The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has called on all stakeholders to join efforts towards building a new Ghanaian civilization, where the rule of law is not a slogan but an operating principle for the development of the country.

According to the President, “all of us, from the executive, legislature, judiciary, public sector, security agencies, private sector, political parties, civil society, professional and trade associations, religious bodies, traditional authorities and ordinary citizens have a collective responsibility to work together with our different views and our different perspectives for the Ghana project.”

“A united Ghana driven by considerations of social justice and solidarity governed according to the rule of law, respect for individual liberties, human rights, and the principles of democratic accountability,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo said this when he swore Justice Barbara Frances Ackah-Yensu and Justice Samuel Kwame Adibu Asiedu into office as Justices of the Supreme Court in accordance with the accordance with the stringent details of Article 144 Clause 2 of the constitution of Ghana.

The swearing-in of the Justices, the President said, “comes on the heels of rigourous nomination and confirmation processes initiated by the Judicial Council and undertaken in consultation with the Council of State with the approval of Parliament.”

Expressing confidence in the nominees, he said, “the Post 1966 Supreme Court has developed a positive reputation for the quality of its constitutional jurisprudence, and I am hopeful that you who have already given good accounts of yourselves in high judicial office in the court of appeal will help strengthen the development of our nation’s constitutional and other jurisprudence in the Supreme Court.”

Continuing, he noted that “the Judiciary has exclusive jurisdiction, in all matters of the application of the law, civil and criminal, including matters relating to the interpretation and enforcement of the constitution. It has thus onerous responsibilities, to protect individual liberties and fundamental human rights of citizens to act as the arbiter in disputes between the state and the citizens, to act as the arbiter in disputes between the citizens and all persons. And to serve as the bulwark of the defense and promotion of the liberties and rights of our people.”

“Central to the execution of these functions, is the Supreme Court. As expressed in Article 129, the Supreme Court, our nation’s court of last resort, is not bound to follow decisions of any other court including its own and shall have all the powers, authority and jurisdiction vested in any court established by the constitution or any other law,” the President added.

Still on the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, he stated further that, “with all other courts bound to follow the decisions of the Supreme Court on questions of law, it is obviously critical that Justices of the Supreme Court, possess a sound knowledge of the law and of precedence, the principle of Stare Decisis, which has been the bedrock for the evolution of the common law.

Therefore, “since Article 129, positions the Supreme Court as the policy court, where far-reaching decisions on our socio-economic development are fashioned in response to the exigencies of the time, perspectives of its judges are thus critical for our national development especially in these challenging times.”

The President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has sworn Lariba Zuweira Abudu MP, and Francesca Oteng Mensah MP into office as Minister and Deputy Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection respectively with an admonishing to ensure a fair balance between their legislative and executive duties.

Congratulating the appointees, President Akufo-Addo said, “Let me remind you of your dual roles in the legislature and the executive, and how your appointment does not relieve you of your duties as members of the legislature. You will have to learn how to balance effectively your twin responsibilities as members of Parliament, and as members of government. It is exacting but doable, and do it you must.”

He said, “always bear in mind the new arrangements of the conduct of Parliamentary business, that is the time for a sitting, and the provision of decision dates have been engineered to facilitate your work in the executive. There thus can be no excuse for neglecting your Parliamentary obligations.”

“The wide acceptance of your nominations by the Ghanaian people, and the nature of your individual performances during Parliament’s approval processes are for me, indications that the confidence I repose in you is not misplaced. You nonetheless have to justify your selection especially as you should know that there are many of your peers in the house, who have not been selected, despite having similar claims of competence as yourselves, he indicated,” he added.

He stated that, “your appointments have come into critical moments in the history of our country, and your success in this endeavour, will be a consequence of the oaths, you have solemnly sworn to uphold the interest of the republic, it’s constitution and it’s citizenry, and to dedicate yourselves to the promotion of their general wellbeing, the quality of integrity, which will permeate your work is extremely important.”

