ADOMI BRIDGE REOPENS AUGUST 2 (SATURDAY, JULY 26 1b)

THE Adomi Bridge on the Volta River at Atimpoku in the Eastern Region is to be opened to vehicular traffic by Saturday, August 2, 2008.
This follows the completion of repair works on two of the three beams which support the bridge but which developed cracks about six weeks ago.
The Director of Bridges at the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), Mr Peter Dagadu, who made this known last Thursday, said repair works on the third beam would be completed within a week.
He was briefing some members of the Ghana Institution of Engineers (GhIE) who had visited the site on a fact-finding mission.
The detection of the cracks in the beams compelled the GHA to close the bridge to vehicular traffic from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon for the emergency repair works.
In the circumstance, motorists now use alternative routes, including the Juapong-Volo-Adidome-Sogakope and the Ho-Denu-Sogakope roads.
Pedestrians are allowed to use the bridge, with some of them carrying their luggage, while others put it on trucks.
Commercial drivers park at both ends of the bridge to connect passengers to their destinations.
The Adomi Bridge, which is a suspension bridge, was constructed in an arc form, with 20 cables holding it from either side and 22 transverse beams supporting it.
The bridge, inaugurated on January 25, 1957, has a span of 805 feet and width of carriage of 22 feet.
The last time an emergency work was done on it was in 2002 when one of the 22 beams got cracked.
As part of the safety measures, only vehicles weighing a maximum of 20 tonnes are permitted to use the bridge after working hours.
Besides, another toll booth has been placed at the Ho end of the bridge to prevent vehicles from stopping on the bridge to pay their tolls.
Mr Dagadu attributed the cracks in the beams to the excessive load on the bridge, technically described as fatigue.
He explained that the bridge was constructed to carry a certain minimal load but the increased number of vehicles plying it and the excess load carried by some of the vehicles had put too much pressure on it.
To address the situation, Mr Dagadu said weighing machines would now be mounted to weigh vehicles and check for excess load and indicated that vehicles weighing more than 20 tonnes would not be allowed to use the bridge.
Besides, he said, the siting of a toll booth at the Ho end of the bridge was an attempt to ease the load on the bridge as vehicles used to line up on it while waiting their turn to pay their tolls.
Mr Dagadu said the contractors on the project, Dorman Long Bridge and Engineers Limited, would arrive in the country in August to carry out a major inspection and repair work on the bridge.
The National Counsellor for Programmes and Conferences of the GhIE, Mr Magnus Quarshie, advised motorists to desist from bribing their way across the bridge with excess load.
He said the bridge was a national asset and, therefore, any activity which had the potential to destroy it must be seen as a disservice to the nation and a drain on Ghana’s resources.

DON'T CHARGE EXHORBITAN FARES — OSEI-AMEYAW (PAGE 17)

THE Member of Parliament (MP) for Asuogyaman, Mr Kofi Osei-Ameyaw, has appealed to commercial drivers who ply the Adomi Bridge on the Volta river not to take undue advantage of the partial closure of the bridge to charge exorbitant fares.
The MP, who was at the Adomi Bridge to see the progress of the repair works on the facility by the engineers of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA), said reports reaching him indicated that several commercial drivers were exploiting passengers since the partial closure of the bridge.
The working visit was also meant to afford the MP the opportunity to meet both drivers and passengers to learn at first hand problems facing them since the bridge was partially closed.
The Adomi Bridge, which connects the south-eastern part of the country to the Volta and northern regions, was partially closed to vehicular traffic on July 12 till August 2 due to serious cracks detected on three of the steel beams supporting it.
Consequently, commercial drivers have to park at both ends of the facility for passengers to disembark and walk to the other end to join waiting vehicles.
Mostly Accra-Ho and other destinations-bound vehicles are said to charge the normal fares for the final destination only to abandon passengers at both ends of the bridge when it is closed for repair works from 9 a.m to 6 p.m each day.
According to the MP, complaints reaching him over the past two weeks since the closure of the bridge revealed that many commercial drivers had taken undue advantage of the situation to exploit the already-frustrated passengers.
The passengers, who alight at one end of the bridge to walk to the other end, sometimes spend long hours to get vehicles to their next destinations, thus becoming vulnerable to cheating drivers, Mr Osei- Ameyaw added.
He said, since the bridge was closed for repair works to be carried out, economic activities in the area had almost come to a standstill as vehicles have to wait at both ends of the facility for many hours till it was re-opened.
He, however, appealed to drivers, especially of heavy duty vehicles, to exercise patience and comply with safety measures instituted by the engineers of the GHA to ensure the safety of the bridge, saying “the Adomi Bridge is a national asset that we must all protect from collapsing”.
“To ensure our safety and that of the bridge, we must refrain from attempting to bribe policemen for clearance, especially during the night, since our actions will only endanger our safety and that of the bridge”, Mr Osei-Ameyaw added.
Mr Osei-Ameyaw commended the engineers of the GHA for the good work done so far and called on the public to co-operate with them to ensure the early completion of the repair works.
“If the Adomi Bridge collapses, it will be an irreparable damage and a big loss to the state and the Asuogyaman district”, he stressed.

2 WEE DEALERS ARRESTED (PAGE 39)

A 38-year-old man, James Anim, has been arrested by the police at Mamfe in the Eastern Region for possessing 10 maxi bags of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.
The suspect, together with an accomplice, Isaac Okandji, 24, was transporting the stuff in his VW Passat car, with registration number GT 228 S, from Asesewa through the Koforidua-Mamfe road to Accra, when he was apprehended by the police around 11.30 a.m. on July 20, this year.
In December last year, the suspect, who claims to be a stationery dealer resident at Kwabenya in Accra, was arrested while conveying eight maxi bags of Indian hemp in the same VW Passat.
He was consequently arraigned at the Akropong Circuit Court and the case is still pending before the court.
Briefing the Daily Graphic on the incident, the Akropong Divisional Police Commander, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) (Mrs) Mina Ayim, said the police had a tip-off about 7.00 a.m. on July 20, this year that a VW Passat conveying huge quantities of dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp was travelling from Asesewa to Accra.
She said a team of policemen was immediately dispatched to trail the vehicle, which was spotted at Mamfe.
Mrs Ayim stated that when the driver of the vehicle saw the police, he attempted to reverse and in the process ran into an oncoming vehicle.
She said the two occupants of the vehicle took to their heels but the police pursued and arrested them.
Mrs Ayim appealed to the public to volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of drug peddlers in the area.

