Nigeria’s home-based Super Eagles need to step up their game for a must-win encounter with Ghana’s Black Stars in the ongoing WAFU Nations Cup today.

Both fierce rivals clash at the Cape Coast Stadium starting from 6pm (7pm Nigeria time) with contrasting pictures in their heads before kick-off.

Ghana is comfortable and already has a ticket into the semi finals with six points from their first two matches in the group phase, while the Eagles have only two points and must win to be sure of a place in the last four.

Ghana’s six points have come from wins over Guinea and Mali, who both drew with Nigeria and thus have a point each, but a win for either team (Guinea/Mali) in their game that will run simultaneously at the Ndoum Stadium will knock the Super Eagles out of the running if they fail to defeat Ghana.

“It is a must-win game; we are certainly aware of that. Definitely, we will look at making a few changes because this is one match we must show character and efficiency at the rear, and middle and the fore,” observed team coach, Salisu Yusuf, ahead of today’s clash.

“Not only must we avoid defeat; we must win to make progress in the championship. That demands absolute seriousness and diligence and only the best legs will do.”

The Eagles failed to fly in both group phase games so far, after showing ability in a 2-0 win over Sierra Leone the day after arriving in Ghana for the tournament.

Apart from the pressure on the African Nations Championship-bound Super Eagles to achieve victory (Ghana failed to qualify for CHAN after losing to Burkina Faso right in Kumasi after a 2-2 draw in Ouagadougou), and Ghana’s commitment to pacifying home fans for the pinfall suffered in the hands of Burkina Faso, the 66-year old rivalry between both nations will make it a ferocious affair in Cape Coast.

In the early days of the rivalry, Nigeria won more matches in the Jalco Cup, but Ghana had the upper hand in the Nkrumah Cup and Zik Cup encounters that followed, both trophies named after major pan-African figures Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah and Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe.

Among the most memorable encounters between Nigeria and Ghana in those 66 years were a 2-2 draw in a 1962 World Cup qualifying match in Lagos in September 1960 (Ghana had won the first leg 4-1 in Accra); a 2-2 draw in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in Accra in April 1961 (the first leg in Lagos ended 0-0) and a 2-1 win for Nigeria in a 1970 World Cup qualifier in Ibadan in May 1969 (the return in Accra ended 1-1).

Others include; a 4-2 win for Nigeria in the 2nd All-Africa Games football tournament opener in Lagos in January 1973; a 3-2 win for Ghana in a World Cup qualifier in Lagos in February 1973 (match was abandoned and later awarded 2-0 to Ghana); a 1-1 draw in a 1978 Africa Cup of Nations match in Accra.

A 2-1 win for Nigeria in a 1984 Olympics qualifier in Accra in October 1983; a 2-1 win for Nigeria in a 1984 Cup of Nations match in Bouake; a 1-0 win for Ghana in a 1992 Cup of Nations qualifier in Accra in September 1990 and; a 3-0 win for Nigeria in a 2002 World Cup qualifier in Port Harcourt in July 2001 that qualified Nigeria for the Korea/Japan finals are some of the thrilling games between both countries which may make the Ghanaians not to take things lightly despite already having of the ticket to the semis in the kitty.

Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

The director of the Creative Arts Council and daughter of President Akufo-Addo, Gyankromah Akufo-Addo, has said her critics will soon acknowledge her impact on Creative Arts Council.

In March this year, the Tourism Minister Cathrine Afeku inaugurated a Creative Arts Council with a task to revise, ratify and implement the Creative Arts Bill and its passage into Law.

The council is headed by Gyankroma Akufo-Addo. Her appointment drew some criticism among members of the opposition party and industry players who questioned her background and efficiency in the Creative Arts Industry. But Gyankromah Akufo-Addo in an interview with Starr news’ Kwaku Obeng-Adjei said she was put there because of her competence as an individual and not because she is the daughter of the President.

But Gyankromah Akufo-Addo in an interview with Starr News’ Kwaku Obeng-Adjei said she was put there because of her competence as an individual and not because of her father.

“My father is very passionate about the creative art and I have always wanted to make my father proud, and in this stance I’m not there as his daughter but I’m there as someone he knows can do the job, who is qualified for the job and knows can do the job; has the experience for the job and passionate about the job. And my proof is to prove to my President that I’m capable of doing it”.

