Minority Leader and Ranking Member of the Finance Committee in parliament, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, wants government to be circumspect in applying tax exemptions.
He commenced parliamentary duties this week by recommending that a halt be placed on tax waivers to save the economy much-needed revenue in the face of current economic challenges.
The World Bank has advised government to shed some of its tax practices, particularly tax exemptions while increasing efficiency in tax collection. For a country that badly needs revenue to fix its debt-to-GDP ratio, Ghana grants too many tax exemptions.
The economy lost GH¢27billion to tax exemptions between 2008 and 2020, leading to passage of the Tax Exemptions bill last July.
It provides for a tax exemption regime in the country with defined criteria for exemptions, and was expected to save the economy GH¢460million in 2022 according to Minister of Finance Ken Ofori-Atta.
However, as the country faces mounting economic challenges, Ato Forson believes government should halt all forms of tax waivers to companies in a bid to raise additional revenue to support the recovery process.
Given the downturn in economic activity along with rising public expenditure, the Ranking Member of the Finance Committee is confident that such a move would be apt. His remarks were in response to a question regarding public perception about huge sums that the country loses annually through exemptions.
Though the country has saved some funds since passage of the Tax Exemptions bill last year, Dr. Forson notes that there is a need for further scrutiny to identify gaps in the regime and improve on them in order to save more.
Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta noted that in 2020 alone about GH¢1.8billion was lost, the worst recorded for a single year since 2008.
Although it is important for Ghana to use tax exemptions for attracting foreign investors into the country, empirical evidence has proven that too many tax exemptions have failed to provide the desired result.
Ghana loses over GH¢5billion every year through tax exemptions, that’s why tax consultant and attorney Ali-Nakyea and Associates urged government to take a second look at the tax exemptions régime if it means to rake in more revenue for the state.
Indeed, the country has chronically struggled to mobilise enough revenue to fund its expenditure requirements. It is therefore proper to explore all the avenues to raise more revenue, and limiting tax exemptions is one such way.
Paris Saint-Germain duo Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi join Real Madrid’s Karim Benzema in the shortlist for FIFA’s Best Mens Award 2022.
The trio of world superstars were selected from an original list of 14 entries thanks to a equally shared vote between national team coaches, captains, journalists and fans. Unlike the finalists for the Best Women’s Award, there were no surprises in the male category, with Messi, Mbappe and Benzema the standout performers between the dates of August 2021 and 18 December 2022.
Arguably the favourite to go on and win the award, Messi of course celebrated his first ever World Cup triumph on 18 December, having a huge hand in Argentina’s victory along the way. While Mbappe was on the receiving end of that defeat, his hat-trick in the final capped off an impressive individual year for club and country. His France team-mate Benzema, who was absent in Qatar through injury, celebrated a career milestone himself, winning his first Ballon d’Or in October following a stellar season with Madrid.
Mbappe is joint-sixth with Pele in the World Cup’s all-time goalscoring chart, having netted 12 times in the tournament.
Results of the final award will be published in full following the awards ceremony on 27 February.
🚨 We have our finalists for #TheBest FIFA Men's Player Award!
To promote transit trade between Ghana and Burkina Faso, the Burkina Faso Shippers Council erected an ultramodern office facility at the Tema Port enclave.
The office was constructed, according to Al Hassane Sienou, the board chairman of theBurkina Shippers Council, as part of a significant infrastructure project that the Council’s governing body undertook under its strategic growth plan.
The office building would improve the Shippers Council’s operations and assist it carry out its purpose, according to Mr. Roland Somda, the Burkinabe Minister of Transport.
The mandate includes ensuring regular supply of products and goods to Burkina Faso in the best conditions pertaining to cost, speed, and security.
The Council also assists shippers and protects their interests, which contributes to the competitiveness of Burkinabe export products on the international market, among others.
Mr Frederick Obeng Adom, Ghana’s Deputy Minister of Transport, called for a strengthened collaboration toward the shared objectives of both countries.
This is line with the African Continental Free Trade Area(AfCFTA) objectives, which aimed at, but not limited to, reducing poverty and shared prosperity among member countries.
Mrs Sandra Opoku, the Director of Tema Port, gave the assurance that the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) would continuously improve on all measures to sustain the transit trade.
The GPHA began with the provision of lands to the transit representatives to build offices and warehouses to support their administrative and operational activities.
She said in a bid to reduce the cost of doing business in Ghana, especially for the transit customers, the GPHA granted rebates on its cargo volumes, and 21 days rent-free for all transit cargo, with automated ports processes to reduce delays.
The wedding of Ama Koomson, daughter of Mavis Hawa Koomson, Ghana’s Minister for Fisheries and Aquaculture Development and the Member of Parliament for Awutu Senya East Constituency, was the talk of the town for the display of rich Akan culture.
Ama and her man, Snow Gaisie, tied the knot in the month of love in a private ceremony that had family and loved ones in attendance.
The customary wedding, dubbed “SnowGotmeltED” was filled with glitz and glam from the bride and her bridal train. The groom and his men also left no stone unturned.
The mother of the bride, Hawa Koomson, once again made a bold fashion statement in her custom-tailored kente gown and lace.
In 2022, the MP’s son tied the knot in a star-studded ceremony.
Ama Koomson had on board some of Ghana’s finest wedding vendors, who ensured that her day was special.
The happy bride made headlines for her wardrobe and details at her marriage ceremony.
A band from the Ghana National Fire Service also delivered a musical performance at Ama’s wedding.
Politicians are frequently buddies, despite their differences in ideologies or guiding principles, as has been said numerous times.
They still appear to find time to gather around the same tables and literally share bread after the outward displays of differences, apparent hatreds, and occasionally dangerously close calls.
When two prominent members of the rulingNew Patriotic Party (NPP) recently met on one of the main avenues in Koforidua, in the Eastern Region, it was such a circumstance.
The meeting between the immediate-past Minister of Trade and Industry, Alan Kyerematen, and a former Minister of Energy, and one-time campaign manager of the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Boakye Agyarko, is one that has gotten many netizens talking.
In a video clip that has been shared on social media,Alan Kyerematen, who recently announced his intention to run as flagbearer of the NPP, is seen stepping out of his vehicle, mobbed by some few people, as he walks heartily to shake the hands of Agyarko.
In their interaction, Agyarko, who is also eyeing the same seat as NPP flagbearer, kind of called out Alan for visiting his township and refusing to ask of him.
But in his response, Alan indicated that he is headed for Krobo and that his colleague should wait for him there, amidst laughter.
The following is their interaction in Twi, and interpreted into English by GhanaWeb:
Agyarko: “Ah, you are in my township and…”
(The two laugh heartily)
Alan: “What I was saying was that I am heading to Krobo. Wait for me there.
Agyarko: “Where is your visa?”
(The two again laugh heartily and playfully)
According to details from dailyguidenetwork.com, the two were in Koforidua on Friday, February 10, 2023, as part of their campaign in the region, although Boakye Agyarko was the first to go to the region.
The NPP is yet to announce dates for its flagbearer race.
AKA according to earlier reports on Friday night was shot multiple times by unknown gunmen outside a popular restaurant on Florida Road in Durban.
In a statement announcing his death, his parents, Tony and Lyn Forbes said “It is with extreme sadness that we acknowledge the passing of our beloved son, and confirm his untimely and tragic passing on the evening of February 10, 2023.
“Our son was loved and he gave love in return. In this time of grief we appeal for your compassion, space and time to congregate as family to decide on the upcoming days. We thank you for the love and support we have received thus far, and ask you to continue to keep us in your prayers and uplifted in the Lord,” they added.
Police say they responded to a shooting incident at about 10:15 pm on Friday evening.
“On arrival, paramedics met total chaos and a scene where two men, believed to be in their late 30s, sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Paramedics assisted the men and unfortunately, the first male had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and showed no signs of life and was declared deceased at the scene,” ALS paramedic Garrith Jamieson is Business Day as saying.
According to the police, while the rapper died at the scene, a second victim of the shooting incident died later at a hospital from extensive injuries.
All Specified Entities have been directed by President Akufo-Addo to deliver all of their management accounts to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department by February 28, 2023.
He expressed concern that as of the first quarter of 2022, only 54 per cent of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) submitted their financial statements for consolidation into the national accounts.
The President gave the directive when he addressed participants at the Annual Stakeholder Meeting of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) at Kwahu-Nkwatia in the Eastern Region on Friday.
He noted that the late and non-submission of financial statements by SOEs undermined the work of the Controller and Accountant General in providing a total picture of Ghana’s public finances.
“I wish to reiterate strongly that by 28 February this year, all management accounts should be submitted to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
“The more we consolidate the national accounts with additional SOEs, the wider the national assets and fiscal space become” the President said.
President Akufo-Addo also directed all SOEs to submit to SIGA’s performance contract process to facilitate the inclusion of their financial statements in the preparation of the national accounts.
Currently, SIGA has 175 Specified Entities under its supervision.
These entities are mandated by law to submit management accounts by 28th February to allow the Auditor General to submit audited accounts to Parliament by April 30.
The number of financial statements submitted by SOEs in the consolidated national accounts rose from 19 in 2020 to 47 in 2021.
In 2020, the 19 SOEs included in the national accounts contributed 30 per cent to the national assets. It further increased to 49 per cent when 47 SOEs were included in the 2021 national accounts.
President Akufo-Addo charged Chairpersons of Boards and Chief Executive Officers of SOEs to collaborate with their respective internal auditors in the preparation of their management accounts to reduce incidents of infractions in the ongoing 2022 audit process.
He said it was unacceptable for SOEs to control about half of the country’s national assets and contribute less to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
SOEs, President Akufo-Addo insisted, must own up to their responsibilities and take a centre stage in the country’s development.
“Jumpstarting our economy begins with you. You should be the major drivers of Ghana’s economy rather than being a financial burden,” he said, adding: “excuses for non-performance should no longer be tolerated.
The 2023 Stakeholder Meeting of SIGA brought together Board Chairs, CEOs of Specified Entities, and other relevant stakeholders to discuss strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the Specified Entities into high-performing organisations and ensuring they meet the President’s vision of contributing 30 per cent to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product.
The two-day Conference, which was in accordance with Section 30 of the SIGA Act 2019 (Act 990), was on the theme: “A Time to Reflect and Rebuild.”
An Adentan Circuit Court has pronounced a 25 year jail sentence on a 24-year-old unemployed man for causing harm and attempted robbery.
This was after the Court had found Lamin Sissy guilty of the charges.
The Court presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah sentenced him to five years on the charges of causing harm and 25 years on the charge of attempting to commit a crime to wit, robbery.
Sentences are however to run concurrently.
Handing the sentence, the Court said an attempt to commit a crime carries the same punishment as committing the crime.
It noted that the accused person now a convict used an offensive weapon (scissors) to harm the complainant, Christabel Sitor.
Sissy is said to have attempted to snatch a handbag worth GHS100, an Infinix Hot 10 mobile phone valued at GHS1,000 and cash of GHS100.
Sissy earlier prayed to the Court for mercy.
“I pray the Court to forgive me. I don’t know what came over me. I have no relations in Ghana,” he added.
The prosecution led by Inspector Gloria Ayim prayed the Court to give an accused person a stiffer sentence to serve as a deterrent to like-minded persons.
The case of the Prosecution is that the complainant Christabel Sitor is a resident of Mile 13 Adenta.
On June 2, 2022, the Prosecution said at about 9:20 pm, the complainant went to town and when returning home on a straight route, Sissy who had no permanent place of abode and had laid ambushed, spotted the complainant with her lady’s bag across her chest.
It said the complainant’s bag contained an infinix Hot 10 phone and a sum of GHS100.
The prosecution told the court that, Sissy on seeing the complainant, started trialling her to a distance and attacked her with a pair of scissors.
It said Sissy ordered the complainant to hand over her handbag.
The Prosecution said the complainant resisted and a struggle ensued between her and the accused person.
In the process, Sissy slashed the complainant’s left hand with a pair of scissors.
The Prosecution said the complainant raised an alarm and Sissy took to his heels.
It said the complainant’s shouts attracted people to the scene. Sissy however escaped and hid in the bush.
Whiles lodging a complaint, a witness in the case who pursued Sissy managed to nab Sissy and escorted him to the Police Station.
The prosecution said the accused person admitted the offence and led the Police to the crime scene.
After reaching an agreement, Thiago Silva has signed a new deal with Chelsea that is valid until 2024.
The Blues have confirmed the veteran Brazilian has extended his current contract and will stay at Stamford Bridge until 2024. The defender turned 38 back in September but has shown few signs of slowing down since joining the Blues.
Another year in west London will take Silva into the fourth of his Chelsea career, and by the end of the 2023-2024 campaign the Brazilian will be nearing his 40th birthday. Ever since his signing in 2020, though, the centre-back has shown himself to be evergreen, and has arguably been the Blues’ most consistent performer throughout the tenures of both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
“I am honestly so happy to continue my career with the Blues,” he told the club’s official website. “When I signed my first contract here, it was to just do one year. Now it is already the fourth! I could not have imagined that, but really it is a very special moment for me to sign and stay at Chelsea.”
