TRAGEDY struck Ala Bar, a suburb of Kumasi, on Saturday night when a dilapidated wall which had remained a death trap for some time collapsed, killing a 32-year-old mother of two and injuring two others.
The loud noise from the collapsing wall echoed in the neighbourhood, attracting a crowd to the scene, but before rescuers could bring out the victims trapped under the rubble, one of them, Alimatu Illiasu, was already dead.
Two other people were rushed to the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) for medical attention.
The body of the deceased, who was said to have travelled from Northern Ghana to work in Kumasi not long ago, has been deposited at the KATH morgue.
An eyewitness told the Daily Graphic that the incident happened at about 7.15 p.m. when the three victims were cooking close to the wall.
“I tell you, it would have been more disastrous if many people were around the wall at the time it collapsed,” the witness said.
Ala Bar, one of the oldest suburbs of Kumasi, is very close to the famous Manhyia Palace, the residence of the Asantehene, and is a predominantly Muslim community.
It is predominantly inhabited by people from northern Ghana, as well as people from countries such as Burkina Faso, Mali and Nigeria.
Quite disturbingly, most of the buildings in the community are in a state of dilapidation.
Indeed, the state of the wall before it collapsed depicted the extent to which many of the structures in the area needed serious attention.
According to the eyewitness, the old wall had developed cracks for some time and had become a death trap, but nothing was done to fix it.
That was in spite of pieces of advice given by some concerned residents to the landlord to do something about it.
The Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, Mr Samuel Sarpong, who visited the scene of the accident yesterday morning, shook his head in disbelief on seeing the rubble.
The newly elected Assembly Member for the Afia Kobi Electoral Area in Ala Bar, Mr Mohammed Kamal Deen, who also expressed deep concern over the nature of buildings in the area, said it was time something was done about the situation.
“There are serious death traps in this community and anything can happen any time,” he told the Daily Graphic.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Friday, January 21, 2011
HEARTS AT BOTTOM 3 (GRAPHIC SPORTS, LEAD STORY, JAN 21, 2011)
THERE are contrasting fortunes for Ghana’s two most dominant powers. While Kumasi Asante Kotoko find contentment, discontent reigns in Accra Hearts of Oak.
Beating B.A Stars 3-1 in Kumasi, the second victory in the second round, Asante Kotoko appear to be heading for winning ways.
But tumbling 1-0 to AshGold at Obuasi, Hearts’ second defeat in the three-week old second round, and their ninth in the season, the one-time fearsome side are no doubt in tatters.
The loss to AshGold has placed the club in the relation zone. Disillusioned supporters of the Phobians who witnessed the team’s ignominious defeat to AshGold could not but call for a major shake-up in the team right from the board to the playing body.
For Asante Kotoko, last Wednesday’s victory was a testimony to the strategic mid-season recruitment made by management and hailed Executive Chairman, Dr K.K. Sarpong, for working to inject some life into the team.
The Porcupine Warriors would however, admit the team did not play to expectation and on several occasions in the second half the ten-man B.A Stars team overcrowded them.
The good number of home fans at the Baba Yara Stadium watched unbelievably as B.A Stars arrowhead, Prince Atakora Gyimah, caught Kotoko with a rasping shot after just two minutes.
Kotoko took the fight to their opponents and the reaction was quick. Samad Oppong ripped the B.A. Stars defence and fired into the near post on the fourth minute.
That never broke down the visitors who paraded former Kotoko forward, Michael Osei, and 2007 best local footballer, Kweku Essien.
On the 17th minute, Mawuli Tuglo rocked the Kotoko post with a great effort as they kept the Kotoko area busy.
While the two sides probed for the leader, referee Vincent Otoo came up with a controversial decision when he awarded a penalty to Kotoko on the 33rd minute, which Michael Akuffo converted, after he judged defender Emmanuel Okine to have fouled Nathaniel Asamoah in the area.
The referee surprisingly went ahead to send off the B.A. Stars defender who had remained the hard-tackling fulcrum at the back.
Nathaniel Asamoah who wasted glorious opportunities on the night shot wide after coming face-to-face with the B.A. Stars keeper.
Kotoko’s workmanlike performance in defence was typified by Awal Mohammed who fetched the third goal in the 49th minute, heading home from a corner kick.
Beating B.A Stars 3-1 in Kumasi, the second victory in the second round, Asante Kotoko appear to be heading for winning ways.
But tumbling 1-0 to AshGold at Obuasi, Hearts’ second defeat in the three-week old second round, and their ninth in the season, the one-time fearsome side are no doubt in tatters.
The loss to AshGold has placed the club in the relation zone. Disillusioned supporters of the Phobians who witnessed the team’s ignominious defeat to AshGold could not but call for a major shake-up in the team right from the board to the playing body.
