April 9

NO. 100678 MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 

PRICE: GH¢2.00 

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

• Dr Mahamudu 

Bawumia, Vice- 

President 

• Griffins Bless and 

Richard Teye at the 

Odumase Krobo 

Police Station with 

their motorbike 

visit us: @dailyheritagegh dailyheritage facebook.com/dailyheritage.com.gh

02 

CONTENT 

DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 

DAILY QUOTE 

Your problem isn't the 

problem. Your 

reaction is the problem 

--Anonymous 

ANNIVERSARIES 

Friday June 15 Eid ul-Fitr 

Monday July 02 Republic Day 

Wed. August 22 Eidul-Adha 

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 

026-5653335 

Adverts/Mktg: 

Paul Ampong-Mensah 

024-4360782 

Fax: +233-0302-237156 

Email: 

news@dailyheritagegh.com.gh 

heritagenewspaper@yahoo.co.uk 

www.dailyheritage.com.gh 

WORLD 

Ex-President 

Zuma charged 

with corruption 

HEALTH 

Why rubbing your 

eyes is making you 

look old and tired 

VIEW 

PG.04 

Friday state-sponsored 

funerals are a 

drain on the economy; 

change it 

SPORTS 

PG.07 

FC Horoya close 

in on Asante 

PG.06 

PG.15 

2 Robbers grabbed 

BY KOJO ANSAH, ODUMASE 

KROBO 

RESIDENTS OF Odumase 

Krobo in the Eastern 

Region have arrested 

two suspected armed robbers 

after returning to the 

scene of their foiled robbery to take 

their abandoned motorbike. 

The suspects, Griffins Bless and 

Richard Teye, both 21 years old, have 

been handed over to the Odumase police. 

Information gathered by the 

DAILY HERITAGE indicate that 

on April 5, 2018, at about 4:30 

a.m., the two suspects onboard an unregistered 

green Power-up Jockey H 

125 motorbike attempted to rob one 

Mr Lawrence Adjaidoo, while asleep 

in his room. 

The complainant, Mr Adjaidoo, 

who was awakened upon hearing a 

strange noise as the two suspects attempted 

to break into his room, stood 

up and gazed at the suspects and 

raised an alarm. The suspects, sensing 

danger, abandoned the motorbike 

parked in front of the house and took 

to their heels. 

Later at about 6:00 a.m., the two 

suspects and one other now at large 

came back in an attempt to pick the 

motorbike away but were spotted and 

A search 

conducted on the 

motorbike revealed 

a black student 

bag concealed 

beneath the seat 

containing a knife, 

two pairs of 

scissors, a cutter, 

four flashlights and 

six boxes of 

matches. 

alarm raised, leading to the arrest of 

the two while one of them managed 

to escape. 

A search conducted on the motorbike 

revealed a black student bag concealed 

beneath the seat containing a 

knife, two pairs of scissors, a cutter, 

four flashlights and six boxes of 

matches. 

Confirming the incident to the 

paper, the Public Relations Officer of 

the Eastern Regional Police Command, 

ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, said the 

police arrested the suspects and immediately 

escorted them to Ogome, a 

suburb of Somanya, where a search 

was conducted in their various rooms 

but nothing incriminating was found. 

ASP Tetteh said the suspects were 

brought back to the police station and 

detained to assist the police for further 

investigation. 

• Griffins Bless and Richard Teye 

at the Odumase Krobo Police Station 

with their motorbike

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 03 

Bawumia 

challenges 

taxpayers 

• Pay taxes to develop Ghana 

BY KENT MENSAH 

THE VICE- 

PRESIDENT, 

Dr Mahamudu 

Bawumia, has 

challenged 

Ghanaians to honour their 

civic obligations to the 

State, particularly in filing 

While emphasising the importance 

of domestic revenue mobilisation 

to national development 

across the world, Dr Bawumia 

stated: “All over the world, taxation 

is the main tool countries rely 

on to mobilise revenue to develop 

their economies and provide services 

to their people. 

The Vice-President made the 

call when he launched the 2018 

‘Tax and Good Governance 

Week’ organised by the Ghana 

Revenue Authority (GRA) in 

Accra on Friday, on the theme, 

‘Filing your tax returns, your civic 

responsibility.’ 

The event is aimed at getting 

all eligible taxpayers to file their 

tax returns on or before the deadline 

of April 30, 2018. 

their tax returns in order to 

mobilise domestic revenue 

to help meet development 

aspirations. 

The Vice-President said 

mobilising adequate domestic 

revenue would help 

achieve President Nana 

Addo Dankwa Akufo- 

Addo’s vision of a Ghana 

Beyond Aid. 

“In fact, Ghana ranks 

below Cote d’Ivoire, 

Kenya, Senegal, Cape 

Verde and Swaziland 

in terms of the 

contribution of payroll 

tax to GDP. In 

2015/2016 fiscal 

year, PAYE contributed 

about 15% of total 

domestic revenue; the 

self-employed about 

1.1% and corporate 

tax about 19%. 

• Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, Vice-President 

Veep worried 

Vice President Bawumia bemoaned 

the poor tax-paying culture 

in the country, indicating that 

though potential employees in the 

country are estimated at 6 million 

individuals, only about 1.5 million 

persons are registered with the 

GRA and pay their ‘Pay As You 

Earn’ (PAYE). 

“In fact, Ghana ranks below 

Cote d’Ivoire, Kenya, Senegal, 

Cape Verde and Swaziland in 

terms of the contribution of payroll 

tax to GDP. In 2015/2016 fiscal 

year, PAYE contributed about 

15% of total domestic revenue; 

the self-employed about 1.1% and 

corporate tax about 19%. The 

combined contribution of about 

35% is significantly below Singapore’s 

50%, South Africa’s 54%, 

Canada’s 58% and Denmark’s 

60%,” he explained. 

“Let me reiterate that filing of 

tax returns, in addition to being 

The Vice-President made the call 

when he launched the 2018 ‘Tax and 

Good Governance Week’ organised by 

the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA)... 

the civic responsibility of every 

Ghanaian, is also a requirement by 

law. The Income Tax Act, 2015 

(Act 896) and the Revenue Administration 

Act, 2016 (Act 915) mandate 

every eligible person to file an 

income tax return with the Commissioner-General 

not later than 

four months after the end of each 

year of assessment. 

He said, “This campaign is 

therefore meant to remind and educate 

all categories of persons on 

this civic requirement and encourage 

the general public to visit any 

of the offices of the Ghana Revenue 

Authority across the country 

and file their tax returns if they 

haven’t already done so before the 

end of April, 2018.” 

President directives 

The President, Dr 

Bawumia disclosed, had directed 

all Ministers of State, 

Government appointees 

and public officials to file 

their tax returns before the 

deadline. 

“During this programme, 

GRA will mount 

tax clinics at specific places 

to assist citizens with the 

filing of their tax returns as 

well as other tax-related 

matters. The tax return 

forms have been modified 

to make it easier to fill. 

Arrangements are also 

being made to provide a 

more efficient electronic 

system for filing returns in 

the very near future,” he 

said. 

Vice President Bawumia, 

together with a number of 

Ministers and Deputies 

who were at the launch 

filed their tax returns at the 

offices of the Ghana Revenue 

Authority in Accra.

Inside April 9, 2018 .qxp_Layout 1 4/6/18 9:05 PM Page 3 

• Ms Park was brought to court in May 2017 

shortly after her arrest 

South Korea's ex-president jailed 24 years for corruption 

SOUTH KOREA'S former President 

Park Geun-hye has been sentenced 

to 24 years in jail after she 

was found guilty of abuse of 

power and coercion. 

The verdict was broadcast live 

and represents the culmination of 

a scandal which rocked the country, 

fuelling rage against political 

and business elites. 

Park, who was also fined 18bn 

won (£12m, $17m), faced a string 

of corruption charges. 

The former leader was not in 

court on Friday for the verdict. 

She has boycotted her trial 

hearings and has previously accused 

the courts of being biased 

against her. She has also denied all 

wrongdoing and has said she will 

appeal against her sentence. 

Judge Kim Se-yoon said Park 

had shown "no sign of repentance" 

after causing "massive 

chaos" in the country. 

"We cannot help but sternly 

hold her accountable," the judge 

said. 

South Korea's presidential residence, 

the Blue House, issued a 

statement after the verdict calling 

it a "heartbreaking event for the 

nation". 

"A history that is not remembered 

is bound to be repeated," it 

read. BBC 


WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

World news in 4 stories 

Ex-President Zuma 

charged with corruption 

SOUTH AFRICA'S former 

President Jacob 

Zuma has been charged 

with corruption linked to 

a 1990s arms deal. 

After the 75-year-old's 15-minute 

appearance at the High Court in 

Durban, the case was adjourned 

until 8 June. 

He faces 16 counts of corruption, 

racketeering, fraud and money 

laundering, which dogged his presidency 

and were reinstated in 2016. 

Mr Zuma, who was forced out 

of office in February, denies any 

wrongdoing. 

His supporters descended on the 

city to rally for him, while his critics 

think court action is long overdue. 

After the hearing, Mr Zuma addressed 

the crowds who had come 

to stand alongside him at the court 

in his home province. 

"I have never seen it before 

where someone is charged with a 

crime, those charges are dropped 

and then years later those same 

charges are re-instated," he said, 

speaking in Zulu. "This is a just a 

political conspiracy,” 

The arms deal took place in 

1999, the year Mr Zuma moved 

from being a provincial minister to 

deputy president. 

He is accused of accepting 783 

payments as bribes from a French 

arms firm via his financial adviser. 

The adviser, Schabir Shaikh, was 

found guilty of trying to solicit the 

bribes and was jailed in 2005. 

