Communications Director of giants Asante Kotoko, David Obeng Nyarko, has sued Light FM sports journalist, Kwadwo Abu Bonsrah for defamation.
Popularly known in the media circles as Super Obondele, Kwadwo Abu Bonsrah has been sued by David Obeng Nyarko at the Kumasi High Court for making unsubstantiated comments against him.
According to David Obeng Nyarko‘s post on Facebook, the defendant (Super Obondele) had alleged that he had “said Kotoko were going to keep paying the salary of a referee.”
He said “My attention has been drawn to this article by one Kwadwo Bonsrah aka “Super Obondele” in which he states among many things that I said Kotoko were going to keep paying the salary of a referee.
“Let me make it emphatically clear that this statement is borne out of his own imagination and there is no iota of truth in it.
“I have therefore instructed my Lawyer to take the necessary steps in ensuring that nothing but the truth comes out. This matter would not just slide like that,” the statement from David Obeng Nyarko read.
Kwadwo Abu Bonsrah is by the writ issued on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, expected to make an appearance in court.
Thousands of offers have poured in for the adoption of an infant who was pulled out of the wreckage following the Turkey-Syria earthquake.
Following Monday’s earthquake in northwest Syria, many of individuals have expressed interest in adopting the newborn girl who was born there.
When she was rescued, baby Aya – meaning miracle in Arabic – was still connected to her mother by her umbilical cord.
Her mother, father and all four of her siblings died after the quake hit the town of Jindayris.
Aya is now in hospital.
“She arrived on Monday in such a bad state, she had bumps, bruises, she was cold and barely breathing,” said Hani Marouf, the paediatrician looking after her.
She is now in stable condition.
Videos of Aya’s rescue went viral on social media. Footage showed a man sprinting from the collapsed debris of a building, holding a baby covered in dust.
Khalil al-Suwadi, a distant relative, who was there when she was pulled to safety, brought the newborn to Dr Marouf in the Syrian city of Afrin.
Thousands of people on social media have now asked for details to adopt her.
“I would like to adopt her and give her a decent life,” said one person.
A Kuwaiti TV anchor said, “I’m ready to take care of and adopt this child… if legal procedures allow me to.”
The hospital manager, Khalid Attiah, says he has received dozens of calls from people all over the world wanting to adopt baby Aya.
Dr Attiah, who has a daughter just four months older than her, said, “I won’t allow anyone to adopt her now. Until her distant family return, I’m treating her like one of my own.”
For now, his wife is breastfeeding her alongside their own daughter.
In Aya’s home town of Jindayris, people have been searching through collapsed buildings for loved ones.
A journalist there, Mohammed al-Adnan told the BBC, “The situation is a disaster. There are so many people under the rubble. There are still people we haven’t got out yet.”
He estimated that 90% of the town had been destroyed and most of the help so far had come from local people.
Rescuers from the White Helmets organisation, who are all too familiar with pulling people out of the rubble for over a decade during Syria’s civil war, have been helping in Jindayris.
“The rescuers can end up being victims too because of how unstable the building is,” said Mohammed al-Kamel.
“We just pulled three bodies out of this rubble and we think there is a family in there that is still alive – we will keep on working,” he said.
In Syria, more than 3,000 deaths have been reported following the earthquake.
This figure doesn’t include those who have died in opposition-held areas of the country.
Ghanaian singer Papi of 5five group and Ghanaian actor-musician, producer, and sound engineer Appietus have been at each other’s throats over a claim made by Papi that Appietus uploaded songs by the group 5five and received earnings that were not intended for him.
Papi revealed that although there was a barter at some point, they made payments of GH¢600 each for two songs that were recorded by Appietus. He made this statement on Lifestyle TV’s midday show Ebitz with Nana Ama Gyapong.
According to Papi, “we found out in 2022 and Bulldog spoke to him, he was ready to do the transaction, including bank statements and account number into our name but fast forward in 2023 he sat on a TV station and denied that he was spending money without knowing where it was coming from.”
He added that he went ahead to say “5five didn’t pay him for their hit song Move Back, but they paid GH¢600 for each song done”.
Upon answering if he would like to settle the issue between himself and Appietus, he said “he for pay me the money, no be any matter except he pays us for the money he has spent”.
Sadly, 5five worked for 19 years without any knowledge about their royalties.
A breastfeeding mother has disfigured the fingers of a five year old who is her nephew.
The incident occurred at Wisiwisi, a town in the Kwahu West Municipality of the Eastern Region.
According to an Angel FM report, the lactating mother reportedly found the boy, Akwasi Alex Ofosu, trying to steal fish from a soup.
An eyewitness said the victim had recently lost his mother and was staying with his uncle and his wife.
The report added that the Akwasi was rushed to the hospital for medical treatment.
“Yesterday around 6:30, I heard Kwasi crying loudly, so I asked Sister Ama to enquire why he was crying and what had occurred, she replied that she had slashed off his fingers for stealing fish from her soup. “I followed up by asking her if she had used a knife or a blade, to which she replied, ‘knife’ So I remarked, Sister Ama, you’re wicked. I then called the boy and along with another tenant gave him first aid,” a neighbour recounted.
“What I saw yesterday is that the woman chopped the boy’s fingers with a knife. One of my sisters was braiding her hair at the place and she heard the youngster crying so she asked him to come.
“Even though the aunt tried to stop him from coming, the sister insisted and when the boy arrived, we saw that three of his fingers had been cut,” another witness added.
The Minority Chief Whip, Governs Kwame Agbodza, has entreated government to exhibit openness and transparency in the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He said the current opaque way the Vice President and the Minister of Finance were handling the negotiation with the IMF had only kept many Ghanaians in the dark, leaving them unaware of what was going on.
“As we speak, we have a situation where Dr Mahamudu Bawumia and Ken Ofori-Atta are the only ones who know what they are negotiating. All they want is to decide that Ghanaians pay a certain money from their private sources to save them as part of debt restructuring which people are pushing against heavily,” he said.
