LETTERSFrom the Editor’s DeskStarting with this edition of ASEMPA magazine, we are adding to our line of column a new column called HELP ME OUT. This section will bring to our readers issues that has come to our editor’s desk from our writers or from our mul-timedia Radio and TV stations for discussion. Readers are expected to read and submit their opinions which will be published in the subsequent issues of the newspaper or magazine in which the subject matter was published. In this issues of HELP ME OUTA 50 year old African Cana-dian; a welder by profession went to Ghana to marry a 28 year old new university graduate. He sponsored her as a wife and paid her plane fare hoping she joinned him in Canada. According to this Gentleman who we will be calling William for now, his wife Vivian, who Texted him whilst on board KLM at the

Kotoka International Airport in Accra was not on board flight KL-989 when it arrived at Pierre Elliott Trudeau Interna-tional Airport in Montreal William called back home to confirm if his wife made the trip to Canada and it was confirmed she did. Accord-ing to Vivian’s mother, Vivian had called to confirm she had arrived in Canada. William went to Immigration Canada and the KLM information desk only to be told his wife arrived in Canada from Pearson In-ternational Airport in Toronto and that was 2 days prior to the date that William was expecting her to arrive.As William was getting ready to travel around Toronto in search of his wife, he received a phone call. ...416 ……….... “Hello ... This is Wil-liam...” The voice at the other end of the phone did not sound agitated as expected, instead , so calm and excited. than he had ever imagined. “Vivian! where are you... are you okay?” “Yes... yes... “She replies. “But... “ “Hold on Mr. William” she cuts in. “ Do you remem-ber my Cousin in Canada...The one I told you about? “Yes...” William re-sponded but in a cold shaking voice. “Well Mr. William, he is not my cousin. In fact he is my boyfriend, to be precise, an old school boyfriend, not to mention, he is my age group and my soul mate actually my future husband...” William muted and listened to her rub-bish talks .”In fact he has me now and has agreed to pay you back every dime that you have spent on me.” William dropped on the

Ebenezer O.Ansah---Editor in Chief

LETTERS HELP ME OUT----------------------------------- 4 ATICLES & POETRY Accra Flood & Flames -----4 God’s Discipline --------24 Is Education Important-----4 NEWSSOME FUEL STATIONS ORDERED TO STOP WORKS------ 6Tema floods -------6Bunkrugu Floads------ 6Picture of Floods and Flames --- 7Floads in Cape Coast-------- 7Transportation in Accra TO ----- 8Sodom and Gomorrah crisis:-----9

African COMMUNITY & EVENTS Nana Sarpong’s Late Fathers Funeral--- 11 Mercy CK’s 5oth Birthday -- 14Funeral --Dan Donkor’S late MOTHER -- 16ABINA HENEWAA FATHER’S FUNERAL -- 20 -Nana Pokuaa Gyamfi Okumanini ---21kUMASI Youngsters Club ------- 33

COVER:Photoganic Wedding of 2014 ---18 FASHION: African Fabrics & Wear---- 10

SPORTS- GFA, Nyantakyi to be investigated ------ 26ASAMOAH GYAN DONATES $10,000 to Korle-Bu Cardio, -------------------------27

POLITICS -- 27Francisca Oteng Mensah, wins NPPParliamentary primary- ------------------ 27

Afari-Gyan bids goodbye to staff at EC -- 28Nana Addo Sets Up GH¢100,000 Fund For Adam’s Family ---------------------------- 28Africa must set up own ICC to try Europeans, ---------29Last Widow of Idi Amin dies-----------------30Boko Haram kills 38 in Nigeria --- 30Kumasi Police nab 4 over BECE malpractice -- - 31LOVE & RELATIONS-------------------21 ENTERTAINMENT Rex Omar is Coming Out ------- 22Ambulley to contest Obour ---- 22Bobbi Christina to spend Final days at Home-------- 22Davido Graduates-------- 22Jackie Appiah Donates to Flood Victims--23

JOKES --(TOLI) --=========--12 RELIGION ----====== 24 First Toronto Methodist Circuit Choir Conference -------- 24THE PRESIDING BISHOP OF THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA TOURS NORTH AMERICA ---------25

The Accra floods and flames

a Poetry for victims of Ac-cra floods, fire

(To those who have suffered and to all who are grieving from the flood and fire disasters that consumed Accra on June

3, 2015)Thunder roared,

Rain thumped roofs.Through the glass door

I looked into the dark raining sky…Water rose on my compound.I closed my eyes and prayed.

I begged God for mercy…I prayed for persons living in low lying

lands,I prayed for all in congested shanty com-

munities,I prayed for those who exist in the many

kiosks,They have nicknamed “self-contained.”I prayed for the homeless in our com-

munities and forThe many children who hawk on the

streets to pay fees,And for the many who live on the fringes

of society.I prayed for all those travelling through

different spaces.I prayed for Accra, the administrative,

economic and communications hub of the nation

Ghana.And finally I prayed for our country

Ghana, which lies in the centre of the world…

Then I switched on the radio on my phoneAnd the news was ugly, very ugly:

Scenes of floods and fire engulfing AccraWith force, ripping lives apart and singed

humansWhose only ‘sin’ was that they were in

that space At that time either commuting,

Purchasing something from a shop,Looking for daily bread,

Working in their offices and shops,Seeking shelter from the rain,

Living in the comfort of their own homes,or perhaps minding their own busi-

nesses…Oh! How I wished it was only a horrible

dreamFrom which I could wake up and scream,

wash my face, Brush my teeth, take a warm shower and

move on….Oh! But no…

How do we take stock?Darkness has indeed engulfed our souls

And we weep for all our lost ones, hundreds,

Many charred beyond recognition…

By Adabasu Kuwornu, Accra,June 4, 2015

_______________________

IS EDUCATION IMPORTANT?

When a person chances upon this pertinent question, the first reaction is to answer

yes or no, depending on the individual’s beliefs, upbringing,

life experiences, etc. When you hear or see the word

“Education”, what comes to mind? What are some of your

first thoughts? For many, when they see or hear the

word “education”, what nor-mally comes to mind is formal education: going through the

educational system and ac-quiring a diploma, degree, cer-tificate, a doctorate, etc. Very

few people will think about informal education. Education to me is acquiring knowledge

or gaining information about a topic or issue to which hitherto

you were not privy.Education can be gained or acquired through formal or informal channels. Formal education is going through the school system and learning the various subjects taught by teachers or instructors. Informal education is nor-mally acquired sometimes by reading books, articles, word of mouth, the way we are brought up by our parents, the way we socialize, etc.

In this article I will be looking at the importance of infor-mal education. Many of the social norms that I know were gained by the teachings of my mum, what I observed people doing around me, the

books and articles I read and what society as a whole has taught me. Informal educa-tion which some people call “street smarts” is pertinent to living a full and productive life. Some people have acquired degrees but when it comes to social cues, they are at a loss.The way we are brought up and socialized plays a crucial role in building our character. The way we relate to people, how we comport ourselves when we are in public as well as in our private moments, the way we speak publicly - to our children, colleagues, our supervisors, etc. - are all taught to us by our par-ents, friends and the society at large. I quite remember when I was going to second-ary school in Ghana, my mum sat me down to teach me the proper way to use a fork and knife. I thought it was a joke and laughed throughout the process, but now I have come to appreciate what my mum taught me all those years ago. My mum was very particular about how a lady should sit,

floor and the next day found himself on admission at the hospital. Upon the advice of his doctor and his brother who stood by him, William had to let go every memory of Vivian for his life sake.To cut matters short, William did not see nor hear from Vivian for more than 3 years until last month when he received a blocked phone call with the caller identifying himself as Kofi; the one and only God approved boyfriend of Vivian. He wants William to know that he refused to pay him any money because he William had had his money’s worth the period that he was married to Vivian and as such he even owns him Kofi some change. As strong as William was, he ignored the caller and hanged up the phone. He never heard a word from any of the two again until the beginning of June 2015 when he received a call from Vivian She is apologizing and asking William to forgive and forget the past and take her back because it was the devil doing.William is now confused. He wants to forgive, forget, and take Vivian Back, but his younger brother who stood by him all those broken hearted years , has threatened to walk out of his life and for good, should he ever take Viv-ian back into his life. William wants you readers to help him solve his problem.If you have any advice for William.... What will it be? Please write to:

the Attention of:

the Publisher ASEMPA Magazine

Info@ebenezermedia.comTOPIC: William and Vivian.

