February 26

NO. 100656 MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 PRICE: GH¢2.00 

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

• Queenstar 

Pokua Sawyerr, 

Agona East MP 

•Philip Akpeena 

Assibit 

•Abuga Pele 

• Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman 

Nuhu Sharubutu (seated L) and the 

delegates from Nigeria 

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GA-027-0054

02 

CONTENT 

DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 

DAILY QUOTE 

The first step toward success is 

taken when you refuse to be a 

captive of the environment in 

which you first find yourself 

— Mark Caine 

ANNIVERSARIES 

06 March, Independence Day 

30 March, Good Friday 

02 April, Easter Monday 

Published by: EIB 

Network / Heritage 

Communications Ltd. 

Managing Editor: 

William Asiedu: 

0208156974 

Editor: 

Kofi Enchill: 

0265653335 

ISSN: 0855-52307 

VOL 7 

Location: Meridian 

House (Starr FM) Ring 

Road. Box AD 676, 

Adabraka, Accra,Ghana. 

Telephone: +233-0302- 

236051, 020-8156974 

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Fax: +233-0302-237156 

Email: 

news@dailyheritagegh.com.gh 

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www.dailyheritage.com.gh 

WORLD 

Children 'forced to 

watch rape' in South 

Sudan 

POLITICS 

Decriminalise 

Libel 

– MFWA urges 

Prez Weah 

BUSINESS 

PG.04 

MTN Ghana recognised 

as 

outstanding customer 

by ECG 

SPORTS 

PG.11 

GAHA releases 

2018 league 

fixtures 

PG.10 

PG.15 

Chief Imam’s office 

petitions Minister 

BY BENJAMIN TANDOH 

THE OFFICE of the 

National Chief Imam, 

Sheikh Dr Osman 

Nuhu Sharubutu, has 

petitioned the Ministry 

of Interior to 

protest against the approach they 

are using to fight Fulani herdsmen 

in the country. 

According to them, using radical 

means to end the frequent clashes 

between the herdsmen and members 

of some communities in the 

country was not the best way. They, 

thus, urged the government to 

come up with a more peaceful approach. 

The spiritual leader of the Muslim 

community further called on 

the Fulani Society, especially the 

herdsmen, to obey the laws of the 

community in which they find 

themselves. 

This, the Chief Imam explained, 

will help reduce the frequent 

clashes between the herdsmen and 

locals of the community. 

Speaking to the press on behalf 

of the Chief Imam when a delegation 

from the Fulani Community in 

Nigeria paid a courtesy call on the 

Chief Imam, Alhaji Ridwan Abass, 

Chief of Fadama reiterated the 

need for Ghanaians to live in harmony 

and maintain the peace and 

order in the country. 

•Over attacks on Fulani herdsmen 

• Chief Imam, Sheikh Dr Osman Nuhu Sharubutu (seated L) and the delegates from Nigeria 

Alhaji Abass expressed displeasure 

over the frequent clashes between 

the two groups, and pleaded 

with the Fulanis to desist from any 

violent act, even if they are provoked. 

He advised them, to go through 

the right process to express their 

challenges and worry, saying, “The 

police are there to protect all of us, 

so I urge them to report their cases 

to the police rather than retaliating.” 

He disclosed that the meeting 

with the delegates was to find the 

best solution to end the clashes, as 

well as to call on the spiritual head 

of the Muslim region in the country 

to intervene. 

“They heard this message that 

there is a very serious chaos happening 

in Ghana where soldiers are 

killing Fulanis and their cattle in the 

bush and that is why they sent the 

delegation here. 

“The Fulanis shouldn’t overreact 

which will make them break the 

laws of the country, but they 

should know how to go about it 

when they have a problem,” he said. 

Also speaking at the gathering, 

Alhaji Muhammadu Kirowa, National 

President, Miyetti Allah Cattle 

Breeders Association, Nigeria, 

expressed concern about the 

“killing of cattle in the country.” 

He said the Fulani community is 

known for peace, hence the need for 

his people to leave in peace with the 

people in the community. 

“We condemn these atrocities and 

are obliged to stand by you in solidarity 

in your desire to seek worldwide 

attention towards bringing an end to 

this barbaric show of power on defenseless 

Fulanis in the Ghana,” he 

said. 

Alhaji Kirowa further mentioned 

that they were ready to sit with the 

leaders and law makers to dialogue on 

the best way forward. 

“I have come here to sit with 

them and tell them to sit with the traditional 

leaders of the communities 

and the leaders of the government to 

explain our work to them and see 

how best we can bring peace,” he told 

the press.

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 


To accomplish great things, we 

must not only act, but also dream, 

not only plan, but also believe. 

GYEEDA ROT: 

—Anatole France 

Jailed Assibit to 

appeal sentence 

BY MUNTALLA INUSAH 

muntalla.inusah@dailyheritage.com.gh 

THE FORMER National 

Coordinator 

of the Ghana 

Youth Employment 

and Entrepreneurial 

Development 

Agency ‘GYEEDA’, Mr Abuga 

Pele and businessman, Philip 

Akpeena Assibit have been sentenced 

to share 18 years jail term 

for defrauding the State. 

Mr Assibit, who was the Project 

Coordinator of Goodwill International 

Group and 

Management Development and 

Productivity Institute, was sentenced 

to 12 years for defrauding 

the State by false pretense and 

three years for six counts of dishonestly 

causing financial loss to 

public property. Both are to run 

concurrently, so he will serve the 

highest which is 12 years. 

Mr Pele, a former Member of 

Parliament (MP) for Chiana-Paga 

in the Upper East Region who 

was charged with two counts of 

abetment to wit defrauding by 

false pretense was handed six 

years for abatement and four 

years for five counts of willfully 

causing financial loss to the State. 

Both are to run concurrently, 

so he will serve the highest which 

is six years. 

Court’s considerations 

The Financial and Economic 

Division of the High Court, 

presided by Mrs Afia Serwah 

Asare- Botwe, said it took into 

consideration the fact that the accused 

persons when given the 

opportunity to plea for mitigation 

were “remorseless and unrepentant.” 

It also said, the convicts 

though were first time offenders, 

• Abuga Pele to spend 

six years in prison 

were not young people, but elderly 

statesmen who should not 

have conspired to loot the State 

and therefore ought to face punitive 

measures that would deter 

others. 

The 52-page judgement ordered 

the State to recover from 

the convicted persons any property 

valued at $1.9 million equivalent 

to GH¢ 3.3 million. 

We’ll appeal 

But, lawyers of the convict 

have indicated their willingness 

to file a notice of appeal as early 

as this week. Lawyer for Mr Assibit, 

especially, Kweku Paintsil, 

told the DAILY HERITAGE 

that he had been instructed by 

his client to appeal the conviction 

and also apply for bail, 

adding that the State which 

had the burden of proving 

its case was selective 

in presenting evidence to 

the Financial Court. 

“The prosecution was 

specifically accused not 

only by one witness but 

by two or three witnesses 

of deliberately hiding evidence 

from the court. If the 

prosecution has a good case 

why withhold evidence from the 

court?” he asked rhetorically. 

According to him, even the 

judge conceded that proceedings 

were adjourned to allow the 

lawyers of the accused and the 

state to negotiate a plea bargain, 

but they were not offered that 

opportunity. 

•Philip Akpeena 

Assibit 

•Abuga Pele 

“You cannot ask a lawyer to confer 

with the client in the glare of 

the court and come out with anything 

reasonable in five minutes," 

he expressed disappointment. It 

is as good as admitting the conviction. 

Even if we decided 

to refund the entire 

amount, the judge will still 

go ahead to sentence 

them.” 

No contract 

In her 52-paged judgement, 

the court said, a purported 

Memorandum of 

Understanding signed between 

then National Youth Employment 

Programme and the then 

Chief Executive Officer of 

Goodwill International Group 

could not be described as a contract 

of consultancy service. 

The court said the document 

presented as evidence of work 

done by Mr Assibit had gaps in it 

and looked unfinished with references 

made from the European 

Union as if Ghana was in Europe. 

Touching on whether Mr Assibit 

had secured 65 million dollars 

funding from the World 

Bank as he claimed for which 

reason he demanded to be paid 

GH¢ 826 million, the court said 

per all documents before it from 

the World Bank, no such money 

was secured as at September 

2011 when Mr Assibit insisted he 

had secured that amount. 

The court also found as false 

his claim that, he Assibit had recruited 

250 youth and prepared 

an exit plan as ordered by World 

Bank to organise tracer studies. 

On whether his actions 

amounted to defrauding (had intent), 

the court found that the 

Prosecution proved the counts of 

defrauding by false pretence 

against Mr Assibit; he was accordingly 

convicted. 

Abuga Pele 

After citing many authorities 

on whether he (Pele) abetted the 

crime of defrauding by false pretence, 

the court said Prosecution 

had proved his guilty of two 

counts of abetting to commit 

crime. 

On whether there was an intention 

to willfully cause financial 

loss to the State, the court said it 

was convinced and had no doubt 

that GH¢ 3.3 million had been 

lost by the State. 

The court, thus, found Abuga 

Pele guilty of willfully causing financial 

loss to the State. The 

court found the former GY- 

EEDA coordinator guilty of 13 

counts ranging from abetting to 

committing crime of willfully 

causing financial loss to the State.

Inside February 26, 2018 .qxp_Layout 1 2/23/18 8:00 PM Page 3 

•Mr Barnaby Joyce has repeatedly denied 

breaching ministerial standards 

Australia's Scandal-hit deputy PM to resign 

BARNABY JOYCE says he will 

resign as Australia's deputy prime 

minister following a politically 

damaging saga that began with 

his affair with a former staffer. 

Mr Joyce said he would step 

down on Monday as leader of 

the Nationals, the junior government 

partner. 

He had previously resisted 

calls to quit amid intense scrutiny 

over his ministerial conduct. 

He described his decision on 

Friday as a "circuit-breaker" for 

his family and new partner, with 

whom he is expecting a baby in 

April. 

"This current cacophony of 

issues has to be put aside," he 

told reporters. 