Addressing the media on Ghana’s negotiation with the IMF at Parliament House, Mr Agbodza said currently, there were other significant parts of the negotiation that was not known to Ghanaians, creating “a huge anxiety”.
“I encourage them to seek help as there are people within and outside the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who can help, failure of which Ghanaians must call Dr Bawumia and Ken Ofori-Atta to order as we cannot continue to wait on them to let us know what is going on as and when they like”, he said.
Suspension of capital projects
Mr Agboza, who is the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament (MP) for Adaklu “claimed that he was aware of a series of meetings that had taken place involving “closed group of NPP people close to the President Akufo-Addo, in which a decision had allegedly been made to suspend or cancel about 60 capital projects across the country.
That, he said, was in spite of the fact that the government had already paid some of the developers or contractors between 15 and 20 per cent mobilisation.
Mr Agbodza, who is also the Ranking Member on the Roads and Transport Committee of Parliament, mentioned some of the projects to include the Shama Interchange, La General Hospital, and the road between Tema roundabout, Akosombo and the Adomi Bridge.
“These are foreign companies that have taken the mobilisation and are sitting in their offices because the government is unable to tell them to go ahead because the Finance Minister said all these projects must be suspended.
“So, we are probably losing value because they have taken money in terms of mobilisation and they have set up camp and they are in the office drinking tea but you cannot blame them,” he said.
Stop job losses
“This lack of understanding creates big anxiety as there are financiers, developers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers and even ordinary workers working with these entities who are currently unsure whether they are going to lose their work permanently,” he said.
The MP alleged that some of the foreign companies had already started laying off workers.
“I encourage them to seek help as there are people within and outside the New Patriotic Party (NPP) who can help, failure of which Ghanaians must call Dr Bawumia and Ken Ofori-Atta to order as we cannot continue to wait on them to let us know what is going on as and when they like”.
Nana Agradaa and her group are said to have been involved in a car accident, according to a video seen on the GhOne TV Instagram page.
Per the report, the accident occurred on Kumasi road around noon on Thursday, February 9, 2023.
Even though the car of the popular fetish priestess, who recently claimed she has turned into an evangelist for God, was badly damaged, there were no serious casualties at the site of the accident.
In the video, Nana Agradaa is seen walking toward her SUV, which is completely damaged and lying deep in the bush by the roadside.
Earlier this week, she was charged for non-consensual sharing of intimate image contrary to Sections 67(1) of the Cybersecurity Act, (Act 1038).
She has pleaded not guilty to the charge before the Circuit Court 10 presided over by Her Honour Mrs Evelyn Asamoah on Wednesday, February 8, 2023.
Four others Enock Owusu Kissi, 33, Charles Omane alias One Gig, 39, Emmanuel Kofi Gyasi, 47, and one Andy currently at large were also charged for Abetment of crime namely; non-consensual sharing of intimate image.
Kissi (2nd Accused) and Omane (3rd Accused) who were present in court pleaded not guilty while Emmanuel Kofi Gyasi (4th Accused) was absent. The fifth Accused said to be Andy (5th Accused) is at large.
The ill health of a witness has compelled the Accra High Court to postpone the trial of a former executive of the Ghana Cocoa Board (COCOBOD) Dr. Stephen Kwabena Opuni.
It came up during proceedings that the witness — Peter Okyere Boateng, a former Deputy Director of the Cocoa Health and Extension Division (CHED) of COCOBOD — had a health condition that made it difficult for him to sit for more than 30 minutes.
Mr Boateng, who was under cross-examination, stood up after one hour, and the defence lawyers requested the adjournment of proceedings due to the condition of the witness.
The presiding judge, Justice Clemence Honyenuga, then expressed his reservations over the numerous adjournments and delays in the trial, which started in March 2018.
Counsel for Dr Opuni, Samuel Codjoe, responded that the witness had a genuine medical condition which had been confirmed with a medical report.
“This is a witness who is a pensioner. He is not well, and cannot sit for long because he has a problem with his back,” counsel said.
He then produced the medical report upon request by Justice Honyenuga, but that also led to disagreements between the lawyers.
The prosecutor, Stella Ohena Appiah, a Principal State Attorney, raised issues that the witness had been testifying since July 2022, with no issue of a chronic back condition only for a medical report dated September 9, 2022, to surface.
Justice Honyenuga queried why the health condition of the witness predated the medical report.
“I expected that the medical report will be dated in July or earlier and not in September,” Justice Honyenuga said.
Lawyer’s response
In response, Mr Codjoe refuted the assertion of the prosecution, describing it as a “misrepresentation of facts”.
He said the witness had earlier refused to show up for the trial due to the health condition.
He said when the witness finally showed up in court in July last year, the defence team immediately informed the court of his condition, with the court insisting on a medical report to back the claims.
“The report came in September 2022 with the doctor saying that the patient was under his care. He has been visiting the hospital for a long time. He has a back problem, and the records are there to back it,” counsel said.
Justice Honyenuga eventually adjourned the trial to Monday, February 13.
On the next adjourned date, Justice Honyenuga said the witness would testify for one hour.
“There will be a short break to enable the witness to rest for the court to continue for another one hour,” Justice Honyenuga said.
Not guilty
Dr Opuni is standing trial with Seidu Agongo, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Agricult Ghana Limited, an agrochemical company.
State prosecutors have accused the two of causing financial loss of more than GH¢271 million to the state in a series of lithovit foliar fertiliser transactions.
It is the case of the prosecution that the fertiliser was substandard, and has accused Agongo of allegedly using fraudulent means to sell the fertiliser to COCOBOD for onward distribution to cocoa farmers.
The prosecution has further accused Dr Opuni of using his position as CEO of COCOBOD (November 2013 to January 2017) to facilitate the alleged acts of Agongo by allowing the lithovit liquid fertiliser not to be tested and certified as required by law.
Dr Opuni and Agongo have pleaded not guilty to the charges, and are on self-recognisance bail in the sum of GH¢300,000 each.