Not only does Silva’s new contract reflect his importance to the immediate team – being one of Potter’s first names on the team sheet each week – but his ability to guide the next crop of young centre-backs is also paramount. 21-year-old January signing Benoit Badiashile has already raved about the experience working alongside Silva, while academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah has also referred to the Brazilian’s influence in the past.
The defender will be back in action for the Blues when they travel to West Ham in Saturday’s early Premier League kick-off.
The Controller and Accountant General’s Department must receive the management accounts from all Specified Entities by February 28, 2023, per a directive from President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
In the first quarter of 2022, just 54% of State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) had submitted their financial statements for consolidation into the national accounts, which alarmed him.
In his remarks to attendees at the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGAannual )’s stakeholder meeting on Friday in Kwahu-Nkwatia, the Eastern Region, the President issued the order.
He noted that the late and non-submission of financial statements by SOEs undermined the work of the Controller and Accountant General in providing a total picture of Ghana’s public finances.
“I wish to reiterate strongly that by 28 February this year, all management accounts should be submitted to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
“The more we consolidate the national accounts with additional SOEs, the wider the national assets and fiscal space become” the President said.
President Akufo-Addo also directed all SOEs to submit to SIGA’s performance contract process to facilitate the inclusion of their financial statements in the preparation of the national accounts.
Currently, SIGA has 175 Specified Entities under its supervision.
These entities are mandated by law to submit management accounts by 28th February to allow the Auditor General to submit audited accounts to Parliament by April 30.
The number of financial statements submitted by SOEs in the consolidated national accounts rose from 19 in 2020 to 47 in 2021.
In 2020, the 19 SOEs included in the national accounts contributed 30 per cent to the national assets. It further increased to 49 per cent when 47 SOEs were included in the 2021 national accounts.
President Akufo-Addo charged Chairpersons of Boards and Chief Executive Officers of SOEs to collaborate with their respective internal auditors in the preparation of their management accounts to reduce incidents of infractions in the ongoing 2022 audit process.
He said it was unacceptable for SOEs to control about half of the country’s national assets and contribute less to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
SOEs, President Akufo-Addo insisted, must own up to their responsibilities and take a centre stage in the country’s development.
“Jumpstarting our economy begins with you. You should be the major drivers of Ghana’s economy rather than being a financial burden,” he said, adding: “excuses for non-performance should no longer be tolerated.
The 2023 Stakeholder Meeting of SIGA brought together Board Chairs, CEOs of Specified Entities, and other relevant stakeholders to discuss strategic initiatives aimed at transforming the Specified Entities into high-performing organisations and ensuring they meet the President’s vision of contributing 30 per cent to Ghana’s Gross Domestic Product.
The two-day Conference, which was in accordance with Section 30 of the SIGA Act 2019 (Act 990), was on the theme: “A Time to Reflect and Rebuild”
Marie-Claire Rupio, the wife of Christian Atsu has shared the last time she heard from her husband who has been missing since a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey.
According to her, Atsu who scored his first goal for Turkish-based Hatayspor on Sunday, February 5, 2023, called home the day before the match and had a conversation with their children.
“He spoke to the children last time on Saturday morning, that was the last time that I heard from him,” she told the BBC in her first public interview since the disappearance of her husband.
The wife of the footballer disclosed that she found out about her husband being trapped under earthquake rubble through the news.
“I had a lot of missed calls on my phone from his sister and she just told me, and then I read the news,” she said.
With earlier reports of her husband being rescued from the rubble turning out to be false, Marie-Claire Rupio is hopeful that he will be found alive.
She has therefore appealed to Christian Atsu’s club, the Turkish and British governments to step up efforts in rescuing those trapped under the rubble.
“All I can say is that for me I know the rescuers are trying their best working day and night to rescue everybody. I just feel for everybody who is like me and my children being in the unknown not knowing whether their family (relative) is alive or not. I will just appeal to the Hatayspor Club and the Turkish authorities and the British government to send the equipment to get the people that are still trapped under the rubble out, especially my partner and the father of my children,” she said.
Background
A powerful earthquake struck south-eastern Turkey, near the Syrian border, killing more than 22,000 people (as at February 10) as they slept and trapping many others in the early hours of Monday.
The US Geological Survey said the 7.8 magnitude tremor struck at 04:17 local time (01:17 GMT) at a depth of 17.9km (11 miles) near the city of Gaziantep.
Hours later, a second quake, which had a magnitude of 7.5, hit the Elbistan district of Kahramanmaras province.
In September 2022, the 31-year-old Black Stars winger penned a one-year deal to join the Turkish side following a spell in Saudi Arabia.
It is reported that over 22,000 lives have been claimed by the earthquake in both Syria and Turkey.
The partner of footballer Christian Atsu, who's whereabouts are unknown since Monday's earthquake in Turkey and Syria, says "I still pray and believe he's alive" https://t.co/tDdQFQE4UQpic.twitter.com/Gz5hf76MCc
Former deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, has commended former Chief Justice Sophia Akuffo for joining the protest to resist government’s proposed Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP).
He stated that the former government appointee has demonstrated what it takes to be a responsible citizen of the country rather than a mere spectator.
Koku Anyidoho continued by saying that anyone willing to make such a bold decision in his political party the NDC, where he previously held the position of deputy general secretary, would have been criticized and labelled as a traitor for speaking out against the party.
Because the party despises boldness and labels those who speak their minds as traitors and bitter individuals.
“I can imagine how my people will be jumping on this, and praising Sophia Akufo for being bold. Yet, within our own party, we abhor boldness and refer to people who speak their minds as, “traitors” & “bitter people”. Hypocrites & parasites. Tweaa!!!” he said in a social media post.
The former Chief Justice of Ghana, who was appointed by the sitting president, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, stated in an interview with Ghanaweb on February 10, 2023, that, she finds it unlawful and wicked for the government to sacrifice the profits of retirees for its domestic debt exchange.
“I find this wicked, disrespectful, I find it unlawful. I find it totally wrong, period, because you don’t solve your problems by sacrificing your aged. That’s the last thing you should do especially when you don’t have any services that are actually geared at the comfort and relief of the aged,” she added.
Responding to the comment by the former Chief Justice, Samuel Koku Anyidoho praised Justice Sophia Akufo and urged the public to follow in the footprints of the former government appointee.
“Very Senior ‘CITIZENS’ (not spectators), are talking. “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Holy Spirit is saying to the Church”. Revelations 2:29. Amen,” he added.
National Youth Organizer for the National Democratic Congress (NDC), George Opare Addo popularly known as Pablo, is optimistic that Ghana’s dwindling economy can be resuscitated by the former President John Dramani Mahama.
He stated that only former president John Dramani Mahama can transform Ghana’s economy, hence Ghanaians should offer thanksgiving to God for providing the country with an opportunity for economic optimism.
He argued further that the former president is the only person who can offer solutions to Ghana’s current problems.
Speaking in an interview with Original FM, Pablo stated that the current NPP administration is relying on the former statesman’s policy positions and interventions that were put in place during his term in office to survive.
He added that, in critical times of economic crises, there is a need for a competent and skilled person to be able to assist in cleaning up the economic mess and rebuilding.
“2017 was Ghana’s best-performing year (economically). In 2015, president Mahama at the state of the nation address said that in 2017, the economy will turn around. So, he was a prophet, he foresaw the future and predicted it right.
“Because of the sound policies that he implemented in 2015 and 2016. The only government that 2016 in an election year implemented zero finance from the central bank. That was the level of discipline that he brought on board when we were challenged.
“And that is the kind of discipline that we need currently to turn the economy around. And that’s why I say that we have to thank God for President Mahama as the only option for an economic turnaround. Because he has that discipline and that tenacity to be able to build,” he said.
Government is seeking a programme with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) with the view to salvage the economy which suffered a torrid in 2022 characterised by a depreciating currency, galloping inflation and a general increase in the cost of living.
Meanwhile, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo is optimistic that Ghana will conclude talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on a possible financial bailout programme.
According to President Akufo-Addo, though the government’s debt exchange programme was fraught with several challenges after its announcement, it has largely been accepted by the citizenry.
He made this known when the German Federal Minister of Finance, Christian Lindner, paid him a visit at the Jubilee House.
“We have already taken one important step forward in concluding a staff-level agreement with the IMF. One of the steps was the domestic debt exchange programme which encountered a lot of difficulties, but it has now been virtually concluded…We are now looking towards going the full hog and concluding the agreement. We’re hoping that will be done by the middle of March,” President Akufo-Addo said.
He also called on Germany to encourage China, an ad hoc member of the Paris Club to support Ghana’s debt restructuring efforts.
It also urged the Government to strive to attain the World Health Organisation’s target of 5 mcg/m3 of PM2.5 (minute particulate matter in air from combustion, organic matter and metals).
The PSG said this in a communique issued at the end of its 2023 Annual General and Scientific Meeting (AGSM) held in Kumasi from February 2 to 4, after extensive deliberations.
It was on the theme: “Environmental Health and Children’s Well-Being: A Shared Responsibility.”
The communique, jointly signed by Dr John Adabie Appiah, President, and Dr Angela Osei-Bonsu, the General Secretary, of PSG, said locally relevant research was urgently needed on air pollution issues and their effect on children.
“While awaiting the conduct of these studies, work must commence to improve public transport, reduce dust from our roads and incorporate pollution prevention measures in the planning of urban areas,” it stated.
“Reducing the exposure of children to air pollutants is necessary at home, at schools, and in the general environment.”
The communique reiterated the UN Convention on the rights of the child, Article 24, which states that: “Children have the right to the best healthcare possible, clean water to drink, healthy food and a clean and safe environment to live in.”
The Society added its voice to calls to curb the ‘galamsey’ menace, which was destroying the country’s forests, land, and water bodies and contributing significantly to the deaths of children exposed to chemicals used in mining.
Children also fell into abandoned mine pits, among other dangers, it said.
“This canker must not be allowed to fester, or we will have ourselves to blame and posterity will not forgive us. Time is running out, we must act now, and we must act together in a concerted manner,” the communique said.
“Half-hearted solutions will certainly fail. In conclusion, we would like to point out that time is not on our side, we must act now, and we must act together.”
Three people are being held on GHS 2,000,000 bail with three sureties each by the Accra Circuit Court Eleven over visa fraud.
The Court presided over by Madam Halima El-Alawa Abdul Baasit ordered that two of the sureties, Nana Ama Asare, trader, Cosmos Wosor, driver and Albert Abutey, aluminium fabricator, be justified with a landed property.
Nana Ama has denied obtaining electronic payment mediums falsely as well as defrauding Madam Gloria Edem Quist Agbezuge, the complainant under the pretext of securing her a United States of America (USA) Visa as well as a USA Health Insurance Certificate.
Wosor and Abutey also denied aiding and abetting Nana Ama, her alleged accomplices to commit the crime.
The Court said all the accused persons should report to the police every two weeks and to return to the Court on March 8, 2023.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Emmanuel Nyamekye giving the account, said Madam Gloria, the complainant was a Ghanaian businesswoman and a resident of China whilst Nana Ama, trader and Wosor, driver, both lived at Spintex.
He said Abutey, an aluminium fabricator also lived at Nungua, all suburbs of Accra.
DSP Nyamekye said on March 25, 2021, the complainant reported to the Police that in 2019, she met Nana Ama in China and they became friends.
The Court heard that Nana Ama in her engagement with Madam Gloria told her (Gloria) that she was a resident of the USA and that she (Nana Ama) could assist her to secure an American Visa and an America Health Insurance Certificate to enable her (Gloria) to seek proper medical care.
The Prosecution said Nana Ama after arriving in Ghana, caused the complainant to transfer various sums of money to the tune of USD 132,490.00 to her under the pretext of securing her US Visa as well as the US Health Insurance Certificate.
DSP Nyamekye said Nana Ama provided Madam Gloria with her Ecobank account details as well as other mediums to send her the money to facilitate the processes.
She also provided the details of Wosor and again gave the account information of Abutey to receive part of the money from one Odette Abgezuke, a witness in the case on behalf of the complainant.
Following the failure of Nana Ama to honour her promise and the subsequent complaint to the police led to Abutey’s arrest on March 25, 2022, he said.
DSP Nyamekye said further investigations led to the arrest of Nana Ama and Wosor, where Wosor admitted having collected money from the said witness on five occasions but could only remember handing over USD5,020 to Nana Ama and claimed not to remember the remaining amount he collected.
Abutey, the Prosecution said also admitted having received GHC20,000.00 through his mobile money wallet, which he gave to Nana Ama.
DSP Nyamekye said Nana Ama admitted the offence and maintained that she only obtained USD62,000.00 from the complainant.
