The Communication team members of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) responsible for defending and promoting the ruling government projects across the country on various media platforms have served notice of embarking on strike effective Monday 30th January 2023.
A member of the Ashanti regional communication team who spoke to GHOne News Ashanti regional correspondent Isaac Justice Bediako on condition of anonymity said their colleagues in Accra have signaled them not to go on radio from Monday until their outstanding allowances are paid.
“Since we elected the new national executive we haven’t received any monthly allowance. They used to give us GHc1000 but the money is not coming anymore. We didn’t even receive anything for Christmas; hunger is killing us while we are on radio and TV defending their corrupt deals with empty stomachs” he complained.
Meanwhile, a memo released on the regional platform of party communicators asked the communicators to comply with the sit-down strike until further notice.
Below is the statement posted on the Ashanti regional communication platform
ANNOUNCEMENT
At a General Meeting of Regional and National Communications Directors, a conclusion was made that from Tomorrow, Monday, 30th January, 2023, ALL COMMUNICATORS are embarking on a SIT DOWN STRIKE until further notice.
This is to press home demands from the National Party as regards
Communicators’ Welfare.
YOU’RE HEREBY OBLIDGED TO COMPLY WITH THIS DIRECTIVE.
Why was Nadhim Zahawi sacked? Nadhim Zahawi is an Iraqi-born British politician who was born on 2 June 1967 in Baghdad, Iraq.
He was educated at Holland Park School, before moving to Ibstock Place School and then King’s College School, followed by University College London, where he obtained a BSc in Chemical Engineering in 1985.
In 1991, Zahawi was an assistant to Jeffrey Archer during Archer’s “Simple Truth” campaign to help Kurdish victims of the Gulf War. To show his gratitude, Archer helped Zahawi campaign for a seat on Wandsworth Council in 1994.
Zahawi was elected as a Conservative councillor in Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth, serving three terms from 1994 to 2006, and stood as a parliamentary candidate in 1997.
As a member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected as Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon in 2010, and was subsequently re-elected in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
In September 2021, Zahawi was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council at Balmoral Castle. This gave him the life peerage of “The Right Honourable”.
He served as leader of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from October 2022 until he was dismissed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in January 2023.
Nadhim Zahawi Net Worth
Nadhim Zahawi is believed to be one of the richest MPs in the House of Commons, with an estimated net worth of between £30 million and £100 million at the end of 2022.
Nadhim Zahawi Age
The 55th birthday of Nadhim Zahawi was on June 2, 2022. He was born in Baghdad, Iraq, on June 2, 1967. Zahawi will turn 56 this June.
Why was Nadhim Zahawi sacked? Nadhim Zahawi is an Iraqi-born British politician who was born on 2 June 1967 in Baghdad, Iraq.
He was educated at Holland Park School, before moving to Ibstock Place School and then King’s College School, followed by University College London, where he obtained a BSc in Chemical Engineering in 1985.
In 1991, Zahawi was an assistant to Jeffrey Archer during Archer’s “Simple Truth” campaign to help Kurdish victims of the Gulf War. To show his gratitude, Archer helped Zahawi campaign for a seat on Wandsworth Council in 1994.
Zahawi was elected as a Conservative councillor in Putney in the London Borough of Wandsworth, serving three terms from 1994 to 2006, and stood as a parliamentary candidate in 1997.
As a member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected as Member of Parliament for Stratford-on-Avon in 2010, and was subsequently re-elected in 2015, 2017 and 2019.
In September 2021, Zahawi was sworn in as a member of Her Majesty’s Most Honourable Privy Council at Balmoral Castle. This gave him the life peerage of “The Right Honourable”.
He served as leader of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio from October 2022 until he was dismissed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in January 2023.
Nadhim Zahawi : Why Was Nadhim Zahawi Sacked?
On Sunday, January 29, 2023, Nadhim Zahawi made headlines when he was sacked by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for a “serious breach” of the ministerial code.
