Ibrahim Mahama warns Kennedy Agyapong

Mr
Ibrahim Mahama, has warned acerbic tongue
New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for
Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyepong, to
forthwith, refrain from dragging his hard
earned reputation in the mud or face his
wrath.
Irked by the incessant but unwarranted and
unguarded attacks on his person and family
by the foul mouth Assin Donpem-born
legislator, Mr Ibrahim Mahama has been
narrating how Kennedy Agyepong, for several
years without any provocation, has made him
his chop stick in the media.
The shrewd entrepreneur and media-shy
Engineers and Planners CEO, who is also a
younger brother of immediate past president
John Mahama, having perhaps had enough of
Kennedy Agyapong’s never-ending
vituperations in the media, was speaking to
well-wishers and friends who thronged his
residence to inquire what the problem is
between him and the maverick MP.
Most of the people who came to
“commiserate” with Mr Ibrahim Mahama
following the NPP MP’s recent attacks on him
and her late mother; could not fathom why
Hon Agyepong, who was only recently
adjudged by policy think tank, ODEKRO, as
among MPs who never made statements on
the floor of parliament in the life of the 6th
parliament, would spend much of his time
lampooning the business magnate at the least
opportunity.
Livid by the shameful behavior of the NPP
MP, the former President’s brother intoned: "I
don’t go around bragging about what God has
blessed me with and I don’t also go round
threatening people like what Ken does...but he
should know that some people, such me may,
not be abrasive publicly as he is but…some of
us when we’ve had enough of trash can be as
‘wild’ as the beast.”
Short of sharing exactly what that meant, the
usually reclusive and soft spoken Engineers
and Planners CEO only told his audience, "go
n tell him (Ken) that I can be more ruthless
than he thinks he is but, I just respect myself,
my family and Ghanaian people hence; I have
restrained myself following him into the gutter
in spite of his numerous unsubstantiated and
wild allegations and most of the time, pure
lies.”
"Tell Ken that by the grace of God I have long
been blessed before John (John Mahama)
became Vice-president and later President... is
it my fault that my senior brother climbed to
those heights? Is it my fault that I am where I
am today…I’m not God to determine others’
future and I’m content with what God has
gifted me...I don’t compete with anyone
neither do I envy those before me and even
those after me. It is God's wish,” he stated.
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The NPP Assin Central MP has since the
defeat of President John Mahama and the
NDC in last December elections picked on Mr
Ibrahim Mahama and his family and has on
countless occasions made unguarded
statements and spurious allegations against
him.
In one such unsubstantiated allegation
against Mr Ibrahim, the MP who has always
promised to expose shady deals of his
political opponents but is yet to redeem any
of his pledges accused the former President’s
brother of dealing in cocaine and stolen cars.
In his usual abrasive no hold bar claims on
Oman Fm’s Boiling Point programme,
Kennedy Agyapong alleged that President
John Mahama’s late step mum, who is also
the mother of Ibrahim Mahama, was a drug
baron. “She is obsessed with drugs and she
baths with it,” he alleged
He also accused Mr Ibrahim Mahama of
dealing in stolen cars which he alleged the
latter supplies to some prominent chiefs in
this country.
Interestingly, checks on the CEO of Engineers
and Planners, Ibrahim Mahama who is being
accused of involvement in stolen cars revealed
that his company is having in its possession
over 300 pieces of earth moving equipment,
pay loaders, bulldozers, multi-purpose tipper
trucks, tankers, pickups etc.
With the attacks becoming one too many, Mr
Ibrahim is warning Kennedy Agyapong he has
had enough of his gibberish and may be
forced to react in like manner “I'm just blessed
by God as a young man, I don’t engage in
shady deals as Ken has variously alleged
neither have I been boastful of where God has
placed me...I’m not even directly into politics
nor being executive member of my brother's
party, the NDC, so what is my offence that
should warrant his (Ken) inexorable attacks
on me?” Ibrahim queried.

Ken Agyapong threatens to expose cocaine business in Mahama's family

Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, MP for Assin Central

Outspoken New Patriotic Party Member of
Parliament for Assin Central in the Central
Region, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong, has issued
a strong warning to President John Dramani
Mahama to call his appointees and the
communication team of NDC to order.
According to him, he will be left with no other
option than going to the public with a dossier
on Mahama which will expose his nefarious
dealings, thus giving him bad image.
“I will strip Mahama naked if he doesn’t call
his appointees and NDC members to order,”
Kennedy Agyapong warned. Giving a gist of
what could be described as the biggest
explosive expose’ to hit President Mahama’s
family, Ken Agyapong said ….”They want to
import quantities of illicit drugs into this
country and I’m telling them they shouldn’t
make that mistake.” “Mahama’s auntie who is
the mother of Ibrahim Mahama, president
Mahama’s younger brother is a drug baron.
She is obsessed with drugs and she baths with
it,” he alleged.
Kennedy Agyapong went bunkers and
descended heavily on Mr. Ibrahim Mahama
saying, he had been dealing in stolen cars and
he supplies some prominent chiefs in this
country with such cars. Speaking on Oman
FM’s political analysis programme “Boiling
Point” Akempreko as he is affectionately
called, questioned President Mahama’s
seeming silence in the face of personality
attacks and vilification of the 2016 flagbearer
of NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo Addo by his
appointees and communication team of the
NDC.
The livid NPP MP who expressed his
displeasure about calculated attempts by
members of the NDC to denigrate Nana Addo
revealed that there was a meeting last
Thursday in the house of Mr. Johnson Asiedu
Nketsia, General Secretary of NDC to
strategize how they will vilify Nana Addo and
NPP gurus.
Apart from vilifying NPP’s presidential
candidate, Kennedy Agyapong said, the NDC
also decided that they will deploy their party
loyalists to cause confusion in the NPP’s
strongholds, so that when police begin to fire
arms it will scare people from going out to
vote. According to him, NDC is very much
aware that they will lose the 2016 elections
and so what they are plotting is violence in
order to steal the elections.
“If anybody tells you that NDC want this
year’s elections to be peaceful, it’s a lie,” he
stated. He said it is sad that NDC could
reduce politics to the level where they could
go to the extent of saying that Nana Addo
killed his late wife and challenged him to
prove his innocence. Kennedy Agyepong
warned that the NPP will meet them squarely
if they dare go on the path of violence during
the elections.

Why we lost the 2016 elections - Mahama

Former President John Mahama
Former Ghana President John Dramani
Mahama has opened up on a number of
issues that he thinks could have led to the
National Democratic Congress (NDC)’s loss in
last year’s polls.
The NDC’s eight-year reign came to an end
after Nana Akufo-Addo of the New Patriotic
Party (NPP) defeated John Mahama by a
whooping 53.85%.
A committee – led by Professor Kwesi
Botchwey – was set up by the hierarchy of the
NDC in the aftermath of the 2016 polls to
investigate the party’s defeat.
However, the ex-president has now talked up a
number of issues which could have led to his
party’s loss.
Speaking to some minority and leading
members of the NDC in Accra, Mahama said
the party’s loss could somehow be attributed
to a general quest for change by the
populace.
“We (NDC) exited in a historical context and
so we should look at everything that happens
in the context of history. I studied history for
my first degree so I always like to analyze
history.
“There is a certain wind breezing across the
world and so even though there might have
been acts of omission or commissions on our
part that led to our loss it is also part of a
certain wind that is sweeping across the
world,” the ex-president said.
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And Mahama believes it could be down to
impatience on the part of the current
generation, insisting the youth are “in a hurry
to see results.”
“The world’s population is increasing, social
media has brought communications to the
doorsteps of people. In Africa we have a very
young population that is impatient and they
are in a hurry to see results.”
“And so, when you have that kind of situation
then despite your best effort…for them,
change and things must happen at a
breakneck speed. They don’t realize that
change takes time and takes diligence and
perseverance to nurture to be able to grow
fruits.
”And so when you have that kind of situation
then you can understand the context in which
what has happened [happened],” the ex-
president explained.”
Mahama also urged the minority MPs to work
hard in opposition to ensure that the NDC
returns to power in 2020.
“I’m sure that all of you are up to the task.
And you all have to work extra hard in
opposition not only in parliament but also in
your constituencies. Part of the reasons for
some of the loss in some of the constituencies
is how frequently you go back; how you
associate with the people not only in respect
of what you do for them but identifying with
then and letting them know that you’re one of
them,” Mahama said.
He added that the party needs all members to
“overcome the blame game because in the
final analysis it was not the result of one
person’s omissions or commissions that made
us lose.
source: abusuafmonline.com

