The Ghanaian Chronicle

Serial Deaths at CIBA =85 in the wake of 76 billion cedis=94 is the screaming headline on the front page of the Ghanaian Chronicle. The report has it that four top officials of the Council for Indigenous Busines Associations (CIBA), have died in a space of two years under mysterious circumstances. The paper names the four as Horatio Nelson, Executive Secretary, Peter Vaughan-Williams, Chairman, Beatrice Enoku, CIBA National Organiser and Emmanuel Kwame Ashiagbor, an executive member. The story of Ashiagbor=92s death in particular, and the death of the other three says that eyebrows have been raised over the deaths which are purported to have occurred shortly after a 76 billion-cedi (US$31m) grant had been given to CIBA. The grant issued in 1994 was to import gas stoves, hairpins and other goods for CIBA=92s 2.5 million members. The Chronicle says that CIBA, perceived as an appendage of the ruling NDC, was given the 76 billion cedis of the taxpayers=92 money ostensibly to bolster support for the party in the 1996 elections and beyond. However, the paper continues, a greater part of the money went into private pockets. Mr. Ashiagbor is believed to have thrown himself out of a train carriage he was travelling on in London, in July, 1997. The report says, =93as if the death of Ashiagbor was not enough to deal a blow to CIBA, the death of Horatio Nelson at SSNIT Hospital raised eyebrows=94. Horatio is cited as having collected a number of CIBA goods and guaranteed for others without documenting them. =93Nelson had been extremely worried over events in CIBA and had been ruffled at one of the sittings of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) enquiries into association=92s activities. According to the paper, Ashiagbor developed a chronic ulcer and died on admission. The Chronicle report has it that the other three named executives all died through accidents at various times between 1997 and 1998. Meanwhile the family of Vaughan-Williams represented by her eldest child, said they did not want to believe that their father=92s death had anything to do with =94anyone pressing buttons=94. The report adds that Vaughan-Williams prior to his death on July 27th, had confessed attempting suicide.

GRi

The Graphic and The Chronicle both report on the choice of Miss Akuba Cudjoe as the winner of the =93Miss Lux=94 Universe pageant. The competition which included 10 other ladies described =93as bevy of intelligent and determined women=94, was held at the Accra International Conference Centre. The Chronicle story headlined =93Beloved beauty wins anti-climatic Miss Lux Pageant=94 said Media Touch Productions pulled all the shops in putting together what is easily the best-ever pre-contest production for television promos with their incredible world class commercial teasers. But it all came unstuck. The paper says, on the D-day nothing seemed to work on cue and the audience, paying =A275,000 a head were kept waiting for two hours for poor sound, poor lightning show when it finally came on.

The Graphic, however, says in its story headlined =93Akuba crowned Miss Lux =9199=94 that the show started on an explosive note as the curtain went up to reveal a magnificent stage setting of African topography and beautiful lightning which, reportedly, heightened the audience=92s expectation for an exciting night. The two reports do however agree that the 19-year-old Akuba Cudjoe, a Building Technology major at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, was tall, beautiful and eloquent. The reports say she won a two-bedroom self contained Manet house, 3.5 million cedis, a first class return air ticket to the Miss Universe pageant in Trinidad and Tobago, a Miss Lux official signature ring, a trophy and personal appearance wardrobe valued at 10 million cedis.

Nana Aba Annobil-Akwa and Ivy Heward Mills of KNUST and GIJ respectively, were the first and second runners up.

GRi