According to several online reports, Zahawi failed to disclose that HM Revenue and Customs was investigating his tax affairs. HM Revenue and Customs is a non-ministerial department of the UK government responsible for collecting taxes.
Last week, it was reported that Rishi Sunak had ordered Zahawi to be investigated following claims that he had paid a penalty as part of a reported £4.8 million ($5.96 million) settlement with tax officials.
It was alleged that Zahawi did not declare the dispute with the tax authorities. In a related development, Rishi Sunak bowed to pressure on Sunday, January 29, and sacked Conservative Party leader Nadhim Zahawi over personal tax arrangements.
Opening statements began Wednesday afternoon in Walterboro, South Carolina, in the trial of Alex Murdaugh, who has been charged with the 2021 murders of his wife and youngest son – the most serious and the grisliest of allegations faced by the once prominent, but now disbarred, attorney.
Murdaugh has pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and two counts of possession of a weapon during the commission of a violent crime in the killings of his wife Margaret (known as Maggie) and 22-year-old son Paul on June 7, 2021. South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, whose office is prosecuting the case, announced last month prosecutors would not seek the death penalty but life in prison without parole if Murdaugh is convicted.
“The evidence is going to show that neither Paul nor Maggie had any defensive wounds,” lead prosecutor Creighton Waters told the jury in his opening statement Wednesday, after two days of jury selection ended with 12 trial jurors and six alternatives being seated. “Neither one of them had any defensive wounds, as if they didn’t see a threat coming from their attacker.”
Waters promised the evidence will show the victims were shot at close range, as illustrated by the stippling, or the marks left on their bodies due to the close proximity of the weapon that killed them.
Murdaugh “told anyone who would listen” that he was not present at the scene of the killings, Waters said. But “the evidence is also going to show,” the prosecutor said, holding up a cellphone, “from these things that every one of us – most of us – carry around in our pocket, that he was there. And he was there just minutes before with Maggie and Paul.”
Separate from the murder charges, Murdaugh faces 99 charges stemming from 19 grand jury indictments for various crimes, according to the state attorney general’s office, including allegedly defrauding his clients and former law firm of nearly $9 million. Just last month, the AG’s office announced Murdaugh had been indicted for tax evasion for failing to report almost $7 million of income earned through illegal acts, for which he allegedly owes the state almost $500,000.
Alex Murdaugh prepares for jury selection to resume during his murder trial at the Colleton County Courthouse in Walterboro, South Carolina.Joshua Boucher/Pool/The State/AP
Murdaugh, who has denied involvement in their deaths, called 911 the night of the killings to report he’d found his wife and son shot dead at the family’s home. Murdaugh’s attorneys blasted prosecutors for the charges, issuing a statement addressed to family and friends saying he loved his wife and son “more than anything in the world.”
Murdaugh’s attorneys are “fully prepared to challenge the State’s allegations, and to demonstrate the weaknesses in the State’s case before a Colleton County jury,” they said in a statement Sunday.
“Alex looks forward to this opportunity to clear his name of these heinous charges,” they said, “so that the Attorney General can finally begin looking for the actual killer or killers of Alex’s beloved wife and son.”
The jury selection process was complicated by the prominence of the Murdaugh family and name: What was already a gripping tragedy worthy of true crime podcasts and documentaries was given a Southern Gothic twist, in large part because three generations of Murdaughs over 87 years served as solicitor for the 14th Circuit, which oversaw prosecutions throughout the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Indeed, in the Colleton County courtroom where Murdaugh pleaded not guilty last summer, a portrait of his late grandfather, one of the solicitors, had hung on the wall.
The portrait was removed ahead of Murdaugh’s trial.
A fall from grace
The facade began to crumble several months after the killings, when Murdaugh called 911 to report he’d been shot on the side of the road in Hampton County, not far from his home.
