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“There is a constitutional shortfall in the area where he [Doe Adjaho] can do reshuffle but as a rational human being, if something has happened and it needs dismissal, he must consult the President and take the decision,” Mr Oppong argued on Onua 95.1FM Thursday.

He said notwithstanding the fact that both President John Mahama and Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur are outside the jurisdiction, they remain the President and Vice respectively as the 1992 constitution  empowers them to perform their legitimate duties outside the country.

According to him, Mr Doe Adjaho cannot be said to be an acting President in view of the absence of President Mahama and his Vice, arguing “if we say he is acting, it means there is no President in Ghana but in this case, we have them but they have just travelled on official assignments”.

Commenting on the swearing in of Mr Adjaho as President on Wednesday, Mr Oppong added: “while they are not here, they are performing their constitutional duties”.

He advised against the President and his Vice travelling out of the country at the same time because some of the businesses they travel outside to do could be done by our ambassadors in those countries

“We should look at the situation where the two will not be absent in the country because some of the issues can be handled by our ambassadors and high commissioners so the President and the Vice should not travel together at the same time,” he advised.

Mr Adjaho was sworn-in as President on Wednesday by Chief Justice Georgina T. Wood at the Parliament House in Accra amidst cheers from the minority Members of Parliament who shouted “Presido” repeatedly. He took the Presidential oath.

The minority MPs urged Mr Adjaho, who can best be described as a temporary or caretaker President, to use the opportunity to announce a ministerial reshuffle of the Mahama-led government, TV3’s Parliamentary correspondent Evelyn Tengmaa reported.

President Mahama left Accra Wednesday morning for Glasgow in the United Kingdom on official visit where he is scheduled to observe the First Minister’s question time and address a meeting of parliamentarians. He is expected to return on March 19.

His vice, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur arrived in New Delhi, India on Monday for a two-day investment summit on Africa. It is not clear when he is likely to return as official communication did not state.

Although the 1992 Constitution prescribes that the Speaker be sworn into office to act as President any time the President and his Vice are out of the country, Mr. Adjaho on two occasions on November 5 and 7, 2015, declined to be sworn as the acting President when both the President and his Vice were out of the country on official duties.

He explained to the House that he had, in consultation with the Chief Justice, agreed that since he had taken the same oath on October 19, 2013 when the President and his vice were out of the country, there was no need for him to do so again.

But the Supreme Court in December last year ruled Mr Doe Adjaho breached Article 60 (11)-(12) of the 1992 Constitution by the said refusal that received mixed reaction from Parliamentarians and governance experts.

By Kweku Antwi-Otoo|Onua 95.1|tv3network.com

Mr Adjaho was sworn in a while ago by Chief Justice Georgina T. Wood at the Parliament House in Accra amidst cheers from the minority Members of Parliament who shouted “Presido” repeatedly. He took the Presidential oath and signed the Presidential Oath book.

The minority MPs want Mr Adjaho, who can best be described as a temporary or caretaker President, to use the opportunity to announce a ministerial reshuffle of the Mahama-led government, TV3’s Parliamentary correspondent, Evelyn Tengmaa reports

President Mahama left Accra Wednesday morning for Glasgow in the United Kingdom on official visit where he is scheduled to observe the First Minister’s question time and address a meeting of parliamentarians. He is expected to return on March 19.

His vice, Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur arrived in New Delhi, India on Monday for a two-day investment summit on Africa. It is not clear when he is likely to return as official communication did not state.

Although the 1992 Constitution prescribes that the Speaker be sworn into office to act as President any time the President and his vice are out of the country, Mr. Adjaho on two occasions on November 5 and 7, 2015, declined to be sworn as the acting President when both the President and his Vice were out of the country on official duties.

He explained to the House that he had, in consultation with the Chief Justice, agreed that since he had taken the same oath on October 19, 2013 when the President and his vice were out of the country, there was no need for him to do so again.

But the Supreme Court in December last year ruled Mr Doe Adjaho breached Article 60 (11)-(12) of the 1992 Constitution by the said refusal that received mixed reaction from Parliamentarians and governance experts.

TV3’s Evelyn Tengmaa reports Wednesday morning that Mr. Doe Adjaho announced few minutes into parliamentary proceedings that he had received a communication from the Presidency that President Mahama was leaving the jurisdiction.

He said the Vice President already out of the country and for that reason he was to be sworn as the acting President.

“Mr Speaker then left his seat for the First Deputy Speaker, Ebo Barton-Odro to take over the proceedings as he left the chamber,” Evelyn reports.

She reports that few minutes later Mr Adjaho and Mrs Wood came into the chamber where the Chief Justice administered the Presidential oath to Mr Adjaho who had in previous occasion refused to be sworn-in.
In that landmark Supreme Court ruling, the nine-member panel, presided over by Mrs Justice Sophia Akuffo, averred  that the “Speaker of Parliament shall always, before assuming the functions of the Office of President when the President and the Vice-President are unable to perform their functions, take and subscribe to the oath set out in relation to the Office of President”, the Daily Graphic reported

“The Speaker is obliged to swear the oath each time he assumes the Office of the President. There is no ambiguity in articles 60 (11) and 60 (12),” the report quoted Mr Justice Sulley Gbadegbe, who read the court’s decision.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah|tv3network.com|Ghana
Twitter @steviekgh

The threat of possible attack came up on Tuesday when the Council reviewed the security situation in the country in a meeting with President Mahama and security chiefs.