The case against Mr Zuma was 

•Jacob Zuma, charged with corruption 

dropped shortly before he ran for 

president in 2009. 

A woman representing French 

arms manufacturer Thales was also 

in the Durban courthouse on Friday, 

as the company faces corruption 

charges too. 

•Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont leaves prison in 

northern Germany 

Freed ex-Catalan leader 

calls for dialogue 

CATALAN EX-LEADER Carles 

Puigdemont has called for 

immediate dialogue after being 

released on bail in Germany. 

So far, he and other separatists 

had received only a "repressive 

response" from Spanish 

authorities, he said. 

He was arrested in northern 

Germany last month while travelling 

from Denmark on his way 

to Belgium, where he lives in 

self-imposed exile. 

The former Catalan leader is 

wanted in Spain on sedition and 

other charges over last year's independence 

vote. 

But a German court has 

warned he could still face extradition. 

Leaving court on Friday afternoon, 

he thanked his supporters 

around the world, saying: 

"Our fight is for democracy, not 

just for self-determination." 

He also called for the immediate 

release of other Catalan 

separatists being held in Spain, 

whom he described as "political 

prisoners". 

A number of prominent 

Catalan leaders, including the region's 

former police chief, are 

facing charges over their role in 

the unauthorised referendum last 

year, which saw voters in Catalonia 

back independence. 

But Madrid intervened after 

the Catalan parliament declared 

independence last October, sacking 

separatist leaders, dissolving 

the regional parliament and calling 

a snap election to replace it. 

Mr Puigdemont fled to Belgium 

and was arrested on 25 

March under a European Arrest 

Warrant issued by Spain. Although 

he has been released on 

bail, he may still face extradition 

over accusations he misused 

public funds to hold the referendum 

last year. BBC 

Unrest erupts at Gaza-Israel border 

UNREST BETWEEN Palestinian 

protesters and Israeli 

forces has erupted along 

Gaza's border with Israel, a 

week after similar unrest left 

16 people dead. 

The Gaza health ministry 

said one protester had been 

killed by Israeli forces on Friday 

and 80 others wounded. 

The protesters are demanding 

that refugees be allowed to 

return to ancestral lands that 

are now in Israel. 

But Israel says the militant 

group Hamas, which dominates 

Gaza, is staging the rallies 

in order to launch attacks. 

It has warned that orders 

given to soldiers about when 

to open fire have not been 

changed, despite a storm of 

international criticism. 

Tyres were set on fire in an 

attempt to create a smokescreen 

to block the view of 

Israeli snipers, as hundreds of 

protesters gathered at five 

protest sites along the 65kmlong 

(40-mile) Israel-Gaza 

border. 

Israeli troops took up positions 

on berms on the other 

side of the frontier and reportedly 

fired sporadically at 

people moving towards them. 

BBC 

• As Palestinians resume protests 

•Israeli soldiers were deployed on berms on the Israeli side of the frontie



05 

Editorial 

Only 1.5 million Ghanaians pay tax? 

LAST FRIDAY, the Vice President, Dr Mahamudu 

Bawumia, bemoaned the poor taxpaying 

culture in the country and indicated 

that though potential employees in the country 

are estimated at 6 million individuals, only 

about 1.5 million persons are registered with 

the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) and pay 

their ‘Pay As You Earn’ (PAYE). 

He, however, challenged Ghanaians to honour 

their civic obligations to the State by filing 

their tax returns in order to mobilise 

domestic revenue to help meet development 

aspirations. 

Dr Bawumia explained that mobilising adequate 

domestic revenue would help the government 

achieve the country’s vision of a 

Ghana Beyond Aid, adding that, “All over the 

world, taxation is the main tool countries rely 

on to mobilise revenue to develop their 

economies and provide services to their people. 

The Vice President, who was launching the 

2018 ‘Tax and Good Governance Week’ organised 

by GRA on theme “Filing your tax returns, 

your civic responsibility,” said the aim 

was to get all eligible tax payers to file their tax 

returns on or before the deadline of April 30, 

2018. 

“In fact, Ghana ranks below Cote d’Ivoire, 

Kenya, Senegal, Cape Verde and Swaziland in 

terms of the contribution of payroll tax to 

GDP. In 2015/2016 fiscal year, PAYE contributed 

about 15% of total domestic revenue; 

the self-employed about 1.1% and corporate 

tax about 19%. The combined contribution 

of about 35% is significantly below Singapore’s 

50%, South Africa’s 54%, Canada’s 

58% and Denmark’s 60%,” he explained. 

“Let me reiterate that filing of tax returns, 

in addition to being the civic responsibility of 

every Ghanaian, is also a requirement by law. 

The Income Tax Act 2015 (Act 896) and the 

Revenue Administration Act, 2016 (Act 915) 

mandate every eligible person to file an income 

tax return with the Commissioner-General 

not later than four months after the end 

of each year of assessment. 

If the Vice-President’s estimation is what 

really obtains, then we at the DAILY HER- 

ITAGE are equally worried and believe that 

it does not augur well for a developing country 

like Ghana. What is more disturbing is the fact 

that out of the 6 million eligible taxpayers only 

1.5 pays taxes; that is 25%. The question is 

how then do we expect the government to get 

money to provide us with social amenities that 

we, as citizens always ask for? 

This is the more reason this campaign 

meant to remind and educate eligible taxpayers 

and all Ghanaians should be given all the 

needed support and must be done devoid of 

all negative practices, including political influences. 

As good citizens, we all should bring our 

strengths together and support the GRA by 

fulfilling our tax obligations as one of the 

surest ways to help develop Ghana. 

If all the categories of persons on this civic 

requirement list are encouraged we may end 

up getting all the six million eligible tax payers 

to fulfil their obligations. 

The DAILY HERITAGE wishes to 

commend the Vice President and all Ghanaians 

who have filed their tax returns and call 

on those yet to do so to emulate their good 

examples. 

Call Ken Agyepong to order 

BY BENJAMIN TANDOH 

THE MINORITY in Parliament 

has called on President Nana 

Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to 

condemn and reprimand the 

Member of Parliament (MP) 

for Assin Central, Mr Kennedy Agyepong, 

for his recent comments about the Ghana 

Armed Forces (GAF). 

They further called on the Minister for 

Interior, Mr Ambrose Dery, to cause Mr 

Agyepong to be investigated forthwith and 

brought to book for his “unsavoury and 

abominable comments”. 

It was reported that Mr Agyepong used 

unprintable words against the Public Relations 

Officer for GAF, Colonel Aggrey 

Quarshie, for suggesting that recruitment 

into the GAF is done based on merit and 

not by political influence. 

“He is a fool, if he knew what was going 

on in the military, he wouldn’t be going 

round speaking nonsense that he is a professional 

and that I can make all the noise,” 

the MP said. 

But in a press statement signed by Mr 

James Agalga, MP for Builsa North and 

Ranking Member on the Defence and Interior 

Committee of Parliament, the minority 

called for the withdrawal of police personnel 

who were recruited through the influence 

of the Assin Central MP. 

“The Colonel’s statement is important to 

note as it was made in response to threats 

by Mr Agyepong in an earlier radio programme 

to the effect that if the Armed 

Forces were to fail to give him preferential 

• Minority tells Prez 

“He is a fool, if he 

knew what was 

going on in the 

military, he 

wouldn’t be going 

round speaking 

nonsense that he is 

a professional and 

that I can make all 

the noise,” the 

MP said. 

• Mr Kennedy Agyepong, Member of 

Parliament (MP) for Assin Central 

treatment by enlisting his constituents like 

the Police Service had done, he would make 

'noise' in protest. 

“The logical deduction to make from the 

unfortunate outburst of Hon. Kennedy 

Agyepong is that he is able to manipulate 

the Police Service by getting them to recruit 

his constituents in total disregard of any 

qualification criteria set for recruitment and 

expects the military to do likewise,” the minority 

argued. 

“The Minority in Parliament condemns 

the politicization of recruitment into the 

Police Service under the watch of an NPP 

government in [the] light of Kennedy 

Agyepong's confession. 

“The Minority appreciates the sacrifices 

the Officers, Men and Women of our 

Armed Forces have made and continue to 

make towards our country's overall development 

and will therefore call upon President 

Akufo-Addo, who doubles as the 

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces 

to, as a matter of grave importance, condemn 

and reprimand Kennedy Agyepong 

who is a leading member and financier of 

his party,” they added. 

They reiterated the need for the military 

and civilians to cultivate the sense of mutual 

respect and called on the President to 

help achieve that. 

Background 

Mr Agyepong made a 

strong claim that he would 

make “noise” if he was not 

given special military protocol 

slots. 

The MP frankly boasted 

about how successful he had 

been in pushing for “his people” 

during the recent police 

recruitment exercise, adding 

that he was highly hopeful of 

more success in the ongoing 

military recruitment exercise. 

“Today, I am looking for 

police slots, I got some. Now 

I am looking for military, it 

has not come yet, but it will 

come, otherwise I will make 

noise.”


06 

F 

UNERALS SEEM to 

have taken centre stage 

in our lives these past 

few years and it’s extremely 

worrying to 

those who have the 

economic well-being of the nation 

at heart. Funerals generally take a 

toll on the economy but when they 

are held on Fridays and are statesponsored 

the magnitude of the 

toll is incalculable. 

Obsession with funerals 

Both as individuals and as a nation, 

we seem to be obsessed with 

funerals so much so that we spend 

a lot of money and time organising 

them. 

Perhaps, the time has come for 

us to take a hard look at how and 

why we spend so much money unnecessarily 

when our dear ones depart 

this earth and channel the 

funds spent on the dead to something 

more profitable and worthwhile 

to society. (Just as a matter 

of interest, I overheard a TV presenter 

saying that the donations 

given by the state and other private 

individuals to the family of the late 

Ebony Reigns during her funeral, 

when put together, could fix the 

bad road that was the cause of the 

accident leading to her death). 

