The National Democratic Congress (NDC) embarking on a walk dubbed “Probity and Accountability March”

The National Democratic Congress (NDC) is currently embarking on a walk dubbed “Probity and Accountability March”.

The event is was organised in conjunction with other political parties and Civil Society Organisations to commemorate the life and legacy of the founder of the NDC and Ghana’s 4th Republic, Mr Rawlings.

This comes after it was rescheduled to enable the police to provide them with the needed security during the march in accordance with the Public Order Act, 1994 (Act 491).

In a statement, the NDC outlined the various routes to be used.

“The route for the March as discussed and agreed with the Police is as follows: Converging point will be Obra Spot, through to Farisco Traffic light, Accra Poly road through the Ghana Law School road and to Rawlings Circle and finally to the Osekan Park.”

But despite the convictions and sentences, no less a person than former President Mahama has been complaining bitterly all along: “This trial by newspaper affects the credibility of the government. If you hear that several sums of money have gone missing yet no one has been arrested for prosecution, then you are destroying the confidence of people in the credibility of the government. So the trial by media must stop (ghanaweb.com).”

Perhaps someone ought to inform Ex-president Mahama that the current Attorney General is seriously working towards bringing the suspects to book.

Take, for example, on 14th March 2018, the State filed a case of causing financial loss against the former Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD and the CEO of Zeera Group of Companies and Agricult Ghana Limited, who allegedly embezzling over GH260 million under the watch of former President Mahama.

Besides, credible sources have confided in some of us that forensic investigations are progressing steadily in a number of bribery and corruption cases which took place in the outgone Mahama’s administration.

As I write, about 21 suspects from the previous NDC administration are standing trials for charges of alleged bribery and corruption.

There is also a possibility of the double salary grabbing NDC Members of Parliament having their day in the law courts.

Given the circumstances, we can confidently deduce that JSC Dotse was absolutely right for describing some practices of the Mahama’s administration as: ‘create loot and share’.

Despite their much-touted mantra of transparency, probity and accountability, we have been witnessing so much scheming guiles, sleazes and corruptions in the successive NDC administrations. Who are they trying to deceive?

Astonishingly, though, the successive NDC governments’ officials have been committing the same crimes (c) their party founders killed many innocent people for.

As I reiterated elsewhere, there is absolutely nothing wrong for any individual to tag himself/herself as a proponent of transparency, probity and accountability. But it is somewhat hypocritical when a group of people who claim to be the exponents of such ethos would then turn around and dip their hands into the national purse as if there is no tomorrow.

After all, aren’t the NDC apparatchiks claiming to be the preachers of transparency, probity and accountability?

So why are they refusing to practice what they have been relentlessly preaching to us all these years?

In sum, it is an illustrative case of false prophets, who are endlessly nagging their followers that ‘it is written in the Holy Book that thou shall not steal’ and then turn around and dip their hands into the church offerings bowl as if the judgement day will never come.

 

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Special Prosecutor Martin Amidu's new name for Akufo-Addo Ghana President ‘mother of serpent corruption’

 “Mother serpent of corruption” a phrase which until the late afternoon of Friday, November 27 was uncommon to some Ghanaians, has become the most used phrase on social media since Special Prosecutor, Martin Amidu used it in his second address to the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Amidu, a lawyer with admirable writing skills combined to perfection, the law language and the ‘normal English’ language, in which he slapped the tag of ‘mother of serpent corruption’ on Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

Amidu said that he used to be a disciple of President Akufo-Addo but after working in his administration as the lead figure in the anti-corruption battle, he has come to the realization that the president is not as committed to the course as he perceived.

He furthered that he was shocked that Nana Akufo-Addo whom he trusted as the ‘Moses of anti-corruption,’ turned out to be ‘the mother serpent of corruption.

“When I met the President on 23rd October 2020, I received the shock of my life when he demanded that I took no further action on the Agyapa royalties transaction anti-corruption assessment report for another week. That was when it was divinely revealed to me that the President whom I trusted so much for integrity only looked like the innocent flower of anti-corruption but he was really the mother corruption serpent under the innocent-looking flower," he added.

