Bishop almost knelt(down) to ask Akuffo-Addo to support the poor and the needy-2nd Deputy Chief of staff reveals

Bishop almost knelt(down) to ask Akuffo-Addo to support the poor and the needy-2nd Deputy Chief of staff reveals

The 2nd deputy Chief of Staff,honourable Samuel Abu Jinapor has revealed that the Bishop of the Diocese of Damongo who also doubles as the chairman of the Ghana Prisons' Council,Most Rev.Peter Paul Angkyier almost knelt(down) to convey a message to the president of the Republic of Ghana to support the poor(needy) and the people when he decided to pay homage to him sometime ago.

He said this whilst delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the president during the 25th Priestly Jubilee of Most Rev.Peter Paul Yekezuame Anghyiere at the St.Anne's Cathedral in Damongo in the Northern Region of Ghana.

In a voice that sounded sober like a preacher,he said, "....I have not known bishop for soo long.But I have had a few encounters with him.The first one struck me very strongly.I visited Damongo and said I will pass through his residence to pay homage to him.And a visit that I envisaged to last for five minutes,lasted for two hours...Bishop started with a certain village somewhere where catholics could not worship freely,and went to education and from education he went to health and from health he went to women empowerment.And I kept seated there.I was running late but he kept going on and on and on.And he almost went down his knees and said honourable,tell the president,'do something for the poor,'do something for the people.And I could see genuineness and honesty in his eyes...This is the man we celebrate".

He congratulated the bishop on behalf of the president and donated Ghc10,000 from the presidency to support the educational fund setup by the bishop.

The Metropolitan archbishop of Tamale Diocese and the president of Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference,Most Rev.Philip Naameh used the occasion to thank the deputy Chief of Staff for his message from the president and the gift.

He encouraged the adoption of the Christian values,since they were most important in the pursuit of national development.He said this whilst thanking the 2nd deputy chief of staff for affirming his faith in the Catholic Church.
He said,"In particular I want to thank you for affirming who you are,a Catholic....And promote seeking every opportunity to promote Catholic values.When it comes to development which we are all looking for,the values of the church are one of the most important pontifically to our development.And if we all patronise the Christian values given to us of care for the vulnerable,attending to the poor and the needy and sacrificing for the neighbour,I think our country will grow a lot faster in development than it is".

He reminded the president through his emissary of his promise to repair the biggest burnt down dormitory of St.Charles Minor Serminary Senior High School.According to him,the burning down of the dormitory compelled the school to cut down the admission figures received from 250 to 150 students.Parents of rejected students who were aggrieved  turned to the media prompting the government to invite the headmaster for questioning.The headmaster met the minister of education and presented pictures of the burnt down dormitory as evidence and reason for the decision of the school.He understood and promised a contract was going to be awarded for the burnt down dormitory to be repaired.

The archbishop charged the 2nd deputy Chief of Staff to follow-up the promise of government as an alumnus of the school.
He also encouraged more Catholics to enter politics so that they can use the values learnt from the church to correct things for the better.

The MP of Damongo constituency,hon.Adam Mutawakilu on his part praised the church for giving him a wife and his first Salary. "Immediately I finished o' level,six days after,I was engaged at the West Gonja District Hospital which is a Catholic hospital.So the first Salary I had in life is from the West Gonja Hospital...And therefore,I take the Catholic Church and the mission like my breastmilk because,I got my first salary from there.The second thing I benefited from here is my wife.She is a Catholic and she is still a Catholic and am a moslem".Said the legislator.

He said Most Rev.Peter Paul played an important role behind the scenes in realizing the construction of the Damongo-Fulfulso road.
He admitted he has received and continue to receive spiritual blessing from the church and the bishop in person.And has worked closely with the church in his days as DCE and subsequently as MP to chalk a lot of success in the district.He pledged to continue to support the church.

By Ananpansah B Abraham//ananpansah-ab.blogspot.com

Bishop of Damongo Diocese launches educational fund

Bishop of Damongo Diocese launches educational fund

The bishop of the Diocese of Damongo and chairman of Ghana Prisons' Council,Most Rev.Peter Paul Yelezuame Angkyier has launched an Educational Support Fund.
The fund was launched as part of activities marking his 25th Priestly Jubilee Cerebration at the St. Anne's Cathedral in Damongo.