Nothing could be farther from 

this, you know. 

Neuro-surgeons 

Let me go back a few years to 

the day the three neuro-surgeons 

lost their precious lives on their 

way back to Accra after an official 

engagement at the Sunyani Hospital 

in the Brong-Ahafo region. 

These were special breed of 

doctors in the country, for neurosurgeons 

can be counted on our 

finger tips; they are very, very few. 

Therefore, to lose all three in a 

motor accident because of a driver’s 

carelessness was a major blow 

to the country, their respective 

families and to the medical fraternity 

as well. 

Their joint funerals were held 

on a Friday, a working day and if 

you did the calculations you would 

come to the conclusion that it 

would have been better if we had 

had their funerals on a Saturday, 

rather than on a Friday. 

Stand-still 

Every government activity on 

that Friday came to a stand-still 

and if you calculated the manhours 

lost that day by the state and 

the total expenditure incurred by 

View DAILY 

government departments, ministries 

and agencies you would 

agree with me that Friday funerals 

by the state are no good. 

The whole government machinery 

was at the funeral, i.e. the 

President and his cabinet; all members 

of Parliament (MPs) had to 

suspend sitting on that day to attend 

the funeral of the three illustrious 

doctors of the land. Most 

medical practitioners at Korle-Bu, 

Ridge, La, Okomfo Anokye and 

several other hospitals converged 

at the funeral grounds to bid 

farewell to their departed colleagues. 

So were most officials at 

the ministry of Health and their 

top men and women. 

Midwives and nurses at the Korlebu 

Teaching Hospital and other 

hospitals in Accra also went to the 

funeral grounds to say goodbye to 

the three specialists. 

And I wondered at the time 

why we didn’t do the funeral for 

these great men on a Saturday 

rather than on a Friday. 

HERITAGE MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 

Friday state-sponsored funerals are 

a drain on the economy; change it 

BY NANA BRAM OKAE II 

•Scores of mourners at a funeral 

State officials 

But it still hasn’t occurred to 

state officials that we are better-off 

if state-sponsored funerals are 

pushed to Saturdays where ‘government 

time’ will not be spent at 

all and nobody will have any excuse 

to stay away from work because 

Saturdays are already 

work-free days. 

We must change the way we do 

some of our mundane things to 

reflect the seriousness of the 

changing times. We want to see 

‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ and we cannot 

achieve that if we don’t 

change the lackadaisical ways we 

do things that bring no financial 

rewards to us. Friday funerals are 

one. 

Government 

I’m therefore calling on government 

to take a hard look at 

state funerals organised on Fridays 

and change to Saturdays so that we 

don’t lose man-hours the way we 

are losing them currently. 

I will also like to advise private 

families, particularly those in Accra 

to start thinking of organising funerals 

at weekends rather than 

weekdays. 

On several occasions in Accra 

one comes across major roads 

blocked on weekdays for the purposes 

of funerals and that is extremely 

irritating to motorists 

especially when the funerals can 

take place on Saturdays or on football 

grounds. 

Bereaved public officials in 

Accra hardly go to work for days 

when death strikes. They use that 

as an excuse to do their own thing; 

already, the work ethics is nothing 

to write home about. Public workers 

report for work after 9am and 

knock off a little after 3p.m. And 

that’s Ghana for you! 

We must change the way we do some of our mundane 

things to reflect the seriousness of the changing times. We 

want to see ‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ and we cannot achieve 

that if we don’t change the lackadaisical ways we do things 

that bring no financial rewards to us. Friday funerals are 

one. 

Environment 

But if you are in an environment 

where you have to clock-in 

at the beginning of work and 

clock-out at the end of the day’s 

work and your wages depends on 

the number of hours you put in, 

you cannot play tricks on your employer 

the way we 

do here. 

This is what I 

mean when I say 

we should change 

the ways we do 

things here to reflect 

the changing 

times including 

how we organize 

funerals in this 

country. We spend 

too much time on 

funerals and we 

also spend too 

much money on 

funerals. These call 

for radical paradigm 

shift in the 

way we do things. 

Rural areas 

When it comes 

to organisation of 

funerals, our 

cousins in the rural 

areas do a better 

job at it than we do 

in Accra. Residents 

in the rural areas 

hardly do funerals 

on Fridays and they do not use 

deaths as an excuse to stay away 

from the farm. What will they eat 

if they stay away from the farm? 

They do the wake-keeping Friday 

evening alright but the funeral 

proper is held on Saturday and not 

Friday. This is the difference between 

us and them and in the real 

economic sense theirs is more 

cost-effective than ours. 

So, we better learn from our 

cousins in the hinterland and do 

the right thing for our economic 

benefits. 

State Protocol 

I therefore wish to propose to 

the State Protocol people to do a 

memo for the Presidency extolling 

the benefits of Saturday statesponsored 

funerals as against 

those organized on Fridays. 

They should talk of the manhours 

lost to the state if all top 

government officials were to leave 

their work and attend a funeral on 

Friday like they did when K.B. Asante 

was buried the other day; like 

they did when Baah Wiredu died 

and the whole country was at the 

funeral; like they did when the 

three neuro-surgeons died and the 

entire medical work in the country 

came to a halt; like they did to all 

patriots who were given state burial 

on Friday. 

I know the Presidency will listen 

to this attentively because I believe 

it makes good sense to shift 

Friday state funerals to Saturdays.


Tips that may help reduce backache, speed up recovery 

• Stay as active as possible and 

try to continue your daily activities 

- this is one of the most important 

things you can do, as resting for 

long periods is likely to make the 

pain worse. 

• Try exercises and stretches for 

back pain; other activities such as 

walking, swimming, yoga and pilates 

may also be helpful. 

• Take anti-inflammatory 

painkillers, such as ibuprofen - remember 

to check first if the medicine 

is safe for you to take and ask 

a pharmacist if you are not sure. 

• Use hot or cold compression 

packs for short-term relief - you 

can buy these from your local 

pharmacy, or a hot water bottle 

and bag of frozen vegetables 

wrapped in a cloth will work just as 

well. 

• The health body adds: “Although 

it can be difficult, it helps if 

you stay optimistic and recognise 

that your pain should get better, as 

people who manage to stay positive 

despite their pain tend to recover 

quicker. 



&Env. 

Why rubbing your eyes is 

making you look old and tired 

BACK PAIN is very 

common and usually 

improves within a 

few weeks, but in 

rare cases it can be a 

sign of a more serious 

health problem. While back 

pain is often linked to problems 

with posture, it can be an indication 

of a broken bone in the 

spine. How can you tell if this is 

the cases? 

Back pain is common and normally 

improves within a few 

weeks or months, but there are a 

variety of different things it can 

be caused by - some more serious 

than others. Your doctor will be 

able to determine what the cause 

is when evaluating your back. 

In most cases the pain is not 

caused by anything serious and 

will usually get better over time. 

“Non-specific” back pain, 

where there is no obvious cause, 

tends to be down to posture, and 

tends to get better or worse depending 

on your position. 

Conditions such as a slipped 

disc can also cause back pain. But 

in very rare cases, beck pain can 

be a sign of a serious problem - 

one of these being a broken bone 

in the spine. 

Conditions such 

as a slipped disc 

can also cause 

back pain. But in 

very rare cases, 

beck pain can be 

a sign of a serious 

problem - 

one of these 

being a broken 

bone in the 

spine. 

•Painful symptoms result of serious health problem 

According to Spine Health, the 

main clinical symptoms of a fracture 

in the spine can include sudden 

onset of back pain. 

Pain worsening with standing 

or walking, pain reducing after 

lying on your back, limited spinal 

mobility, height loss and deformity 

and disability can also be 

symptoms of a broken spine. 

If you see your General Practitioner 

with back pain, they will 

look for signs of a broken bone 

in the spine. 

Other more serious problems 

linked to back pain include an infection, 

cauda equine syndrome 

(where the nerves in the lower 

back become severely compressed), 

and cancer. 

Fibromyalgia and osteoporosis 

can also cause lower back pain, 

but Boots WedMD also notes a 

• Back pain could be a result of this serious health problem 

more serious cause – cauda 

equine syndrome. It describes the 

condition as a “medical emergency”. 

It explains: “Disc material expands 

into the spinal canal, which 

compresses the nerves. A person 

experiences pain, possible loss of 

sensation and bowel or blaster 

dysfunction. This can include inability 

to control urination, causing 

incontinence, or the inability 

to begin urination.” 

Other possible causes of 

cauda equine syndrome include a 

spinal lesion or tumour, a spinal 

infection, inflammation, haemorrhage 

or fracture, or a birth defect 

such as an abnormal connection 

between blood vessels. 

Symptoms of the condition 

may vary and come on slowly. 

You may also experience pain, 

numbness or weakness in one or 

both legs that causes you to stumble 

or have trouble getting up 

from a chair. 

Recent problems with bladder 

or bowel function, such as trouble 

eliminating urine or water or trouble 

holding it in, could also be 

signs. 

If you develop any of the 

symptoms of cauda equine syndrome 

you should seek medical 

advice immediately or visit the accident 

and emergency department 

of your nearest hospital. 

In the majority of cases, back 

pain is not caused by anything serious 

and will usually get better 

over time. 

A medical doctor can examine 

your back and discuss possible 

treatments, but there are things 

you can do at home to relieve it. 

It explains: “Disc 

material expands 

into the spinal 

canal, which 

compresses the 

nerves. A person 

experiences 

pain, possible 

loss of sensation 

and bowel or 

blaster dysfunction. 

