Posts in category: Other News

The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Samuel Atta Akyea, says the government is ready to consider bailout for people who are threatened with eviction from their homes over their inability to honour their rent obligations due to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

He said his office would interrogate any report it received for such request and investigate to determine the level of support that could be offered.

“If someone should push that people who have no place to live as a direct result of the COVID-19 challenges should have their rent paid, we should be able to absorb it. We have the financial space,” Mr Atta Akyea indicated when he took his turn at the regular minister’s media briefing on Ghana’s COVID-19 management.

Social intervention

Should the payment of rent become a reality, it will be the third social intervention from government to alleviate the situation of Ghanaians feeling the impact of the pandemic.

Already, government has absorbed the bill for water consumption for the months of April, May and June for all Ghanaians, also, low consumers have had their electricity bills taken up while 50 per cent of the bills for businesses and other consumers will be borne for three months, starting from April to June.

Numbers

Mr Atta Akyea, however, said his office was yet “to hear of the wholesale eviction of tenants,” but gave an assurance that if any report came to his attention, “we will get the feedback and handle it.”

“Let’s see if there are numbers. We shouldn’t just wave our hands and say we should pay the rent of people who are suffering as a result of the COVID-19 numbers, but if we see the numbers, we will see what we can do,” he added.

Landlords

Mr Atta Akyea appealed to landlords and landladies to show empathy towards their tenants to mitigate the impact of the situation on those who had been hard hit by economic challenges due to the pandemic.

He said though they might be on the side of the law on rent, landlords should be sympathetic to the plight of their tenants, just as government had shown concern and provided some reliefs which were being enjoyed by all.

The law, for example, allows for tenants to be evicted for not paying rent within one month after the rent is due.

However, the minister said strictly applying the law in these times would be “unGhanaian.”

“How is it going to work in this COVID-19 environment, if landlords with commercial appetites start evicting tenants from their premises? That would be very unGhanaian,” Mr Atta Akyea said.

41-year-old Richard Akpali from Ziavi-Adukofe in the Volta Region had been battling an addiction to alcohol for the past 20 years. As a result of his alcoholism, he lost his job and marriage. He was also rejected by his family and prevented from having any contact with his two children.

Under the influence of alcohol, he walked on foot from Ziavi-Adukofe to Ho, covering a distance of 39.5 kilometres.

Two days later, he was found lying in a gutter by Deaconess Olivia Azidoku of Hopedo District, who was returning home from the 2019 Christmas Convention with her daughter.

According to Deaconess Azidoku, when they first saw Richard, they thought he had died. However, when they drew closer, they found him breathing, although unconscious. “He was motionless and could not open his eyes. We did not know him or where he was from, but we were moved with compassion and decided to carry him home,” she recounted.

That very morning, the Hopedo District Minister, Overseer Mark Kofi Adom-Nyankey, had a strong urge to visit the Azidoku family. Unfortunately, at that time, there was no one around to drive him to the place. So, the minister, who hitherto had never ridden a motorbike, decided to go on his own. Being led by the Holy Spirit, he found his way to Deaconess Azidoku’s house to meet the distressed family looking on hopelessly and confused as to what to do with the man.

Overseer Adom-Nyankey prayed for the man, and instantly Richard regained consciousness with no sign of intoxication, but for the strong smell of alcohol on him (an odour that lasted for days).

Richard Akpali later confessed that while the minister was praying for him, he saw two angels lifting him from the gutter and sending him to a convention ground. He accepted Christ as his Lord and personal Saviour on the same day. He has since been baptised in water and received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. To God, be the glory!

Report by Overseer Felix Brakatu

The service, which took place at the forecourt of the bank’s Head Office in Accra on Sunday, January 12, 2020, was attended by management and staff of the bank drawn from various branches in the city.

Speaking at the event on the theme, “Christians ought to give thanks to God all the time,” Apostle Nyamekye advised Christians to cultivate the attitude of praising God at all times.

“It is not just okay to say, ‘Father I thank You,’ but rather we in our righteousness have to cultivate the attitude of praising and magnifying the name of the Lord at all times,” he said.

The Chairman further stated: “If it is a good thing to give thanks to God as stated in Psalm 32, then it is beneficial not just to the one offering it but also to all those who hear the testimony.

“It is rewarding to give thanks to the Lord than to murmur, grumble, complain and worry. It is good in the sense that, the Lord deserves such gratitude because there is no lack of subject matter for praise for His unending loving kindness in the morning and His faithfulness which is sufficient to cover for the night time hours.”

In reference to Psalm 34, Apostle Nyamekye urged the staff to cultivate the attitude of giving thanks to God whether in good times or in bad times just as David did when he was in trouble. In view of that, he stated that 2019 may have been a year where some people might have gone through afflictions and disappointments, however, it behoves on them to praise the Lord because the Lord is good all the time.

The Chairman encouraged the staff to tell their story because sometimes someone needs it to believe and trust in the Lord. “No matter how you look at the year it is your righteous requirement to give thanks to the Lord. For the fact that you are alive, you need to bless the name of the Lord. It means no matter what, it is your role to give thanks to the Lord,” he stated.