In launching the fund,Mr.Maurice Yinye reiterated that it has always been the dream of Most Rev.Peter Paul,even when he was a deacon to support the vulnerable in society,especially the teaming needy youth.A dream he has passionately pursued over the years,by supporting a teaming youth including moslems.

The essence of the fund was thus in fulfilment of the long-standing dream of  Most Rev.Peter Paul to support the education of the needy in society.
"It has always been the dream of the disciplinarian,even when he was a deacon to support the vulnerable in society....Even as at now,he is supporting a number of teaming youth including moslems.It is this dream he want realized today through this educational fund."Mr . Maurice Yinye disclosed.

In delivering a goodwill message on behalf of the president,the second deputy Chief of Staff hon.Samuel Abu Jinapor lauded the bishop for his genuineness,honesty and extreme love for humanity.He congratulated the Bishop on behalf of the president,the people of Northern Ghana and Damongo describing him as a worthy celebrant.

He assured the bishop of the support of the president and government in his future endeavors,particularly in developmental objectives such as education.He asked the bishop to pray for wisdom and a light heart for the president to be a father for all.And also for the government that God himself will lead the way.

"Let me conclude bishop,let me conclude by giving you the firmest assurance of the president,his government and my very humble self.That we will support you in your future endeavors in whichever way we can,particularly in the developmental objectives such as education that you have set for yourself...And as you can see,we also plead that you remember us in your prayers.Pray for the president that God will give him good heart,wisdom and a light stomach and heart to be a father to all of us.Pray for his government that God will himself,almighty himself will show us the path and chart the path for us."The 2nd deputy chief of staff said.

The president donated a sum of Ghc10,000 in support of the educational fund of the bishop.The donation was made by the 2nd deputy chief of staff on behalf of the president who revealed that the president was passionate about education and attaches soo much importance to same,hence the support.
Donations were also received from the 2nd deputy Chief of Staff,the MP for Damongo constituency,the MP for Sawla,Tuna-Kalba, the MP for Yapei-Kusawgu,the West Gonja District Assembly,the NPP constituency executives,the Yagbonwura,the Buipewura among others.

The occasion was graced by the 2nd deputy chief of staff,hon.Samuel Abu Jinapor,the MP for Damongo constituency hon.Adam Mutawakilu, the MP for Sawla,Tuna-Kalba hon.Andrew Chiwati,the former MP for Damongo/Daboya hon.Alex Seidu Sofo,the DCE of West Gonja District hon.Saeed Muazu Jibreal,the chairman of the NPP Mr.Mbemah,Kongwura who represented Yagbonwura,Tolodempewura(chief Mornoh) who represented Buipewura,other traditional leaders,the metropolitan archbishop of Tamale,Most Rev.Philip Naameh,bishops from other diocese,the health directors of Damongo,Saboba and Bole,religious groups,the media among others.

Most Rev.Paul Bemile Bishop emeritus in a homily said that we are servants of Christ with the power to manifest and take charge of his secret places.

Profile:
The bishop of the Diocese of Damongo,Most Rev.Peter Paul Yelezuame Angkyier was born on 26th November,1961,at Nandom in the Upper West Region of Ghana.He started his education at St Anne's R/C primary and left to Tamale where he had his Junior High education.He proceeded to St.Charles Minor Serminary for his secondary education, and then to Tamale Secondary for six(6) form before entering the major seminary
He got ordained as a priest on 15th August,1992...He was elected bishop on 17th December,2010, and ordained on 25th March,2011.