2 INJURED IN A CLASH AT OSIEM (PAGE 21)

TWO unidentified persons were severely wounded on Sunday when the youth of Osiem in the Fanteakwa District in the Eastern Region clashed with members of the Saviour Church of Ghana over the burial of a member of the church at the local cemetery.
The two, one from each side, are on admission at the Engyiresi and Tafo Government hospitals.
The clash followed the decision of the church to bury the dead in contravention of an order not to do so, since the town was celebrating the annual Ohum Festival that forbids burials during the period.
During the confusion that lasted for about 30 minutes, the youth blocked the main road with stones to prevent members of the church from conveying the dead through the town to the burial grounds.
The youth, who were wielding bows and arrows, machetes, axes, hammers and stones, were also said to have gone to the cemetery to cover the grave that was to be used to bury the dead after which they blocked the access routes to the cemetery.
Members of the Saviour Church, who were also armed with machetes and other dangerous implements, however, fled with the corpse, which was in a hearse, back to the headquarters of the church, a few kilometres away from the scene.
In the midst of the confusion, one of the church leaders sustained an injury in the ribs while another person from the opposing side had a deep cut on the forehead.
Briefing the Daily Graphic, the New Tafo District Police Commander, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Johnson Agbemabiase, said when the police had information that the church was preparing to bury one of their dead members at the cemetery, they advised them to suspend the burial.
This, the police explained, became necessary due to a ban on all social activities, including burials because of the Ohum Festival that prohibited such activities, adding that the church could only bury the dead after July 23, 2008 when the ban would be lifted.
He further stated that to find an amicable solution to the impasse, the police met chiefs in the area including the Osiemhene, Nana Opoku III, the Tafohene, Osabarima Adusei Peasah, and the leadership of the church to see how best to address the issue.
He said at the meeting, both sides agreed to consult the Eastern Regional Police Commander for advice after which the Tafohene asked the leadership of the church not to bury the dead until after Wednesday, July 23.
DSP Agbemabiase said the church leaders did not pay heed to the advice not to go ahead with the burial and claimed that they had “300 soldiers” to counter the youth of the town.
He said at about 9.20 a.m. on Sunday, the police had information that the youth of the town had blocked the main road to the town and engaged the members of the church in scuffles to prevent them from burying their dead at the cemetery.
When the Daily Graphic contacted the church leaders on the issue, they refused to comment with the explanation that they had to seek permission from the superintendent of the church.
Some of the residents of Osiem who spoke to the Daily Graphic were of the view that any breach of the two-week ban could bring about deaths, diseases, barrenness and hunger, among others, on the people.

88 STUDENTS PASS OUT FROM VOCATIONAL INSTITUTE (PAGE 21)

EIGHTY-EIGHT students who pursued vocational courses at the Liberty Specialist Institute at Koforidua, have passed out.
The courses are Catering (intermediate and advance), Accommodation (operation and services), Food Beverage Service, Fashion and Design.
At the ceremony, which coincided with the inauguration of the institute’s navy cadet corps, the Proprietress, Mrs Edna Ametameh, said the graduands had been fully equipped with the required skills in their specific areas of study.
She, therefore, advised them to make good use of what they had learnt.
She said the school would soon diversify and broaden its courses by introducing Diploma in Business Studies (DBS) to meet the needs of society.
Mrs Ametameh expressed her appreciation to Global Women on a Mission California (US) for supporting needy students in the institute, as well as the University of Southern California and the African Millennium Foundation for assisting graduands to establish themselves as entrepreneurs.
The proprietress also thanked Capt B.F. Asante and his team of naval ratings for helping the school to form a navy cadet corps.
She appealed to the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) and other stakeholders in education to provide the school with computers and a bus.

PEDESTRIANS HAMPERING WORKS ON ADOMI BRIDGE (BACK PAGE)

ACTIVITIES of pedestrians along the Adomi Bridge are posing a serious challenge to the engineers of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) undertaking repair works on the bridge.
The pedestrians — comprising passengers, sellers and porters engaged in brisk business along the bridge — often stop to observe the repair works by the engineers, a situation that was said to be distracting attention.
Besides the weight they exert on the bridge, particularly at the cordoned depressed section, the pedestrians also cause the facility to frequently vibrate and swing, thus undermining smooth welding works being done by the engineers.
The Director of Bridges of the GHA, Mr Peter Dagadu, who expressed worry about the situation, said “there is no way our engineers can undertake effective continuous welding on the cracked steel beams when they are frequently being distracted by pedestrians”.
“Besides the danger they pose to their own safety and that of the bridge and the engineers, the tools and materials such as spanners, drilling machines and cables being used by the engineers are often stolen by pedestrians,” he stated.
Mr Dagadu, who was accompanied by some officials of the GHA, including the Director of Public Affairs, Mr Norbert Quarmor, was at the site to observe the repair works being done by the engineers of his outfit.
He advised pedestrians to desist from lingering on the bridge when work was going on, to ensure their safety and that of the engineers.
Mr Dagadu further appealed to motorists to co-operate, since the closure of the bridge could sometimes go beyond 12 noon each day and entreated them to abide by the safety measures instituted and desist from overloading and forcing their way through during the closure of the facility.
On the emergency repair works, which is the second occasion in the history of the bridge, Mr Dagadu said his outfit would plate all the damaged steel beams on all sides “after which we will conduct a thorough test on their strength and determine whether there are any more cracks on the steel beams”.
To ensure a good work done by the engineers of the GHA, he said his outfit had invited the original builders of the bridge, the Dorman Long, UK, to conduct further tests on the facility and give the appropriate advice.
To ensure the safety of the facility, he said permanent axle weighing devices would be installed at both ends of the bridge to regulate the weight of vehicles that plied it.