Please note your respond will be published in the next issue

of ASEMPA Magazine.

_____________

Written by Abena Boatemaa Opoku

(Naana)

be operating against the Envi-ronmental Protection Agency (EPA). rules and regulations .Amongst the facilities that were affected were:•the Airport Roundabout Shell Fuel Station,•the Benab Oil Fuel Station and;•the Universal Oil Fuel Station, both at Aboabo. These 3 stations were ordered to close down due to their failure to produce permits for their constructed stations.Elsewhere in Kumasi, permits had been issued for ongo-ing construction of Gas Stations that were too close to Schools, hospitals and at a certain instance less than 10 metres away from electric transformer. and directly facing a senior high secondary school with over 2,700 students..The Minister thus ordered an immediate halt to the construction of the project until a team had done further assessment of the project .and proper plan put in place.The minister blamed the

rampant rate at which improper fuel stations are being built in the country on the failure of some public officials to act decisively, especially those at the Town and Country Planning De-partment, the Metropolitan Assemblies and

the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Source:GHANA.: The Chronicle ________________________

Tema floods:2 dead; over 6000 displaced

Nathan GadugahTwo people have been con-firmed dead in Tema following torrential rains in the Munici-pality last week. A young man who played a hero in rescuing a young girl from drowning succeeded in saving the life of the girl but lost his in the process. An An old woman who also attempted crossing a drain was also swept away

by the floods, Tema Municipal NADMO Coordinator Hajia Ab-dulai confirmed in an interview with Joy News Editor Dzifa Bampoh. Tema was not spared the rainstorm destruction. Even though it was not as seri-ous as the one in Accra. Lots of areas were taken over by the rain water. Tema Newtown, Tema Communities 5, 16, 18, 20, 22, Klagon, Lashibi, Adjei Kojo were all affected. Accord-ing Hajia Abdulai, over 6,593 people have been displaced as a result of the floods. A resident told Joy News’ Joseph Opoku Gakpo he and his fam-ily had to go on top of the roof of their house to save their lives. They had to stay on top of the roof for well over five hours, he narrated. “The water was right at the level of my chest and I am the tallest in the house,” he stated. The residents blame the flood on a drain in the vicinity and are asking the Tema Development Corporation to take a look at the drains. Hajia Abdulai said

how to chew when eating, how to drink without slurping (that was one of my mum’s pet peeves and interestingly it has become one of mine), how a lady should dress in a classy way and not overdo it to look like a clown, etc. Those things that my mum taught me have stayed with me till this day and I am trying to instil the same values and norms in my children. These values and norms that are passed down to us by our parents, grand-parents, family members and society at large help shape us into productive and well-rounded citizens.Informal education to me is as important and valuable as formal education because hav-ing all the degrees in the world and not having the right atti-tude or character will amount to nothing. to be continued________________________

SOME FUEL STATIONS ORDERED TO STOP WORKS

Written by Ebenezer O’-Ansah July 16,2015

Following the duo adversity that befell Ghana, on June 3, 4,and 5, the Minister of Envi-ronment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Mr Mahama Ayariga, took his frustrations once again to the streets, this time to Kumasi where he ordered the demolition of structures that are purported to have been sited on water ways and closure of some fuel stations that are believed to

they have begun distributing relief items to victims.

Source: Ghana-Myjoyonline.com-________________________

Bunkrugu floods;3 died many displaced

Date: 12-06-2015

Three people are said to have died from flooding after tor-rential rains last night in the Bunkrugu district of the North-ern Region.

The downpour also resulted in the destruc-tion of houses and left many residents home-less.MP for the area, Solomon Namliit Boar told Joy News help is needed urgently to alleviate the plight of the victims.He said those who lost their lives in the flood are two ladies and child.“A lot of houses have

been ripped off…and we hope that so many can come in and help us with this drive [to sup-port displaced persons]”, Mr Namliit said.The Bunkrugu floods and death come eight days after scores died in floods that hit parts of the Accra.Meanwhile the Ghana Health Service (GHS) has intensified a campaign to avert a full blown outbreak of cholera.It follows the confirmation of one case with many more showing symptoms due to the insanitary conditions caused by the floods.As many as six people were admitted at the Adabraka Polyclinic Thursday one of which proved positive for cholera.

Clean drinking water to areas hit by last week’s floods in the capital city has been scarce or non-existent.The Adabraka area and the immediate community near the Kwame Nkrumah

Continue on Page 8

of the GNFS, Mr Abdul Hudu said they received distress calls from the school around 11 o’clock am and personnel, led by Station Officer One, Mr Eddy Williams immediately rushed to the place.Mr Hudu said firemen had to carry some of the pupils on their backs to safety while others were brought to safety using lines.Mr Hudu called on the Ghana Education Service and the Cape Coast Metropolitan Assembly to work at relocat-ing the school to prevent any disaster.He advised all to be extra careful and put in place safety measures to avert any disaster during the rainy season.

Source: graphic news GHANA____________________

UN Ready To Assist Ghana Deal With

Disaster PreventionJune 9, 2015

The United Nations Office in Ghana has expressed its readi-ness to help and support the coordinated efforts of govern-ment to solve the perennial floods in the capital.The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Ghana, Ms Christine Evans-Klock de-clared: ”We are prepared to work with other stakeholders to achieve that goal”, when with the Deputy National

Coordinator of NADMO, Mr. Ebenezer Dosso, she toured the disaster-hit areas in Accra, including the GOIL filling Sta-tion at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle and some residential areas.Ms Evans-Klock expressed her condolences to the victims and bereaved families of the Accra floods and fire disasters.She said she was on her an-nual leave before the disaster last Wednesday, but she had to return to Accra to assess the situation on how NADMO was coordinating responses on the ground in efforts to stop future occurrences.Mr. Dosso also expressed his condolences to the bereaved families and those injured in the disaster and affirmed the NADMO’s support to ensure that every household get relief items. They also visited the Odaw the River and the New Life SDA Church.In a related development, NADMO has started distribut-ing relief items to the affected Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies in the Greater Accra Region. The items include mosquito nets and coils, used clothing, blankets, mattresses, buckets, plates, water, gallons, basins and cups.The areas covered under the service, which was started on Saturday, June 6, include Ablekuma Central, Ablekuma North, Ablekuma South, Aya-waso West, Ayawaso Central, North Okaikoi North and Okai-koi South.Many people died in the tor-rential rains that hit Accra last Wednesday, June 3, and the Fire outbreak at the GOIL Fill-ing Station at Circle.

Source: -GNA

________________________

Transportation in Accra to improve with Bus

Rapid Transit in November

Date: 14-06-2015

Operations of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), which uses specialised buses on dedi-cated lanes for fast movement within urban settlements, would begin in November.The Greater Accra Transport Executive would be responsi-ble for the management of the bus operations, which would ply Accra and Amasaman, Accra and Ofankor, Accra and Adentan, Accra and Tema and Accra and Kasoa.This was made known by Transport Minister, Dzifa At-tivor, during an inspection of

the Amasaman BRT Terminal to ascertain the progress of work over the weekend.She said there would be 85 buses for the operation of the BRT system however its opera-tions would commence with 10 drivers.Mrs Attivor said the implemen-tation of the BRT system is an indication of government’s commitment towards the transport sector.She said a special account would be opened for the BRT where all proceeds from its operations would be deposited to avoid mismanagement and to enable operators purchase more buses.She said the BRT buses are disability friendly with trained drivers and conductors, add-ing that the vehicles would be fitted with monitors and dispatch drivers to moni-tors their movements and to avoid traffic.Dr Alfred Okoe Vanderpuje,

Circle where the Goil filling station exploded and killed about a hundred and fifty people have not had water since Wednesday’s disaster.The Ghana Water Company says its ability to provide water to the affected commu-nities has been hampered by lack of power.The Greater Accra Director of Health Services, Dr. Linda Van Otoo, has however advised residents in Accra where the floods hit hardest to rush to the hospital at the first sign of diarrhea symptoms.