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull 

issued a statement shortly 

after thanking Mr Joyce for being 

"a fierce advocate for rural and 

regional Australia”. 

Rumours of an affair started 

to spread after Mr Joyce and 

Vikki Campion, his former media 

adviser, were photographed together 

at a bar in Sydney in February 

2017. BBC 



Children 'forced to watch 

rape' in South Sudan 

CHILDREN IN 

South Sudan have 

been forced to 

watch their mothers 

being raped and 

killed, the United 

Nations (UN) says. 

A report by UN human rights investigators 

says that 40 officials may 

be individually responsible for war 

crimes and crimes against humanity. 

It says civilians have been tortured 

and mutilated, and villages destroyed 

on an industrial scale. 

Conflict between government 

factions has continued in South 

Sudan despite a peace deal signed in 

2015. 

Of the 40 senior officials identified 

as potentially responsible for 

atrocities, five are colonels and three 

are state governors. 

The UN says the testimony gathered 

from survivors is "devastating", 

including some people being forced 

to rape family members "in cases 

reminiscent of Bosnia". 

One woman said her 12-year-old 

son was forced to have sex with his 

grandmother, in order to stay alive. 

The same woman also saw her husband 

being castrated. 

Another man saw his companion, 

a man, gang raped and left for dead 

in the bushes. 

"Sexual violence against men in 

South Sudan is far more extensive 

than documented", says the head of 

the Commission on Human Rights 

in South Sudan, Yasmin Sook. 

"What we see so far is likely just 

the tip of the iceberg." 

Another survivor, a pregnant 

woman in Lainya County, says she 

saw suspected opposition supporters 

being detained, tortured and then 

decapitated by SPLA fighters. BBC 

•In December women from South Sudanese rights groups marched in protest at the suffering 

women and children face 

World news in 4 stories 

•A Congolese refugee 

stands outside the UN office 

with her children 

Congolese refugees killed 

in Rwanda protests 

FIVE REFUGEEs from the 

Democratic Republic of 

Congo have been killed during 

a protest over a cut in 

food rations in Rwanda. 

The deaths came after 

three days of a sit-in protests 

outside the United Nations' 

refugee offices in the capital 

Kigali. 

Thousands of people had 

walked almost 15km (10 

miles) from the Kiziba 

refugee camps to the offices 

on Tuesday, angry at the cut 

in food aid. 

The World Food Programme 

(WFP) has been 

forced to cut the amount it 

gives refugees twice in the 

last six months. 

The first cut of 10% came 

in November, followed by 

25% in January. 

Earlier this week, the UN 

refugee agency, UNHCR, 

said it had been forced to 

make the hard decisions because 

"humanitarian operations 

in Rwanda remain 

severely underfunded". 

On Thursday afternoon, a 

smaller group "armed with 

stones, sticks and metal projectiles" 

allegedly assaulted 

officers brought in to intervene, 

Rwandan police said in 

a statement today. 

They said seven officers 

were injured. 

Police responded with tear 

gas, the statement added, and 

20 refugees were hurt. Five 

have since died, the statement 

said. Another 15 were arrested. 

BBC 

Syria war: Ghouta pounded as UN tussles over ceasefire 

THE UNITED Nations (UN) Security 

Council is struggling to 

agree a resolution seeking a ceasefire 

in Syria as a rebel-held area 

has been bombarded for a sixth 

day. 

Russia wanted changes to a 

draft that calls for a 30-day calm to 

allow for aid deliveries and medical 

evacuations. 

Western diplomats have accused 

Russia, Syria's key ally, of 

stalling for time. France said failure 

to act may spell the end of the 

UN itself. 

Activists say 426 people in the 

Eastern Ghouta have been killed 

this week. 

Warplanes maintained the 

bombardment on Friday, witnesses 

said. Douma and Hamouriyeh 

were among areas hit. 

Diplomats have announced 

that the UN Security Council will 

vote on the resolution in New 

York at 11:00 (16:00 GMT), but 

did not say whether a deal with 

Russia had been agreed. 

Western powers suspect that 

Moscow wants to give Syria time 

to deal a final blow to rebel forces 

in the rebel-held enclave on the 

edge of Damascus. 

The United States, the United 

Kingdom (UK) and France have 

called for the resolution to be approved 

without delay. UN special 

envoy Staffan de Mistura said a 

truce had to be followed by immediate, 

unhindered access to the 

Eastern Ghouta. BBC 

•Already overwhelmed hospitals are struggling to cope with 

the influx of casualties



Products with Chinese labeling still flood our markets 

IN PAST editorials we have had 

cause to complain about labeling 

on some products in Ghana written 

in Chinese language. 

Our checks indicate that there 

are still many products scattered 

across various markets that have 

labeling in foreign language such 

as Chinese. 

Clearly, some importers still appear 

to be having a field day because 

the Ghana Standards 

Authority (GSA) is not doing 

enough to ensure that bogus products 

are not imported into the 

country. 

Though it is the responsibility 

of the GSA to impress upon importers 

to strictly adhere to standard 

label requirements on goods 

imported into the country, many 

products with Chinese labeling 

have flooded the market. 

Some products have labeling 

written in languages that consumers 

do not understand. In 

some cases biscuits and even medicines 

have labeling not written in 

English but in ‘strange’ languages 

that do not make sense to the consumer. 

In the case of Ghana, the labeling 

requirements are that the 

product must have the labeling 

written in English detailing the 

name of the product, dates of 

manufacture and expiration, list of 

ingredients if it is food or medicine. 

Other requirements that importers 

must adhere to are storage 

condition, instructions or directions 

for use, name and address of 

manufacturer, country of origin 

and characteristics of the goods. 

But, there are many products in 

many of our stores that have labeling 

which are not comprehensible, 

hence exposing the consumers to 

the danger of taking in unwholesome 

products. 

The DAILY HERITAGE 

holds the position that the time 

for the GSA to enforce the laws to 

the letter is now. 

Currently, there are too many 

products on the market that have 

labeling that nobody understands. 

The GSA must therefore get to 

work and turn the tide. 

Minority MPs console 

family of late Super OD 

MINORITY 

MEMBERS 

of Parliament 

(MPs) 

have consoled 

the 

family of late comedian, Asonaba 

Kwaku Darko, known in 

showbiz as Super OD. 

The MPs, presented cartons 

of canned soft drinks, boxes of 

mineral water and undisclosed 

amount as the caucus’ contribution 

towards the one-week 

observation of the late member 

of the famous Osofo 

Dadzie Drama Group. 

The legislators also promised 

their full participation in 

the funeral. 

The delegation comprised 

Agona East MP, Queenstar 

Pokua Sawyerr, Kintampo 

South MP, Felicia Adjei and 

Obom Domeabra MP, Sophia 

• Queenstar Pokua Sawyerr, Agona East MP 

Akuoko. 

Others included Kpando 

MP, Dela Sowah, Biakoye MP, 

and Ampim Nyarko, MP for 

Asuogyaman. 

The MPs were accompanied 

to the Agona Swedru residence 

of the late comedian by constituency 

executives and sympathisers 

from Agona East and 

West constituencies. 

Super OD died at the age of 

82 after battling sickness for 

some time. 

He was the key actor in the 

then Osofo Dadzie Drama 

Group that held the entire nation 

spellbound on Sundays in 

the 70’s and 80’s on Ghana Television. 

The family communicated 

to the Legislators that the One- 

Week observation of his passing 

will take place on Friday, 

March 2.


06 

View DAILY 

HERITAGE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 


African Pentecostalism 

encourages laziness 

BY NANA BRAM OKAE II 

T 

here is this perception 

in Ghana that 

religion or spirituality, 

(let me put it that 

way), has taken the 

centre stage of our 

lives and for this reason many 

things that happen are ascribed to 

spirituality and not explained in 

real physical terms. 

Spiritual reason 

A 79-year old person dies and 

there is a spiritual reason given for 

it; one would have thought that the 

death of a 79 year old person 

would rather call for celebration as 

the person has passed the 70-year 

mark believed to be ordained by 

God. So also is there a spiritual 

reason for a 30 year old who dies; 

never mind whether he is a sickle 

cells anaemia patient or not. 

There is always a spiritual reason 

given for motor accidents in 

this country but we don’t question 

the excessive speed at which most 

of our drivers go so they lose control 

when an obstacle crosses their 

path. 

Mental illness 

Somebody has a mental illness 

and instead of taking the person to 

a medical facility for proper diagnosis 

and medication, the person is 

taken to a prayer camp where the 

illness grows from bad to worse. 

This is because the pastor of the 

prayer camp has no medical idea of 

what is afflicting the person and 

believes saying prayers only will 

bring about healing of the mentally 

challenged person. This will not 

work. 

Another person is observed losing 

weight by the day. His or her 

relations tell him/her that it’s the 

devil at work for which reason he 

or she must seek spiritual intervention 

immediately. So, he or she is 

taken to a ‘powerful’ pastor and 

the condition doesn’t get better. In 

fact, it gets worse. 

Diabetes 

A member of the family suggests 

that the person should be 

taken to the hospital for the doctor 

to examine him. And lo and behold, 

when tests are run, it is discovered 

that the person has 

diabetes and hypertension, a condition 

that has nothing to do with 

the devil. 

The expression: ‘Your life will 

never be the same if you come for 

prayers’ as heard from the mouth 

of bishops, founding overseers, 

apostles, pastors and what-haveyou, 

is mistakenly believed by 

gullible Ghanaians to mean that 

hard work is not the answer to 

problems. 

Lazy 

Many Ghanaians have been 

made to believe that going to 

church premises twice or more a 

day and saying prayers at the top of 

one’s voice will bring about miraculous 

answers to problems. They 

therefore become lazy and rely 

only on prayers for solution to 

their problems. 

People throng to churches and 

prayer centres in anticipation of a 

quick fix to their financial problems, 

their marital problems, their 

work place problems and many 

other problems, including social. 

To their dismay and disappointment 

however, nothing significantly 

happens to their lives and 

because the pastor keeps on urging 

•Congregants in prayer mood 

them, they keep hope alive that 

they may have their break-through 

sooner or later through prayers. 

Miracle 

This miracle will not happen. 

