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FACT CHECKER: SECONDY ROADS ON DELIVERY TRACKER DUPLICATED

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Results of a fact-check conducted on #As3mYiDziKa on Connect FM 97.1MHz in Takoradi indicate that 31 out of the 66 urban roads completed in Sekondi-Takoradi Metro on the delivery tracker were duplicated. Only 4 of the 66 were not duplicated.

Interestingly, there was one project titled unknown road.

The data, however, could no longer be accessed after the Member of Parliament for Sekondi, Andrew Egyapa Mercer, was engaged on TV3’s New Day on the issue.

The team has done another on the urban roads completed in Cape Coast Metro.

Out of the 7 completed urban road projects, 3 of them are duplicated.

Lauren Gbagbo barred from contesting Ivory Coast Election

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Ivory Coast’s former President Laurent Gbagbo has been barred from running for the presidency in upcoming elections after a court upheld the electoral commission’s decision to remove him from the electoral list.

His lawyer Claude Mentenon told AFP news agency that there was no further legal recourse inside Ivory Coast.

The country’s electoral commission struck him off the list of candidates because he was convicted of a crime.

The president of the electoral commission, Ibrahim Coulibaly-Kuibiert, had in August said that anyone convicted of a crime would not be allowed to stand.

He made the announcement while revealing the revised electoral list.

Four candidates including former rebel leader Guillaume Soro were also removed from the list.

Mr Gbagbo was sentenced in absentia in November 2019 for the “looting” of the Central Bank of West African States (Bceao) following a disputed 2010 election that resulted in violence.

Source:BBC Africa

BARCELONA FANS UNHAPPY WITH MESSI’S LEAVE REQUEST

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Barcelona fans have gone to the Camp Nou to voice their displeasure over the uncertain future of Lionel Messi.

The Argentine informed the club on Tuesday that he does not wish to continue at Barcelona, and it appears the forward is set to exit the only professional club he has ever represented.

The news comes in the wake of Barcelona’s embarrassing 8-2 drubbing at the hands of Bayern Munich that sent them out of the Champions League. That loss led to the dismissal of manager Quique Setien, with Ronald Koeman brought in as his replacement while sporting director Eric Abidal was also sacked in the wake of the defeat.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu, meanwhile, has decided to stay on through to at least the election in March, stating that he believes Barca’s issues are of a sporting nature.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu, meanwhile, has decided to stay on through to at least the election in March, stating that he believes Barca’s issues are of a sporting nature.

With an emergency board meeting in progress inside, fans gathered while chanting “Messi stay” and “Bartomeu resign”.

MESSI SET TO LEAVE BARCA AS HE HANDS IN LEAVE REQUEST

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The Argentina international, 33, sent a fax to the club on Tuesday saying he wishes to exercise a clause in his contract, allowing him to leave for free with immediate effect.

Barca was beaten 8-2 by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals on 16 August.

The six-time Ballon d’Or winner made his debut for Barca in 2004 and has won the Champions League four times.

Barcelona, though, believes the clause has now expired and Messi is contracted to the club until 2021 with a 700m euro buy-out clause.

The board will meet soon and some consider the only thing that could placate Messi is the resignation of the president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, and early elections. But Messi seems determined to leave the club no matter what. After the news broke, Barca fans gathered outside the Nou Camp to protest against the board and in support of the club’s record goalscorer.

A legal battle is now set to follow between the club and the player. Messi had a clause in his contract which allowed him to leave for free, if he informed the club of his desire before 10 June.

That date has now passed so Barca believes the clause has expired, but Messi and his team feel it should be extended to cover the prolonged season – which ran until August due to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Respect and admiration, Leo. All my support, friend,” Messi’s former team-mate Carles Puyol tweeted, to which current team-mate Luis Suarez replied with two clapping emojis.

AIRPORT PROMISE WAS MADE IN THE SPUR OF THE MOMENT – OBIRI BOAHEN

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The Deputy General Secretary of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Boahen has revealed that the promise to construct an airport in Cape Coast was made by the Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, on the spur of the moment.

The promise to build an airport and a harbor in the Central regional capital has been met with mixed reactions by Ghanaians. A section of the public believes that constructing an airport at Cape Coast is not a priority.

On Friday, a day before the NPP’s manifesto launch in Cape Coast, President Akufo Addo in response to a question on whether the central region needed an airport in an interview on ATL FM said a critical need assessment must be carried out first before an airport can be constructed in the Central Region.

“The response of the government should be that the matter has been thoroughly examined and the need has been established. That is the process the Ministry of Aviation is going through.”