Source: Myjoyonline.com

_______________________

Floods in Cape Coast:

Fire Service rescues trapped Pupils Written by Shirley Asiedu Addo

12 June 2015

About 500 pupils and their teachers of the Christ Church Anglican basic school in Cape Coast got trapped in their classrooms Friday morning af-ter three hours of heavy rains.It took personnel of the Ghana National Fire Services (GNFS) about 45 minutes to get the pupils to safety.The rains started around 6am and continued to about 10.30 am leaving residents in flood prone areas stranded.Other areas including Adis-adel, Amamoma and Ankaful were also flooded.

The Distress CallsThe Public Relations Officer

Read from Page 6

They destroyed several properties leaving the police with no choice than to resort to the use of tear gas when they could no longer control the violent crowd.Meanwhile, police in Accra have arrested 35 residents of Sodom and Gomorrah who were part of a violent demonstra-tions Monday morning.- See more at: http://www.myjoyonline.com/politics/2015/June-23rd/sodom-and-gomorrah-crisis-beef-up-security-in-parliament-mp.php#sthash.UGHpV7sP.dpuf

property of the State.He fears that residents of Sodom and Gomorrah might attack the House in their bid to register their displeasure over the demolition exercise undertaken by the Accra Met-ropolitan Assembly (AMA) on Saturday.Speaking to Joy News’ Par-liamentary correspondent Elton John Brobbey the MP for Nkoranza North said the residents destroyed property and injured policemen on duty Monday when they took over the State House and Parlia-ment.Hundreds of homeless resi-dents at Old Fadama in Accra whose houses were demol-ished Saturday occupied the State House Monday demand-ing to see the president.The protestors numbering about 500 took to the streets blocking some of the major roads in Accra, particularly the ceremonial road around National Theatre before making their way to the State House.They brandished placards eulogising the New Patriotic Party flagbearer Nana Akufo-Addo and shouting No Akufo-Addo, no vote in 2016.The protestors were angry over the demolition of their houses and demanded to see the president but had the

police to content with since the president was not at the State House at the time of their visit.They turned violent, attacking some police officers who tried to prevent them from tak-ing the law into their own hands.

Accra Metropolitan Chief Ex-ecutive Officer, said the buses, which would avoid traffic due to its dedicated routes would be ideal for workers, students, traders and other commuters.The BRT, being implemented under the Urban Transport Project, is funded by the World Bank, Agence Francaise de Development, government and Global Environment Facil-ity Trust Fund at a cost of $ 95 million.It is being executed by Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and Ministry of Roads and Highways, with the Department of Urban Roads as the implementing agency.A BRT is a bus-based mass transit system that could significantly improve urban mobility and plays to the advantage of density, allowing transit to thrive, and connects people quickly to their destina-tions.In Africa, Nigeria was the first country to introduce BRT in Lagos.

Source: Ghana | GNA

Sodom and Gomorrah crisis: Beef up security

in Parliament - MP

Source: GHANA, My JoyFMONLINE-Date: 23-06-2015

Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior Committee of Parlia-ment Major Derrick Oduro (rtd) is de-manding a beef-up of security in Parliament to protect Members of Parliament (MPs) and

Summer has just begun. Programs of events are lined

up waiting for their turns to come. I toured most of the lead-ing banquet halls to authenticate rumours that all banquet halls in the city are booked. The rumour seems true, since 11 out of the 13 major banquet halls that I visited were booked up for the year. Some are even booked up to the middle of next year. This is an indication that we are going to witness lots of events this year than we did last year. In this edition of Events in Pictures we will be show-ing you pictures from some of the successful events from last year and pictures of events that has already taken place this year. Some of the pictures you will be seeing in this issue are pictures from; *the funeral of the late father of Nana Sarpong, (Brampton hene (king of Brampton) *the Wedding pictures of Evelyn and Osei *the revelers of Kumasi Youngsters Club of Canada * the funeral of Abena Henewaa’s late fatherand many more.

SMART GIRLA girl was with her

father when shesaw her boyfriend

comingGIRL: Have you cometo collect your booktitled “DADDY IS ATHOME?” by Ngozi

OkaforBOY: No, I want that

your hymn bookcalled “WHERE

SHOULD I WAIT FORYOU?”

GIRL: I don’t havethat one but maybe

you should takethe other one titled

“UNDER THE MANGOTREE”

byChimamanda AdichieBOY: Fine, but don’t

forget to bring “IWILL CALL YOU IN 5

MINUTES” whilecoming to school

GIRL: I will also bringyou a new one tootitled”I WON’T LET

YOU DOWN” byChinua Achebe

Then;DAD: Those booksare too many, willhe read them all

GIRL: Yes dad, he isvery smart &

intelligentDAD: Okay don’t

forget to give himthe one on the table

titled “I AM NOT STUPID, I UNDERSTOOD

EVERYTHING YOU’VEBEEN SAYING”

by Shakespeare! Andalso the one on thedinning table titled

“IF YOU GETPREGNANT PREPARETO GET MARRIED”by Wole Soyinka

Hahahaha..... come ondon’t leave it there.TELL IT TO A FRIEND

NO WEAPONGA baby boy was born in a hospital laughing instead of crying. The more the

midwives looked at him the harder he laughed.

Suddenly the Doctor no-ticed he had something in his hands. So he pulled his tiny hands apart and dis-covered he was holding 3

abortion pills and 5 morning after pills. The baby then looked at his mother and

said ‘No weapon formed against

me shall prosper’.

EVERY SUNDAY

2:00 AM- 10:00 AM

3:00 PM- 10:00PM

On GCRadio.com

ABINA HENEWAA FATHER’S FUNERAL

AsempaTV:Toronto CanadaToronto: May 30, 2015

As seen among Ghanaians in Toronto The Blue Diamond Centre as usual was full with people who had come in their black and red traditional funeral wear to mourn with their friend, sister wife, and mother Patience Agyapong popularly known in Toronto as Abena Henewaa wife of Nana Kwame Adu (Twafohene of Toronto Asanteman Associa-tion.)Her father’s funeral has been an exception, not only because she worships with the Ghana Calvary Method-ist united Church and being a member of the Kumasi Youngster club, but she is also a sister; a sibling to Hon. Ken-nedy Ohene Agyapong (M.P. Assin North Constituency).Being one of the richest and expensive funeral in Ghana, the Honourable father’s funeral pulled equally large crowd in Toronto.The funeral ceremony that begun around 11:PM and ended at 4.30AM was not the only event slated to bid the old man farewell. The next day May 31, 2015 a Thanks-giving Service was organized at Ghana Calvary Methodist United Church at 65 Mayall Av. The event was climaxed with a dinner party organized at the Manhyia Palace on 95 Eddystone Ave. for visitors, friends, church members, and family members who had joined her to the church.

June 10, 2015Nigerian music superstar Davido is officially a gradu-ate from Babcock University‘s music department. The 22-year-old “Omo Baba Olowo” signed on to pursue a degree, all while touring various cities across Nigeria, as well as presenting fans with hit after hit, and recording his album. After the news of his graduation went viral, he took to social media to correct reports that claim he achieved a first class in his degree. “I did not graduate with FIRST CLASS…But SEC-OND CLASS Yes!” he said. His sister Sharon Adeleke expect-ing another child, as well as His friends B-Red, Don Jazzy, Reekado Banks, paOmisore and Adewale Adeleke were present at the ceremony to support him.