You will only get impoverished if 

you visit the pastor everyday. You 

part with money any time you call 

on the pastor and any time you attend 

church service. 

This should tell you that you are 

adding to the swelling of the wallet 

of the pastor any time you do this 

while reducing the size of your 

own wallet. 

You may have realized that the 

church you attend founded by a 

single individual has a very magnificent 

edifice and up-to-date musical 

instruments and well decorated 

interior. 

Several cars 

You may also have realized long 

ago that your pastor/founder has 

several cars, some of which were 

bought brand new. His wife also 

has cars and each of his children 

who have attained their majority 

also has their personal cars. 

Have you stopped to ask for 

one moment where the pastor got 

money to buy all those things? 

You see, it’s the collective contribution 

of all the members of the 

church that has made it possible 

for the pastor to do all these 

things. The church building is even 

registered in his name and so when 

he dies it devolves on his children. 

Therefore, never take it literarily 

if a pastor says ‘if you come to me, 

your life will never be the same.’ 

It’s an attempt to woo you to the 

I’m afraid African Pentecostalism is not encouraging followers to 

work hard as espoused by Jesus, our Lord. Rather, it’s encouraging 

followers to look up to the pastors for miracles which never 

materialize while at the same time fleecing the congregants for 

their unacceptable personal life styles and opulence. 

church to part with your money 

and make him richer and richer 

while you get depleted. 

Salvation 

You must rather look for salvation 

and that is what the Bible says. 

And that is what Christianity is all 

about and not riches. 

Christianity 

Christianity is about the teachings 

of Jesus Christ as recorded in 

the Bible. That is to say, a Christian 

must mandatorily be a scrupulous 

adherent or follower of the teachings 

of Jesus Christ and such a 

person must subscribe to everything 

Jesus said or taught. Anything 

short of this is unchristian. 

Many people have formed their 

own churches and are doing exactly 

the opposite of the teachings 

of Christ. Jesus Christ abhorred 

the use of the church for commercial 

purposes but in our day and 

age, the church is the commercial 

house where the name of Christ is 

used to fleece money from gullible 

and unsuspecting church members. 

Advise yourself, dear reader; 

salvation lies in your own hands 

and not in the hands of any pastor 

who will lure you to sow seed or 

part with money to make life better 

for himself and his family. 

Hard work 

Jesus Christ likes hard work as 

illustrated in the Parable of the 

Talents. The person who had 5 talents 

turned things around and had 

them doubled. The one who had 3 

talents also traded with them and 

doubled the stakes. 

But the one who had the least 

talent dug the earth and hid it there 

and reproduced it when the master 

returned from his trip, without 

working with it. He is a lazy person 

whose attitude to work Jesus Christ 

used to admonish us. 

Jesus Christ says if you are a 

lazy person and you do work to 

earn money for yourself and family 

the little that you have will be 

taken away from you and those 

who have more by dint of hard 

work will have more added to 

theirs. 

I’m afraid African Pentecostalism 

is not encouraging followers to 

work hard as espoused by Jesus, 

our Lord. Rather, it’s encouraging 

followers to look up to the pastors 

for miracles which never materialize 

while at the same time fleecing 

the congregants for their unacceptable 

personal life styles and opulence. 

Achimota Forest 

Take a stroll to the Achimota 

Forest at noon everyday and you will 

see crowds of people coming out of 

the Forest after prayers—working 

hours. Why have they put their petty 

trading and other jobs aside on 

working days to pray for miracles? 

I live in a place where several 

churches abound. On several occasions 

members go on prayers-spree 

morning, noon and night neglecting 

anything they can do to bring bread 

and butter to the table for their families. 

Prayers without hard work will 

bring disaster to anybody who indulges 

in that. And African Pentecostalists 

should know this and stop 

fleecing the flock.


Three common signs of nits infestation 

NITS are tiny brown insects that live in human 

hair. Signs of head lice infestation include itchy 

heads and finding tiny white eggs in your hair. 

Nits are blood-sucking parasites that live in 

human hair. 

They are easily spread, and can be difficult 

to remove. 

Itchy scalps 

Head lice feed on human blood to survive, 

and bite into the scalp. Their saliva and faeces 

make the scalp itch. Some people may not experience 

itchiness, but could still be infected, it 

warned. 

Finding live head lice on the scalp 

The best way to find out if you’re infected 

with head lice is to look directly into the scalp. 

Often, patients can physically see the lice in 

their hair. 

White eggs 

Female lice live for up to 40 days, during 

which time they can lay more than 100 eggs. 

They attach their eggs to hairs close to the 

scalp surface. The eggs are yellow or white, and 

the size of a pin head. They take seven to 10 

days to hatch, and the new lice can then lay 

more eggs after about seven days. 



&Env. 

Does your child have head lice? 

HEAD LICE 

are a normal 

part of life 

and there is 

nothing to be 

embarrassed, 

worried or ashamed about. 

Head lice are very common 

in young children and are usually 

picked up from head-tohead 

contact. 

They can be difficult to spot, 

but when you do see them, they 

appear as grey-brown insects 

about the size of a sesame seed. 

Head lice eggs can also indicate 

an infestation - these appear 

yellow, brown or white and 

are often empty shells attached 

to the hair. 

So how can you spot head 

lice, what’s the right treatment 

and how can you make sure to 

get rid of them for good? 

Head lice expert Ian Burgess 

has revealed the nitty-gritties of 

why children may experience 

head lice for over a month. 

Itchy scalp 

It is important to remember 

that an itchy scalp is not always 

a sign of head lice. Make sure 

you check the hair thoroughly 

as specks of dandruff or dirt 

can sometimes be mistaken for 

an active infestation. 

Make sure you look closely 

at the hair to detect tiny eggs 

attached to individual hair 

strands. They may be dead or 

hatched eggs from an old infection 

and will remain attached to 

the hair unless physically removed. 

The creamy-yellowish 

eggs are laid close to the scalp 

and blend in, but after hatching 

they appear white making them 

more prominent as the hair 

grows out, so if a child has had 

head lice in the past the dead 

While you may think you have 

tried every trick in the book to 

get rid of the infestation, there 

are several reasons you and 

your child to will itch. Here’s 

how to get rid of them for 

good: 

eggs can be mistaken for a return 

of a head lice infestation. 

You should only use a head 

lice treatment once you have 

combed the hair from scalp to 

tip and found the six-legged, 

wingless insects. 

Some parents have been 

known to use mayonnaise, 

olive 

oil, raw 

eggs 

and 

vinegar 

to 

get rid of 

head lice, but 

there is no evidence 

to show that these remedies 

work to eradicate lice. 

There is a huge amount of incorrect 

head lice information 

online which gives worried parents 

misplaced confidence in 

ineffective methods. When they 

follow this advice, head lice are 

allowed to spread further and 

quicker. 

The key to killing lice and to 

truly eliminate an infestation is 

to use a clinically proven nonpesticide 

treatment or protection 

spray, carefully following 

the instructions and repeating a 

week later if instructed. It is 

then vital to check the hair 

every week for signs of re-infestations. 

Ensure you choose a nonpesticide 

treatment which will 

work by smothering the lice and 

either stripping them of their 

waxy coating, causing them to 

dehydrate, or disrupting their 

ability to manage water. 

Try a treatment containing 

dimeticone or octanediol as 

they work physically to kill lice 

that come into contact with 

them when the hair is 

saturated with product. 

Because 

they 

•Head lice are very common in 

children and are usually picked up 

from head-to-head contact 

don’t 

rely on 

poisoning 

to work this 

means that there 

is theoretically no 

chance for the head lice to 

build up a resistance. If you are 

unsure about treatment options, 

speak to your pharmacist. 

There are various head lice 

treatments on the market today, 

with different methods of use, 

which can become confusing if 

you are trying out a new treatment. 

Ensure you read the instructions 

carefully as each 

product is different. 

One of the common reasons 

why head lice survive after 

treatment is because the product 

has not been used and applied 

in a correct manner. 

Always remember to read the 

packaging and follow the instructions 

carefully. 

When you use treatment 

do you remember to: 

Apply it all over? It is important 

to apply the right amount 

of treatment straight onto hair, 

ensuring you cover the whole 

head and full length of hair. 

Work it in? A good tip is to 

use a comb or fingers to ensure 

the hair is covered from root to 

tip. The hair must be fully saturated 

with product to ensure 

every louse is smothered. 

Leave it? One of the most 

important and crucial tips to 

follow when using treatment is 

to leave it in the hair for the 

recommended amount of time. 

Wash out? Some treatments 

require you to wash hair as normal, 

but some require you to 

apply shampoo before wetting. 

Repeat? Some treatments require 

you to repeat the same 

process several days later, so 

even if you believe the infestation 

has gone after the first 

treatment, this step must be 

completed. 

A head lice infestation can 

spread rapidly, making it important 

for parents to work 

proactively with their child’s 

school to avoid re-infestations. 

Regular hair inspections 

and use of clinically 

proven preventive treatments 

is the best way to keep bugs at 

bay, remember once a week, 

take a peek. 

Impetigo is a highly contagious 

skin infection that causes 

red sores. Anyone can get it, 

but it can also be the result of a 

head lice infestation. Using this 

treatment method for nits can 

reduce the chance of an impetigo 

rash and banish head lice 

and eggs at the same time. 

Express.co.uk 

Impetigo is a highly contagious skin infection that causes red 

sores. Anyone can get it, but it can also be the result of a head 

lice infestation. Using this treatment method for nits can reduce 

the chance of an impetigo rash and banish head lice and 

eggs at the same time

spread_Feb 26 2018.qxp_SHOWBIZ TEMP 2/23/18 8:01 PM Page 1 

News 

DAILY HERITAGE, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 


Akyemansa 

District Assembly 

battles teenage 

pregnancy 

BY KOJO ANSAH 

THE AKYEMANSA District 

Assembly in the Eastern Region is 

calling for the support of Non- 

Governmental Organisations and 

child right activists to help the 

district curb the alarming teenage 

pregnancy in the district. 

The Akyemansa District topped 

teenage pregnancy cases in the 

Eastern Region in 2016. 

