Issue 49 May 2017 The Christian Journal

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The Christian Journal The Leading Christian Newspaper ISSUE #49

MAY 2017

TEL: 718 684 2510 EMAIL: info@tcjonline.org WEBSITE: www.tcjonline.org

TOP STORIES

Nigerian UN worker arrested for robbing banks Page 7

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Ghanaian Wall Street financier busted for $800K fake loan scheme

Ghanaian man attacked on horror date in Australia

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Calvary Deliverance Christian Assembly Int’l Church

presents

MIRACLE

TRANSFIGURATION HOUR EVERY SATURDAY

MAY 6, 13, 20, 27 Time: 11:00am - 1:00pm Venue: 737-739 Concourse Village West Bronx, NY 10451

Bishop Dr. Peter Owusu Ansah

Host

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Directions:

By Car: Major Deagan Expwy to Grand Concourse By Train: 2, 4 & 5 train to 149th St (Grand Concourse Station)

By Bus: BX 1 bus to E 156th street (Grand Concourse) walk on Grand Concourse until you get to 153rd St., turn right on Concourse Village West. The Church is right after the parking lot.

Editorial Honoring God’s Indispensable Gift Mother’s Day:

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send all correspondence to: info@tcjonline.org for adversiments call: 718 684 2510 or email info@tcjonline.org for suggestions: editor@tcjonline.org publisher/editor CONTRIBUTING EDITOR web/graphic design CONTRIBUTER CONTRIBUTER atlanta Ohio MARYLAND

Francis boanoh DR STEVE DANSO fabweb solutions portia asare anny osabutey rev. EMMANUEL owusu kyereko Dr. Ofori Atta REV. EMMANUEL AGORMEDA

“God couldn’t be everywhere, so He made mothers.” hile not theologically accurate, this old Jewish saying describes beautifully the significant role mothers have in our lives.

Motherhood is one of God’s greatest gifts to humanity. A loving, committed mother is an indispensable person in our development. Just imagine a world without mothers. It would be a sterile place indeed. Mothers instill powerful social and nurturing characteristics in each generation. It is principally from their mothers that children learn the virtues of sacrifice, sharing, valuing others, compassion, community and a host of other interpersonal values and skills that enable humans to live together in peace.

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Biologically, women are designed for selfsacrifice. When pregnant, a woman’s body focuses its primary attention to nurturing that new, growing life developing within her. Her body will automatically prioritize the needs of her unborn baby. And this inherent gift for selfsacrifice isn’t only biological. After her children are born, a mother will continue to sacrifice herself for the needs of her children.

She will do whatever she can to assure her children have what they need.

Mothers are also designed by God to nurture.

There is just no greater nurturing power on the planet than a mother. When the apostle Paul was describing his love for the church at Thessalonica, he used the metaphor of a mother’s love to describe how deeply he cared for the Thessalonians. He reminded them that he was like a “gentle” mother who “tenderly cares for her own children” (1 Thessalonians 2:7). When God described His love for Israel, He did so with a motherhood metaphor. He told Israel that He would comfort them like a mother comforts her children (Isaiah 66:13).

I am reminded of the closing chapters of the great biblical book of wisdom, the book of Proverbs. The book that has helped billions of people through millennia live better lives closes with a great testimonial tribute to women. That’s right; the last words of the book of Proverbs don’t extend praise to God, or exalt manhood. They speak of the beautiful, indispensable role that women play in God’s creation. After 30 chapters of directions on living the good, godly, noble life, the great book of Proverbs closes with these words to the godly woman: “Her children rise up and bless her; Her husband also, and he praises her, saying, ‘Many daughters have done nobly, But you excel them all.’ Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. Give her the product of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates” (Proverbs 31:28-31).

The best of all that God designed a woman to be is expressed in motherhood. Not one of us came into this world without a mother. And in these days of abortion on-demand, motherhood is a conscious, deliberate decision by a woman to enter into that noble, God-like act of loving self-sacrifice to participate with the God of all creation to bring a new life into the world — you.

This Mother’s Day, I hope you will take the time to say thanks to your mother in a special way. No she isn’t perfect, and no she didn’t do everything right, but she gave you life. And if she is like most mothers, she sacrificed for you and did what she could to prepare you to be a loving, caring person. And to mothers, I say thank you for all you have done to prepare your children to be the good men and women of the next generation. Our world cannot make it without you. Thank you for all you do. Happy Mother’s Day. Barrett Duke is vice president for public policy and research for the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY

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church and ministry Integrate Your Faith Into the Workplace

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ne of the greatest opportunities afforded to followers of Jesus Christ in America is the ability to live out our faith in the workplace. At least 140 million Americans regularly enter the workplace.

Living out your faith in the workplace involves integrating your faith in Christ into every decision of your life, including the workplace. Taking your faith into the workplace also means you seek to please God in your decision making rather than other people.

One cannot conduct oneself in a manner that is inconsistent with their faith, nor can they can they make decisions that are opposite of the convictions of their faith in Christ. Integrating faith into the workplace is the greatest need in the life of every American worker.

How to Integrate Your Faith into the Workplace .1. Know what you believe It is so important to know what you believe in order to integrate your faith into each segment of your life. Knowing what you believe entails many things, but it includes reading the Bible daily and being involved weekly in a local church. It also means you are teachable and ready to learn about your faith.

You cannot and will not advance your faith into the workplace if you do not know what you believe.

2. Preserve your personal testimony Forwarding your faith in Christ effectively will not occur if you have led others to question your beliefs or something you have done has caused you to lose your

personal testimony. Infidelity to your spouse, insensitivity to others, unethical practices in your decision making, slothfulness in your work, and operating your life inconsistently can all lead to the loss of your personal testimony.

Always operate your life above reproach, make ethical decisions in your practices, work diligently, and live your personal life consistently.

3. Operate within your work parameters Living out your faith in the workplace is not pounding it loudly and proudly through every text, email, or conversation in the workplace. If you do, this is probably outside of the parameters of your workplace.