ST MARY'S VOCATIONAL GETS MANAGEMENT C'TTEE (PAGE 47)

THE management of the National Vocational Training Institute (NVTI) has appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, allocate some Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) projects to vocational training institutions.
He said that would help to improve the infrastructure in those institutions, most of which were gradually becoming outmoded and dangerous to both trainees and instructors, thereby undermining effective teaching and learning.
The Deputy Director of Programmes and Operations of the NVTI, Mr Clement K. Osei Tutu, who made the appeal on behalf of the management, also called for the posting of trained teachers to the institutions to help in the teaching of English and Mathematics.
“We believe that if these concerns are addressed by the government, vocational education, as required by the new educational reform, will take its rightful place so far as education of the youth is concerned,” Mr Osei Tutu stated.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a 13-member Centre Management Committee of the St Mary Vocational Training Institute at Asamankese last Saturday.
The committee, with Mr Justice Kofi Akrowiah, a circuit court judge, as its chairman, would, among other things, serve as an advisory body to the management of the institution.
The deputy director said under the new educational programme, the Ministry of Education, Science and Sports (MoESS) had tasked vocational institutions with the responsibility of training about 15,000 students every year.
In spite of that responsibility entrusted to the institutions, they had, over the years, continued to lack basic infrastructure and had been excluded from the various government-sponsored programmes such as the GETFund, the feeding grant and the provision of vehicles which had been made available to senior high schools, training colleges and technical institutions, he said.
“Having entrusted this responsibility with us, we appeal to the government to take care of our needs to enable us to improve upon our intake of students,” Mr Osei Tutu stated, adding that it was time NVTI institutions were included in the schools selection process.
That, he noted, would help to do away with the notion that vocational training was for school drop-outs.
Notwithstanding the difficulties facing the 38 institutions under the NVTI nationwide, Mr Osei Tutu, on behalf of the management, thanked the government for its support for the centres over the years.
The Manageress of the St Mary Vocational Institute, Mrs Felicia Akapame, said the school, which was established in 1980, had provided entrepreneurial skills training in food service, beauty care, fashion designing, catering, among others, for over 1,000 girls over the years.
She, however, said in spite of the effort, the institution had been saddled with numerous problems, such as transportation and the lack of permanent classrooms.

CHEATING LBCs TO BE SANCTIONED (PAGE 47)

LICENSED buying companies (LBCs) which fail to comply with the directive to pay full bonuses to cocoa farmers will be sanctioned and prosecuted, the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Mr Isaac Osei, has warned.
He said any LBC that would cheat cocoa farmers of their due bonuses would be banned from dealing with the COCOBOD, while their management and staff would also be banned from working or dealing with any agencies of the COCOBOD.
“Besides, heavy financial penalty will also be imposed on any LBC that will break the law and it will be banned from operating in areas where it cheats the vulnerable farmers,” Mr Osei stated.
The chief executive’s warning followed a complaint by the Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Kwadwo Affram Asiedu, that some LBCs in the region were not paying cocoa farmers their due bonuses.
That, Mr Affram Asiedu said, came to light during the People’s Assembly in the Akyemmansa and New Abirem districts, where some cocoa farmers complained of being cheated by some LBCs in their communities.
Mr Osei said as of July 1, this year, COCOBOD had released about GH¢16,035,161.35 to the various LBCs across the country, except Sunshine Commodities Limited.
As part of efforts to motivate cocoa farmers to give their best, he said for the first time in the history of the country the government had decided to double the bonus being paid them.
He, therefore, warned that any LBCs that would be found to be paying lower bonuses to cocoa farmers would be made to face the full rigours of the law, besides being banned from dealing with the COCOBOD.
The chief executive also cautioned LBCs against the practice of purchasing inferior cocoa beans, particularly from other neighbouring countries, and mixing them with the locally produced ones.
He noted that such negative acts had, in the past, dented the image of the country on the international market, a situation that led to low prices and sometimes the rejection of large tonnes of cocoa beans.
“Not only should we desist from such untoward act but we must also refrain from adjusting our weighing scales, to the detriment of the poor hard- working farmer,” he cautioned.
Mr Osei, who bemoaned the use of child labour in cocoa production, advised farmers to desist from practices that tended to deny children access to education to secure their future.
He also asked them to refrain from the use of unapproved and banned chemicals and fertilisers to enhance the prices of cocoa beans on the international market.
“Besides our hard work, we should also complement the efforts of the government to halt the smuggling of cocoa beans across the borders to enable us to enjoy the fruits of our labour,” the chief executive told the farmers.
Mr Osei said as part of efforts to provide incentives for cocoa farmers, COCOBOD, in partnership with the government, had earmarked $100 million to undertake a housing scheme in the Western and the Central regions, as well as other cocoa-growing areas.
Under the scheme, he said, a number of three-bedroom houses would be put up and given out to farmers to be paid for over a 10-year period.
He said the government was also constructing about 650 kilometres of feeder roads in most cocoa-growing areas to ensure easy access to those areas.
Mr Affram Asiedu appealed to COCOBOD to conduct investigations into allegations that some LBCs in the region were paying farmers lower bonuses.
During an open forum, a number of district chief farmers appealed to the government to halt the activities of illegal chain-saw operators to ensure increased cocoa production in the country.

SSNIT SENSITISES EMPLOYERS TO NEW BILLING SYSTEM (PAGE 29)

THE Koforidua office of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has intensified its public education programme to sensitise employers and organisations to its new monthly billing system.
The system, known as Employer Members Account Reconciliation (EMAR), is aimed at encouraging employers to regularise their workers’ monthly contributions.
The exercise, which is being undertaken in all the districts, is also aimed at enhancing good working relations between SSNIT and employers.
Addressing a seminar for employers at Koforidua at the weekend, the Koforidua branch Manager of SSNIT, Ms Betty Boham, called on them to make prompt and regular payments of the contributions of their employees to SSNIT to ensure the successful implementation of the programme.
Ms Boham urged employers who due to financial difficulties could not fully pay their workers’ contribution, to contact SSNIT for negotiations on the issue.
She asked employers to keep proper records of their contributions and update and notify SSNIT of changes in their records, since that would enable her outfit to prepare up-to-date bills.
The branch manager further urged employers to pay realistic salaries and wages to their workers, whether permanent, casual or on contract and probation, to guarantee them reasonable social security benefits in the future.
On employers’ indebtedness to SSNIT, the Koforidua Area Manager, Mrs Mercy Owusu-Ansah, said the inability of 8,345 employers to pay their workers contributions had led to their indebtedness to SSNIT, which stood at GH¢43,031,628 by the end of December 2007, and rose to GH¢53,442,670 by the end of December, 20.
Mr Owusu Ansah attributed such a problem to lack of commitment of employers, underpayment and under declaration of their labour force.