The police investigation also revealed that Nana Ama was not a resident of USA as claimed, he said, adding that investigation also confirmed the receipt of USD78,990.00 from the complainant under the pretext of securing her the US visa and health insurance certificate.
A gory accident which occurred at Gomoa Nyamebekyere on the Kasoa Cape Coast Highway in the Central Region has left many injured.
The accident occurred near the Gomoa Dominase onion market on Friday evening in a collision involving a Ford with a Tipper truck.
Preliminary investigations by the Winneba Municipal Fire service indicate that the Ford with the registration number GE 7270-17 was travelling from Takoradi to Accra.
The driver made a wrongful overtaking and collided with the tipper which was coming from the opposite direction.
In an interview with Adom News, theofficer in charge of the rescue team from the Winneba Municipal Fire service station, ADO2 Jude Oppong Manu, confirmed the incident.
He said the driver of the Ford was stuck in his car for an hour due to the impact of the crash but was rescued and rushed to the Winneba Trauma and Specialist Hospital together with other passengers.
ADO2 Manu entreated drivers plying on the Kasoa Cape Coast Highway to avoid unnecessary overtaking to save lives and property.
Ghanaian actor, Majid Michel, has counselled young people who wish to begin a career in filmmaking to pick their partners wisely.
Speaking on Daybreak Hitz on Hitz FM, Majid disclosed that he knew people who had divorced because their spouses not stomach their involvement in sexually explicit scenes of films.
“I have had friends who divorced because of films. The man wanted to enter the industry, and his wife was not supportive of it. He eventually did, and then she left. She could not stand the intimate roles actors play,” he said.
Majid added that he is lucky to have a partner who is familiar with the ins and outs of the film industry.
“I am lucky to have a partner who grew up in the film. She understands film, and knows how it’s done. She knows everything there is to it. She doesn’t have a problem at all.
“She reads the scripts before they come out and knows whom you are going to act the role with. Choosing a partner is very important. It makes or breaks you. The partners are very important. Especially the man,” he added.
The actor, with the years he has spent in the movie industry, was nominated at the Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2017, for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
After being nominated a number of times in a row, the actor finally took home the prize in 2012.
Stonebwoy has announced a string of spring tour dates ahead of his forthcoming full-length project. The Livenation-produced back-to-back UK trek will kick off May 12 in London Electric Brixton, and then wind through Birmingham O2 Academy 2 on May 13, and Manchester Gorilla on May 14.
On the road, the Ghana-based reggae & dancehall and afrobeats artiste will be promoting his latest body of work, due in stores in March 2023. He will also be performing songs from his catalog, including 2020’s “Anloga Junction” album, which features Keri Hilson, Diamond Platnumz, Nasty C, Kojo Antwi, Zlatan, and Alicai Harley, as well as colossal hits released since he gained mainstream recognition.
A ticket pre-sale is currently available for fans via: https://t.co/EbAfbhbddY.
Prior to his UK tour dates, Stonebwoy will play a three-date tour in Germany. Hamburg’s Docks on April 14, Essigfabrik in Koln on April 15, before wrapping up in Berlin at Astra on April 16.
Stonebwoy who is currently embarking on a press tour of the US, has released his much anticipated first single of 2023 dubbed “More Of You.” Produced by GRAMMY-nominated American/Jamaican producer Supa Dups, the feel-good, sexy love song lyrical tenderness comes with a message of longing and desire and is aimed towards his homebrewed ladies.
Listen here: https://stonebwoy.lnk.to/MoreOfYou
Stonebwoy has been relentlessly touring the globe, headlining festivals, and selling out stadiums, whilst working with established international producers, after chalking commercial success with his debut DefJam / Universal Music Group single “Therapy” and follow-up of “Gidigba”. On February 6th, he attended the 65th Grammy Awards premiere ceremony on Los Angeles, California, where he was spotted having a moment with award-winning global pop superstar, Taylor Swift. Additionally, he was captured with other renowned talents in the American music industry, like Fat Joe, Golden Barbie, Dsmoke, Anderson.Paak, Lil Baby, and others.
The multi-award-winning musician has established himself as a trailblazer in the field of popular music, and his most recent release is continuing to gather millions of listens while receiving nothing but unadulterated adoration on social media.
According to the coach, his condition has robbed of him a substantial amount of money as he has had to spend his money on hospital bills.
He is thus appealing to Ghanaians to help him raise more funds to help him find a solution to the ailment.
Speaking in a recent interview, an emotional Sellas Tetta urged Ghanaians to support him with funds for his hospital bills.
“I believe that anyone who wants to come and visit, can do that because I’m not working. Football people gave me something. They helped me but anyone who want to visit is welcome. Financially, they should bring some small money,” Sellas Tetteh said on Peace FM.
A private lotto operator, Alpha Lotto, in January 2023 donated GH50,000 to support Sellas Tetteh and to appreciate him for his contribution to Ghana football.
Sellas Tetteh was the leader of the Ghanaian team that made history in 2009 as first and so far only African country to win the FIFA Under-20 World Cup.
Every year on February 14, people celebrate Valentine’s Day or rather, the Feast of Saint Valentine. What was first celebrated as a Christian feast day to remember one or more martyred early Christians by the name of Saint Valentine, has today, developed into a significant cultural, religious, and economic celebration of passion and love in many parts of the world.
Single men and women tend to feel left out as their feelings of loneliness and even depression get ballooned by the appearance of “love everywhere” at the times just before, during, and just after Valentine’s Day. Understanding and the awareness can lead to better handling of situations. That said, have you heard, or do you know, the story behind the celebration?
According to various historical accounts, Valentine, was a holy priest in Rome, who was persecuted for his Christian faith and executed on Feb. 14, approximately 270 A.D.
Depending on the source, Valentine’s crimes against the Roman Empire are described differently, but some claim he was detained for covertly officiating Christian soldiers marriages despite Emperor Claudius’ orders to the contrary, while others point to his propensity to aid Christian martyrs in escaping from Roman prisons as his main transgression.
The narrative has had various later embellishments that better connect it to the idea of love. For example, an 18th century addition states that before his execution, he wrote the jailer’s daughter a note addressed to “Your Valentine” as a farewell. A phrase that is still used today several years on.
In any case, Valentine or the Feast of St. Valentine emerged from obscurity several hundreds of years later when the Christian church had a greater presence in Europe and began its campaign to eradicate pagan rituals, becoming a symbol of love and compassion.
Traditionally in the fourth century B.C, the Romans held an annual rite of passage for young men to the god Lupercus. During this rite, the names of adolescent women were placed in a box and drawn at random by adolescent men; the name of the woman he picked became a companion for a year of mutual entertainment and pleasure (often sexual), after which another lottery was held.
The early church fathers sought a “lovers” saint to replace the deity Lupercus in order to put an end to this eight-hundred-year-old practice. Valentine, a bishop who had been martyred over two centuries before, was identified as a likely candidate.
Thus, in A.D. 496, a stern Pope Gelasius forbade the Lupercian feast in the middle of February. However, he was astute enough to keep the lottery since he was aware of Romans’ fondness for gambling. The names of saints were now inserted into the box that had previously contained the names of available and willing single ladies. Both sexes pulled slips of paper, and they were supposed to follow in the footsteps of the saint whose name they had drawn for the following year. With difficulty and the passing of time, an increasing number of Romans abandoned their pagan celebration in favour of the church’s holy day. Gradually, the “religious” sentiments ascribed to the day depreciated but the lottery aspect of the day remained fairly intact up until the ninth-century.
For instance, in London, from at least the first quarter of the seventeenth century, groups of men and women assembled on the evening of 13 February to take part in valentine lotteries. During the lottery, participants inscribed their names on pieces of paper that were then wrapped up and placed into hats or aprons. “And then, everyone picks a Name, which for the moment is termed their Valentine,” the tradition said. After that, using a predetermined line of rhymed verse for each letter of a person’s name, people would write poems. The verses were fastened to women’s breasts and wrapped around men’s hatbands throughout the following days.
Away from the sermons, by the eighteenth century, what started off as a religious and public rituals had metamorphosed into individual superstitions surrounding love and marriage. One superstition stated that one should kiss the first stranger they see on the morning of February 14 because that stranger is their Valentine. Putting a “slice of the bride-cake, thrice drawn through the wedding ring” or, in the north, a piece of the “groaning cheese” used during christenings, under a pillow is one method people have used to forecast their future spouse, according to dictionaries of popular superstitions. It was said that if an unmarried woman observed a fast on Midsummer’s Eve and set out bread, cheese, and ale on the table, “the person she will later marry will come into the room, and drink to her by bowing.”
In the later years of the eighteenth-century, the superstitious aspects of Valentine’s Day certainly persisted longer in rural areas. This was however met with lots of criticisms. For instance, John Brand, argued that “Christians, or rather Papal Rome,” had “borrowed her Rites, Notions, and Ceremonies, in the most luxurious Abundance from ancient and Heathen Rome,” with celebrations like Valentine’s Day rituals being “stolen out of the Wings of the Dying Eagle.”
On the other hand, the authentic Christian religion was categorically neither enigmatic nor superstitious. Henry Bourne, a curate, asserted that popular rites were either “a Scandal to Religion” and “a promotion of Wickedness” or they had lost their original purpose “through Folly and Superstition.” It was believed that the “ordinary people” who performed these ceremonies held unholy superstitious beliefs that were “either the Produce of Heathenism or the Inventions of lazy Monks.”
In the last ten years of the eighteenth century till date, Valentine’s Day became a part of the consumer economy as bookstores, printers, and stationers offered pre-made cards for sale. Thus, a custom that had previously been part of folk rituals was monetized and transformed into a commercial event. Valentine’s Day, which was marked by the manufacturing of cards made and marketed as desirable consumer goods, was a component of a commercialized culture that featured lucrative entertainments including art exhibitions, balls, the circus, concert series, pleasure gardens, and the theatre.
Thus far, in modern context, Valentine’s Day celebrations around the world occur in different ways that reflect local ideas about love and economic progress.
In the Philippines for instance, Valentine’s Day is the time when many young couples marry in an event sponsored by the government as a form of public service. Among the most amazing Valentine’s Day celebrations around the world, this one is a glamour event in the country and a special day for young people.
In Ghana, February 14 is marked as the “National Chocolate Day.” It is a step that the Ghana government took in 2007 to increase tourism in the country. This initiative was also to draw the focus of the young ones in society away from fixating on sexual activities and more towards other means of showcasing one’s love, like through the gift of chocolate.
From all the above, it is evident that, we have lost the true and original essence of the valentine’s day celebrations. Whilst the dynamism and context specificity have largely been embraced, a question arises: is the Valentine’s day still worth celebrating? I’m asking because many people beat themselves up for not matching up to what society expects them to do on this day.
The cost of celebrating Valentine’s Day can be rather relatively high at a time when global economies are struggling; let’s face it. Valentine’s Day can be an opportunity for businesses to take advantage of you and your significant other on a day that should amplify the values of love. Many people end up feeling disappointed with the holiday because they wake up the next day to realise that all the gifts, flowers, candy, and pricey meals did not live up to high expectations.
Thus far, according to a National Retail Federation survey conducted in 2017, individuals anticipate spending an average of $161.96 on Valentine’s Day for their significant others, kids, parents, friends, and co-workers.
Additionally, men are more inclined to spend much more money than women. Men plan to spend $229.54, according to the report, while women plan to spend $97.77; juxtapose that and convert this at the current rate of the USD to the Ghana Cedi. Americans for instance are said to have spent more than $30 billion on the holiday that same year.
Valentine’s Day comes with a lot of high expectations for couples, including the ideal presents, the most elaborate supper, and the idea of enduring love and passion. Two people are under a great deal of pressure on just one day of the year. Valentine’s Day puts a lot of strain on relationships, which can be harmful and even cause breakups.
According to a study tracking Facebook breakup statuses, it was found that couples tend to break up more often after Valentine’s Day. To infer from this, maybe it’s not idea to feel bad for being single on Val’s Day; look at the facts aforementioned. That is to say, if you are single during the period, do not break your head over it, you might have just been saved from a potential heart break haha! I kid.
Seriously though, albeit the above presented case, we could equally turn the case upside down in favour of the suppliers and sellers of these gifts and the local economy in general. CitiBusiness News once reported that the sale of chocolate shoots up significantly during Valentine ’s Day. What hurts the pockets of the purchaser, benefits the seller and the chocolate economy.
To summarise, Valentine’s Day or Saint Valentine’s day celebration dates back as late as A.D. 496. It started off as a means to put a stop to the “barbaric” Roman rite of passage celebration for males. In place of this, Valentine, a priest who stood for love was to be celebrated and enumerated.
The passage of time have allowed several modification of the day while the central theme of love has still been maintained. Ghana for instance in 2007 reinvented the Valentine’s day celebration into what is now called National Chocolate Day. Since this initiative, the sales of chocolate has seen a marginal increase during the celebration.