For Asante Kotoko, last Wednesday’s victory was a testimony to the strategic mid-season recruitment made by management and hailed Executive Chairman, Dr K.K. Sarpong, for working to inject some life into the team.
The Porcupine Warriors would however, admit the team did not play to expectation and on several occasions in the second half the ten-man B.A Stars team overcrowded them.
The good number of home fans at the Baba Yara Stadium watched unbelievably as B.A Stars arrowhead, Prince Atakora Gyimah, caught Kotoko with a rasping shot after just two minutes.
Kotoko took the fight to their opponents and the reaction was quick. Samad Oppong ripped the B.A. Stars defence and fired into the near post on the fourth minute.
That never broke down the visitors who paraded former Kotoko forward, Michael Osei, and 2007 best local footballer, Kweku Essien.
On the 17th minute, Mawuli Tuglo rocked the Kotoko post with a great effort as they kept the Kotoko area busy.
While the two sides probed for the leader, referee Vincent Otoo came up with a controversial decision when he awarded a penalty to Kotoko on the 33rd minute, which Michael Akuffo converted, after he judged defender Emmanuel Okine to have fouled Nathaniel Asamoah in the area.
The referee surprisingly went ahead to send off the B.A. Stars defender who had remained the hard-tackling fulcrum at the back.
Nathaniel Asamoah who wasted glorious opportunities on the night shot wide after coming face-to-face with the B.A. Stars keeper.
Kotoko’s workmanlike performance in defence was typified by Awal Mohammed who fetched the third goal in the 49th minute, heading home from a corner kick.
ASOKWA CHIEF TO LAUNCH YOUTH FUND (PAGE 18, JAN 21, 2011)
THE Chief of Asokwa in Kumasi, Nana Fe-Baamoah II, is to launch a Youth Endowment Fund this year, in line with his vision to help develop the potentials of the youth in the community.
The launching of the project, which would be known as the Asokwa Youth Endowment Fund (AYEP), will coincide with the fifth anniversary of his enstoolment.
Disclosing this at a party he hosted at Asokwa for children in the area, Nana Fe Baamoah said modalities for the disbursement of the fund was almost completed.
He indicated that he would provide seed money for the fund and other funds would be solicited from companies operating in the area, organisations and individuals.
Asokwa is a major industrial area in Kumasi.
Nana Fe-Baamoah expressed concern about the high rate of unemployment among the youth in his area.
“That is why as a chief I am doing everything to complement the efforts of the government to address this problem,” he said.
The chief said the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was doing his best to help change the face of education in Ashanti Region and it behoved all the people to assist him to deliver.
“One of such supports is the AYEP, which Nananom are going to launch this year,” he added.
Nana Fe-Baamoah asked parents to take keen interest in the education of their children because the future of the area and the nation depended on how the children of today were brought up.
The launching of the project, which would be known as the Asokwa Youth Endowment Fund (AYEP), will coincide with the fifth anniversary of his enstoolment.
Disclosing this at a party he hosted at Asokwa for children in the area, Nana Fe Baamoah said modalities for the disbursement of the fund was almost completed.
He indicated that he would provide seed money for the fund and other funds would be solicited from companies operating in the area, organisations and individuals.
Asokwa is a major industrial area in Kumasi.
Nana Fe-Baamoah expressed concern about the high rate of unemployment among the youth in his area.
“That is why as a chief I am doing everything to complement the efforts of the government to address this problem,” he said.
The chief said the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, was doing his best to help change the face of education in Ashanti Region and it behoved all the people to assist him to deliver.
“One of such supports is the AYEP, which Nananom are going to launch this year,” he added.
Nana Fe-Baamoah asked parents to take keen interest in the education of their children because the future of the area and the nation depended on how the children of today were brought up.
SOFOLINE CONTRACTORS APPEAL TO RESIDENS (PAGE 18, JAN 21, 2011)
THE Chinese contractors working on the Sunyani road project in Kumasi, which includes the Sofoline Flyover, China Gio Limited, have appealed to residents of the city to exercise patience as it awaits funds from the Government of Ghana to enable it continue work on the project.
The government’s delay in releasing funds for the project had led to the suspension of the work, seen as one of the biggest development projects in the Garden City in recent times.
Breaking their silence on the suspension of the project, a statement by the company said it was not it’s intention to delay the project so work would resume anytime funds were released by the government.
In recent times, there has been public outcry in the metropolis over the suspension of the project. Many people have lost hope in the completion of the project, while others have called on the government to save the situation without any further delay.
The delay is seriously affecting the smooth movement of people and traffic and creating a lot of inconvenience.