Al-Nassr footballer Cristiano Ronaldo signed the match ball for referee Sultan-Al Kharbi after he awarded Ronaldo a penalty to complete his 61st career hatrick.
Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is having a quite nice time at Saudi football club Al-Nassr and his career also seems to be growing empathetically after he left English club Manchester United. Cristiano Ronaldo while playing the Saudi Pro League match against Al-Wehda scored 4 goals in the match.
During the match we saw an interesting moment where match match referee Sultan Al-Harbi asked Ronaldo to sign the match ball for him after Ronaldo’s 4 goal haul in the match. Al-Harbi had rewarded Ronaldo with a penalty and given him a chance to complete his 61st hatrick of his career. The referee was also asked to consult VAR as the penalty he awarded to Ronaldo came off a handball incident.
Referee Sultan Al-Harbi asks Ronaldo to sign the match ball- Watch
Ronaldo’s first two goals in the match came easily after he was able to beat Al-Wehda’s offside trap. Ronaldo then had a chance to complete his hat trick after he was awarded a penalty by the referee due to the handball incident. Ronaldo didn’t miss the penalty and scored the 61st hatrick of his career.
Till now Cristiano Ronaldo has not been in his top form in the Saudi Arabian Pro League after he arrived at Al-Nassr in December last year. The club has just won one game since his arrival. Cristiano Ronaldo was signed by Al-Nassrat a huge contract of 173 million per year.
Ronaldo has had a legendary career where he has seen a lot of quality footballers and has also faced tough competition from them. It seems that Ronaldo will dominate here at Al-Nassr as the competition here at Al-Nassr is slightly weaker than Ronaldo is used to. However this can prove wrong as his teammate Anderson Talisca is taking all the praise with his competition.
Ronaldo also captained an all star Riyadh XI against Paris Saint Germain who had come to Saudi to play a friendly match earlier this year. Though Paris Saint Germain had won the match that time by a score of 5-4.
The match also saw a dream faceoff between Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo when they took on each other in the friendly match.
Cameroonian international, Kevin Olivier Soni, Christian Atsu’s Hatayspor teammate has shared his last conversation with the former Black Stars star before the February 6 earthquake hit.
The Indomitable Lions midfielder, shared terrifying details of how he escaped the incident in Hatay, the club’s home city and one of the most hit by the natural disaster.
In a wide-ranging interview with French news outlet, Foot Mercato, Soni opened up about the before, during and aftermath of the incident including responding to questions about Atsu.
Below is a transcript of what he said about Atsu
Foot Mercato:Several members of the club have not had your luck and are still missing, like Christian Atsu.
Kevin Soni: I get goosebumps talking to you. Before that happened, I was talking with Christian Atsu on the phone. He had scored a free kick on Sunday and I told him that he had played well and that I had liked his match.
I told him that I hoped to find the grounds quickly so that we could play together. But I didn’t know that was the last time I spoke with him. Two hours later, I had no more news. I was told that my friend might be dead, it’s enough to drive you crazy.
I am certainly the last person to have spoken with him on the phone. I’m not proud to say that, I really hope we find him safe and sound. It is my wish. I pray for this everyday.
Foot Mercato: Some media have however said that he had been found. Have you had any news?
Kevin Soni: Those are lies. Tuesday evening, we flew back to Istanbul and he was not with us. If he had been found, why wasn’t he on the plane? These are lies.
They may have said that to maintain hope and not to frighten his family. What I can tell you is that he did not fly with us to Istanbul. I hope we will find him.
Atsu, Hatayspor official still missing
Christian Atsu and Hatayspor’s Sporting Director, Taner Savut are among the occupants of the facility who are believed to still be under the rubble.
Reports emerged that Atsu had been rescued alive and sent to the hospital after 26 hours (February 7) but that account was later dismissed as a case of mistaken identity.
Atsu, according to the Ghana ambassador in Turkey is the only Ghanaian who is yet to be accounted for.
About the February 6 earthquake
A powerful earthquake struck Türkiye’s southern provinces and neighbouring Syria, leaving thousands dead within Turkish borders and killing many others in war-torn Syria.
A major earthquake of magnitude 7.7 struck southern Türkiye and northwestern Syria as buildings collapsed and triggering a search for survivors trapped in the rubble.
As at February 9, 2023; death toll has risen to 17,674 and the number of injured hit 72,879 in the wake of Monday’s powerful earthquakes in southern Türkiye, Vice President Fuat Oktay said.
The disaster, described by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as “Disaster of the Century,” also killed at least 3,377 people in neighbouring Syria, regime and opposition authorities reported, taking the combined toll to 21,051.
A couple, with four children, is standing trial for stealing a baby.
They were Monday arraigned at an Adentan Circuit Court for allegedly stealing an abandoned day-old baby boy.
Edward Nyarko -Affum and Naomi Nyarko- Affum who claimed they had “developed some special love” for the baby kept him until the Police and officials of the Department of Social Welfare caused their arrest.
Charged with conspiracy to commit crime and child stealing, the couple in the presence of their lawyer, have pleaded not guilty.
Answering questions from the judge, they informed the court that they had four children – their first child was 16 years old, and their last child was eight.
The court, presided over by Mrs Sedinam Awo Balokah, admitted the couple to bail in the sum of GHC 40,000 each with two sureties each.
The court said the sureties should be known to the Police and adjourned the matter to Monday, March 13 for mention.
Prosecuting, Chief inspector Maxwell Lanyo said the complainant was the Adentan Municipal Director of the Department of Social Welfare who lived at Madina.
The prosecution said Edward and Naomi were a married couple residing at New Legon, near Accra.
It said on January 6, 2023, at about 0550 hours, the couple and one other person found the baby in front of an uncompleted building at New Legon.
The prosecution said they picked up the baby and took him to the Lakeside Estate Police Station, where they were requested to take the baby to the Adentan DOVVSU office for action to be taken.
It said the accused persons agreed to the request.