Controversial Ghanaian radio show host and musician, Blakk Rasta has shared beautiful images of his wife of ten years.
In a post the musician shared on Facebook, he praised her and referred to her as the mother of his children, his missing rib, and his companion in prayer.
“10 years of journeying together, loading… my missing rib that has been found… Mother of my children… My prayer partner… The mate in my Trotro… Enjoy life,” he shared on February 9, 2023.
His wife, whose name he withheld, was dressed in a simple but elegant African fabric, which she complemented with a kinky hair extension and a lovely smile.
In one of the photos released by the radio show host, the wife of the musician stood gripping her waist with one leg out to show a little skin.
The many who were seeing the artiste’s wife for the first time shared their reactions and also wished her a happy birthday.
In a social media reaction, a user said, “Congratulations to you two. Blakk Rasta you got such a beautiful Princess. More Faya.”
Another user added, “Happy birthday our wife, may God keep you and the family shining always. U are blessed!”
A third added, “Rasta indirectly dey ask Nana aba can u marriage for 10 years or Can u have a Husband for 10 years who will call u mother of Ma children a beg Rasta, this ur Gh Gold I want some e dey give u too much vim to talk with confidence Nana Aba Rasta say can u marriage not Marry oo lol.”
Evangelist Mama Pat, better known as Nana Agradaa, has shot down claims of being involved in a road accident on February 9, 2023.
On Thursday, videos of Nana Agradaa at an accident scene circulated on social media with reports of her being involved in a crash, but according to her, the news was fake.
On her account, she witnessed the accident and stopped her vehicle to offer assistance to the victims, but to her surprise, someone recorded her and shared the video on social media with a different narrative.
“I haven’t been involved in an accident; it was a piece of fake news. I was traveling and came across the accident, so I stopped to help while others were taking videos with their phones. They didn’t want to come down and offer help to the victims,” she explained in the video sighted by GhanaWeb.
Nana Agradaa hammered that she wasn’t going to die anything soon and descended on blogs that publicized news of her accident.
“I decided to park my car and go help them but someone sitting in a public bus brought out his phone to capture me at the scene. The news was carried out by some stupid bloggers…fools, I am not dying anytime soon,” she announced.
Afia Schwar’s known arch-rival, Nana Tornado, has reacted to the Queen of GH Comedy’s trending marriage which took over social media by surprise late yesterday.
According to Nana Tornado, Afia Schwar’s marriage is fake and shouldn’t be tolerated.
In an Instagram post, Nana Tornado claimed that Afia Schwar just like many known female celebrities is a serial lair and this is not the first time she has lied on the internet to trend.
As we all know, most female celebrities lie on the internet lie about acquiring houses and cars but in real life, they have nothing to their names.
In accordance with his cryptic post, Afia Schwar hasn’t married and wants Ghanaians to believe that she’s off the market just to trend and gain engagements on her social media pages.
Commenting on the wedding, Nana Tornado rushed to his Instagram page to expose Afia Schwar’s fake life which has grown heavy wings.
Nana Tornado wrote;
FAKE HAS BECOME SOO ACCEPTABLE THAT, PEOPLE GET OFFENDED WHEN YOU KEEP IT REAL. PEOPLE SHOULD JUST ? STOP LYING ? The TRUTH Just Killed Me
Watch the video below to know more…
Meanwhile, Afia Schwar has alleged in an Instagram post that her husband is a chief.
This followed after some social media users earlier dropped the gist on Instagram.
Sharing a video of herself dressed in a stylish and expensive Kente dress, Afia Schwar, Afia Schwar confirmed the report in the caption she attached to the clip which is #Nanayere.
According to him, other factors go into the selection of the presidential candidate of the party other than the person who can gunner more votes from delegates.
Dr Apreku, who made these remarks in a GHOne TV interview , added that the party believes in a system of hierarchy where people are in line to take up positions available in the party.
“… there is this sense in our part of the world that this older and this the one whose turn has come and that is the one.
“For me and Nana Akufo-Addo we come from Prof Adu Boahen. And I have always been behind Nana Akufo-Addo, his excellency the president. We have had excellent relations both in Parliament and as ministers.
“It has always been the case that he will go before I go… and I think when he finishes, I will inherit him,” he said.
Dr Apreku, a former Minister for Regional Cooperation under ex-President John Agyekum Kufour, reiterated that it is his turn to be the presidential candidate of the NPP and that he is the right person to replace Akufo-Addo as the party goes into the 2024 elections.
Dr Apreku is expected to face stiff competition from the likes of former Trade and Industry Minister Alan Kyerematen Assin, Central MP Ken Agyapong, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, the former Food and Agriculture Minister, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, and ex-Mampong MP Francis Addai-Nimoh for the flagbearership position of the NPP.
Asante Kotoko deputy Supporters chief Nana Kwame Dankwah has welcomed former Hearts of Oak defender Mohammed Alhassan to the club.
The 30-year-old completed his move to the Porcupine Warriors on Thursday afternoon and is expected to play a huge in the second half of the season.
Alhassan parted ways with Hearts of Oak earlier this year due to a disagreement with the club’s management.
In an interview with Koforidua-based Bryt FM, Nana Kwame Dankwah asserted the defender has joined the soccer university in the country and is hopeful he will prove to Ghanaians he is national team material.
“Let look at Mohammed Alhassan, is he a good player or a bad player? Until his issues with Hearts of Oak, he was part of the CHAN team. On a good day, he is one of the best defenders you can talk about in Ghana today”
“I know Mohammed Alhassan and I am only praying he picks his form and improve at Kotoko. In Ghana, we have premier universities, I won’t mention names to create any argument but then, if you are sacked from a particular university and you get opportunity at Legon, it means you’ve gotten a better place to go”
“So if he has been rejected at Hearts of Oak and has been accepted at Kotoko, he will prove to Ghanaians that he is a national team material. Mo Alhassan has joined the soccer university”
During his time with the Phobians, he was a key contributor to the team’s successes, helping them to win two FA Cup titles and ending their long wait for a Ghana Premier League championship in 2021.
Reports of Afia Schwarzenegger’s engagement have caused controversy, sparking debate among her fans and detractors. The public is divided over the validity of the news.
Barely 24 hours after photos and videos of the actress adorned in an engagement outfit surfaced online, social media sensation and Ghanaian actor, Nana Tornado has also made some revelations concerning the marriage; who her husband is and the circumstances that led to the marriage.
According Tornado, Afia is married to a chief, as a second wife. He also accused Afia Schwar of blackmailing the chief to marry her.
He also alleged that Afia manipulated the chief into giving her his Toyota Prada V8 after master-minding their unplanned marriage.
In the video shared on social media, Nana Tornado also asked Ghanaian to anticipate since the displeased wife of the said wife will soon emerge with more details.
Newcastle United coach, Eddie Howe says he is hoping Christian Atsu will be rescued soon.
The Ghana international’s whereabouts is yet to be known after he was trapped in rubble since Monday.
Reports emerged that he has been found on Tuesday but the reportage was wrong.
However, Howe says he hopes the former Newcastle United winger is found soon.
“We hope for some good news, we hope he’s OK, but we’re really concerned for him and his welfare this week. It’s been difficult because there have been conflicting stories coming out about his whereabouts, so it’s been very tough. I can’t imagine how his family are feeling,” Howe said in an interview ahead of Newcastle’s league game against AFC Bournemouth
“But from the bottom of our hearts, we wish him well and hope there’s a positive ending” he added.
The 31-year-old scored a 97th-minute winner for Hatayspor in a 1-0 win Turkish Super League win over Kasimpasa this past weekend.
Atsu was on the books of Newcastle for five seasons including a one-year loan spell before joining Saudi Arabia side Al-Raed.
The NFL season concludes on Sunday with Super Bowl LVII set to showcase two teams at the peak of their powers.
2019 champions Kansas City Chiefs overcame Cincinnati Bengals to book their place in the Arizona showpiece, while Philadelphia Eagles triumphed over San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship game.
This year’s contest is set to see Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts go head-to-head, the first time two black quarterbacks have suited up to battle for the Vince Lombardi trophy.
Ahead of the 2023 finale, here is everything you need to know about the eagerly-anticipated match.
When is Super Bowl LVII?
Super Bowl LVII will take place on Sunday, February 12, 2023, and will get under way at 11.30pm UK time.
European viewers will need to be prepared for a late night, with the game not set to be decided until the early hours, around 3.30am.
Where is Super Bowl LVII taking place?
State Farm Stadium will host Super Bowl LVII
This year’s Super Bowl will take place at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Home to the Arizona Cardinals, the 73,000 capacity venue has twice previously hosted the global event, in 2008 and 2015.
Who is expected to win Super Bowl LVII?
There is very little to separate these two teams.
AFC champions Kansas City enjoyed a 14-3 regular season record, earning a first-round bye in the playoffs before beating Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 in the Divisional Round.
A closely-fought Championship game against recent foes Cincinnati resulted in Harrison Butker making a game-winning kick from 45 yards at the death.
Philadelphia also boasted a 14-3 record in the regular season and sat out Wild Card weekend as a result.
The Eagles thumped divisional rivals New York Giants 38-7 and got past an injury-hit 49ers 31-7 to stamp their ticket for Arizona.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will play his first Super Bowl on Sunday
How long is an NFL match?
NFL matches are split into four quarters of 15 minutes, but each of those also includes stoppages and timeouts.
Both sides are allowed to use three timeouts in each half, meaning they get six each in total, with the clock stopping whenever one is called by the head coach.
The match timer also stops with two minutes remaining at the end of the first and second half to give teams an opportunity to regroup in the closing stages.
When the half-time show is accounted for, it can take roughly four hours for a Super Bowl to conclude.
Who is performing the Super Bowl LVII half-time show?
Barbadian singer Rihanna will perform the Super Bowl LVII half-time show
The NFL have gone all out in the past to bring the most famous entertainers to the Super Bowl and they have delivered once again in 2023.
Global superstar Rihanna is pencilled in to make her first live performance in five years and is expected to showcase some of her greatest hits over the last two decades.
Other musical cameos in past years have included The Weeknd, Eminem, Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga.
More often than not, the half-time performances can pull out a few surprises, whether that be a special guest appearance or an audacious stage routine.
What is the Vince Lombardi trophy?
The prize presented to the team that wins the Super Bowl is the Vince Lombardi trophy.
It is named after the legendary American football coach who led the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowls.
Alongside the trophy, each member of the victorious squad receives a diamond-encrusted ring to validate their role in winning one of the most prestigious events in all of sport.
Who are the star players?
Patrick Mahomes is looking for his second Super Bowl win
The Eagles and the Chiefs are both blessed with some incredible talents.
Two-time NFL MVP Mahomes is set to play his third Super Bowl in four years, although the inventive 27-year-old is being treated for an ankle injury.
His opposing number Hurts, 24, was a second-round Draft pick for the Eagles in 2020 and is readying himself for his Super Bowl debut.
Eagles center Jason Kelce will face off against younger brother Jason, who plays at tight end for the Chiefs.
Look out for drama on the touchline, too. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, 64, spent 13 years with the Eagles, losing to the New England Patriots in the 2005 decider.
Nick Sirianni, 41, meanwhile worked at the Chiefs between 2009-12 before being let go by Reid and eventually landing his first head coaching job with the Eagles in 2021.
How can I watch Super Bowl LVII?
Super Bowl LVII will be shown on free-to-air television on ITV1 with their broadcast starting at 10.45pm on Sunday night.
Sky Sports will have build-up throughout the day, before their Super Bowl coverage begins at 10pm.
In the ongoing second round transfer window, Kumasi Asante Kotoko has officially announced the signing of former Hearts of Oak player Mohammed Alhassan.
The Porcupine Warriors took to their official social media pages to make the announcement on Thursday 9th February. Kotoko signed the experienced defender to strengthen their defense ahead of the second round of matches in the league.
The Phobians parted company with the experienced central defender by mutual termination in January
.
Over the course of his stint with the team, the 30-year-old defender participated in over 90 games for Accra Hearts of Oak in the Ghana Premier League.
Under Samuel Boadu’s management, Mohammed Alhassan helped the Rainbow club win a double, the Ghana Premier League and FA Cup, in the 2020–21 season.
He also made a significant contribution to keeping the FA Cup championship the following year.
Mohammed Alhassan competed for Ghana’s domestic national team, which defeated Benin and Nigeria to qualify for the CHAN tournament in Algeria in 2022.
Ghana midfielder Priscilla Okyere is terrified of going to sleep, afraid that another earthquake might happen when she is in bed. The 27-year-old plays for Hatayspor in southern Turkey and is a survivor of the devastating quake that struck there on Monday.
The earthquake is already considered the worst worldwide in a decade. So far it is known to have killed over 20,000 people in Turkey and Syria – a toll that will certainly rise.
Hatayspor is the club whose men’s team Okyere’s compatriot Christian Atsu plays for. Atsu, along with the club’s sporting director Taner Savut, remains missing.