“We have to be able to decide for ourselves whether the need for the airport can be justified when you have Accra, you have Kumasi, you have Takoradi, you have Tamale whether on the coast with Accra’s presence there’s the need for an additional airport,” the president said.

The president’s response has raised questions on whether the policy was properly thought through.

But speaking on Starr Today, Mr Obiri Boahen stated the decision to construct an airport in Cape Coast was taken after the president’s interview on ATL FM. He added that the Vice President also revealed the promise during the manifesto launch on the spur of the moment.

According to him, Ghanaians must not make a fuss about the policy adding every regional capital in the country deserves an airport.

“Akufo-Addo spoke on the spur of the moment and then during a meeting around 9 pm, the vice president on the spur of the moment also said it will be wise for the people of Cape Coast to get an airport.”

GHOST PROJECTS PRESENTED AS ACHIEVEMENT

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The opposition NDC has accused the government of deceiving Ghanaians with their infrastructure project claims.

This follows Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumiah’s presentation at a town hall meeting last Tuesday.

At the event, the vice-president listed thousands of projects which he said government completed or is completing.

However, the National Communications Officer of the NDC Sammy Gyamfii said these claims are false.

At a news conference held by the NDC in Accra Monday, Mr Gyamfi said: “after our painstaking investigations into the claims made by Dr Bawumiah at a town hall meeting, and the delivery tracker which was launched at the program, we have identified hundreds of ghost projects (nonexistent) projects and thousands of stolen Mahama and private-owned projects which have been appropriated by his government as their achievements.”

“But for want of space and time, we will limit ourselves with a few examples and support mot of them with pictorial and video evidence to demonstrate this point.”

He highlighted: “Bawumiah’s claim on page 41 of his speech that this government is constructing 13 housing units at Sekondi, which is about 17% complete, is a figment of his own imagination. That does not exist anywhere in the Sekondi Metropolis.”

Highlighting what they described as stolen projects, Mr Gyamfi said “ongoing construction of two six-unit classroom bocks with auxiliaries borehole and ten-seater micro-flush toilets at Asunasi Kwandindinin in the Tain Distinct. We’re fully funded and executed by the rotary club.

“It is not a government of ghana project. Yet Dr Bawumiah and president Akufo-Addo have captured it on their delivery tracker as one of the projects they have delivered for the people of Tain District”.

Below are details of the NDC’s presentation

GHOST (NONEXISTENT) PROJECTS LISTED BY DR. BAWUMIA AND GOVERNMENT’S DELIVERY TRACKER AS ACHIEVEMENTS

Ladies and Gentlemen, after a painstaking investigations into the claims made by Dr. Bawumia at the Town Hall Meeting and the delivery tracker which was launched at the program, we have identified hundreds ghost (nonexistent) projects and thousands of “stolen” Mahama and private-owned projects. For want of space and time, we will limit ourselves to a few examples and support most of them with pictorial and video evidence to demonstrate this point.

1. Bawumia’s claim at page 41 of his speech that this government is constructing 13 housing units at Sekondi (Ituma Estate) which is about 70% complete is a figment of his own imagination as same does not exist anywhere in the Sekondi metropolis.

2. Bawumia’s claim at page 41 of his speech that this government is constructing 500 housing units at Sefwi Wiawso which is 20% complete is palpable falsehood, as no such project exist.

3. The claim at page 40 of Bawumia’s speech that this government is constructing 120 affordable housing units in the Talensi District of the Upper East region which is 20% complete is yet another lie, as no such project exist.

4. Dromankese town roads in the Bono East region have not been tarred as claimed by government’s “delivery tracker”. This is a big insult to the Chiefs and people of Dromankese in the Nkoranza area of the Bono East Region who are enduring untold hardship due to the poor nature of their roads.

5. The claim on government’s “delivery tracker” that this government has rehabilitated the Anyinabrim Primary School in the Sefwi Wiawso Municipality is yet another lie. No such rehabilitation has been undertaken at the said school.

6. The claim on government’s delivery tracker that the Akufo Addo-government has constructed an Astroturf in the Adenta constituency is another palpable falsehood, as no such project exists on the ground.

7. The claim on government’s delivery tracker of complete electrification of Ananekrom and Pataban townships in the Asante Akyem North Constituency of the Ashanti region is a lie. No such project has been undertaken by this government, as the two towns don’t have electricity as we speak.

8. The claim on government’s delivery tracker of having constructed the Asuoso-Derma-Techimantia road in the Bono East Region as captured by government’s delivery tracker is yet another palpable falsehood, as no such road exists anywhere in the referenced area.

