The owner of the abandoned truck which caused accident on one of the newly secured trains has been jailed 6 months. 41 year old Abel Dzidotor is said to have pleaded guilty in court today to three out of the four counts leveled against him.
MR ABEL DZIDOTOR BEING ARRESTED BY THE POLICE
News reaching Daily Insights today reveals, the owner of the abandoned truck, Abel Dzidotor, is a staunch NDC member and a branch secretary for the National Democratic Congress.
Mr Abel Dzidotor, parked the abandoned truck directly across the Tema-Mpakadan railway in a sharp rail curve. Despite emergency braking by the train driver, the train couldn’t be stopped in time thereby hitting the unattended vehicle causing the train crash. The train is part of the newly procured trains from Poland and was undergoing a test run.
NEWLY PROCURED TRAINS BY THE GOVERNMENT
Early this year, it was also reported that some unidentified people have vandalized transformers and stolen copper wires plunging the some communities into darkness. This could be attributed to a calculated attempt to sabotage the government’s developmental efforts to fuel the dissemination of propaganda in order to score cheap political points.
The Communication Directorate of the Bawumia Campaign Team led by Dennis Miracles Aboagye in a Press Conference this afternoon which centred on the Future of Education in Ghana has revealed that there is a possible threat in our education sector should former President Mahama be allowed to take over power once again. According to Dennis Miracles, the future of Ghanaian youth rests on the quality of today’s education and for that matter, we cannot allow education to be bastardized by the politics of an incompetent presidential candidate who failed as a president.
The Bawumia campaign is disdained about the recent attacks on the credibility of WASSCE results and the intelligence of the students as well as the efforts of their teachers and parents by the presidential candidate of the opposition NDC and former President of Ghana, John Dramani Mahama. The Bawumia campaign team in their official presser believes that former President Mahama’s unnecessary attacks on our education causes reputational damage to our education globally.
Dennis Miracles Aboagye in his presser emphasized the position of the NPP and its presidential candidate. The team believes that the NPP and Dr. Bawumia has the future of Ghanaian youth at heart and are poised to render Ghana ready for the 4th industrial revolution which would be achieved in the possible Bawumia government starting January 2025.
Ex-President John Dramani Mahama on Thursday, January 25, 2024 visited the people of Obuasi as part of his Ashanti Regional tour, which commenced on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.
Otumfuor exposes John Mahama
The ex-president in his address to the chiefs and people of Obuasi, said his government revived the AngloGold Ashanti – Obuasi Mine in 2014. This comment caught the attention of many on social media and traditional media.
Shortly after ex-president John Mahama’s commentary, a viral video of the king of Asanteman, Otumfuo Osei Tutu – II in 2019 was seen addressing attendants thanking H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and his government for their superb inputs in reviving the AngloGold Ashanti after so many failed attempts by previous government.
Our Research Desk delve deeper into the issue and came across a document on Tax Concession Agreement for the Obuasi Mines Redevelopment between the Republic of Ghana and AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited, which was dated 27/11/2017. In the said document, the Republic of Ghana granted about $300M tax waiver to the AngloGold Ashanti (Ghana) Limited amidst other incentives to aid the realization of the redevelopment project.
Our desk also came across a video of the Chief Executive Officer of AngloGold, Alberto Calderon at the commemoration of the first gold pour, praising the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for his assurance and relentless efforts to see the operation of the Obuasi mine. Chiefs and the good people present also heaped praises on the President for such a phenomenal job.
Mahama busted
Ex-President John Mahama has come under heavy criticisms after he has been, what the majority claim to be exposed. Scores of Ghanaians are of the view that the ex-president must rise to the occasion and act as a statesman.
In a surprising turn of events, former Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has announced his intention to grant Ato Essien, the former founder of Capital Bank, a presidential pardon. The decision has sparked controversy and debate across the nation, considering the severity of the charges and the recent conviction of Essien.
Ato Essien jailed for 15 years
Ato Essien, once a prominent figure in Ghana’s financial sector, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on October 12, 2023, for his involvement in a high-profile case of stealing and money laundering. The Accra High Court found him guilty on all counts, highlighting the misappropriation of over GHS600 million from Capital Bank and the use of the embezzled funds for personal gain, including luxurious vacations and funding his personal businesses.
Essien’s conviction was seen as a strong message against financial crimes and a deterrent to others who might consider engaging in similar activities. The judge in the case took into account the seriousness of the offenses and Essien’s lack of remorse in delivering the sentence.