They then sent the baby to the Ashalley Botcwey Health Centre and the nurses on duty administered first aid to him and handed him over to the couple to be taken to the Police Station.
However, the prosecution said from the health centre, they sent the baby home.
The prosecution told the court that the Greater Accra Regional Director of Social Welfare had information that an abandoned baby had been picked up and sent to the Ashalley Botwe Health Centre.
It said the Director gave the telephone number of Edward to the complainant and instructed her to pursue the case and rescue the baby.
The prosecution said the complainant called the number and Edward answered the call. The complainant then introduced herself as the head of Adenta Municipal Social Welfare Officer and informed Edward that she was calling to “get custody” of the baby.
It said when Edward heard this, he informed the complainant that his phone battery was draining fast and promised to get back to her.
The prosecution said Edward, however, did not get back to the complainant as promised. The complainant and her team proceeded to the health Centre but met neither the baby nor the accused persons.
It said the nurses on duty confirmed that they directed the couple to send the baby to the Police after administering care to him.
The prosecution said all efforts made by the officials of the Department of Social Welfare to trace the couple or the baby failed.
It said the complainant, therefore, reported the incident to the Police.
The prosecution said the Police together with the complainant went to the health centre where the contact number of Naomi was obtained.
When Naomi was contacted by the Police, she informed the Police that the baby was in her custody but several appeals to either report at the Police station with baby or give directions to her house to enable the Police to take custody of the baby yielded no results.
The prosecution said after several calls to Edward, the Police managed to establish contact with him, and he promised to be at the Police Station but failed to do so.
It said several calls made by the Police to get Edward to deliver the baby to the Police Station yielded no results.
The Court heard that Edward, during one of the calls, told the Police that “he would resist any attempt by the Department of Social welfare to take the baby away from him and his wife.”
Edward, however, reported at the station but without the baby.
The police, therefore, escorted Edward to his house at New Legon where the baby was found in the custody of Naomi, his wife.
It said the baby was rescued and Naomi was also arrested.
During investigation, Naomi in her caution statement admitted that after the initial report to the Police, she “developed a special love for the baby and she had wanted to keep him.”
It said when Naomi informed her husband, Edward, he agreed to her decision to keep the baby.
It is reported that Valentina Nana Agyeiwaa, popularly known as Afia Schwarzenegger, got married in a private ceremony that was only attended by her close friends, family, and associates.
The report is corroborated by videos and images shared by some persons close to the comedienne.
One of her twin sons also shared what appears to be visuals from the private event to wish his mother well.
The visuals show Afia adorned in a beautiful yellow dominated Kente dress.
One of her close associates, Tracey Boakye has also taken to her Instagram page to congratulate Afia on her new marriage.
Afia Schwarzenegger and her now ex-husband, Lawrence Abrokwa went through a controversial divorce after their marriage in South Africa in 2016, which was followed by a traditional wedding ceremony in Accra.
Their marriage hit the rocks after barely a year of their nuptial due to issues of infidelity.
The marriage was officially dissolved by the Kaneshie District Court in 2020.
However, details are yet to be gathered about the new husband of the controversial socialite.
The Accra headquarters of the Ghana Police Service experienced a fire outbreak on Thursday, February 9, 2023.
According to a statement via Facebook, the police said personnel from the Ghana National Fire Service reported to the scene and brought the inferno under control.
“There is a fire outbreak in one of the buildings at the Police Headquarters in Accra.
“The Ghana National Fire Service is at the scene and have succeeded in bringing the situation under control,” the Service said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately established but according to the police, there were no casualties during the incident.
“There are no casualties and the cause of the fire is yet to be established.
“We wish to thank the Fire Service team and our officers who are assisting to ensure that the Fire did not spread to the entire building,” the statement by the police added.
Meanwhile, a report by gbcghanaonline.com places the scene of the fire at an office building full of armories at the National Operations Department of the Ghana Police Headquarters.
Some tear gas explosions according to the report were heard during the outbreak which took the Fire Service about half an hour to battle.
The fire is said to have destroyed some of the armories in the cache.
During the Thursday, February 9, 2023 session of Parliament, Tamale South representative Haruna Iddrisu sat in two different locations.
It is his decision to sit with the Majority Caucus at a point, however, that has attracted lots of media coverage and controversy within the circles of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), both in Parliament and outside.
Finding Haruna a befitting spot in parliament
Haruna, having been removed as Minority Leader in late February 2023 lost his seat in the front benches and had to be assigned a new spot.
It turns out that the party had deliberations on how to get him a place befitting his status as a former Minority Leader.
According to a Joy News report, he was supposed to take a seat reserved for one of the longest serving members of the House, Collins Dauda (Asutifi South MP) who occupies a front seat along with veteran Cletus Avoka.
When Haruna arrived in the chamber for the day’s proceedings, he took the seat of Rashid Pelpuo (Wa Central MP) even though his name had been placed at the spot of Collins Dauda. Reports say Dauda had also rejected the decision to relocate him.
When it was Haruna’s turn to contribute to a debate, he was found seated at the Majority side, specifically at the place of first deputy Speaker Joseph Osei Owusu (Joewise) who was presiding at the time.
Haruna explains why he took Joewise’s seat
“Mr Speaker, forgive me that I have to assume your chair, there was [sic] whether I should take over from Collins Dauda or yours and I have told them that honourable Collins Dauda is senior by age and a senior even to this house.
“So, I will not fit into his chair as somebody who is well-trained from home. So, any other chair Mr speaker acceptable to me, I am still the elected member of parliament for Tamale south,” he said in the chamber on February 9 after he made a contribution.
On social media and among the Caucus members, there is apparent disquiet at his move.
“It appears some persons within the Minority are not too pleased with what happened on the floor today, indeed a source tells me that prior to today’s sitting, the controversy surrounding whether or not Haruna Iddrisu should take Collins Dauda’s seat had been resolved.
“And now, Haruna Iddrisu is expected to take the seat of Rashid Pelpuo where he actually sat today when he came to the floor before heading to sit at the first deputy Speaker’s chair,” Joy News’ parliamentary correspondent Kwaku Asante disclosed.