The district recorded 445 teenage 

pregnancy cases which represented 

18% of all pregnancy cases recorded 

in the district during the year under 

review 

In 2017, the number of teenage 

pregnancies increased to 488 

representing 20.6% of pregnancy 

cases recorded in the district. 

The Akyemansa District Health 

Director, Madam Gifty 

Sunu, worried about the menace, 

has called on traditional rulers, 

Ghana Education Service (GES) 

and the District Assembly to join 

the health directorate to find 

solution to the problem. 

“We need stakeholders onboard, 

if we want to fight the high rate of 

teenage pregnancy in the 

Akyemansa district, let’s talk about 

the traditional authorities we have in 

our communities, when they come 

together to set up by-laws that will 

prevent men impregnating these 

young girls, there should be some 

laws put in place. 

“They district assembly they also 

have a key role to play, Ministry of 

Education or GES they have key 

roles to play, the National 

Commission on Civic Education, all 

have to come onboard.” 

The District Chief Executive 

(DCE) for Akyemansa, Mr Paul 

Asamoah said teenage pregnancy 

menace had become a burden on 

the district, hence some 

interventions are needed. 

“During our previous assembly 

meetings we realised that we have to 

stamp our foot down and push 

some of these things into our by - 

laws so that we can enforce them to 

stop some of these things. Some 

parents when their children below 

16 years are impregnated, they go 

and sit with the person to settle 

such criminal matter amicably in the 

house so we want to stop all these 

things,” he stated. 

Family planning has been 

suggested as emergency option, but 

the DCE said the teenagers are not 

showing interest in any of 

the family planning services 

available despite education by the 

health directorate. 

“We need 

stakeholders 

onboard, if we 

want to fight the 

high rate of 

teenage pregnancy 

in the Akyemansa 

district, let’s talk 

about the 

traditional 

authorities we 

have in our 

communities, 

when they come 

together to set up 

by-laws that will 

prevent men 

impregnating 

these young girls, 

there should be 

some laws put in 

place.” 

Surveyors appeal to govt for a Council 

BY PAUL AMPONG-MENSAH 

THE PRESIDENT of 

the Ghana Institute of 

Surveyors, Mr Edwin 

Addo-Tawiah has 

revealed that currently 

the Institute does not 

fall under any government agency to 

regulate its activities. 

Speaking to the press at the 

opening ceremony of the 13th 

Surveyors' Week and 49th Annual 

General Meeting, the president said 

“as it stands now, we as a professional 

body can't touch anyone who works 

as a surveyor but is not a member of 

the institute. 

"As we are waiting for government 

to come out with a Council, we have 

also submitted a Bill (Survey Council 

Bill) to Cabinet to be sent to 

Parliament for passage.” 

According to him, currently any 

foreigner could come to Ghana to 

practice as a surveyor without 

supervision which is not done in 

other countries, “so this Bill when 

passed will allow the Ghana Institute 

of Surveyors to monitor and regulate 

the services of foreign surveyors in 

the country.” 

He said the Institute is looking 

forward to be considered by 

government in terms of 

infrastructural development so that 

they could offer advice on corrupt 

practices. 

Mr Addo-Tawiah urged the 

government to attach local surveyors 

to contractors whether foreign or 

local because the Institute has three 

divisions-land surveyors, quantity 

surveyors and valuation surveyors. 

Penplusbytes engages Gender 

Ministry on Social Policy Brief 

NOTWITHSTANDING 

SUCCESSES chalked in the area of 

scope, financial inclusion and 

programme delivery improvement for 

the Livelihood Empowerment against 

Poverty Programme (LEAP) and the 

Ghana School Feeding Programme 

(GSFP), there still remain genuine 

questions about programme impact, 

sustainability and how citizens can 

add their voice to the effective 

implementation of the selected social 

intervention policies. 

Penplusbytes under its twoyear 

‘Tech Driven Social 

Accountability for Results’ project has 

deployed new digital tools, which has 

enabled citizens in the two project 

districts – Ashaiman (Greater Accra 

Region) and Ellembelle (Western 

Region) to actively monitor and 

provide feedback on how the selected 

social intervention policies are being 

implemented in their communities. 

Feedback collated from citizens’ 

monitoring using digital tools and 

offline means have informed the 

policy brief that the project team 

from Penplusbytes presented in a 

roundtable discussion with officials at 

the Ministry of Gender, Children and 

Social Protection. 

Findings from the monitoring data 

indicate that the increment of cash 

transfers by 24.9% across board 

between 2013 and 2017 has indeed 

contributed to cushioning the social 

safety net for beneficiaries of LEAP 

in all 216 districts across Ghana. 

However, the main risk to the 

programme sustainability is weak 

fiscal performance, considering the 

dwindling donor grant over the years. 

LEAP has also impacted positively 

•Edwin Addo-Tawiah, President and CEO of the Ghana Institute of Surveyors 

•Otiko Afisa Djaba, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection 

on access to National Health 

Insurance Scheme, school enrolment 

and non-consumption expenditure, 

among others. GSFP has recorded 

some meaningful impacts on school 

enrolment and attendance for both 

sexes, albeit the evidence of its 

impact on performance, 

concentration and discipline is 

checkered. 

Another key finding on the GSFP 

was the fact that caterers were indeed 

sourcing their food stuff from local 

farmers; however, these farmers were 

said to be unable to meet the capacity 

requirements of caterers. Although it 

is not clear whether the capacity 

shortfall is quantitative or qualitative, 

or both, it clearly points out a 

bottleneck in the agricultural supply 

chain that needs immediate attention. 

According to Penplusbytes’ 

Programmes Director, Jerry Sam, 

“the policy brief ultimately affirms 

that indeed without provision of high 

quality health and education services, 

citizens’ aspiration to be free and 

enjoy the dividends of an open 

society will be impossible.” 

Recommendations from the brief 

which are grouped under Policy 

Innovation; Data Management 

Capacity and Community Buy-in are 

expected to help advocate for 

reforms where necessary in social 

protection policy making, by directly 

capturing the needs of citizens and 

document lessons learnt on social 

accountability in Ghana. 

The two-year ‘Tech Driven Social 

Accountability for Results’ project, 

which is being funded by the Open 

Society Initiative for West Africa 

seeks to equip ordinary citizens with 

usable information via online 

platforms mashed-up with social 

media and mobile based platforms to 

promote their purposeful 

participation in demanding 

accountability and responsiveness 

from decision makers for effective 

public service delivery. 

Cracks in New 

Juaben South 

NPP deepen 

BY KOJO ANSAH 

THE KOFORIDUA Circuit 

Court 'B' has granted bail to 

the four accused persons 

including New Juaben South 

Organiser of the New 

Patriotic Party arrested for 

allegedly attacking and robbing 

the constituency secretary, Mr 

Isaac Adjabeng. 

The four accused - Obeng 

Manu, constituency organiser, 

Alex Owusu (Gunta), Rolland 

Opoku Sarkodie alias 

Woadoski and Justice Peter 

Afful alias Oboo Yanki all 

pleaded not guilty to charges 

of conspiracy to commit 

robbery and robbery. 

They have been granted bail 

of GH¢ 100,000.00 with two 

sureties each to reappear in 

court on March 21, 2018. 

The Prosecuting Officer, 

Dickson Donkor, narrated to 

court last Wednesday that the 

accused persons both residents 

in Koforidua, on Sunday night 

attacked the complainant who 

is the New Juaben South 

constituency secretary while 

asleep. 

He said the accused 

persons tied both hands and 

legs, assaulted him and took 

away two mobile phones, GH¢ 

4,000.00 and a polling station 

register. 

He said Police 

investigations led to the arrest 

of one of the accused persons 

who mentioned his 

accomplices including the 

constituency organiser who 

•The suspects 

allegedly hired them. 

They were subsequently 

arrested by the New Juaben 

Municipal Police. Meanwhile, 

Police are searching for two 

other accomplices. 

Party supporters and 

heavy security in court 

There was heavy security 

presence in court as about 30 

armed SWAT Police personnel 

took over the court during the 

appearance of the accused 

persons. 

Scores of party 

supporters from the 

constituency thronged the 

court to sympathise with the 

constituency organiser. 

They want the matter to be 

settled internally by the 

regional executives of the 

party since it is a party issue. 

The attack has been linked 

to confusion and attacks which 

had characterised both the 

polling station and the yet-tobe 

held constituency elections; 

however the Police say it is 

treating the issue as a criminal 

matter. 

The party in the 

constituency has been divided 

along two factions -the 

incumbent Member of 

Parliament, Dr Mark Asibe 

Yeboah faction and Michael 

Kofi Okyere Baafi, Chief 

Executive Officer of Ghana 

Free Zones Board who had 

been widely tipped by most 

supporters of the party to be 

their 2020 parliamentary 

candidate.


23TH 

FEBRUARY 

2018 

FRIDAY 

CURRENCY PARIS CODE BUYING SELLING 

US Dollar USDGHS 4.3600 4.5100 

RATES Pound Sterling GBPGHS 

6.1200 

6.3100 

Euro 

GBPGHS 

5.4000 

5.5600 

10 

DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

MTN Ghana recognised as 

outstanding customer by ECG 

MTN GHANA, 

the leading 

telecommunication 

company in 

Ghana has been 

acknowledged 

by the Accra East and West divisions 

of the Electricity Company 

of Ghana (ECG) as an outstanding 

and loyal customer for its 

promptness to the settlement of 

its bills. 

The presentation was made on 

two separate occasions by the 

management of the two divisions 

in appreciation of its major stakeholders 

ahead of ECG’s 50th anniversary 

celebration. 

At a brief presentation ceremony, 

Mr Maxwell Dapaah, the 

Commercial Head of Accra East 

•Mrs Pala Ofori Asiedu & MTN Finance team receiving the award 

from ECG Accra West 

ECG, indicated that ECG had 

identified a number of its top performing 

clients to honor and further 

build a stronger relationship 

with them. He went on to share 

information about some measures 

being put in place to ensure accountability 

for large energy consuming 

organisations. 