_____________________

Bobbi Kristina to spend final days

at home:Monday, 15 June 2015

It’s been almost four months since Bobbi Kristina Brown was found unconscious in her bathtub and sadly, she has shown no signs of recovery.The 22-year-old daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby

Brown has been removed from the hospital, but remains on life support at a rehab facility.

Now, reports indicate that Bobbi will be brought home soon so that she may live out her final days in more familiar, comforting surroundings. “They are planning to keep her in Georgia and possibly bring her back to the town-house,” says an insider. “That was her home and her mom’s home.”

“If they can bring her back it would be great.“If she’s alive, then let her be home and surrounded by beautiful photos of her mom. It’s as good as it gets in such a bad situation.”Radar reports that Bobbi Kris-tina’s aunt and uncle, Pat and Gary Houston, have already begun prepar-ing the home for arrival.

Pat Houston was recently named

one of the ailing Bobbi Kris-tina’s co-guardians, along with her once-estranged father, Bobby.No word on whose decision it was to move Bobbi home (and, in essence, give up on the idea of her recovering through medical treatment).

Many believe the decision to give

Bobbi a calm, quiet place to live out her remaining days was made by Houston family members.Her father has repeatedly said he’s still hoping for a miracle, so perhaps this represents a

compromise he’s comfortable with.Don’t expect her to be taken off life support in any case, and given how long she’s already hung on, her future remains uncertain.

Source: thehollywoodgosiphttp://graphic.com.gh

________________________

I will contestObour;

He’s failed musicians - (Ambolley)

by GiftyOwusu- Amoah and Nadima Umar Uthman

Despite his failed attempt at the last election, celebrated Ghanaian musician, Gyedu Blay Ambolley says he will again contest the presidency of the Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) as he can offer better and effective lead-ership.In Blay Ambolley’s opinion, the current president, Bice Osei Kufour aka Obour, and his administration has failed and does not deserve another term.Talking to the Graphic Show-biz last Tuesday in Accra, the Simingwa Man said the current administration had re-neged on its promise to seek the welfare of musicians, both active and retired, as well as failed to win the confidence

REXOMAR COMING OUT

SOONSource: AsempaTv.com June 22, 2015

After a decade of silence, the Legendary Rex Omar is out again with yet another

quality song for the masses.“Paapa” the first of a series

of 5 songs to be released from his new album of

about 15 songs, reminds all fathers, leaders and the public not to think of what they can acquire for them-

selves today but picture the future and build legacies that would ensure a solid foundation for the next

generation.

______________Davido

Graduates From Babcock University

die in such conditions. If the right structures are not put in place, I could suffer the same fate,” he said.Ambolley also revealed he had been contacted by the Obour administration to help steer the affairs of the Union but declined not because he does not have a good relation-ship with them “ I just think the right things must be done first. The problem must be tackled from the roots”, he said.Touching on the state of the music industry at the mo-ment, Ambolley who says he started rap music in Ghana said that the new crop of artistes are copying too much of foreign music genres. “Don’t get me wrong, I am not against that but my only worry is how our highlife mu-sic is fast losing its identity.“I know that music is evolving and the world has become a global village so there will definitely be exchange of cul-tures. However, we can adopt and still maintain that which identifies us. This is what I have been advocating for. We can copy, yes, but we can change it to suit our style.“The Indians, Jamaicans, Car-ribeans and even our broth-ers in Nigeria have done it so why can’t we do same?” he questioned. He continued, “It is not about copying oth-ers, it is about how you do yours well to appeal to others outside.Ambolley released his first sin-gle in 1973 and has shared on the same stage with some of the world’s renowned artistes. The multiple award winner launched his 28th album African Soul at the Alliance Francaise in Accra recently

___________________

Actress Jackie Appiah donates

cash & gifts to flood and fire victims

by Adegboyega Oluwatobi. June 12, 2015

Ghanaian actress Jackie Ap-piah donated huge undisclosed amount of money and several

gift items to victims of the June 3 tragic flood and fire disaster

in Accra, Ghana. She visited the 37 Military Hospital and later

Nima, a suburb of Accra where she interacted with the flood vic-tims. She donated several items including bags of rice, cartons

of water, drinks, toiletries, other food items and an undisclosed

amount of money to support the victims.

After presenting the items to the authorities of the 37 Military

Hospital, Jackie also visited the children’s ward where she inter-

acted with the children on admis-sion and presented several items to them and their parents. Jackie

said she was at the hospital to commiserate with those who had lost loved ones, help offer some

relieve and wish those on admis-

sion speedy recovery.

“Events of last Wednesday still

leaves me in shock. Seeing

the destruction, loss of lives and properties sad-dens my heart.”

She offered a word of prayer

to all those who were affected directly or in-

directly by the twin national disasters of flood

and petrol station explosion. The actress also made a passionate appeal to well meaning institu-tions both in Ghana and across the world to offer any kind of

assistance; both in cash and kind to the affected people to enable

them rebuild their lives.

reposed in it when it was given the mandate.Also, the veteran saxophonist alleges that Obour and his ad-ministration has misappropri-ated the GH¢2 million govern-ment gave to the creative arts which landed at MUSIGA.“Do you know what GH¢2 million can do? It could have changed the fortunes of our musicians, but I can’t see the fruits of that money anywhere because we have poor leader-ship who also lack vision”, he said.He said people had been so disappointed that they had called on him to be the alternative. “I will definitely compete again. I will file when nominations open and contest the presidential slot when the MUSIGA elections scheduled for October, this year comes off.“In fact, I would have no rea-son not to seek the welfare of my people.“I have received many calls and it is a sign that people have reposed their confidence in me. Music is my calling and it is God’s gift to me. I cannot disappoint those who believe in me,” he said.Ambolley whose music career spans over four decades and has travelled widely added “I’m in a better stead to lead the musicians because I have seen it all in music around the world”.Asked if his desire to be MUSIGA president was for personal glorification, he replied in the negative saying “ I am passionate about help-ing to change the fortunes of musicians in Ghana and noth-ing else. I have the experience because I was the Vice-Pres-ident to Ebo Taylor when he was MUSIGA president before I travelled to America. Since I came back about five years ago, I’ve seen the pathetic conditions of some of my col-leagues.“This is what I want to cor-rect. We can’t let those who have sacrificed all their lives to build the music industry

Nigeria Actor “Osofia” with two daughters

deal with the consequences.It’s better to be pruned by the Vine dresser than to be an un-attended and fruitless branch.It’s better to learn content-ment, regardless of our por-tion, than to have abundance and still covet more.It’s better to walk on foot and arrive safely at our destination than to ride a fast horse and get lost on the trail.You know what’s best in every test, in every trial, in every tear. Through Your rod, Oh, Father God,I learn the good when love draws near.The Lord disciplines who He loves. Because He loves you, He’ll discipline you.Allow yourself to be disci-plined because you are loved. I love you too.--Agape.

GOD”S DISCIPLINE-2

7 Good Things…You Need to Know about God’s DisciplineGod uses discipline to encour-age you, not to discourage you.God’s discipline assures you of His love.God’s discipline confirms that you are a legitimate child.God’s discipline reveals that His love will not allow you to get away with anything that is not for your good or His glory.God’s discipline moves you away from the ugliness of sin and toward the beauty of Holiness.God’s discipline has an eternal purpose.God’s discipline will always bring you back to the pathway of peace.And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children?He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s disci-pline, and don’t give up when He corrects you.For the LORD disciplines those He loves, and He punishes each one He accepts as His

child.”As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as His own children.Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father?If God doesn’t discipline you as He does all of His children,it means that you are illegiti-mate and are not really His children at all.Since we respected our earth-ly fathers who disciplined us,shouldn’t we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever?For our earthly fathers disci-plined us for a few years, do-ing the best they knew how.But God’s discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in His holiness.No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful!But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. Hebrews 12:5-11God disciplines us, because He loves us.