Leadership reshuffle and seating rearrangement
In line with the NDC’s reshuffle in the minority leadership, some MPs including the former leaders have seen some changes in their sitting positions.
Per the seating arrangement in parliament, the leaders are usually seated on the first row in the chamber and ranking members sit in the row after that.
The other two seats in the front row are usually reserved for the senior most parliamentarians.
Before the reshuffle, Cletus Avoka and Collins Dauda who are the two longest-serving members of parliament occupied these seats.
However, due to the reshuffle, Collins Dauda, MP for Asutifi South has been removed for Haruna Iddrisu to occupy the seat.
Haruna Iddrisu has, however, refused to sit on Collins Dauda’s seat.
After their marriages experienced a ‘fatal crash’, these Ghanaian female celebrities stormed social media in recent times to narrate their side of the story.
In all of the cases publicized by themselves on social media or during interviews, these celebrities gave the tiniest detail of how their once flourishing marriage crashed beyond repair.
Similarly, in all stories, netizens witnessed how their unions were destroyed under nasty and wild circumstances.
Infidelity and abuse were prevalent in the situations that led to their failed marriages.
Let’s take a look at some female celebrities who told stories of their failed marriages to the public
Nayas
Ghanaian actress, Gladys Mensah Boaku, popularly known as “Nayas,” opened up about the numerous struggles she had encountered in her 2-year-old marriage.
She first opened up about the challenges in 2020.
From 2021 through 2022, her marriage experienced a turbulent twist, which led to a fallout.
Nayas who lived in Germany with her ex-husband, Nana Sarfo Kantanka, returned to Ghana after issues of infidelity, abuse, and lies among others became unmendable in her marriage.
“After three months of marriage, I started regretting everything. Because what I went through wasn’t what I envisaged. I thought I’d be able to work hard and replenish everything I had lost and all the monies I spent on my visa and plane ticket. I took my mind back to how comfortable I was in Ghana. I ate and wore what I like. I was the one supporting my siblings and all but at that time I looked like trash. I couldn’t even afford to wash my hair,” she told Delay.
Xandy Kamel
Xandy Kamel’s 1-year-old marriage to Angel TV’s Kaninja crashed sometime in 2021.
This was after she engulfed social media with claims that her husband was a serial womanizer.
She also highlighted claims of extortion and emotional unavailability on the part of her husband.
Ghanaians witnessed a nasty fallout between the two as several back and forths from the former couple flooded the internet.
Xandy stormed social media with some audios and videos to back her claims.
Agnes Opoku Agyeman
In April 2022, Agnes Opoku Agyeman narrated how her previous marriage to an unfaithful pastor brought her life to a standstill.
The renowned gospel singer said contrary to society’s ‘picture perfect’ imagination of being married to a pastor, in her case, it was hell.
Recounting her painful ordeal, Opoku Agyeman said her former husband did not only cheat but went ahead to marry another woman while they were still married.
The ‘mensan makyi’ hitmaker said during that particular period, divorce wasn’t an option for her, adding that, she stayed and endured the maltreatment for the fear of being judged by society.
“I was in my husband’s house when I heard he married another woman but I had no choice but to stay because of what people would say, I was scared to leave, to I had to keep mute and suffer. I cried; I was in pain but I had to endure. I stayed until he went ahead to divorce me. He was a pastor; I married to a pastor.
“It got to a point, there were countless rumours about my marriage, but through it all, I prayed to God and asked him to take me out of this. I told myself that divorce isn’t my portion because my mother is 85-years-old but she is still married to my 95-year-old father. I wanted to follow in that stead but I wasn’t fortunate. If I wasn’t grounded in the word of God, I wouldn’t have been able to pull through all I went through,” she stated in an interview with Joy Prime and monitored by GhanaWeb.
New Patriotic Member of Parliament for Asante Akyem North, Andy Appiah-Kubi has disclosed that he will never accept any offer to be a deputy minister.
He said he regrets accepting his previous appointment as deputy Minister for Railway Development.
According to the MP, his experience has led him to decide never to accept another appointment as a deputy minister.
“I will never accept the position of deputy minister again. I made a mistake of accepting such a position and I will not do that again. I didn’t get the opportunity to exhibit my talent” he is quoted in a report by 3news,com.
The MP was reacting to the recent announcement of some ministerial nomination by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
The president on Tuesday, November 7, 2023, announced the nomination of Adansi Asokwa MP, KT Hammond as Minister for Trade pending approval by Parliament.
Abetifi MP, Bryan Acheampong has been named as the Minister of Food and Agriculture. Former Director-General (DG) of the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA) Stephen Asamoah Boateng (Asa B) is heading to Chieftaincy Ministry whereas Stephen Amoah, Nhyiaeso MP is now deputy minister-designate for Trade and Industry.
Also, Dr. Mohammed Amin Anta has been named as Minister of State for Finance replacing Charles Adu Boahen, and Hebert Krapah, who was deputy minister at the Trade Ministry has been moved to the Energy Ministry as deputy minister-designate.
The announcement by the president comes at a time when there are growing public calls for changes in the government.
Speaking in a 3FM interview, Andy Appiah-Kubi noted that he wished the president would have merged some of his ministries.
One of pop music’s greatest composers, Burt Bacharach, has died aged 94.
He wrote enduring hits like I Say A Little Prayer, Walk On By and What The World Needs Now Is Love.
Along with lyricist Hal David, he also wrote numerous movie themes including What’s New Pussycat and The Look Of Love, a major hit for Dusty Springfield.
Bacharach died Wednesday at home in Los Angeles of natural causes, his publicist Tina Brausam said.
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A Civil Engineer, Ing. Abdulai Mahama, has cautioned drivers over the use of the Accra-Tema Motorway.
He admonished drivers to be extra careful in order to protect their own lives while they wait for government to fix the damaged road.