“I have not been sleeping for four days – I’m so scared to go to sleep,” Okyere told BBC Sport Africa.
“Even today, we had a safe place to sleep. I haven’t closed my eyes from 5am til now.
“When someone bangs the door, I wake up because I’m scared. I don’t want to close my eyes and realise this thing is happening again.”
Crying for days
Priscilla Okyere has been playing international football for Ghana for over a decade
Okyere is now in Ankara, Turkey’s capital after her coach arranged for her and her seven roommates to leave Hatay after the earthquake.
But the ordeal left her scarred.
“I was terrified. I cried for days,” she explained.
“I can’t imagine how lucky we were to get out of that situation because most people couldn’t get out. But we were able to.”
Okyere joined Hatayspor six months ago from the Israeli club Tel-Aviv Beersheva.
Like most people who live in southern Turkey, the club’s players had felt tremors before. So when the earthquake struck in the early hours of Monday, she believed it was normal.
“We were coming from a game in Istanbul and we weren’t home until around 2am,” she said.
“We had to shower and then get some sleep. At first, I thought I was dreaming because since we came to Hatay, I experienced (tremors) it two times. Sometimes the building would just shake within 30 seconds and it stops.
“When it happened, I thought it was a normal thing but I realised this was much more intense than the previous ones.”
Priscilla Okyere has been at Hatayspor for six months
She went to check on her teammates and then hurried outside as all around her began to crumble.
“When I got down, the buildings were just collapsing, and everybody was crying, trying to find shelter,” she said.
“It was raining heavily outside, and everyone was cold. We were not wearing any jackets – nothing. We had gone outside barefoot.
“We weren’t even thinking about how cold we were at that moment. What we wanted to think about was how to get our passports.
“We had to find a shelter in someone’s car for almost five hours before the whole thing calmed down, and then we were able to go back to the house.”
Though badly damaged, the building Okyere and her teammates lived in had not collapsed. But they had to leave the area, and with all public transport suspended, they wandered the streets looking for food.
They were immediately concerned that there was no way to get in contact with their families back home, even as news began to filter out to the wider world of the quake.
“The first thing that came into my mind was my mother because she’s always worried about where I am and always want to know what is going on,” Okyere said.
“But we couldn’t communicate directly with our family because all the networks were not working.
“But you could call within Turkey, So I spoke to my agent, and I gave him my mother’s number so he could to talk with her and make sure that everything is okay.”
Taking a break
Okyere’s compatriot Christian Atsu plays for Hatayspor’s men’s team and remains missing
Eventually, Okyere and her teammates were able to leave Hatay.
While she and her teammates are safe, she said concern remains for other members of the wider Hatayspor club, including the men’s team and officials.
“We don’t know anything about the men’s team because they live far from us, even though we live in the same city,” she explained.
“But our brother (Christian) Atsu, we always talk to him on phone. He texts us all the time.
“Since the incident happened, nobody knows his whereabouts. We don’t even know what is happening.”
Okyere said she is trying to remain positive in the face of all the devastation, and her biggest wish right now is to go home to Ghana to spend some time with her family.
“For Hatayspor our season is over because the city is destroyed,” she said.
“For management, we don’t know anything about their whereabouts. So for us, we know that for the men and the women, the season is over.
“We will try to look for another club because I think that most clubs are also interested in some players from Hatayspor. I think hopefully maybe we will get something.
“For me, the only thing that is in my mind right now is I just want to go back to Ghana. At least have one week or two weeks rest with the family.”
The former Chelsea and Newcastle forward went missing after a 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit Turkey and Syria in the early hours of Monday morning, leaving a chunk of people perished.
Atsu and the Sporting Director of Hatayaspor, Taner Savut, were the remaining members of the team that were missing since the disaster.
Atsu is yet to be found contrary to earlier reports that the player has been rescued from the wreckage following the earthquake.
“I’m very sad, very down. There are no words to describe how we (Ghanaians) all feel about this situation. Personally, it’s been difficult in the last few days because he is someone I’m close to.”
“As players, we have been trying to speak to each other, trying to get hold of the family to know what’s happening because we are very sad about the situation and praying that he will be good and okay. The whole of Ghana is also praying for his safe return,” Andr Dede Ayew said in an interview with Sky Sports.
Having parted ways with Al Raed in Saudi Arabia, Atsu joined Hatayspor in September and scored his first goal on Sunday. It was a 97th minute free kick that secured three points for Hatayspor against Kasimpasa S.K.
The 38-year-old now has 61 hat-tricks, 30 before he was 30, and 31 hat-tricks since he turned 30. He has now scored 503 league goals for five different clubs in five different leagues.
The GOAT debate was partly thought to have been settled after Messi won the most precious trophy, [World Cup] in his football career for Argentina during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
It was deemed by many as a befitting crowing of Messi, whose greatness has long been questioned because of the absence of the most coveted trophy in world football, the World Cup trophy, in his cabinet.
Amankona made a return to Chelsea this window following an unsuccessful spell with Asante Kotoko.
“I have returned to the club; we are aiming at winning the league or finishing second. We have the best player in the league but anything can happen in football so we will put things in place and ensure things goes on well for us”
“I scored a goal for Kotoko before my move to Chelsea so I hoping to score 5 to 10 goals for them. I wish I score 15 goals but football is full of uncertainties” he said.
Berekum Chelsea are currently 10th on the league log with 22 points after 16 matches into the campaign.
On February 10, 2023, Ghanaians were astonished to hear the news that Afia Schwarzenegger had reportedly gotten married.
The mother of three revealed on her social media accounts that she was married to a king while wearing a stunning yellow kente gown that fit her body perfectly.
In a post shared on Instagram by actress Tracey Boakye, she congratulated Afia Schwarzenegger on her third marriage.
“Congratulations Mama @queenafiaschwarzenegger,” she shared the post with love emojis accompanying it.
This announcement comes after Afia and her ex-husband, Abrokwa, had their marriage fall apart due to problems with adultery just a year after their wedding.
The couple got married in South Africa in 2016 and had a traditional wedding ceremony in Accra.
However, information on the contentious socialite’s new marriage is still being acquired.
Despite advances in both science and technology, it remains virtually impossible to know precisely when and where earthquakes will occur.
“Earthquake prediction has always been kind of a holy grail,” said Wendy Bohon, an earthquake geologist who works as a communications strategist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. “If we could tell people exactly when an earthquake was going to happen, we could take steps to mitigate against it. But Earth is a very complicated system.”
Part of the challenge is that the very nature of earthquakes makes them unpredictable events. When one does occur, it happens quickly.
“An earthquake is not like a slow-moving train that eventually picks up speed. It’s a sudden, accelerated event,” said Ben van der Pluijm, a professor of geology at the University of Michigan.
Earthquakes also tend to strike with little to no warning. Though scientists have investigated potential precursor events — everything from shifts in subsurface sounds to potential increases in a region’s seismic activity to changes in animal behavior — they have so far been unable to pinpoint any consistent signals that shaking is imminent.
The lack of any clear pattern makes it difficult to create reliable forecasts akin to weather reports.
Additionally, the processes that underpin earthquakes — the mashing and colliding of tectonic plates and the energy that builds up as a result — tend to play out over long periods of time. Scientists can, for instance, gauge that an earthquake will likely strike an area some time in the next 200 years, which may be specific on geologic timescales. On human time scales? Not so much.
“We have an incredibly good idea of where we expect earthquakes, and even the sizes that we can expect for large earthquakes in these areas, but that does not help us to narrow that down to a human timescale,” van der Pluijm said.
The U.S. Geological Survey is even more blunt on the topic. “Neither the USGS nor any other scientists have ever predicted a major earthquake. We do not know how, and we do not expect to know how any time in the foreseeable future,” the agency said on its website.
Still, there are ways to prepare. The USGS has developed an early-warning system called ShakeAlert that detects when a significant earthquake has occurred in California, Oregon and Washington and then issues radio, television and cellular alerts saying that strong shaking is imminent. In most cases, the alerts offer only a few seconds of warning, but that time can be extremely valuable, said van der Pluijm.
“Twenty seconds sounds very short, but it’s enough time for you to find a place under a desk to take cover,” he said. “It’s not a prediction, but ShakeAlert is a huge step forward because it can minimize the inevitable impact.”
One of the most important ways to prepare for an earthquake is to be aware of the risks, Bohon said. For policymakers, this means ensuring that critical infrastructure is protected in earthquake-prone areas.
“What we need to do is to make sure we understand what can happen and build to withstand that,” she said. “We have to make sure people know what to do. We have to make sure that our cities are able to be resilient in the face of those hazards so that we don’t just survive the earthquake, we can survive in the aftermath.”
Sundance returned to Park City, Utah for a fully-fledged, in-person festival for the first time since 2020.
Festival organizers aimed to project the image that it was back to business as usual, and the industry reciprocated by dusting off their check books with varying degrees of enthusiasm.
Streamers proved to have the deepest pockets. Netflix bought corporate psychodrama “Fair Play” for a reported $20 million and Australian horror “Run Rabbit Run” for an undisclosed fee, adding to freediving documentary “The Deepest Breath” that it had acquired ahead of the festival. Apple reportedly paid around $20 million for feel-good musical drama “Flora and Sun” – the third year in a row the streamer has pushed the boat out, after big deals for “Cha Cha Real Smooth” in 2022 and “CODA” in 2021. But the altitude didn’t lead to many dizzying sales figures, as legacy studios made conservative bets, although Searchlight landed musical “Theater Camp” for a reported $8 million.
As far as festival themes go, there were plenty. Women shined in CJ “Fiery” Obasi’s West African folktale “Mami Wata” and Nida Manzoor’s wedding comedy “Polite Society.” The latter, along with Raine Allen Miller’s “Rye Lane,” an uplifting South London riff on Richard Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, were strong debuts from British directors that will be distributed by Focus Features and Searchlight Pictures respectively.
Jonathan Majors stars in “Magazine Dreams” by Elijah Bynum, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.
Masculinity was put under the microscope by several films. Jonathan Major’s hulking performance as a bodybuilder struggling to connect with society drew comparisons to “Taxi Driver” and “Joker,” and in the aforementioned “Fair Play,” Alden Ehrenreich turned toxic when his fiancé was promoted over him. Then there was poor Alexander Skarsgaard, dommed by Mia Goth on a holiday from hell in the shocking “Infinity Pool” (not that the actor minded – Skarsgaard turning up in collar and leash to the film’s Q&A).
On the documentary side of the program, where Sundance typically excels, “The Longest Goodbye” and “The Deepest Breath” looked at isolation caused by the pursuit of excellence – one in space, the other at sea – to sobering effect. “Kim’s Video” investigated the mysterious fate of 55,000 rare VHS tapes, and “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” told the actor’s Parkinson’s story in his own words; both made seamless use of archive movie and TV footage to make their points.
The awards, handed out on January 27, fell elsewhere. Grand Jury Prizes were awarded to A.V Rockwell’s mother and son tale “A Thousand and One” in the US Dramatic category, and “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” Joe Brewster and Michele Stephenson’s profile of the titular poet, won for US Documentary. “Scrapper” and “The Eternal Love” won for World Dramatic and World Documentary respectively, while the Festival Favorite Award, voted for by audiences, was handed to “Radical,” about a life-changing teacher in Mexico, played by “CODA’s” Eugenio Derbez.
Here’s a look at six Sundance standouts:
“Fair Play”
Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich star in “Fair Play” by Chloe Domont.
Chloe Domont’s lacerating workplace thriller is the sinister offspring of “Scenes From a Marriage” and “Working Girl,” with some of David Fincher’s DNA thrown in for good measure.
Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden Ehrenreich) are newly engaged New York hedge fund analysts who’ve kept their relationship from their employer, due to the small wrinkle they’re breaking company policy. But just when they’re preparing to come clean, Emily gets a promotion they both expected was Luke’s. The power dynamic shifts – she’s now her fiancé’s boss – and the secret they’ve been hiding from the firm and leering CEO Eddie Marsan becomes weaponized.
The film wastes no time in tearing this couple down as their paths diverge. Luke’s reaction betrays the idea that he ever believed he was in a relationship of equals, and Emily’s assumption that the promotion was his is revealing too. Despite his fiancé supporting him in a second attempt at promotion, Luke can’t hold down rising bile. The late-night work calls; the drinks with the boss. How exactly did she get the job? And over him?
Ehrenreich wonderfully conveys brittle masculinity crumbling in on itself – petty, flailing, dangerous – while Dynevor is a mirror to this awful behaviour while no wallflower herself. Both know each other’s triggers and Domont’s prickly screenplay has plenty of barbs that cut to the quick. The duo’s performances crank up the anxiety as the idea that their relationship and careers have become a zero-sum game, and some advantage might be gained by shorting either, comes into view. It makes for a chilling but compelling watch; one that will have audiences both recoiling and nodding with familiarity at the nasty truths that underpin this psychosexual drama.