In lieu of this, he continued, “you have to remember at all times the solemn commitment that we in the New Patriotic Party, have made collectively and individually, jointly and severally, in the language of the lawyers, to serve the Ghanaian people, honestly and competently. We are called to these public appointments to provide public service, not to promote our personal gains. Do not in this regard fail to file your assets declarations properly, and remain above reproach in your public dealings. Your conduct, my conduct, our collective conduct in the executive, will determine the fate and fortunes of our party, the New Patriotic Party in this and succeeding decades.”

Concluding President Akufo-Addo, said, “the success of your work will be seen in the hard work you bring to it, you have both been carefully chosen for your portfolio. Your educational and professional background, your life experiences and your characters have dictated these choices. An opportunity is being afforded to you to serve your country in an elevated capacity, seize the opportunity with humility but with determination and perform, guided always by the almighty God.”

The Police Administration has interdicted two police officers, PW/Inspector Martha Ackah and No. 6233 PW/Sergeant Felicia Ocran of Asokwa Divisional MTTD, Kumasi, who were seen in a viral video acting unprofessionally.

A police statement said, the officers had been interdicted to allow for thorough investigation into the case, in line with Police internal disciplinary procedures, after which they will be prosecuted.

“We would like to urge the affected victims to come forward and support police investigation to enable us take the officers through the due process of the law as we seek to ensure that our officers uphold the highest form of professional standards,” the statement said.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com

The General Superintendent of Assemblies of God, Ghana Rev/Dr. Stephen Wengam has commended former President John Agyekum Kufuor for serving Ghana as President with excellence and dignity.

He was speaking when he led some members of the Executive Presbytery of Assemblies of God Ghana to pay a courtesy call on him.

The visit was to introduce the new leadership of the church to the Former President. It was also to share the church’s vision with him and commend him for his exemplary leadership both as President of Ghana and after he left office.

Rev. Wengam mentioned the social interventions and infrastructural development Ghana witnessed under the leadership of Former President Kufuor. Mention was made in particular of former President Kufour’s bold and decisive decision to lead Ghana into HIPC, social interventions such as the National Health Insurance, School Feeding Programme among many other initiatives undertaken during his tenure as testament of his excellent leadership as President.

Rev. Wengam recalled commendations he had witnessed in international circles of President Kufuor for his contribution to solving conflicts and election disputes in other African countries and remarked, that the visit was to “celebrate him and to show that he is loved”. He remarked that even after leaving office, President Kufuor has shown so much leadership of exemplary proportions.

The Assemblies of God General Superintendent used the occasion to brief the former President of the global impact of Assemblies of God as the largest Pentecostal denomination with more than 70 million members. In Ghana, he said, Assemblies of God has “contributed significantly to social aspects of the country, especially the educational and health sectors.” 
Rev. Wengam further briefed the former President on the vision of the new leadership tagged, the transformation agenda and invited him to his induction service on the 25th of February, 2023.

Rev Stephen Wengam also commended the government for the efforts it is putting in place to stabilize the economy. He called on the “government to bring everybody, no matter their backgrounds on board”, noting, that “no one party has the solution to all Ghana’s problems”.

Former President Kufuor recalled his first association with AG Ghana as a child, when a friend invited him to an AG church. That was when he noticed the communality of Assemblies of God churches. He commended Assemblies of God for running its administration on the lines of democratic governance. He noted that just as God used the prophets and Judges and later the monarchical system, so are the spiritual and physical aspects of governance intertwined.  He expressed the need to appreciate the spiritual, but stressed that the church cannot be exclusively spiritual, siting Assemblies of God Ghana’s investment in social interventions, such as schools and hospitals. 

Former President Kufuor congratulated Rev. Stephen Wengam on his election to the office of General Superintendent, noting his contribution to the discourse on national development and hoped that his leadership would not only serve the church but the community at large, exhibiting the spirit of servant leadership.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com

Kwadwo Ofori Limited, the leading brand in the provision of building materials have had five of its employees remanded for allegedly stealing building materials worth ¢2,615, 011.