But he later told authorities he conspired with a former client, Curtis Edward Smith, to kill him as part of an insurance fraud scheme, per court documents, purportedly so his surviving son could collect a $10 million life insurance payout.
Murdaugh had resigned from his law firm Peters, Murdaugh, Parker, Eltzroth & Detrick, or PMPED, the day prior to the shooting. His attorneys said he struggled with an opioid addiction and was entering rehab, while the firm said his resignation followed “the discovery by PMPED that Alex misappropriated funds in violation of PMPED standards and policies.”
The Murdaugh killings also led to renewed interest in other deaths within the family’s orbit, including that of their longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield. She died in 2018 in what was described as a “trip and fall accident” at the family’s home. Prosecutors would later allege Murdaugh connected Satterfield’s family to another attorney to help them sue Murdaugh himself for insurance money he ultimately pocketed.
Alex Murdaugh walks into a bond hearing on Thursday, September 16, 2021, in Varnville, South Carolina.Mic Smith/AP
The Murdaugh case also brought fresh scrutiny to February 2019 death of 19-year-old Mallory Beach, who was killed when a boat, allegedly driven by Paul Murdaugh, struck a bridge piling. At the time of his death, the 22-year-old was facing charges of boating under the influence causing great bodily harm and causing death. He had pleaded not guilty, and court records show the charges were dropped after his death.
Beach’s family filed suit against Alex Murdaugh, who owned the boat, and his financial records – which state court filings said “would expose (Murdaugh) for his years of alleged misdeeds” – would likely have been disclosed in a hearing scheduled for June 10, 2021, three days after Maggie and Paul were killed.
Following their deaths, the hearing was canceled, putting off what prosecutors described in court records as a “day of reckoning.”
Prosecutors have indicated these cases and others help illustrate a potential motive for Murdaugh to kill his wife and son. When Murdaugh was arraigned on the murder charges, prosecutor Creighton Waters said the information gathered in the grand jury case, including allegations of white-collar fraud, “provides the background and the motive for what happened on June 7, 2021.”
As for Murdaugh, he remained defiant that day. When asked how he wanted to be tried, responded, “by God and by country.”
The Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral is in talks with Deloitte to conduct a normal statutory audit of the project.
This was announced by the Chairman of the Board, Apostle Prof. Opoku Onyinah in a statement on Tuesday, 24 January 2024.
It follows a demand to that effect by preachers Nicholas Duncan-Williams and Eastwood Anaba, also trustees, who want the project suspended for independent auditing to be done.
In a memo, the two ministers said: “In the spirit and cause of transparency and accountability to the Ghanaian people, the current Board of Trustees of the National Cathedral shall appoint an independent, nationally recognised accounting firm to audit all public funds contributed to and spent by the National Cathedral.”
“This appointment of an auditor shall take place before the deferment of activities of the Board of Trustees,” portions of the memo read.
They demanded that the “current activities advancing the construction of Ghana’s National Cathedral shall be deferred until the atmospherics in Ghana are improved and the audit of the Cathedral account is done”.
The Board, in its statement, said it is “already in discussions to engage Deloitte, which accepted to be the auditors when the National Cathedral was registered, to commence the normal statutory audit”.
In addition, the Board said it “submitted all relevant documentation on the project to parliament in December 2022. Thus, if parliament so desires, it may set up a commission or appoint an independent auditor to review all issues concerning the award of contract, procurement, construction works and financial operations of the National Cathedral project so far”.
“The Board of Trustees is also prepared to be subjected to any form of a probe by state institutions including the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ)”.
The third session of the eighth Parliament will resume next month. The House is expected to resume on Tuesday, 7 February 2023 at 10 a.m.
The Legislature went on break for the Christmas festivities. This came after the House passed the Appropriation Act 2022, assenting to government’s 2023 Budget.
The House sat from the morning of Wednesday, 21 December 2022, into the night.