By Ananpansah,B Abraham//ananpansah-ab.blogspot.com

PARADOX OF OUR BEAUTIFUL DEMOCRACY;BAD CITIZENS AND OUR COMMON ENEMIES

PARADOX OF OUR BEAUTIFUL DEMOCRACY;BAD CITIZENS AND OUR COMMON ENEMIES

Ghana indeed,has come a very long way:evolving from the era of 21 years of military rule where corruption and the need to get the country back on the line of democracy formed the footing for overthrow of different regimes;through to a system of six (6) years of one party state(1960-1966) under which epoch we are told Ghanas first president,the heavy-weight Dr.Kwame Nkrumah suspended the constitution in 1964 earning him the unpopular tag of a dictator;and is now negotiating multi-party democracy....A system of government I think much of as "mass franchise" or a system which many submit to Americas 16th president,Abraham Lincoln as government of, by and for the people.
Infact,it is very true our country is mostly touted as the paragon of democracy in Africa and the first British colony South of the Sahara to gain self government in 1957 with a foreign reserve of about $481 million as at that time.
Equally worthy of note,is the fact that we have had so far;Twenty-Five(25) years of practice of democratic governance(1992-2017) holding seven(7) successful elections in a row and still counting since the inauguration of the Fourth Republic.
Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory,after proclaiming on the 6th of March,1957,that Ghana was free forever needed to justify his words with action;which I guess he did by embarking on a long vision of wide - spread industrial reforms with a seven year development plan spanning the period 1964 to 1970 aimed at getting Ghana thriving on a path of economic emancipation.
Yes,it was a done deal!The foundation of political and economic freedom was laid by Nkrumah.However,the franchise of citizens was limitedly loosened and needed to be laised.
The replication to the interrogation of how to widen citizens participation(franchise) in the affairs of their own lives in a stable political and economic environment was rested in democracy,and so we found the reposte right there!Democracy therefrom,placed power in the hands of the people.
Increasingly relieving thereafter I guess,was a shy of big solace,since,we now had a system of advanced solid rulership that buoyed us up and placed at our own control, our lives and destiny by vesting us with power to legitimately vote every four years to select leaders with integrity to help us realize our common goals.
As was rightly said, "At long last the battle for political liberation has ended" and democracy has been gradually initiated therefrom.Hurray!Ghanaians are by all odds free forever.
Indeed,we were made to believe the battle has ended...In our unending jubilation therefore,little did we reflect on the reality that;We climb a mountain only to realize there are more mountains for us to climb.We long forgot and were not reminded that the battle for responsible citizens with the right mental attitude has just started....
Obviously,we lost sight and are still losing sight of the fact that democracy as a system of government in itself never meant guarantee of free rights to everything(manners that will always fall from above in response to our challenges).Little did we realize also that the concept in itself was not an end but a means to an end defined by responsible citizens.
Maybe, just maybe we forgot what Gael Garcia Bernel said,"We think that democracy can change a lot of things,but we're being fooled, because democracy is not the elections. We've been taught that democracy is having elections .And it isn't. Elections are the most mundane, trivial, disapponting, dirty aspect".
In our context,naked truth be told,democracy means a safe haven for unleashing ethnic rivalries and deliberate antagonism born out of half truths,untruths and perceptions that defy every logical reasoning,and where elections are usually riven along preponderant ethnic cleavages at huge cost to ordinary citizens without issues.
Ponder on this,article 55 of the 1992 constitution declare as persona non grata political parties based on ethnicity, religion, regional or other sectional divisions.
Ghanas 1969 and 1979 constitutions also contain provisions aimed at curbing ethnicity in electoral political leadership and members of political parties.But are these laws not mere window decorations?When given the opportunity during elections to exercise our suffrage,citizens with such rights vote willingly out of ethnic bigotry,ethno racial fractionalization,religious affiliation and paranoid parochialism to embolden populist egocentric leaders and they respond their names by misleading.Now who do we blame?These are the category of citizens I classify as first class bad citizens.
Because,I think alike with Chinua Achebe that 'our problem as a country is leadership'.In this light,anyone who has the right to vote and does not do so wisely and based on issues but on other factors is a bad citizen.
Such bad citizens,instead of,voting for states men rather loosely endorse politicians.A politicians as used in this writeup means "one who is more concerned about the next elections" while a statesman is "concerned about the next generation".
Infact,bad citizens help to empower those without ideas with power giving credence to what PLO Limumba said which I have slightly modified, 'In our country, those with power lack ideas to develop;Whereas those without power have all the ideas to develop''.