Ghana ranked 70th corrupt country, dips 4pts

For the tenth year running, Somalia is the
worst performer on the index
Ghana has dropped four places in terms of
scores in the 22nd Annual Corruption
Perception Index (CPI) released by anti-graft
body Transparency International released on
Wednesday, 25 January 2017.
A statement issued by Ghana Integrity
Initiative (GII), the local chapter of TI said:
“The CPI 2016 scored Ghana 43 points out of
a possible clean score of 100 and ranked the
country 70 out of 176 countries included in
this year’s index.” In the sub-Saharan region,
the country ranked 9th.
GII said the drop in Ghana’s performance
could be attributed to corruption scandals
that bordered on the Ghana Youth
Employment and Entrepreneurial Development
Authority (GYEEDA), Savannah Accelerated
Development Authority (SADA), GHS144
million GRA/Subah Scandal, the infamous
GHS51 million judgment debt saga and the
Smartty's bus rebranding scandal.
“The CPI 2016 used nine (9) out of the (13)
data sources of independent institutions with
a high level of credibility to compute the index
for Ghana. The sources and their
corresponding scores include the World Bank
Country Policy and Institutional Assessment,
African Development Bank, Bertelsmann
Foundation Transformation, World Economic
Forum and World Justice Project. The rest are
Economic Intelligence Unit, Political Risk
Service International Country Risk Guide,
Varieties of Democracy and Global Insight.
“This year, the CPI shows that Ghana’s
performance has dropped by 4 percentage
points from its 2015 score of 47 points. This
score is the lowest in Ghana’s CPI scores
since 2012 when CPI scores became
comparable.
“It is worthy to note that, although Ghana
performed better than several other African
countries, including Lesotho and Burkina
Faso, Ghana also performed below eight other
African countries (Botswana - 60, Cape Verde
- 59, Mauritius – 54, Rwanda – 54, Namibia –
52, Sao Tome and Principe – 46, Senegal – 45
and South Africa - 45).
“The 2016 CPI score indicates that, in spite of
Ghana’s efforts at fighting corruption the
canker is still a serious problem. Ghana’s
score of 43 points is a likely reflection of the
many exposés of public sector corruption in
the last few years including the police
recruitment scam, Ghana Youth Employment
and Entrepreneurial Development Authority
(GYEEDA) scandal, Savannah Accelerated
Development Authority (SADA) scandal, GHc
144 million GRA/Subah Scandal, the infamous
Woyome’s GHC 51 million judgment debt saga
and the Smartty's bus rebranding deal. This is
likely compounded by government perceived
inability to fully resolve high profile corruption
cases,” the statement said.
This year’s index ranked 176 countries/
territories by their perceived levels of public
sector corruption. The index draws on 13
surveys covering views of business people and
country experts. The Corruption Perceptions
Index is the leading global indicator of
perceived public sector corruption, offering a
yearly snapshot of the relative degree of
corruption by ranking countries from all over
the globe.
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THE AFRICAN PICTURE
In Africa, Botswana once again was first with
a score of 60, ranking 35 globally and
followed by Cape Verde with a score of 59
and ranking 38 globally. Third and fourth was
occupied by Mauritius and Rwanda with both
scoring 54 and ranked 50 globally. Namibia
and Sao Tome and Principe scored 52 and 46
respectively and ranked 53 and 62 globally
but fifth and sixth in Africa. Senegal and
South Africa both scored 45 and ranked 64
globally. Overall, only five out 46 African
countries that qualified to be captured by the
index s scored above 50.
Many African countries dominated the bottom
of the CPI with Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan,
Libya, Guinea Bissau, Eritrea and Angola
scoring 10, 11, 14, 14, 16, 18 and 18 with
rankings of 176, 175, 170, 170, 168, 164 and
164 respectively.
GLOBAL PERFORMANCE
Denmark and New Zealand performed best
with scores of 90, closely followed by Finland
(89) and Sweden (88). Although no country is
free of corruption, the countries at the top
share characteristics of high standards in
open government, press freedom, civil liberties
and independent judicial systems.
For the tenth year running, Somalia is the
worst performer on the index, this year scoring
only 10. South Sudan is second to bottom
with a score of 11, followed by North Korea
(12) and Syria (13). Countries at the bottom
of the index are also characterised by
widespread impunity for corruption, poor
governance and weak institutions.
This year more countries declined in the index
than improved, showing the need for urgent
action. Countries in troubled regions,
particularly in the Middle East, have seen the
most substantial drops this year.

Gov't to promote 'Made in Ghana Goods' - Alan Kyerematen

Mr Alan John Kwadwo Kyerematen, the
Minister-Designate for Trade and Industry
says the government will pursue an
aggressive industrialisation programme to
promote "Made In Ghana Goods".
He said government would also create an
enabling environment to ensure that local
industries became very competitive in their
delivery.
He said it was one of the most powerful tools
for the creation of jobs through industrial
transformation.
He said it would require a minimum of one
and half to two years for the first batch of the
"One District One Factory" programme to be
ready.
He noted that the government was committed
to working with the private sector to realise
its vision of the One District- One Factory
programme; and that there was a lot of good
will from the private sector towards this
particular programme.
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Mr Kyerematen made these remarks on
Monday in Accra, when he appeared before
Parliament's Appointment Committee for the
vetting of ministerial nominees.
He said funds for the One District- One
Factory programme would come from the
"One Constituency One Million Dollar Project".
On the unit cost of the One District One
Factory the Minister-Designate explained that
it was when a business plan of a particular
business enterprise in a particular District was
completed that they would get to know the
cost.
Mr Kyerematen said the One District- One
Factory programme was designed to create
massive employment all over the country.

Revealed! Mahama’s retirement package ‘mind blowing’

Former President John Dramani Mahama and
Lordina Mahama
Former President John Dramani Mahama will
take home a mouth watering retirement
package for his lifetime.
According to the Presidential Emoluments
Committee, the former president among others
take home a non-taxable salary of GH¢22,809
in retirement.
The salary is about 43% higher than what was
previously being paid, former presidents.
He will also receive 40% of his salary monthly
as support staff remuneration. The support
staff covers a cook, steward and a gardener.
Aside from the salary, President Mahama will
also be entitled to four State provided staff
and a furnished and up-to-date office and
communication equipment.
For security, the outgoing President, while in
retirement, will be provided with two security
persons to be chosen by the former President
from state security alongside two security
vehicles.
Mahama will equally be provided with two
personal vehicles and a chauffeur. The
vehicles will be maintained and
comprehensively insured by the State and
changed every four years for life.
The outgoing President, while in retirement,
will also be entitled to two all expenses paid
overseas 3trips in a year for himself, his wife
and two security persons. However, the
duration shall be limited to two weeks per
trip.
Mahama and his wife’s health care shall also
be at the State’s expense while utilities at his
residence will also be the responsibility of
government.
source: 