Before the recess, the House, on Wednesday, 21 December 2022, approved the 2.5 percent Value Added Tax (VAT) increase.
Meanwhile, the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has changed the leadership of its caucus in parliament.
A letter to the Speaker of Parliament to that effect signed by General Secretary Fifi Kwetey announced Dr Cassiel Ato Forson as the new Minority Leader.
He is to be assisted by Mr Emmanual Armah Kofi Buah as Deputy Minority Leader.
This means Mr James Klutse Avedzi, the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, is no longer the Deputy Minority Leader.
The statement named a new Minority Whip in the person of Mr Kwame Agbodza who replaces Muntaka Mubarak.
The First Deputy Whip remains Mr Ibrahim Ahmed and the Second Deputy Whip remains Comfort Doyoe Ghansah.
The statement said the “new leadership would be charged to recommend consequential changes in the Ranking membership to the headquarters of the party for approval”.
A group calling itself Concerned Dagbon Youth has in a statement accused the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) of engaging in tribal politics.
A letter signed by General Secretary, Fifi Fiavi Kwetey said Ajumako MP and current ranking member on the Finance Committee, Cassiel Ato Forson will replace Haruna Iddrisu as leader of the minority.
The changes in leadership is said to be a palace coup allegedly orchestrated by John Mahama and party Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah to cut down the rising influence of the front bench led by Haruna Iddrisu.
A Group calling itself Concerned Dagbon Youth believes that the changes are motivated by tribal sentiments and will go on to affect the fortunes of the National Democratic Congress.
“We believe that the removal of the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, as rumored as a catalyst to cripple the honorable man, was engineered by tribal machination, which will harm not only him but the NDC in its entirety.,” a statement from their outfit said.
They called on the leadership of the largest opposition party to explain reasons behind the sudden changes.
“By issuing this statement, we are demanding that the NDC leadership explain the disastrous decision they have made. Again, we have taken note from reputable sources of this delusional cabal’s decision to steer the ship for a selfish individual to sponsor a candidate against Honourable Haruna Iddrissu, and we can assure them that we are fully armed and will confront them rigorously in any of their evil machinations.”
ALL MEDIA HO USES
CONCERNED DAGBON YOUTH.
RE- NOTICE OF CHANGES IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THE NDC PARTY IN PARLIAMENT.
The above-mentioned youth group’s leadership and members have observed with regret and dismay a statement sanctioned by the General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress, NDC. We take note of this shuffle and the ill motives that prompted this action.
We believe that the removal of the Member of Parliament for Tamale South, Hon. Haruna Iddrisu, as rumored as a catalyst to cripple the honorable man, was engineered by tribal machination, which will harm not only him but the NDC in its entirety.
As a political party that promotes itself as a welcoming political party for all tribes and especially minority groups in Ghana, the NDC should be the last to take such an action motivated by tribalism and favoritism.
We’ve learned that the decision to remove him was orchestrated by a few delusional top members who have joined a cabal, believing they have captured the party and will use it to appease the whims of one selfish person.
The Honorable Haruna Iddrisu represents hope for this group, as well as a proud tradition and culture, and we will resist any attempt to derail him. We cannot remain silent while Hon. Gangdu is mistreated! As a result, we regard any attempt to discredit him as ethically dubious.
The honorable Haruna Iddrisu was instrumental in bringing the recent Dagbon conflict to a close. Again, he has played a critical role in the NDC’s successes in the Northern Region and, more importantly, the party’s successful transitions in Parliament during the current republic.
By issuing this statement, we are demanding that the NDC leadership explain the disastrous decision they have made. Again, we have taken note from reputable sources of this delusional cabal’s decision to steer the ship for a selfish individual to sponsor a candidate against Honourable Haruna Iddrissu, and we can assure them that we are fully armed and will confront them rigorously in any of their evil machinations.
We strongly hope that the NDC leadership will heed our call and take the necessary steps to avoid a hostile reception from the people of Dagbon.
