rather allowed and permitted the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council as if same had been properly constituted.

This, Mr. Kwayera insisted was unlawful, and hence his legal action against the University of Education, Winneba.

The order from the court was described as an attack on academic freedom, hence the agitation from some lecturers.

–

By: Duke Mensah Opoku/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post University of Education lecturers ‘clash’ over lawsuit appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The three are Joseph Asare, Yaw Anafi Gyimah and Francis Adu aged 38, 28 and 68 respectively.

According to the police, they received a call from the owner of the machine on Friday afternoon, that his equipment parked on his compound for hiring, had been taken by the three men without his knowledge, and are headed for Accra in a Benz truck with registration number, AW 7609-12.

The Winneba Day Patrol Team of the Ghana Police Service chased the truck, arrested the suspects, and brought them to the Winneba police station.

Upon interrogation, the driver of the truck told the police that a certain man contracted them to come for the machine, but failed to give the name of the man as well as other details about him.

However, the owner of the pay-loader machine, and the complainant, told the police he was unaware of any such contract.

The police say they are holding the three on charges of conspiracy to commit a crime under Section 23 of the Criminal Offence Act (Act 29) of 1960, as well as stealing.

Meanwhile, both the pay-loader and the Benz truck have been impounded at the Winneba District Headquarters as investigations continue.

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By: Joseph Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

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The strike was in protest of the court ruling which directed the Vice Chancellor of the University of Education, Winneba (UEW), to step aside temporarily.

[contextly_sidebar id=”4Bb54sXbR3EoJhcVJqb8xLBu8D9hTKSn”]It was solidarity with some members of UTAG-UEW, who had already laid down their tools since July 2017.

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of UTAG, asked the UTAG-UEW to continue with the strike action embarked upon in July 2017, and directed all members in public Universities throughout the country to withdraw their teaching services beginning Monday, September 18.

But after a closed-door meeting with Vice Chancellors Ghana (VCG), the National President of UTAG, Dr. Harry Agbanu, said the suspension of the strike was to allow the VCG a two-week period to intervene in the matter.

Speaking to the media, Dr. Agbanu said, “they [VCG] have appealed to us to suspend the action as they take some steps to resolve the issue, so we have also agreed with them, that we will suspend our action and give them time to make efforts to resolve the problem.”

“… if there is no success in terms of the restoration of the issue, then we know the next step to take so when we come out fully. You people will understand that we have done all we could to be able to resolve this issue. So the position is that, we are going back to our classrooms from tomorrow [Tuesday], pending the outcome of the steps the VCG wants to take to resolve the issue.”

Response to ineffective strike

Citi News’ checks at some of Ghana’s major public universities showed that lectures had gone on as normal, despite the call for the strike.

Citi News can confirm that many UTAG members across the country are divided over the decision to strike, particularly because the matter they are striking over is a subject that is being tackled in the court of law.

But Dr. Agbanu said today [Monday], was the first day of the strike, and “obviously, some members probably did not even hear the fact that we were going on strike.”

“Normally, strikes begin this way and gather momentum. So today being the first day, it is expected that those who didn’t know would go to the classroom,” he added.

Background to UEW litigation

A Winneba High Court in July ordered the Vice Chancellor of UEW, Professor Mawutor Avokeh, to step aside until a case brought against him and the University’s Governing Council is determined.

The order also affected the institution’s Finance Officer.

The order was made in a case brought before the court by Supi Kofi Kwayera who insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.

The plaintiff held that the University’s Council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university, and rather allowed and permitted the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council as if same had been properly constituted.

This, Mr. Kwayera insisted was unlawful, and hence his legal action against the University of Education, Winneba.

The order from the court was described as an attack on academic freedom, hence its agitation.

–

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

The post UTAG suspends ‘ineffective’ strike over UEW saga appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The court order also affects the school’s Finance Officer.

The orders were part of the reliefs granted for the interlocutory injunction sought by the plaintiff, Supi Kofi Kwayera, in the case brought against the University which insisted that the Vice Chancellor and the Finance Officer were operating under the institution’s defunct governing council.