“The National Security Council on the basis of briefings by the intelligence agencies and partners has determined that there is a credible terrorists threat to all countries in the sub-region,” a statement issued by the Communications Minister, Dr. Omane Boamah after the meeting has said.

“In view of the conventional wisdom that security is a shared responsibility, the Council has advised that the general public be vigilant, cautious and curious, and report any unusual circumstances to the law enforcement agencies,” it noted.

The Council further urged all Ghanaians and other nationals resident in Ghana to bear with security measures that may be enforced at various locations from time to time for the purpose of public safety.

Below is the full statement

NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL STEPS UP COUNTER-TERRORISM MEASURES

The National Security Council met earlier today to review the security situation in the country in the wake of the upsurge of terrorist attacks in the sub-region.

The meeting was chaired by His Excellency, John Dramani Mahama, President of the Republic of Ghana and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces. It was attended by Service Chiefs and all other members of the Council.

The Council reviewed the recent attacks in Mali, Burkina Faso and Cote d’Ivoire and current intelligence on extremist activities in West Africa.

The National Security Council on the basis of briefings by the intelligence agencies and partners has determined that there is a credible terrorists threat to all countries in the sub-region.

The Council reviewed its anti-terrorism preparedness, joint services operations and other measures to ensure the safety of the citizenry.

In view of the conventional wisdom that security is a shared responsibility, the Council has advised that the general public be vigilant, cautious and curious, and report any unusual circumstances to the law enforcement agencies.

The Council further urges all Ghanaians and other nationals resident in Ghana to bear with security measures that may be enforced at various locations from time to time for the purpose of public safety. The Council will review the situation on a continuous basis.

Signed:

EDWARD K. OMANE BOAMAH (DR.) (Minister)

Source: tv3network.com | Ghana

“We will restore the teacher and nursing training allowances – for us, it is non-negotiable. Every nation must prioritize certain sectors at every point in time and invest the necessary resources to reap maximum benefits and, for the NPP, Ghana today needs to invest every necessary resource in education to give us the quality human resource we need to win the globally competitive economic battle,” he said.

Dr. Bawumia made these comments at the Dambai College of Education (DACE), on Monday, after listening to the complaints of students and lecturers of the College on conditions of teacher trainees and colleges of education across the country.

Speaking at the Forum, Mr. Lambert Ahiadzu Sefadzi, Head of the Social Sciences Department at the College, decried the current conditions of colleges of education, stating that the current government has no policy framework toward teacher education.

“There are a lot of problems facing colleges of education but only one has gained prominence: the issue of the withdrawal of the teacher trainee allowances. However, there are other problems, including inability of government to implement fully the Colleges of Education Bill, poor infrastructure among others. The Colleges of Education Bill which was passed in 2012 making the colleges tertiary institutions is not fully implemented. When it suits government, they cite parts of the Bill, for example the withdrawal of Teacher Trainee Allowances.

“It would interest you to know that since 2012, tutors in Colleges of Education have been doing the work of tertiary teachers but are paid like teachers of basic and secondary cycle schools, though they have all the qualification required by the National Council of Tertiary Education. Migration of teachers of Colleges of Education to the NCTE payroll has also not been done. Government continues to drag its feet saying there is no money while teachers continue to do everything and produce Diploma certificated teachers, without any commensurate compensation.

“They have reduced entry requirements to attract a lot of people to Colleges of Education. In the past, individuals were required to have at least C6 in all core subjects to gain entry to the Colleges of Education but because the cost of training has gone up and individuals are financing their education, they have reduced the entry requirement to D7 to attract a lot of students and this is what they are using to boast that enrolment has increased in Colleges of Education.”

Asaanah Peter Anagbila, a student of the College, stated that as a result of the scrapping of the allowances, though it has been three weeks since the school reopened for classes, many of their colleagues have not been able to return because they have not been able to find money to pay for their fees and for their upkeep.

“I am happy to know that Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr. Bawumia have indicated their resolve to restore the teacher trainee allowances. This is what gives us hope and we are grateful. With the restoration of teacher trainee allowances, teacher education will be once again attractive in Ghana,” he added.

When he took his turn, Dr. Bawumia explained that the NDC government had decided to take the path of taxing every conceivable item and abolishing all kinds of expenditure because it had mismanaged the unprecedented resources that had come into the country within the last 7 years.

“In the government’s desperation and recourse to a fixation on taxation and unfortunate cuts in the hope that it would fill the hole they have sunk the Ghanaian economy into, they have also cancelled the all-important teacher trainee allowances. It is instructive to note that this policy, like the many other desperate schemes, was introduced around 2013 and 2014 after the Government had recklessly borrowed and overspent in the 2012 Election year leading to double digit fiscal deficits in 2012 and 2013.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, when you are desperate and when you find yourself in a hole, any idea will sound great to you because you have very limited options. It is therefore not surprising the number of desperate schemes and policies this government keeps innovating in attempt to climb back up from the hole,” he stated.

Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia noted that the decision to scrap the allowances was worrying as it betrays a lack of appreciation of the need to prioritise education and especially the training of key professionals such as teachers and nurses.

“As the government continues to claim that the policy to scrap the allowances is the best thing to have happened to teacher trainees and training colleges, the supposed biggest beneficiaries of the policy, trainees, continue to cry out and face unbearable hardships to keep themselves in school after the cancellation of the allowances,” he lamented.

Dr. Bawumia reiterated the NPP’s promise to restore the allowances to ensure that Ghana develops the necessary human resource for development.

Source: tv3network.com|Ghana