The ex-Special Prosecutor literally identified President Akufo-Addo and his Finance Minister as the brains behind the Agyapa deal which he discovered to be the greatest corruption plot in the history of the country.

“I can now say as a citizen of Ghana on the basis of the Agyapa Royalties Limited Transaction reports that the transaction was suspiciously conceived by the Minister of Finance and the Presidency and implemented to serve only a few persons within the NPP,” he said.

The use of the phrase by Amidu has resulted in its popularity on social media as Ghanaians and party supporters express divergent views on the matter.

Most of the people  have snakes with the president’s head on it to depict the image Martin Amidu intends to create with that description of the president on social media.

Global Vaccine Alliance Tackles Upset on COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has created new barriers to routine immunisation around the world, putting millions of children at risk of a resurgence of vaccine-preventable diseases, warns the Global Vaccine Alliance (GAVI).

Over the last 20 years GAVI and its partners have vaccinated more than 760 million children in 70 countries, saving the lives of more than 13 million.

But in celebrating World Immunisation Week, the worry is that millions of children would be missing out on vaccines against measles, diphtheria and polio.

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, measles, polio and other vaccines were out of reach for 20 million children below the age of one every year.

Given the current disruptions, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has warned that this could lead to disastrous outbreaks in 2020 and well beyond.

GAVI estimates that at least 21 low- and middle-income countries, are already reporting vaccine shortages as a result of border closures and disruptions to travel.

So far, 14 vaccination campaigns supported by GAVI against polio, measles, cholera, human papillomavirus, yellow fever and meningitis have been postponed, which would have immunised more than 13 million people.

The Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said this week: “The tragic reality is that children will die as a result.”

GAVI has set an ambitious goal to immunise 300 million more children with 18 vaccines by 2025 and to attain this the organisation is looking to raise US$7.4 billion in its upcoming third replenishment that has been scheduled for June.

Dr Tedros said: “We call on the global community to ensure GAVI is fully funded for this life-saving work.

“This is not a cost, it’s an investment that pays a rich dividend in lives saved.
“Just as immunisation has been disrupted in some countries, so have services for many other diseases that afflict the poorest and most vulnerable people – including malaria.

“Immunisation is one of the greatest success stories in the history of global health,” he said, adding: “More than 20 diseases can be prevented with vaccines.”

Dr Richard Sezibera, a former Minister of Health in Rwanda, and a long-serving member of the GAVI Board explained in an Op-Ed for the Africa Briefing website earlier this month: “Now more than ever, the need to bring together public and private sectors in strengthening our healthcare systems is being shown.

“With GAVI, this kind of collaboration has been going on for 20 years and is still going strong with the shared goal of creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children and persons all around the world.”

Dr Sezibera, who is also Chair of GAVI’s Programme and Policy Committee, said this year’s replenishment was “seeking to build on the historic gains it has made with governments and other partners”.

He added: “We will need to step up with even more.
“Commitments are needed towards increased domestic financing and for recognition of the critical role of vaccines to primary healthcare in Africa, at least for the next period of 2021-2025.”

GAVI said that immunisation campaigns required “a coordinated approach that factors in the unique challenges of each country”.

It added: “For example, in areas with densely populated urban settlements, there may be challenges with communicating the importance of vaccines, so social mobilisation activities are required.

“Conversely, many GAVI-supported countries have very remote regions that demand a new approach to vaccine delivery, like using autonomous drones to efficiently deliver medical supplies.”

The alliance said it was making “health system strengthening grants more flexible to allow countries to reallocate funding towards their COVID-19 response, as well as working with our partners to continue immunisation campaigns where possible”.

“The immunisation infrastructure that GAVI has helped build over the past two decades is also being used to help fight the pandemic,” the organisation said.

Local businesses appeal to government support to them in this challenges time of Covid-19

Ghanaian businesses called on the government to focus on protecting them from irreversible losses.

Recounting their new reality on Joy News’ current affairs programme, PM Express, on Tuesday, four business executives said although the government has shown commendable support since the business disruptions caused by the pandemic set in, there is room for improvement.

The Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), a federation of private business in Ghana, urged the government to be proactive in drawing up policies that emphasises support for local businesses.