Using the story of the ten lepers Jesus healed with one coming back to give thanks to God and getting totally healed, Apostle Nyamekye said that it is expected of every child of God to give thanks to Him because it is their righteous requirement to give thanks to the Lord.

With reference to Psalm 100, he urged all to count their blessings not their curses to show gratitude to God.

The Chairman further entreated believers to develop an attitude of gratitude. Referring to Matthew 6:34, he urged them to shut the door to yesterday and its troubles, close tomorrows’ and live in the day one at a time.

“The Bible does not tell us not to plan but rather not to worry about tomorrow or tormenting about the past. Rather, take things easy, live one day at a time,” he advised.

Apostle Eric Nyamekye stated that one needs to have a firm assurance that their destiny is in the hands of God rather than giving way to what he called “artificial Christianity” which focuses on giving dominion to the devil, blaming others for setbacks and relying on deliverance as the only means to achieve success.

Pentecost News.

The Mission House of Hansua District in the Techiman Area of The Church of Pentecost has been dedicated by the Area Head, Apostle Julius Franklin Asante-Ayeh. The Area Head was assisted by the District Minister, Pastor John Huntook Entsuah, and the pastorate in the Area.

The service, which took place on Wednesday, 4^th December 2019, was also attended by Pastor Norman Appiah-Danquah of Suhum District and Elder Appiah Agyarko (Techiman Area Deacon).

Hansua District was inaugurated on 22^nd August 2017 with Pastor Entsuah as the first district minister. It was carved out of the Dwomor, Abourso and Tanoso districts.

Speaking at the service on the topic, “If You Have Life and What You Will Eat, Remember the House of the Lord,” Pastor Daniel Larbi of Dwomor District, entreated Christians not to forget to support the work of God.

Quoting from Genesis 28:16-22, he said Jacob promised that if God would bless him on his journey, he would pay his tithes and also make Bethel the house of God, which he fulfilled. “God has blessed the church with so much human and other resources. Out of that, some are able to give very well to support the work of God in the form of tithes and offering,” he said.

He added: “We must not think of getting huge sums of savings before supporting God’s work. Just as Jacob sought God’s protection and provisions, God provides for us in many forms. We must, therefore, appreciate Him.”

For his part, Apostle Asante-Ayeh reminded the members of God’s covenant with the church, saying, “If only we will be obedient to God, He will continue to be faithful to His covenant with the church and provide all our needs.”

Report by Pastor Peter Amuzu-Avorde, Techiman Area Reporter.

Ministers and their families in the Techiman Area of The Church of Pentecost have visited the Bui Hydroelectric Dam, situated on the Black Volta in the Banda District of the Bono Region.

The trip which took place on 3^rd January 2019, took about two hours from Techiman. It was a very exciting one as ministers and their families fraternized. There were nervous moments though when they got to the peak of the dam which was over 50m above sea level. Many could be seen keeping tight grips of their children.

The Bui Dam produces about 400 megawatts of power for the national grid. It officially started operations in 2013 and has been a reliable source of power till now.

According to the Community Relations Officer, Mr. Clement Anane, Bui power is mainly a standby power supplier during emergency power shortage and at the peak of power usage in the country.

Giving a brief history of the Dam, Mr. Anane revealed that the site for the dam was discovered in the 1920s by a British researcher called Albert Kitson who recommended it to the Government of Ghana.

He mentioned that the suitability of the place is due to the mountains that surround the river making the construction of the dam relatively cheaper. He continued that prospective governments had tried building the dam but could not achieve that due to financial constraints.

However, he said, in 2007 Ghana in collaboration with a Chinese company was able to start the project and in 2013 it was completed and commissioned. He further explained that modern technologies were used to build the dam which makes it use both active and reactive powers, saying, “Meaning it can even produce power even when there is inadequate water in the dam.”

Report by Pastor Peter Amuzu-Avorde, Techiman Area.

The Suhum Area of The Church of Pentecost has undertaken a massive clean-up exercise at Suhum as part of the “Environmental Care Campaign.”

The clean-up exercise, which is an initiative of The Church of Pentecost Headquarters in partnership with the Zoomlion Ghana Company Limited, was held on Friday, February 28, 2020.

Prior to the exercise, a symposium was held at the L. A. Nyarko Memorial Sanctuary in Suhum to educate church members on the need to keep the environment clean. It was on the topic, “Environmental Care Campaign, The Responsibility For All.”

In an interview with PENTECOST NEWS, the Suhum Area Head, Apostle Anthony Eghan Kwesi Ekuban, explained that the exercise is part of the church’s vision for the next five years, dubbed ‘Vision 2023’ which focuses on “Possessing the Nations.”

“This campaign is to drum home the need to be responsible in taking care of the environment,” he stressed.

As part of the activities earmarked for the week, the church visited some selected basic and senior high schools in the municipality and educated the students on the safe ways of protecting the environment.

Report by Samuel Danso.