“Mami Wata”
Evelyne Ily appears in a still from “Mami Wata” by C.J “Fiery” Obasi.
The titular water god of CJ “Fiery” Obasi’s film might be out of sight, but she’s never out of mind in this arresting West African folk story.
The village of Iyi has a particular connection with Mami Wata, in the face of encroaching modernity. The god’s intermediary and Iyi’s de-facto leader Mama Efe is keen to keep it that way, but when a crisis of faith strikes the community, she and her children Prisca and Zinwe find their social status upended and lives endangered.
Shot on film in stark, high-contrast black and white, everything pops in this gorgeously composed movie. Obasi’s eye recalls the likes of Ousmane Sembene and Carl Dreyer, and even has some of the surrealist leanings of David Lynch. If the writing can’t quite match the heights of its visual storytelling, there are still some interesting questions about in whom or what one should place their faith. Tradition vs reform, science vs religion – these binaries are painted at familiar loggerheads. But what happens when the promises offered by both sides fail to materialize?
A rich, expressionist parable, if there was a more gorgeous looking film at Sundance this year, I didn’t see it.
“Infinity Pool”
Mia Goth and Alexander Skasgard star in Brandon Cronenberg’s “Infinity Pool.”
The latest film from Brandon Cronenberg might have dad David checking in to see if everything’s alright. The son of the king of body horror has outdone himself with this, surely the festival’s most controversial offering.
In another pleasingly egoless turn, Alexander Skarsgaard subverts his alpha image and finds himself under the spell of Mia Goth as a tourist on a very bad trip. The Swede plays James, an author of nominal success vacationing with his wife in a luxury resort on a fictional island. They’re taken in by Goth’s Gabi and her husband, before a drunken accident puts them in the jaws of the island’s draconian legal system. But even the harshest sentences can be avoided at the right price – and with the help of a little cutting-edge science.
The true cost of escaping justice is not just financial, though. These things weigh on the soul, as James will learn and just as soon forget as Gabi and her clique lure him into a cycle of depraved, hedonistic crime. He finds himself reborn time and again, tested by the limits of what he’ll permit himself to do.
Skarsgaard can portray wide-eyed innocence and dead-eyed menace equally well, and has ample opportunity to do both, while scream queen Goth gives another raucous turn as a temptress without morals. Cronenberg’s hallucinogenic image-making pushes beyond his last movie “Possessor” into truly shocking, video nasty territory (some of which will be excised when the NC-17 version shown at Sundance is released as a R in the US this weekend). Nevertheless, there’s a lot of method to “Infinity Pool’s” madness. Its nihilistic vision is full of ideas about how far beyond the grasp of reasonable society the rich have become, and how tempting it can be to live without consequence. Text and subtext are equally frightening.
“Polite Society”
Priya Kansara stars in “Polite Society” by Nida Manzoor.
Schoolgirl Ria is about to lose her big sister Lena in the most devastating fashion: after a whirlwind romance, she’s going to get married and move to a tropical island halfway around the world. Ria is determined to rescue her, but Lena’s not so sure she wants saving.
“We Are Lady Parts” creator Nida Manzoor ventures into feature filmmaking with a winning British family comedy. Her astute take on the institution of marriage (specifically, semi-arranged British Pakistani marriage) is frenetic and frequently laugh-out-loud, all thanks to a joyous script and a cast equal to it.
Priya Kansara leads as Ria, a daydreamer and keen martial artist who aspires to become a stuntwoman. A ball of energy, she and two classmates cook up a series of half-baked plans to break off the engagement. It would be a short film if any of them worked, but there’s some instantly quotable material along the way.
Manzoor’s hyperreality is framed around a series of fights, closer to Edgar Wright’s “Scott Pilgrim vs The World” than Daniels’ “Everything Everywhere All At Once,” and more low key than either. It’s content to be lovably dorky, and let kids be kids and make some very funny mistakes on their path to self-knowledge.
Sure, some of its moves are familiar (“there’s a reason tropes are tropes – it’s because they work!” says one character, with a nod and a wink) but if the formula ain’t broke, why fix it? The pleasure here is found in how Manzoor weaves the tried and tested into a new and hilarious context. The results are irreverent and irrepressible, with strong mainstream appeal.
“Little Richard: I Am Everything”
Little Richard, the self-proclaimed architect of rock n roll, insisted he never got his dues, and by the end of Lisa Cortés’ shimmering profile, you’ll likely agree.
From his roots in rural Georgia to the world stage and his decades of invention and reinvention as a musical originator, Richard never had it easy. He was kicked out of the family home as a teen, signed up to unfavourable record deals and leeched on by White artists who covered his early hits. He watched peers hit heights he never did, though so many got their start in his slipstream. His career is an object lesson in the perils of coming first, and anyone in his position might have an axe to grind.
Cortés is out to set the record straight, albeit in a familiar groove. Alongside a trove of archive footage, she assembles a supporting cast including Mick Jagger, John Waters and Billy Porter, plus Richard’s old bandmates and cultural academics, who make the case for him. They offer vital context, particularly as a man who “existed in contradiction,” we’re told: a gay Black man from the South whose sexuality was at odds with his devout Christian faith – a conflict that spilled over into his music to ecstatic effect.
The film (whose producers include CNN Films and HBO Max, both part of Warner Bros. Discovery) might be light on revelations, and some of its conclusions slightly overegged, but one suspects it’s nothing the maestro wouldn’t have approved of. Like one of Richard’s hits, it’s an infectiously good time.
“Passages”
Around the third or fourth time Franz Rogowski, playing film director Tomas, tells one of his actors exactly how to walk down a flight of stairs, you realise “Passages” is going to be good. Very good indeed. The kind of carefully cultivated insouciance Tomas aspires to coax out of his performer is exactly what Ira Sachs achieves in this, the director’s first film since 2019 and a return to form.
Sachs’ sexy, slinky drama unites three darlings of European cinema for a menage-a-trois of sorts in Paris. On a night out, Tomas sleeps with Agathe (Adèle Exarchopoulos), to the surprise of his husband Martin (Ben Whishaw). Both are curious about this turn of events (“I had sex with a woman, can I tell you about it, please?” Tomas pleads) but they also see it for what it is: further evidence that their marriage is on the rocks. This clarity doesn’t mean they’re willing to patch things up, however. Affairs ensue, relationships overlap, and everyone looks very beautiful while doing so.
Martin is perhaps the most incisive of the three, and Wishaw plays him with a disturbingly-even keel. Exarchopoulos’s Agathe is not just the wedge between these two men but fully-fleshed with motivations of her own. However this is Rogowski’s film, playing a man newly unsure of himself and what he wants.
Tomas, who bends people to his vision for a living, must learn that he can’t exert that kind of control over the real world. It’s a difficult journey towards accepting that fact, and Rogowski marries softness and restraint with petulance and pettiness along the way with total believability. He’s simply one of the best in the business right now.
Adele is officially winning at life after achieving her long-time dream of meeting Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson at this year’s Grammy Awards.
The epic moment was orchestrated by Grammy host Trevor Noah, who kicked off Sunday’s show by approaching Adele’s table during his opening monologue and revealing some lesser-known facts about the British singer.
“This is one of the strangest things I found out: The person that Adele has always wanted to meet, but never has, is Dwayne Johnson,” he told the star-studded audience at the 65th annual ceremony. “I found out he’s a huge fan of yours, too.”
Noah teased that while he didn’t have anybody called “Dwayne Johnson” there, he did have someone called “The Rock,” before finally making a long overdue introduction.
Unbeknown to the “Hello” hitmaker, Johnson had walked behind up behind her seat. The stunned singer stood up and got a bear hug from the Hollywood action man.
“Adele meet The Rock, The Rock meet Adele! For the first time ever!” Noah said. “All right, you two get acquainted, we gotta keep the show moving!”
In December 2021, Adele revealed she would “actually cry” if she ever met Johnson, whom she described as “amazing.” Despite living in Beverly Hills for several years, the 34-year-old singer had yet to cross paths with the former wrestling star.
“I was the biggest wrestling fan when I was younger,” she said during an appearance on YouTube channel NikkieTutorials. “He sent me flowers the other day because he and his wife couldn’t make my show. Literally, I nearly fell off my chair!”
Adele and Johnson’s new friendship was cemented on Sunday night when he took to the stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles to present her with the Best Pop Solo Performance award for “Easy On Me.”
“Get up here, best friend Adele,” the “Black Adam” star said.
The 16-time Grammy winner got all emotional as she dedicated the win to her son Angelo – before recalling that her partner, Rich Paul, told her before the show, “Don’t cry, if you win anything, don’t cry.”
Rihanna fans are eagerly anticipating her performance at the Super Bowl half-time show – one of the biggest and most prestigious gigs in music.
The singer will perform during the break when the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
Rihanna has not toured or released an album since 2016’s Anti. The star has instead focused on her fashion brand, and last year welcomed her first child.
However, she did record a new song last year for Marvel’s Wakanda Forever.
Lift Me Up, which features on the soundtrack to the Black Panther sequel, marked Rihanna’s first new solo single for six years and has been nominated for an Oscar.
Fans hope that the 34-year-old’s Super Bowl performance could signal a bigger musical comeback later this year.
The singer said on Thursday it was initially “scary” to accept the invitation and take on one of music’s biggest stages. “I haven’t been on stage for seven years,” she said, speaking at a press conference ahead of the big game.
But she said that it was important to her to be “representing for immigrants, representing for my country, Barbados, representing for black women everywhere”.
What time and where is the Super Bowl?
Image caption, Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles will face each other at the Super Bowl LVII (the 57th annual championship game)
The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL), to determine the league champion.
This year, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Kansas City Chiefs at the State Farm Stadium in Arizona.
The Super Bowl LVII (the Roman numerals signify this is the 57th year) will take place on Sunday 12 February, with kick-off at 23:30 GMT (18:30 ET/16:30 MST).
The game usually lasts about three-and-a-half hours, with a 30-minute break in the middle, which is where an A-list pop star is hired to keep the crowds entertained.
How to follow the Super Bowl
Image caption, Deaf actor Troy Kotsur, pictured at the Super Bowl press conference on Thursday, will sign the national anthem
UK viewers can watch the game and half-time show live on ITV1 and the recently-launched streaming service ITVX, with coverage beginning at 22:45 GMT. It is also being shown on Sky Sports, starting at 22:00.
There will be live commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live, and live text on the BBC Sport website and app, which will also have post-match video highlights.
In the US, it will air on Fox, and also be streamed on the Fox Sports website and app, the NFL+ app, as well as Hulu, fuboTV, Roku TV and Sling TV.
Rihanna won’t be the only star involved in the Super Bowl proceedings. Coda star Troy Kotsur, who won an Oscar last year for his performance in the Apple TV film, will sign US national anthem this year.
Which songs will Rihanna perform?
Image caption, Rihanna and her partner A$AP Rocky (pictured at the Met Gala in 2021) welcomed their first child last May
Nobody knows for sure which songs will make the cut. Half-time show set lists and a performer’s special guests are shrouded in secrecy to ensure fans are surprised on the night.
“The setlist was the biggest challenge,” Rihanna told Apple Music on Thursday. “You’re trying to cram 17 years of work into 13 minutes.”
But the star should be able to squeeze in quite a few of her many hits, particularly as performers often play only short snippets of some songs so they can cover more of their back catalogue.
Speculating about the possible song list is part of the fun for fans. Gossip outlet Deuxmoi quoted a source last week who suggested Rihanna would stick to her older, best-known hits, but added that the set list is being constantly tweaked and polished.
At Thursday’s press conference, Rihanna confirmed, only half-jokingly, that there are “about 39 versions of the set list right now”.
Half-time performers also often invite very special guests to appear alongside them. Coldplay brought out Beyoncé and Bruno Mars, while Katy Perry hosted Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz.
But teaming up with other stars can often result the most controversial moments of half-time shows, such as Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson’s “wardrobe malfunction” and M.I.A.’s choice of hand gesture when she joined Madonna.
Why is the half-time show important?
Image caption, Snoop Dogg (pictured) performed last year, alongside Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent and Mary J Blige
Headlining the Super Bowl is one of the biggest and most prestigious gigs in music, due to the astronomically large TV audience both in the US and around the world.
About 100 million viewers watched last year’s Super Bowl in the US alone, while Dr. Dre, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Mary J Blige, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent’s half-time show added a further 160m views on YouTube.
In recent years, YouTube has become an increasingly important component of a half-time show’s impact. Shakira and Jennifer Lopez, who jointly headlined in 2020, notched up 264m plays of their set – the highest of any half-time show to date.
Other headliners at the Super Bowl over the years have included Lady Gaga, Prince, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Michael Jackson.
Given the number of viewers watching, a well-received and hit-heavy performance can have a huge impact on an artist’s streaming and sales figures in the weeks following the Super Bowl.