five shocking football transfer in the world

1. RONALDINHO (MILAN TO
FLAMENGO, 2011)
Fee: Undicslosed
It was 2011, and Ronaldinho Gaúcho was sick
and tired of Massimiliano Allegri at Milan, so
he asked his brother and agent Roberto de
Assis to find a club in Brazil after 10 years far
from home.
Palmeiras, Grêmio and Flamengo were all
interested in the five-time world champion (as
were Blackburn), and each had to face a soap
opera-style saga that had most of its scenes
set in a Rio de Janeiro steak house.
Palmeiras had coach Big Phil talk to Assis
and convince him of the deal, while Grêmio
put speakers on the stadium’s pitch to
celebrate with the fans after claiming to have
had Ronaldinho's comeback confirmed. In the
end, though, the Brazilian ace signed for
Flamengo. Saga over. MA
2. ANDREA PIRLO (INTER
TO MILAN, 2001)
Fee: Part exchange
While it may now seem odd, Andrea Pirlo
should actually have been an Inter legend.
The Nerazzurri signed him from Brescia in
1998, back when he didn’t have a beard and
played as a No.10. A brief loan spell back
with his former club proved the making of
him, however, with coach Carlo Mazzone being
the first to deploy him as the deep-lying
playmaker he became.
That caught the attention of Carlo Ancelotti
and Milan, who somehow convinced Inter to
part with Pirlo in exchange for €2.8m and
average Argentine Andres Guglielminpietro.
They would repeat the feat by taking Clarence
Seedorf from their neighbours in a straight
swap for Francesco Coco. Pirlo won two
Scudetti and two Champions League titles
before moving to Juventus for free in 2011 –
another shockingly good value deal for the
Italian schemer. AD
3. PAUL POGBA (JUVENTUS
TO MAN UNITED, 2016)
Fee: £89m
There always seems to be at least one long-
running saga dominating during the summer
transfer window. In 2016 it was the ‘Paul
Pogba: will-he-won’t-he’ drama that resulted
in Manchester United paying a world-record
fee – £89m and then some in add-ons – for a
player they let leave for free in 2012.
When he departed United for Juventus as a
19-year-old, Pogba told team-mate Rio
Ferdinand it was to become the best player in
the world. He needed playing time that he
wasn’t guaranteed under Sir Alex Ferguson at
Old Trafford, with Paul Scholes, Michael
Carrick and even Anderson getting the nod
ahead of him.
Fast-forward four years, with four Serie A
titles, two Coppa Italia and two Supercoppa
Italiana trophies to his name: #POGBACK is
trending on Twitter, as the France
international announces his shock return to
the club he says is his home. HD
4. CARLOS GAMARRA
(PALMEIRAS TO OLIMPIA,
2007)
Fee: £1.7m
Carlos Gamarra didn't concede a single foul in
the 1998 World Cup campaign that almost
saw Paraguay beat hosts France. Much later
on his career he could have had his pick of
clubs after a fine career in Europe with the
likes of Inter, Benfica and Atletico Madrid –
but anyone but Olimpia.
Well, according to Cerro Porteño fans
anyway – the club he'd began his career with
in 1990, and where he became an idol after
winning two Paraguayan titles. So when he
returned home in 2007, it was expected that
Gamarra would announce one final move to
end his career at Cerro.
He'd probably wished he did. Instead, the
stopper ended up signing for rivals Olimpia,
and felt the supporters’ wrath so badly that
they tried to set his house on fire. MA
5. CAFU (ZARAGOZA TO
PALMEIRAS, 1995)
Fee: Undisclosed
São Paulo and Palmeiras’s training grounds
are separated by a wall in the Barra Funda
neighborhood. The rivals have never had a
great relationship and, among others, you can
blame former right-sided defender Cafu for it.
The two-time world champion won everything
with São Paulo at the beginning of the '90s
and was sold to Zaragoza in 1994, with a
special clause saying that the Spanish side
would have to pay the additional amount of
US$3.6 million if they sold Cafu to Palmeiras
before 1996.
Back then, Palmeiras had milk company
Parmalat as a heavyweight sponsor and
somehow found a way to sign Cafu by using a
smaller team, Juventude, who were also
partners of the nine-time Brazilain champions.
The right-back spent only a month at the
satellite team, and is still hated by São
Paulo’s fans. MA

We will continue to seize public toilets – Hopeson Adorye

A member of the governing New Patriotic
Party’s (NPP) Communication team,
Hopeson Adorye says he will mobilize
members of his party to take over all public
toilets in the country.
He said their move is in retaliation to similar
violent takeovers by supporters of the
opposition National Democratic Congress
(NDC) in 2009 when the party won power.
'We experienced the same situation in the
hands of supporters of the NDC when the
NPP lost in 2009, therefore will not relent in
our efforts to pay them back.
'We will continue seizing and taking over
toilets and all government properties
because we are in power' he said in Twi on
Accra-based Okay FM.
Some youth alleged to be loyalists of the
NPP in other regions of the country after the
Electoral Commission (EC) declared
candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
winner of the December 2016 polls besieged
public toilets to take over its management.
Others have gone to some government
institutions claiming their party is now in
power and they have the right to take over
state agencies.

There have been concerns that the party is
looking on unconcerned with calls on the
President to speak on the unfortunate
development.
But at a press briefing held last week, Police
PRO, Superintendent Cephas Arthur said the
Ghana Police Service has been working to
maintain peace.
He disclosed the police have arrested 16
persons in connection with the post-election
violence and have had them arraigned before
the court to be prosecuted to serve as
a deterrent.
The Service has directed its regional
commanders to arrest all perpetrators by
Friday, January 20.
But Mr. Adorye said, the police especially the
Inspector General of Police (IGP) John
Kudalor and the PPO have no right to arrest
them [alleged NPP supporters] because the
two officers have been acting in the interest
of the NDC.
“When the NPP is attacked, Cephas Arthur
and his cohorts don’t even bother arresting
people but when NDC is attacked, then they
start taking measures and issuing releases
and condemning it," he said.
“We are going to take action against these
bias policemen because they are all active
members of the NDC. We are going to make
sure that some of these officers will not be
at post” he declared.

NPP suffering from policy credibility- Haruna Iddrisu

Bank of Ghana keeps policy rate at 25.5%
One district, one factory to transform Ghana-
Alan
The Gambia 'missing millions' after Jammeh
flies into exile
  More in this section
Report: Economist feels sorry for next Finance
minister; he's in very tight corner
NPP suffering from policy credibility- Haruna
Iddrisu
Minority weighs court action over Independent
Prosecutor’s Office
Alan K, Agyarko others face vetting committee
today
We expect high-rise buildings in Zongos,
other development from NPP – Fred Agbenyo
We will continue to seize public toilets –
Hopeson Adorye
US President must be careful with utterances
- Dr Antwi-Danso
Incoming AG to expeditiously recover
Woyome's judgement debt, others
Scrap use of ‘appointment committee’ to vet
ministerial nominees – Lawyers suggest
Interior Minister-designate pleads for speedy
legislation to decongest prisons
Striking state attorneys to resume work
Monday – Gloria Akuffo reveals
Interior Minister-designate rejects vigilante
group clampdown
Full version of 68th New Year School
communique
Gloria Akuffo, Ambrose Dery face vetting
committee today
‘Controversial’ NPP Prudential Bank debt fully
paid – Ken Ofori-Atta
Minority weighs court action over
Independent Prosecutor’s Office
Source: Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Date: 23rd-january-2017 Time: 6:58:31 am
The Minority in Parliament may head to the
Supreme Court to challenge plans by Nana
Akufo-Addo to set up the Independent
Prosecutor’s Office.
Minority Leader, Haruna Iddrisu, told Accra-
based Citi FM that his side is convinced
without a doubt that proposed corruption
fighting portfolio breaches the Constitution.

The proposed Independent Prosecutor‘s
Office, according to the President, will be
one of the ways that his administration will
deal specifically with corruption in the public
sector.
However, Mr Iddrisu says that an office that
is not stipulated by the Constitution will
conflict with the provisions of Article 88 of
the Constitution which vests the functions of
the proposed Independent Prosecutor’s
Office in the Attorney-General.
The functions, he said “belongs to the
executive chapter of the constitution which is
entrenched, therefore you cannot be seeking
to review that through an Act of Parliament”
“I am certain that Article 88 is entrenched,
and not that which can be reviewed simply
through a process of an Act of Parliament,”
he said.
Article 88 of the Constitution states the
following:
 (1) There shall be an Attorney-General of
Ghana who shall be a Minister of State and
the principal legal adviser to the
Government;
(2) The Attorney-General shall discharge
such other duties of a legal nature as may
be referred or assigned to him by the
President, or imposed on him by this
Constitution or any other law;
(3) The Attorney-General shall be responsible
for the initiation and conduct of all
prosecutions of criminal offences;
(4) All offences prosecuted in the name of
the Republic of Ghana shall be at the suit of
the Attorney-General or any other person
authorised by him in accordance with the
law;
 (5) The Attorney-General shall be
responsible for the institution and conduct
of all civil cases on behalf of the State, and
all civil proceedings against the State shall
be instituted against the Attorney-General as
defendant;
 (6) The Attorney-General shall have
audience in all courts in Ghana.
Haruna Iddrisu did not give a timeline for
the likely legal action.