Living out your faith with your attitude, practices, and conversations with courage

is a great privilege extended to us in America — the privilege of religious liberty. Not one of us should ever be forced into doing something that violates what we believe because of our faith in Christ.

Thankfully, it is rare in our nation that the overreach of the workplace or the government itself brings a restraint upon our faith in the workplace. If it ever does, then stand with conviction and courage, but also with compassion.

4. Incorporate your faith everywhere Incorporating your faith in every segment of your life leads to becoming whole. This negates any compartmentalization of your faith, but integrates it into each area of your life. This includes your workplace.

Integrate your faith into your workplace today.

ICGC Intimate Praise TB Joshua relocating and Worship Experience Ministry to Israel The Christian Journal, Bronx, NY

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orship is the act of freely giving our love to God. Worship is action! What if God approached you the way you approached Him in worship? What would that experience be? Worship is an expression of love and awe to the God who gives us more than we deserve.

Praises – when we DECIDE to begin praising God, whether out of the overflow of joy and thankfulness for His blessing, or offering the Sacrifice of Praise in difficult circumstances, we are stepping out in faith, and saying: I believe in the power and greatness of God, and that what He says in His Word is true.

God honors the praises He hears. He values them by the genuineness and cost of the praise we bring. David, a man after God's own heart, refused to offer a sacrifice on a threshing floor that didn't cost him anything. (2 Sam 24:24) ICGC Dominion Temple over the weekend held its annual praise and Worship event dubbed: “Intimate Praise and Worship Experience 2017” on the theme: “Our Redeemer Lives,” at the church auditorium , 4500 Park Avenue, Bronx New York, Saturday Elder Kenneth Appiah (Music Rabbi( of Soul Winners fame Page 6

and Minister Yaw Mpaebo supported

by Unity Choir ministered in songs of worship and praise to the Most High God! It was truly an awesome time in the presence of the Lord. The whole atmosphere was charged and the congregation worshipped and praised from the depths of their hearts!

Minister Yaw Mpaebo, supported by Unity Choir crowned the event on Sunday with a high spirited morning of worship, thanksgiving, praise and an intimate worship experience.

In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul proclaims the glory of our Lord and the motivation for our worship: Thus, the Bible calls us to: Present our rededicated bodies by kneeling, bowing, raising our heads and hands, and dancing before the Lord; present our revived emotions by shouting and clapping to the Lord, praising aloud, rejoicing, and expressing thanksgiving.

It was amazing to see people cry out of joy during praise and worship and as Christians when we render our hearts, souls and spirits to praise God, it gives us an opportunity to invite the Holy Spirit to come into our lives to enlighten our beings and transform us into His presence as glory of the Lord is manifested.

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igerian Prophet Temitope Balogun (TB) Joshua has declared his intention to leave Nigeria and relocate his ministry to the nation of Israel.

Speaking at his church service on Sunday Apri 30, 2017 Joshua disclosed that he had just returned from the 'Holy Land' after holding meetings with three prominent Israeli mayors of Jerusalem, Tiberias and the Jordan Valley.

TB Joshua said Israel offered him both land and facilities in an area around the biblical site of the Sea of Galilee to organise meetings for international pilgrims.

“This is where my Father in Heaven came from – it's non-negotiable,” Joshua explained, adding it was not a decision he undertook lightly.

“It's the best place for you to meet Prophet TB Joshua. After your healing, blessing and deliverance, you can move around all the spiritual monuments which will establish your faith,” he clarified.

Joshua said his decision to leave was not connected to the “persecution” he endured during his ministry.

TB Joshua said the move would help people to “appreciate” what his ministry had been contributing to both the local economy and Nigeria's international image.

“This is the most persecuted ministry in the world. Who are the people persecuting the ministry? My people, Africa.

“That is why I choose to live a lonely life. If you want to see me, come to this church. I don't go out. It has not been easy – because I don't know who is a friend or who is an enemy.

“If you learn TB Joshua is not around, I am

in a revival. I live in the church here. I don't have a house outside.”

“Anytime you pray, remember Africa in prayer. Many heroes and great people have been chased out of Africa. There are many geniuses in the Western world who are originally from Africa.”

The cleric pointed to the example of heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua who was allegedly turned down by Nigerian sporting authorities when he wanted to represent the country.

“What happened to me from the beginning of my ministry is enough to chase me out of this country – but I am still in your midst.

Upon the persecution and hatred. I decided to follow the path of love.

“You show hatred; I show love. When I go for a revival, you will see the stadium full but I am not carried away by that. I leave where I'm celebrated to live where I'm persecuted.”

The cleric then advised congregants: “Where you are not celebrated is the best place to stay, to get strength. When you are in the midst of a battle, you are building yourself.

“That is why I decided to stay where I am not celebrated here in Nigeria. When the grace of God is amid challenges, it gets stronger.”

“Your life can preach a better sermon than your mouth,” he exhorted the congregation, stating that the Israeli officials had observed his ministry from afar before inviting him.

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Giant Diamond Auction Fails as Sierra Leone Rejects Offer

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much anticipated auction for one of the world's largest diamonds fizzled on Thursday when the government of Sierra Leone rejected a $7.8 million bid for the rough, egg-sized stone, saying it failed to meet its own valuation.

The 709-carat gem is the second largest ever discovered in the West African country and was unearthed in March in the eastern Kono region by a Christian pastor who gave it to the government to handle the sale.

Five bids were handed to auctioneers in a sealed brown envelope, ranging from $2 million to $7.8 million. The top bid

was made by a man in a white shirt and light trousers on behalf of Belgium diamond dealer Ray Diam BVBA. "We've decided not to sell the diamond today because the highest bid price ... does not match the government reserve price," Sahr Wonday, chief auctioneer and head of the National Minerals Agency, told a packed room.

