GHANAIAN TIMES

"Checking Common Fund abuse...Communities have watch-dog roles - Ahwoi", is the headline of the main front page story in the Times. The story says the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Mr. Kwamena Ahwoi, has said that it is wrong for Ghanaians to sit down for a district chief executive to unilaterally misuse the District Assemblies' Common Fund and later throw up their arms to blame the government. He was addressing a durbar to mark the 40th anniversary of Okuapeman School established in 1957 by the late lawyer Opoku Akyeampong single-handedly with 81,000 pounds sterling. Mr. Ahwoi said DCE's are supposed to be kept in check by the district assemblies under the leadership of presiding members. According to the Graphic Mr. Ahwoi said for the common fund to be judiciously utilised, "we need vigilance and the people must be the watch-dogs. GRI

In another front page story the Times reports that the authorities of the Tema Secondary School (TEMASCO) at the weekend, closed it down and ordered the students to go home for 10 days. This is to reduce tension which has been mounting since the removal from office about a week ago of the headmaster, Mr. Abednego Agyepong, for drunkenness. The Times says the acting headmistress of the school, Mrs. Akosua Adu, told the Tema Municipal Chief Executive, Nii Armah Ashietey that the decision was taken in consultation with the staff and student leaders who felt that their mid-term holidays should be pushed forward for the students to go home to calm down emotions. According to the paper, mid-term holidays were scheduled to start on October 23, but because of recent threats from some of the students to blow up the school kitchen and burn vehicles, and the circulation of a list of names of tutors to be attacked, they were asked to go home. Mrs. Adu said two of the threats have been carried out within the week. These were the removal of fuses on the school's electricity generator, resulting in a black- out, and the burning of a store belonging to Mrs. Victoria Opoku, the assistant headmistress. GRI

The Times in an inside page story reports that the Nifahene of Mampong traditional area, Nana Adu Ameyaw the second, has called on the government to demarcate new stool boundaries to avert land disputes. Nana Ameyaw said this when officials of the Ashanti Region Lands Commission met the Sekyere East District Assembly, chiefs and heads of departments at Effiduase to explain the role of the commission. It was also to identify land administration problems and the role of assembly members in the preparation of lay-outs for the district. The Times says Nana Ameyaw, who is also Effiduasehene, called for a legislation to debar some individuals from secretly allocating several plots of land to themselves with the connivance of some self-styled surveyors without the consent of chiefs. GRI