This can include 

inability to 

control urination, 

causing incontinence, 

or the inability 

to begin 

urination.”

spread_April 9 2018.qxp_SHOWBIZ TEMP 4/6/18 9:06 PM Page 1 

News 

DAILY HERITAGE, MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

7 Sacks of 

marijuana impounded 

BY KOJO ANSAH 

THE EASTERN Regional Police 

Command has impounded a taxi 

transporting seven sacks of dried 

leaves suspected to be Indian hemp at 

Boti Falls in the Yilo Manya Krobo 

Municipality of the Eastern Region. 

The substance is in police custody. 

The Public Relations Officer of 

the Eastern Regional Police 

Command, ASP Ebenezer Tetteh, 

explained that on April 4, 2018, at 

about 7:30p.m, the police had a tip-off 

that an Opel Astra estate with 

registration number GW 5356-13 was 

transporting the substance from the 

Boti community towards Huhunya 

direction. 

He said the Assesewa District 

Police immediately dispatched a team 

to trail the suspect car. 

ASP Tetteh said upon reaching the 

Boti to Huhunya section of the road, 

the team spotted the car but upon 

seeing the police, its driver sensed 

danger and sped off but the police 

team gave the car a hot chase and 

upon reaching Porponya and Guata 

section of the road, the driver 

abandoned the taxi-cab and ran into 

the bush with the engine still on. 

He said the taxi was driven to the 

Assesewa Police Station after 

searching it and photographing the 

substance contained in the seven 

sacks. 

Efforts are being made to arrest 

the driver, who is still at large. 

•The substance impounded by the police 

Dr Mensah elected Fellow of 

Ghana Institute of Engineers 

BY ERICA ARTHUR 

WORLD 

RENOWNED 

Inventor of 

Fibre Optics 

and 

Nanotechnolog 

y expert, Dr Thomas Owusu Mensah, 

has been elected a Fellow of the 

Ghana Institute of Engineers. 

Dr Mensah, already a Fellow of US 

Academy of Inventors, an Associate 

Fellow of the American Institute of 

Aeronautics and Astronautics, and a 

Fellow of the American Institute of 

Chemical Engineers, was honoured at 

the Annual Gala of the Ghana 

Institute of Engineers during the 2018 

Engineers Week celebration. 

He was presented with the award by 

the outgoing president of the institute, 

Ing Mrs Carlien Bou-Chedid, during 

their annual dinner. Dr Mensah had 

earlier been named a Fellow of the 

Institute at Aburi in the Eastern 

Region of Ghana. 

According to Dr Mensah he is 

humbled by this recognition bestowed 

on him by fellow engineers in Ghana 

after his recognition by engineers in the 

United States of America. 

Dr Mensah explained to the 

DAILY HERITAGE that ‘Fellow’ is 

the highest level of membership in the 

Engineering profession and so deems it 

a great honour to be part of the 10 

new Fellows elected in 2018 by the 

Council of the Institute. 

The Minister of Energy, Boakye 

Agyarko, gave a speech on behalf of 

the President, Nana Addo Dankwa 

Akufo-Addo. 

Dr Mensah, who has several patents 

in Fibre Optics and published 

extensively in peer review journals, 

including chapters of books, discussed 

with the Minster how important the 

High Speed Train would help Ghana in 

the 21st Century. 

“The project will enhance new 

investment flow to Ghana, for the 

creation of manufacturing industries, 

more jobs will be created and travel 

times to the north of the country will 

be reduced dramatically. This will cut 

‘You and I are now here’ 

• Bawumia jokes with Justice Atuguba at GRA 

BY DAAKYEHENE 

OFOSU-AGYEMAN 

VICE-PRESIDENT DR MAHAMUDU 

Bawumia has teased a Justice of the 

Supreme Court, Justice William Atuguba. 

He did so when they met at the Ghana 

Revenue Authority (GRA) in Accra on 

Friday to participate in the launch of the 

Tax and Good Governance Week 2018. 

Dr Bawumia, while running mate to 

candidate Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- 

Addo in the 2012 general election, together 

with the then Chairman of then Chairman 

of the New Patriotic Party, Jake Obetsebi 

Lamptey, now of blessed memory, and 

Akufo-Addo, filed a petition at the 

Supreme Court challenging the 2012 

Presidential Election results. 

Justice Atuguba was the justice who 

presided over the nine-member panel that 

heard the petition and Dr Bawumia used 

the expression “You and I were not there” 

as response to certain questions posed by 

the panel, and expression that has more or 

less become his alias since 2013 when the 

petition was heard. 

Therefore when Vice President 

Bawumia was joined by Justice Atuguba at 

•Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, VEEP 

•Dr Thomas Owusu Mensah 

•Justice William Atuguba, Supreme Court Judge 

down traffic congestion in Accra,” he 

said. 

The Gala, which brought together 

Fellows and members from across the 

country and the globe and allowed 

friends to meet and reconnect , became 

an occasion to swear in a new 

president of the institute, who took 

office immediately supported by the 

Council of Fellows. 

The new president, Ing Amoaning- 

Yankson, is a civil and transportation 

engineer who has worked on several 

projects funded by the World Bank in 

several countries, including Ghana. 

Engineering students at the event had 

the opportunity to meet and interact with 

senior and well-established members of 

the institute. 

Music and dancing made this event 

quiet memorable. 

About Ghana Institute of 

Engineers 

The Ghana Institute of Engineers 

has members and Fellows drawn from 

all the traditional Engineering 

disciplines, including Mechanical, 

Chemical, Electrical, and Civil, making 

it the most diverse Engineering 

professional body in the world. 

the launch of the tax week, Dr Bawumia 

jokingly said to Justice Atuguba, “You and 

I are now here,” a statement that 

generated a lot of laughter. 

The Vice President, who used the 

occasion to file his tax returns for 2017, 

challenged the GRA to develop a mobile 

App by April 2019 to enable Ghanaians to 

file their tax returns without walking to any 

GRA office. 

Tax returns are final submission on the 

economic activities of registered businesses 

and persons in relation to their tax 

obligations. 

Dr Bawumia revealed that only 1.5 

million out of 6 million taxpayers currently 

pay their taxes in the country. 

He described the development as 

worrying and urged all prospective 

taxpayers to honour their tax obligations to 

fast-track development. 

The Vice President, Finance Minister 

Ken Ofori Atta and other government 

officials used the occasion to file their tax 

returns. 

The Commissioner-General of GRA, 

Emmanuel Kofi Nti, warned that all those 

who fail to file their tax returns by the end 

of April, 2018 will face sanctions. 

Vibrant film industry 

vital for ‘Ghana 

Beyond Aid’ agenda 

• Film Directors Guild says 

BY KOJO ANSAH 

THE NATIONAL president 

of Film Directors Guild of 

Ghana (FDGG), Mr Richard 

Yaw Boateng, has called on 

President Nana Addo Dankwa 

Akufo-Addo-led government 

to revive the 'comatose' film 

industry in Ghana to help 

stimulate the Ghanaian 

economy in tandem with 

building a ‘Ghana Beyond 

Aid’. 

According to Boateng, 

‘Ghana Beyond Aid’ cannot be 

fully achieved if the film 

industry, with huge potential of 

injecting significant revenue to 

the economy and create job 

opportunities, continues to 

remain defunct due to lack of 

financial and technical 

supports. 

He said this in Koforidua 

during the celebration of 

Eastern Film Festival organised 

by the Actors Guild in 

collaboration with Centre for 

National Culture. 

He said the importance of a 

vibrant film industry in any 

country could not be 

downplayed due to its immense 

contribution to the economy, 

culture projection and 

preservation and the cognitive 

effect on shaping mindsets 

about societal cankers such as 

corruption that undermines the 

development of the country. 

"I'm happy hearing our 

President Nana Akufo Addo 

saying he wants to see a 

‘Ghana Beyond Aid’. I want to 

challenge the President that 

Ghana Beyond Aid must go 

into growing a Ghanaian 

society who believe in Ghana 

beyond. We must see Ghana as 

Ghana. In the morning, when 

we wake up, we must see our 

TV stations talk about Ghana, 

our pictures should be Ghana, 

our videos should be Ghana, 

our music should be Ghana,” 

Boateng said. 

The National president 

of Film Directors Guild of 

Ghana appealed to the 

President Akufo-Addo to build 

a cinema in each district of the 

country to help in reviving the 

film industry. 

“The President is 

advocating among his 

campaign promises to build 

One-district-One factory and 

we also want One-district-One 

cinema. Ghana needs a film 

secretariat where we can have a 

place to develop the industry. 

“It is quiet unfortunate that 

two years ago, the bill was 

passed and now we have the 

Cinematography Act 935 but 

still an Act, which means 

nothing has been done. We 

need a Legislative Instrument 

to activate the Act, " Boateng 

said. 

He bemoaned the influx 

of foreign telenovelas and 

movies on local television, a 

situation he said would have 

perilous effect on the Ghanaian 

culture. 

He said the 

importance of a 

vibrant film 

industry in any 

country could not 

be downplayed 

due to its 

immense 

contribution to 

the economy, 

culture 

projection and 

preservation and 

the cognitive 

effect on shaping 

mindsets about 

societal cankers 

such as 

corruption that 

undermines the 

development of 

the country.


6TH 

APRIL 

2018 

FRIDAY 

CURRENCY PARIS CODE BUYING SELLING 

US Dollar USDGHS 4.4036 4.4080 

RATES Pound Sterling GBPGHS 

6.1642 

6.1716 

Euro 

GBPGHS 

5.3854 

5.3891 

10 

DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

MTN launches ‘aYo Recharge with Care’ 

BY ROSEMOND BOATENG ADDAI 

rosemond.adjetey@yahoo.com 

MTN GHANA, 

in partnership 

with aYo Intermediaries 

Ghana Limited 

and Met Life Insurance, 

has launched this year's 

‘aYo Recharge with Care’ service 

to demonstrate their phenomenal 

commitment to innovative and 

value for the lives of its customers. 