According to the consultants to the project, ABP Consult Limited, between 2009 and March 2010, work on the Sofoline Flyover was ongoing.
A number of public and high-ranking people, including the former regional minister and the Transportation Minister, as well as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, have visited the site.
However, since July last year, work on the flyover has slackened and been suspended now, due to lack of funds from the Government of Ghana.
The government’s delay in releasing funds for the project had led to the suspension of the work, seen as one of the biggest development projects in the Garden City in recent times.
Breaking their silence on the suspension of the project, a statement by the company said it was not it’s intention to delay the project so work would resume anytime funds were released by the government.
In recent times, there has been public outcry in the metropolis over the suspension of the project. Many people have lost hope in the completion of the project, while others have called on the government to save the situation without any further delay.
The delay is seriously affecting the smooth movement of people and traffic and creating a lot of inconvenience.
According to the consultants to the project, ABP Consult Limited, between 2009 and March 2010, work on the Sofoline Flyover was ongoing.
A number of public and high-ranking people, including the former regional minister and the Transportation Minister, as well as the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, have visited the site.
However, since July last year, work on the flyover has slackened and been suspended now, due to lack of funds from the Government of Ghana.
MULTIMEDIA OUTDOORS NEW OFFICE COMPLEX IN KUMASI (PAGE 18, JAN 21, 2011)
THE Multimedia Group has opened a new plush office complex to house its Kumasi unit which comprises Luv FM, Nhyira FM and Multi TV.
The unit has moved to Ayigya near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on the main Accra-Kumasi Road, after 12 years of operation at Amakom, also in Kumasi.
A special dedication service was held on Friday afternoon for the unit to start work on the premises.
The ultra modern offices of Luv and Nhyira FM is located at Block 10P, Top High Ayigya Residential Area.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Adom Division, Klaus Von Backustein, says the relocation is to strategically position Multimedia to offer improved services to its internal and external publics.
The Business Manager of Luv and Nhyira FM, Jim Aglah, assured discerning listeners that the station would continue to broadcast top quality programmes and deliver social change to the community.
The unit has moved to Ayigya near the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology on the main Accra-Kumasi Road, after 12 years of operation at Amakom, also in Kumasi.
A special dedication service was held on Friday afternoon for the unit to start work on the premises.
The ultra modern offices of Luv and Nhyira FM is located at Block 10P, Top High Ayigya Residential Area.
The Chief Operating Officer of the Adom Division, Klaus Von Backustein, says the relocation is to strategically position Multimedia to offer improved services to its internal and external publics.
The Business Manager of Luv and Nhyira FM, Jim Aglah, assured discerning listeners that the station would continue to broadcast top quality programmes and deliver social change to the community.
Monday, January 17, 2011
FEAR GRIPS DCES (NSEMPA, LEAD STORY, JAN 17, 2011)
By Kwame Asare Boadu, Kumasi
FEAR and panic appear to have gripped some District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the Ashanti Region following last week’s dismissal of four of their colleagues by President John Evans Atta Mills.
Graphic Nsempa has learnt that some of those who survived are seriously lobbying insiders at the Castle to help them hold on to their positions.
What perhaps might have driven the DCEs to be terrified are reports albeit unconfirmed that the President would draw the sword again.
Since the announcement was made, some of the DCEs have hardly been seen or heard in public.
Those sacked in the Ashanti Region included Mr Kwadwo Adae, Sekyere East, Mr Victor Amponsah, Offinso South, Jacob Kofi Dankwa, Sekyere Afram Plains, and Mohammed Boakye Agyemang, Ejisu-Juaben.
No reasons were given for the action leaving room for speculations.
While some attribute it to agitations from NDC foot soldiers others linked it to incompetence.
However, for Mr Amponsah, the action against him is widely believed to have a link to his recent trip to the United States of America after defying directives from then Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu to shelve the decision to travel.
He wrote to the former Regional Minister of his decision to travel with some of his colleague Graduate Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to the US but he advised him against the journey but the man ignored his boss only to return to receive suspension and eventual sack.
The other three also had one form of showdown or the other with their party foot soldiers but again it is not known whether the President acted on the concerns of the foot soldiers.
Mr Adae for instance, survived several attacks by enraged Zongo youth of the NDC at Asokore somewhere last year.
Meanwhile various reactions continue to emerge from party circles over the President’s decision.
The few people who have been calling in to radio stations expressing regret at the decision to sack the four chief executives, accused the foot soldiers of masterminding wicked plans to get rid of appointees who failed to meet their demands.
However, many believed that the DCEs simply failed to live up to expectation and deserved the sack.