The government now hopes to get more for the stone at an international auction in either Antwerp, Belgium or Tel Aviv in Israel, Wonday said, without giving further detail.

Diamonds fueled a decade-long civil

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war in Sierra Leone that ended in 2002 and killed 50,000 people. Rebels forced civilians in the east to mine the stones and bought weapons with the proceeds, leading to the term "blood diamonds."

The United Nations lifted a ban on diamond exports from Sierra Leone in 2003, though the $113 million sector is plagued by smuggling.

The diamond up for auction on Thursday is the second largest ever found in Sierra Leone after the 968.9carat Star of Sierra Leone which was found by miners in 1972.

Other African gems are even larger, including the 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond, which was found in South Africa in 1905. It was cut into several polished gems, the largest of which are part of Britain's crown jewels.

Emmanuel Momoh, the pastor who found the new diamond in March, was happy to wait for another auction.

"I was unhappy with the highest bid price," said Momoh. His stone, he said, "is worth a lot more than $7.8 million."

Nigerian UN worker arrested for robbing banks

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UN worker-turned-journalist found a way to make his lunch breaks pay off by politely robbing banks around the world body's headquarters, cops said.

Abdullahi Shuaibu, 53, of Queens, allegedly plundered about $10,000 in cash during an Upper East Side crime spree that began Feb. 27 and continued over three more Mondays. In each of two successful heists, he showed the teller a note that said, “Give me $5,000, Thank you,” police sources said.

Shuaibu also allegedly left two banks empty-handed before getting busted, following a failed robbery at the HSBC branch at Third Avenue and East 63rd Street.

Bank teller Rani Ahme, 50, said a “regular guy” in a blazer slid her a note but “did not let go of it.”

“I asked, 'How can I help you?' and he said, 'Check it, check it,' looking at the note, but he did not let go of the note,” she said.

The would-be crook disappeared while Ahme ducked

into the rear of the bank to alert her boss, she said.

Shuaibu was nabbed outside the US Mission to the United Nations, where he's been working out of the building's Foreign Press Center as a State Departmentcredentialed reporter for the PanAfrican News Agency, police sources said.

A retired cop who works as a guard at the mission, across the street from the UN building, tipped off cops after recognizing Shuaibu in surveillance photos of the alleged bank robbery that the NYPD circulated last month.

“It wasn't hard,” the guard told The Post. “He comes in and out of here every day.”

Shuaibu confessed following his arrest, admitting he spent all the stolen money paying bills, sources said.

He was charged with two counts of robbery and two counts of attempted robbery and was awaiting arraignment in Manhattan Criminal Court.

Shuaibu is a Nigerian national with a valid work visa

Nigeria foils plans to bomb US, UK embassies in Abuja

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igeria's secret service says it foiled a planned attack by Boko Haram militants on the US and UK embassies in the country's capital, Abuja.

Six ISIS-linked Boko Haram members were arrested for the planned attack last month, the Department of State Services (DSS) said.

"The group had perfected plans to attack the UK and American Embassies and other western interests in Abuja," DSS official Tony Opuiyo said in a statement.

The men were arrested March 25 and 26 in Abuja and central Benue state, Opuiyo added. Another man was previously arrested, on March 22, in north-eastern Yobe state, the DSS said. That man confessed to being part of the group, officials said.

In 2011, Boko Haram killed at least 21

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people in a car bomb explosion at the UN headquarters in Abuja.

A UK Foreign office spokeswoman said the UK is "grateful for the support we receive from the Nigerian security authorities in protecting UK diplomatic staff and premises in Nigeria."

"We are in regular contact with the Nigerian security authorities concerning potential threats to UK interests in Nigeria," the spokeswoman said.

The United States "appreciates the work of Nigerian security forces in fighting terrorism and keeping citizens and residents safe," a spokesman for the US Embassy said.

"Nigeria and the United States continue to have a strong partnership in combating terrorism."

but no diplomatic immunity, sources said.

A UN spokesman said that Shuaibu worked for the organization during October and November 2013 but no longer had credentials to enter the building.

Shuaibu's wife formerly worked for the Nigerian Mission to the UN and split from her hubby, said Kassimu Mohammed, the mission's protocol officer.

NYPD detectives got no answer when they knocked on the door of his home in Hollis.

Landlord Inosthene Delimon said Shuaibu and his wife began renting a $2,000-a month, three-bedroom townhouse apartment from him about eight years ago.

Delimon described the family as “good people who always paid their rent on time.”

“I never had any problems with them,” Delimon added.

Additional reporting by Daniel Prendergast, Lorena Mongelli

Wall Street financier busted for $800K fake loan scheme

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Ghanaian Wall Street financier hatched an elaborate scheme to steal $800,000 from three clients, including a church, officials said.

Anthony Nyame, CEO of General Capital Corporation, was arrested Wednesday for falsely telling his marks that he could arrange millions of dollars in loans for them if they fronted thousands in collateral, authorities allege.

In one instance, Nyame allegedly promised to obtain a $30 million loan for a Bronx church that wanted to construct a multifamily building on their property if they handed over $375,000, according to the office of Attorney General Eric Schneiderman.

Instead of using the funds to secure loans

for his clients, Nyame allegedly transferred the money to his personal bank account.

He allegedly blew $47,000 on rent for his Financial District pad and transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to multiple companies and people around the world, authorities said.

To further the scheme, Nyame sent the clients fake e-mails and documents purportedly from the Treasury Department claiming the loans were being verified and approved, officials said.

Nyame, 59, of The Bronx, was arraigned on charges of grand larceny, criminal possession of a forged instrument and scheme to defraud.

His lawyer, Dan Liebman, didn't return a call for comment.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

Ghana’s Second Lady urges students to be serious with their academic work

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rs Samira Bawumia, Ghana's Second Lady has urged students to take their academic work very seriously in order to assume their roles as future leaders.

Addressing a number of African Undergraduate students at the Yale University in Connecticut, she urged them to look beyond their immediate privileged environment and bring their knowledge and experiences to bear on society.

