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New Juaben South MCE worried over theft of fixed metal gratings covering gutters in Koforidua
The Municipal Chief Executive of New Juaben South Municipality, Mr Isaac Appaw-Gyasi has expressed worry over the theft of fixed metal gratings used to cover gutters and drains in the central business district.
He said the Assembly has noticed with disdain that the metal gratings were being removed at night by some unscrupulous persons and sold to scrap dealers.
“The situation was unfortunate, especially when the Assembly is trying to ensure the safety of the citizenry by covering the drains to prevent people from falling into it, and some unscrupulous people are stealing them to rather make money for themselves. This is thwarting our efforts to ensure the safety of the citizenry and we call on persons engaged in such acts to desist from it,” he said.
Mr Appaw-Gyasi made this known at a town hall meeting organised in Koforidua by the Assembly in collaboration with Star Ghana Foundation and funded by the Botnor Foundation on Friday.
The meeting organised under the theme: “Promoting Civic Engagement” was organised under the “Our City Project” which was aimed at creating an accountability platform to enable discussions that concerned youth participation in local governance at the assembly level and allow the youth to interact with relevant stakeholders on accountability issues.
It was also aimed at enabling relevant stakeholders to critically reflect on appropriate measures to improve accountability to the youth.
Mr Appaw-Gyasi revealed that the Municipal Security Committee (MUSEC) had taken keen notice of the unfortunate incident and was on a manhunt for such persons.
“The assembly would not hesitate to deal with culprits when caught to serve as a deterrent to others,” he stated.
He called on community members in the municipality to ensure to help to stop the menace by cooperating with MUSEC and report to them of such persons who they see involved in such act.
The MCE revealed that the assembly was engaged in several projects such construction of roads, redevelopment of Jackson Park, and reconstruction of the Nsukwao drainage system among others.
He said the infrastructural development would give Koforidua a beautiful face-lift and enhance the economy of the area.
Mr Appaw-Gyasi further added that the town hall meeting was being organised as part of a partnership project between the assembly and the youth to encourage youth participation and ensure accountability as well as enhance service delivery.
He noted that the youth has a lot to offer and encouraged them to make their inputs known through such meetings and their assembly members “so that together, we develop this municipality and Ghana as a whole.”
The Assembly Member for Two Streams Electoral Area, Citizen Francis Tetteh during a meeting called on the assembly and stakeholders to ensure that youth who were trained in agribusiness, would be provided with the necessary funding and equipment to start their jobs.
Mr Appaw-Gyasi said this would help reduce unemployment in the municipality and enable the youth to start their jobs and employ other youths.
He said when adequate jobs were provided, it would help to reduce social vices including theft in the municipality.
From Ama Tekyiwaa Ampadu Agyeman, Koforidua
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Focus on more pressing issues like Galamsey, not hate speech – Ellen Ama Daaku to Mahama
An aide to former Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia,Ellen Ama Daaku has advised President John Dramani Mahama to shift his attention from social media hate speech to more urgent national issues such as illegal mining.
Speaking in an interview, she noted that the President’s recent comments about tracking the IP addresses of people who spread hate speech were unnecessary.
According to her, President Mahama must first define what he considers to be hate speech before seeking to punish people for it.
Ms. Daaku argued that the President himself had benefitted from hate speech and social media attacks in the past when he was in opposition.
She said even during his time in government, he described his opponents and their tribesmen in unpalatable terms, which later drew complaints from former President Nana Akufo-Addo to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference.
She stressed that harsh criticism of leaders on social media should not automatically be considered hate speech, adding that former leaders, including former President Nana Akufo-Addo had all been subjected to it.
“He is only feeling what Nana Akufo-Addo went through for eight years,” she remarked.
While acknowledging the need to regulate misconduct online, Ms. Daaku insisted that going after social media activists should not be a priority.
She noted that many political activists, including herself, had been insulted and attacked online but never called for arrests.
She concluded that President Mahama should focus his energy on solving pressing problems such as galamsey and the economy instead of concentrating on critics on social media.
By: Jacob Aggrey
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Prof Alidu Seidu files nomination for Tamale Central seat
The newly elected parliamentary candidate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) for Tamale Central, Prof Alidu Seidu, has submitted his nomination forms to the Electoral Commission.
As of 10:00 a.m. today, he was the only person who had filed to contest the seat.
Nomination of candidates will close at the end of the day.
Associate Professor and Head of the Political Science Department at the University of Ghana Legon, Prof. Alidu Seidu won the National Democratic Congress (NDC) parliamentary primaries in the Tamale Central constituency with a landslide victory.
The elections, supervised by the party’s Elections and IT Directorate in the Northern Region, saw Prof. Seidu poll 840 votes out of the total valid ballots cast.
His closest contender, Lawyer Hanan Gundadow Abdul-Rahaman, secured 536 votes.
The other aspirants could not make significant gains, with Dr. Seidu Fiter obtaining 44 votes, Aliu Abdul-Hamid 23 votes, and the rest recording fewer than 10 votes each.
In all, 1,500 ballots were cast, with 6 ballots rejected and 7 spoilt ballots recorded.
The results were signed and declared by Dr. Arnold Mashud Abukari, NDC Northern Regional Director of Elections and IT.
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) held parliamentary primaries in Tamale Central to choose a candidate for the upcoming by-election following the death of the sitting Member of Parliament, Dr. Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Dr. Mohammed, who also served as Minister for Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, tragically died in a military helicopter crash in the Adansi Akrofuom District on August 6, 2025, alongside seven others.
His passing left the Tamale Central seat vacant, as required by Ghana’s 1992 Constitution.
The Electoral Commission has scheduled the by-election for September 30, 2025. While the NDC moved quickly to open nominations and vet aspirants, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) announced it would not contest the seat, citing the need to respect the somber circumstances and promote national unity.
By: Jacob Aggrey