“MTN is a huge energy consumer 

and with the growth of 

digitisation, we are putting in 

place measures which will enable 

you follow up on your daily consumption 

of electricity; this way 

the charges will be transparent 

and more credible,” said Mr Dapaah. 

Mrs Pala Asiedu Ofori, the 

Acting Corporate Services Executive 

of MTN who received both 

delegations at MTN House, expressed 

her gratitude to the Accra 

ECG for acknowledging MTN as 

a major stakeholder in their operations. 

“We are honored to be acknowledged 

by both East and 

West Divisions. We strive at being 

excellent in our operations and indeed 

grateful for the acknowledgements 

from both divisions.” 

The teams from ECG Accra 

East and West were made up of 

the heads for Commercial, Technical 

Human Resources, and Public 

Relations. 

MTN and ECG used the occasion 

to share ideas on how the expectations 

of both organisations 

will be met and other new areas 

for possible partnership. 

Govt to strengthen E-Payment systems – Bawumia 

BY KENT MENSAH 

VICE PRESIDENT Dr Mahamudu 

Bawumia has reiterated government’s 

interest in further strengthening the 

development of electronic payment 

system infrastructure in Ghana as it 

has the potential to lessen the burden 

of tax and fees payments, especially by 

businesses and the general public. 

He explained that making the 

process of payment of taxes and fees 

less cumbersome, for instance, would 

encourage and enable more people to 

pay up from wherever they may be 

without going through any hassle to 

do so. 

“We need basic applications to 

make tax payment easy,” Dr Bawumia 

said. He therefore commended institutions 

that are spearheading the evolution 

of digital and mobile payment 

system infrastructure in the country. 

He further noted that Ghana has the 

talent and skills in the country to innovate 

transformational solutions. 

The Veep made these pronouncements 

when a delegation of the Management 

of Guaranty Trust Bank 

(Ghana) Limited, the 2017 Digital 

Bank of the Year award winner, led by 

the Managing Director, Mr Lekan 

Sanusi paid a courtesy call on him in 

his office at the Flagstaff House to apprise 

him on efforts the bank is making 

in the development of the 

electronic banking and e-payments 

services space in the country. 

Responding to Mr Sanusi’s brief on 

the various e-channels GTBank has 

deployed to both public and private institutions 

in the country to bring convenience 

to the doorsteps of the 

paying public, Dr Bawumia stated that 

government was interested in moving 

the country towards a cashless society 

and has therefore initiated a programme 

of payment and other systems 

interoperability such as the 

paperless port, electronic national 

identification card and the Ghana Post 

Address GPS initiatives. 

“In the area of payment system interoperability, 

government is putting in 

various pieces of the puzzle, so what 

you are bringing is another piece towards 

completion of the puzzle.” He 

commended GTBank for proposing 

various solutions in the IT space that 

could further strengthen the development 

of payment system infrastructure 

in the country, especially “when it 

would be developed by the bank’s 

Ghanaian staff and come at no cost to 

•Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia (4th L) with Management 

of Guaranty Trust Bank (Ghana) Limited 

government,” as pledged by the GT- 

Bank team. 

Other members of GTBank’s 

Management Team who accompanied 

the Managing Director included Company 

Secretary and Divisional Head of 

General Internal Services, Ms. Iris 

Richter-Addo; Divisional Heads in 

charge of the bank’s business at Spintex 

and Tema area, and Technology, 

Mr Nelson Ofosu and Leopold Armah 

respectively; and Group Heads for Energy 

and Mining, Corporate Affairs 

and Private Banking, Mr Atchulo Yahaya, 

Mr Ben Ackah-Mensah and Ms. 

Constance Quist respectively. 

The Bank is a subsidiary of Guaranty 

Trust Bank Plc, one of the foremost 

banks in Nigeria with a Triple A 

rating; the first indigenously owned 

sub-Saharan bank to be quoted on the 

London Stock Exchange. In 2008, 

GTBank Plc became the first new generation 

indigenous African bank to obtain 

a banking license to carry out fully 

fledged commercial banking activities 

in the United Kingdom. 

Over the last 12 years of operations 

in Ghana, GTBank has become a 

household name, a safe and strong 

bank and a trail blazer in the innovation 

of efficient electronic channels to 

enable its customers to carry out banking 

transactions from wherever they 

may be, without having to visit the 

banking hall. 

In 2017, the bank was awarded the 

‘Best Digital Banking – Ghana 2017’ 

by Capital Finance International (CFI), 

United Kingdom, publisher of the 

reputable cfi.co, a business, economics 

and finance magazine. 

Also for four years running, GT- 

Bank has been adjudged the ‘Technology 

Advanced Bank of the Year’ in 

Ghana, thereby cementing its undisputed 

lead in the use of technology to 

make banking easy and convenient for 

its customers and the general public. 

It was also named the ‘Digital Bank 

of the Year’ and ‘Best Bank in Mobile 

Financial Service’ in recognition of the 

various platforms and channels deployed 

to enhance banking on the go 

and provide convenience to customers 

of the bank and even non-customers. 

At the 2017 CPI Financial’s Banker 

Africa – West Africa Banking Awards, 

GTBank swept five prestigious awards 

namely; ‘Most Innovative Bank in 

West Africa,’ ‘Best Online Platform – 

Ghana,’ ‘Best Commercial Bank, West 

Africa,’ ‘Best Commercial Bank in 

Ghana’ and ‘Best Corporate Bank, 

Ghana’.



DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 11 

Politics 

Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, 

where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is 

made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to 

oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor 

property will be safe — Frederick Douglass 

Decriminalise Libel 

– MFWA urges Prez Weah 

FEBRUARY 22, 2018 

marked one month of 

George Weah’s assumption 

of office as 

President of Liberia, 

having secured 61.5% 

of the presidential run-off votes 

against then outgoing Vice President, 

Joseph Boakai. 

The peaceful conduct of the 

polls, coupled with Vice President 

Joseph Boakai’s gracious concession, 

is another milestone in 

Liberia’s post-war efforts at building 

a democratic and tolerant society. 

What is even more reassuring 

is President Weah’s pledge at his 

inauguration to govern by consensus 

and ensure prosperity for all 

Liberians by tackling corruption. 

The Media Foundation for 

West Africa congratulates 

(MFWA) and its partner organisation 

in Liberia, Centre for Media 

Studies and Peace-building while 

congratulating His Excellency 

George Weah on his election and 

assumption of power and wish 

him success in his proposed anticorruption 

crusade, said a crucial 

ally in the president’s anti-corruption 

crusade is the media and civil 

society. 

Fortunately, Liberia has a Right 

to Information Law and its constitution 

guarantees the right to freedom 

of expression – two 

powerful tools in the fight against 

corruption. 

However, the full exercise of 

these rights has been undermined 

by a flurry of criminal libel and 

civil libel suits that have resulted in 

excessively prohibitive judgments. 

Journalists and media houses have 

been at the receiving end of crippling 

fines, closure or long custodial 

sentences for publishing 

information deemed uncomfortable. 

One of these crippling fines 

was seen in the Rodney Sieh case 

of 2013. In what is arguably the 

most infamous libel judgment in 

West Africa, the Supreme Court in 

Liberia, on August 20, 2013, sentenced 

Sieh, the Managing Editor 

of the FrontPage Africanewspaper, 

to 5,000 years in prison. The 

sentence followed Sieh’s failure to 

pay an equally hefty fine of USD$ 

1.6 million in a civil suit for 

defamation brought by then Minister 

of Agriculture, Chris Toe. 

The journalist was later pardoned 

after he apologised as part of a 

deal to end the case. 

In July 2015, the publisher of 

the Nation Times, Octavin 

Williams was arrested and held in 

pre-trial detention for eight days 

after a criminal complaint by one 

Tony Lawal, a construction mogul, 

who sought US$4 million in damages 

for an alleged defamatory article. 

The journalist has made four 

appearances in court so far. 

On October 7, 2016, Philipbert 

Browne, the publisher of 

Liberia's Hot Pepper newspaper, 

was arrested and jailed without 

trial at the Monrovia Central 

Prison on the orders of a Civil 

Law Court. Brown’s imprisonment 

for libel followed an article he 

wrote which was based on an interview 

with an alleged rape victim. 

The alleged perpetrator of 

the rape, lawmaker Prince Moye, 

had filed a US$1.5 million libel 

lawsuit against Browne together 

with Jah Johnson, the editor 

of Hot Pepper. Alfred Togbah, the 

publisher of The People newspaper, 

which first broke the rape 

story, was also joined in the suit. . 

As Philipbert Browne and Rodney 

Sieh’s cases clearly illustrate, 

judgments of even civil libel cases 

have also been excessively punitive 

in recent times. Crippling fines 

and damages are often imposed, 

and defaulting in payment often 

leads to detentions. The New Democrat, 

Analyst, the Independent 

and the New Broom are 

some of the media organisations 

that have recently suffered excessive 

punishments in civil libel 

suits. 

In November 2017, Tony 

•President George Oppong Weah 

Lawal again sued Joel Cholo 

Brooks, the publisher of the 

GNN Liberia online newspaper 

for libel. The businessman is demanding 

US$10 million in damages 

in connection with a series of 

investigative reports by Brooks in 

which he alleged that the businessman 

was involved in some dubious 

road construction deals. 

The harassment of media owners 

and journalist with criminal 

prosecutions and prohibitive fines 

in civil cases has led to widespread 

self-censorship and weakened the 

media in Liberia. This situation 

has seriously hampered the 

media’s watchdog duties as well as 

the ability of citizens to freely express 

themselves. 

Over the past few five years, 

Liberia’s press freedom landscape 

has consistently been rated as 

“partly free” in the RSF Press 

Freedom Index due to these press 

freedom violations and the difficult 

environment under which the 

media works. 

Before leaving office, President 

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf attempted 

to make some amends by taking 

steps to get criminal libel scrapped 

from the statutes. On July 20, 

2017, the president put before 

Parliament a bill to decriminalise 

libel. The bill sought to amend the 

following repressive provisions in 

Liberia’s criminal code: Criminal 

Libel against the President; Section 

11.12 (on Sedition) and Section 

11.14: Criminal Malevolence 

of the Penal Law of Liberia. 