DON'T ALLOW POLITICIANS TO ENTICE YOU WITH MONEY (PAGE 17)

THE Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, Daasebre Oti Boateng, has advised Ghanaians not to allow political leaders to influence them with financial or material offers.
He said they should rather consider the competent and experienced politicians who were prepared to place the interest of the state above that of their own.
The Omanhene made these remarks during a courtesy call on him by the Chief Executive of COCOBOD, Mr Isaac Osei, and other top executives of the various units under COCOBOD, at his palace in Koforidua.
“Voting according to our conscience will ensure that only competent, tried and tested politicians are placed in positions of influence to seek our common interest and not their selfish individual interests,” Daasebre Oti Boateng said.
The New Juaben Omanhene said politicians aspiring for positions should have a prime focus to serve the interest of the people who reposed their confidence in them to represent their interest in Parliament.
He said anything short of that could seriously undermine not only the people’s confidence in politicians but also set a bad precedent for the country’s democratic dispensation, whereby only the rich could grab power at the expense of the poor but competent aspirants.
“If politicians offer the people money and material gains to influence their conscience during elections, that is a breach of the rule and laws of fundamental principles of democracy,” Daasebre Oti Boateng stated
“We should not tolerate such corrupt practices on a blatant scale, since such tendency could undermine democratic structures and systems,” he said, adding that due to lack of resources, many competent and committed aspiring politicians were being denied the opportunity to serve the country.
To this end, he reminded politicians that since Ghanaians were now awaken to their rights and interests, it was high time selfish politicians gave priority to the interest of the people to ensure success in their political ambitions.
“The yardstick for measuring the success of any political leader is his or her ability to place the interest of the people above that of his or her personal interest and is ever prepared to pursue such objective,” Daasebre Oti Boateng added.
The Omanhene commended Mr Osei for his election as the New Patriotic Party parliamentary candidate for the Subin Constituency in the Ashanti Region, noting that it was under his quality leadership and the support of stakeholders that the country had in the past years witnessed significant increases in cocoa production.
This, he noted, had enabled the country to earn more foreign exchange from the commodity on the international market to undertake various development projects, as well as pay double bonuses to cocoa farmers.
For his part, Mr Osei expressed his commitment to continue with policies and incentives to enhance cocoa production in the country and to enhance living standards of cocoa farmers.

MAN ARRESTED FOR POSSESSING WEAPONS (PAGE 31)

THE Somanya Police last Friday arrested a 22-year-old armed robber who was found in possession of a number of offensive weapons suspected to be used in robbery operations in Somanya and its environs.
The suspect, Emmanuel Sackey, who was in the company of two other accomplices, both residents of Krobo Odumasi, was said to have been caught with a bag containing a military G3 rifle, two single-barrelled shotguns, 18 rounds of ammunition, a hammer and a machete.
While Sackey was in custody, his two companions, whose names were only given as Sackitey and Kojo, who had escaped arrest, were said to have gone to the police station at 3.20 a.m. and inflicted machete wounds on Sergeant S. S. Baako, who was on duty, in an apparent attempt to free their colleague at a time when residents and the police were on the trail of the suspects.
The three were said to have been confronted by some residents of the area, who were suspicious of their movements.
Sackey is currently in police custody assisting in investigations.
The Akuse District Police Commander, ASP Bernard Twum-Barimah, who confirmed this to the Daily Graphic in Somanya on Saturday, said the police received a report at 10.20 p.m. on July 11, this year that some residents of the area, who were suspicious of Sackey and his accomplices, confronted them.
He said during the confrontation, the suspects threatened the residents but the latter called the police, during which Sackitey and Kojo took to their heels, while Sackey, who was holding the bag containing the offensive weapons, threw it away but he was arrested with the support of the police.
He said when the police conducted a search on Sackey at the police station, a military G3 rifle, two single-barrelled shotguns, 18 rounds of ammunition, a hammer, a machete and cups were found.
ASP Twum-Barimah said it was while the policemen and the residents were searching for Sackitey and Kojo at about 3.20 a.m. that the two went to the police station and inflicted machete wounds on Sergeant Baako.

AXLE LOAD DEVICES INTRODUCED AT ADOMI BRIDGE (BACK PAGE)

Engineers of the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) have introduced heavy axle load weighing devices at both ends of the Adomi Bridge to check the weight of vehicles as part of safety measures to reduce the pressure on the bridge.
There was heavy traffic jam on either side of the bridge last Saturday when the GHA partially closed it down for repair works to begin.
Vehicles weighing more than 20 tonnes were not allowed to drive over the bridge.
Consequently, passengers, including children, the aged and tourists, on board all commercial vehicles that were over the stipulated weight were compelled to alight and walk across the 808 feet bridge to the other side to board the vehicles.
Some of them who spoke to the Daily Graphic said although the closure of the facility would cause them some inconvenience, they supported the measures since, “after all, it is our safety that is at stake”.
The closure of the 52-year-old bridge which links the south-eastern part of the country to the Volta and northern regions is to enable the engineers of the GHA to repair the deep cracks on the steel beams supporting the bridge.
The Deputy Chief Executive in charge of Administration at the GHA, Mr Martin Mensah, who announced this during an inspection tour of the bridge, said the closure would last for three weeks, during which vehicular traffic would not be allowed from 9.00 a.m. to 12 noon each day until August 2.
He also indicated that vehicles which weighed more than 20 tonnes would not be allowed to cross the bridge as part of the measures to reduce pressure on it.
Mr Mensah, who was accompanied by some engineers of the GHA and the Special Assistant to the Minister of Transportation, Mr Ken Anku, said the continued use of the bridge in its present state, particularly by heavy duty trucks, could lead to its collapse “at any time”.
“There is no way we can ensure the safety of the Adomi Bridge if we allow it to be used by heavy duty vehicles. Until we prevent such a situation, the depression that has developed on a section of the bridge as a result of a broken steel beam will continue to worsen,” Mr Mensah added.
According to him, an assessment conducted by engineers of the GHA revealed that the use of the bridge by vehicles that weighed more than 20 tonnes could compromise its safety and that of commuters.
To reduce the inconvenience that commuters and motorists would go through during the three-hour period each day, Mr Mensah mentioned other alternative routes that could be used as the Juapong-Volo-Adidome-Sogakope road and the Juapong-Ho-Denu road.
According to the deputy chief executive, as a short-term solution, the steel beam that had broken would be welded, while other parts that had weakened as a result of fatigue would be given the due attention, adding that in the long-term fatigued steel beams would be replaced.