FEAR and panic appear to have gripped some District Chief Executives (DCEs) in the Ashanti Region following last week’s dismissal of four of their colleagues by President John Evans Atta Mills.
Graphic Nsempa has learnt that some of those who survived are seriously lobbying insiders at the Castle to help them hold on to their positions.
What perhaps might have driven the DCEs to be terrified are reports albeit unconfirmed that the President would draw the sword again.
Since the announcement was made, some of the DCEs have hardly been seen or heard in public.
Those sacked in the Ashanti Region included Mr Kwadwo Adae, Sekyere East, Mr Victor Amponsah, Offinso South, Jacob Kofi Dankwa, Sekyere Afram Plains, and Mohammed Boakye Agyemang, Ejisu-Juaben.
No reasons were given for the action leaving room for speculations.
While some attribute it to agitations from NDC foot soldiers others linked it to incompetence.
However, for Mr Amponsah, the action against him is widely believed to have a link to his recent trip to the United States of America after defying directives from then Regional Minister, Mr Kofi Opoku-Manu to shelve the decision to travel.
He wrote to the former Regional Minister of his decision to travel with some of his colleague Graduate Students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology to the US but he advised him against the journey but the man ignored his boss only to return to receive suspension and eventual sack.
The other three also had one form of showdown or the other with their party foot soldiers but again it is not known whether the President acted on the concerns of the foot soldiers.
Mr Adae for instance, survived several attacks by enraged Zongo youth of the NDC at Asokore somewhere last year.
Meanwhile various reactions continue to emerge from party circles over the President’s decision.
The few people who have been calling in to radio stations expressing regret at the decision to sack the four chief executives, accused the foot soldiers of masterminding wicked plans to get rid of appointees who failed to meet their demands.
However, many believed that the DCEs simply failed to live up to expectation and deserved the sack.
APPOINT NORTHERNERS TO KEY POSITIONS IN ASHANTI (PAGE 12, JAN 15, 2011)
A GROUP of NDC supporters going by the name NDC Supporters Forum in the Ashanti Region have appealed to President Mills to consider appointing a northerner to “one of the key positions in the region.”
It said although northerners constituted about 90 percent of the NDC support base in the region and in addition have lot of competent and committed persons who qualify for key appointments in the region, they had been relegated to the background.
“We feel cheated and neglected after being the main targets of various brutalities and intimidation by the NPP during the 2008 general elections,” spokesperson of the group, Mr Raymond B. Po-eriba, said.
At a news conference in Kumasi, Mr Po-eriba said: “Statistics available to us give the indication that majority of votes marshalled by the NDC in the Ashanti Region are settlers comprising mainly of people from the three northern regions.”
However, he said, they had not received their fair share of appointments within the region since the NDC took over the administration from the NPP.
Mr Po-eriba said the northerners in the region were very disciplined and hardworking, adding that the Asantehene continued to invite their leaders to sit in state with him at public functions.
He stated that northerners in the region had been involved in “difficult works in politics but they are always relegated to the background when it comes to appointments to key positions.
“A clear example of the difficult works was in the previous voter registration exercise when the NPP then in government made several attempts to prevent northerners whom they considered non-Ghanaians from taking part because they saw us as sympathetic to the NDC.
“Their attempts were resisted by opinion leaders of northerners based in the region,” Mr Po-eriba pointed out.
He cautioned that potential voter apathy among northern NDC supporters was imminent in the region in 2012 if the right thing was not done.
It said although northerners constituted about 90 percent of the NDC support base in the region and in addition have lot of competent and committed persons who qualify for key appointments in the region, they had been relegated to the background.
“We feel cheated and neglected after being the main targets of various brutalities and intimidation by the NPP during the 2008 general elections,” spokesperson of the group, Mr Raymond B. Po-eriba, said.
At a news conference in Kumasi, Mr Po-eriba said: “Statistics available to us give the indication that majority of votes marshalled by the NDC in the Ashanti Region are settlers comprising mainly of people from the three northern regions.”
However, he said, they had not received their fair share of appointments within the region since the NDC took over the administration from the NPP.
Mr Po-eriba said the northerners in the region were very disciplined and hardworking, adding that the Asantehene continued to invite their leaders to sit in state with him at public functions.
He stated that northerners in the region had been involved in “difficult works in politics but they are always relegated to the background when it comes to appointments to key positions.
“A clear example of the difficult works was in the previous voter registration exercise when the NPP then in government made several attempts to prevent northerners whom they considered non-Ghanaians from taking part because they saw us as sympathetic to the NDC.
“Their attempts were resisted by opinion leaders of northerners based in the region,” Mr Po-eriba pointed out.
He cautioned that potential voter apathy among northern NDC supporters was imminent in the region in 2012 if the right thing was not done.
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