Despite the court’s ruling and the widespread public support for the conviction, former President Mahama’s decision to grant Essien a presidential pardon has raised eyebrows. Pardons are typically granted to individuals who have demonstrated rehabilitation, expressed remorse, or served a significant portion of their sentence. In Essien’s case, where he was convicted on all charges and has not shown remorse, the decision to grant a pardon has triggered skepticism.
John Dramani Mahama
Former President Mahama has not yet elaborated on the reasoning behind his decision. This has led to concerns that political motivations or personal connections may be influencing the choice to pardon Essien, further fueling the debate surrounding the move.
Essien’s lawyers have already announced their intention to appeal the conviction and sentence, adding an additional layer of complexity to the situation. The ongoing legal battle, coupled with the potential presidential pardon, ensures that the Ato Essien case will continue to captivate the nation’s attention and spark discussions on justice, accountability, and the role of political figures in high-profile legal matters.
With his more than three decades of public service, most credible vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia has condemned former president John Dramani Mahama, calling him a politician without any policies. At a public event in the Ayawaso Central Constituency, Bawumia declared he would keep asking John Mahama the same question in the future because he thinks the former president will never be able to provide an answer. “I asked John Mahama one question, he has not yet answered it. So far, I asked him just one question.
“I say, John Mahama, you have been Assemblyman, you have been deputy minister, you have been minister, you have been vice president, you have been president; over the last 30 years, so tell us one policy we can associate with you over 30 years of political life,” he stressed.
The first time Bawumia launched the ‘attack’ on Mahama was at a party rally last month in Mpraeso in the Eastern Region.
“Just one, not two, one policy that you can say, as for this one, John Mahama did it. He has not yet answered it and he cannot answer it,” Bawumia said to cheers from the audience as he is flanked by Greater Accra Regional minister, Henry Quartey.
“So, if he cannot answer one question, then I wouldn’t bother with 700 questions this time around. I would just leave it at one, I am waiting for the answer and in the future, I will keep asking,” he added. Though he has not publicly declared his candidature, Bawumia is widely regarded as the front-runner in the New Patriotic Party (NPP) flagbearership race expected to take place later this year. Senior aides have promised that he will run to lead the NPP into the election of 2024.
Currently on a national campaign tour, John Mahama is vying to be chosen as the National Democratic Congress’s (NDC) flagbearer in the 2024 elections. A primary election scheduled for May 13 will pit him against Kojo Bonsu and Kwabena Duffuor.
The former president John Dramani Mahama has been urged by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) to stop lying to Ghanaians about his record while in office because “the facts show otherwise.” The General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu, responded to Mahama’s recent claim that President Nana Akufo-Addo is hiding behind Covid-19 to overspend by saying that the 2020 candidate for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) is out of touch with post-Covid-19 governance.
John Dramani Mahama
“Much as John Mahama seeks re-election on a campaign platform of ‘going back’ to the IMF, he attempts to confuse history by painting a rosy picture of his disastrous management of the Ghanaian economy between 2012 and 2016. Indeed, he put the economy in free fall after extremely reckless expenditure in excess of some GHS12 billion in pursuit of election victory in 2012. “His economy, under Seth Terkper, never recovered, leading to unheard of taxation measures on condoms and cutlasses,” Boadu said. He further stated that, “This period of economic mismanagement was characterised by rising inflation and declining growth, with growth sharply declining from 14% in 2011 to 3.9% in 2016. John Mahama claimed that this rapid decline occurred during typical “bust and boom” periods. Falling commodity prices, which, in accordance with former President Mahama’s boom and bust analysis, are typical for every administration, were the worst economic crisis he ever experienced. However, he was unable to maintain the economy’s stability.
“He just does not get it,” Boadu said on Covid-19. President Akufo-Addo succinctly stated for the world to take note of and follow that the foundation of all economic modelling worldwide is Covid-19 and the ability to preserve lives and then livelihoods. “Moreover, the Akufo-Addo administration has faced the worst ever international crisis in Covid-19, a scourge that has depreciated the worldwide economy and driven debt up generally. John Mahama’s lack of understanding of the Covid-19 economy is positively dangerous for Ghana because it badly skews his feeble attempts at analysis of our current economic situation. The IMF, to which he trumpets we should go to, has certified our economy as one of the fastest growing in terms of Covid-19 economic rebound.