POLOBA ORGANISES MEDICAL SCREENING (PAGE 40)

THE Old Students’ Association of the Pope John Senior High School (POJOBA) at Koforidua last Saturday organised a medical screening exercise for residents of Effiduasi, a suburb of Koforidua, and its environs.
The exercise, which screened about 200 people of various diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, breast lumps and hepatitis, formed part of activities to mark the school’s 50th anniversary.
As part of the activities, the old students also embarked on a medical outreach programme to educate the residents of the area on various diseases including hypertension, diabetes, HIV/AIDS and hepatitis.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic during the exercise, the National President of POJOBA, Dr Victor Charwey said given the location of the school within the area, the association decided to organise the screening exercise for its residents to enable them to know basic diseases affecting them.
Those who were diagnosed of minor ailments were given drugs for treatment while those with serious conditions were referred to the St. Joseph Hospital and the Koforidua Regional Hospital for further treatment.
Dr Charwey advised the beneficiaries to always visit the two health facilities to know their health status and live responsible lifestyle that would not predispose them to various illnesses.

11 NABBED FOR ARSON (PAGE 38)

THE Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) of the Sunyani Senior High School has given the go-ahead to the school authorities to destroy all mobile phones that have been seized by the administration in the presence of the students.
Mr Joseph Awuah, the Headmaster of the school, who announced this at an awards ceremony of the school, said the use of mobile phones by students was a worrying phenomenon in recent times.
“We, therefore, urge parents not to buy mobile phones for the students, because it wastes their time and money,” he advised.
According to Mr Awuah, the major problem facing the school was the very old nature of the vehicles of the school, which he said, were risky to use.
He said one other problem bothering the authorities was accommodation for male students who always outnumbered the girls.
The Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, gave the assurance that the government was doing all that it could to ensure high academic performance in schools and make education easily accessible to all - the rich, the poor and the marginalised.
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Sunyani East, Mr J.H. Mensah, advised parents not to hesitate at all to invest in the education of their children, since they are the future leaders of the country.

ADOMI BRIDGE IN DANGER ...Closes down tomorrow (LEAD STORY)

THE Adomi Bridge, one of the most famous and treasured edifices in Ghana, which links the south-eastern part of the country to the Volta and northern regions has developed serious cracks and will be closed to traffic tomorrow.
A legacy dating back to the mid 1950s, the Adomi Bridge is, according to highway authorities, the main means by which an average of 120,000 workers, traders and tourists cross the Volta River daily to and from the eastern corridor and northern regions of the country.
With the continued plying of the bridge by heavy duty trucks since it was opened in 1956 by the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, then Head of Government Business, one of the steel beams supporting it has collapsed, while two others have developed serious cracks, resulting in a depression on a section of the bridge.
As a result of the fact that the two beams had been disabled, the remaining supporting beams have taken on the additional load of 880 tonnes of steel which the bridge is made of and experts say this can lead to the collapse of the bridge.
Fear of that possibility has led to a situation where many more commuters have resorted to canoes, which offer alternative means of crossing the river from Atimpoku in the Eastern Region to Juapong in the Volta Region.
Some residents of Atimpoku told the Daily Graphic that the problem was first detected about two months ago by some fishermen who made several reports to the Ghana Highway Authority (GHA).
The seriousness of the situation became clear on Wednesday when some engineers of the authority inspected the bridge to assess the extent of damage and find out what could be done immediately to save the situation.
After the inspection, the engineers told Daily Graphic that it was too early to comment and that they would do so after they had prepared a full report on the cause and extent of the damage.
The Director of Public Affairs of the GHA, Mr Norbert B. Quarmor, said as part of measures to prevent the problem from deteriorating, the GHA would close the bridge from tomorrow for repair works expected to be completed on August 2.
During the works, he said, the GHA would tackle the major cracks on the steel beam, while minor problems would also be given due attention.
To reduce the pressure exerted on the bridge by heavy duty vehicles, he said another toll booth would be placed at the Juapong end of the bridge, while a mobile axle weighing equipment would be installed at the Atimpoku end to check the weight of heavy vehicles that used it.
Mr Quarmor said although the specific cause of the cracks on the steel beams had not been established, they could be the result of overloading, frequent use of the facility, vibration and fatigue.
On maintenance of the facility, he said the pending three-week repair work would be the second to be carried out in the history of the 52-year-old bridge, besides the periodic maintenance work such as the scrapping and painting of the metal cables holding the deck, as well as the removal of worn-out parts of the facility.
He added that on the average about 2,537 vehicles from both sides used the facility every day.

NPP TO TAKE DECISION ON SUHUM (PAGE 15)

THE New Patriotic Party (NPP) was expected to take a definitive decison on the Suhum NPP primary last night.
This follows the failure of the delegates for the fifth time to elect a parliamentary candidate to contest the Suhum constituency parliamentary seat in the Eastern Region.
Mr Lord Commey who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic in a telephone chat yestarday expresssed the hope that the party would be able to find a lasting and acceptable solution in electing an aspirant for the constituency.
At the primary held at the Suhum Community Development Vocational Institute on Monday, the two candidates, the incumbent MP, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah and Mr Bryan Acheampong, polled 51 votes each, resulting in record run-offs.
At the previous two primaries, held on July 2 and June 25, this year, at the residence of the District Chief Executive for Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar, both candidates had 51 votes each, ending in the first and second run-offs.
The primary, which was kept under control by heavy police presence drawn from Accra, Suhum, Koforidua and Kyebi, however witnessed some unpleasant development from the onset, when about 80 young men, allegedly invited from Nima by the sitting MP, engaged the supporters of Mr Acheampong in a scuffle.
In the ensuing scuffle, one of the Nima youth was said to have been bitten on the finger, while a supporter on the side of Mr Acheampong was slashed on the face and chest with an axe by one of the Nima boys and was rushed to the hospital for treatment.
Notwithstanding such unfortunate incident, the tension-filled, unpredictable election went on smoothly.
As soon as the results were announced by an official of the Electoral Commission, delegates backing Mr Opare-Ansah, went into wild jubilation, singing “Ye ani abre, ye ani abre koo”, meaning “we are wild”.
However, delegates on the side of Mr Acheampong expressed their dismay at the frequent run-offs, which they described as a headache facing them and the party and the people of Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar District.
They, therefore, requested the national executive of the party to take another look at the party’s constitution, which allowed sitting MPs to cast their votes during primaries at the expense of other contestants.
According to them, it was as a result of Mr Opare-Ansah, as a delegate, who is allowed to vote that the primaries had been ending in run-off, since his votes chances in all the three primaries rose from 50 to 51 to tie with their candidate.
“Mr Acheampong will simply have been the obvious chose of the people should the incumbent MP be disallowed to vote”, they added.
To ensure fairness to all the contestants, they also called on the national executive of the party to conduct an election for the seven Nankese Polling Station Chairmen, who they claimed were not eligible to exercise their voting rights “as they have not been elected as Chairmen of their respective polling stations”.
The seven, who had been among the 102 delegates to cast their votes at the previous primaries, are said to be in the camp of the sitting MP.
Speaking to the press after the election, Mr Acheampong also called on the national executive of the party to prevail on the sitting MP to resign his positions before being allowed to exercise his voting rights.
This, he noted, would ensure fairness to all contestants during the primary.
In his opinion, Mr Opare-Ansah, as an ex-officio, was not the favourite of people of Suhum, saying “out of the 102 delegates, 51 had consistently voted for me while the remaining 50, comprising 40 delegates and 10 constituency executives, have supported Mr Opare-Ansah”.
It is strongly alleged that all the constituency executives of the party, except the Women’s Organizer, are in the camp of the incumbent MP.
In this regard, Mr Acheampong, believing he would be declared the presumptive winner of the primary, expressed his staunch preparedness to contest the primaries at all times till a winner would be declared.
“If the national executive decides to impose a candidate against the wish of the people, this will trigger chaos in the constituency”, Mr Acheampong cautioned.
Speaking to the press, the Eastern Regional Executive of the party, including its Secretary, Mr Alec Agobo, gave the assurance that to prevent any confusion, the national executive would desist from imposing a candidate against the wish of the people.
He, therefore, called for tolerance and patience while the national executive took steps on the next action.