Chief defiles 13-year-old girl

Victim being helped to walk
The Adontenhene of Assin Adiembra in the
Central Region, Nana Minta Ebu II has been
accused of allegedly defiling a 13-year old
primary 5 pupil.
The Benkumhene of the community Nana
Effisah Keteko I who disclosed the incident to
Adom News’ Alfred Amoh, said the suspect,
Nana Minta Ebu II took advantage of his only
fufu pounding machine in the community to
commit the heinous act.
He said the victim’s mother who is a chop bar
operator sent her to get the fufu prepared
with the pounding machine owned by the
suspect.
“Her mother sent her to go pound the fufu at
the man’s place and when the man realised
that no one was there he forced the girl into
his room and had sex with her” he stated.
He said the chief, who is in his 50s,
threatened the girl not to inform her parents
and promised to give her GHC 100 after the
act.
According to him, when the suspect failed to
give the money to her, the victim who is said
to have been a virgin then decided to spill the
beans to her parents.
The victim (name withheld) narrating her
ordeal to Alfred Amoh said several attempts
to scream for help during the act proved futile
“because the chief covered my mouth very
tight to prevent me from shouting” she said.
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The chief after interrogation admitted to his
crime and has agreed to compensate the girl
with GHC1500.
But the youth of the area say elders
impregnate girls and the girls accuse them
(the youth) of being responsible for the
pregnancy.
They are threatening to demonstrate against
the chiefs for taking their girls.
The youth have sworn to disrespect all the
chiefs if they still uphold that chief as one of
them.
The chiefs of the area say he will be destooled
very soon.

Why some women prefer masturbating over having sex with their husbands

I love sex, but if I had to choose between
touching myself and letting my husband do it
for me, more often than not, I’m going solo.
After nearly 20 years of marriage, I have no
reservations about owning what I want and
how I want it in the bedroom, and doing it my
way when necessary. But owning this fact
about myself was no easy feat.
My husband and I met when we were 16 and
married two years later — so in the early days
of our marriage, when we were both young
and uninitiated in the ways of good sex, I
masturbated in secret. It wasn’t that our
missionary-romance was bad; it just wasn’t
enough to get me there. I didn’t want to hurt
my husband’s pride by telling him I never
came during our sex sessions, and previous
attempts to show him how to touch me left
me with a bruised clitoris and him with a
bruised ego, so I kept a lid on my sexual
frustration. As soon as my husband would
jump out of bed to clean himself in the
bathroom, I would quickly and silently bring
myself to orgasm.
A year into my covert masturbation operation,
my husband surprised me by walking out of
the bathroom too early, catching me
pleasuring myself.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
On the brink of an orgasm, I tried to cover my
tracks, but he knew. Through stilted breaths, I
salvaged the moment by claiming I was
simply still in the mood. He seemed puzzled,
but accepted my explanation. That Christmas,
he gave me my first dildo. I accepted his gift
with elation and the understanding that
sexual satisfaction was my own
responsibility.
Although we never spoke of it, I was
convinced my husband knew I was unfulfilled.
When I reached for the sex toy as soon as he
climaxed, he didn’t protest. Instead, he
tenderly kissed my breasts and allowed me to
finish myself off, establishing what would
become our sexual norm.
But our sex lives were on a loop, the same
moves getting replayed over and over — and
in autumn of the fifth year of our marriage,
my husband and I separated. By then, we’d
had two children in quick succession, and
spent the majority of our time either fighting
or too exhausted to touch one another.
Sensing our demise was near, I foolishly
reached for religion in the hopes it would fix
us. It was kismet, then, when two Mormon
missionaries knocked on our door with a
message of salvation and eternal family bliss.
I gave everything I had to my spiritual
conversion. Determined to follow a path that
promised a happily ever after for my marriage,
I threw my beloved dildo in the garbage the
day of my baptism. Casting orgasms and
Satan aside, I waited for God to make my
relationship feel like heaven on earth. Not
surprisingly, that moment never arrived. A few
months later, we filed for legal separation and
I moved a state away with the kids for a fresh
start.
In my new apartment, I flipped God the middle
finger by masturbating my heart out once the
kids were asleep. Those orgasms were some
of the best I’d ever had. I formally ended my
relationship with religion not long after,
preferring the sweet release of sexual
fulfillment, even if it meant eternal
damnation.
In my newly single life, I reacquainted myself
with dating and casual sex, which meant a lot
of shaving (so much shaving) and an
introduction to types of sex I didn’t know
existed. The sexual education I received made
the excessive cost of razor blade cartridges
more like an investment.
During this time, I learned how much I love
oral sex. My husband had never been
interested in trying, and therefore I didn’t
know what I had been missing. Once I got the
weird “what if you smell or taste bad?” voice
out of my head, I found the experience
liberating. I no longer had to (or wanted to)
masturbate immediately after sex because I
was satiated. Suddenly I had a right to expect
equal satisfaction to my partner, and it was
incredible.
Over the course of our separation, neither my
husband nor I took the necessary steps to
finalize our divorce. We talked often — even
about the relationships we were in, although
never crossing the line into details about
sexual liaisons. We became better friends and
more open in our communication. In one of
those funny Jane Austen twists, that
longstanding friendship led to a rekindling of
our love for one another and in the spring of
what would have been our seventh year of
marriage we reconnected and reclaimed our
lives together.
Old habits die hard, though, and while our
emotional and mental connection was
stronger, our sexual chemistry reverted to its
infancy. Like before, our post-coital
connection involved boob play and me
finishing myself off.
Afraid to rock the boat, or be rejected, I didn’t
tell my husband to go down on me, even
though that’s what I really wanted. I also
didn’t want to hurt him or make him feel like
his lovemaking skills were less than
incredible, so I said nothing and masturbated
vigorously for nearly a decade.
Were there times I tried to nudge him in the
right direction? Sure. But the few times I tried
without success cemented my belief that our
paltry sex life was something I just had to
accept.

Then my husband threw a wrench in our
relationship and managed to completely
renovate our sex lives in the process. In what
could only be an admission born of guilt, my
husband confessed to having an affair three
months before we married. I wasn’t angry
about the brief fling he had before we’d ever
said our vows, rather by the fact that he’d lied
by omission for so long. We argued, I cried,
and in a calm moment, a thought occurred to
me – he wasn’t the only one who had been
keeping a secret in our marriage.
Emboldened by this realization, I decided to
share my truth once the dust had settled. In a
difficult conversation, I admitted how much I
hated our sex life.
I expected my husband to get angry, to push
me away and even feel betrayed. He did none
of that. Instead, he took my hands, looked in
my eyes and promised to change it.
Once our egos had cooled, we found our way
back to the bedroom. Full of renewed hope, I
used masturbation to show my husband
exactly how I liked to be touched. He was
eager to learn, and he was a quick study.
Sex with my husband transformed almost
immediately. For awhile, we were like
teenagers, going at it daily, later laughing in
each other’s arms about how much catching
up we had to do. Like most people in long-
term relationships, however, that earnestness
soon fizzled, placing us back in a
comfortable, although much more satisfying
schedule of sex a few times a month.
You would think this turn of events would
mean I put down my two fingers and never
had to masturbate again, but you would be
wrong.
Sex takes a lot of work. From bathing and
shaving and lotioning to making sure both
partners are available and in the mood,
there’s little room for true spontaneity. Plus,
I’ve got to be relaxed enough to lie back and
let myself be pleasured, which is not as easy
as it sounds.
Sometimes, I just want the release of an
orgasm but I don’t want to delay my
gratification to see if my husband is down for
a romp, or run in the bathroom and make sure
I’m well groomed. In essence, sometimes I’m
just too selfish and lazy to pick sex with him
over sex with myself.
If I want to go through the elaborate ritual of
getting my body ready for mind-blowing sex, I
do — and I can now know that it will be great.
Masturbation has finally become exactly what
it was always meant to be: an indulgence, not
a sad coping mechanism meant to replace the
real thing. But still, more times than not, I’d
rather delight in touching myself (thereby
skipping the guaranteed razor burn the
following day).
Sex with my husband transformed almost
immediately. For awhile, we were like
teenagers, going at it daily, later laughing in
each other’s arms about how much catching
up we had to do. Like most people in long-
term relationships, however, that earnestness
soon fizzled, placing us back in a
comfortable, although much more satisfying
schedule of sex a few times a month.
You would think this turn of events would
mean I put down my two fingers and never
had to masturbate again, but you would be
wrong.
Sex takes a lot of work. From bathing and
shaving and lotioning to making sure both
partners are available and in the mood,
there’s little room for true spontaneity. Plus,
I’ve got to be relaxed enough to lie back and
let myself be pleasured, which is not as easy
as it sounds.
Sometimes, I just want the release of an
orgasm but I don’t want to delay my
gratification to see if my husband is down for
a romp, or run in the bathroom and make sure
I’m well groomed. In essence, sometimes I’m
just too selfish and lazy to pick sex with him
over sex with myself.
If I want to go through the elaborate ritual of
getting my body ready for mind-blowing sex, I
do — and I can now know that it will be great.
Masturbation has finally become exactly what
it was always meant to be: an indulgence, not
a sad coping mechanism meant to replace the
real thing. But still, more times than not, I’d
rather delight in touching myself (thereby
skipping the guaranteed razor burn the
following day).
Source: elle.com