“Mahama put together a Covid-19 advisory team. Covid-19 is not over yet. Where is the advisory team announced to applause and pageantry? Nowhere to be found. For the information of former President Mahama, Covid-19 is not only a matter of health. It has fundamentally become an economic imperative.” Boadu added that Mahama would have made a mistake if he had been in office when Covid occurred.
What would Mahama have done differently in that situation? What are his options, and where are they? Alternative financial and management strategies for Covid-19? He lacks a strategy because he is unaware of and unwilling to acknowledge that Covid-19 has a significant impact on the economy. What strategy did the former president Mahama employ to obtain vaccines? What is his replacement for maintaining school opening hours, which he and his party fiercely criticised just over a year ago? What are the Mahama alternatives to the policies in the cocoa industry that have led to a record-breaking output of cocoa beans? “Indeed, what is John Mahama’s alternative to anything, apart from the IMF? If you are the alternative, then spell out your alternatives to the Ghanaian people now. He is asking for a dialogue on the economy. There are many fora available for such a dialogue but he needs to put forward his plan.
Anybody can and has the right to criticise. But we expect a man who has been Vice President, head of the NDC’s economic management team and subsequently President and insistently bidding to become President again, to offer tangible alternatives, capable of feasibility testing, instead of just criticising. What is your plan? What is your vision for growing Ghana?” Furthermore, he said Mahama “actively oversaw the worst crisis ever to hit our financial sector, negligence that has cost over GHS21 billions of public resources to correct. Meanwhile, he turned judgement debt payments into a cottage industry.”
Former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho, has charged former President John Mahama with spreading false information about his emoluments. He added that according to the records, the state pays for a former president to take two holidays each year when he travels for official business abroad. I’m in charge of paying my own water and electricity bills, says Mahama Mahama was very clear in a recent interview with TV3 about the specific costs and expenses he has personally borne since leaving office.
Koko Anyidoho, Former dep. GS of the NDC
The Bono Regional Chairman of the NPP, Kwame Baffoe, also known as Abronye DC, claimed that an ex gratia payment of GH14 million was made into his ADB account in the year 2013; however, Mahama made ten points stating that this claim is an “absolute lie.” He stated that the Controller and Accountant General only paid him his salary arrears, totaling GHC 230,000, in 2013. He also mentioned that the point raised by the ruling NPP’s Bono Regional Chairman that he has received privileges and perks totaling GH15 million since leaving office in 2017 is “absolutely false.” And that as a former President, he only receives a monthly pension.
Mahama stated that he pays his electricity and water bills for his household and office, that he lives in his accommodation and that the State does not pay him for accommodation, and that the State has not given him an office. And he pays for office space in Accra’s East Cantonments. He went on to say that he pays for his fuel, his domestic staff, his medical bills, and his air tickets as well as his assistants whenever he travels. However, Koku Anyidoho disagreed, claiming that Mahama is spreading lies by claiming that he pays for his own services despite being entitled to the emoluments.
Anyidoho stated in a series of tweets, “John Dramani Mahama is whining and telling lies about his emoluments.” According to documents, the state pays when an ex-President travels abroad on official business; he is also entitled to two vacation days per year. So, if you go on your own to have fun, why should the government pay? “As John Dramani Mahama continues to complain about his emoluments, I ask: What did you do for the late President Atta-Mills, John Dramani Mahama?” The man who created you as a running mate and vice president in order for you to become President.”
It appears the marriage between John Dramani Mahama and Steve Mallory of Africa Watch magazine has come to an end, prompting the desperado former president to seek the services of another mercenary.
Mahama secures the services of Steve H. Hanke
This time round, Mahama has secured the services of Steve H. Hanke, a professor of applied economics at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Just like his phobia of Akufo-Addo drove him to contract Steve Mallory, John Mahama has gone in for this economist whose main job is to attack Dr. Bawumia over the state of the economy.
Steve Mallory invented all manner of stories about Akufo-Addo, published the then NPP candidate’s medical records which turned out to be false.
It was evidently clear that those stories were being written from Ghana by Mahama’s henchmen and same planted in Africa Watch. Those false stories, as bad as they were, could not change the minds of the Ghanaian electorate who voted massively for Nana Addo.
Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia will more than likely lead the NPP into the 2024 elections, and all things being equal, the incompetent one, John Mahama, would also lead the NDC in 2024.
Bawumia beats Mahama when the two are compared as presidential candidates. John Mahama cannot stand the might of Bawumia. He is too ordinary to go against Bawumia and so, for him to have a bit of an advantage, Bawumia must be sullied.