POLICE MUST NOT SHOW SENTIMENTS TO PARTIES (PAGE 17)

THE Volta Regional Police Commander, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Guyiri Dery, has called on personnel of the Ghana Police Service not to display political association and sentiments towards any political party since such behaviour could compromise their integrity as peace keepers.
“Although we may have our affiliations to some political parties, we must guard against the tendency to openly display such political association and sentiments, since such behaviour could compromise our integrity as peace keepers”, he stated.
Speaking at a joint security briefing in Koforidua last week, Mr Dery said “if any election should be credible and peaceful, major players such as the security agencies and the Electoral Commission should be seen as neutral and effective”.
Such neutrality, he noted, would help maintain their integrity, which if compromised would undermine the public’s confidence in the outcome of the elections, he stated.
The meeting which was aimed at creating a platform for personnel of the service to deliberate on pertinent security problems facing both the Eastern and the Volta regions was attended by regional, divisional and district police commanders and officers of the two regions.
Concerns such as general security, preparations for the December elections, traffic management, internal disciplinary matters and how to win public goodwill to compliment police efforts were discussed.
The Volta Regional Police Commander said since the security agencies, particularly the police, played an important role in the conduct of peaceful and fair elections, any untoward act on their part could seriously diminish the public’s confidence in the outcome of such elections.
He said as peace keepers , the public looked up to them for the conduct of a violence-free and credible elections, so they should refrain from associating with any political party, either by standing or sitting on their political platforms or carrying their campaign materials.
He reminded the personnel that due to the competent role they played in the conduct of a number of violence-free elections in the past, several countries on the African continent and other parts of the world had always requested their presence during their election processes.
For his part, the Eastern Regional Police Commander, ACP George Anko-Bil, said despite the success chalked up in the reduction of crime, a number of negative factors such as chieftaincy and land disputes, armed robbery, illegal mining and chainsaw operations as well as the unrestrained activities of nomadic herdsmen had undermined such security gains.
He gave the assurance that criminals and miscreants who “will deny the people their freedom will be pursued and brought to book”.
ACP Anko-Bill pointed out that police officers whose actions would dent the image of the service would be smoked out to restore the reputation of the service, adding “this will ensure self-discipline and respect that the people are crying for”.
He called on the public to volunteer information that could lead to the arrest of criminals in society.

DEVELOP POSITIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS ENVIRONMENT (PAGE 20)

THE Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt Rev Dr Yaw Frimpong-Manso, has called on Ghanaians to develop a positive attitude towards their environment as their contribution to preserving the country’s natural resources.
“As stewards of the natural environment, we are called to preserve and restore the air, water and the land, which are gifts from God and on which our lives depend,” he said.
At the ordination of 20 ministerial probationers of the church at Kyebi, Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso said “stewardship has to do with how we bring all of our resources at our disposal into efficient use in our participation in the saving of God’s creation”.
“We must clean up and prevent air pollution, which threatens the health of our families and the survival of all life on the planet. We must give special attention to the long-term effects of air pollution, such as the depletion of the ozone layer, global warming and acid rain,” Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso stated.
The ordinands, who had completed a two-year probation, were from the Akuapem, Akyem, Kwahu and the West Akyem presbyteries.
The moderator said as a result of the people’s poor attitudes towards their environment, the country had been engulfed by filth and stench emanating from choked gutters, heaps of garbage, polluted water bodies, unplanned structures and smoke-filled air.
“It is no wonder the substantial increase in the death rate in our country now could be traced to the deterioration of our natural environment,” he stated, adding that “we are enemies of our own health problems”.
To ensure a clean and safe environment for the present and future generations, Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso urged Ghanaians to endeavour to make cleanliness a functionary activity in their lives.
That, he noted, could help curb the frequent outbreak of diseases and the rampant destruction of the country’s scarce resources, including the forest water bodies and the vast arable lands.
“We need to develop and support measures such as recycling of solid waste materials, avoid littering our streets and polluting our water bodies,” he said, noting that such measures would lead to a more careful and hygienic life among the people.
Dwelling on the upcoming general election, Rt Rev Frimpong-Manso advised Ghanaians not to allow themselves to be influenced by politicians for their parochial interests.
“We must be discerning to elect a party and political leaders who only have our interests and well-being at heart and are prepared to pursue them at all cost,” he added.
The moderator further entreated the people to respect and tolerate each other’s political views to ensure fair and peaceful election.
Admonishing the ordinands, he advised them to proclaim the gospel fearlessly and without favour, adding that “you must also strive to show humility and live above reproach to win souls for Christ”.