At the launch in Accra, Mr 

Guido Sopiimeh, Acting Chief 

Marketing Officer (CMO) of 

MTN, said the advancement of 

the telecommunications sector had 

become a significant enabler of 

countless opportunities for both 

human and economic growth. 

He explained that in view of 

their quest to be the leading communication 

network in the delivery 

of bold new digital world to 

Ghanaians, MTN Ghana has partnered 

a number of institutions to 

bring a distinct experience to its 

valued customers. 

“Notable among such partnership 

is the ‘Agoo’, a multilingual 

mobile platform provider [being 

rolled out] in collaboration with 

UNICEF Ghana to engage and 

educate Ghanaians on topical issues 

including water, sanitation, 

hygiene, education and child protection,” 

he explained. 

Mr Sopiimeh stated that insurance 

had become more than a 

form of social safety net, as it had 

become a tool to absorb risks 

from individuals and ensure stability 

while promoting economic 

growth. 

He said “insurance has therefore 

become even more relevant in 

•Some officials of MTN Ghana and ‘aYo Intermediaries Ghana Ltd at the event 

today's fast-paced world where 

risks are a part of our daily lives. 

The onus therefore lies on us as 

individuals to make the most out 

of it.” 

He pointed out that the ‘aYo 

Recharge with Care” enables subscribers 

to buy a life policy cover 

up to a maximum of GH¢ 

3000.00 for a subscriber and one 

family member and a hospitalisation 

cover of a maximum of GH¢ 

50.00 per night for subscriber only 

anytime they top up their airtime. 

"The amount of airtime to be 

deducted as premium is automatically 

set up at enrolment. The 

minimum premiums are set at 

GHc 0.5 and GHs 2.00 respectively. 

This makes it possible for 

more people to be insured while 

significantly increasing the insurance 

penetration of the country, 

which is significantly lower than 

expected," he opined. 

The Acting CMO added that 

just by choosing to send mobile 

money with care, aYo will triple 

the amounts a customer has sent 

over the last four months, and pay 

it to their beneficiaries over the 12 

months on receipt of a valid 

claim. 

He said " as we soldier to provide 

our customers with relevant 

life-improving products and services, 

aYo has come up with 

‘Richarge with care’, an insurance 

product or service being offered 

to subscribers of MTN. Beyond 

the financial inclusion imperative 

of the ‘aYo Recharge with care’ 

service, subscribers will be in the 

position to enjoy all the benefits of 

an insurance package in a simple 

and convenient way." 

According to Mr Francis Gota, 

Country Head, ‘aYo Recharge 

Care’ is designed specifically for 

everybody, but most especially the 

medium and lower income earners. 

He explained that most informal 

earners, especially traders, do 

not have account with the banks 

and financial institutions so with 

‘aYo Recharge care’ one is able to 

have access to insurance on the 

phone and be able to monitor the 

activities in order to have peace of 

mind to work. 

Premium Motors unveils Renault Kwid in Ghana 

DAAKYEHENE OFOSU 

AGYEMAN 

PREMIUM MOTORS Limited, 

the sole distributor of Renault vehicles 

in the country, has unveiled 

three new brands of the Renault 

vehicle for its customers. 

The new brand, called ‘Renault 

Kwid’, was launched at a ceremony 

held at the company’s ultramodern 

showroom at Atico 

Junction, a suburb of Accra. 

The Chief Executive Officer 

(CEO) of Premium Motors Limited, 

Jihad M Hijazi, briefing the 

media, said the new vehicles have 

unique features to give buyers exceptional 

driving experience. 

“The Renault Kwid comes in 

three brands, the Authentic, which 

is the cheapest, followed by the 

Expression, which is slightly , and 

then the Dynamic, which contains 

more abridged features of the Renault 

Kwid brand,” the CEO said. 

According to him, the new Renault 

Kwid car is a low budget vehicle 

with low fuel consumption 

coupled with highly improved features 

aimed at the safety and comfort 

of the consumer. 

“The Renault Kwid is an entry 

level vehicle or budget vehicle 

with the state-of-the-art features. 

It’s a vehicle designed for volume 

sales and people who might be 

concerned with the monetary aspect.” 

He added that “the Renault 

Kwid, unlike its other competitors, 

has four air-bags installed and the 

Dynamic, which is the highest 

grade of the brand, has an in-built 

satellite navigation system and 

fully loaded extra lights.” 

Mr Hijazi said Renault has the 

track record of going the extra 

mile to make exceptional products 

for its consumers in line with the 

company’s grand vision. 

The Renault Kwid Authentic 

sells at £8,300 and the Expression 

goes for £8,500 while the Renault 

Kwid Dynamic goes for £9,970. 

“We have credit facilities for 

those who might be interested and 

potential buyers can also do so 

through our partner bank plus 

there is three-year or 100,000-kilometre 

warranty for our consumers,” 

he said. 

Specification of the 

vehicle 

Per specifications of the vehicles, 

he said, there are 1.0-litre engine; 

7" multimedia tablet with a 

navigation system; driver, passenger 

and side airbags; anti-lock 

braking system; Bluetooth handsfree 

connectivity; seat belt alert; 

electric power steering; CD system 

with MP3 & USB; and central 

door locking system.



DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 11 

Politics 

Do not mind anything that anyone tells you about 

anyone else. Judge everyone and everything for 

yourself —Henry James 

Eastern regional NDC 

chairman seeks re-election 

BY KOJO ANSAH, E/R 

THE EASTERN Regional 

Chairman of 

the opposition National 

Democratic 

Congress (NDC), Mr 

Bismark Tawiah 

Boateng, has declared his intension 

to seek re-election. 

The controversial chairman 

came under attack by some party 

supporters after the 2016 election 

defeat of the party, accusing him 

of embezzling campaign funds, an 

allegation Mr Boateng flatly denied. 

The disgruntled 

supporters vowed to vote against 

him should he dare to seek re-election. 

There were rumours that 

the Regional Chairman would not 

seek renewal of the mandate to 

chair the party in the region due to 

the agitation but in an exclusive interview 

with the DAILY HER- 

ITAGE, Mr Boateng stated 

emphatically that he was ready to 

contest the regional chairmanship 

position for a second term. 

He said “enough lessons have 

been learnt from the party's defeat 

in 2016. Therefore if I am reelected, 

I will tighten transparency 

and accountability by ensuring that 

the grass roots, who are the engine 

of the party, are well supported to 

function effectively. 

Mr Boateng says he is optimistic 

the NDC would recapture power 

in 2020 due to the display of incompetence 

and corruption by the 

administration of President Akufo- 

Addo-led New Patriotic Party 

(NPP) government. 

• Bismark Tawiah Boateng, E/R NDC Chairman 

He added that the mismanagement 

of the economy by the NPP 

government had crippled development 

and unleashed hardship on 

Ghanaians. 

Mr Boateng opined that the 

NPP came into power through deceitful 

campaign promises which 

the government is struggling to fulfil. 

It would be recalled that in the 

run-up to the 2016 general election, 

the Eastern Regional Secretariat 

of the NDC set a target 

dubbed "Agenda 50/50 aimed at 

securing 50% of the total vote cast 

in the region in 2016 presidential 

election but the target was woefully 

missed. 

The then NPP Presidential candidate, 

Nana Akufo-Addo, had a 

vote margin of 678,482 (62.38%) 

in the region while former President 

Mahama polled 

397,549(36.55%). 

PARLIAMENT OF GHANA 

CONSIDERATION OF BILL 

The general public is hereby informed that the Ghana Integrated Bauxite Aluminum Development 

Authority Bill, 2018 has been laid in Parliament and referred to the Committee on Mines and Energy 

for consideration and report. 

The Committee hereby request for a written memoranda from the general public in respect of the Bill. 

The written memoranda should reach the Committee not later than Monday, 16th April 2018 through 

the address below: 

THE CLERK TO THE COMMITTEE 

COMMITTEE ON MINES AND ENERGY SECRETARIAT 

JOB 600, 4TH FLOOR - WEST WING 

PARIAMENT HOUSE - ACCRA


12 

DAILY 

Politics 



No US Military Base 

in Ghana – Prez Akufo-Addo 

LAST Thursday, April 5, President 

Nana Addo Dankwa 

Akufo-Addo addressed the 

nation last on the controversial 

issue of his government 

allowing The United States to 

establish its military base in the country. 

DAILY HERITAGE reproduces 

the full statement by the President of the 

Republic in which he has affirmed, in no 

uncertain terms, that Ghana has “not offered 

a military base, and will not offer a 

military base to the United States of 

America.” 

Read the full speech by the President 

below: 

ADDRESS TO THE NATION, BY 

THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUB- 

LIC, NANA ADDO DANKWA 

AKUFO-ADDO, ON THE “US- 

GHANA MILITARY CO-OPERA- 

TION AGREEMENT”, ON 

THURSDAY, 5TH APRIL, 2018. 

Fellow Ghanaians, I have come into 

your homes this evening to talk about a 

matter that has generated a lot of heat in 

our country these past days. 

Last week, at the height of the furore 

triggered by the US-Ghana Military Cooperation 

Agreement, a good friend of 

mine came to caution me on what he 

called the “hazards of this democracy 

thing”. He told me, just in case I needed 

reminding that my predecessor as President, 

who had also been democratically 

elected, had chosen to avoid any possible 

controversy by signing and keeping secret 

some agreements. So, why did I not 

follow this precedent, instead of exposing 

the nation to all the hazards of the 

past few days? 

