News
On the Radar
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Roughly two decades ago, I used to write a column in the Ghanaian Times called “Smoke Signals.” The articles I wrote were meant to draw attention to areas of our body politic that needed urgent attention but seemed agonisingly neglected. One of the topics I dealt with is: “Bureaucratic Obesity” which discussed the drain an over-sized government exerts on the national coffers and how that stifles development.
That was way back in President J. A. Kufuor’s era. Unfortunately, time has proved that the “disease” has not been cured and may even threaten to degenerate into a cancer. May I say that like father, like son? If the government is recalcitrant and refuses to budge when advised, how can we expect the masses to conform to norms?
I wrote also a piece titled: “Where is the Tankaase?” That term is the corrupted or vernacularised form of “Town Council.” In that piece, I recalled how the “Tankaase” went from house to house in full khaki work gear, helmet, and all, to inspect the state of cleanliness in the drains, the compound and general surroundings. Those who deserved violation tickets were summarily served with their notices of conviction. In those days, the very sight of a “Tankaase”sent shivers down your spine.
One of them, Mr. Kariyefa, a Liberian immigrant at the time living as a tenant in my grandfather’s house at E 150/3, Anachin Street, Cape Coast, had a motor bike. His mere appearance was so intimidating that any time he rode past an area, even on his personal rounds, people who could not be sure of his approval in case he ventured into their houses, began scampering in all directions to put things in order as if he was coming for inspection.
And when he closed from work and was returning home, the children around my grandfather’s house who had played truant would sob uncontrollably if their parents told them they would be handed over to Mr. Kariyefa for discipline. Looking back, I feel ashamed that I was afraid of him even though he was a tenant in my grandfather’s house. I think all the children thought that he had the licence to arrest anybody, old or young, at his pleasure. What delights me, though, is the discipline that permeated every fibre of the Ghanaian society at that time of our development. Now that we claim we have become more civilised, we are literally engulfed in filth. Where is the “Tankaase?” Where is the discipline of yesteryears?
Without controversy, we have made some strides but a whole lot more needs to be done. That constrains me to resume writing. This time, my column is: On the Radar. A radar is a very important instrument useful in a variety of ways. Even though the concept had been developed earlier in the 19th century through various experiments by different scientists, it was not until 1940 that the American Navy coined the name RADAR as a short form for the acronym: Radio Detection And Ranging.
As you may be aware, it is a system for detecting the presence, direction, distance, and speed of aircraft, ships, and other objects, by sending out pulses of high-frequency electromagnetic waves that are reflected off the object back to the source. Simply stated in the lay man’s parlance, it is used to indicate that someone or something has or has not come to the attention of a person or group.
It is the concept of radar that is at work when you see the police pointing an instrument at a passing car to check over-speeding. It is the same technology that is used to track the weather and warn of impending threats emanating from the atmosphere. With time, it was adopted into the English language and the capital letters dropped so that the word does not appear as an acronym.
Just as the radar tracks the weather and hints us of looming storms; just as the radar can be used to track the location and distance of a fugitive, this column will use all the “sensors” available to it to try and alert the appropriate authorities about issues that have gone off or under the radar, either by accident or design. In other words, we will bring such issues on the radar to generate discussion and elicit solutions in the national interest.
I know it is not going to be easy. In every society, fighting for change is sometimes like swimming against the current; it is like being up against the rope during a fight. You would receive all kinds of bashing but as the lyrics of one of our patriotic songs declare: “As3m yi di ka” which translates to: “The truth must be told.” That is what this column intends to do.
I must sound it loud and clear from the outset that I unapologetically believe the Bible as the inspired Word of God. The Holy Writ, by means of submissions impossible to refute, has the intellectual capacity to reduce every argument against the truth to an absurdity. Consequently, from time to time, I will have recourse to the scriptures to buttress my point, if need be. Remember that this is an opinion column and the good thing about writing such articles is the freedom to air your views. But I promise you that with the help of God, objectivity will not be sacrificed on the altar of opinion. Well, because I hinted that I might allude to the Bible periodically, some people might have already branded me from the outset as dogmatic, opinionated, holier-than-thou, and what-have-you? Fact is, in taking a stand, you are entitled to be wrong, and there is nothing wrong with it.
Another thing. I am very conservative about certain things. I am not a fan of all these social media like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and whatever remains, with all the noise about trending and all. You may call me “colo” or old school. I do not blame you.You are lucky you never met any “Tankaase” or Mr. Kariyefa, the epitome of discipline in our childhood era. Anyway, if you want to reach me and pass any comment, you may do so through my email address as follows: teepeejubilee@yahoo.co.uk
And remember, a stitch in time saves nine!
BY TONY PREMPEH
Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has become the new leader of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) after delegates approved a constitutional amendment making the party’s flagbearer its leader.
The amendment was approved on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at the NPP’s National Delegates Conference held at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi.
The decision makes Dr Bawumia the leader of the NPP as the party prepares for the 2028 general elections, having earlier been elected as its presidential candidate.
The change was contained in one of 14 constitutional amendments presented to delegates by the party’s Constitution Amendment Committee.
The amendments were approved through a voice vote, with delegates responding in favour of the motions.
The latest amendment reverses a provision approved at the party’s January 31, 2026 conference, which made the National Chairman the leader of the party at all material times.
The approved amendment provides for the flagbearer to assume the leadership of the party when the NPP wins an election and the flagbearer becomes President.