A Pediatrician with the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Nelly Adade has disclosed that Measles in children can lead to death if not treated.
Measles has been one of the deadly childhood killer diseases in children which are viral infection.
According to Pediatrics, vaccination and education on measles over the years have drastically reduced the number of cases recorded in Ghana.
“Measles can get into the brain of children causing damage, severe diarrhoea which can result in a child dehydrated leading to kidney damage if not treated”, she added.
She went on to say, although children are at a higher vulnerability to this disease because of their low immune system, pregnant women are also at risk.
She indicated that if a pregnant woman contracts measles and is left untreated, she may have premature birth, giving birth to a child with a smaller head and other complications during or after birth.
She disclosed that vaccination is the first and primary measure against measles, practicing hand hygiene, and coughing etiquette will help prevent the spread of measles.
Madam Adade urged all parents to take their children for weighing after birth to get their children to get vaccinated against measles.
Hundreds of residents in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam Constituency in the Central Region hit the streets in various Communities on Tuesday to jubilate over the appointment of their Member of Parliament as Minority Leader in the Ghanaian Parliament.
According to the residents, the competent Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson taking over the Minority Leader’s position is an excellent appointment by leadership of the NDC party.
They said, in this difficult times, the Minority in Parliament needs an experienced finance expert to lead the charge in putting the government on its toes and helping restore the ailing economy.
“We very much appreciate the changes done by the NDC party leadership and the honour done our MP. Our MP is very competent and will deliver in his new position. He has made us proud. We appeal to President Akufo-Addo led NPP government to seek economic directions from Ato Forson who is very experienced having worked as a Deputy Minister of Finance. They shouldn’t feel shy to approach him for his ideas in rebuilding our weak economy,” a jubilant constituent said.
Speaking to Kasapa News Yaw Boagyan, the Communication Officer for the National Democratic Congress in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam Constituency, Galahad Alex Andoh on behalf of the Constituency thanked the Party for the honour done their MP.
He noted that the struggling nature of the Ghanaian economy requires a financial expert such as Dr. Ato Forson to lead the charge in Parliament to turn the economy around.
“NPP should watch out as the Economic Messiah has taken,” Galahad Andoh added.
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has visited some COVID-19 vaccination centres in the Ashanti Region to monitor how the exercise is progressing.
The exercise, which is the sixth round of the National Immunisation Day (NID) against the viral disease, started nationwide on December 20 and is expected to end today, Tuesday, December 24.
It formed part of efforts by the GHS to contain the pandemic, which continues to pose a threat to public health by achieving herd immunity through mass vaccination.
The Director General was in the region to motivate the vaccination teams deployed for the exercise and encourage the public to participate for the good of public health in the country.
Addressing the media after visiting some selected centres, Dr Kuma-Aboagye underlined the importance of the exercise to the fight against COVID-19 as a country.
He said vaccinating the population remained the most effective way to halt the transmission of the disease and the protection of individuals from getting seriously sick.
“The disease changes with time but it is not gone, and may never go so, we need to adopt the right practices, so we do not spread it,” Dr Aboagye implored Ghanaians.
He said what was important was for every eligible person to vaccinate fully to ensure the country attained herd immunity and drastically reduce transmission from one person to another.
“It is a very tricky virus, and we continue to learn as new variants come with new characteristics. So, the protocols and most importantly vaccination is crucial,” he stated.
He said the GHS as part of strategies to overcome vaccine hesitancy had created access to the vaccines closer to the people and charged the public to walk to the nearest health facilities and other designated centres to take their jab beyond the vaccination exercise.
He said vaccines being given to Ghanaians were the same as those being administered globally and gave the assurance that they were safe and efficacious.
Dr Aboagye-Kuma applauded health workers who had been at the forefront since the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2022 and appealed to Ghanaians especially those yet to receive their dose to make it a priority to avail themselves for the national exercise.