Source: Starrfmonline.com

Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr has commended President Akufo Addo for giving a ‘very matured’ speech at the launch of the free SHS policy.

President Akufo-Addo during the launch of the free SHS programme at the West African Secondary School (WASS) at Adenta in Accra on Tuesday urged politicians to take politicking out of the free SHS policy.

Hours before the official launch, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia took to his facebook page to deride critics of the free SHS program (especially members of the National Democratic Congress) who had described the policy as an “election gimmick”, a “hoax” or “fraud” .

In the post, Dr Bawumia said: “we thank God. They said it was impossible. They said it was an election gimmick. They said it was a hoax. Today, the impossible has become possible. Today, Free Senior High School education is here. We thank God for the vision and fortitude of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo… God bless our homeland Ghana”

But the post appears not to have gone down well with Mr Pratt.

He cannot comprehend why the President asked that free SHS should not be politicised, yet the Vice President and other NPP communicators went on to engage in politicking and propaganda.

“I must say this…the President’s speech in launching the programme was extremely matured…I heard the President say that nobody should reduce this SHS programme to a propaganda war….unfortunately, it does not appear that many people in his government listened to him…because in that very moment, Vice President Bawumia, party communicators were dissing everybody; calling them all kinds of names…they didn’t listen to their own president and that is a problem…” he said during a panel discussion on Radio Gold’s Alhaji and Alhaji, Saturday.

Source: peacefmonline.com

It has emerged that the previous administration led by John Mahama directed the Finance Ministry not to pay for the delivery of 30 defective ambulances procured in 2014.

According to National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Tamale Central, Alhassan Fuseini Inusah, the government then, had identified that the vehicles were not fit for the purpose.

The revelation has provided fresh information for further probe into why the government single-sourced the contract to one Richard Dzakpa, a former aide of former National Security Coordinator, Joseph Nuno Mensah.

Information Minister, Mustapha Hamid indicated earlier on Newsfile on Joy FM, Saturday, that the contract which was entered between the government and Dzakpa@Business in 2010, did not go through any competitive bidding process.

“Richard Dzakpa of Dzakpa@Business, was just asked to supply these ambulances to the Ministry of Health,” Mr. Hamid disclosed.

The company then approached a foreign dealer, Big Sea, which then chose Dzakpa@Business as its local agents.

He added further, soon after the arrival of the vehicles into the country, a report on a technical examination conducted on the vehicles in 2015 by global automobile manufacturers, Mercedes Benz, detected as many as 18 different defects on all the vehicles.

The technical report dated February 10, 2016, advised that the government is better off using the vehicles as 13-seater mini-buses because they were not suitable for conversion into ambulances.

The report by the German automobile company also described the electronic gadgets fitted in the vehicles as dangerous and “are of very poor quality”.

Another report dated February 15, 2015, from a similar examination by technical officers from the National Ambulance Service produced virtually same outcomes.

The Information Minister said, Big Sea later shipped the remaining equipment to be fitted in the vehicles but a legal tussle between Big Sea and Dzakpa@Business further stalled the installation process.

Interestingly, however, the government had on August 12, 2014, issued letters of credit for the payment 50% of the cost of the vehicles totaling almost 4million Euros, a year before the technical report reached the government.

The government approved the payment of bank charges in excess of GHȻ806,000.

The non-payment order

A member of the previous administration, Inusah Fuseini was surprised as to how the payments were made because the President then, John Mahama had ordered the “payment should not be effected” because “they were substantially not fit for purpose”.

Charging the state to retrieve payments made for the letters of credit, the former Roads and Highways Minister conceded that, “This transaction has more questions than answers”.

His colleague, Alex Segbefia who took over from Benjamin Kumbuor at the Health Ministry during the Mahama administration told Joy FM earlier in the week that the fear of judgement prevented him from abrogating the deal.

But Mr. Fuseini was dissatisfied with that reasoning indicating, Alex Segbefia should “have sought the advice from the Attorney-General” when he found himself in two minds.

“What judgement debt are you going to suffer?” when you ordered for rice but you are supplied maize?, he analysed.

He also criticised current Health Minister, Kweku Agyemang Manu making unfounded claims that vehicles had been paid for while he could not provide any documentation to support that claim

Hiplife artiste, Obrafour, is convinced his colleague, Okyeame Kwame, is still holding grudges against him seven years after a friction between them following a line in the ‘Kasiebo’ track which said a Kumasi-based musician by name ‘OK’ had been accused of defilement, abrantepa.com can state.