When is Rihanna’s next album out?
Image caption, Rihanna pictured at January’s Golden Globes with Black Panther director Ryan Coogler
Rihanna’s return to live performing has prompted speculation that new music from her could finally be on the way.
The singer used to churn out one album a year, but took an extended break from music after 2016’s Anti, resurfacing only occasionally to work with other artists.
Her last genuinely massive hit was 2017’s Wild Thoughts, a collaboration with DJ Khaled and and Bryson Tiller, which the trio performed at the following year’s Grammy Awards.
Since then, she has had her first child with her partner A$AP Rocky and continued to build her fashion and cosmetics brand Fenty.
As a result, music has taken a back seat, but in 2022 she released her first new solo single for six years, Lift Me Up.
Image caption, Rihanna’s contribution to the Wakanda Forever soundtrack in 2022 marked her first new solo single for six years
That has catapulted Rihanna into this year’s film awards season. She attended the Golden Globes last month, where the track was nominated, and she is also up for best original song at the Oscars on 12 March.
Her absence from the world of music has lasted so long, the huge anticipation for her new album has become something of a running joke.
“I’m going to say something very controversial,” he said. “Rihanna, you take all the time you want on that album girl. Don’t let these fools on the internet pressure you into nothing.”
Adidas has warned over the potential major impact on its profits of ending its partnership with rapper and fashion designer Kanye West last November.
The firm’s new boss said it could lose hundreds of millions of dollars this year if it decides not to sell its stock of Yeezy sneakers.
The sportswear giant cut ties with West, known as Ye, after he posted anti-Semitic comments on social media.
The announcement marks the company’s fourth profit warning since July.
“The numbers speak for themselves. We are currently not performing the way we should,” the company’s chief executive Bjørn Gulden, said in a statement.
Adidas said it was still deciding whether to scrap its remaining Yeezy stock and would take a €500m ($536m; £443m) hit to its profits if it is all written off.
On top of that the company expects a shake-up of the business to cost another €200m.
That could mean it is pushed to an operating loss this year totalling €700m, the company warned.
Adidas is expected to return to profit in 2024, it added.
At the same time the company revealed that its operating profit for last year had fallen to €669m, two thirds lower than in 2021.
US-traded shares in Adidas fell by almost 9% after the announcement.
In October, the company announced that it was ending the highly profitable partnership with West after he caused an outcry over his anti-Semitic comments.
While the decision to end its partnership with Yeezy had a major negative impact on Adidas, it has also faced other challenges over the last year.
Mr Gulden joined Adidas at the start of this year from rival Puma after his predecessor was ousted in the wake of a series of profit warnings.
In March, the company announced that it would close its shops in Russia and suspend its online store there as it joined a raft of global brands that pulled out of the country in the wake of the invasion of Ukraine.
The firm’s business in China was also impacted by Beijing’s strict zero Covid measures that saw major cities across the country put into lockdown.
Media personality, Berla Mundi is making a lot of waves due to a video of her with American singer, Jordin Sparks.
Sparks and Mundi have been spotted together in a video with the Ghanaian teaching the American how to dance.
Mundi is teaching Sparks how to dance the once-popular Azonto dance.
Berla Mundi visited Jordin Sparks in California for an interview. She revealed it was made possible through dancehall superstar Stonebwoy, who is collaborating with Sparks on a project.
The adorable video is eliciting tons of reactions from fans.
“Congratulations sweedy, conquer the world ,” Gloria Sarfo wrote in reaction to the video.
A fan also reminisced about their love of Ms Sparks.
“@mombymarion remember how I would be blasting No Air and Tattoo back to back from the car to the house non-stop! I loved my @jordinsparks days!!! @stonebwoy always knows! He is a legend,” another fan recalled.
Former Member of Parliament for the Kumbumgu Constituency, Ras Mubarak has alleged that government has hired some persons to track Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.
He, thus, has asked Ghanaians to blame President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and the National Security Ministry should any harm befall the MP.
According to the former MP, he has picked up intelligence that some persons have been tracking his party member and has since informed Mr Ablakwa to take his security seriously.
“I spoke to him about it and told him to take a safety precaution . . . ,” he told Neat FM in an interview.
“The first duty of every President is the protection of his citizens . . . that is why I said that if a sitting Member of Parliament is harmed, the President and National Security must be held responsible,” he added.
Mr Ablakwa of the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has been critical of the government by releasing several exposés highlighting infractions within the government.
His exposés have recently been focused on the National Cathedral construction which has divided public opinion on its prioritisation and budgeting.
But according to Ras Muburak, some people have been following the North Tongu MP around and that raises questions about the safety and security of Mr Ablakwa.
“People are tailing him. They’re tracking his [Ablakwa’s] movement and we don’t have to wait till something happens. We’ve had instances in this country where a Journalist was harmed and killed,” he told NEAT FM’s morning show, ‘Ghana Montie’, in an interview.
Actress Nana Ama McBrown took over the dancefloor at a recent programme she attended to display her skills – and managed to win the adoration of all in attendance.
McBrown was at a program that’s yet to be identified, but as usual, she was at the forefront of everything that was going on.
The actress was onstage when the sog All Over by Tiwa Savage started blaring and she decided to showcase her skills.
Alongside the MC George Bannerman, the duo delivered a choreographed dance that had attendees happy beyond measure.
Bannerman shared the video on his Instagram, drawing adoring comments from fans of the actress.
One fan said: “My Queen . The best to ever do it”, referring to McBrown.
Others dropped similarly flattering comments.
McBrown has earned a reputation as a ray of light at every event she attends, and she showed exactly why in this clip.
Cristiano Ronaldo scored four times to move past the 500 career league goal mark as Al Nassr beat Al Wehda 4-0 in the Saudi Pro League.
The Portugal forward, who turned 38 on Sunday, struck in a 40-minute period either side of the break.
He has now scored 503 league goals for five different clubs in five different leagues.
The five-time Ballon d’Or winner joined Al Nassr in December, reportedly on a salary of £177m per year.
However, he did not enjoy the most prolific of starts with his new employers, managing one goal from the penalty spot in his first three competitive appearances for the club.
Ronaldo left Manchester United in November, having scored 103 league goals across two spells at the club.
He scored 311 times in La Liga for Real Madrid, registered 81 goals in Serie A for Juventus and managed three in the Portuguese top flight for his first professional club, Sporting Lisbon.
Ronaldo’s four goals ensured Al Nassr returned to the top of the table on goal difference and with a game in hand on second-placed Al Shabab.
Ghanaian actor, Oboy Siki has called on the Ghana Police Service and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA) to retrieve the license of his colleague, Don Little, as he explains that his stature doesn’t permit him to be on the road.
Oboy Siki in an interview with Kofi Adoma Nwanwani called out authorities for issuing a license to the popular actor with dwarfism.
“Ghanaian police have made a big mistake because he (Don Little) doesn’t qualify for driving with his height. He can’t even acquire a license but someone managed to obtain it for him illegally.
“The office which issues licenses put a lot of things into consideration before granting an individual a license. There are rules and regulations that guide their operations…in Ghana, we take a lot of things for granted,” he said.
Oboy Siki in reaction to a viral video that captured Don Little cruising in his car with actor Yaw Dabo, argued that the man will lose control of the steering wheel in case of an accident.
He raised safety concerns and admonished his colleague to employ a driver.
“How can he (Don Little) manage when his car hits a big pothole? What hands will he use to hold on tight to the steering wheel? He can easily fall. When they travel abroad, the white folks see them as kids… whoever got him that license is looking for his death…Yaw Dabo has never driven a car so I will admonish Don Little to desist from driving,” he advised.
Ghana international, Mohammed Kudus has been named King of the Match after his impressive showing for Ajax in the narrow 1-0 win against FC Twente in the KNVB Cup.
The two Dutch Eredivisie clubs locked horns today in the Round 16 stage of the domestic cup competition.
After a goalless first half, Mohammed Kudus scored the winner in the 70th minute to hand the visitors the win and qualification to the last eight phase.
There were no further goals as Ajax held on for the win.
After the match, Mohammed Kudus has been named the King of the Match, otherwise known as the Man of the Match or MVP of the match.
The 22-year-old has now scored or provided an assist for Ajax in their last four games, three goals and one assist.
John Heitinga’s men will now be waiting to know who they will be playing in the final eight in the draw.
Queen Mother of Sakyikrom, Nana Agyakwabia Akyeampomaa II may likely lose her stool following an order by the Judicial Committee of the Akwamu Traditional Council in the Eastern Region for her destoolment.
Per details of the judgement sighted in a 3news report, the Queen Mother is being destooled for gross misconduct and attempting to install another chief at Sakyikrom while the substantive is alive and has not been destooled.
The Council, made up of Nana Kwaku Budu Akomeah V as the Chairman, and two members, Nana Kwasi Okona IV, and Nana Ofori Kyekyire II adjudicated the litigation in a matter between Nana Osae Anka IV and six others and Nana Agyakwabia Akyeampomaa II.
Chief of Sakyikrom, Nana Osae Anka IV, and six others are the plaintiffs in the suit while Nana Agyakwabia Akyeampomaa II who is until this ruling the queen mother of Sakyikrom is the defendant.
An amount of GHC20,000.00 was also awarded by the Council against Nana Agyakwabia Akyeampomaa II.
In view of this, queen makers of Sakyikrom have been given 30 days from Thursday, January 19, 2023; the day of the ruling by the Council, to complete the destooling process.
Below are the full details of the judgment:
IN THE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE OF THE AKWAMU TRADITIONAL COUNCIL HELD ON THURSDAY 19TH JANUARY, 2023, AT THE BOGYAWE PALACE, AKWAMUFIE BEFORE: NANA KWAKU BUDU AKOMEAH V – CHAIRMAN NANA KWASI OKONA IV – MEMBER NANA OFORI KYEKYIRE II – MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE, GILBERT LARBI SENIOR REGISTRAR/RECORDER IN THE MATTER OF:- NANA OSAE ANKA IV AND 6 OTHERS – PLAINTIFFS VERSUS NANA AGYAKWABIA AKYEAMPOMAA II – DEFENDANT JUDGMENT
On 19th August, 2022, the plaintiffs, herein, filed a writ against the defendant, herein seeking the reliefs hereunder:
a. A declaration for an order of the judicial committee of the Akwamu Traditional Council endorsing the institution of the instant action for the disposition of the defendant, herein as the Sakyikrom Hema due to her uncustomary, unconstitutional, and improper behavior, conduct, and action of invoking a curse against the plaintiff herein the overall Abusuapayin of the Oyoko ruling Family and his generation.
b. A declaration that the defendant herein doesn’t qualify to continue occupy the Oyoko Royal Stool of Sakyikrom, since her behavior, conduct, and actions continue to defile the stool.
c. A declaration for an order of Judicial Committee declaring the defendant herein liable for disposition, its recommendation, and approval destoolment from her position as the Sakyikromhemaa.
d. A declaration for an order of the Committee compelling the defendant herein to pay the arbitration award and to perform the requisite customary rituals of invoking the curse at Sakyikrom and vacate the Oyoko Royal Ruling Stool of Sakyikrom
e. An order for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from holding herself out and putting up as the Ohemea of Sakyikrom
f. A declaration and order that defendant herein by herself, her agents, agencies, privies, and or whosoever from holding out the defendant as the Ohemea of Sakyikrom and also restraining them from holding up the defendant as Ohemea of Sakyikrom
g. A declaration by the Akwamu Traditional Council that, the entry made in National House Register of Chiefs, (if any) proclaimed the defendant herein as Sakyikrom Hemea should be expunged.
h. A punitive cost of three hundred thousand (GH¢3,000.00) against the defendant in favour of the plaintiff herein and the Royal Ruling Family, the chiefs and elders of Sakyikrom and the Akwamu Traditional Council to serve as deterrent to others from invoking curse at Sakyikrom”.
In a stament of the plaintiff’s case, the plaintiff related the 1st Plaintiff in the Chief of Sakyikrom, having been so nominated, elected, installed, and enstooled as the Chief of Sakyikrom in 2014. That, the 2nd plaintiff herein is the Abusuapanyin of Aba Tawiah Royal Ruling House and the overall Abusuapanyin of Boafi Royal Ruling House and the overall Abusuapanyin of Oyoko Family of Sakyikrom.
That, the 3rd plaintiff herein, is the Abusuapanyin of Boafi Royal Ruling House of Sakyikrom Stool of Sakyikrom. That the 4th, 5th, 6th and the 7th plaintiffs herein are family members of Oyoko Royal Ruling Stool who are directly affected by the suit herein.
The defendants herein is the female occupant of the Oyoko Royal Ruling stool as the Ohemea of Sakyikrom. That the dynasty of Oyoko Royal Ruling family Stool of Sakyikrom comprise the descendants of Aba Tawiah, Boafi, and Agyankwabea. That, the plaintiff herein, Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu is the Abusuapanyin of Aba Tawiah and the overall Abusuapanyin of the Oyoko Royal Ruling Family. Abusuapanyin Amadi Yamoah, and Abusuapanyin Osaabo are the Abusuapanyin of the Agyakwabea and the Boafi House of the Royal House respectively.
