DUNCAN-WILLIAMS CHALLENGES THE MEDIA ,TO GIVE FAIR, BALANCE REPORT ON ELECTION 2012

By   Felix  Nyaaba

The Archbishop of the Action Chapel International Church (ACI) has charged the media to increase its watchdog role in the society to ensure that their reportage of Election 2012 is fair, balance, accurate and objective.

Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams, the head pastor of the Church said the media has a critical role in projecting, protecting and ensuring that the nation does not become divisive.

The Archbishop of the Action Chapel International made theses observation during an interacting with senior journalists at a press Soiree at the church headquarters on the Spintex road here in Accra.

Archbishop Duncan-Williams told the journalists to be mindful of the fact that they are first of all Ghanaians before journalists and must not allow themselves to be used as weapons by politicians to attack their opponent in the quest for political power.

He said, the world is looking up to Ghana to save the Africa continent from been tagged as a conflict continent and that the role to sustain that was in the hands of the media and the men of God who always have the electorates to interact with at the churches.

He also bemoaned the lack of patriotism, acts of vendettas and self destructive among others in Ghanaians and called on the media to be the voice to champion for the need for national unity to sustain the nation young democracy for development in the country.

According to him, it saddens his heart when he travelled outside the country and saw Ghanaians being victimized by their own people in foreign countries and called for tolerance and unity among Ghanaians, especially the youth.

The Archbishop further stated that events leading to the coming general elections are already creating tensions and cautioned the media practitioners to exercise extreme professionalism in order not to plunge the country into civil war.

He noted that the issue of media ownership and pluralism had often been observed by others as negative, saying media pluralism must however be seen as the source of growth and civilization and must be accepted and not be disregarded.

He also called for fair and equitable coverage of political parties by both the state-owned and the private media and noted that the media has a positive role in maintaining peace by giving balance reportage to all parties.

Dr. Ekwow Spio- Gabbrah,  the Acting president of the Dominion University College  said, the  formation of the University was to  bring sanity into the nation cycle of education  by offering  courses that would not only produce good graduates but graduate with high level of morality in the society.

He said, the nation is gradually losing its moral standard among the educated, especially the youth and said, the Dominion University aims at bringing the difference and to ensure that students who pass through the University  acquired  good education on both academic and morality .

Dr. Spio Gabbrah further stated that, the mission of the Dominion University College is to train the nation young men and women to be ethical and responsible custodians of whatever the Lord has blessed the nation with.

He noted that, the country stands at crossroad, after going positively in the direction of democratization and economic development but not positively in the direction of values, ethics, attitudes and civic responsibility.

The Acting president of the Dominion University College however, disclosed that, the leadership of the Action Chapel International Church and the governing council has elected Dr. Justice Emil Francis Short, the former Commissioner of the Commission of Human Rights and Administrative Justices (CHRAJ) as its Governing Chairman.

Dr. Spio Gabbrah   also used the opportunity  dismissed the public perception that he joins the Church recently for political reasons, saying he has been with the Church since it infant stage but only that he was not on the spot lights as at today.

He stated that, the University would ensure that, students who pass through it do not only become pastors and ministers of the Gospel but also good citizens who would lead the country to massive development.

The Dominion University College council members are, Mr. Kwame Achempong-Kyei, Executive Chairman of GLICO Groups LTD, Dr Jendayi Frazer, former US secretary of state for Africa Affairs, Prof. Samuel Kwame Bonsu, Senior Lecture, University of Rhonde Island and Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, Vice President for the World Banks Africa Region.

The rest are Mrs. Charlotte Osei, Chairperson for National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Bishop James Saah, Pastor at the Action Chapel International, Dr. Alex P. Danso, Lecture at the Medical School at the University of Zimbabwe, Mr. Edward Odame  Larbi Siaw, an Economist and  Chartered Consultant, Mr. David Nii Lante Lamptey,  Senior Tax Officer at CEPS, Rev. Gracer Bondzie and Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, former Minister of Health and Chairman of Ghana  Gas Plan Committee as members.

The press soiree was used to call on the media to work in collaboration with the men of God to sustain the country’s democracy for the 2012 elections by educating and sensitizing the public about their civic rights and responsibilities.

It was also used as an opportunity to disclose to the media about the progress of the church university, the Dominion University College (DUC) which is currently been operated at the church premises.