Embattled NUGS president accuses gov't for his exit

Anthony Abotsi Afriyie

The President of the National Union of Ghana Students has described his removal from office as null and void and accuses Government of being behind the purported emergency Congress where a vote of no confidence was passed in him.

Anthony Abotsi alleges without mentioning names, that certain individuals within Government are sowing seeds of dissension in the Union.

He has threatened to expose such officials at a News Conference scheduled for Wednesday December 8.

The emergency Congress on Saturday December 4, was a reply to an alleged unilateral action by Mr. Abotsi who had earlier suspended two of the Union’s executives.

The Congress resolved that his actions were illegal. He is also accused of interfering in the University Students Association, which is a member of the Union.

The two suspended executives, the General Secretary Patrick Adonu and International Relations Secretary, Benedicta Lasi, have consequently been reinstated.

Patrick Adonu takes over until fresh elections are held in 21 days.  But Mr. Abotsi told Citi News that the Union’s members who organised the emergency congress are stooges of certain individuals in Government.

“It is about time we told the public about the kind of government interference that have gone into all of these since the congress” he said.
However, the Acting President of the Union, Patrick Adonu has issued a disclaimer describing Mr. Abotsi as a persona non-grata.
He told Citi News the Union has alerted the security agencies to arrest Mr. Abotsi if he purports or acts as the NUGS President.
Mr. Adonu denies claims by the dismissed NUGS President that certain persons in Government influenced the vote of no confidence against him.

“All that he is saying are lies. How can whichever Government official influence the minds of the local NUGS and SRC presidents? The truth of the matter is that Ghanaian students are discerning enough and we know what is good for us so we do it accordingly" he said.

Come help develop the oil, Mills urges Ghanaians in diaspora

President John Mills is encouraging Ghanaians living in the Diaspora return home to partake in the upcoming expected economic boom.
According to the President, the many opportunities that come with the oil exploration and the many loans for development should not be allowed to go without active participation of Ghanaians.
In that regard, he is urging Ghanaians of all professional shades abroad to endeavor to come home to make available their expertise whilst reaping from the development.
Professor Mills made these remarks when he interacted with some Ghanaians resident in Tripoli, Libya on the sidelines of the 3rd AU-EU Summit. He was hopeful that those who have acquired knowledge in fields relevant to various sectors in the economy will heed the call and return to Ghana.
“We are hoping to expand our economy, be able to initiate a number of projects, so that some of you can decide come back home and you will have something worthwhile and useful to do.
“Some of our friendly brothers and sisters have made available to us resources and we want to use these resources for the benefit of our people and to expand our economy. There are therefore many areas which call for the creation of jobs, and I am sure that within the next few months, Ghanaians will begin to see new initiatives being taken.”
He further urged them to join hands in the government’s quest to bring investors into the country.
“If you come across any investors who also want to come and invest in Ghana, try and bring them. We want to form a mutually beneficial partnership with foreign direct investors.”

Chambas calls for fair distribution of oil revenue

Dr Mohamed Chambas, Executive Secretary of the African, Carribean and Pacific (ACP) Group, has stressed the need for a balancing act between meeting the needs of the people in the Western Region of Ghana and a fair distribution of the revenue from oil and gas.

He said the demand by people of the Western Region to allot 10 per cent of the oil revenue to be used to develop the region was not a new phenomenon.

Dr Chambas suggested that the government should study the method some oil producing countries were using to address the request.

He said this when he spoke to journalists prior to the opening of the third African/European Union Summit in Tripoli, Libya.

He said the needs of the area where the oil was drilled had to be adequately catered for "but it is also necessary to ensure that oil resources are used in a principled way for national development."

On the summit, Dr Chambas said both Africa and Europe recognized the need for a shift from development aid to cooperation and collaboration between the two continents.

He said the European private sector must collaborate more with the African private sector for investment opportunities.

President John Atta Mills is in the Libyan capital to attend the two-day summit that will discuss issues of governance, climate change, migration and agriculture. The summit is on the theme "Investment, Economic Growth and Job Creation."-source GNA