That there are the accredited elders and the principal traditional title holders of the Oyoko Royal Ruling Family of Sakyikrom customary and jointly installed Nana Osae ANka IV the 1st plaintiff herein and Nana Agyankwabea III, the defendant herein occupy their respective position as the Ohene and Ohemea of Sakyikrom and further presented them to the Akwamu Traditional Council in accordance with the norms, traditions, and usages of Sakyikrom through the Kronti Division of the Akwamu Traditional Area.
That about two years ago, the chief of Sakyikrom, Nana Osae Anka IV requested permission and took leave to travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment. Notwithstanding his stay in the United Kingdom, he periodically remits the royal family for the performance of all required customary and traditional obligations and the stool.
That, in the absence of the chief, there were subsequent reports of some indiscipline and rampant invocation of curses (NNUABO) in the society, amongst the inhabitants of Sakyikrom, using the name of Obo Abenaa, Densu, and some dissident spirit to invoke the curses; which Nana Hemeam Agyakwabea Akyeampomaa III and the elders of Sakyikrom did not take it lightly.
That following the above reports, on Saturday, 5th September, 2020 at the 7th Dapaa ceremony held at Sakyikrom, Nana Agyakwabea Akeampomaa III, Ohemean of Sakyikrom, and the defendant herein and the elders of Sakyikrom placed a total ban on cursing (NNUABO) at Sakyikrom for being a Taboo which destroys a generation of people.
That after the imposition of the ban on cursing at Sakyikrom, Nana Agyankwabea Akyeampomaa III, Sakyikrom Hemea, cautioned and insisted that whoever is held responsible for invoking a curse would severely be dealt with by Nananom and would be sanctioned to pay a punitive fine of seven (7) creates of eggs, Twenty (20) tubers of Yam, Three (3) Thousand Ghana Cedis (GH¢3000.00), seven (7) sheep, seven (7) bottles of Castle Bridge to invoke the curse to serve as a deterrent to the society.
That, somewhere along the line, there were circulating rumours alleging that some people are planning for an installation of another chief as Sakyikromhene; since he the 2nd plaintiff had very good relationship with Nana Hemea, the defendant herein, he consulted her on the rumours which they both doubted. Surprisingly, the defendant herein indulged in the installation of one Percy as another chief of Sakyikrom to occupy the same stool ascended by Nana Osae Anka IV the 1st plaintiff herein whom they had permitted for medical treatment in the United Kingdom.
That, it was in the processes of the said I installation performance, that the defendant herein, Nana Agyakwabea Akyeampomaa III, poured libation at Aburi in the alleged chief’s house and cursed the 2nd plaintiff herein and his generation with Obo Abenaa, Densu, etc; an act which was videoed and published in the New Crusading Guide of 25th April, 2022. That conduct of Nana Sakyikromhemea was reported to Nana Afrakoma, Akwamuhemea, however, Nana Opponwa, the Akwamu Krontiohemea under whose customary jurisdiction that Sakyikrom falls intervened for settlement of the case.
The case was heard, and at the final sitting Nana Agyakwabea Akyeampomaa III, the defendant herein, did not attend personally but delegated Abusuapanyin Osaebo of the Agyakwabea house to represent her. The elders of Akwamu who heard the case in their verdict requested that the Sakyikrom Hemea the defendant herein, should pay a fine of Five Hundred Ghana Cedis to pacify Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu for the curse invoked against him and his generation.
That the Sakyikrom Hemea was further requested to pay the total cost of expenses incurred by Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu for the determination of the case at the Akwamu and also ensure to perform the required customary rituals for the revocation of the curse following what pertains at Sakyikrom.
That, the defendant herein, after the payment of the pacification fee of Five Hundred Ghana cedis (GH¢5000.00) had refused to honour the orders given by the elders to perform and have their curse against the 2nd plaintiff and his generation be revoked; whereas she, the defendant herein was the main administrator of imposition of the ban on cursing at Sakyikrom.
That, to their outmost surprise, Nana Agyakwabea Akyeampomaa III, Sakyikromhemea, the defendant herein had woefully refused to provide the fine for the performance of the required rituals by the elders of Sakyikrom to revoke the curse against them.
That, with the said conduct, behavior, and action of the defendant herein, the Ohemea of Sakyikrom who double as the mother of the Royal Family and the town of Sakyikrom, contravenes, defiles her reputation and her royal position as the Sakyikromhemea. And that he is therefore not customary qualified and properly fit to continue occupying and holding the said prominent and high position as the Sakyikromhemea.
In the statement of defence filed on 9th September 2022, the defendant herein denies paragraph 1 of the statement of claim and further responded to paragraph 1 and says she has never made any uncustomary, unconstitutional remarks.
The defendant herein stated again that, she has not shown or misbehaved in any way or conduct herself in a manner that brought her position as a queen mother into disrepute. The defendant herein according to her, knows the negative implication and the effect of a curse therefore never did that and will not do that as the plaintiffs are alleging. She again denied paragraph 2 and stated that she lived above reproach since she was enstooled as queen mother. Thus she has always conducted herself well.
She further denied paragraph 3 and stated that the statement is a false allegation. She denies and opposed paragraph 4 therefore does not owe or committed any such offence to perform pacification to reverse a curse. Again, she denied paragraphs 5 and 6 and stated that she has not done any wrong or crime for an injunction to be placed on her. She also opposed paragraph 7 and stated that she has comported herself very well, stands sacred, and is fit to carry on her functions as Ohemea. She adduced further in her statement of defence that, the 1st plaintiff is not the Chief of Sakyikrom; He is not qualified to be elected as a Chief because he does not fall within the matrilineal lineage. And that he was made to act for some time for a reason for a short period and he was not the substantive Chief. He has since been destooled and banned from acting in any chieftaincy activity. And that, at the time of filing the writ, he the 1st plaintiff was not the substantive chief and therefore does not have the capacity to institute this suit against the defendant.
Again, the defendant claimed that the 1st plaintiff has committed a serious and adulterous crime, i.e, sleeping with the wives of two people in Sakyikrom which he could not deny and has pacify their husbands and paid compensation to that effect and that the 1st plaintiff has committed serious crimes that makes him unclean to call himself chief and that, 1st plaintiff herein is not gazetted and is not officially known as chief.
The defendant again pointed out in her defence that, Sakyikrom has three (3 gates which are Ama Tawiah, Boafi, and Agyakwabea and the chieftaincy position or inheritance rotates among the three gates. And that, the 1st plaintiff’s family is not due to head because he is from Ama Tawiah lineage and it is not their time to elect a chief and claimed the plaintiffs herein are claiming false and therefore the writ and the claims should be dismissed with punitive cost.
The Judicial Committee scheduled sitting for November, 2022, but when hearing notice were served the defendant instructed her lawyer to write to seek for adjournment due to the Odwira festival and her inability to show up or appear for the hearing. Another date was scheduled for 14th December, 2022, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th plaintiffs herein were present while the 4th and 5th were absent due to medical reasons. The defendant on the other hand was absent but sent one Nana Ansah Aboah to represent her.
Before hearing, Rev William Kwame Adomako, Pastor of Presbyterian Church of Ghana Sakyikrom, and Rev Afi Aboagye Dacosta, Pastor of the Methodist Church Sakyikrom pleaded with the Committee that, they have spoken to the parties and have agreed to resolve the matter and that the committee should permit them to withdraw the case out of court.
The committee requested the defence to be in court in person and hear from her before they can grant the request. And that the one representing the defendant cannot act on her behalf because he holds no power of attorney and can challenge the committee in the future. The hearing was then adjourned to 11th January, 2023, for the committee to hear from the defendant herein before they can accept the request from the Pastors to settle the matter out of court.
During the hearing on 11th January, 2023, the defendant herein did not show up but rather instructed her lawyer to write to the registrar that the matter had already been resolved by the Kronti Division of Akwamu and there is not issue to further adjudicate and that based on the peaceful settlement her client being the defendant herein will not avail herself to the Akwamu Traditional Council for any further sitting on this suit.
Based on the above the plaintiffs were asked whether the matter had been resolved as it was indicated by the defendant’s lawyer which they responded on the negative.
A cost of Five Thousand Ghana Cedis was awarded against the Defendant for not respecting the court and wasting the time of the court. The court further ordered the registrar to issue a hearing notice to the defendant through her lawyer for nest adjourned date thus 19th January, 2023. On the 19th January, 2023, when the case was mentioned the defendant was not in court nor represented, the committee, therefore, viewed the days of her absence and the letter from the lawyer indicating her client will not avail herself to the Traditional Council to mean her refusal to appear before the Committee and therefore relied on L.I 198 Regulation 8 (4) which states that, “where a defendant fails to appear at the time of the trial the judicial committee may, if it think fit, proceed to hear the case and give it decision”.
The Committee therefore, decided to give the plaintiffs a hearing. Giving evidence through the 2nd plaintiff Abusuapanyin Kofi Owusu indicated that they no problem with the defendant herein and that he was the opne who led her to be introduced to the Kronti Division of Akwamu and to the Akwamu Traditional Council, he tendered a picture of himself and the defendant buttressing his point, it was accepted for study by the Panel and was marked exhibit ‘A’. He then told the court that, they stand on their statement of the case they filed and that the court should stand on it in giving their ruling.
He again tendered a pen drive of a video supporting their claim of the defendant herein invoking the curse on the 2nd plaintiff herein. It was accepted by the Panel for study and marked as exhibit ‘B’. He further tendered another document which is titled KRONTI RESOLUTION TO SAKYIKROM DISPUTE also indicating the defendant herein disrespect to her superiors as indicated in their statement of case. It was accepted by the Panel and same was marked as exhibit ‘C’.
Having listened to the evidence adduced, the committee was convinced that, the enstoolment of one Percy as Sakyikromhene by the defendant herein while the incumbent Chief the 1st plaintiff herein, had not been destooled and having asked permission to seek medical attention in the united Kingdom was unconstitutional.
Even though the defendant herein sought of explanation that, 1st plaintiff herein is not the substantive chief at the time of filing the writ and had not capacity to institute the suit against the defendant herein is questionable. According to the plaintiffs’ statement of the case, the 1st plaintiff herein is the chief of Sakyikrom who sought permission to seek medical attention in the United Kingdom. The defendat in her defence as per her statement of defence did not indicate whether the 1st plaintiff herein had been destooled, disposed of had abdicate the stool as Sakyikromhene. We are therefore of the opinion that, 1st plaintiff herein still holds his position as the Chief of Sakyikrom.
The none registration in the National Register of Chiefs does not mean a chief properly enstooled is not a chief, but rather it is only statutory functions that a chief who is gazette cannot perform and that the assertion by the defendant herein that 1st plaintiff is not gazetted and is not officially known as a chief is neither here nor there.
The invocation of curse by the defendant herein as charged by the plaintiffs was not proper. Per exhibit D tendered by the plaintiffs herein during cross-examination by the panel reveals a ban on curse on Sakyikrom land which defendant participated in drafting of that decree by the chief of Sakyikrom. One may ask why someone who participated in giving a decree may fall foul of it. Exhibit ‘B’ is a pen drive showing a video evidence of defendant herein invoking curses on 2nd plaintiff herein. This act and actions of the defendant was improper and does not befit her status as a queenmother.
Again the committee also agree with plaintiffs that, defendant refusal to adhere to the directives by the Kronti Resolution and even indicating to them that she the defendant herein had nothing to do with the Kronti Stoll of Akwamu and that she had nothing to offer for the purification of Sakyikrom and the reversal of her curse of the 2nd plaintiff herein confirms the conduct, behaviour, and actions of the defendant herein as not customary qualified and properly fit to continue occupying and holding the position of Sakyikromhemea.
We hereby by a unanimous decision enter judgment for the plaintiffs and order as follows:
a. That the defendant has no legal right to enstool a chief while the 1st plaintiff had not been destooled as the Sakyikromhene and therefore the purported installation of Percy as the Sakyikromhene while the I incumbent chief had not bee destooled is illegal and same declared null and void
b. That the defendant herein should as a matter of urgency reverse the curse invoked on the 2nd plaintiff herein within fourteen (14) days from the day of the judgment and adhere to the directives given by the Kronti of Akwamu during the resolution
c. That the conduct of the defendant herein was improper which has defiled her position as Sakyikromhemea and direct Kingmakers of Sakyikrom queen mother’s Stool toproceed with her destoolment within thirty (30) day from today
d. That the defendant herein and her supporters should hand over all possessions and occupation of the Palace to the 1st plaintiff as well as other stool properties in their possession within thirty (30) days from today
e. A cost of twenty thousand Ghana cedis (GH¢20,000.00) is awarded to the plaintiffs.
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