The accused persons are Santa Nangba, a 27-year-old Sales Manager; Peter Bawla, a 28-year-old Supervisor; William Dagadu, 27, Michael Jeffery a 28-year-old IT Technician and Felix Ofori -Boafo, a cashier.

The accused have pleaded not guilty to the charges of conspiracy to commit a crime namely stealing.

The court presided over by Samuel Bright Acquah has remanded them into police custody to enable further investigations after the accused persons’ respective lawyers argued for bail.

The prosecution led by Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Augustus Yirenkyi, also opposed the bail application, saying the matter was under investigation.

However, the case has been adjourned to January 5, 2023.

The prosecution narrated that the complainant, Frank Kwadwo Ofori is the Director of Kwadwo Ofori Enterprise Limited, Accra and the accused persons are his employees whom he trained to manage his various branches.

The accused persons were formerly working in Accra and they were later transferred to Cape Coast to manage a branch.

The prosecution stated that the accused persons were supplied with iron rods, cement, binding wires, and nails to be sold by the complainant in large quantities. It said the complainant trusted the accused persons, especially Nangba, his sales manager of the Cape Coast branch.

The prosecution said on or before September 2022, the accused persons requested for bags of cement to be supplied to them.

However, the complainant realised that the accused persons had about 10,000 bags of cement in stock. The complainant, therefore, became sceptical as to why the accused persons were requesting bags of cement among others.

The Prosecution told the Court that the complainant through one of his employees got to know that the accused had sold the bags of cement that they had in stock, but they had failed to account for them.

It said the complainant became alarmed and together with his accounting officers conducted stocking at the Cape Coast branch and it was revealed “a net shortage of stock to the tune of ¢2,615,011.30”.

The accused persons were, therefore, invited to the head office in Accra to be interrogated.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons admitted having stolen items such as iron rods, bags of cement, binding wires, and nails to the tune of ¢2,568,770.40 and wrote in an undertaking to refund the money to the complainant.

However, on December 20, 2022, the complainant reported the matter to the Police and the accused persons were arrested.

The prosecution said the accused persons in their caution statement admitted the offence.

“Investigations revealed that the accused persons had sold the materials which were supplied to them without accounting for them,” he said.

Source: GNA

As the year comes to a close, the Ghana Police has urged prophets and pastors to abide by the rules governing the dissemination of prophecy.

In a statement, the Police urged the religious community to respect the law to ensure continuous security and law and order in the country.

Read full statement below:

POLICE REMINDER ON ILLEGAL COMMUNICATION OF PROPHECIES

A year ago today, December 27, 2021 the Ghana Police Service drew the attention of the general public, especially members of the religious community to the law regarding the communication of prophecies and urged compliance to the law to ensure continuous security and law and order in the country.

We wish to commend the public, particularly religious groups, for their cooperation over the period by being circumspect and conscious of the law and adopting legally acceptable means of communicating prophecies to those affected.

This has contributed greatly in creating an environment where people are able to freely profess their faith without unnecessary anxiety and fear of impending harm or death.

Ghana is indeed grateful to the religious leaders in particular and the religious community as a whole for their patriotic understanding of the situation.

As the year 2022 draws to a close, we wish to once again entreat the general public, especially faith-based groups to ensure continuous compliance with the law as it relates to the communication of prophecies.

Let us continue to remember that whereas we have the right to practise our faith in religion, freedom of worship and speech, this right must not be exercised in violation of the rights of others and the public interest.

As part of sustaining the gains made so far, the Police Service has adopted 27th December of each year as the Prophecy Communication Compliance Day. This day is being set aside to remind all of us, to practice our faith within the confines of the law to ensure a safe, secure environment, free of anxiety generated from predictions of impending harm, danger, or death.

We wish to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.

Ghana | Atinkaonline.com