9. The claim on government’s delivery tracker about Re-roofing of cluster of schools at Akanteng in the Eastern region is a lie. No such project has been undertaken by this government.

10. The claim on government’s delivery tracker about an ongoing 1D1F Palm Oil Processing factory in West Akim is a lie. No such project exist.

11. The claim on government’s delivery tracker about an ongoing construction of solar powered water system at Dindani in the East Mamprusi Municipality (Nalerigu/Gambaga) is a lie. No such project can be found in and around Dindani.

12. The claim on the delivery tracker about ongoing construction of a water system at Zangu-Vuga in the East Mamprusi Municipality (Nalerigu/Gambaga) is a lie. As a matter of fact, Zangu-Vuga is in the West Mamprusi Municipality and not East Mamprusi Municipality as claimed. But yet again, there is no such project in Zangu-Vuga in the West Mamprusi Municipality (Walewale) as claimed. Ladies and gentlemen, it is instructive to note that, even in Walewale, the Vice President’s hometown, Dr. Bawumia is conjuring nonexistent projects which is an insult to his own kinsmen and people.

13. The claim on government’s delivery tracker that government has constructed and completed a 1V1D project at Zandua in the West Mamprusi Municipality is false, as no such community exists in the West Mamprusi Municipality.

14. The claim about an ongoing construction of a six (6) seater toilet block for St. Thomas Senior High/Tech at Asamankese in West Akim Municipality is another ghost project, as nothing like that exist on the ground.

15. The claim that there is an ongoing construction of a 12-unit classroom block for Pentecost SHS at Akropong in the Akuapem North Municipality is false, as no such project exist.

16. The claim of having completed a 10-seater toilet facility at Ahibenso in Bodi District is a lie, as no such project exist.

17. Also, the claim that this government has completed the Construction of 1 NO. 6 Units Classroom Block with Auxiliary Facilities at Debiso in the Bia West constituency is a lie, as no such project exist.

18. The claim of having completed the construction of a 16-seater water closet and 4 shower facility in selected communities in Bia West is also a lie, as no such project exist.

19. The claim about ongoing construction of a 2-storey dormitory block for Ghana Senior High School at Damango in the West Gonja Municipality is a fabricated lie, as no such school exists.

20. The claim about construction of a 6-unit classroom block at Jamara in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Constituency is a lie, as no such project exist.

21. No Power Supply System at Afofosu in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Constituency exist contrary to claims by government’s delivery tracker.

22. The claim of a 10-seater WC toilet at Anwhiam in the Asikuma-Odoben-Brakwa Constituency does not exist.

23. The claim of a 10-seater WC toilet at Asikuma is a palpable lie.

24. The claim of Abamkrom Clinic in the Agona West Constituency of the Central region as contained on government’s delivery tracker is a ghost project.

25. The claim by the so-called delivery tracker that the Akufo-Addo government has completed the construction of the Anum Primary school at Anum Apapam in the Asuogyaman District in the Eastern region is a lie. There is no town in Asuogyaman called Anum Apapam, and there is no block constructed by the NPP in Anum Presbyterian Primary School at the Anum that we know in Asuogyaman.

26. The Claim of construction works at Dabala market is a lie. There is no such construction work ongoing in the Dabala market as claimed by the NPP on their website.

Friends from the media, one thing that is clear from the above-undisputed facts we have provided is that the Akufo-Addo government has very little to show for all the unprecedented resources (GHS370 billion) that has accrued to them, such that they have resorted to conjuring nonexistent projects as achievements. This display of odious dishonesty by President Akufo Addo and his Vice, Dr. Bawumia, is an insult to the good people of Ghana who have endured their misgovernance and insensitive policies in the last three and half years.

Source: Starrfm.com.gh

Mali coup: No deal on transitional government

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Talks in Mali aimed at resolving the political situation in the aftermath of last week’s coup have ended without agreement.

West African leaders have said that the deposed President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, should be reinstated.

But envoys from regional body Ecowas failed to convince Mali’s military leaders that this was the way forward.

Mr Keïta faced huge street protests before his overthrow and many in Mali have welcomed his removal.

Military spokesman Col Ismael Wague is quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying after the talks ended that the final decision on any interim administration would be made by Malians.

It quotes separate statements from the two sides saying that the president, who has been in detention since the coup last Tuesday, no longer wished to return to the office. The mediation team – led by Nigeria’s former President Goodluck Jonathan – will now report to regional heads of state on the progress made, Col Wague is quoted as saying.