Agape. _____________________

FirstToronto Methodist Circuit Choir Conference

Wrtten by Fred Tweneboah Koduah

June 25,2015

The Association of Methodist

Church Choirs, North America Mission had been holding an-nual Mission Choir Conferenc-es at venues in the USA and Canada. At the New Jersey May 23-25, 2014 Conference, the Association decided to organize mission choir confer-ences biennially and allow the holding of biennial circuit choir conferences in the alternative years. Based on this decision Toronto Circuit Choir held the first circuit choir conference in Toronto from Friday May 15 to Sunday May 17, 2015 with the theme “Singing with Meaning and Understanding“ (1 Corinthians 14:15b). The Toronto Circuit Choir now comprises choirs from the following six Ghana-ian Methodist societies: Gha-na Methodist Church Toronto, Ghana Calvary Methodist United Church Toronto, Ghana Methodist Church Montreal, Ghana Methodist Church Ottawa, Ghana Methodist Church Edmonton, and Ghana Methodist Church Calgary.The Supervising Minister, Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asare-Kusi, officially opened the confer-ence on Friday evening at the Ghana Methodist Church, 19 Penn Drive, Toronto. In her welcome address Sister Agnes Donkor, Toronto Circuit Choir President welcomed and thanked the choristers who spend time and money to en-able them attend practice and sing in addition to their daily demanding job schedules and family lives. She however encouraged the choristers to continue and attract more young people to join the choirs. She also urged the choristers to develop interest in learning how to play some musical instruments.Goodwill Messages to the Toronto Circuit Choir Confer-ence were received from Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asare-Kusi, the Superintendent Minister, Toronto Circuit and also Secre-tary, North America Mission; Circuit Choir Chaplain, Brother Samuel Okyere, Toronto Cir-cuit Steward and Brother Seth

GOD’S DISCIPLINEBy Hanna Ofori

2015/8/16

And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as His children?He said, “My child, don’t make light of the LORD’s disci-pline, and don’t give up when He corrects you. For the LORD disciplines those He loves…” Hebrews 12:5-6As we grow to spiritual matu-rity we all experience God’s discipline, and it’s a good thing we do!His discipline is an important part of our training as God’s children.The twelfth chapter of He-brews gives us many insights to help us understand the im-portance of God’s discipline in our lives. His correction is an affirmation and confirmation that we belong to Him and are a part of His family. His love would never allow Him to ignore us, close His eyes to our behavior, ignore our wrong attitudes, be indifferent to our unwise choices, or be supportive of us wanting to go our own way.It is better to be corrected by the light of God’s truth than to be allowed to hide in the shadows of deceit.It’s better to be kept from sin’s power than to live in sin and

In his report the Toronto Circuit Choir Secretary, Bro. Ato Ahin-sah Gyan said the Circuit Choir was formally inaugurated on March 30,

2014 and had performed at the following functions: 2013 Choir Conference in Ohio, 2013 Circuit Camp Meeting in Toronto, Christmas Carols Services, 2014 Choir Confer-ences in New Jersey, 2014 Circuit Camp Meeting in Mon-tréal, Good Friday and Easter Services, Harvest Revivals and Thanksgiving, Inauguration of the Toronto Circuit, Presiding Bishop’s visit to Toronto Cir-cuit, Launching of Mr. Ekwam Bilson’s CD, Launching of SDA Singing Band CD, Funeral Ser-vices and Weddings, Farewell and Send-off Service for Rev. E. Ohene-Gyimah, Ghana at 58 Independence Celebra-tions, and the Black History Month awards night.The Conference also received reports from the Circuit Music Director, Bro. Samuel W. Asare-Kusi. Other choir re-ports read at the Conference came from Ghana Methodist Church Toronto, Ghana Cal-vary Methodist United Church Toronto, Ghana Methodist Church Montreal and Meth-odist Church Ottawa.Saturday evening was time to

Sing Praises. The point was stressed that the choirs had not met to compete but to sing for the uplifting of the Kingdom of God. The Toron-to Methodist Circuit Choir was joined by the following choirs for this Saturday evening programme: SDA Choir, As-semblies of God Choir, Roman Catholic Church Choir and the Ghanaian Presbyterian Church Choir.The Toronto Circuit Choir Con-ference ended with a church service at Ghana Methodist Church, 19 Penn Drive and the elected officers were inducted by the Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asare-Kusi who preached the sermon with the theme “That all may be one”.________________________

THE PRESIDING BISHOP

OF THE METHODIST CHURCH GHANA TOURS NORTH AMERICA

Wrtten by Fred Tweneboah Koduah

June 25,2015

The Most Rev. Prof. Em-manuel Kwaku Asante, who is the Presiding Bishop of The Methodist Church Ghana, has just completed a tour of the North America Mission of the Church. The Most Rev. Prof. Asante is in his final year as the Presiding Bishop and he was accompanied on this tour by his wife, Mrs. Comfort

Opoku-Agyemang, Chairman, Toronto Circuit Lay Movement.The cho-risters had a School of Music

programme which continued on Saturday morning, fol-lowed by a Choir Forum/Open Forum and the election of the following officers:

President: Agnes DonkorVice-President: Isaac AsibuoSecretary: Ato Ahinsah GyanFinancial Secretary: Michael DansoTreasurer: Charlotte AjekumheneOrganizer: Godfred O. NyamekyeAsst. Organizer:& Chaplain: Very Rev. De-Graft Semie ObiriMusic Director/Organist: Samuel W. Asare-Kusi

From top (Left to Right)- *--Section of Society Choir on Stage.*--Asemblies of God Church Choir on Stage. * Music Director/Organist: Samuel W. Asare-Kusi*-- Officiating Ministers. From Left to right: *V.Rev. S V. Mpereh, *Rev. Dr. Emmanuel Asare-Kusi, *Rev.Josuah Doughan, *Very Rev. De-Graft Semie Obiri,*--Special Guest: Founder & CEO of Harmoniou Charale. James V.arrick Armaah* --Hritage--SDA Choir,* --Choir Chaplain, Brother Samuel Okyere, *--The Most Rev. Prof. Emmanuel Kwaku Asante, Preaching at the Ghana Methodist Church on 19 Pen Dr. Toronto

an entertaining Musical Night was organized by the Circuit Singing Band and Choir.A joint thanks-giving service was held at Ghana Meth-odist Church, 19 Penn Drive, Toronto on Sunday, May 24, 2015 to crown the Pre-siding Bishop’s visit. It was Pentecost Day as well as Rev. John Wesley’s

Day, and The Most Rev. Prof. Asante preached with the theme: “Come Holy Spirit, Give Us Love”. In attendance at this service were Rev. Mrs. Eleanor Adu-Anane of Heaven in My Heart Ministry Toronto (formerly Peace Light Ministries) and Apostle Tony Owusu of the Great Anoint-ing Church Toronto. After the service the Presiding Bishop had a meeting with officials of The United Church of Canada with which Methodist Church Ghana has a Memorandum of Understanding.

______________________

GFA, Nyantakyi to be investigated

over World Cup cash

By Kwame Asare Boadu 11 June 2015

________________The Ghana Football Associa-tion (GFA) and its President

are to be investigated by way of forensic audit for alleged financial deals in matches played by the Black Stars towards Ghana’s participation in the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.Apart from the GFA as a body, which faced investigation over various sums of money, its President, Mr Kwesi Nyan-takyi, faced investigations over how he spent $200,000 the state paid to him towards a friendly match while the Black Stars were preparing for the World Cup.These were contained in a government White Paper on the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the Black Stars participation in the tourna-ment, which was released today during a news briefing at the Flagstaff House.The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Mrs Mari-etta Brew Appiah-Oppong, who briefed presidential cor-respondents, said the govern-ment accepted the recom-mendations for the GFA and its boss to be investigated.Specifics The investigations would seek to ascertain the claims of losses totaling $1,002,000 during the matches involving Ghana and Cape Verde, Ghana and Nigeria, and Ghana and Togo.Again, the investigations would establish the claim by the GFA that an amount of $350,000 it received from the Japan friendly game was used to offset the deficit incurred in the Ghana - Cape Verde

qualifying match.Another area to be inves-tigated is whether match fees for the Ghana versus Holland and Ghana versus South Korea friendly matches were eventually paid by the match agents or organisers after the request by Cabinet to the