Ghana’s public debt reaches GHC120 billion

Ghana's debt has reached GHC120 billion as at
November 2016.
The Bank of Ghana's (BoG) Macroeconomic
and Financial Data report revealed that the
country’s debt stock has reached GHC120
billion as at November 2016.
This was contained in the summary of
released by the Central Bank at the end of the
Monetary Policy Committee meeting on Friday
20 January 2017. The new figures show that
the public debt rose by GHC8 billion in just
two months, that is from September to
November 2016.
But sources close to the previous
administration maintain that the increase
does not necessarily mean that there were
fresh borrowings by government during that
period.
However, other factors like the cedis’ marginal
depreciation and possible delays in interest
payments could have resulted in the debt
numbers recording such a significant
increase.

The GHC120 billion public debts put the
country’s debt-to-GDP ratio at 71.9 percent
for November ending.
External Debt accounted for about $66 billion
of the debt, with local component accounting
for $53 billion.
The report puts the end-of -year-cedi
depreciation at 4.23 percent. The loans banks
fear might go bad seems to decline, reducing
from 19 percent in September to 17.4 percent
as at December 2016.

Public confidence in Independent Prosecutor'll be high – Gloria Akuffo

Ghana’s parliament will have to approve the
proposed Independent Prosecutor to be
appointed by the president, an indication that
whoever occupies the position will not be
partial and engender greater public confidence
in the office, Gloria Akuffo, Minister-Designate
for the Ministry of Justice and Attorney
General, has said.
According to her, the general perception
among the public is that when a new
government takes office, members of the
previous government are hounded by being
put before court, but the creation of the Office
of the Independent Prosecutor will deal with
such perception.
Answering questions during her vetting on
Saturday January 21, Ms Akuffo said:
“Corruption has become a worrisome
problem… and has become a developmental
issue. There have been a lot of calls for a
solution to be found to it.
“The proposed Independent Prosecutor‘s office
is intended to be one of the ways that will
deal specifically with the canker of corruption
in the public sector. It is true that by the
constitution the Attorney General has the
power to prosecute criminal matters, but it
also has the power to delegate that authority
and it is under that that the office will be set
up with a specific remit to deal with public
sector corruption.

“And the way to do it is by an Act of
parliament. The person will be nominated by
the president and then it will be crafted in
such a manner that it will not fall foul of the
constitution and it is intended to give
confidence to the public that this is not a
caricature that is intended, because there is
always a perception that when a government
comes in it starts hounding its opponents. To
take away that perception and to give
confidence to the public, it will have to have
parliament to back that appointment.”
Touching on public confidence in the
Independent Prosecutor, she said: “The
solution lies in how the office is structured,
the mode of appointment, how the office is
structured, and security of tenure of office
such that you will have a fixed term that may
not coincide with the term of office of a
president.
“These are some of the things that will give
the public confidence that this is a truly
independent person particularly because it will
have to go to parliament.”

Woyome cash: I will put my best foot forward – Gloria Akuffo

Attorney General and Minister of Justice
nominee Gloria Akuffo has said she will take a
second look at the controversial GHS51million
paid to businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome
and do what is best for the country by
recovering the money for the state.
The Supreme Court has ordered Mr Woyome to
refund GHS51.2 million to the state.
According to the court, Mr Woyome got the
money out of an invalid contract between the
state and Waterville Holdings Limited in 2006
for the construction of stadia for CAN 2008.
However, the erstwhile National Democratic
Congress (NDC) government failed to retrieve
the amount from the businessman before
leaving office.
Gloria Akuffo told the Appointments
Committee when she appeared before it on
Saturday January 21 that if given the nod to
be Attorney General, she would do her best to
recover the money for the state.

“As I understand it, judgment has been
entered for the refund of the money. Efforts to
recover the money have been inundated with
many applications. My understanding is that
the execution process has been soiled with all
these processes.
I will go to office and look [but] that is why I
said at the beginning that I cannot make a
categorical undertaking that if you give me
approval tomorrow, I can recover the money
because this is a matter which is subject to
litigation.
I can only say that when I get there I’ll study
the file and see how quickly we can recover
the money,” she stated.
“I will put my best foot forward and that when
I get to that office I will look at the matter
and do what is best in the circumstances.”

President Akufo-Addo rejects GH ¢500,000 Christmas hamper

President Akufo-Addo rejects GH
¢500,000 Christmas hamper
File Image
The President of the republic of Ghana, Nana
Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is reported to have
out rightly rejected a GH¢500,000 Christmas
Hamper offered to him by an unnamed
corporate organization.
New Patriotic Party (NPP) firebrand and
Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central
Constituency of the Central region Kennedy
Ohene Agyepong who revealed this on
Tuesday, said management of the said
organization visited him on December 23 last
year.
“On the 23rd of December, a company paid
the then president-elect a visit to wish him
well ahead of the yuletide where they dropped
the said amount but he rejected”, he revealed
on an Accra-based TV station.
This according to him, this goes to give
credence to the fact that the president is
poised to fight corruption in society and will
go all out to hunt all those who may engage
in underhand dealings.
He indicated that the current president has
shown he is incorruptible which is why
Ghanaians mandated him to govern the
country for the next four years.
The President during his inaugural address on
January 7, 2017 reiterated his resolve in
fighting corruption in the system stating “If
your goal in coming into government is to
enrich yourself, then doesn’t come. Go to the
private sector. Public service is going to be
exactly that; public service!”

He directed such persons who want to dip
their hands into the public purse to rather find
their way to the private sector because when
he is voted as President, he will jealously
guard public funds.
According to him, he is not against any
individual who wants to make money but “if
that is your goal, stick to the private sector;
don’t come into the public service.”
He hinted that he will create an office of
Special Prosecutor in Ghana’s public space to
ensure accountability.
The Special Prosecutor will be charged to fight
against corruption.
Persons who will serve in this special office
will not be chosen by the President but “by a
formula that will ensure their independence
and the capacity to do their work.”

We’ll respond to NDC in equal measure – NPP warns

Nana Obiri Boahen, Deputy General Secretary
of the NPP
The New Patriotic Party (NPP), has questioned
the morality of the main opposition party, the
National Democratic Congress (NDC) in
condemning post-election violence and
takeover of state entities, some of which
reportedly led to assault on NDC members.
The NDC at an earlier press conference
accused President Akufo-Addo and the NPP
leadership of allowing their supporters to
unleash mayhem on its members and innocent
Ghanaians, following their electoral victory.
But at a press conference organized by the
NPP today, [Wednesday], the Deputy General
Secretary of the NPP, Nana Obiri Boahen,
chronicled similar incidents perpetrated by the
NDC when they also came to office in 2009.
“It is most shocking to have Mr. Kofi Portuphy
lead the charge against the NPP about
seizures. The NDC National Chairman was one
of the principal persons who masterminded or
conducted to use foot soldiers who descended
on state institutions and facilities. In 2009,
Mr. Portuphy led the NDC to physically take
over NADMO and impose himself on NADMO
until the late President Mills formally
requested him to take over. Indeed, Mr.
Portuphy was the one who signed the
dismissal letter of Mr. Asiedu Akrofi. That is
the nature and character of the person who
now is charging the heat from his nostrils on
the shoulder of Ghanaians and he wants the
rest of us to keep mute over his own lack of
morality.”