Mrs Bawumia who holds a Master of Business Administration in Project Management, engaged the students in a chat as part of the program organized by the Yale Undergraduate Association for

Ghana News Agency

Africa Peace and Development.

The highlight of the Second Lady's participation in the program was her participation as a panelist in a lively debate on Women and Government.

Mrs Bawumia shared her life story with the students and advised them to apply themselves diligently to whatever they set out to do. Using herself as an example, she informed the students that she believed her academic work and other life experiences would be greatly beneficial to her current role as Second Lady.

Mrs Bawumia encouraged the students to draw lessons from their parents and elders as they have a brighter future ahead of

them if only they tackled today's assignments well. The Second Lady started her education at the Answarudeem Islamic School at Fadama in Accra and later read Bachelor of Social Science in Law and Sociology and Technology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Mrs Bawumia took time to share her own experiences with the students and responded to various questions on leadership, how she managed her time for the various responsibilities and household engagements.

Ghana Government launches diaspora summit

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he government of Ghana says it is ready to host thousands of Ghanaians who will be coming back to the country next month to participate in this year’s Ghana Diaspora Homecoming Summit.

The summit, which forms part of government’s policy to reach out to the Diaspora community, will take place at the International Conference Centre in Accra from July 5th to July 8, 2017.

Speaking at the launch of the event, the Minister for Information, Mustapha Hamid, said the summit will afford Ghanaians the opportunity to tap into the expertise of others. According to him, it was time Ghanaians who have succeeded outside the country to be seen as icons and given the opportunity to give back to the society.

“Often times, there is a tendency for government to think of Ghanaians as only those who live within the geographical area. But those who live outside our borders

can, and do contribute a lot to our development agenda. For any government to make its political, developmental or economic calculation without the Diaspora automatically gives up 40% to 50% of its economic strength. We are therefore determining that, there will be Diaspora inclusion in our development agenda, and it will be at the heart of our projects and programmes.”

On his part, the Director of the Diaspora Relations Office at the Presidency, Akwasi Awua Ababio, said the Diaspora community was not in competition with Ghanaians residing in Ghana, as they only seek to combine their strengths to make the country better.

According to him, although effort was made by the previous government to harness the resources and skills of the community, the measures put in place were not structured in a systematic manner. He also lamented the exclusion of the Diaspora community in the country’s

USA to host Ghana in pre-Gold Cup friendly

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he US men's national team will face off with a familiar foe in one of their final tune-ups before the start of the 2017 CONCACAF Gold Cup. The US Soccer Federation announced on Monday that the USMNT will host Ghana in a friendly on Saturday, July 1 at Pratt & Whitney Stadium in East Hartford, Connecticut. Set for one week before the US begins their Gold Cup against Panama on July 8 in Nashville, the match will be broadcast live on ESPN, UniMás and UDN and will kick off at 4:45 pm ET. The US and Ghana have played in each of the last three World Cups, with the Black Stars knocking the US out of the competition in 2006 and 2010 before the US defeated the African country 2-1 in the opening group game of the 2014 tournament.

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Columbus Crew SC's Jonathan Mensah and Harrison Afful were both part of Ghana's Africa Cup of Nations squad this season, and the Chicago Fire's David Accam has also been a recent call-up for the Black Stars.

“Ghana is certainly a team that brings different challenges, and it's the type of competition we need as we continue to develop our program,” US head coach Bruce Arena said in a statement released

by US Soccer. “Winning the Gold Cup is one of our priorities in 2017, so this is an important opportunity. We've always had great support in Hartford, and look forward to more of the same this summer.”

The US is 3-1-1 all-time in East Hartford, last playing there in October 2014, when the USMNT defeated Ecuador 2-1 in Landon Donovan's sendoff game.

political system.

“Our office has been tasked with the responsibility of doing things that will enable us realize the goals and opportunities the country can derive from the Diaspora community.”

Speaking on behalf of the committee set up to supervise the summit, Chairman of the Ghana Diaspora Homecoming Summit, said all was set to receive the Ghanaians coming back home. He also thanked the private sector and some corporate organizations who had partnered with government to host the summit.

The summit is also partnered by the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, and Business Development and Diaspora Relations Office at the Presidency.

David Adjaye Named to TIME's List of 100 Most Influential People category in 2016 and 2013, respectively – Adjaye was nominated in the Icons category alongside champions including media personality RuPaul, subversive photographer Cindy Sherman, and US Congressman John Lewis, the civil rights leader who was the original advocate for a National African American Museum in Washington, which was eventually designed by Adjaye and inaugurated last September.

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IME Magazine has named architect David Adjaye to their annual list of 100 Most Influential People, recognizing the world figures who have had the most impact on society in the past year in five categories: Pioneers, Titans, Artists, Leaders, and Icons. Unlike Bjarke Ingels and Wang Shu – who were selected under the Artist

In the citation for the award, Thelma Golden, director and chief curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem (and currently working with the architect on an expansion project for the museum), describes Adjaye as “one of the great architectural visionaries of our time,” and lauds his work as “deeply rooted in both the present moment and the complex context of history."

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The Christian Journal

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NIGERIA

AFRICAN NEWS

Tanzania's President sacks Nigerians be worried 10,000 over fake certificates Should about President Buhari's health?

Letter From Africa:

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anzanian President John Magufuli has sacked nearly 10,000 civil servants for having fake education certificates.

He was responding to the release of a government report into fraudulent qualifications in the public sector.

The education minister said that some had been using their relatives' school certificates, while others did not appear on official records at all.

President Magufuli has given those on the list until 15 May to resign or face legal action. "These people occupied government positions but had no qualifications... they robbed us just like other common criminals," Mr Magufuli said, urging officials to "name and shame" offenders.

"We have been working hard to create new jobs while there are people in government who hold fake degrees," he added.