Ghana National Petroleum Authority (GNPC) to fund the matches and how the funds were applied.Besides the GFA is to be inves-

tigated on how it applied the FIFA World Cup preparation money of $1.5 million and the $2 million they received from GNPC before the World Cup vis-a-vis match agent funding of the friendly matches to the World Cup to clear any doubt of double funding, misapplica-tion or misappropriation of funds.Statement of account for sup-porters On how supporters were catered for during the tour-ney, the White Paper said, “The government accepts the commission’s recommenda-tion that the unaccounted for expenditure of GH¢189,000 should be investigated and anyone found culpable should be surcharged.”Co-efficient theoryIt also took note of the “co-efficient theory and definition of “management” by the GFA president and said, “govern-ment accepts the recommen-dation that the concept of “co-efficient” and “manage-ment” as defined by the GFA boss should be dismissed.“Government further accepts that the management mem-bers of the GFA as known and present at the World Cup who should have been paid appearance fee for as budgeted are Mr Kwesi Nyantakyi, Alex Ansong, Moses Armah, Yaw Boateng Gyan and Ofosu Bamfo,” the White paper said.The report stated again that in future the intent of compensating members of the national teams should be made clear.The Attorney General said the White Paper was in three parts. These include recommendations that were accepted, those that were not accepted and those that were accepted with modifi-cations.Background The three-man Commission chaired by Justice Senyo Dzamefe, was constituted by the president to investigate the circumstances surround-

Asante. Mrs. Asante is the president of the Connexional Ministers’ Spouses Associa-tion.As part of this tour, The Most Rev. Prof. Asante paid a six-day visit (Wednesday to Monday: May 20-25, 2015) to the Ghanaian Methodist Societies in the Toronto Circuit which comprises Methodist Church of Toronto, Ghana Cal-vary Methodist United Church Toronto, Ghana Methodist Churches at Montreal, Ot-tawa, Edmonton and Calgary. The Presiding Bishop was received by the Superinten-dent Minister, Very Rev. Dr. Emmanuel K. Asare-Kusi, Very Rev. De-Graft Semie Obiri, Rev. Joshua Doughan and Very Rev. Samuel V. Mpereh. The Presiding Bishop was taken to the C.N. Tower in Toronto and he also gave a lecture at the Trent University at Oshawa.At 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 23 the Toronto Circuit held a Special Leadership Seminar at the Ghana Calvary Methodist United Church, 65 Mayall Avenue with the Presiding Bishop as the Speaker. The theme was “Holistic and Fruitful Chris-tian Leadership”. Edmonton and Calgary Society Leaders participated by radio link. A lively open forum about some new Ghana Methodist Admin-istrative Structures followed the seminar. In the evening

Hearts coach, has been bat-tling the condition for the

last two years.But the Ghana superstar

has stepped in to help, by pledging to completely foot the bill for the procedure.

Asempa Sports reporters at the hospital said the player

met his former coach at the hospital by chance, as

his main aim of being there was to visit the heart treat-

ment wing. Thompson is said to have reacted with shock at the

news. Gyan also came across an-other patient on admission at the facility and asked to

foot those bills as well.The main donation

These two gestures from the Al Ain and the Black

Stars skipper were an aside for his main mission to the facility on Tuesday, when he presented a cheque of $10,000 to the Cardiotho-

racic Center of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

“Everyone needs to chip in to help as much as they can and this is my small

contribution to the good work being done at the

hospital,” the player said.

Gyan is engag-ing in public

awareness ac-tivities ahead of this year’s edition of the Stars Soccer

Fiesta, a yearly gathering of players in aid

of charity.Kumasi hosts this year’s

edition, which will be the fifth in the series.

_______________-_

the Youngest MP To be Francisca

Oteng Mensah, wins NPP

Parliamentary primary-June 13, 2015

A 22-year-old student of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has won the New Patriotic Party parliamentary primary in the Kwabre East constituency in the Ashanti Region.Francisca Mensah polled 321 votes to beat the incumbent Member of Parliament of Kofi Frimpong. With the Ashanti Region known to be the ‘world bank’ of the opposition party, it is very likely Ms Men-sah will win the 2016 polls and enter into Parliament.If she is able to pull through during the 2016 general elec-tions, she will be the youngest person to enter Parliament and will break the record of Dominic Nitiwul who was 25 at the time he won the Bim-billa seat.Ms Mensah is said to be the daughter of the Chief Execu-tive Officer of Angel Group of Companies.Below are the results of the polls.Francisca Oteng-Mensah- 321Lawyer Osei-Poku- 202Hon Kofi Frimpong- 187 (In-cumbent)K Adjei- Sefa- 33

ing Ghana’s disgraceful per-formance at the World Cup.The final report was pre-sented to the President on March 30, this year. Other members of the Commission were Messrs Moses Foh-Amoaning, a legal practitio-ner and Kofi Anokye Owusu-Darko, a sports enthusiast.The Commission spent four months probing the events leading to the Black Stars’ participation through to their exit from the tourna-ment.In all 85 witnesses appeared before the Commission.11 June 2015 | Written by GiftyOwusu- Amoah and

Nadima Umar Uthman |

ASAMOAH GYAN DONATES $10,000 to Korle-Bu Cardio,

and pays for ex-coach’s treatment

Stephen Kissi 17-06-2015

Gyan donated to the hos-pital on Tuesday. Photo credit: GhanasoccernetGhana captain Asamoah

Gyan will cover the medi-cal bills of former Liberty

Professional coach Nii Noi Thompson, who is expect-

ed to undergo a surgery to correct a slipped spinal

disc.Thompson, also a former

Regulations [CI 75] in Kumasi late last year.Sterling perfor-manceHis sterling performance over the years has not been in doubt, as he has held the position of executive secretary of

electoral bodies globally.He chaired the conduct of presidential and parliamen-tary elections in 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. He was part of the commis-sion that conducted the 1992 elections, as he was a deputy commissioner to the then chairman of the then Interim National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mr Justice Josiah Ofori Boateng, along with the late Essumejahene, Nana Oduro Numapau.But in more recent times, his role at the commission has been called into question by some politicians and some governance experts.At the 2013 Election petition hearing at the Supreme Court, Dr Afari-Gyan’s stewardship came into focus, with a sec-tion of the public describing his public pronouncements at the hearing as below par.Prior to the petition, any chal-lenge to his views on electoral issues had been cheekily met with the refrain: “You can go to court.”The EC itself admitted that the 2012 elections were marred by ‘unforgiveable’ irregulari-ties.However, President John Dra-mani Mahama has extolled his virtues and rich credentials as a ‘shining example’ to Africa’s electoral commissions.“As President of the Repub-lic, let me, on behalf of the people of Ghana, express our respect for the dedication to work shown by Dr Afari-Gyan. I have no doubt that his place in Ghana’s history is assured and he will be dearly missed

when he finally retires this year.“There certainly will be an op-portunity for a grateful nation to express its gratitude to an illustrious son of the land who has led a team of dedicated and hardworking men and women over the last 23 years to guide our nation in one of the most delicate aspects of modern democracy — elec-tions,” the President said of Dr Afari-Gyan recently.

The man Afari-GyanBorn at Anyimon in the Brong-Ahafo Region on June 18, 1945, Dr Afari-Gyan was, in 1992, appointed Deputy Chairman of the INEC by the then PNDC government which was ruling the country as a military junta.With the coming into force of the Fourth Republican Con-stitution, a new EC was put in place and Dr Afari-Gyan became its first substantive chairman and has remained the electoral body’s chairman to date.He attended Achimota School for his GCE (Ordinary Level) and Adisadel College for his Advanced Level and gradu-ated from the University of Ghana in 1967 with a Bach-elor of Arts (BA) degree in Philosophy. He went on to obtain a Mas-ter of Arts (MA) degree in African Politics from the same university in 1969. He also studied in the United States where he was awarded a Ph.D in Political Science by the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1974.CareerAfari-Gyan worked as a lec-turer and professor in Political Science at the University of Ghana. He has also lectured in the United States and Nigeria. He was a member of the Com-mittee of Experts that drafted the Fourth Republican Consti-tution for Ghana.He has also worked in a num-ber of African countries and written several books.