My friend, no doubt, had a point. Indeed, 

I acknowledge that there are many 

very well-meaning citizens who would 

have preferred the peaceful process of 

agreements reached behind closed doors, 

to the furore of the past few days. Yet, 

far from being daunted, I take what has 

happened not to be symptomatic of the 

hazards of democracy, but a show of the 

strength of democracy in action. We are 

seeing being displayed before our very 

eyes, not the triumph of disorder, but 

the value of openness in governance, 

and of the need, the crucial need, for the 

people to be fully and accurately informed. 

Believe in democracy 

You cannot claim to believe in 

democracy unless you have faith in the 

people, faith in their inherent goodness, 

faith in their capacity to make the right 

decisions, given the right information. It 

is this faith in the people that has shaped 

my entire political career, and it is this 

faith that propels me to lead an open and 

transparent government. 

I was fully aware of how such agreements 

had been handled in earlier administrations, 

but I decided that, under 

my watch, any such agreements should 

be subject to the appropriate scrutiny of 

the people’s representatives in Parliament, 

in consonance with the requirements 

of accountable governance and 

the teachings of the Constitution. After 

all, you, the Ghanaian people, had voted 

massively for change; therefore, there 

was simply no way my government 

would ever keep hidden from you, the 

people, agreements of such a nature.I 

believe that the fall-out from this decision 

only shows the growing maturation 

of our democracy. 

But for this decision to be open 

about this agreement, how else would 

we, the people of Ghana, have ever 

known that,for several decades, Ghana 

has had defence and security co-operation 

collaborations with the United 

States of America? How else would we 

have known that,in some instances, we 

have provided them with facilities for the 

movement of personnel and equipment 

to help some of our neighbours who 

were facing security and health challenges? 

Unspeakable hypocrisy 

And how else would we have exposed 

the unspeakable hypocrisy of the 

fraternity of some frontline politicians, 

who make a habit of running with the 

hares and hunting with the hounds, who 

secretly wallow in the largesse of the 

United States of America, whilst, at the 

same time, promote anti-American sentiments 

to a populist constituency? Submitting 

this Agreement to open scrutiny 

now allows us to clear the unhealthy fog 

that has clouded our relations with the 

United States of America. 

The conduct of Ghana’s foreign policy 

and its relations with the nations of 

the world has, happily, been, traditionally, 

above the passions of partisan politics. 

Allowing for the normal differences of 

approach, which will sometimes occur, 

our foreign policy has been consistently 

bi-partisan, and no successor government 

has found the need to tamper with 

any Agreement of a non-commercial nature, 

entered into by its predecessor. 

We respect the age-old norms of international 

diplomacy that, when a country 

has accorded concessions and 

privileges to another, these are not removed 

or altered by a successor government, 

unless, firstly, the conditions under 

which they were granted have been reversed; 

or, secondly, there is proven evidence 

of abuse. 

My Government came to know that 

Ghana had entered into a Co-operation 

Agreement with the United States of 

America, in 1998, 2000, and under the 

government of my predecessor in 

2015.We were satisfied that the conditions 

which necessitated the Agreement, 

namely the creeping threat to the peace 

of the region, had not disappeared. If 

anything, the threat had increased and, 

The conduct of Ghana’s foreign policy and its relations with the nations of the 

world has, happily, been, traditionally, above the passions of partisan politics. 

Allowing for the normal differences of approach, which will sometimes occur, 

our foreign policy has been consistently bi-partisan, and no successor government 

has found the need to tamper with any Agreement of a non-commercial 

nature, entered into by its predecessor. 

•President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo 

therefore, the need had arisen for continuing 

with our co-operation. 

No suggestion had ever been made 

that the United States of America had 

abused any of the privileges or concessions 

granted under any of these agreements, 

and it would, thus, have been 

deemed an unfriendly act to attempt to 

deny them any concession granted them 

under those agreements. 

Fellow Ghanaians, above everything 

else, the crux of the matter is this. 

Ghana has built a formidable reputation 

for its contribution to peace-keeping 

around the world. Although these peacekeeping 

operations have always been 

under the aegis of the United Nations, 

no one doubts the fact that they have 

been made possible by the contributions 

largely of the United States of America. 

The Co-operation Agreement, which has 

subsisted, which we have approved, can 

only enhance the global effort to preserve 

the peace in our region. 

It is important also to state that the 

conditions of the Agreement mirror 

closely the conditions under which 

Ghana participates in peace-keeping operations 

under the United Nations. 

When our troops go on most peacekeeping 

duties, they do not carry their national 

passports, they carry their military 

identity. 

Quite apart from how this Agreement 

involves the military as an institution, 

it is worth pointing out that, 

virtually since independence, Ghana has 

had very fruitful relations with a range of 

foreign embassies and major international 

institutions. These include the 

United Nations, the World Bank, the International 

Monetary Fund, the African 

Development Bank, the International Finance 

Corporation, amongst others. All 

these agencies enjoy similar conditions as 

those which the Co-operation Agreement 

offers to the US military here. 

No one has dared suggest that granting 

these foreign embassies and international 

institutions these concessions 

constitute an attack on the sovereignty of 

Ghana. Nor has anyone also felt that the 

concessions have in any way worked 

against the interests of Ghana. Indeed, I 

have no doubt that it would be the general 

consensus of all well-informed 

Ghanaians that this nation has benefitted 

significantly from the presence and activities 

of these institutions over the past 

decades. 

Defence Cooperation 

Agreement 

It is clear to me that if the people of 

Ghana knew the conditions under which 

foreign embassies and our friendly international 

institutions operate in Ghana, 

nobody would have been surprised that a 

Defence Cooperation Agreement would 

make such provisions.Such knowledge 

would have spared many citizens the 

genuine anxiety and concern they have 

felt about the Agreement. It is my firm 

belief that the case for openness and 

transparency in our governance has been 

clearly demonstrated, and the argument 

conclusively settled by these events. 

But we have to take issue with the 

front-line politicians who have sought to 

mislead the people in this blatant manner, 

and those who, for mischievous purposes, 

leaked the document destined for 

the scrutiny of Parliament prematurely 

to a section of the media, who then went 

on to describe it as a “secret document”. 

How could a document intended for the 

consideration of Parliament be described 

as a “secret document”?How could anyone 

who has been in government and 

run the administration of this nation 

feign ignorance of the conditions under 

which Ghanaian troops undertake peacekeeping 

operations or the conditions 

under which our country has collaborated 

with major international institutions? 

It is difficult to understand that 

such people, knowing what they do 

know, would set about so blatantly to 

confuse people, and go as far as calling 

for the overthrow of our democracy? A 

democracy that has become the beacon 

of good governance in Africa? A 

democracy that has survived for a quarter 

of a century and encompassed even 

the most irresponsible episodes of ill 

governance in a state of unity and stability? 

A democracy that has provided the 

framework for systematic developments 

in our social and economic welfare, and 

assured us of the longest, uninterrupted 

period of stable constitutional governance 

in our history? 

Surely, this is the kind of cynical manipulation 

by reckless self-seekers, which, 

in the fullness of time, the people of 

Ghana will acknowledge and condemn. 

And I am sure that as the facts become 

clear and widely available, and as the 

people come to terms with the evidence, 

they will reject the falsehood and deliberate 

attempts to destabilize our peaceful 

country. Truth is sacrosanct. 

So let me state with the clearest affirmation 

that Ghana has not offered a military 

base, and will not offer a military 

base to the United States of America. Indeed, 

the United States of America has 

not made any request for such consideration 

and, consistent with our established 

foreign policy, we will not consider any 

such request. However, in consideration 

of the realities of our circumstances and 

the challenges to peace in our region in 

our time, we have deemed it prudent to 

continue the Co-operation Agreement 

with the United States of America. It is 

our firm belief that the Agreement will 

help enhance our defence capability, and 

offer an important layer of support in 

our common effort to protect the peace 

in our region. 

Fellow Ghanaians, let me conclude 

by saying how outraged I am by the 

defamatory comments from my political 

opponents, some of whose patriotism 

can be so easily questioned, that the sovereignty 

of this country has been sold by 

my government and myself. I will never 

be the President that will compromise or 

sell the sovereignty of our country. I respect 

deeply the memory of the great 

patriots whose sacrifice and toil brought 

about our independence and freedom. I 

have stood with you, the Ghanaian people, 

all my adult life, fighting for our individual 

and collective rights. Everything 

I have done, since assuming the great 

honour and privilege of serving you as 

President of the Republic, demonstrates 

that I remain focused on building a selfreliant, 

free, prosperous Ghana, which 

will be able to make her own unique 

contribution to the growth and development 

of Africa and the world. 

Let us concentrate and spend our energies 

on working together to achieve 

that goal of a happy and prosperous 

Ghana, and reject the hypocrisy of the 

naysayers who led our country into 

bankruptcy and the worse economic 

record of modern Ghanaian history. Let 

us rise above them, and build the Ghana 

of our destiny, the land of freedom, justice, 

progress and prosperity. 

May God bless us all, and our homeland 

Ghana, and make her great and 

strong. I thank you for your attention. 

Good night.

13 

WWW.DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH DAILY HERITAGE MONDAY, APRIL 9, 2018 

BY ABIGAIL ASARE 

•D-Black and his signees 

Herman Suede gears 

up for success 

BY RAMSON ACQUAH-HAYFORD 

D-Black features all 7 signees 

of BAM on ‘Kokorkor’ 


RAPPER D-BLACK has teamed up with all 

seven acts he signed on to his Black Avenue 

Muzik (BAM) label on his new song dubbed 

‘Kokorkor’. 

The video introduces the signees as each 

of them comes to sing their part. 

The signees are Freda Rhymz, Dahlin 

Gage, S3fa, Wisa, Kobla Jnr, Nina Ricchie 

and Osayo. 