According to him, the building materials needed to fix the road are very costly and government will need a huge amount of money.
He also says that some buildings will have to be collapsed and owners compensated if the road will be expanded.
This he said, might take a while for government to be ready financially so until then, drivers will be better advised to drive with minimum speed and be watchful of the potholes to prevent accidents and loss of lives.
“Let’s just give one advice to everybody, the Motorway has lost its designed speed, the Motorway is gone, now it is only proper that we apply our common sense, a lot of people that are using the Motorway are not first time users. But it’s so strange that they are doing over 120km/h, 140km/h on the motorway, we should be doing something about 60km/h maximum; and when you are behind a car, science tells us that within 100km/h, the minimum distance between you and the other car in front of you should be about 80m when you’re doing over 100km/h”, he advised.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, Ing. Mahama also said that most of the streetlights on the road are not functioning, which makes it difficult for drivers to see in the evening when it gets entirely dark.
This, he explained, is the cause of most of the accidents on the road at night. He urged the government to, in the interim, provide solar lights along the entire stretch of the road which can go a long way to help drivers locate potholes and even see pedestrians to aid safe driving.
Paris Saint-German star and football great, Lionel Messi has been trending on social media following his brother, Matias Messi’s comment about Barcelona during a viral Twitch live video on Wednesday, February 8, 2022.
Matias Messi stated that Barcelona were a relatively smaller club and that his brother made the club who they are today.
“Barcelona started to be known because of Messi, nobody knew them, only Madrid.”
He further blamed club president Joan Larporta for Messi’s exit in 2021 and labelled the Spanish as a traitor.
“People in Barcelona did not support Leo. They should have done a march or something. Let Laporta leave and Messi stay. Spanish people are traitors. I’m telling you this because I want you to hear it from us, not somewhere else.”
The video has gone viral as Barcelona fans have turned on Matias for putting his brother, who is dear to Barcelona fans, in a bad light.
Matias after several backlashes later apologized via his Instagram story and deleted the video from Twitch.
“I want to apologize for what I said. I was only making jokes to my son and his friends. How could I think that about a club so big as Barcelona, with their history and everything they did for my family and Leo? For us, Catalonia is our second home. I’m sorry.”
Below are some reactions from Barcelona fans on social media
Survey: Following the statements made by Leo Messi's brother, Matias Messi, attacking Barça and Laporta… Do you think Leo Messi should return to Barcelona? pic.twitter.com/mYx9OOZ2dS
🚨🎙️| Lluis Carrasco (Joan Laporta's campaign manager): “Matias, FC Barcelona was big without Messi, but he made it bigger & bigger. What I wonder is what you would be without Barça & your brother. Thanks.”
Survey: Following the statements made by Leo Messi's brother, Matias Messi, attacking Barça and Laporta… Do you think Leo Messi should return to Barcelona? pic.twitter.com/mYx9OOZ2dS
Blakk Rasta has slasmmed Nana Aba Anamoah for calling him “cheap and basic” .
Earlier in the quest to defend Sarkodie, whom Blakk Rasta attacked for his feature on Bob Marley’s ‘Stir It Up’ remix, Nana Aba Anamoah replied using three ‘strong’ words in response: hogwash, inebriated and ire.
“You’re not the only human being on this planet who adores Bob Marley. You’re not wiser than the managers of his estate. This desecration placards you’re wielding makes you look rather inebriated than concerned. Sark was featured because he’s superb. DEAL WITH IT!
“…and oh Blakkrasta stop hiding behind your so called claim of ‘desecration’ because it’s hogwash. Be bold enough to express your ire at the decision to feature Sark. You wanted it eh? Be bold enough to express your ire at the decision to feature Sark.” she wrote.
Not too long after Nana Aba’s comments, Blakk Rasta stormed Twitter with a series of replies.
“Sis, it will be awesome to have you on my show on at 3FM. I will invite Stonebwoy along to discuss Putuu as well. Maybe the Bobmarley family will help you understand the hook in Bob’s Buffalo Soldier which goes like Woo yo yo Woo wo yoyo,” One of his responses read.
Revisiting the issue in an interview with Zionfelix where he analyzed the choice of words Nana Aba Anamoah used during her first reply, Blakk Rasta said:
“Sarkodie’s issue came up and all of a sudden you showed up trying to scare me with your kindergarten vocabulary. Kindergarten vocabulary! Words that little children usually play with. That means that you don’t even know who Blakk Rasta is. When I see words like that, I laugh because for me, it is infantile.
“She put it at the end that I should stop hiding and that I’m not the only one who loves Bob Marley. She said I should stop hiding under the banner of desecration to fight Sarkodie. She said I am jealous of the fact that Sarkodie was chosen for the project and not me. She said I should deal with it. Do you know what that means?” he added.
Over 5.8 million children in Ghana’s public basic schools have no chair nor desk.
The number comprised 1.2 million Kindergarten (KG), 3.2 million in primary, and 1.4 million in Junior High Schools (JHS), Africa Educational Watch, has revealed.
An education alert copied to the Ghana News Agency in Tema and issued by the African Education Watch (EduWatch) quoted the Ministry of Education’s data that indicated that by 2021, about 596,000 KG pupils, representing half of the national KG population and 1.28 million pupils in primary schools lacked desks in school.
It added that another 425,000 pupils, representing 30 per cent of JHS pupils were without writing spaces; “This brings the total number of public basic school pupils without desks to about 2.3 million,” EduWatch stated.
It observed that the desk situation is worse at the primary level in the most underserved regions in the education sector, namely, Northern, North East, Savannah, Upper East, Upper West, Bono East, and Oti.
It mentioned that the Northern Region leads with 213,252 public primary school pupils without desks, followed by Upper East (118,340) and Bono East (86,074).
It added that cumulatively, 638,008 representing 61 per cent of public primary school pupils in the seven underserved regions in Ghana’s education sector do not have desks.
“Proportionally, while all the seven regions have the percentage of public primary school pupils, lacking desks higher than the national average of 40 per cent; the North East Region leads with a maximum of 80 per cent of primary school pupils lacking desks.