He has also asked newspapers to publish GHANA

the names of everyone on the list. The 9,932 people named in the report account for more than 2% of the country's estimated 450,000 civil servants.

Officials convicted of fraud could face up to seven years in jail.

Last year, Tanzania removed more than 10,000 so-called ghost workers from its public sector payroll in a crackdown on corruption.

Payments to the non-existent employees had been costing the government more than $2m (£1.4m) a month, it said.

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igerians are increasingly worried about Mr Buhari's health, hoping that he does not die in office like President Umaru Yar'Adua did in 2010, after a lengthy illness which saw him fly to Germany and Saudi Arabia for treatment.

The latest concerns have been fuelled by the fact that Mr Buhari, 74, missed the last two cabinet meetings and failed to attend Friday's Muslim prayers, even though the mosque is about a minute's walk from his office and residence.

The government has shared little information about his health, and a journalist with a leading newspaper was thrown out of State House by the president's chief security officer after he reported on the latest concerns.

When President Magufuli came to power two years ago, the government temporarily suspended recruitment in some government sectors while they checked up on existing employees' qualifications.

The report focused exclusively on secondary school qualification and did not Mr Buhari's media aides distanced themselves from the officer's actions, and examine university degree certificates. got a more senior security officer to overturn the ban on the reporter attending State House press conferences and other events. The incident showed that the president's aides are finding it difficult to deal with questions about the health of the former military ruler. Unfortunately for them, the issue is not about to go away.

20 years. The EPL consortium is comprised of Endeavor Energy, a leading independent After returning from a seven-week power development and generation medical trip to the UK in early March, Mr company focused on Africa; Sage, a Buhari said he had never been "so sick" in leading independent energy trading firm in his life and hinted, without giving details, Ghana; and GE. that he had had a blood transfusion.

Endeavor is the largest shareholder in Bridge Power and is leading the GHANA development together with GE. The consortium members will collectively be responsible for operations and maintenance of the project with the support of a long-term service agreement from GE. Endeavor will be responsible for commercial and construction management.

Stage 1, which will be constructed by Metka, the leading consortium partner, will use five GE TM2500+ gas turbines and one purpose built GE steam turbine in a combined cycle turbine (CCGT) configuration that will collectively generate 200MW of capacity. Stage 2 will add another 200MW through four GE LM6000 gas turbines and one purposebuilt GE steam turbine, also in a CCGT configuration.

The cost of development and construction of the full 400MW and the fuel infrastructure will be borne entirely by equity invested and debt raised by the consortium. GE and Metka will Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo collectively provide vendor financing in the form of a bridge loan of up to $250he #SaveThemNow million to fast-track the start of the project. fundraising event jointly When one considers the extent of the direct held by The Multimedia and indirect impacts on the country as a whole, as well as on individual lives, there Group and the First Lady, Mrs is no doubt that Bridge Power will have a Rebecca Akufo-Addo to save sustained transformative socio-economic babies and mothers at the Komfo impact on Ghana.

Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH)

Ghana Gets a Much-Needed Power Project Off the Ground GE has been at the forefront of power innovation in Africa for decades and the multinational's commitment to the continent was recently reinforced when the President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo broke ground to formally launch the construction of the Bridge Power Project in Tema, Ghana.

Bridge Power is a 400MW greenfield power and liquified petroleum gas (LPG) project that will be built near the Tema Oil Refinery. The plant will be capable of being fuelled by LPG, natural gas and diesel, and will address the long-term energy requirements of Ghana by providing more than 17% of the country's reliable generating capacity. When completed, it will be the largest LPG-fired power plant in the world.

The project will create hundreds of jobs during both the construction and operation phases. This project also brings muchneeded reliable and affordable electricity to Ghana, and will have an immediate positive impact on the running of schools, f a c t o r i e s , o ff i c e s , h o s p i t a l s a n d households.

GE Ghana CEO, Leslie Nelson, said: “GE is proud to be contributing its technology and expertise to this significant project that will help Ghana meet its growing energy demand. As we know, power is central to economic development and this new plant is going to go a long way towards supporting the overall development of the country.”

Bridge Power is being developed in two stages by the Early Power Limited (EPL) consortium under a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Electricity Corporation of Ghana (ECG) with a term of

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Since then, there have been credible reports that his UK doctors have been to Nigeria to treat him, although these have not been confirmed.

The president has also cut down on his official engagements and no longer ventures out of State House. He used to chair the weekly cabinet meetings and attend Friday prayers - an opportunity for his close allies to shake hands with him.

But after failing to attend Wednesday's cabinet meeting, Information minister Lai Mohammed told reporters that on the advice of his doctors, Mr Buhari would spend the day working from home and asked for all files requiring his attention to be sent to his official residence.

While many Nigerians are heeding the minister's appeal to pray for the president's speedy recovery, some, like Nobel Prizewinning author Wole Soyinka, are asking the president to give more details about his health.

"Guarding your state of health like Donald Trump is guarding his tax returns is not what we expect from a Nigerian president," he said in a statement.

It is unclear whether Mr Buhari will be more transparent about his health, but people are hoping that the president, who is halfway into his term, gets better soon so that he can devote himself to tackling the tough challenges facing Nigeria, including the biggest economic downturn since the end of military rule in 1999.

Ghana’s First Lady, Multimedia raise GHS7.7m to save babies, mothers at KATH

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received a massive support from individuals and companies.

The event which is targeted at raising GHS10 million to put up a new Mother and Baby Unit for the largest hospital in the Ashanti Region saw companies such as GHACEM, producers of cement, and Promasidor manufacturers of cowbell donating money and other items.

So far, the event spurred on by complications mothers and their newborn babies face at the Mother and Baby Unit at KATH, raised GHS 7,695,444 in cash, cheques and pledges

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COMMUNITY NEWS UN's Seeks $900 Million for Somalia "Somalia now hangs in the balance between peril and potential,'' Guterres said at the opening of the conference Thursday. "Here in London we can tip the scales from danger to safety.''