[contextly_sidebar id=”seuAO45wu1YYpO1hzpcCyyJLmqcQkATH”]The Court also issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Ministry of Education to reconstitute the governing council of the University of Education, Winneba.

The Court presided over by His Lordship George Ato Mills-Graves awarded an amount of GHC4,000 against the university.

The Court thus ordered the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University, Rev Fr Afful-Broni, to act in the position of the VC, to allow the day-to-day administration of the institution to continue.

Lawyer for the plaintiff, Hon. Alexander Afenyo Markins, speaking to journalists after the hearing said the ruling will serve as a legal precedent for successive governments so they don’t delay the formation of governing boards for institutions.

“In future, governments would not unduly abdicate their responsibility in terms of what they are supposed to ensure it is done. Governing council for every public institution is key. I am happy that today, UTAG has found it feet to call on government to reconstitute governing councils with the view if this is not done, it will affect academic work. I agree with UTAG it’s all good for our rule of law, it is for us to develop our laws and it is nothing personal,” he added.

Background

In a 23rd May 2017 writ issued, the plaintiff [Supi Kwayera] adduced that the university’s council’s mandate had expired in November 2013, but the Education Ministry failed to constitute a new Governing Council for the university, and rather allowed and permitted the defunct Governing Council which had no mandate whatsoever to continue the functions of a properly constituted Governing Council as if same had been properly constituted.

This Mr. Kwayera insisted was unlawful, and hence his legal action against the University of Education, Winneba.

However, before the substantive claims were looked into, the University, through its counsel, applied to the court to dismiss the suit on the three counts, but the application was dismissed.

The University’s branch of the University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (UTAG) as a respondent subsequently applied to join the application.

In June this year, the plaintiff prayed the to effect an interlocutory injunction restraining the 1st Respondent, its assigns, agents, officers and all other persons acting through the 1st Respondent or claiming to be the lawful representatives of the 1st Respondent from authorizing any payment to any contractor or supplier whose contract is the subject matter of the substantive application before the court.

Again,the injunction was to restrain the 2nd Respondent from recognizing any supposed Principal Officer or any person whose mandate as an officer of the 1st Respondent emanated from the defunct Governing Council as the lawful representative(s) of the 1st Respondent until the final determination of the substantive application.

The injunction also sought to restrain the 1st Respondent and its lawful representatives from making any payment to Ghana Highway Authority or any third party entity including Larmas Construction (GH) Ltd in respect of a Memorandum of Understanding with Ghana Highway Authority for road maintenance until the final determination of the substantive application.

–

By: Jospeh Ackon-Mensah/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Court orders UEW Vice Chancellor to step aside appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to DSP Charles Obiri, the Commander of the Winneba Motor Transport and Traffic Directorate, the accident involved a Sprinter bus with registration number, GE 801-16.

“Yesterday, a Sprinter Bus with the registration number GE 801-16, which had 22 passengers on board, was moving from Obuasi to Accra. When it got to Gomoa Amanfi, between Apam Junction and Winneba Junction, one of the rear tyres burst and it somersaulted,” he said.

“When we arrived, we found that one person had died on the spot; we took the others to the hospital. Four others also passed on later. Those who survived are receiving treatment at the Trauma Hospital at the Winneba Hospital.”

44 die of road accidents in election period

According to the National Road Safety Commission (NRSC), a total of 44 people died during Ghana’s electioneering period between December 7 and 10, 2016.

During that period, 100 accident cases were reported with about 157 vehicles involved.

–

By: Jeffrey Owuraku Sarpong/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Five dead in accident on Accra-Winneba road appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

The firm showed off a brief trailer for the action title – which it said would be released in 2015 – to coincide with the E3 games expo in Los Angeles.

It also provided more details about how new add-on physical toys called amiibos would interact with games including Super Smash Bros 4.

One industry watcher said Zelda should help improve the firm’s fortunes.

“It’s a very big one for fans,” Christopher Dring, editor of the video games trade magazine MCV, told the BBC.

“If you look at the games sales figures, Zelda is not as big as Super Mario or Mario Kart, but the difference with Zelda is that many fans will buy the console for that game.