PublicationsThe Political Ideas of Kwame Nkrumah; University of Cali-fornia, Santa Barbara. 1974. p. 462.Nkrumah’s Ideology. 1985.Public Tribunals and Justice in Ghana. Asempa Publishers. 1988. p. 14.Understanding Politics. Asem-pa Publishers. 1991. p. 109.The Making of the Fourth Re-publican Constitution of Gha-na. Accra: Goldtype Publishers & Friedrich Ebert Foundation, Ghana Office. 1995. p. 139. ISBN 978-9988-572-02-0.The Ghanaian Constitution: An introduction. Friedrich Ebert Foundation. 1999. p. 108. ISBN 978-9988-572-56-3.Sarpong, Peter et al. (1992). Afari-Gyan, Kwadwo; Arhin, Kwame, eds. The City of Kumasi Handbook: Past, Pres-ent and Future-Cambridge Faxbooks. OCLC 29495434.

Source: GHANA- graphic cop____________________________

Nana Addo Sets Up GH¢100,000 Fund

For Adam’s FamilyJune 9, 2015The 2016 Presidential Can-didate of the New Patriotic Party, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has announced the setting up of a fund, with an initial capital of GH¢100,000 for the upkeep of the family of the late Adams Mahama, the former NPP Up-per East Chairman Nana Akufo-Addo made this known when he paid tribute to the late NPP Chairman at the Adua held at Jubilee Park in Bolgatanga on Sunday, June 7, 2015. According to the NPP flagbearer, “in addition to the amount of GH¢43,000 that has been donated by the party to the family and widow, and the GH¢90,000 that the Regional Chairmen have setup as a foundation for them, it is my responsibility to ensure that the party fund, as already promised, is established to take care of the education of the children and the main-

Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com

Afari-Gyan bids goodbye

to staff at ECby Kobby Asmah

Tuesday, 16 June 2015 The Chairman of the Electoral Commission (EC), Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, early yesterday morning took a graceful bow from the commission when he met the staff to bid them farewell at a brief durbar.While sources at the EC would neither confirm nor deny the exact date of his official exit from the commission, they were also scant with informa-tion on the brief durbar.But it is known that June this year is his exit period.The durbar was organised without much fanfare and behind closed doors.The Ghanaian academic, political scientist and election administrator chalks 70 years on Thursday, June 18, 2015. At this age, he is statutorily required to retire from his position because that posi-tion is equivalent to a Court of Appeal judge who retires at age 70.Bowing outAlready, Dr Afari-Gyan has personally dropped hints that he will not be at the helm of affairs to supervise next year’s elections.“I’m retiring next year, way before the next general elec-tion will be organised,” he had told participants at a consulta-tive forum on Public Elections

that, in all we do, we treat the memory of Adams with dignity and reverence.”He urged all NPP members to wait patiently for the police to do their work. “So far, it appears they are doing a good job, and we expect them to continue to do so and not to be influenced in any way by political pressure of any sort. We take on board the reassurance given us by the Minister for the Interior that the President of the Republic continues to insist that justice will be done to Adams.

“But I will state again what I said on May 29, 2015: we shall not be satisfied with anything less than the arrest and successful prosecution of the killers of Chairman Adams. There should be no ifs and buts,” he said, to massive applause from the gathering.Nana Akufo-Addo made a heartfelt appeal to the gather-ing and to Ghanaians at large, to recognize and accept that violence cannot and should not be the manner of resolv-ing political disputes in our country.“What is more, my friends, the concept of an eye for an eye in dealing with wrongs, will leave all of us blind. Let us be consoled by the fact that Adams has found peace with Allah and let his legacy be one of peace in our community, in our party and in our country,” he stressed.Win Election 2016 for Adams MahamaNana Akufo-Addo also urged the NPP to go all out and win the 2016 general elections

and make sure that Adams Mahama did not die in vain. He noted that Adams Ma-hama was convinced that the NPP will capture power in 2016 in order to improve the lives of the people of Ghana.“The way in which we will not let his death be in vain is to rededicate ourselves to the struggle ahead, which is the struggle to redeem our coun-try and return her to the path of progress and prosperity.“When we have done this and put the smiles back on the faces of all the poor and needy people that Adams took care of, only then would we have truly ‘avenged’ his death,” he added. Prayer for Accra Flood Victims In concluding, Nana Akufo-Addo asked for prayers “for the victims of the horren-dous tragedy that occurred in the capital city of Accra on the Ring Road Central last Wednesday

____________________

Africa mustset up own ICC to try Europeans,

-Robbert MugabeSource: News24.com June 20, 2015

Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, who is also the African Union (AU) chair, says Africa must establish its own International Criminal Court (ICC) which would be man-dated to prosecute Western leaders who have committed crimes on the continent.

According to the state-owned Chronicle newspaper, Mugabe said it was high time Africa set up a criminal court which would seek justice for “seri-ous” war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by the West, particularity dur-ing the colonial era.“They committed crimes, colonial crimes galore – the slaughter of our people and all that imprisonment... I have a case, why was I imprisoned for 11 years? We forgave them, but perhaps we’ve not done ourselves justice... You set up the ICC, we set our ICC to try Europeans, to try Mr [George] Bush and Mr [Tony] Blair,” Mugabe was quoted as saying.Mugabe said the International Criminal Court was a court for Western countries, dispensing Western injustice on Africans.Mass withdrawalMugabe said this while ad-dressing journalists at the Harare international airport where he was seeing off his Malian counterpart Ibrahim Boubacar Keita after his three-day state visit to the southern African country.Keita concurred, adding it was “up to Africans, not Europe-

ans or Americans to judge their leaders”.Mugabe’s remarks came a few days after Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir evaded an ICC arrest order by leaving early from an African Union summit that was held in Johannes-burg.At the summit, Mugabe

tenance of the widow. The initial capital is GH¢100,000. Additional contributions from sympathisers and well-wishers are, of course, welcome.” Ever since the death of Adams Mahama, there have been uncountable testi-monies about his generosity and how he went out of his way to care for the poor, the needy, the infirm and the old and destitute. These deeds, Nana Akufo-Addo said, would surely grant him a place among the elected of God in Jannah.

“The Prophet Mu-hammad (Peace be unto him) is reported to have said that ‘the one who looks after a widow or a poor person is like a mujahid who fights for Allah’s cause or like him who performs prayers all night and fasts all the day’,” Nana Addo noted. He continued, “We should, therefore, think of the admonition of Allah and accept that Adams is now resting at a better and hal-lowed place. It is about men like Adams that it is written: ‘Allah has prepared for them gardens under which rivers flow, to dwell therein; that is the supreme felicity’ (Q: 9:89),” he added. Akufo-Addo Urges Self-Restraint Though many party faithful have still not been able to come to terms with the tragic loss of Adams Mahama, Nana Akufo-Addo has urged members of the NPP to exercise self-restraint, adding that “I plead with you

Free hospital, in Hampstead, last week after a battle with cancer.“I don’t know who lives in the house,” said one neigh-bour, who has lived in the area for 10 years. “But there have been a lot of functions there this week. Something must have happened.”Kyolaba, Amin’s fifth and “favourite” wife, went by the title Lady Sarah Kyobala Idi Amin. She was once nicknamed “Suicide Sarah” because of her former career as a go-go dancer for the Ugandan army’s Revolution-ary Suicide Mechanised Regi-ment Band.She married Amin after he was taken by her perfor-mance when she was 19. At the couple’s £2m wedding in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, in

1975, the future Palestinian president Yasser Arafat was best man. Amin, a one-time heavyweight boxing cham-pion and soldier in the British colonial army, is said to have cut the wedding cake with a sword.Amin’s time as president between 1971 and 1979 was riddled with humans rights abuses and corruption, with an estimated 300,000 Ugan-dans murdered and thou-sands more Ugandan Asians expelled during his reign. Amin was forced from Uganda in 1979 and fled with his fam-ily to Libya and then Iraq, be-fore settling for a life outside of politics in Saudi Arabia.Kyolaba had met Amin while

she was in a relationship with another man in Masaka. On Christmas Day in 1974 she gave birth to a baby by her former lover and fiance. But Amin, who notoriously claimed to have fathered 43 children, declared the baby to be his own and ordered that the birth be announced on television. The fiance disap-peared not long afterwards.When Kyolaba left Amin in 1982, she took with her the third of her four children, Fais-al Wangita. She spent some time working as a lingerie model in Germany before settling in London.