Unfortunately, the House of 

Representatives could not consider 

the bill before it vacated in 

October 2017. 

It is a credit to Liberia that it 

gave its citizens a legal basis to demand 

accountability by adopting a 

Right to Information law in 2010. 

The country will be equipping itself 

with a set of progressive 

press freedom laws if it successfully 

repeals criminal libel. Such a 

prospect, will be a major boost to 

press freedom in the country. 

We therefore recommend to 

President George Weah to use his 

good offices to ensure the repeal 

of the anti-free speech sections of 

the Liberia Criminal code to give a 

new lease of life to the country’s 

media, thereby enhancing the capacity 

of the media to support his 

anti-corruption agenda and also 

the country’s young democracy. 

Credit: MFWA 

Slow down on your write-ups – NPP MP to Amidu 

BY KWAME ACHEAMPONG 

THE NEW Patriotic Party 

Member of Parliament (MP) for 

Ayensuano, Mr Samuel Ayeh 

Paye has urged Special Prosecutor 

Mr Amidu to slow down on 

his write-ups and commentaries. 

According to the MP, it is important 

that the former Attorney 

General took time to prepare 

and study the ropes of his new 

office considering the huge public 

expectation of him. 

Mr Amidu, who has a penchant 

for responding and opinionating 

on national issues 

through lengthy articles, has 

promised to put a hold on his 

writings as he takes the Special 

Prosecutor job. 

In his latest article however, 

he urged people who believe 

they have not stolen from the 

State to feel free since he would 

ensure their rights. 

“There is no need for any citizen 

to go into exile as some are 

alleged to have done, or to contemplate 

or fear my approval and 

pending appointment as Special 

Prosecutor, so long as that citizen 

has not seriously violated 

any law worth investigating or 

prosecuting in the national interest 

under my remit. 

“The 1992 Constitution protects 

every citizen from capricious 

exercise of discretion and I 

will ensure strict compliance 

with the letter and spirit of the 

1992 Constitution in protecting 

the citizen’s rights and as well as 

any abuse of the public purse.” 

Speaking to Francis Abban 

on the Morning Starr on Thursday, 

the former deputy boss of 

the Driver and Vehicle Licensing 

Authority (DVLA) said he has 

confidence in Mr Amidu. 

“We wish Martin Amidu well 

but he should try to hit slowly in 

the writings and his pronouncements. 

He may have to take his 

time and study the office he is 

appointed to work in. It is my 

wish that Martin Amidu will execute 

his job and do that very 

well,” he said. 

On his part, Tamale Central 

MP Alhaji Inusah Fuseini said he 

believes Mr Amidu would have 

fallen sick if he had not written 

his last epistle. 

“I knew he will write it..if he 

didn’t write it, maybe he would 

have gotten hernia.” 

•Samuel Ayeh Paye, MP for Ayensuano


12 

DAILY 

Politics 


HERITAGE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 

Don’t go into exile 

– Amidu tells looters 

BY MARTIN A. B. K. AMIDU 

THE SPECIAL 

Prosecutor Mr Martin 

A. B. K. Amidu 

has promised to respect 

the rights of 

citizens when he assumes 

office and will not abuse his 

powers. 

In his last letter as ‘Citizen Vigilante’ 

of which he dubbed: ‘Parting 

thoughts as Citizen Vigilante,’ 

the former Deputy Attorney General 

said no one must harbour fear 

over his approval “so long as that 

citizen has not seriously violated 

any law.” 

“There is no need for any citizen 

to go into exile as some are alleged 

to have done, or to 

contemplate or fear my approval 

and pending appointment as Special 

Prosecutor, so long as that citizen 

has not seriously violated any 

law worth investigating or prosecuting 

in the national interest 

under my remit. 

The 1992 Constitution 

“The 1992 Constitution protects 

every citizen from capricious 

exercise of discretion and I will 

ensure strict compliance with the 

letter and spirit of the 1992 Constitution 

in protecting the citizen’s 

rights and as well as any abuse of 

the public purse,” Mr Amidu 

stated. 

Below is the full article: 

The right to criticise a fellow 

citizen, however vigorous, cannot 

be defamatory of that citizen or 

even in contempt of court when it 

is kept within the limits of reasonable 

courtesy and good faith. As 

Lord Justice Salmon said in R v 

Metropolitan Police Commissioner; 

Ex Parte Blackburn at 

pages 155-156: 

“…The criticism here complained 

of, however rumbustious, 

however wide the mark, whether 

expressed in good taste or in bad 

taste, seems to me to be well 

within limits.” 

It is in this spirit that I have 

taken comments and criticism arising 

from my responses to the Appointments 

Committee of 

Parliament at my approval public 

hearing on 13th February 2018. 

Since I met the President on 9th 

January 2018 for a nomination 

confirmation discussion and accepted 

the potential nomination 

for consideration for approval by 

Parliament, I considered myself a 

potential public servant and 

stopped my citizen’s constitutional 

defence activism under Article 3 of 

the Constitution by not responding 

to unconstitutional comments 

and criticisms about my constitutionally 

mandated activities. As I 

put it at my approval public hearing, 

the nomination gagged me 

from speaking or writing in the 

press as a private citizen would. 

Special Prosecutor 

From the moment I take my 

oath of office, I will be a quasi-judicial 

officer enjoined to act impartially 

and independently in the 

execution of my duties. My voluntary 

acceptance to be appointed 

Special Prosecutor imposes upon 

me strict compliance with the 

Code of Conduct and Ethics of 

the legal profession in which I am 

viewed as an officer of the court, 

whether in or outside the court 

room while I remain in office. In 

view of my acceptance, there will 

of necessity be a change in the 

way I will exercise the plentitude 

of my cherished rights as a citizen 

in accordance with Article 3 of the 

Constitution. 

Before then I wish to say my 

response at my approval public 

hearing that some of my articles 

are based on my perceptions and 

opinions does not mean that they 

were not based on fact or reality. 

An in-depth acquaintance with the 

Philosophy and Methods of Research 

will show that perceptions 

and opinions need not be based on 

conjecture or non-facts or illusion. 

Commission of crime 

Those learned in research 

methods and intelligence know 

that my answers were intended for 

the protection of my sources and 

collection methods giving rise to 

the conclusions I arrived at in my 

several articles on corruption and 

abuse of power for private gain. 

Article 3 of the 1992 Constitution 

would be hopeless if constitutional 

activists could not protect 

their sources and collection methods 

of information disclosing 

breaches of the Constitution and 

suspected commission of crime, 

and in particular corruption offences. 

I could not have given facts 

of corruption allegations in my articles 

to a partisan questioner without 

revealing or naming my 

informants and other sources and 

collection methods as a Citizen 

Vigilante. 

Safeguards in the rule of law 

enable investigators and prosecutors 

to use intelligence and sensitive 

law enforcement information 

as evidence, in a manner that protects 

sources and collection methods 

and that maintains the 

suspect’s right to a fair trial. In the 

protection of my sources and collection 

methods as Citizen Vigilante 

under Article 3 of the 

Constitution, I used the words 

“perceptions” and “opinions” to 

stand for the intelligence acquired 

from my sources and collection 

methods; my perceptions and 

opinions were formed from real 

human sources and other real collection 

methods and therefore 

•Martin Amidu 

could not have been based on conjecture. 

Research methodology 

I am writing these parting 

thoughts because the hearing was 

widely publicized, and many viewers 

and readers may not be well 

versed in the philosophy of research, 

research methodology, security 

and intelligence studies, and 

conflict resolution studies. It is 

therefore important to dispel in 

the matter of the debate whether 

perceptions and opinions are necessarily 

based on only speculation, 

or illusion or non-reality or nonfact. 

These parting thoughts are in recognition of the fact that as a 

quasi-judicial officer, after my appointment I will have to behave 

as a justice of the superior court will do and will henceforth be 

unable to answer to several unfounded criticisms. 

These parting thoughts are in 

recognition of the fact that as a 

quasi-judicial officer, after my appointment 

I will have to behave as 

a justice of the superior court will 

do and will henceforth be unable 

to answer to several unfounded 

criticisms. I would have to adhere 

to the admonition of Lord Atkin 

in delivering the judgment of the 

court in Ambard v Attorney General 

[1936] AC 322 when he stated 

at page 335 that: “The path of 

criticism is a public way: the wrong 

headed are permitted to err 

therein: provided that members of 

the public abstain from imputing 

motives to those taking part in the 

administration of justice… Justice 

is a cloistered virtue: she must be 

allowed to suffer the scrutiny and 

respectful, even though outspoken, 

comments of ordinary men.” 

I will also live by the dictum of 

Lord Denning in R v Metropolitan 

Police Commissioner; Ex parte 

Blackburn (N0 2) [1968] 2 QB 150 

at 155 where he said: 

“It is the right of every man, in 

Parliament or out of it, in the 

Press or over broadcast, to make 

fair comment, even outspoken 

comment, on matters of public interest. 

Those who comment can 

deal faithfully with all that is done 

in a court of justice. They can say 

that we are mistaken, and our decisions 

are erroneous, whether they 

are subject to appeal or not. All we 

would ask is that those who criticize 

us will remember that, from 

the nature of our office, we cannot 

reply to their criticisms. We 

cannot enter into public controversy. 

Still less into political controversy. 

We must rely on our 

conduct itself to be its own vindication. 

Exposed as we are to the winds 

of criticism, nothing which is said 

by this person or that, nothing 

which is written by this pen or 

that, will deter us from doing what 

we believe is right; nor, I would 

add, from saying what the occasion 

requires, provided that it is 

pertinent to the matter in hand. Silence 

is not an option when things 

are ill done.” (For the words “a 

court of justice” substitute the 

words “the Office of the Special 

Prosecutor”.) 

There is no need for any citizen 

to go into exile as some are alleged 

to have done, or to contemplate or 

fear my approval and pending appointment 

as Special Prosecutor, 

so long as that citizen has not seriously 

violated any law worth investigating 

or prosecuting in the 

national interest under my remit. 