NPP FAILS TO ELECT ASPIRANT FOR SUHUM FOR 4TH TIME (PAGE 16)

FOR the fourth consecutive time, the New Patriotic Party (NPP) has failed to elect a parliamentary candidate for the Suhum Constituency in the Eastern Region.
At the primary held at the residence of the district chief executive for Suhum-Kraboa-Coaltar on Wednesday, the two aspirants, Mr Frederick Opare-Ansah, the incumbent MP, who is also the Deputy Minister for Communications, and Mr Bryn Acheampong, an information technology consultant, each had 51 votes, resulting in second run-off on a day yet to be decided on.
At the third primary held on June 25, this year, both candidates had 51 votes each, resulting in the first run-off.
The tension-filled primary, characterised by the trading of accusations and hooting by some of the delegates, particularly those from Mr Acheampong’s side, was, however, kept under control by heavy police presence.
According to the delegates on the side of Mr Acheampong, the sitting MP, in a bid to secure his incumbency for a second term, allegedly camped about 47 of the delegates at an undisclosed hotel in Ashiaman for about one week, denying Mr Acheampong access to them.
They also bemoaned the constitutional requirement of the party which allowed sitting MPs to cast their votes during primaries, at the expense of other contestants who were not allowed to vote.
The delegates, therefore, called on the executives of the party to consider amending the party’s constitution to disallow sitting MPs from voting at primaries, noting that it was because of that constitutional requirement that the Suhum primary had been ending up in run-offs.
Mr Opare-Ansah, as a delegate, cast his vote at the last two primaries, bringing his votes from 50 to 51.
The event was witnessed by the executives of the party, including Mr Frederick G. Asante, a member of the Council of State representing the Eastern Region; the NPP Eastern Regional Chairman, Mr Yaw Amoabeng Gyekye, and his secretary, Mr Alecs Agobo.
Earlier in an address, Mr Gyekye admonished the rank and file of the party to demonstrate political maturity and unite to enable the party to win the Suhum seat.
In his opinion, since the former President, Mr J. J. Rawlings, still had a strong influence within the opposition NDC and was bent on hunting the top hierarchy of the NPP government should the NDC win back power, NPP members should put aside their differences and help to elect a new parliamentary candidate whom they could rally behind in order to win the seat in the area.
The first primary, which was held at Adideso, near Suhum ,on May 20, 2008, ended in confusion over the eligibility of seven polling station chairmen from Nankese, the second largest town in the constituency, to vote.
The seven, who were among the 102 delegates present to vote at the primary, were said to have no voting rights.
This was because they, as delegates, failed to be elected as chairpersons of their respective polling stations in the last constituency election of the party, a situation that is against the party’s national executive ruling that makes it mandatory that the electoral college should consist of only those who had been elected as chairpersons of their polling stations.
To ensure a peaceful election, the second primary had to be held on a neutral ground at Koforidua, but it also ended in confusion when Mr Acheampong led his supporters to disrupt the event.
Owing to a resolution that was passed by the executives of the party, the seven polling station chairmen, said to be in the camp of the incumbent MP, were allowed to exercise their voting right at Wednesday’s primary.

POLICE ARREST 4 ARMED ROBBERS AT NKAWKAW (BACK PAGE)

FOUR suspected armed robbers who attacked the premises of Top International Construction Limited, a Chinese construction company, on Wednesday, July 2, 2008 have been arrested by the Nkawkaw Police.
The gang, including a day-time security man of the company, were said to have gone to the company’s premises at about 12.30 a.m. but were resisted by its night security man, who engaged them in a scuffle during which they inflicted wounds on him.
The suspects fled into a nearby bush when the security dogs on the company’s premises started barking during the scuffle.
The four, who are all residents of Nkawkaw, are Mohammed Oti, the 54-year-old security man working with the firm; Alex Boateng, 27; Samuel Asumaning, alias 5K, 27; and Kwasi Adusei, a 27-year-old taxi driver.
The suspects are currently in police custody assisting in investigations.
Briefing the Daily Graphic at Nkawkaw, the Nkawkaw Divisional Police Commander, Chief Superintendent Paul M. N. Hwini, said the police received an intelligence report early in the morning of June 2, this year, that a Tico taxicab, with registration number GE 2529 Z having all its tyres deflated, had been abandoned at Nsuta Junction, a suburb of Nkawkaw.
He said when a team of policemen, who were already patrolling the area, was sent to the scene and searched the vehicle, they retrieved two masks, gloves and offensive weapons.
Upon further investigations, he said the police were able to trace the owner of the vehicle, one Yaw Osei, who told the police that he only gave out his taxicab to Adusei to use the previous night.
When Adusei was arrested the same day, he also led the police to effect the arrest of the remaining three accomplices at various locations.
When a search was conducted in their homes, the police retrieved a quantity of stolen electrical cables, machetes, hacksaws, masks and a toy pistol, which they used in their operations.
To disguise the identity of the vehicle, Chief Superintendent Hwini said the suspects used a black Sellotape to cover the registration number and replaced it with GE 8828 L and GE 28282 L at the back and front respectively.
He assured residents of Nkawkaw that the police, as part of a directive to intensify their operations to curb armed robbery and drug trafficking before, during and after the December elections, “are firmly on the ground to make Nkawkaw unattractive place for criminals to operate”.

DON'T BE WOOED BY NPP — NDC (PAGE 16)

THE Eastern Regional Organiser of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Tawiah Boateng, has called on the party’s polling station agents and other members not to allow themselves to be influenced by material and financial gifts offered them by some executive members of the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
He said the party faithful must resist such influences by strictly adhering to the party’s ideology of remaining committed to the party.
Launching the campaign of the Suhum Constituency parliamentary aspirant of the party, Mr Boateng said, “NPP, desperate to win the upcoming elections, will go all out to buy your voting rights with money that belongs to the state and seek your support to rig the upcoming elections. You should, therefore, stand in good faith and resist such influences,” Mr Boateng stated.
The event was witnessed by a large audience including the party’s National Organiser, Mr Ofosu Ampofo; its Eastern Regional Chairman, Mr Julius Debrah, and his Secretary, Mr Anthony Gyampo, as well as the Ashanti Regional Chairman, Mr Ohene Agyekum.
Buttressing his point, Mr Boateng said Ghanaians, faced with severe economic hardship, were prepared to vote the NPP government out of power, which had made its officials to adopt aggressive strategies, including monetary and material offers to woo members of the NDC and other opposition parities to their side.
The regional organiser also expressed worry about the attempts by the NPP government to incarcerate some top executive members of the NDC, citing the sentencing of Mr Tsatsu Tsikata and the possible sentencing of the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, in November, this year.
According to him, such plots were part of strategies to clip the wings of the party and, therefore, urged its rank and file to unite and work hard to wrest power from the NPP in the December elections.
For his part, Mr Ampofo bemoaned the unhealthy attitude of some members of the NPP government towards the award of a national honour to the flag bearer of the NDC, whom he described as a statesman who had rendered 25 years of distinguished selfless service to the country.
He pointed out that to ensure peace within the rank and file of the NPP and the nation as whole, Professor Atta Mills had decided to turn down the award, which he described as “a cheap gesture now meant even for those who do not deserve it” .
For his part, Mr Gyampo said out of the 28 constituencies in the Eastern Region, the NDC had six, but was poised to win 12 additional ones and, therefore, entreated its members to work hard to make such dream a reality.
To avoid any rigging during the elections, Mr Gyampo appealed to members of the party, particularly teachers, doctors and lawyers, to volunteer to be the party’s polling agents during the elections.