In 1999 she avoided a jail sentence after

pleading guilty to allowing cock-roaches and mice to overrun her east London cafe, Krishna’s.In 2007 Faisal was involved in the gang murder of an 18-year-old Somali man in Camden, and was convicted of conspiracy to wound. He was jailed for five years and later deported back to Uganda.In recent years Kyolaba continued to defend Amin. Following his death from kidney failure in 2003, she said he had been a “true Af-rican hero” and a “wonderful father”.“He was just a normal person, not a monster. He was a jolly

person, very entertaining and kind,” she said in an interview. “I learned a lot of things from him, not because I was mar-ried to him but as a growing woman … things like leader-ship, self-confidence and initiative.”She described herself on her Facebook page as the “former first lady of Uganda”, and displayed a black and white picture of the wedding.Shopkeepers in Tottenham remembered her as a very “nice and friendly” member of the community. Swaleh Lwanja said Kyolaba and her family would often come to his restaurant, and she rarely spoke about her former life.“I never sat down and had a chat with her about her past. I knew her as a friendly mem-ber of the community. Most people just knew her as a nice lady,” he said.

Boko Haram kills 38 in Nigeria

Source: BBC June 18, 2015

An attack by suspected Isla-mist Boko Haram fighters in Niger has killed at least 38 people, officials say.It took place late on Wednes-day night, according to a security source quoted by the Reuters news agency.Local MP Bulu Mammadu told the BBC that the victims included women and children who had been shot dead in two different villages.Boko Haram is based in Nige-ria but is being tackled by a

wanted a mass withdrawal of African states from the ICC.The veteran leader harshly criticised the ICC after Al-Bashir dodged his arrest, saying the international court was not wanted in Africa.“This is not the headquarters of the ICC, we do not want it in this region at all,” Mugabe said.Mugabe also took a swipe at the “foreign” funded non-governmental organisations (NGOs), whom he said were angling for Al-Bashir’s arrest.

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Last Widow of Idi Amin dies

in LondonSource: theguardian.com June 18,2015

The north London house where friends and family of Sarah Kyolaba, the last surviv-ing widow of the Ugandan dic-tator Idi Amin, are to say their final goodbyes sits vacant and unattended.Neighbours on the quiet street in Palmers Green are unaware of the funeral that is set to take place there – perhaps a fitting tribute to Kyolaba, whose privacy masked a life of tumult and extravagance.Kyolaba arrived in Britain more than three decades ago and was latterly the propri-etor of a modest hair salon in nearby Tottenham. She died aged 59 at the Royal

Idi Amin and Sarah Kyolaba on their wedding day in August 1975. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Recent image of Sarah Kyolaba---Photograph: Alamy

Police in Kumasi have arrested four teachers in connection with examination malpractic-es in the ongoing Basic Educa-tion Certificate Examination.The suspects were arrested at the Ahenema Kokoben WAEC BECE centre.It is not clear yet if the sus-pects have anything to do with the massive leakage of five BECE papers which have been the latest scandal to have hit the education sector.The police are currently hold-ing a press conference to inform the media about the arrests.The five papers- Mathematics, Integrated Science, Religious and Moral Education, Social Studies and English language were all cancelled.A new date will be fixed for the cancelled exams

5 Ways to fall in love again

What’s better than being in love? Whether you’re seek-ing a new relationship, just falling in love, a newlywed, or together for 10, 20, or even 50 years, being in love is extraordinary. We long for it -- and yet there’s no place lonelier than a relationship once it’s cooled off. We may not even be surprised when it does because we have so much proof.After all, 40 to 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce ~ as do nearly 60% of second marriages.I used to feel that he/she was just about perfect, but then he/she changed.Falling in love again is impos-sible and unrealistic, isn’t it?I’m here to tell you that it’s not. Yet I’d be lying if I said that after 36 years of be-ing together, every moment has been bliss. In fact, we’ve fallen in love again a number of times!

Here’s what I’ve discovered. As you read what I’ve learned, these ideas may appeal to you or give you an insight into something you could do.1. Decide what you want. It’s all too easy to wallow in the situation and be anxious about how painful it is. The problem is that what we focus on, is what we get. In other words, the more we think about what’s wrong, the worse it gets. If you truly want you and your loved one to fall in love again, shift your attention to what you want and what you can do to make it happen. If that’s not what you want -- or you’re waiting for someone else to make it happen -- then you know why things are the way they are.2. Open your eyes. What’s really happening? Who is this person you’re with? Is he or she really the way you’ve come to think of them? Is it true that he or she doesn’t love you any more, is more passionate about work, and has lost sight of who you are? Not so long ago I realized that when I looked at Tim, I couldn’t see him any more ~ all I could see was my story about him. He didn’t stand a chance.3. Be present, be positive. I absolutely love this guideline because it’s so simple, and it works every time. When I’m in this present moment, the story disappears -- there is no past or future, just this pre-cious instant. So when I catch myself watching my tired old movie, I repeat this man-tra. When I’m present and positive, my love and passion ignite, and I fall in love again

-- and wonder of wonders, so does he.Listen to your heart. My heart knows how to be and what to do; when it’s in charge good things happen. I listen, really listen. I care what he thinks, and what he needs. But when my mind gets involved, I’m making up concepts that lead me away from what I want. It’s looking for proof about how it’s all his fault -- and full of pride about how I’m the good one, the one who’s always doing the right thing. A while back I shared about the late Susan O’Malley, the young woman, who constant-ly shared her positive view of life and her love for everyone she met.Have faith. I’ve noticed that if I try to manipulate a situation to get what I want, if I stick my fingers in the works, if I try to hurry things along, the good things I want don’t happen. When I let go, trust, and have faith -- moving slowly and trusting -- there’s space for the good things to come. In the meantime I do my best to stay on this path.It’s not easy, at least it hasn’t been for me. But the more I take back control from my grasping ego and follow my heart, the more love comes naturally and falling in love again is happening right before my eyes. Above all, I’m so grateful for my dearest Tim, who loves me deeply and respects me for who I am.Before you rush on, take a few minutes to make a note of the next step you’ll take toward falling in love again. Credit:Huff Post

multinational force, including soldiers from Niger.On Monday, there was a suspected Boko Haram suicide attack in Chad, which is also supplying soldiers to the mul-tinational force.Chad responded to that attack with air strikes on suspected Boko Haram positions within Nigeria.In Niger, Mr Mammadu said that, as well as killing people, the militants had burnt down several houses in the two vil-lages of Lamina and Unguma-wo in the Diffa region, close to Nigeria’s border.Boko Haram first attacked Niger in February when the government said it repulsed an attack, killing more than 100 of the group’s fighters.

Since being sworn in last month, Nigeria’s new Presi-dent Muahammadu Buhari has hosted talks with the presidents of Niger and Chad to discuss boosting the fight against Boko Haram.President Buhari promised in a message on his Twitter feed on Thursday that the “efforts to strengthen security cooper-ation with our neighbours and adjust our own response to Boko Haram will yield results very soon.”Boko Haram was founded in northern Nigeria in 2002 with the aim of creating an Islamic state, and has since caused havoc through a wave of bombings, assassinations and abductions.

Kumasi Police nab 4 over BECE malpractice

Source: Ghana|Myjoyonline.com June 19, 2015