Somali President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed said his country also needs a "robust economic program" to fully recover from a quarter-century of war and chaos.

“The insecurity situation cannot be changed without addressing its root causes, which is abject poverty and mass unemployment. Too many of our young generation are sitting idle, creating fertile ground for terrorists to recruit from,” said the president.

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omalia needs genuine international support for its reconstruction and stabilization plans to prevent a slide back into anarchy, leaders said at the start of a one-day conference on Somalia in London.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for another $900 million for the drought-stricken country, reports the Associated Press.

For 10 years, troops with the African Union Mission to Somalia (AMISOM) have battled al-Shabab militants and pushed the al-Qaida-linked group out of Mogadishu and other Somali cities.

But the militants continue to attack AMISOM bases around the country and public places in Mogadishu, causing hundreds of deaths per year.

The Somali president predicted his government will

defeat the militants within the next few years — but called for the total lifting of an arms embargo on Somalia so the army has the firepower to defeat alShabab.

“The longstanding arms embargo on Somalia severely restricts our ability to procure heavy weapons, despite the partial lifting of the embargo in 2013. Time has come for Somalia to be able to get access to qualitatively better weapons than terrorists," he said.

The London conference will focus on improving security, governance and the economy in Somalia.

Talks on security will focus on rebuilding the Somali National Army and how to counter terrorism while protecting human rights.

The conference is co-chaired by the Somali president, Guterres and British Prime Minister Theresa May.

Finance Minister Assures Diaspora of their role in Ghana's development Ghana Mission, New York

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he Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori Atta has told Ghanaian Diaspora that the Akufo Addo led government is focused on having an institutional mechanism to tap their capital and knowledge for the accelerated development of the country.

To this end, he said that a special Diaspora conference will be held in Accra, from July 5 to 8, this year as part of the needed effective engagement with them.

The Minister was briefing a cross section of Ghanaian professionals and investors at the offices of the Permanent Mission of Ghana to the United Nations in Manhattan, New York on the government's transformational economic agenda for addressing Ghana's debt, attracting investments and creating jobs.

The well attended three and half hours forum afforded the Minister, supported by the Deputy Minister for Finance, Mr. Charles Adu Boahen, Dr Mohammed Amin Adams, Deputy Minister for Energy and Mr. Yofi Grant, Chief Executive of the Ghana Investments Promotion Centre the opportunity to answer various questions agitating their minds on: diaspora engagement, economy, corruption, lethargic conduct of some civil and public servants, the energy situation, revitalizing the stock exchange and the road map to the one district one factory initiative.

Mr. Ofori Atta and his team were part of a high powered government delegation led

by Vice President Muhamadu Bawumia that had just completed talks with the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington DC. The team took

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part in the Non-Deal Roadshow meetings with Ghana's bond holders, potential investors, US Government officials and other key stakeholders.

Outlining some measures taken to ensure financial discipline, Mr. Ofori Atta mentioned that the Public Finance Act was being enforced with appropriate sanctions for defaulters; a Risk Management Unit had been set up with mechanisms to track where every cedi is going. With the aim of creating the most business friendly society, he said that the plethora of taxes had been removed to enhance production, adding that “we are re-calibrating for external finances”, and we were able to save 4.5 billion cedis in this year's budget.

For example, he said that following a recently conducted biometric data registration, 50,000 people on the government payroll did not show up.

Government was also giving each constituency $1 million for development, aside the one district one factory policy to create jobs that will prevent the rural urban drift.

Additionally, the Minister revealed that Ghana was no more borrowing to support its international payments that often led to debts, but had rather rescheduled all payments for a longer term.

In this vein, he said that the Government's Economic Management Team headed by Vice President Bawumia is working very hard to ensure that there is macro-stability, fiscal discipline and reduced inflation that will create a more positive primary balance.

On energy, Mr. Ofori Atta disclosed that

government is going to privatize or lease some portions. To buttress this argument, he said the Electricity Corporation of Ghana which records 35 per cent power loses but manages to collect only half of what it generates will have an infusion of private sector participation.

Mr. Yofi Grant said the government had “audacious goals” that will make Ghana the best place to do business in Africa, pointing out that the country is being repositioned to a position of pride, as the “economic arrow head of Africa”.

In his words, Ghana can generate even more than $5 billion annual contribution from the diaspora with the right engagements.

Urging them to adopt the can-do spirit, Mr. Grant outlined plans to make it very easy to do business in Ghana, for example enabling those abroad to register their businesses from their respective locations instead of travelling all the way to Ghana to do so.

At his turn, Mr. Adu Boahen said the government was doing everything to create an enabling environment for their businesses to thrive.

Dr. Amin Adams said that the government had audited all the existing power agreements by the previous government and realized that Ghana does not need all of them. To this end, four will be allowed this year, another four will be differed for next year, six will be rescheduled for 2030 and the remaining 25 cancelled.

Answering a question on renewable energy, Dr. Amin Adams said that everything will be done through

competitive process to eliminate corruption.

He asked those interested in the process to start their preparations to take part.

Ambassador Martha Pobee, Ghana's Permanent Representative to the UN praised the Diaspora for their wonderful contribution to the Ghanaian economy and urged them to continue to give of their best for the country. The Mission, she said regarded them as part of Project Ghana and therefore the event was a continuation of the positive engagement and collaboration, they have always enjoyed.

She hoped that the forum will provide answers to the many questions they have and facilitate dialogue and exchange of ideas.

The Moderator for the programme, Dr. Kofi Boateng announced the formation of a Ghanaian Chamber of Business in the USA to give mutual support to Ghanaians living abroad and at home. He indicated that the business community in the USA was poised to do business in Ghana.

He expressed support for a suit filed by the Progressive Alliance Movement for the Electoral Commission in Ghana to implement the Representation of the People's Amendment Act passed in 2006, to enable Ghanaians abroad to vote in local elections.