The 1992 Constitution protects 

every citizen from capricious exercise 

of discretion and I will ensure 

strict compliance with the letter 

and spirit of the 1992 Constitution 

in protecting the citizen’s rights 

and as well as any abuse of the 

public purse.

13 

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 

BY ABIGAIL ASARE 

BJ Z 

drops 

‘Vibes’ 

BY ERICA ARTHUR 

BUDDING 

GHANAIAN 

artiste, Zan Benjamin 

known in 

showbiz as BJZ 

has released a new 

single dubbed ‘Vibes’ produced 

by Eddiebeatz. 

According to him, he started 

his music professionally after 

being encouraged by his cousins 

when they chanced upon a 

music folder on BJZ’s laptop. 

Speaking to the DAILY 

HERITAGE, he said “it was a 

song cover of ‘Closer’ by the 

Chain Smokers and the love for 

the cover was great, I was honestly 

very surprised because I 

didn't think I was that good. But 

people constantly encouraged 

me and with time I gained the 

confidence and here I am.” 

BJZ has four singles and two 

features which are ‘my country’ 

which he featured Adabla ‘Broken 

crayons still colour’ also 

with Cyrus de_vyrus, ‘Closer’, 

‘Baby’, ‘love song’ and the new 

one ‘ Vibes’ produced by Eddiebeatz 

and mastered by 

Flamebeats. 

In an interview the artiste 

said “ ‘Vibes’ is my first professional 

song, the other three were 

done because people after listening 

to my covers wanted to 

hear my own work so I released 

them just so they could hear me 

sing an original piece. I named it 

Vibe because I just felt the song 

puts you in a certain kind of 

mood. So it's a Vibe on its own 

and also the track is about 

‘moving to’ a girl to woo the 

constant ‘vibing’ (wooing) 

throughout the song to win her 

over.’ 

BJZ is inspired by Mr Eazi, 

because of his hard work and a 

massive fan of Maleek Berry. 

His songs are available in all online 

music shops. 

•BJZ, artiste 

Wanlov inspires 

me –Yvng Mena 

BY ERICA ARTHUR 

PROMISING GHANA- 

IAN artiste and Film 

Maker, Emmanuel Kwamena 

Annang also known 

as Yvng Mena has said he 

is inspired by Wanlov the 

Kubolor. 

In an interview with 

DAILY HERITAGE, 

the artiste said Wanlov 

the Kubolor is his inspiration 

due to his hardwork 

and consistency in the 

music industry. 

The artiste, who 

started recording music at 

an early age, was also inspired 

by tunes from 

Kwaw Kese, Tinny, Kontihene, 

Shaggy, Obrafour, 

Last 2 and a few others to 

start his career in music. 

He has close to thirty 

recorded songs and 

signed by YVNG Inc. and 

managed by ILEEN 

WILKE. 

Yvng Mena who produces 

his songs released 

his EP dubbed 57Mena at 

the latter part of 2017. 

The film maker is currently 

shooting a music 

video with a film company 

called 57FLIX. 

Speaking about his two 

line of work, he said “the 

two go along well with 

each other, music needs 

videos to help get the 

message across and films 

also can’t go without 

music. So it is a full package.” 

He admitted that it 

is stressful at times. 

The 23-year-old artiste 

and film maker also takes 

some inspirations from 

Sarkodie, Wizkid, Kanye 

West and other people in 

the music industry. His 

songs are available on all 

online music shops. 

Asking about who his 

competitors are, he said 

“I have respect for anyone 

who is creative and I 

think everyone is an artist 

in their own way. Creativity 

is bringing ideas into 

being. Like something 

unique that didn’t exist 

five minutes ago into 

being. It could be a song, 

painting, picture etc. I try 

to stay away from comparison 

as much as possible 

and rather appreciate 

art and anyone getting 

creative.” 

Strongman out with ‘baby girl’ video 

•Strongman, 

rapper 

RAPPER STRONGMAN 

from SarkCess music fame 

is out with the visuals of 

his new song ‘Baby girl’ 

which he featured Lynx 

Entertainment artiste, 

Kuami Eugene. 

The video was directed 

by Yaw Skyface, the video 

opens with a young lady, 

and then cuts to the two 

artistes. 

Other scenes show the 

two artiste in what looks 

like a warehouse, a nightclub 

and a private residence. 

All of that is an 

attempt to woo a woman 

that they won’t ever leave 

them and they are the love 

of their lives. 

The video is available 

on all music online platforms. 

•YvngMena,artiste / film maker



Berla Mundi wins 2017 

Most Influential On-Air 

Personality on Social Media 

STARR FM AND 

GhOne TV presenter, 

Berla Mundi Addardey 

has emerged 

the 2017 Most Influential 

On-Air Personality 

in the 2017 Ghana Social 

Media Rankings spearheaded by 

Avance Media, CliQAfrica, 

Eazzy Social and Dream Ambassadors 

Foundation GH. 

The ranking which focuses 

on Radio and TV presenters 

had Berla [Mundi] Addardey 

moving from the 2nd position 

in the 2016 ranking to emerge 

the frontrunner beating Naa 

Ashorkor Mensah-Doku of Joy 

99.7 FM. 

Berla Mundi Addardey, who 

also has the highest number of 

followers across Social Media 

(Facebook, Twitter &Instagram) 

numbering over 990,000, also 

recorded the highest number of 

new followers totaling 441,513 

in 2017. 

Following keenly is Naa 

Ashorkor and Jessica Opare 

Saforu who also recorded a total 

following of over 850,000 and 

740,000 followers in 2017. Findings 

from the report also indicate 

Afia Schwarzenegger lost 

the highest number of followers 

in 2017 totaling 231,903 across 

Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

New entrants on the annual 

ranking include: Israel Laryea, 

Abeiku Santana and Amanda 

Jissih on the 6th, 7th, and 9th 

positions respectively.Below are 

the 2017 Top 10 Most Influential 

On-Air Personality on Social 

Media: 

1. BerlaAddardey 

2. Naa Ashorkor Mensah- 

Doku 

3. Jessica Opare Saforo 

4. Nana Aba Anamoah 

5. Mama Akumaa Zimbi 

6. Israel Laryea 

7. Abeiku Santana 

8. Caroline Sampson 

9. Amanda Jissih 

10. DJ Black 

With appraisal to the 2016 

Rankings, Afia Schwarzenegger, 

Sammy Forson and Peace Hyde 

were the OAPs who moved out 

of the ranking from 2016 to 

make way for new Entrants but 

still do possess great chances together 

with Bola Ray, Anita 

Akuffo, Kofi Okyere Darko and 

Jay Foley to make subsequent 

rankings. 

The ranking which is based 

on the GSMR Score was 

analysed from their Social 

Media followings, Growth Difference, 

Engagements, Post 

Reaches and Mentions. 

The 2017 Ghana Social 

Media Rankings was conducted 

by Avance Media, CliQAfrica, 

Eazzy Social and Dream Ambassadors 

Foundation GH. 

•Berla Mundi 

Ebony, Shatta Wale, 

others earn African 

Music Awards nominations 

GHANAIAN artistes have been 

nominated in various categories at 

the 2018 edition of the African 

Music Industry Awards (AMI). 

The 2018 edition of the award 

ceremony would be held at Serena 

Hotel, Kampala – Uganda on Saturday 

March 24, 2018. 

Rapper Sarkodie leads the pack 

with three nominations: ‘Best Male 

Western Artist,’ ‘Best Collaboration’ 

and ‘Best Rap.’ 

Stonebwoy, Samini and Shatta 

Wale were nominated in the ‘Best 

Dancehall artiste’ category. Sonnie 

Badu earned a ‘Best Gospel Male 

Artiste’ nod. 

Efya and Becca were nominated 

in the ‘Best Female Western 

Artiste’ category. 

Ebony and Medikal will compete 

for the ‘Best Female Newcomer’ 

and ‘Best Male Newcomer’ 

awards respectively. 

The AMI Awards Afrika 

(African Music Industry Awards) is 

a multi-cultural awards scheme 

with the purpose of honoring 

Africans Artists and Musicians, 

Arts and Cultures, Entertainment 

Humanitarian Acts, Entertainment 

Entrepreneurs and Creative Spirit 

of ordinary people who have captured 

audiences for generations and 

challenged our understanding 

through their arts and works. 

AMI Awards Afrika will honor 

together with Schnaps Universe 

Inc. and the ESA Foundation the 

african artists and musicians, 

african arts and cultures, entertainment 

leaders, entertainment political 

figures, dignitaries, celebrities 

and stars who are pioneers in arts, 

music, fashion. 

•Shatta Wale 

Lupita Nyong’o to star in 

film adaptation of Trevor 

Noah’s autobiography 

LUPITA NYONG’O will star 

in the Trevor Noah biopic 

‘Born a Crime,’ portraying the 

mother of the host of ‘The 

Daily Show With Trevor 

Noah.’ 

The movie is an adaptation 

of Noah’s bestselling autobiography 

“Born a Crime: Stories 

From a Southern African 

Childhood.” Noah is producing 

the project through his 

Ark Angel Productions alongside 

Norman Aladjem, Derek 

Van Pelt and Sanaz Yamin of 

Mainstay Entertainment along 

with Nyong’o. 

The book was published by 

Spiegel &Grau in 2016 and 

has won the James Thurber 

Prize for American Humor 

and two NAACP Image 

Awards. Noah focuses on 

growing up in post-apartheid 

South Africa as the son of a 

white father and black mother 

who had trouble fitting in. 

The book also provides details 

about his mother, Patricia, 

who grew up in a hut with 14 

occupants and took her son to 

three churches every Sunday, a 

prayer meeting on Tuesday, 

Bible study on Wednesday, 

and youth church on Thursday. 

Nyong’o won an Academy 

Award for ‘12 Years a Slave’ 

and plays Nakia in ‘Black Panther.’ 