“For people on the fence about buying the Wii U – and there are lots of them – it might tip them over. I just wish it was this year, I worry about the firm’s line-up for this Christmas.”

Nintendo swung to a financial loss last year after its new console – which features a touchscreen controller – missed the firm’s own sales forecasts.

It originally projected that it would sell more than nine million Wii U machines over the year to 31 March 2014. In fact it sold just 2.72 million.

“Nintendo’s software line-up has to be one of the best in its history to turn the company around,” explained Brian Crecente, news editor at the video games news site Polygon.

“Third-party developers like EA, Activision and Ubisoft have retreated from the Wii U because there simply aren’t enough consoles on the market to justify the expense.

“Earlier this week, the head of Ubisoft told me that his company has several Wii U titles that are completed but that he won’t start selling them until there are more Wii U [consoles] on the market.”

Freedom of choice

Nintendo is promising that the new open-world fantasy-themed Zelda game will mark a “clean break with the past” by letting players travel in the game wherever they want rather than forcing them to follow a set path and complete scenarios in a pre-determined order.

Its lead character Link is also putting in appearances in other titles due for release this year.

He’ll first feature in Hyrule Warriors – a battlefield-set title that unites the swordsman with characters from the Dynasty Warriors series – due for release on 26 September.

He will then appear in Super Smash Bros 4 – a fighting game featuring Mario, Sonic and other video game icons – that will launch on the 3DS handheld on 3 October and the Wii U in time for the winter holidays period.

Nintendo revealed that players would be able to create characters in the game in their own image or that of a celebrity, and showed off an avatar of the rapper Ice-T as a somewhat incongruous example.

Previous versions of Super Smash Bros have been hugely popular, and the Japanese firm is throwing its marketing weight behind the title, allowing the public to try out a test-version at the Nokia Theatre in downtown LA over the course of E3.

“A lot is riding on the success of Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS,” said Lewis Ward, a games analyst at the research firm IDC.

“If that game proves to be big hit, it’s a system seller, and it could bend the hardware sales curve up appreciably for Nintendo by the end of this year.”

Mario toys

Super Smash Bros 4 will also be one of the first games to be compatible with new toys – called amiibos – that contain NFC (near field communication) chips.

These can be used to store data about the player’s progress and send the information to and from a Wii U through its controller. The firm said this would allow players to carry their customised settings and achievements to friends’ homes.

Activision and Disney have had success with a similar concept for their Skylanders and Infinity franchises

“It’s called the toy-to-life genre, and it’s getting bigger and bigger,” said Mr Dring.

“They are, however, expensive and parents don’t always like spending the extra amount. But Nintendo seems to be making it a less essential feature than Disney and Skylanders, where you have to buy characters to unlock content.”

Mr Crecente added: “I think amiibo could be a big hit for Nintendo, but it is hard not to wonder why Nintendo didn’t do this a year or two ago.”

Nintendo said other games to support smiibos would include Mario Kart 8, Yoshi’s Woolly World – a forthcoming game based in a world made out of knitted wool – and the platformer Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Other announcements about games due out next year included:

• Mario Maker – a title that allows the owner to design and play classic Super Mario Bros levels
• A Wii U Star Fox game – in which the console’s gamepad screen will be used to provide the view from Fox McCloud’s aircraft cockpit
• Splatoon – a four-on-four multiplayer title in which gamers compete to cover as much of an arena in their colour of paint as possible

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Sony sold 18.7 million systems in the last financial year – which ended in March – compared to Nintendo’s tally of 16.3 million video games machines.

The data was first reported by Japan’s Nikkei business news site.

It is based on figures published by Nintendo ahead of a shareholders meeting, and a previously released earnings statement from Sony.

The news is not surprising.

Sony’s PlayStation 4 has emerged as the bestselling “new-gen” console. But demand for Nintendo’s Wii U – with its touchscreen controller – has lagged far behind the original Wii, which was the most popular hardware of the last generation.

The figures also include sales of the older PS3 and original Wii, in addition to Nintendo’s 3DS and Sony’s PlayStation Vita handhelds.

Sony, Nintendo and their US rival Microsoft will all be announcing new titles this week to coincide with the E3 video games expo in Los Angeles.