The Black Avenue Muzik All Star song 

was produced by Genius Selection and has its 

visuals directed by Phamous Philms. 

The video of the song was shot in the 

Aqua Safari Resort at Ada and the first song is 

the first of the BAM signees following their 

unveiling last year. 

Make God a priority 

in your endeavours 

– Araba Sey 

BARELY DO we find 

young creatives put their 

talents to work and work 

extra hard in their teenage 

years to make it in their 

fields, but 15-year-old Herman 

Suede is part of the 

few changing the narrative. 

“Understanding where 

you really want to be is a 

crucial step in the journey 

to success” is what he told 

the DAILY HERITAGE 

entertainment desk when 

asked how he planned 

making his success in the 

music industry a reality. 

He added that he is a 

dreamer who dreams into 

reality and therefore 

wishes to become a household 

name in the entertainment 

industry, not only in 

Ghana but Africa and the 

world. 

Young Suede said he is 

not afraid of his dreams, 

the more reason why he is 

putting in a lot of work at 

this early stage. With his 

current single ‘Be Mine’ 

out and enjoying major airplay, 

industry critics are already 

describing him as 

‘The Wonder kid’ of 

Ghana music. 

About Herman Suede 

Born Jason Herman 

Bortei-Doku, the young 

chap is a composer and a 

songwriter who found his 

love for music at the tender 

age of five. It was 

around the time that he 

• CONTINUE ON PAGE 14 


GHANAIAN 

MODEL and graduate 

of the Kwame 

Nkrumah University 

of Science and 

Technology (KNUST), Araba Sey, 

has advised that the key to opening 

one’s understanding, opportunities, 

discoveries, unlocking 

potential and pathway to success is 

when the individual makes God a 

priority in all their endeavours. 

According to Araba, a former 

queen of KNUST, no individual 

can succeed without making God 

part of their plans from the 

scratch. 

“Share your dreams and plans 

with Him and He will lead you on 

the right path. Most people who 

motivate or advise others forget or 

fail to bring in the God factor. 

Sometimes at mentoring or talk 

shows you are coached to do this 

or do that to help you become 

successful but they forget to let 

you know that it all begins with 

God before anything else,” she 

said. 

In a release copied to the 

DAILY HERITAGE, the 

model explained that, “You may 

get to the top without having God 

and relying on your own efforts 

but there may come a time when 

something may hit you so hard at 

the top that will force you to fall 

so hard. 

“Remember that every successful 

person has enemies no matter 

how good you are. Someone may 

plan your downfall and it could 

happen. You could also lose everything 

you have gained in a blink of 

an eye through a disaster, accident 

or any means and there God will 

remind you that you took Him out 

of your plans.” 

She added that, “beginning 

with God will give you a deeper 

understanding of your purpose or 

career for you to tread on the right 

path to your success and destiny 

and shield you from those who 

want to bring you down. 

According to her, “bringing in 

the ‘The God factor’ will prevent 

your dreams and purpose from 

being cut short by unforeseen or 

unexpected misfortunes and give 

you strength to overcome frustration 

and quitting, because God is a 

full and complete dose of strength 

garnished with all kinds of positive 

vibes. 

“What is most exciting is that 

He will help you uncover and discover 

ideas, your abilities and 

things you wouldn’t have been able 

to do by your own means or will. 

The God Factor is always the beginning 

to greatness.” 

About Araba Sey 

Araba is a Fante who hails 

from Apam in the Central Region, 

but lives in Accra. She has a Bachelor 

of Arts in Textiles and Fashion 

Design graduate from 

KNUST. She was a former tertiary 

educational institution queen (Miss 

KNUST 2016). 

She is a fashion and commercial 

model, brand and fashion influencer, 

a model and career 

coach. She began modelling during 

school days. 

She is featured in adverts for 

Stanbic Bank, Exeter Corned Beef, 

Bajaaj Motors(Nigeria),Janem Spa 

and Salon, Super Bold magazine 

(Nigeria), and GTP, just to mention 

a few. 

Araba has been coaching girls 

who aspire to be beauty queens 

and models. She was nominated 

from Ghana for the Best African 

Model at last year's African Entertainment 

Legend Awards, which is 

always held in Lagos, Nigeria. 

She participated in Miss 

Malaika Ghana 2016 and won the 

‘Most Influential Model of the 

Year’ at the 2016 Edition of 

Ghana Tertiary Awards. 

•Araba Sey, Model 

and Career coach

14 

DAILY 



•E.L 

I’m not 

rude — E.L 

GHANAIAN RAP- 

PER EL has debunked 

assertions 

that he is rude, but 

was quick to assert 

that he only likes to mind his 

own business. 

EL said he is a welcoming 

person, but everybody has a 

mood swing. He told Natalia 

Andoh on the ‘Touch of Class’ 

on Class91.3FM that his relationship 

with others “depends 

on the mood I’m in. If I’m in a 

bad mood, I’ll be rude and I can’t 

be nice all the time. I don’t exude rudeness, I’m 

a welcoming person, I try to be warm as I 

can…I’m not an introvert but I like to have my 

space”. 

The 2016 Vodafone Ghana Music Award 

(VGMA) ‘Artiste of the Year’ further explained 

that: “It’s very uncomfortable when I’m in my 

zone and I’m thinking about different things 

and I’m at a certain energy level and somebody 

comes with a deferent energy level. It gets a little 

worrying, so for me, that is the type of person 

I am. 

“There are people out there who don’t have 

a problem delving into the midst of the crowd 

and doing all that but I’m just a little more reserved. 

There are times when my adrenaline 

goes up and I want to be in the midst and I 

want to do all that but most of the time I’m 

very chilled and people misconstrue that as 

being rude”. 

The Kaalu hit maker further noted that he 

keeps to himself for fear of how people would 

react to him and that has been misconstrued 

over the years as being rude. 

“Sometimes, too, I might need somebody 

and you can’t gauge how they are going to receive 

you because you don’t know what they 

think about you, what they have heard about 

you, so you approaching them is a little bit 

weird because you’re scared of the kind of reactions 

that you’re going to get, so, you stay 

away and people misconstrue that for rude as 

well. I like to mind my own business and when 

you mind your own business people will think 

you are rude but I’m not rude”. 

EL's hit records include ‘Obuu Mo’, ‘Kaalu’, 

‘One Ghana’, ‘Auntie Martha’, ‘Shelele’, ‘Mi 

Naa Bo Po’, ‘Koko’, ‘Kaa Bu Ame,’. 

He gained fast reputation for his Afro beats 

sound and has been in constant rise since the 

release of his debut album ‘Something Else’ in 

June 2012. 

Evita Joseph tops 2018 Ghana 

Make-up awards nominations 

ORGANISERS OF the Ghana 

Make-Up Awards have released 

nominations for the 2018 edition 

of the award ceremony scheduled 

to take place on April 28. 

Among stakeholders who 

have picked nominations are 

some celebrated Ghanaian entertainment 

figures such as 

Nana Ama McBrown, Zynnell 

Zuh, Selly Galley and TV and 

radio personality Berla Mundi. 

They have been nominated for 

the ‘Most Glamorous Celebrity’ 

category of the awards. 

In general, make-up brand, 

Evita Joseph, led the nominations 

with four categories for the 

industrial award of ‘Make-up retailer 

of the Year’, ‘Ghanaianowned 

Brand of the Year’, 

‘Make-up Product of the Year’ 

and ‘Make-up blog of the Year’ 

categories. 

The reigning 2017 ‘Make-up 

Artist of the Year’, Valerie Lawson, 

with the brand name, 

Mzl4wson, follows with three 

nominations for the individual 

category of the award, the highest 

in that category. She has 

been nominated in the ‘Make-up 

Artist of the Year’, ‘Best Bridal 

Make-up Artist’ and ‘Marketing 

Campaign of the Year’ categories. 

Ms Lawson is competing 

with other influential make-up 

brands like Nancy Chinalurum 

Ogbonna (Nancyblaq), Sandra 

Don-Arthur (Alexandrina 

Makeup) and Marfoa Acheampong 

(Touch Makeup Artistry), 

who were equally nominated for 

the 2018 ‘Make-up Artist of the 

Year” category. 

Other artists such as 

Nathaniel Amewugah, Daniella 

Attipoe, Marfoa Acheampong 

and Maria Musah also got nominated 

for the ‘Best Special Effect 

Make-up Artist of the Year’ category. 

Also on the nomination list 

are Woena Attipoe (Woena 

Makeup Artistry), Augustine 

Osei (Barimah_Makeup 

Artistry), Abigail Amegatcher 

(Shine_and_Shadows) and 

Christabel Jones (CJ Makeover), 

who are all up for ‘Best Celebrity 

Make-up Artist of the Year’ 

award category. 

The 2018 Ghana Make-Up 

Awards is being organised by 

Make-Up Ghana, and it is 

aimed at honouring and promoting 

excellence in the 

Ghana’s make-up artistry 

industry, as well as uniting 

stakeholders. 

The awards ceremony 

will take place on April 

28 at Kempinski Gold Coast 

City Hotel in Accra. 

Herman Suede gears 

up for success 

•Herman 

Suede 

started his formal 

music lessons in 

school, where he majored 

in classical 

music on the 

piano. 

He is a student 

of Tema 

International 

School 

(TIS) and 

has found 

a way 

• READ FROM PAGE 13 

to 

merge 

his school 

life with his 

budding music 

career. 

Suede has three 

songs to his name, ‘Be 

Mine’ ‘Wavii’ and ‘Questions’ 

which are heavily 

influenced by Afro pop, 

RnB and Rap. All three 

songs were composed at 

age 14 with D3MZ 

(Edem Cofie). 