As part of the programme, Mr. Kwasi Twum Ampofo, a Ghanaian Information Technologist based in New York presented a sample of the smartphone he designed in the United States to the Finance Minister.

See photos page 19 www.tcjonline.org

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The Grace of Generosity

By Dr. Steve Danso The Christian world literally went dead on Good Friday, when the Savior offered Himself to be crucified as a propitiation for the sins of mankind and celebrated His resurrection three days later. The Prophet Isaiah captured Christ's agonizing moments on the day He was crucified on the cross: “Surely He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities” (Isaiah 53:5).

He died so that we will have life. The most humbling aspect of His sacrifice is that He does not expect anything extraordinary from us in return; He just wants us to acknowledge that He is God, extol His virtues and love our neighbors as ourselves. Unfortunately, showing love to others has become the bane of most believers.

Jesus was not mincing words when He said: “Verily I say unto you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you have done it for me” (Matthew 25:40). This dictum should send a message: Nothing is more rewarding than doing something for Christ!

When the young rich ruler turned to God for advice on his salvation, Jesus told Him,

“If you want to be perfect, go, sell all your possessions and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven” (Matthew 19:21). But the young man's response was tepid. He simply turned away very sad because giving was not part of his psyche.

In the real world, there are people who seem to have gotten the Lord's message. An initiative called the “Giving Pledge” founded by Bill Gates and Warren Buffet is an effort to appeal to the wealthiest individuals and families in America to pledge at least 50 percent of their wealth to charitable causes and former New York Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who has donated more than $1.4 billion to a wide variety of causes and organizations, has joined the fray.

Announcing his support for the cause, Mr. Bloomberg said, "This is a fantastic idea, and Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett are great Americans for leading with it. I am a big believer in giving it all away and have always said that the best financial planning ends with bouncing the check to the undertaker.” That was well said and God is watching.

Humanity will forever be grateful for the efforts of these great Americans.

But the question is, do we have to command big purses to be able to give to charitable causes? Dorcas, alias Tabitha, will tell you no! According to the Book of Acts, Dorcas was very much loved in her community of Joppa for her good deeds. When she became ill and died, the whole community was thrown into mourning, as they searched for answers.

And God answered their prayers. The people heard that Peter was around and sought his help. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, “Peter sent them all out of the

room, got down on his knees and prayed.” He then turned to the dead woman and said, “Tabitha, get up.”

Dorcas opened her eyes and seeing Peter, she sat up. Then Peter called for the believers, especially the widows and presented her to them alive.” (Acts 9:36-41). Just like that Dorcas came back to life! Peter had one thing in mind: asking God to help restore the life of a good woman and God came through.

In the Book of Genesis, Abraham was cooling off under his tent in the heat of the day when he saw three strangers in front of his house. The Scripture says as soon as Abraham saw them, he went there and in humility, offered to provide some refreshment. “Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on,” he told them.

The strangers obliged and dined and as they got ready to leave, they prophesied that Sarah would conceive and bear a son. Considering her advanced age, Sarah laughed it off, thinking it was impossible, but true to the prophesy, Sarah, at the age of 90 years, bore Isaac.

The Lord has a way of visiting His people and we ought to be receptive and responsive to His visitation.

Dorcas survived death because of her good deeds, while Abraham and Sarah's hospitality gave them a child. God's favor was upon these people because of their extraordinary kind acts. The Apostle Paul's letter to Titus on good deeds reads: “God poured out the Holy Spirit abundantly on us through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that by His grace, we might be put right with God and come into possession of the eternal life

FILLING UP we hope for. This is a true saying. I want you to give special emphasis to these matters so that those who believe in God may be concerned with giving their time to doing good deeds, which are good and useful for everyone” (Titus 3:6-8).

You may not understand why you survived a terrible ordeal; why you survived a debilitating disease or got a promotion sooner than colleagues, who are ahead of you in terms of seniority, but don't be surprised by these feats. If we do something good, God repays us for our deeds. Ecclesiastes 11:1 says, “Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days.”

We have a tendency to hold on to things, our possessions, our relationships, but they are all fleeting.

Nothing is more rewarding than the courage to give. It is our expression of our magnanimity and gratefulness to God for the life He has given us and His unceasing supply of our needs.

We serve a God who is so generous that He provides more than we deserve and our gesture to His faithfulness is to help those in need. In his letter to the Church of Corinth, The Apostle Paul exhorts, “As you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in earnestness, and in love for you, see that you excel in this act of grace too” (2nd Corinthians 8:7). This act of grace he was referring to is generous giving. Let us learn how to give and live!

Dr Steve Danso is a Pastor at Immaculate Pentecostal Church of Christ , Bronx NY

Ghanaian man attacked on horror date in Australia Yahoo News

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young man is in hospital after being viciously stabbed in an ambush by a woman he met

online.

The attacker and two of her friends attacked the man inside his car, leaving him bleeding heavily and begging for help.

Following the brutal attack the man was left for dead on a footpath.

“I'm dying,” he could be heard crying.

“No you're not. We're going to take you to hospital,” a emergency worker can be heard telling the distressed man. The man was frantically stabbed by a gang of

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three women.

“I'd just gone to bed and heard a man shouting and a women heard a man say 'get out' and I heard a door slam and another door slam,” a witness told 7 News.

The victim, 26-year-old Augustine moved to Australia from Ghana only months ago.

He matched with a woman on the dating App Tinder, then met her and her friends in Richmond last night, before they asked for a lift to Sunshine.

However as the victim drove the down Heron Avenue, things turned violent

with the trio demanding the keys to his Volkswagen before finally slashing him with a knife.

The man tried to run but darted back for his keys as his attackers fled in the opposite direction.

A witness, Caroline Tuivanua, convinced her sister to pull over, after spotting Augustine bleeding on McIntyre Road. “I said, 'look there's so many cars out here, nobody's stopping for this person, what if this person died we should just stop and see if he's ok?'” she said.