We’ll respond in equal measure to NDC
Nana Obiri Boahen further said the NPP will
respond in equal measure if the NDC tries any
act of violence.
He also urged the NDC to accord the
president the maximum respect.
“As for Kofi Portuphy, Asiedu Nketia and Koku
Anyidoho and their gang, we shall caution
that from now on, if they throw mud on the
president in whom we unprecedentedly,
overwhelmingly, majority Ghanaians reposed
their confidence in, we will pay them back in
equal measure. Enough is enough; the rains
must fall on their ravings and ranting…The
NDC indeed wants the nation to show respect
to former President Mahama and so they,
must also show respect to Nana Addo Dankwa
Akufo-Addo,” he added.

Kennedy Agyepong names 3 top former government officials to soon be jailed

Kennedy Ohene Agyepong names heads of
public institutions could soon be hauled
Kennedy Ohene Agyepong, New Patriotic Party
(NPP) firebrand has emphatically stated three
heads of public institutions could soon be
hauled before the courts and thrown into jail
for engaging in alleged underhand dealings
while in office.
Amongst them include the Director of Social
Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT)
has a new Mr Ernest Thompson and Kingsley
Kwame Awuah-Darko, Managing Director of
Bulk Oil Storage and Transport (BOST).
“People have been arguing with me when I
speak but the evidence is enormous that I
don’t know where to start from. I am emphatic
based on the documents we have. If we don’t
punish these people for their wrong doings,
NPP officials will come and do same and
Ghanaians will vote against us.
Maverick Politician and lawmaker for Assin
Central Constituency in the Central region, has
promised to release a tall list of various
heads of public institutions involved in shady
deals under the erstwhile NDC administration.

He advised them brace themselves for the
biggest exposé in the coming days insisting
that he will not sit aloof and allow them go
home to enjoy the loot from state coffers.
Speaking during a live discussion on an
Accra-based Television station, he disclosed
that some of these heads appointed by the
outgone administration may appear as angels
but if the havoc they have wrecked the
country’s economy is made public it will shock
Ghanaians to the bone.
“The documents are here and we shall be
interrogating them in the coming days.
Ghanaians will be shocked when details of
these documents are made public. They will
see the havoc these NDC appointees have
wrecked the economy of the country which
Nana Addo must struggle to build”, he
disclosed.

The life of Nana Afia Serwaa Ampem II, the 13th Asantehemaa Late Nana Afia Serwaa Ampem II

A true offspring of the Royal Lineage of the
Oyoko Clan of Kumasi, Nana Afia Kobi S??
waa Ampem II, was born in 1905 in Kumasi to
Nana Yaa Birago (Nana Yaa Bakani), the
daughter of Nana Akua Afriyie (Akua Dehye?),
whose mother was Nana Afia Kobi I,
Asantehemaa from 1857 to 1880, after whom
she was named. Nana Yaa Birago’s sister was
Nana Akosua Oheneafr?wo, who gave birth to
Nana Ama S??waa Nyarko (the
12thAsantehemaa) and Nana Akua Akyaa
Mansa, whose son was Otumfuo Opoku Ware
II (the 15thAsantehene).
The father of Nana Afia was Oheneba Kwadwo
Afodo? I. He was Asamponghene who reigned
from 1901 to 1973. He hailed from Achiase
and was a son to Otumfuo Mensa Bonsu,
Asantehene from 1874 to 1883.
Nana Akua Afriyie (Akua Dehye?) had an older
sister, Nana Yaa Akyaa, from the same
mother, Nana Afia Kobi I, Asantehemaa, who
also gave birth to Nana Akua Abakoma, Nana
Konadu Yiadom, 11th Asantehemaa,
1917-1944, Otumfuo Agyeman Prempeh I and
others. Nana Akua Abakoma also gave birth
to Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman Prempeh II,
Nana Akosua Banieh and others.
Birth
Nana Afia was born in a small room on a
bright morning without the traditional birth
attendant. Her birth was heralded by an
unusual incident of cocks jumping up and
down with outstretched wings and continuous
crowing. A traditional priest blessing her
foretold that she would attain an unusual
longevity.
The birth of Nana Afia took place nine years
after the exile of Otumfuo Agyeman Prempeh
I, alias Nana Kwaku Duah III, by the British,
first to Elmina, then to Freetown, and
eventually in 1900 to the Seychelles Islands.
The exiling of the King and other Royals
resulted in the Oyoko Royals being scattered
all over the Kingdom. This eventually affected
Nana Afia, her mother, and her siblings. They
stayed at Mmada in a shrine-house until King
Prempeh I returned to Kumasi in 1924. They
then went first to stay at the Akwamuhene’s
Palace at Asafo and then later to the Manhyia
Palace, till Nana Afia moved to live with a
stool wife of the Asantehene called Oheneyere
Nana Afia Fookuo.
With a smooth dark complexion, Nana Afia
grew beautifully and physically strong. She
manifested virtues of humility, submission
and hard work. In line with the prevailing
climate that Royals should not go to school,
she did not have the privilege of a classroom
education, but was fully educated in matters
of behavior, culture, hygiene, self-help, and so
on. Her speciality was cooking various Asante
dishes, such as siwe?, ?t?, adibia-nkyene-
wom, apapransa, mf?ho, and b?soa. These
were mouthwatering starters that she served
her guests before they were invited to the
main meal.
She was ushered into womanhood through the
performance of the bragor? ceremony when
she reached the age of puberty.
Even at that time, Nana believed in
cleanliness of the body and clothing and
surroundings as a veritable mark of a true
cultured person. These traits singled her out
as an Asante woman throughout her 111
years on earth.
Through her first marriage to Opanin Kofi
Fofie of Besease, near Atimatim in the Kwabre
District of Ashanti, she was blessed with three
children – Nana Ama Konadu (popularly
called Nana Panin, still alive, late Barima
Kwabena Poku, and late Nana Ama S??waa
(alias Nana Ketewa or Eno Ama).
One of quite a few remarkable incidents in the
life of Nana Afia was that it took the
intervention of a traditional priest to make her
deliver Nana Ama Konadu safely and easily.
Celebration of second marriage
Her second marriage was with Ohenenana
Kwame Boakye Dankwa who hailed from
Kentinkyiren in the Atwima Kwanwoma District
of Asante. Ohenenana Boakye Dankwa
succeeded his father, Nana Kwaku Duah
(Agari) as Brahyiahene, in charge of
Otumfuo’s gun carriers and was also the
grandson of Nana Kwaku Duah I, Asantehene
from 1834-1867. The marriage which
produced two sons, Barima Akwasi Prempeh
of blessed memory and Barima Kwaku Duah
(the present Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu
II), had the full support of Otumfuo Sir Osei
Agyeman Prempeh II, her brother. It is said
that after the birth of Barima Akwasi
Prempeh, Nana Afia was contemplating to
seek divorce but Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman
Prempeh II advised against it. Nana Afia
listened to her brother and conceived Barima
Kwaku Duah.
The day Nana Afia called on her brother to
present Barima Kwaku Duah, the child wet
Otumfuo’s cloth, whereupon Otumfuo Sir Osei
Agyeman Prempeh II tapped the child’s head
three times whilst saying ‘Kra tumi, Kra tumi,
Kra tumi, wo aba a tena ase’, literally meaning
‘Powerful soul, powerful soul, powerful soul, I
wish you long life’ and prophesying that this
young boy would be great one day, specifically
that one day he would sit on ‘Banwoma so’.
Nana Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem II cherished
her relationships with her paternal relations,
especially Oheneba Mensa Bonsu, Hiahene,
who took special care of Barima Kwaku Duah,
the last child of Nana Afia Kobi S??waa
Ampem II (now Otumfuo Osei Tutu II,
Asantehene) and trained him, on the
instructions of Otumfuo Sir Osei Agyeman
Prempeh II to be capable of excelling in most
standards of human life during his youth.
Others were:
Late Eno Ama S??waa, sister of Oheneba
Mensa Bonsu (Hiahene) and paternal sister of
Nana Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem.
Late Oheneba Osei Bonsu, her nephew and
Managing Director, Timber and Transport
Company Limited.
Nana Akua Ampem-Fa of Kokoben in the
Atwima Nwabiagya District.
Late Nana Krapa-Enam of Atwima Boko.
Nana Ama Agyeman, Hiawuhemaa.
She also had inumerable companions who
included:
Late Nana Yaa Amponsah of Oheneba
Atipinhene’s Palace – Kumasi.
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Late Nana Akua Mansa of Nsuta-Asante.
Late Nana Ama Akyemponmaa I,
Ahenenanahemaa of Sika Dwa.
Late Nana Ama Dapaa, Apagyahemaa.
Nana was such a model of sterling traditional,
cultural, moral, social and religious character
traits that when the Asantehemaa, Nana Ama
S??waa Nyarko II, died, Otumfuo Opoku Ware
II had no hesitation whatsoever in selecting
her as the 13thAsantehemaa in 1977, at the
age of 72.
Rare qualities
Nana Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem II exhibited
rare qualities of humanity, friendship, love,
and justice as a human being. She was a
woman who loved her children exceedingly
well but never excluded other members of the
royal family and outside the royal family from
her kindness as the Mother of the Asantes.
Biologically, she was the mother of Otumfuo
Osei Tutu II whom she judiciously selected as
King of Asante, as it was her duty, when
Otumfuo Opoku Ware II, who had made her
Asantehemaa, passed away.
As Asantehemaa, she saw to it that neither
Otumfuo Opoku Ware II nor Otumfuo Osei
Tutu II discriminated in their munificence to
members of the royal family and others. If it
is the duty of a natural mother to advise her
son who is in a big position of responsibility,
it is even more the case for Nana Hemaa to
advise the King as the cultural mother. This
duty Nana Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem II
performed to an extraordinary degree. She
encouraged her sons, supported them in the
good things they did, advised them on the
right path, and bore their sorrows and joys,
their triumphs and frustrations. She brought
her tremendous wealth of wisdom to bear on
the traditional rule of her sons, Otumfuo
Opoku Ware II and Otumfuo Osei Tutu II.
There is no doubt that because Otumfuo Osei
Tutu II followed the wise counsel of a devoted
mother in the double sense of biological birth
and cultural exigency, it became possible,
after his enstoolment as King of Asante, to
become known as “King Solomon.”
Special Day
Through the urging of Nana Afia Kobi S??waa
Ampem II, a special day was set aside, during
the 15th Anniversary Celebration of Otumfuo
Osei Tutu II’s enstoolment, for Ahemaa of
Asante. But interesting enough, Ahemaa from
Denkyira (Central Region), Akyem (Eastern
Region) and the Volta Region also came,
which helped to give the occasion a national
character.
Nana Hemaa was the Life Patron of Ghana
Women Initiative Foundation established by
Dr. Esther Ocloo and others. The functions of
the Foundation were to encourage education
of girls, the empowerment of women,
inculcation of good traditional and moral
values for women etc.
Even though she was of royal blood, Nana
Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem II was never
boastful. She pointed out what was wrong
and what was right to those concerned.
Right from her infancy, she never dressed up
immodestly, and since her enstoolment, she
was renowned for her exemplary hard work
and industriousness.
It should be recalled that before she became
Asantehemaa, Nana Afia had passbooks with
UAC, CFAO, UTC, with which she engaged in
the sale of cloth and other trading activities.
She also dealt in the sale of lumber which was
supplied by her nephew, Oheneba Osei Bonsu
of T.A.T. fame.
As a young girl, she served ungrudgingly her
senior relatives. These included her
predecessor, Nana Amma S??waa Nyarko. In
her early years, a prophetic statement had
been made that she and her son would in the
future hold responsible positions in society.
Although Nana Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem II
was a woman of culture to the core, she was
also a convinced Christian. At the age of 22,
she was baptized and confirmed in the
Anglican faith at St. Cyprian’s Anglican
Church in Kumasi. This was in 1927, three
years after the return of King Agyeman
Prempeh I from the Seychelles Islands in
1924.
The name given her, Mary Afful, was a
corrupted form of Afodo?, her father’s name.
She enrolled in the Good Shepherd Society of
the Church and held on to her faith. Until her
death, she was a communicant. The Anglican
Clergy of St. Cyprian’s Cathedral frequently
said Mass for her and her son at Manhyia
Palace.
Her second husband, being a Catholic, asked
that her two children to be baptized in the
Catholic Church, and it happened that it was
the present Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of
Kumasi, the Most Reverend Peter Kwasi
Sarpong, who baptized Barima Kwaku Duah,
the present Asantehene.
Kumasiman, Asanteman and Ghana hail you,
Nana Afia Kobi S??waa Ampem II, as an
embodiment of what is best in Ghanaian
womanhood. You had a tremendous sense of
discipline.
You would not succumb to political pressure
to influence your choice of the King of Asante.
You were blessed with the old age of 111,
during which you never completely lost any of
your senses – taste, smell, sight, hearing and
touch.
You had a colossal memory and sharp mind
which, right up to your passing away, did not
diminish. You were able to remember people,
places, events and occurrences, and you
remembered them with amazing ease and in
incredible minute detail.
God, your Creator, even while you were still
alive, had shown satisfaction in your
performance as Ohemaa. Go to your Mother
Mary. She will conduct you to her Son, and
her Son will introduce you to your great
ancestors of Oyoko at Asamando!
NANA, DA YIE!