She stars in Abe 

Forsythe’s Australian zombie 

comedy ‘Little Monsters’ and 

will produce and star in the 

movie version of Chimamanda 

Ngozi Adichie’s bestseller 

‘Americanah,’ which has 

her ‘Black Panther’ co-star 

Danai Gurira penning the 

script. variety.com

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

Sports 

DAILY HERITAGE 

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2018 

GAHA releases 

2018 league 

fixtures 

BY ANNETTE S. YEBOAH 

THE GREATER 

Accra Hand Ball 

Association 

(GAHA) has officially 

released the 

calendar for 2018 

Greater Accra HandBall leagues, 

that is the knockout phase and 

•A handball match 

the champions of champions. 

In a press release issued in 

Accra and copied to the 

DAILY HERITAGE, the 

Public Relations Officer, Mr 

Nicholas Akusah said this year’s 

league will commence on 

Wednesday, March 21, 2018, and 

will end in December 2018. 

According to him, the executives 

of the federation have 

been able to secure a sponsorship 

deal with Origin 8 to help 

promote and develop the sport 

into a household name among 

the lesser funded and lesser 

known sports. 

Mr Akusah said the sponsorship 

package includes cash 

prices for participating teams, 

branding of venues and marketing 

activities of the GAHA. 

A total of 13 teams will 

participate in this year’s league. 

The participating teams are 

Police, Prisons, Renijoe, Airforce, 

Lekma, and Navy 

among other clubs. The 2017 

league was won by Police team 

in both men and women categories 

Kotoko supporters to storm training ground today 

STAUNCH SUPPORTER of 

Asante Kotoko who is well 

known for his violent attitude 

towards players, officials as 

well as his colleague supporters 

Seidu has promised yet another 

spectacle at team’s 

training grounds today. 

According to him, he and 

his group known as Concerned 

Supporters will be 

meeting with the Executive 

Board Chairman of the team, 

Dr Kwame Kyei to present to 

him, names of some players 

and management members together 

with the coach who 

they (he and his group) don’t 

want to see in the team again. 

•Seidu, a staunch supporter of Kotoko threatening 

to sack the players 

He continued to threaten 

that, if their humble request is 

not granted by Dr Kyei, 

they’re going to use force to 

sack those unwanted elements 

from Kotoko just like he did 

to the former coach Dravco 

Lugaraucic. 

Speaking on Kumasi-based 

Silver FM, Seidu described 

some of the players as not 

committed to the course of 

the club and also not good 

enough to put on the ‘Red’ jersey. 

He further called for the 

sacking of some management 

members who he described as 

not wealthy enough to handle 

the club after which he labeled 

the Coach Steve Pollack as not 

competent enough to coach 

team. 

When asked to mention 

those players and management 

members he wants to see exit 

the club, he told the media to 

wait till he presents those 

names to the Executive Board 

Chairman. 

• Gernot Rohr 

Super Eagles coach 

to stick with core 

squad for World Cup 

NIGERIA COACH Gernot 

Rohr has ruled out 

bringing in new players to 

bolster his squad for the 

2018 World Cup in Russia. 

The West Africans 

have been hit by a goalkeeping 

crisis; first choice 

Carl Ikeme was diagnosed 

with leukaemia, both 

Daniel Akpeyi and his replacement 

Ikechukwu 

Ezenwa have failed to impress 

while Francis 

Uzoho is inexperienced. 

Rohr is not tempted to 

call up another goalkeeper, 

despite growing 

calls from a section of 

fans for him to recall the 

country's most capped 

player Vincent Enyeama 

from retirement. 

"We have built a good 

environment for the team 

and I believe all the players 

gave everything to secure 

the ticket to Russia," 

Rohr told BBC Sport. 

"It looks very impossible 

to get Carl Ikeme to 

play in Russia, but 

Ikechukwu Ezenwa 

showed in big matches so 

far that he can be in goal. 

"The young boy 

Uzoho had a great game 

against Argentina so I've 

sent the goalkeeper 

trainer to continue to provide 

support for this boy 

in Spain. 

"We are not limited as 

we also have other goalkeepers 

like Akpeyi, Ajiboye 

and Alampasu in the 

team, so I believe we are 

fine." 

At the last tournament, 

Nigeria drafted in 

experienced Peter 

Odemwingie and Shola 

Ameobi, with the former 

scoring the only goal 

against debutants Bosnia- 

Herzegovina to give 

Nigeria their solitary victory 

in Brazil. 

Many have cited a lack 

of experience in the current 

squad, but Rohr is 

confident he has the personnel 

to get the job done 

and will stick with his current 

group in Russia. 

"You have to respect 

what the former players 

have done in the past but 

be careful that you don't 

try to bring them back because 

people think so," 

said Rohr. 

"We have big experience 

in captain [John] 

Mikel Obi, Victor Moses 

and our left back Elderson 

who is now playing in 

Belgium. 

"If we feel the need to 

strengthen this squad we 

know what to do because 

for nearly two years now 

we've had a good atmosphere 

so far. Another 

good news is that the 

young striker in Wolfsburg 

[Victor] Osimhen is 

also playing now. 

"I will make the [provisional] 

squad based on 

this group and also give 

one of the CHAN boys a 

chance as well. 

"We can't just keep 

bringing in player after 

player when you already 

have those who have 

proven that they can do 

the job," Rohr added. 

The Super Eagles will 

be making a sixth appearance 

at the World Cup 

tournament in Russia wehere 

they will play Argentina, 

Iceland and 

Croatia in Group D. 

The three-time 

African champions 

reached the round of 16 

in 1994, 1998 and 2014 

but exit the 2002 and 

2010 tournaments in the 

group stages. BBC

Sports 


26/02/2018 

MONDAY. DAILY HERITAGE 

Email: info@dailyheritage.com.gh 

Facebook: facebook.com/dailyheritagegh 

Twitter:#heritage_daily 

FIFA considering merging men's, women's U17, U20 W/Cups 

ENGLAND MIGHT be the first 

and last team to be holders of the 

Under-17 and Under-20 World 

Cups. 

FIFA is looking to merge the 

tournaments won last year by 

English youth players to create a 48- 

team competition, emulating the 

expansion of the main World Cup. 

Officials are exploring the merits of 

an age cut-off at 18 or 19. 

The women's youth tournaments 

could also be combined to create a 

single 24-team event under plans 

that were considered in a meeting of 

the governing body's competition 

committee two weeks ago. 

The proposals were discussed by 

FIFA President Gianni Infantino 

with some member associations 

during summits in Mauritania and 

Nigeria this week. 

FIFA told the Associated Press 

the proposals form part of an 

ongoing review of competitions two 

years into Infantino's presidency 

that has already seen the main 

World Cup expanded from 32 to 48 

teams from 2026. 

If eventually approved, there 

would be a far bigger jump in size 

for the U17 and U20 World Cups, 

with each biennial event for young 

men currently featuring 24 teams. 

A single, potentially annual, 48- 

team youth competition would not 

pose the same logistical challenges 

faced by the expanded senior World 

Cup as doubleheaders in stadiums 

would mean fewer venues are 

required. 

FIFA is trying to streamline the 

international youth football calendar 

that also saw England teams 

compete at three European youth 

championships last year in U21, 

U19 and U17 categories. 

England won the European U19 

title between triumphs at the U20 

World Cup in South Korea in June 

and the U17 World Cup in India in 

October. 

The U20 competition was known 

as the FIFA World Youth 

Championship until 2005 when Lionel 

Messi helped Argentina win the 15th 

edition. 

FIFA has more flexibility around 

immediate changes to its youth 

tournaments for young men as hosts 

for the 2019 events are yet to be 

selected. 

But the women's U17 and U20 

World Cups will be staged this year in 

Uruguay and France, respectively. 

North Korea will be defending both 

titles won in 2016. kwesesports 

Lovren happy 

with quick van 

Dijk partnership 

Arsenal drawn 

against AC Milan in 

Europa League last-16 

ARSENAL WILL 

play AC Milan in 

the last 16 of the 

Europa League 

after their scare 

against 

Ostersunds. 

The Gunners beat their 

Swedish opponents 4-2 on 

aggregate but came close to 

giving up the three-goal 

advantage they had built during 

Thursday's second leg at the 

Emirates Stadium. 

A trip to Italy is the reward 

for Arsene Wenger's men, with 

Milan having beaten Ludogorets 

4-0 on aggregate to secure their 

place in the draw. 

Arsenal will travel to Milan's 

San Siro for the first leg. 

Celtic's conquerors Zenit St 

Petersburg will meet Bundesliga 

side RB Leipzig. 

Round of 16 draw: 

Lazio v Dynamo Kiev 

RB Leipzig v Zenit St 

Petersburg 

Atletico Madrid v Lokomotiv 

•Arsenal reached the last-16 of 

the Europa League despite a 

home defeat by Ostersunds 

Moscow 

CSKA Moscow v Lyon 

Marseille v Athletic Bilbao 

Sporting Lisbon v Viktoria 

Plzen 

Borussia Dortmund v FC 

Salzburg 

AC Milan v Arsenal 

Sky sports 

DEJAN LOVREN admitted he 

is somewhat surprised by just 

how quickly he has formed a 

working centre-half partnership 

with Virgil van Dijk. 

Lovren and Van Dijk have 

started together on two 

occasions since the latter's 

world-record £75 million move 

to Liverpool in January -- most 

recently in the 5-0 win at Porto 

last week. 

The Croatian believes Van 

Dijk, 26, is still adjusting to life 

at Liverpool, but has already 

displayed his quality in six 

appearances. 

"To be honest, I didn't expect 

that we would be so quick [to 

settle] together," Lovren said. 

"But when you are a top centreback 

I think it is normal -- and 

Virgil is one of them. 

"Of course, he needs some 

time to adapt because 

Southampton to Liverpool is 

different. But he understands 

what the manager wants, 

although sometimes I have to 

remind him also." 

Van Dijk is one of five 

players in the current Liverpool 

squad, including Lovren, who 

have made the move from St. 

Mary's to Anfield in recent 

seasons. 

Lovren, who endured a 

difficult start to his Liverpool 

career after securing his move in 

2014, said he is offering his 

advice to help Van Dijk settle. 

"I help him as much as I 

know," Lovren said. "It is a 

difficult period sometimes to 

adapt, but he is managing it quite 

well. Everyone is behind him 

and giving him support." Espn

February 26

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