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Temper justice with mercy …European Town squatters appeal to STMA

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● Inset: Mr Ansah in an interview with journalist

The occupants of illegal structures along the rail line at European Town, Sekondi, in the Western Region, have pleaded with city authorities to “temper justice with mercy” and give them time to prepare and leave the pleace.

Last week, Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), in   media notice announced  it  would  demolish  the illegal structures dotted along the rail line, near the train station, but, there was  ‘no show.’

A source explained to The Spectator  that, in accordance with the Assembly’s   Bye laws, they should have given the occupants two weeks before commencing the exercise, adding” we’ll  be back next week.”

The worried occupants, however, complained about the timing and appealed to the authorities to sympathise with them and extend the period for the exercise.

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“We are ready to leave but the timing is  too short, we know we need development,  however,  they should give us up to Christmas or  January, by which time we would have got a place to relocate. That’s our plea,” Johannes Ansah, an opinion leader told The Spectator.

He said,  a chief at the Sekondi Palace was trying to help them find a place to relocate and so needed  more time to put their belongings in order before leaving the area.

STMA, Mr Ansah said,  should bear with  the occupants who, he noted, were  ‘going through hell especially in this economic recession.”

“It’s not easy at all to cope with this unfortunate situation we find ourselves. People are trying to make ends meet and then you come and say clear-off like that, we are self-employed and decent people and it’s not easy to rent a house,”  he added.

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Mr Ansah claimed that STMA collected temporary business operating permit from businesses in the area and also they paid bills to utility companies.

The opinion leader said that prior to the notice for demolition,  ECG had removed about 500 meters from the area thereby grounding the fridges used by fishermen and fishmongers to store fish for sale.

European Town, he argued, hosted Regional Coordinating Council (RCC), home of Paa Grant,  Western Naval  Command, and attracted fishermen  from Kpone, Accra and Winneba areas including barbers, hair dressers, and, therefore,  “was a  huge commercial  hub of Sekondi.”

The fishermen, for example, he complained, had no money to rent rooms in Sekondi for their work, so they needed the temporary structures to lay their heads.

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He spoke about the smoking of Indian hemp and other criminal activities such as prostitution, and said the security agencies should deal with such matters.

One woman also accused the indigenes of encouraging the illicit trade in the area.

“The Ashawoo is done by Ghanaians: the foreigners couldn’t have been here without involvement of Ghanaians. We have lived here for almost 30 years and some of us have contracted loans for fishing  business, how do we pay the monies back?” distraught woman, Essaba complained.

She told The Spectator she paid  GHc600 a year to rent a structure.

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FROM CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE, SEKONDI

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Justin Kodua Frimpong files nomination to seek re-election as NPP General Secretary

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General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Justin Kodua Frimpong, has filed his nomination to contest the position of General Secretary again as the party begins its rebuilding efforts ahead of the 2028 general elections.

He was accompanied by party stalwarts and supporters who were in high spirits, expressing confidence that he is the right person to hold the position.

Speaking after filing his nomination, Mr Kodua Frimpong assured the rank and file of the party that he would not disappoint them.

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“I can assure you that the faith the rank and file of the party have had in me, I will never disappoint them,” he said.

He also pledged to run a clean campaign devoid of personal attacks.

“I can assure you that our internal campaign will be devoid of personal attacks,” he told his fellow contestants and the rank and file of the party as he seeks to retain his position.

His tenure has seen the party through the 2024 general elections, where the NPP lost power to the National Democratic Congress (NDC) after eight years in government.

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The party is currently in a rebuilding phase, with internal elections scheduled to elect new national executives to lead its reorganization towards the 2028 polls.

The General Secretary position is considered one of the most influential in the party’s administrative structure, responsible for the day-to-day running of the party secretariat and implementation of party decisions.

By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme

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UGMC disputes Michael Blackson’s claims over late mother’s treatment

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The University of Ghana Medical Centre (UGMC) has disputed claims made on social media by comedian Michael Blackson concerning the treatment given to his late mother, saying a review found that the allegations did not accurately reflect what happened during her stay at the hospital.

In a statement issued in Accra on August 5, 2026, the management of UGMC expressed condolences to Mr. Blackson and his family over the death of his 83-year-old mother, who died at the facility on July 16, 2026.

The hospital said it had taken the concerns raised by Mr. Blackson seriously and conducted a thorough review in line with its clinical and administrative procedures.

According to the statement, the facts presented by Mr. Blackson on social media contained “numerous inaccuracies” and did not accurately reflect the medical care provided to his mother.

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UGMC explained that she was referred to the facility from another hospital and received treatment there from May 27 to July 16, 2026, a period of about eight weeks.

The hospital stated that it would not release details of her diagnosis, treatment, medical records or other aspects of her care because it had a duty to protect patient confidentiality, even after death.

It said the decision was intended to respect the dignity of the deceased and the privacy of her family.

UGMC further stated that all clinical decisions at the facility are made by qualified healthcare professionals based on medical judgment, established standards of care and the best interests of the patient.

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The statement added that such decisions are made in consultation with authorised family representatives where necessary and that billing and financial procedures are governed by institutional policies and are separate from clinical decision-making.

The hospital noted that it values feedback from patients and their families and considers both positive and negative comments important for improving the quality of care.

Mr. Blackson had earlier used social media to criticise the care his mother received at UGMC, prompting the hospital’s response.

By: Jacob Aggrey

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