The talks began with a brief session on Saturday and then continued through both Sunday and Monday.

At the end of Sunday’s session, Mr Jonathan said: “We have reached a number of agreements but we have not reached agreement on all the issues.”

Last week, thousands took to the streets of the capital, Bamako, to celebrate the coup, which sparked global condemnation.

Source: BBC Africa

EQUITORIAL GUINEA GOVERNMENT RESIGNED ABLOCK

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Aljazeera reports that the government, as well as the Prime Minister of Equatorial Guinea, Francisco Pascual Obama Asue, collectively resigned as of Friday, and August 14. Their resignations were submitted to current President Teodoro Obiang and come as a result of an economy which has taken a nosedive during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and sharp decline in the price of crude oil.

According to Reuters, A recent statement which was shared on the government website reads, “The head of state regretted that the outgoing government did not fulfil its policy objectives, which undoubtedly led to this crisis situation.”

This is not the first time that the government has been dissolved by the president. Back in 2018, President Obiang dissolved his government, including the powers of the then Prime Minister and his three deputies, shortly after the 2017 elections took place. This time around, the head-of-state alleges that the recent government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Asue, failed to fulfil its policy objectives and gave rise to the country’s current economic woes.

Tutu Alicante, the head of the US-based organisation EG Justice (which is monitoring human rights in Equatorial Guinea) reports that the new government should be announced soon.

As with many African countries who have implemented national lockdowns as part of efforts to curb the spread of the coronavirus, Equatorial Guinea has taken an economic tumble. One of the biggest oil producers on the continent, the sharp decline in the price of crude oil has only exacerbated an already precarious situation.

Currently, the country has approximately 4821 confirmed cases of the coronavirus with at least 83 reported deaths.

Source:OkayAfrica

EARLY RETIREMENT; THE STORY OF AN EARLY RETIREE

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Many people have negative views on young retirees: They’re spoiled. They’re lazy. Their parents helped them. They won the lottery. But none of these things apply to me.

I grew up in a middle-income household. I worked hard to earn good grades and pay for college. I was the first one in the office and the last to leave. Sure, I got lucky by landing a high-paying investment banking job, and in some of my investments, but I live a frugal life and have always been diligent about staying on top of my finances.

All of that played a huge role in my early retirement in 2012, at 34. By the time I *quit my job*, I had amassed a net worth of about $3 million that generated roughly $80,000 in investment income per year.

I don’t regret my decision
I won’t lie: Early retirement has been a dream come true. I gave up a healthy six-figure paycheck, but I gained something priceless in return: Freedom.

People told me I was crazy to leave a high-paying job at such a young age, but I was absolutely burned out and felt disillusioned by my industry of work. I never anticipated how miserable I’d be working in finance, especially after the financial crisis.

Early retirement isn’t for everyone. But from my experience, the pros outweigh the cons. I get to wake up whenever I want. I no longer have to endure unproductive meetings or put up with nefarious colleagues. I’ve traveled to more than 20 countries with my wife, wrote a book on how to negotiate a severance and get to coach high school tennis.

I also became a dad in 2017. Being a parent has been the toughest full-time job I’ve ever had; it makes working in investment banking for 13 years feel like a walk in the park.

The downsides of early retirement
I will admit that there are a few downsides. (I finally understand why researchers say that, no matter how much of a boost we get in freedom or money, we eventually revert back to our normal baseline of happiness.)

In a 2017 CompHealth survey, 68% of the 400 late-career physicians surveyed said they were not excited about retirement. Some of the top concerns included losing social interactions at work, a loss of purpose, boredom, and depression.

That said, here are the biggest negatives of early retirement that no one likes to talk about:

1) You may suffer from an identity crisis.

One of the most common questions people ask when they first meet each other is: “What do you do for a living?”

When you’ve spent at least a decade working in any job, you may find it incredibly jolting to no longer be identified as the marketing expert, the investment professional or the management consultant.

It was only after I left the job that I realized how obsessed I was with my profession. I often wondered: How is the business doing without me? I was there for 11 years. Were they really able to survive without my expertise?

But after months of no emails or phone calls begging for me to come back, I finally accepted the fact that I was no longer needed.

2) You may second-guess yourself.

When you retire young, you may find yourself questioning whether you made the right choice and regret all the money and status you forewent.

I still had a mortgage to pay and was worried that I made a grave mistake. But after some time, my retirement plans grew clearer. I started writing more on Financial Samurai, the personal-finance website I started in 2009. It was a cathartic way of dealing with any stress and uncertainty.