He told the paper 

that his sources of inspiration 

are Drake, 

Maleekberry, King 

Promise, Davido, Mr 

Eazi and Joey Badass. 

Aside music, Suede is 

involved in acting and 

dancing, volleyball, soccer, 

swimming and playing 

golf. He said he 

plans on releasing three 

new singles with colourful 

music videos soo. 

•DJ Mingle 

DJ Mingle releases ‘Cool your temper’ video 

LIVE FM’S DISC Jockey for ‘Life 

Style Café’, ‘Live from the capital’ and 

‘Young Wild and Free’ radio show, 

DJ Mingle, has released the official 

video for his first single dubbed ‘Cool 

Your Temper’. 

The song, which features Akoo 

Nana, with its video directed by 

Rex, is a reassuring anthem for men 

who want to let their ladies know 

they mean the world to them, and 

will forever be special in their world. 

According to DJ Mingle, he is on 

a mission to leave powerful memories 

in the minds of music lovers with his 

first single. 

He told the DAILY HER- 

ITAGE that, “I want them to get a 

vibe that will be easy to sing along 

that anytime my name is mentioned, 

at least they can remember the first 

song that I put out. That is the chorus 

of the song that says ‘cool your 

temper don’t you know somebody 

loves you.’ It is a simple catchy hook 

that everybody can just vibe to.” 

The song is a first of plans initiated 

by the DJ to introduce his craft 

to a wider audience. He added that 

“As a DJ, [I find that] there is more to 

it. There is music production, there’s 

beat making, there’s performance. 

“There’s DJing itself and all that. I 

decided to come with it to broaden 

myself and be a bit out there, because 

just the music playing… It’s okay but 

you have to do more for yourself as 

an individual. You don’t have to be 

restricted to one area. You just have 

to broaden your horizon in the media 

industry, that’s why I decided to come 

out with a song.”

DAILYHERITAGE.COM.GH 

Sports 


Baah signs for FC Kairat 

15 

• George Afriyie (L) with Kwesi 

Nyantakyi, GFA President 

George 

Afriyie did 

nothing 

wrong — 

Ntow Fianko 

RENOWNED FOOTBALL administrator 

and former Division 

One League Board Chairman, 

Kwame Ntow Fianko, has disagreed 

with remarks that Ghana Football 

Association (GFA) Vice President 

George Afriyie rushed to declare his 

intention to contest the GFA’s presidential 

election in 2019. 

According to Mr Fianko, 

“George did not break any constitutional 

provision of the GFA to declare 

his ambition to contest for the 

topmost position…” he told 

Asempa FM ‘Sports Night’. 

The former Division One League 

Board Chairman explained that the 

Articles 1 to 11 on the GFA’s elections 

regulations have nothing to say 

on anyone declaring his intent in 

that case. 

Mr Fianko, therefore, challenged 

anyone who thinks Mr Afriyie was 

wrong with his declaration to prove 

it. 

According to Mr 

Fianko, “George did 

not break any 

constitutional 

provision of the GFA 

to declare his 

ambition to contest 

for the topmost 

position…” 

GHANA INTERNA- 

TIONAL Gideon Baah 

has joined Kazakhstani 

Premier League side FC 

Kairat on a three-year 

deal. 

Baah was released by 

American Major League 

Soccer club New York 

Red Bulls in November 

last year and has since 

been on the radar of several 

clubs. 

The experienced leftback 

signed for Kairat on 

Thursday evening and he 

is expected to help them 

in the Europa League next 

season. 

“I think it’s a very 

good opportunity for me 

as a person and as a 

player,” Baah told the 

club’s official TV channel. 

“I hope to make the 

most out of it, especially 

in a big club like FC 

Kairat, and hopefully they 

will get the best out of me as I give them 

everything I have. 

“FC Kairat is one of the best teams in 

the world with very good facilities and it’s 

a stepping stone in 

• Godfred 

Asante 

• Gideon Baah 

my career, and hope to 

use this opportunity 

wisely because to develop 

as a player you 

need some opportunities 

like this.” 

He had previously 

also featured for Kotoko, 

as well as Honka and 

HJK in Finland. 

FC Horoya 

close in 

on Asante 

GUINEA 

N 

CHAM- 

PIONS 

FC 

Horoya are bent on 

signing Dreams FC 

defender Godfred Asante 

to beef up their 

team. 

Footballmadeinghana.com 

can exclusively 

reveal that the 

“I hope to make the most 

out of it, especially in a big 

club like FC Kairat, and 

hopefully they will get the 

best out of me as I give 

them everything I have” 

Guinean giants have 

already sent their representatives 

to hold 

talks with Dreams FC 

over the possible sale 

of their deputy skipper 

and that negotiations 

would begin 

soon. 

Asante has been a 

pillar at the back of 

the Dawu-based club 

since his move from 

Accra Great 

Olympics three seasons 

ago. 

The versatile 

player, who can operate 

anywhere across 

the back four and 

also as a defensive 

midfielder, had previously 

featured for 

Heart of Lions and 

Asante Kotoko.

Sports 


09/04/2018 

MONDAY. DAILY HERITAGE 

Email: info@dailyheritage.com.gh 

Facebook: facebook.com/dailyheritagegh 

Twitter:#heritage_daily 

Ronaldo hiding 

secret about 

Manchester 

United transfer 

• Cristiano Ronaldo 

REAL MADRID star 

Cristiano Ronaldo is 

reportedly hiding a secret 

as talk of a move to 

Manchester United 

rumbles on. 

Ronaldo remains vital to Real 

Madrid and demonstrated his class 

with a sublime brace in their 3-0 

Champions League win over 

Juventus on Tuesday night. 

The Portugal international, 

however, remains heavily linked with 

a move to Manchester United. 

Spanish media say the 33-year-old 

is interested in moving back to 

United, the club he turned his back 

on back in the summer of 2009. 

It comes at a time where Real are 

refusing to bow to his contract 

demands, with Ronaldo seeking pay 

parity with Lionel Messi. 

Yet the Manchester Evening 

News (MEN) says Ronaldo is hiding 

a secret. 

And that is because he is actually 

using United to get the deal he feels 

he deserves. 

Talk of a move back to the club 

is nothing new. 

In the immediate aftermath of Sir 

Alex Ferguson’s retirement in 2013, 

United were convinced Ronaldo 

would return as David Moyes’s 

welcome present. 

And in 2015, Ronaldo was again 

tipped to move back, having grown 

unhappy at Real’s decision to axe 

Carlo Ancelotti. 

However, the MEN says Ronaldo 

is again using United to try and 

broker a new Madrid contract. 

The good news for the Red 

Devils is, though, they are not going 

to fall for his tricks again. 

United have already ruled out 

signing another forward following 

Alexis Sanchez’s arrival. 

And to prove they did not want 

Ronaldo, Jose Mourinho said in 

January: “To put some water on the 

fire, I would say Cristiano is the kind 

of player that every manager wants. 

“Every club wants, but only one 

manager can have and only one club 

can have - Zidane and Real Madrid. 

That's my feeling.” Express.co.uk 

Barcelona charged by UEFA 

• Over yellow balloons on pitch 

BARCELONA HAVE been 

charged with breaching 

UEFA disciplinary 

regulations after supporters 

floated yellow balloons onto 

the Camp Nou pitch during 

Wednesday's Champions 

League victory over Roma. 

The La Liga leaders won 

the first leg of the 

quarterfinal 4-1 but the 

match was briefly held up as 

a result of an apparent 

political protest in the first 

half. 

Yellow balloons -- 

potentially representing 

support for the Catalan 

politicians who remain in 

prison following October's 

unofficial independence 

referendum -- were released 

following a wave of pro- 

Catalan chants in the 17th 

minute. 

Governing body UEFA 

made no reference to 

political factors when 

charging Barcelona on 

Friday, citing only a breach 

of Article 16(2), which 

pertains to the "throwing of 

objects.'' 

A statement said the case 

would be dealt with by the 

UEFA control, ethics and 

disciplinary body on May 31. 

Soccer net 

Real Madrid edge Barcelona 

in La Liga TV audience figures 

REAL MADRID have just 

edged Barcelona as the most 

popular club to watch for 

Spanish TV viewers so far in 

2017-18, according to 

research published by La 

Liga. 

Audience figures collected 

by Kantar Media were 

published on La Liga’s 

website, showing the total 

and average number of 

viewers who watched games 

on TV at home in the first 

30 weeks of the current 

campaign. 

Despite an indifferent 

campaign which sees 

Zinedine Zidane's side 

currently third in the table, 

they achieved a total local 

TV audience so far of 37.7 

million viewers -- an average 

of 1.256m per fixture. 

A total of 36.5m Spanish 

TV spectators -- or 1.217m 

per game -- have watched 

Ernesto Valverde's team lead 

the table from the start, and 

remain unbeaten to hold a 

nine-point lead over second 

placed Atletico Madrid with 

just eight games remaining 

Diego Simeone's Atletico 

are third on a list in which 

La Liga have ranked the 

teams in order of their 

audience for games on 

Spanish pay-TV, with an 

average of 715,170 per 

game, followed by Valencia 

(550k), Sevilla (487k) and 

Athletic Bilbao (435k). 

One La Liga game each 

week goes out on free-to-air, 

usually involving smaller 

clubs, with Real Betis having 

the greatest audience in these 

matches -- an average of 

957k viewers. So far this 

season none of the top six 

most popular sides have 

been chosen for the free-toair 

game, which is usually 

screened either Friday or 

Monday evening. 

Suburban Madrid side 

Leganes, playing just their 

second ever season in the 

top flight, come bottom of 

the pay TV list with an 

average of 287k viewers. 

However their one game 

which was shown free to air 

-- at Betis in mid-January -- 

was watched by over one 

million people on TV. 

soccer net 

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

April 9

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?