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President, others observe 25th anniversary of “Kume Preko” demo
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday joined member of Council of State, Stanley Nii Adjiri Blankson at his residence in Accra, with four others to observe the 25th anniversary of the ‘Kume Preko’ to wit, ‘you may as well kill me’ demonstration.
The others were Akoto Ampaw, popularly known as Sheey Shey, Victor Newman, Abdul – Malik Kweku Baako Jnr., Editor-in- Chief of the New Crusading Guide and Kwesi Pratt Jnr., Managing Editor of the Insight.
The six were part of the leading members of the Alliance for Change, a pressure group that staged series of demonstrations across the country in 1995, against the imposition of the Value Added Tax (VAT) and what they described as economic hardship and corruption prevalent in the country under the then government.
In one of the demonstrations held in Accra on May 11, 1995, the demonstrators who were on a peaceful march on the principal streets of Accra were met by an opposition force, who opened fire on them resulting in the death of four persons and injuries to scores of others.
The group commemorated the day with a reflection over their past achievement in ensuring fairness and solemnly remembered those who unfortunately lost their lives and others that got injured in the demonstration.
BY SALIFU ABDUL-RAHAMAN
The Member of Parliament for Nsawam Adoagyiri, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has expressed concern over delays in the release of the District Assemblies Common Fund, warning that the situation is stalling development across the country.
On his facebook page, he described as a matter of urgent national importance, the Minority Chief Whip pointed to what he sees as a growing crisis of unpaid contractors, abandoned projects, and halted infrastructure works in many districts.
He noted that several communities are grappling with half completed schools, unfinished health facilities, abandoned markets, deteriorating roads, and stalled sanitation projects.
According to him, many contractors who have executed projects for district assemblies have not been paid, forcing some construction firms to demobilise from sites while workers lose their jobs.
He stressed that the District Assemblies Common Fund is not a discretionary allocation but a constitutional requirement under Article 252 of the 1992 Constitution, intended to support development at the local level.
In his view, years of delayed releases and accumulated arrears have weakened district development financing and disrupted projects meant to improve living conditions in communities.
He further argued that some payments made in recent years were largely the settlement of old debts rather than funding for new or ongoing projects, a situation he believes has affected contractor confidence and local economic activity.
He described the issue as more than a budgetary challenge, characterising it as a development emergency and a governance concern.
He therefore urged the appropriate authorities to pay outstanding DACF arrears, settle contractors who have completed their work, and ensure that transfers to districts are automatic and predictable.
He maintained that decentralisation can only succeed when district assemblies receive adequate and timely funding to carry out development projects.
He emphasised that stalled projects directly affect ordinary citizens, since they rely on such infrastructure for education, healthcare, transportation, sanitation, and economic activities.
He called for renewed attention to grassroots development, insisting that national progress should not be concentrated only in major cities but extended to all communities.
By: Jacob Aggrey
Richard Appiah, the footballer who killed two children and stored part of their bodies in a fridge at Abesim in the Bono Region in 2021 has been handed a lifetime sentence.
This was after a five member panel of judges at the Accra High Court returned a verdict of guilty against the convict.
Appiah, 32, also a draughtsman would spend the rest of his life in prison after he was convicted of murder.
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BY MALIK SULLEMANA