Fortunately, after writing three times a week for the past 10 years, Financial Samurai has grown tremendously. I reinvested 100% of the profits it made and generated a decent amount of passive income.

3) People may treat you like a misfit.

Maybe it’s because retiring early is unconventional. Or maybe they’re secretly jealous you’re not grinding away at a day job. Whatever the reason, people won’t always give you the same amount of respect as they would to a working-class citizen.

Eventually, I grew tired of explaining why I retired early or that I wasn’t a trust fund kid. To keep the discussion simple and regain a social identity, I’d simply say I was a writer and a tennis coach.

4) You may be surprised that you aren’t that much happier.

Many people think that once they achieve financial freedom or leave a job they hate, they’ll be permanently happier. But, as I mentioned earlier, research has found that any significant amount of elevated happiness is only short-term.

On a scale of one to 10, my happiness level skyrocketed to a 10 after I was able to negotiate a pretty solid severance. It was enough to pay for five years worth of living expenses. But not too long after that check hit my bank account, I reverted back to my normal post-retirement baseline of happiness.

5) You may get really, really bored.

Retiring early is like finishing the season finale of your favorite TV show. You’re glad it got a nice ending, but you’re also sad it’s over and left wondering what’s next.

With an extra 10 to 14 hours of free time every day, my productivity suffered and I grew less motivated to achieve great wins. It didn’t help that none of my friends or former colleagues were able to hang out. There were no more company holiday parties or various client events. Believe it or not, I actually enjoyed those things!

Now, I try to attend various meet-up events in order to make new friends, but my social life mostly consists of the folks I meet through playing tennis and softball.

It wasn’t until three years later, when my wife joined me in early retirement, that my boredom began to dissipate. We did a lot of traveling, but more importantly, we became parents, which renewed my sense of purpose.

Early retirement won’t solve all your problems
Here’s the truth: If you’re unhappy before you retire early, it’s likely that you’ll still be unhappy after you retire. It’s better to figure out what’s at the very core of your issues and fix them first. Then, have a clear vision of what you actually plan to do when you retire. Otherwise, you’re just treating retirement as a crutch — and that rarely ever works out.

After seven years of retirement, I finally found my groove by regularly doing things that I enjoy:

Writing on Financial Samurai
Investing in real estate
Coaching high school tennis
Being a husband and stay-at-home parent
(I consider the first two to be more like hobbies, even though I make some money off of them.)

Early retirement isn’t the elixir to everlasting happiness, but it sure beats commuting to work and sitting in meetings all day long!

Neymar left in tears after Champions League Final lose

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The 28-year-old had to be consoled in the dugout after a 1-0 loss to Bayern Munich in the showpiece fixture

Paris Saint-Germain star Neymar was left in tears after his side suffered a 1-0 Champions League final loss to Bayern Munich in Lisbon.

The Ligue 1 champions succumbed to their German opponents due to a Kingsley Coman header shortly before the hour mark, and the 28-year-old was unable to inspire a comeback as Bayern kept the French outfit at arm’s length.

Neymar, who was consoled in the dugout by sporting director Leonardo at full-time, had one of the outstanding opportunities in the opening period of the game but was denied by an inspired Manuel Neuer, who also stopped a tame effort from Kylian Mbappe before the break.

It leaves the Brazil international star sitting on a single Champions League success, that claimed when he was a member of the Barcelona squad that defeated Juventus 3-1 in 2015. On that occasion, he rounded the scoring off.

He left the Catalans in 2017 to make a world-record move to PSG and has been seeking to justify that controversial decision since then by writing himself into the history of the Parc des Princes side by winning European football’s biggest prize as well as claiming individual honours for himself.
A divisive character throughout his career, he has been winning plaudits in recent months for a more mature and focused approach to the game, which critics believe is bringing the best out of his game for the team.

Previous tilts at the European Cup have ended in disappointment for the former Santos youth, who suffered foot injuries, which prevented him from featuring in vital matches against Real Madrid and Manchester United.

This was Les Parisiens’ best ever run in the competition, overcoming Borussia Dortmund, Atalanta and RB Leipzig in the knockout stages before failing at the final hurdle.

It marks the end of a long season for Neymar, who played 26 times over the course of an injury-hit campaign and scored 19 goals while creating 12 more.

Thoughts will have to quickly turn back towards their Ligue 1 title defence, with the French top flight having started over the weekend.

PSG’s first domestic match of the 2020-21 season will come next Saturday, when they travel to newly-promoted Lens, while a derby with Marseille follows after the September international break