Opuni will go to jail – Ken Agyapong vows

Kennedy Agyapong
New Patriotic Party Member of Parliament for Assin Central, Kennedy Ohene Agyapong says he will personally ensure that former Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD), Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni, is put behind bars.
According to him, Dr Opuni presided over corruption during his tenure and believes this affected cocoa production in Ghana, hence he must be exposed and jailed to serve as a deterrent to others.
“Opuni will go to jail and I will make sure he pays dearly for his crimes. If we refuse to jail him, Ghanaians will vote against us in the next four years and so we need to get corrupt officials like him away from the country” he said.
Mr Kennedy Agyapong was speaking on Adom TV’s Morning Show “Badwam” Tuesday. President Akufo-Addo, in a letter dated January 12, 2017, and signed by the Executive Secretary to the President, Nana Asante Bediatuo, directed Dr. Opuni to vacate his post pursuant to section 14(1) of the Presidential (Transition) Act, 2012 (Act 845).
Hon Kennedy Agyapong argues that Dr Opuni may have been removed from office, but his "deals" had cost the country dearly and therefore “it is time we make him pay for his bad deeds”.
Mr Kennedy Agyapong further alleged that the COCOBOD boss sneaked into his office and started shredding documents believed to be fishy contracts he signed while in office to cover up from the incoming transition team.
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“Opuni went to his office on Tuesday at 1 am and started shredding documents.
He again went there on Wednesday at 2 am to do the same thing and I will expose him. Why is he doing that, is it because he knew he would be sacked” he quizzed.
"What he forgot was that he already took a snap shot of those documents and we will deal with him drastically” he declared.