The victim had been knocking on doors

for help but to no avail.

“There was blood everywhere. His hands were on his chest and I said to him 'it's ok, help is coming. Just wait here, I'll stay with you,'” she said.

The 26-year-old suffered lacerations to his head, neck and stomach in the brutal attack.

He was brought to the Royal Melbourne Hospital and underwent surgery.

Doctors say it is unlikely he'll be discharged before his birthday on Sunday as police hunt for the Caucasian women responsible for the attack.

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US to deport 7000 Ghanaians

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he Trump administration is set to deport seven thousand Ghanaians who have abused the terms of their Visas.

The Ghanaians are currently at different stages of the deportation process, the US ambassador to Ghana Robert Jackson has revealed.

“In fact about 7000 of them are currently at different stages of the deportation process. And we are not apologetic about that,” he told the Ghanaian media in the Brong Ahafo region Thursday.

The disclosure comes barely 24hours after the UK High Commission in Ghana fingered three sitting members of Ghana's parliament and a former one for breaching UK visa policies.

They are Richard Acheampong, NDC MP for Bia East in the Western region NDC, Joseph Benhazin Dahah, NPP MP for Ntotroso in the Bono Ahafo region, Johnson Kwaku Adu, NPP MP for Ahafo Ano South West in the Ashanti region and George Boakye, former MP for Asunafo South in the Bono Ahafo region.

The four, according to the commission, have used their diplomatic passports to secure visas for persons who travelled to the UK and never returned.

In a letter dated January 20, 2017 to the Speaker of Parliament Mike Oquaye Mr Benjamin said: “The British High Commission considers the actions [of the MPs] completely unacceptable.

IMMIGRATION In some cases these behaviours may arguably be criminal in nature.”

But commenting on the development Wednesday on Starr Chat, Mr Osei Owusu who is also the chairman of the Appointments Committee of parliament said: “I think that the High Commissioner in so many instances has acted in a way that in my view transcends the bounds of decency and propriety.”

According to him, the High commissioner's letter to parliament was unnecessary as “these are personal travel arrangements. I believe strongly that if any of them took the matter up to appeal, some of those things may be overturned.”

New study says humans live longer, but diabetes, smoking hamper life quality

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new report on the status of health worldwide says people are living longer lives. But pollution, smoking, cancer, diabetes and high blood pressure are emerging as the new roadblocks to a good life. Scientists carrying out the "Global burden of diseases" study said that human beings across the planet were living for much longer compared to a few decades ago. The average life expectancyfrom birth increased from 61.7 years in 1980 to 71.8 years in 2015.

Scientists also showed that globally, sanitation, household air pollution, the problem of underweight and stunted children, and exposure to smoking had been reduced by 25 percent in 2015, compared to figures in 1990.

The aim of the report, published in the science journal, The Lancet, was to enable "understanding of the changing health and challenges facing people across the world in the 21st century" and to present recommendations to policy makers. For this purpose, they analyzed 249 possible causes of death, 315 diseases and 79 risk factors in 195 countries between 1990 and 2015. Scientists used the socio-demographic index - a combination of education, fertility rates and per capita income to compare countries' performance.

Low life expectancy in crisis zones According to the study, total deaths increased to over 58 million in 2015, up by four percent from 2013. Non-communicable diseases were responsible for 71.3 percent of the total, followed by communicable diseases at 20 percent. Among www.tcjonline.org

the non-communicable diseases, heart problems and cancer were responsible for 45 and 22 percent of deaths respectively.

Sub-Saharan countries showed that HIV/AIDS was still a main reason for dipping life expectancy.

In Europe, alcohol consumption was the main reason for people dying early, the study said.

Scientists also found that people living in conflict areas, like Syria, were much more likely to have a shorter lifespan due to the ongoing wars in their regions. Between 2005 and 2015, the average life of a Syrian man dropped by 11.3 years to 62.6 years, the study said.

In the last edition of the research in 2013, the examiners said that violent conflict in Egypt, Yemen,Syria and Tunisia had had an adverse affect on people, with life expectancy decreasing by 0.25 years every year. Infant mortality in Syria increased by 9.3 percent from 2010 to 2013, reflecting how the crisis affected mothers' abilities to look after their newborns.

Increase in lifestyle diseases, drug use According to the study, over a billion people last year experienced acute incidences of respiratory infections and diarrhoea. More than 10 percent of the world's population suffered from chronic disease. These included tooth decay, tension-type headaches, iron-deficiency anemia, age-related and other hearing loss, migraines, genital herpes and ascariasis (roundworm). At least 2.36 billion people were affected by iron-deficiency anemia in 2015, with the second and third-largest group being hearing and vision loss respectively. Lower

HEALTH

back pain was a leading cause of disability worldwide in 2015.

Countries with a low socio-development indexwhich calibrates fertility rate and education showed a high prevalence of nutritional deficiencies, malaria, neglected tropical diseases, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis. These included countries in Asia, Africa and South America.

The study also found that environmental, behavioral and occupational factors made a person more susceptible to diseases. Scientists identified ten of the largest contributors to "disability adjusted life years" (DALY), or the number of years a person lost because of ill-health, disability or early death. These included high blood pressure, smoking, alcohol use, diabetes, obesity, malnutrition among children, fine particle pollution, high cholesterol, diets high in sodium and household air pollution.

Worldwide, 6.4 million people died of smokingrelated causes in 2015.

The researchers expressed concerns about the increase in these ailments despite a reduction in exposure to factors such as smoking and household pollution. "Non-fatal outcomes of disease and injury increasingly detract from the ability of the world's population to live in full health," they wrote, adding that the trend was a result of a change in many countries from causes affecting children to non-communicable diseases like diabetes and cancer, which were more common among adults.

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Ghana Government Delegation Town Hall Meeting in new york

NOV. 24-DEC. 14 2014

ghana mission new york 19 east 47th street, new york, ny 10017