Infact,Ghana as a matter of record,has to its credit 24 registered political parties,out of which six (6) had the opportunity to contest the 2016 elections.Those where in the category of NDC,NPP, PPP, CPP, PNC,NDP.We had one independent candidate.
Indeed,chances of winning and for that matter competition usually revolves around the NPP and the NDC commanding 90% or more of valid votes cast in every election.It cannot be lost on us also that,all these political parties are founded on de rigueur ideologies and principles.
But when a party is vested with power,those ideologies are literally relegated to the background or thrown to the dogs.They become virtually non-ideological .
After all,in their non-ideological self-enriching gimmickry national pursuit,they have self-absorbed bad citizens to defend every of their action.Such citizens become party activists for several reasons other than upholding the ideologies or principles of the party.Maybe the promise of some appointment.And such attitudes maniacally enboldens monetisation of politics and money based incentive voting rather than issue based voting.
Bad citizens are intelligent enough,hence,make it their pastime to debate even Milton Friedman on economic issues when in truth they may have no clue how simple macroeconomic indicators are interpreted.And when things go bad which they always do,we start to curse the wind and all sort of non-existing forces and without choice lament in silence.
In such situations,the people who benefit 'something' from the corrupt system and I'm careful to call them 'dishonest party communicators' are now employed to ignorantly in dishonesty,mislead the unsuspecting majority.
This is what has come to stay as 'Propaganda' in our body politics.We have them on social media and other available mediums ready to defend the course of their parties or government against the national interest.I hope you can identify and name them as well?
They ignorantly and pathetically cloud their minds in psychological blindness in paranoid schizophrenic support of vampire politicians for God knows what reason.
Those characters turn every meaningful national discourse into slanging matches.They contrive their actions on what Niccole Machiavelli said,"Politics has no morals".They will succeed in startling informed minds to keep their shut from contributing meaningfully to sensitive national issues or discourses for fear or want of their hard-won integrity.
The other categories of bad citizens are right there in the media as rented disillusioned sensational journalist who instead of holding corrupt leaders accountable, providing the right information and enlightening our illiterate parents at the grassroot to vote based on issues are buzy doing the bidding of their 'pay masters' against the national interest.
We have some of the bad citizens right there in the law courts as demigods accepting bribes and throwing to jail the goat thieves whereas the real criminals walk scout free after digging dip into their pockets.
I hope you heard of the Anas Aremeyaw Anas undercover judicial Corruption Scandal?Need I say much!
You can effortlessly mention of them as heads of institutions and departments engaging in massive fraudulent procurement losses.
Least expected are those doomsayers and false prophets proclaiming themselves as 'Men of God' and degenerating more,the moral fiber of society,and worsestill,wresting money from innocent unsuspecting hungry-for-the-spirit God's people.A practice Jesus Christ never encouraged and hence strongly discouraged.
Which category of bad citizens do you belong to countryman and what are plans to change your ways for God and country?
Deducing from the foregoing reasons, one will verily without ado admit to the fact that things have really falling apart in our dear country. "Democracy cause am!
But I tell you,there is hope for our generation and that hope is the youth.Choose to call them the salt of our redemption and you may be right,except that, salt must not lose its value else it becomes tasteless and valueless.
I can also see a hope of revival, politics of ideas and development if citizens can change their ways.Niccole Machiavelli once said,"One change leaves the way open for the establishment of others".That first change for me must start with citizens and permit me to qualify them,  'responsible citizens' making a justified pride in striving to create a new political order:where our institutions are strong and feasible;Where citizens change their attitudes and are responsible and reasonable to align with common national objectives;Where the power of the people in real terms is greater than the people in power; where citizens will not coil back and say,I won't vote again but will say, I will vote for the right candidate not some party symbol and where the regime becomes afraid of the people and not the other way round.
This is the change I envisage and pray to see!I believe the way remains forward!
May God bless our homeland Ghana and help us (citizens) develop the right attitude for God and country.
I hope you read and appreciate this piece like a Ghanaian(Statesman ) and not a politician...

The writer of this article is a teacher,a freelance journalist,youth/community advocate,blogger/writer.
Read more of his works on (ananpansah-ab.blogspot.com).

By ANANPANSAH,B ABRAHAM(AB)
(The Village Writer)
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