Marriage therapists say these 6 things can slowly kill a marriage

Forget about infidelity or lying to your
spouse about your finances: there are
other, less-talked behaviors that are just as
destructive to a marriage ― and you and
your partner are probably guilty of some of
them.
Below, marriage therapists share six
behaviors that can silently kill a marriage.
1. You don't maintain friendship outside
the marriage
Spending time together as a couple is
important, but don’t let your friendships
fall to the wayside in favor of yet another
night of takeout and Netflix. It’s unrealistic
to depend on your S.O. to fulfill all your
socialization needs; giving each other
space by heading out for girl’s night out or
a meetup with the guys could do your
marriage some good, said Ryan Howes,
a psychologist in Pasadena, California.
“It’s so important for both of you to build
and sustain friendships with others,” he
said. “Through your friends, you can gain
other experiences, perspectives and support
that may actually enhance your
relationship. You have to have confidants
outside the relationship.”
2. You underestimate the need for touch
If you rarely reach out and touch each
other ― or have reached the point where
you only have “special occasion
sex” (birthdays, anniversaries and
vacations) ―it may be time to address the
elephant in the bedroom: You’re well on
your way to a sexless, passionless
marriage, said Debra Campbell, a
psychologist and couple’s therapist in
Melbourne, Australia.
“You don’t have to be having sex every
day, but some kind of near-daily sexual or
erotic acknowledgement is important in
relationships,” she said. “It might be the
slightest touch; it’s not always about
orgasms and getting hot and sweaty.”
In a long-time relationship, Campbell said,
partners need to remind each other that
they’re still wanted.
“You need to know that nobody else in your
partner’s life is their chosen lover or
compares to you.”
3. Your couple friends are a bad influence
While it’s important to maintain close
friendships, surrounding yourself with
the wrong type of friends could negatively
affect the health of your relationship,
said Laura Heck, a marriage and family
therapist in Salt Lake City, Utah and the
creator of the online couples therapy
series for Better.
“Your friend’s actions are actively
influencing your marriage, whether you
realize it or not,” she said. “In private, do
your friends complain or vent their
frustrations about their partner? Do your
friends flirt or hit on others behind their
partner’s back? Bad relationships and
boundaries are toxic and are actively at
play in changing your own habits.”
On the other hand, surrounding yourself
with married people who practice healthy
boundaries can benefit you and your
partner, Heck said.
“​You need to take inventory of the
relationships in your inner circle and be
intentional about how you choose to allow
these relationships to influence your
mindset, for better or for worse,” she said.
4. You don't help clean up around the
house
When your spouse is responsible for the
lion’s share of the laundry and cleaning,
it’s bound to create resentment and hinder
your connection. In fact, a 2015 study from
the University of Alberta found that
couples who didn’t split chores had less
relationship satisfaction and less sex than
couples who divvied up their chores.
As Howes has seen firsthand, the question
of who’s tidying up may not be a big issue
at the start of a relationship but it tends
to become a major point of contention
later on.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re the clean one or
the messy one, what matters is whether or
not the clean partner can flex and the
messy partner can clean up once in a
while,” he said. “Resentments can build
over time so it pays to have an honest
discussion about your priorities regarding
the orderliness of your home.”
5. You don't sit down and talk about your
relationship
Thoughtful, engaging communication ― not
just “how was your day, babe?” and “what
are our plans this weekend”? ― is essential
for love to last, said Liz Higgins, a
Dallas, Texas-based couples therapist who
works primarily with millennials.
“Having intentional conversations about
your relationship means asking deeper,
more open-ended questions: ‘What did we
do well at as a couple today?’ ‘What is
something I did today to contribute to our
relationship?’ ‘What is something I can do
for you?’ ‘When did you feel the most
connected with or loved by me today?’”
Higgins explained.
Broaching these kinds of conversations
may feel a little awkward at first, but over
time, you’ll see the value.
“I encourage the couples I work with to
implement time once a week to come
together and talk solely about their
relationship,” she said. “Once you start,
you’ll notice it often bypasses the need to
get defensive, angry or disconnected with
one another.”
6. You feel more and more like roomates
Roommate syndrome is a silent but
common relationship killer, Heck
said. When you’ve reached roommate
status, you feel like you’re living parallel
lives, connected only through your shared
space, bank accounts and kids.
“When you’ve fallen into the lock-step of
living as roommates, you must be very
intentional about shaking up your routine
and bringing back the fire and passion to
the relationship,” Heck said.
To inject some novelty into the
relationship, Heck recommends couples
make a concerted effort to spend time
together by working on a passion project
as a team.
“It needs to be something both partners
have energy and excitement around,” she
said. “Maybe it’s flipping and remodeling a
home, starting Crossfit together, finally
take that RV out on the weekends or
learning to cook vegan. Figure out what
works for the two of you and then do it.”

Exercises to Increase Breast Size Naturally and Fast

Can chest exercises help women increase
breast size fast and naturally at home ?
Breasts are considered as the most
important part of women’s attraction,
but not all women have big breasts,
just a few lucky women have desirable
size.
The big question is “how do women
deal with the small size“? There are
many ways for them to increase breast
size, but just a few of them are safe
and natural without side effects!
According to researches from surveys,
women will choose the fast way to
increase breast size. However, making
breast size grow fast can cause some
problems. Some choose cosmetic
surgeries or “breast enlargement pills”
which can cause side effects later on.
Other opt for natural breast massaging
methods, combining with exercises.

According to statistics, eating healthy
food containing rich estrogen, applying
natural breast massaging techniques
and doing exercises can help increase
breast size fast, and naturally without
facing side effects!
Some Useful Exercises That Help
Increase Breast Size Safely, Fast and
Naturally at Home
Here are 6 effective exercises that help
increase breast size naturally, safely
and fast at home:

1. Wall Press
One of the most effective chest
exercises is Wall Press. The exercises
help you increase the breast size safely
and quickly at home without side
effects. In addition, this is natural
method so that it will not cause any
danger to health. By doing the
exercises regularly and daily, you can
reach the desirable goal easily and
quickly. However, make sure that the
standard poses should be correct if you
want to get the best results. This type
of exercise requires you to stand in
front of a wall, put your hands against
it, and do the same process of push-
ups, but make sure it focuses only at
chest. In addition, you should repeat
the process several times (about 15 to
20 times).
Doing this exercise can also help you
strengthen your shoulder and your arm
muscle. Therefore, you will have good
shape of body easily and naturally.
This exercise doesn’t cost you anything
but a small amount of time and effort
per day.
2. Palm Pressing
If you want to strengthen your
pectorals, you should think about Palm
Pressing. This type of exercise can be
considered as best suited for women at
all ages who want to enlarge breast
size and build chest muscles. The
process of this exercise is simple; you
just need to push your palms against
each other when having your hands in
front of your chest. Repeat the process
several times (up to 20 times); and this
requires you to practice daily if you
want to have the best results.
3. Elbow Extension Exercises
The Elbow Extension Exercise will allow
you to increase your breast size with
maximum results by extending your
elbows as much as possible. This
exercise requires you to repeat the
movement 15 to 2o times if you want
to get the best results. Make sure you
do the exercise at least four times per
week or 1 time per 2 days.
The process is quite simple. You just
need to put your arms in front of you,
gently extend your elbows behind you
as much as possible, and then return to
the starting position. Remember that
you should repeat the process slowly
and concentrate on your breathe.
4. Dumbbells Chest Press
Dumbbells Chest Press is one of the
most common exercises loved by many
women. This gives you the best chance
to increase your breast size naturally
and quickly without spending much
effort. The exercise is also considered
as one of the most effective breast
enlargement exercises after push-ups.
To do this exercise, you need
equipment to support you. In the
picture, you can see that dumbbells and
a bench are needed for the exercise.
Lying down on the bench with your feet
on the ground in 90-degree angle is the
standard pose that you should know.
Once you are at the right position, you
can begin to press up with dumbbells in
each hand. Don’t forget to repeat the
process slowly to get the effectiveness.
By bending the elbows, lowering the
arms down, and pressing the
dumbbells, you will be able to increase
the size of the breasts effectively.
If you get this exercise done regularly
and properly, you will see the results
immediately. Doing exercise will help
you create a good chance for the new
tissue in breasts to grow. Therefore,
your breast size will be increased.
The exercise requires you to repeat
several times within 25 minutes. 10
times per week are necessary to get the
best results.
5. Adapted Push-ups

Traditional push-ups will require you to
spend lots of efforts completing the
process. However, not all women can
do well with this type of exercise. You
will be easy to be tired after trying for
several times. Your power should be
durable to help you maintain the
process. In this case, adapted push ups
will be your best choice to replace with
the traditional one. You can do as
many push ups as you want until you
are tired. This brings you with better
results for breast enlargement.
What you need to do during the
process is to maintain your body in
proper pose. Make sure your arms are
straight, and your body is close to the
ground. Repeat the movement up to 20
times, and take a short rest before you
repeat the process. You must do this
exercise at least 4 times per week to
get the best results. This exercise is
considered as one of the easiest breast
enlargement exercises loved by women.
6. Arm Circles

It will be easy for you to work with this
type of exercise. You don’t have to
spend much time and effort with this
exercise. However, although the
process of the exercise is simple, you
can stimulate your breast tissue grow
effectively. It means the exercise will
stimulate the production of new tissue
in the breasts which will help you
increase your breast size effectively
and naturally. Make sure it is done
properly. Extend your arms with light
weights in each hand. This should be
at your shoulder level; and then make
circles. Repeat the movement at least
15 times. Once you feel tired in your
muscles, you will start to see results.
This is considered as one of the easiest
breast enlargement exercises that every
woman can do daily.
Conclusion
For beginners, they should be patient
with the steps and guides in order to
get the best results. These exercises
require you to do properly and regularly
with nutritious meals. You need to
spend a certain period of time doing
these exercises if you want to see
effective results. However, if you don’t
see the results immediately, don’t lose
your will. Patience is needed in these
exercises. Don’t go for breast implants
methods or dangerous pills because
you can encounter some side effects
later!
Because these exercises natural, they
don’t give you “miracle result” in short
time. In addition, asking advice from
doctors is needed if you want to get
the best results.