Job cuts

The Nikkei’s report followed Nintendo’s announcement that it was closing its European headquarters in Germany.

The firm said on Friday that it planned to axe 130 jobs as result of the decision to close both its office and warehouse in the Bavarian city Grossostheim.

It added that some work would be shifted to Frankfurt, but that there would also be the “outsourcing and reorganising” of other functions.

The news came a month after Nintendo reported a net loss of 23.2bn yen ($229m; £135m) for the financial year ending 31 March.

The firm will make further cost savings by opting to unveil details of forthcoming games via a video news release rather than host a physical press conference at E3, repeating a step it took last year.

Nintendo is renting significant floor space at the event, however, including an area set aside for a tournament to promote its much-anticipated fighting title Super Smash Bros 4, due for release on the Wii U and 3DS later this year.

“It’s a title you have to keep your eye on as it’s an epic franchise,” said Lewis Ward, a video games analyst at the IDC consultancy.

“But it’s going too far to say it will turn around Nintendo’s fortunes. By my projections the Wii U will remain in third place,” he added referring to the PS4 and Xbox One.

Nintendo’s president Satoru Iwata will not be attending E3.

The firm said last week that the 54-year-old’s doctor had told him not to fly in the immediate future.

It declined to provide more detail beyond telling the Wall Street Journal that Mr Iwata did not have a “major health problem.”

Japan turnaround

While the PS4 may have a solid lead in terms of global sales, the picture is different in its home market.

Figures from the market research firm Media Create indicate that the Wii U has enjoyed a solid lead over the PS4 in recent weeks.

According to figures released for the last week of May, 19,312 Wii Us were bought in Japan compared to just 6,022 copies of the PS4. That may be partly explained by fact the popular racing game Mario Kart 8 was just released by Nintendo.

But the Wii U outsold its rival the prior week as well despite the fact the PS4 only launched in Japan in February.

“Hopes that the PlayStation 4 can achieve a reasonable degree of Japanese success hinge on the introduction of big titles that appeal to the nation’s tastes,” blogged The Motley Fool writer Keith Noonan.

“The current lack of such titles has been well documented, and the deficiency looks to be an ongoing problem for the console throughout the year.”

PlayStation chief Andrew House alluded to the issue in an interview with Edge magazine, in which he said the decision to launch the PS4 in Japan after most other territories was in part due to the initial lack of content from Japanese publishers as well as the greater popularity of handheld consoles in the country.

But he added: “The initial audience that’s buying PS4 in Japan is much younger than we’d first anticipated.

“We’re seeing a sweet spot anywhere from the mid-to-late teens through to the mid-20s, and that is considerably younger than where we’ve seen consoles traditionally being played in Japan. It says to me that there is the opportunity for a revival of console gaming for a whole new audience. ”

The Xbox One is due to be released in Japan on 4 September.

Analysis from E3: Dave Lee, Los Angeles

There’s few things sweatier than a pasty British technology journalist touching down in LA.

But while I’m feeling more than a little hot under the collar, it’s nothing compared to what the higher powers at Microsoft must be experiencing right now.

The knock-on effect of last year’s E3 cannot be underestimated.

It was Sony’s year. Its press conference announcing the PlayStation 4 drew whoops and cheers, while Microsoft’s Xbox One announcements managed just a patter of awkward applause. As a result, Sony enters this event in a far stronger position.

In some markets, sales of the PS4 have outnumbered the Xbox One by an enormous five consoles to one.

Microsoft will be desperate to stem that flow – another year of being out-muscled could leave it in tricky territory.

Take this comparison: recent major release Watch Dogs sold around 1.9 million copies on PS4, but around 900,000 on Xbox One.

Microsoft – and the solid band of Xbox fans already turning up two full days ahead of E3 opening – will hope for a Rocky-esque comeback over the coming days.

As I had a pre-show nose around the Los Angeles Convention Center, the smattering of loitering games fans were coy about who they were backing. One of them, 22-year-old Louis from, aptly enough, Louisiana, told me he hoped the neck-and-neck console race would make for better games as both companies worked under pressure.

We’ll soon find out. Game on.

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