The song which featured Guru also took some presumed subliminal shots at Okyeame Kwame who had been referring to himself as the ‘Best Rapper Alive’ as another line somewhat questioned why one would claim to be the best rapper alive yet cannot boast of five albums.

This led to a scuffle between the two rappers who subsequently met on different platforms in an attempt to settle their differences.

Obrafour in an interview with Joy News said although the song was not directed at Okyeame Kwame, all conciliatory attempts have proven futile as Okyeame Kwame appears to be finding it difficult to let go.

According to Obrafour, although he never leaves Okyeame Kwame out when he is making his list of best rappers in Ghana, the ‘rap doctor’ has refused to list him among his favourite rappers.

“I took the initiative, approached my brother and told him if he thought that song had demeaned him in any way or brought his name into disrepute, he should let it go,” he said.

“I have so many things to think about so why would I hold things against people? Honestly, before my God, I don’t have anything against anybody. It is even difficult for him to go out and mention my name among best rappers but I have been calling his name. I think he is a good rapper,” he said.

Obrafour who released ‘Aseda’ not long ago looked straight into the camera and offered counsel to Okyeame Kwame.

“My brother I am telling you today, let go. There is nothing between me and you so do not hold anything against me because I don’t even think about you. I wish you well, may God bless you. May God change your perception about me,” he stated.

Source: abrantepa.com

 

To spark off an extraordinary second coming, Ghana coach James Kwesi Appiah has called on Ghanaians to throw a massive support behind the Black Stars as they face the Walias of Ethiopia in the 2019 AFCON Qualifier.

Ghana will welcome the Ethiopians to the Baba Yara Sports Stadium, a venue the Black Stars have not played there since 2014, in the first game of the qualifiers.

The Black Stars have enjoyed excessive bashing from the populace following the unforgettable money-kissing drama in Brazil in 2014.

The notorious posture of some of the Black Stars players after they were given their $100k appearance fees compelled many Ghanaians to denigrate the team and abandoning them completely.

But upon his return as the head coach of the team, Kwesi Appiah is appealing to Ghanaians to forget about the past and focus on the future.

“I am on my knees pleading to all Ghanaians to rally support behind the Black Stars as we play Ethiopia on Sunday at the Kumasi Baba Yara Sports Stadium,” he told Angel FM in Kumasi.

Ghana government to sponsor 1000 fans to 2013 AFCON Kwesi Appiah was the head coach of the Black Stars when that infamous experience happened in Brazil and has vowed not to allow such an experience again in his second coming.

Source: GHANAsoccernet.com

Alhaji Bature Iddrissu, Managing Editor of the Al Hajj Newspaper has revealed that he was not comfortable with certain comments, analogies and actions taken by former President John Dramani Mahama prior to and after exiting power.

Prominent among the comments he revealed was the infamous “dead goat syndrome ” comment in Botswana and the “Lame Horse” comment in the heat of the blame game over who actually was responsible for the party’s abysmal performance in the 2016 general elections.

“Ex-President Mahama’s ‘lame horse’ comment was wrong. I disagreed with him, it was wrong. I did not support it and I expected he should not have said it at all. There were so many things he said I did not agree including the “Dead Goat”.

I supported him when he vowed that if the failure to restore teacher trainee allowances will make him lose the election he was all out for it.

But later when I heard they had made a sudden U-turn and were making the payments, I was disappointed. I supported him when he spoke in parliament that if fixing the power situation will make him lose an election then he was prepared for it.

That is a courageous person and an indication he was not bent on staying in power. He is a human being and makes mistakes just like any of us here”, he revealed.

According to him, attempts by former President Jerry John Rawlings to paint his administration as a demonic one will not be tolerated in spite of some lapses which are human of everyone.

Former President John Mahama during a meeting with Ghanaian residents in Botswana in March 2015, said he has become impervious to threats of strikes and demonstrations in Ghana and will not yield to any of such threats in the upcoming election year.

Adopting what he calls a “dead-goat syndrome”, the President said he would not be hoodwinked by such strategies by workers.

“I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don’t think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn’t fear the knife because it is dead already. “I have a dead goat syndrome”, he was quoted as saying.

Source: mynewsgh.com