“The Northern Region followed with 70 per cent with Upper East, Bono East, and Savanna regions all recording 60 per cent,” it noted.
Eduwatch emphasized that the lack of desks affected pupils’ learning, handwriting and health, as they adopt uncomfortable postures to write when classes were in session.
It stated that a recent study revealed that about 24 per cent of pupils in sampled schools within the Nkwanta South Municipality sat on stones to write on their laps, while 25 per cent lay on the floor in selected schools in the Zabzugu District.
Eduwatch estimated that 800,000 dual desks, 150,000 KG tables and 600,000 KG chairs were urgently needed in Ghana’s basic schools.
It added that “this is estimated to cost between GHC330 to GHC350 million, “an amount equivalent to how much Ghana’s Government spends on the free SHS in just six weeks.”
It added, however, that current budgetary constraints, manifested by cuts in the basic education budget and GETFund did not provide a budgetary solution in the short to medium term.
Touching on the perceived cause of the lack of chairs and desks, it blamed poor funding of basic education infrastructure, which manifests in the construction of schools without an adequate supply of furniture or the absence of schools and furniture in some communities.
Eduwatch added that between 2014 and 2020 the share of the education sector discretionary expenditure to basic education declined from 19.2 per cent to 10.9 per cent.
“The Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFund) is Ghana’s main funding engine for education infrastructure.
“In recent times, the quantum of GETFund expended on basic education has been on a steady decline, with only 16 per cent GETFund’s infrastructure expenditure budget allocated to basic education in 2022, with secondary education receiving about 44 per cent,” EduWatch stated.
According to EduWatch, the Government must change its regular public procurement approach to providing desks, which have proved grossly insufficient in resolving the challenge, to an alternative of exploring innovative, inclusive decentralized approaches that were cost-efficient.
It also urged the Ministry of Education to roll out a coordinated strategic approach, involving corporate Ghana, local governments, religious groups, traditional authorities, civil society and the Forestry Commission.
This, it noted, should culminate in a transparently managed Fund, with seed money from the Government and contributions from stakeholders, adding that a matching effort to mobilize local timber resources to produce desks at a cheaper cost at the regional level for distribution to underserved districts and schools was also workable and cost-efficient.
A die-hard female fan of Ayodeji Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid, has gone the extra mile to demonstrate her love for him.
The young lady drew a tattoo of the singer’s full name “Wizkid Ayodeji Balogun,” boldly on her chest.
Expressing her love for Wizkid, the staunch fan shared a video of her tattoo on social media, which has since created a buzz, and social media users have reacted.
@welbeck_ wrote, “Ashiere just imagine say we Dey date now Shey na so I go Dey see wizkid full name for ur body Abi okan e onibale”.
@toiyoabasi1, “God abeg. Even in marriage I cannot tattoo man’s name not to talk of… And the pain you go through for these procedures. Some people were obviously not loved at home”.
one CEOVS77 wrote, “Who Dey marry all this kind people self ? Make I Dey suck Bobby Dey see another man name for ur chest”.
One Kehrian_Bernice wrote, “Wizkid won’t even acknowledge not a single like!! That dwarf en”.
@_justsaysam, “I’m sorry for her….be like say this wan no get plans to marry”.
Artiste manager and musician, Bullet has showered Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng, popularly known as Ebony Reigns, with accolades five years after her passing.
In a post the artiste manager shared on Instagram, he noted that even after her death, Ebony still reigns.
“5 years on, and you are still reigning. I am honoured to have been part of your musical journey. Keep resting Nana hemaa,” he shared on February 8, 2023.
He posted a picture of the late singer posing in a classy vibrant garment that showed off her figure.
On February 8, 2023, the late hitmaker died in a ghastly car crash that claimed the lives of two other persons; Franky Kuri and Atsu Vondee on the Kumasi Sunyani road on their way back to Accra.
She was signed to RuffTown Records, owned by Bullet, and released popular hit songs like Hustle’, ‘Kupe’, ‘Poison’, ‘Date Ur Fada’, ‘Sponsor’, ‘Maame Hwe’ and ‘Dancefloor’.
Ghanaian broadcaster, Deloris Frimpong Manso, commonly known as ‘Delay’ has made a strong appeal to Turkish Super League side Hatayspor to find Christian Atsu following contradictory information about the whereabouts of the Ghanaian footballer who was trapped in a building following the earthquake in Turkey.
Atsu was reportedly found a day after the earthquake but the report was later denied by Hatayspor board member, Mustafa Ozat.
Delay, in an Instagram post but shared on Twitter, reacted to the latest development that Atsu is still missing, entreating the club and the rescue team to find the Ghanaian because Ghanaians want clarity.
“I appeal to the Turkish authorities, to @hatayspor_fk, any rescue teams and charities working on the ground in Turkey…PLEASE finds out where OUR brother Christian Atsu is! You cannot say he is rescued one day and missing the next. Let’s pull together and find out! We want answers,” she wrote.
Christian Atsu and Hataylspor technical director, Taner Savut have been trapped in the buildings destroyed by the earthquakes for close to three days, since the event on February 6, 2023.
In recent news and interviews, popular Ghanaian artist Yvonne Nelson disclosed that she was tired and done talking about the Ghanaian movie industry.
The Ghanaian movie industry as compared to other industries can be seen collapsing.
She also come up in recent news to also share how the movie industry suspended her for a whole year and that’s how come she set up her own movie industry.
She added that during all those times it was only actor Majid Michel who supported her dreams and helped her out most.
In her recent interview with a media house, Yvonne was asked to share her experience she had with Akuapem Poloo on set when she was a newbee.
She said Poloo now know as Haniya came to the set for the movie shot very early despite the fact that her turn for the shot was at 10pm.
So she was there from 6am to 10pm and she showed so much humility towards each and everyone there.
Ghana international Bernard Tekpetey has confirmed receiving multiple of offers from European clubs as they seek to sign him this summer.