Steve Hanke is in to stain the academic prowess of Bawumia. The question is, all those countries this ‘greatest economist’ has advised in the past, what came out of them?
Hanke will falter just like Steve Mallory whose hatred for Akufo-Addo drove him to join forces with Mahama to defile the good image of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. His strenuous efforts will surely come to naught.
Former President John Mahama has received well wishes for the New Year from Executive Member Stephen Ashitey Adjei of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) in Tema East. In a letter to Mr. Mahama, Mr. Ashitey Adjei, often known as Moshake, expresses his sincere hope that the former president will tell less lies in the upcoming year and that he will keep him in his prayers.
“As a former leader of my party, the great NDC, I am not happy that you are not generally reliable with what you say. This is why my most fervent wish for you this year is that, we see less and less of the lies from you,” Moshake wrote. The blunt-speaking NDC Executive known as Moshake has charged that former President John Mahama used his position to make NDC unpopular and push the party from power to opposition since 2016. He bemoans the former President’s continued drag on the NDC in his new year’s write-up due to his lack of genuine sincerity in his public speech.
“For instance, everyone knows that the ‘’thank you tour” that you recently embarked on was just an ostensible ploy to actually start your campaign for 2024 flagbearership. How do I know? “Because it is on this same tour that you declared your “do or die” comment. How could you be declaring do or die for the next election if you have no plan of contesting? And yet you told the party you were going on a thank you tour,” Moshake wrote. According to him, “it is lies and monkey tricks like this makes it difficult for the NDC to band together at the top.”
Photo of Ashitey Adjei
Moshake points out that the trick Mr. Mahama pulled with the thank you tour only reminds him of the Mahama bag of tricks. “What you did on the tour is no different from what you did in 2016. You and your family declared to the whole world that you had quit politics, only to turn round and contest for the 2020 presidential ticket of the NDC.”
According to him, “Mr. Mahama even tricked NDC stalwarts including Dr. Ekwow Spio Gabrah, Prof. Joshua Alabi and others into thinking that he would make them running mates in 2020, only to swerve them for Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang.”
The firebrand NDC Executive added that, “Mr. Mahama continued with his dodgy tactics even after losing the 2020 elections, claiming that he had won and yet when he went to court, he could not provide any evidence to back the claim.” The NDC’s reputation is hurt by all of these shady activities, according to Moshake, who argued that even though Mr. Mahama is no longer the party’s head, the NDC still suffers from his lack of simple honesty because he was the party’s most recent leader. “This is why in 2022, the best I can wish for John Mahama, for the sake of the NDC, is a more straightforward lifestyle. No more using supposed health walks as means to start campaigns through the backdoor, like Mahama did in Tamale; no more announcing retirement from politics only to return, and no more claiming victory and misleading the party’s youth on the streets to demonstrate only to fail miserably to produce one shred of evidence in court.
“I have always said that our imperfect human nature frequently impels us to do and say things at the wrong time, but lying on the part of former president Mahama is going beyond reasonable definition of what is appropriate, Mr. Mahama should withdraw from the 2024 flagbearership race and submit himself to character transformation in this new year,“ Moshake wrote.
Former President John Dramani Mahama has stated that if elected president, he will release all people who have been arrested for engaging in illicit mining activities, also known as “galamsey.” The former president promised that he would see to it that individuals who had been detained for galamsey would be released and given the opportunity to carry on with their illicit mining endeavors during an interaction with a group of NDC members.
Former President Mahama
See more here “Eye Zu! When we win power, all those arrested for engaging in galamsey would be given amnesty for them to come back. We believe that whatever law they flouted, they’re remorseful so we shall free them and give them another chance to work as galamseyers” Mahama promised. Following the re-arrest of Chinese galamsey queen Aisha Huang, who had returned to the country after being presumed to have been expelled to China, discussions regarding the fight against galamsey have become more intense. The Akufo-Addo administration has come under fire from the previous president for neglecting to take serious action against galamsey in an interview with TV3.
The same person is featured in this video pledging to free everyone who has broken our mining rules and been imprisoned while also allowing them to resume their illicit mining activities. Then-candidate Mahama sent individuals like Dr. Tony Aubynn, Kwaku Boahen, and Michael Kwadwo Peprah into galamsey-prone areas in the run-up to the 2020 elections to persuade them to vote for him because he would permit them to perform their galamsey if he won the polls. The previous president has frequently urged people to participate in galamsey.
This administration has already invested millions of dollars in its war against galamsey. This strongly suggests that the former President does not support the battle against illegal mining because it comes from him.