The amendment also reinstates the President as a member of the National Executive Committee when the party is in government.
The Chairman of the NPP Constitution Amendment Committee, Frank Davies, explained that the amendments were necessary to address gaps identified in the party’s previous constitutional review.
The constitutional amendments formed the first part of the conference before delegates proceeded to elect new national executives.
A total of 7,163 delegates from all 16 regions participated in the conference, with voting conducted at 31 polling stations for nine national executive positions.
The Electoral Commission supervised the elections and verified delegates.
Other approved amendments include changes to the election of Vice Chairpersons, allowing candidates to contest specific Vice Chairperson positions instead of being ranked according to the number of votes they receive.
Delegates approved the appointment of three additional Vice Chairpersons, the creation of Deputy Communications Officer positions and the elevation of the Information Technology Officer to an executive position.
Addressing delegates after the constitutional amendments and as the party prepared for the national executive elections, Dr Bawumia called for unity and peaceful voting.
He urged the 47 aspirants contesting nine national positions to accept the outcome of the elections and continue working together for the party.
“Let us vote in peace, accept the results in good faith and leave Kumasi as one family,” he told the delegates.
Dr Bawumia congratulated all the aspirants for putting themselves forward to serve the party and urged those who won to reach out to their fellow contestants.
He assured those who lost that the party would still need their experience and contribution.
The NPP flagbearer further reflected on the party’s reorganisation since the December 2024 general elections, saying the party had listened to its grassroots members and learnt lessons about its organisation, communication and engagement with supporters.
He noted that the party had elected its structures from the polling station to the regional level and had also begun preparations towards its next programme for government.
Dr Bawumia said his early election as the party’s presidential candidate had allowed him and the party to begin work on policy development ahead of the 2028 campaign.
He said various policy committees had been established and engagements with different groups and stakeholders were ongoing.
Turning to national issues, Dr Bawumia used his address to criticise the government over what he described as failures to fulfil several campaign promises.
He specifically questioned the progress of the NDC government’s proposed 24-hour economy, the women’s development bank, electricity tariffs, the cost of transportation and other economic challenges facing households and businesses.
On the economy, he defended the Domestic Gold Purchase Programme, arguing that the programme introduced under the previous NPP administration had contributed to stability in the Ghanaian currency.
Dr Bawumia further criticised the government over the stalled implementation of projects including Agenda 111 and raised concerns about the management of the Free Senior High School programme.
He addressed recent drug seizures involving consignments traced to Ghana, calling for a bipartisan parliamentary committee to investigate how such shipments were able to leave the country.
On the fight against illegal mining, popularly known as galamsey, he accused the government of failing to deliver on its promises to tackle the problem and restore polluted water bodies.
He criticised the government over promises relating to cocoa prices, teacher and nurse postings, the teacher licensure examination and payments to customers of collapsed financial institutions.
These claims formed part of Dr Bawumia’s political assessment of the NDC government’s performance and were presented by him as reasons why the NPP should return to government.
He accused the government of what he described as the “weaponization of state power” and alleged that different standards of justice were being applied to government supporters and opposition figures.
Dr Bawumia said the NPP would, if returned to power, pursue what he described as one standard of justice for all citizens regardless of political affiliation.
He ended his address by urging the incoming national executives to build a strong party organisation, focus on holding the government to account and communicate the party’s policies to Ghanaians.
The NPP’s new leadership structure and national executive team will now oversee the party’s reorganisation and preparations towards the 2028 general elections.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Newly elected National Organiser of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Daniel Nii Kwartei Titus Glover, has pledged to work to ensure peace, unity and respect within the party as it prepares for the 2028 general elections.
Mr Glover said he would work to strengthen the party and help actualise the vision of its flagbearer, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, becoming President of Ghana in 2028.
He made the remarks in his victory speech at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium in Kumasi after winning the NPP National Organiser position at the party’s National Delegates Conference on Saturday, October 3, 2026.
Mr Glover polled 2,964 votes to win the election, defeating his closest contender, Ali Maiga Halidu, who obtained 2,231 votes.
Emmanuel Korsi Bodja polled 145 votes in the contest.
Mr Glover thanked delegates for electing him and promised to work hard to justify the confidence they had placed in him.
“I will work very hard. What I’ll bring is peace, unity, respect, and that we use for governance,” he said.
He explained that peace, unity and respect were necessary for the party to effectively organise and prepare for the elections.
“If you are doing governance and you don’t bring peace and unity and respect, the work will be hard,” he added.
Mr Glover acknowledged the task ahead of the newly elected national executives, describing it as a major responsibility that would require commitment from members.
“The job is big. There’s a lot of work ahead of us. We need love. We need peace. We need unity,” he said.
He urged members of the NPP to remain united and work together beyond the internal elections.
According to him, his focus would be to contribute to the party’s efforts to win the 2028 general elections, with Dr Bawumia’s presidential bid forming a central part of that objective.
“Dr Bawumia has to become the President of this country. That’s the vision for NPP, that we have to work hard for Dr Bawumia to become the President of the Republic,” Mr Glover stated.
He said he was determined to use his new position to contribute to the development of the NPP and Ghana.
Mr Glover’s election forms part of the new national executive team elected by delegates at the conference to lead the affairs of the party.
The newly elected executives are expected to oversee the party’s reorganisation and strengthen its structures as the NPP prepares for the 2028 general elections.
By: Jacob Aggrey