CRIG ASSISTS SENIOR SCHOOLS (PAGE 39)

THE Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) has presented 10 computers and two printers to two senior high schools (SHS) in the Eastern Region.
The beneficiary schools are the New Juaben Senior High and Commercial School (NJUASCO) in the New Juaben Municipality and the Bososo Senior High School in the Asuogyaman District.
The donation, which were part of 100 computers and 100 printers yet to be donated to 100 SHS across the country, form part of activities to mark the launch of the 70th anniversary of CRIG.
Making the presentation at Koforidua, its Executive Director, Dr Yaw Ampomah, said the items were meant to encourage the students to develop interest in the study of information communication technology (ICT).
By this, he expressed the hope that the study of science and technology would be promoted among the students to enable them to pursue various science-oriented professions in the future.
He pointed out that in the next few months, his outfit would also make similar presentations to the remaining 90 second-cycle schools across the country.

AKWAMUMAN SHS HOLDS SPEECH DAY (PAGE 20)

THE Akwamuman Senior High School (SHS) at Atimpoku in the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region has held its 36th speech and prize-giving day.
The event which was attended by a number of old students was used to reward a number of students and staff who distinguished themselves in various areas.
Addressing the students, the Managing Director of the New Times Corporation, Mr Kofi Asuman, called on students to use their time profitably and refrain from negative tendencies that could destroy their future careers.
This, he said, would enable them to be good and useful citizens to take up leadership positions in the country in future.
Mr Asuman stated that students should use their time profitably by cultivating reading habits, particularly in the library to acquire the necessary information that would prepare them for the future.
“If we aspire for a bright future as students, then we should endeavour to desist from bad habits such as pre-marital sex, occultism, smoking, drinking, cheating in examinations and stealing,” Mr Asuman stated.
To this end, he advised students to avail themselves of the enormous opportunities the school was providing so that they would be able to develop their intellectual, social and physical capabilities to achieve their ambitions.
“If you have knowledge but appear indisciplined, I doubt you will go far and you will encounter a lot of problems that will make you lose your job or land you in prison,” Mr Asuman emphasised.
For his part, the Headmaster of the school, Mr Felix Essah-Hienno, commended the students for exhibiting a high sense of discipline, which he noted, had transformed the school to become one of the most disciplined second-cycle educational institutions in the country.
He expressed his appreciation to the Volta River Authority for its assistance to the school over the years, and called for further collaboration with the old students to improve the infrastructure of the school by painting it, in preparation for its speech and prize-giving day next year.

79 POLICE RECRUITS PASS OUT AT K'DUA (PAGE 20)

Seventy-nine police recruits have passed out at a ceremony at Koforidua, the Eastern Regional capital.
The recruits underwent six-month training in criminal law, human rights, criminology and social psychology, physical fitness, among others, at the Koforidua Police Training School.
THE Director-General of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) of the Ghana Police Service, DCOP Mr Frank Adu-Poku, who addressed the recruits, cautioned them against indiscriminate and unjustifiable use of firearms, brutalisation of people, bribery and corruption.
He also advised them not to engage in unauthorised and illegal operations that could dent the image of the service.
Mr Adu-Poku said “bear in mind that you are under an 18-month probation and any breach of discipline will most likely end your careers prematurely”.
The Director-General of the CID reminded the recruits that they were passing out at a time the country was preparing to hold a general election.
He, therefore, called on the personnel of the service and other security agencies to provide the needed security to create a conducive environment that would ensure the conduct of free and fair elections.
“We in the Police Service, just as our sisters in the security agencies, are enjoined to be neutral and impartial in the discharge of our duties,” he added.
Buttressing his point, Mr Adu-Poku said “maintaining a united and peaceful country before, during and after the elections should take precedence over our individual political party interests”.
He reminded the recruits that since they had chosen a noble profession, it behoved them to live above reproach, both in their professional and private life, adding “professionally, you are expected to follow the regulations of the service spelt out in the service instructions”.
To consolidate the academic work and the physical fitness during their training, DCOP Adu-Poku indicated that the recruits would be provided post-depot training to expose them to practical police duties in the various regions, where they would be mentored by experienced police officers.
“You will also be presented with role models to positively influence your career,” he added.
General Recruit Isaac Ansong Kwame was adjudged the Overall Best Recruit among his colleagues.

THREE ARRESTED FOR ARMED ROBBERY (BACK PAGE)

THREE armed robbers who robbed occupants of a number of commercial vehicles on the Abonse-Tema road and the Aseseeso-Akumi road in the Eastern Region have been arrested by the police.
The suspects, who are all residents of Krobo-Odumase, are Kwame Aworlewoh, 21, alias Ashaiman; Philip Angomotey, 23, and Bernard Dramani, 29.
The suspects were said to have first blocked the Abonse-Tema road with 20 bags of charcoal and stopped a KIA truck with registration number GE 176 Y, travelling from Somanya to Kumasi and loaded with rice and other food items, and robbed its occupants of their money and mobile phones.
They then seized the truck and took the occupants hostage after which they drove to the Trome Junction, where they also used the KIA truck to block the Aseseeso-Akumi road and robbed occupants of a number of commercial vehicles of their mobile phones and money before stripping a lady passenger naked.
The three, who were identified by some of the victims at an identification parade held by the Akropong Police Division at Akropong on Friday, June 27, this year, are currently in police custody assisting in investigations.
A fourth person, whose name the police gave only as Addo, is at large.