The 25-year-old is enjoying an amazing campaign with Ludogorets in the Bulgarian League.
This season, he featured 17 times in the Bulgarian top-flight, scoring 8 goals and providing 4 assists in the process.
In an interview with Kumasi-based Wontumi FM, the forward disclosed he has received a chunk of offers from clubs but is focused at Ludogorets.
According to him, he planned of leaving Ludogorets but was forced to stay because of an injury to his teammate.
“I have a lot of offers. I planned of leaving Ludogorets but unfortunately one of our wingers got injured so the club were not willing to sell me”
“I will do my maximum best and put up a very good performance. Soon, the summer window will be opened and with more goals and hard work other clubs will come on board”
The Ghana Education Service (GES) has released the transitional academic calendar for basic, junior and senior high schools across the country for the year 2023.
According to the calendar, first-year SHS students in double-track schools are expected to report to school on Monday, 20 February 2023, and vacate on Thursday, 13 April 2023.
From Friday, 14 April to Thursday, 8 June, form-one students in double-track schools will be on break and resume on Friday, 9 June to Thursday, 10 August.
From Thursday, 11 August to Sunday, 17 September 2023, such students will go on break again and resume on Monday, 18 September.
The 2023 academic year ends for first- and second-year SHS students running the double-track system on Thursday, 30 November 2023.
The academic year for SHS 3 students, however, ends on Friday, 15 September 2023, by which time they would have written their West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE).
For single-track schools, Form One students are expected to report to school on Monday, 20 February 2023, and vacate on Wednesday, 5 April 2023.
Form-one students will resume for the second semester from Monday, 17 April to Friday, 15 September 2023, when the 2023 academic year ends.
The academic year for Form 2 students in single-track schools ends on Friday, 25 August 2023.
Basic and junior high schools across the country are expected to finish their first term, which is currently ongoing, by Friday, 24 March 2023.
The second term will begin from Monday, 3 April to Thursday, 15 June 2023.
The third term will begin on Tuesday, 27 June 2023 and end on Thursday, 14 September 2023.
The world renowned spine surgeon who’s currently Asantehene’s Hiahene gave out Gh¢35,000 to sponsor the students education for the 2022/2023 academic year.
The beneficiaries, Osei Henry Acheampong and Gyima Griffins Kwaku are offering Bsc.Human Biology at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST, while Akosua Nyantakyiwaa and Pensen Mary Bernice Ohemaa offering Bsc. Nursing with Arhin Cydolf Boadi studying Doctor of Pharmacy at the same university.
The other student, Adomako Yaa Christabel is however studying Medicine at the University of Ghana.
The chief in am meeting with the beneficiary students on Wednesday February 8,2023, said his gesture was to bridge the financial gap of enthusiastic, brilliant but needy students in the country to enable them attain higher academic laurels.
“The idea to support the training of medical students will not only liberate the liberate the beneficiaries from financial constraints to realise their dreams, but also train the needed human resources to help the country’s health sector”.
He expressed worry over how some exceptional students have been denied the opportunity to pursue higher education and pledged to offer his quota in the training of well skilled health Practitioners in Ghana.
He charged the beneficiaries to stay and work in Ghana after completing their respective trainings as a way of giving back to society.
The beneficiaries’ students together with their parents after the official presentation thanked Otumfour’s Hiahene for the kind gesture.
They explained the support came at the right time as most of the students were struggling to fund their education.
The 20-year-old centre-back has caught the eye under the tutelage of ex-United striker Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Branthwaite has made 20 appearances in all competitions for the Dutch giants and netted an impressive brace in his side’s 3-1 KNVB Cup last-16 win against FC Emmen on Wednesday.
The Mail say PSV made two bids, the last believed to be £15million, to sign the Carlisle academy product permanently in January but both were rejected by the Toffees.
Sean Dyche’s men now look set to have to stave off interest from Merseyside rivals Liverpool as well as United, both of whom are keen to add an English player to their ranks.
Roma are another side to be regularly checking Branthwaite’s progress, with Everton seemingly open to selling for the right price due to their wealth of options at the back.
The towering defender was handed his debut for the Goodison Park outfit by Carlo Ancelotti in July 2020 but failed to make an impact under Rafael Benitez and Frank Lampard — and it remains to be seen where he stands with new boss Dyche.
Italian football manager Carlo Ancelotti is hopeful Karim Benzema will be fit to feature for Real Madrid in the Club World Cup final.
Last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Benzema did not travel to Morocco earlier this week for the tournament, having sustained a hamstring injury.
However, Ancelotti confirmed after Madrid beat Al Ahly 4-1 in Wednesday’s semi-final that the 35-year-old will travel out to train with his team-mates on Friday.
Benzema will be joined by Eder Militao, though Ancelotti – who confirmed Marco Asensio and Dani Carvajal were kept on the bench against Al Ahly due to issues with their fitness – harbours more doubts over the defender’s possible contention for Saturday’s clash with Al-Hilal.
“They are not fully recovered,” Ancelotti told reporters of Benzema and Militao.
“Karim is doing pretty well and there are more doubts about Militao.
“They will train on Friday and then we will see.
“Carvajal had a fever and Asensio a little overload. I think he will be ready for Saturday.”
Nicolo Zaniolo has left Roma to join Turkish Super Lig leaders Galatasaray.
The 23-year-old was expected to leave the Giallorossi during the January transfer window following a falling-out with boss Jose Mourinho, but he hesitated over a move to Premier League club Bournemouth.
Mourinho described the fact Zaniolo had remained at the club as “unfortunate”, but the attacking midfielder’s stay in the Eternal City has now come to an end.
Istanbul giants Galatasaray are reported to have paid Roma €16.5million to land Zaniolo, capped 11 times by Italy, on a four-and-a-half-year deal, with Turkish clubs still able to do transfer business.
In a farewell message to Roma, Tuscany-born Zaniolo posted on Instagram: “You welcomed me as if I were at home.
“You made me grow, you gave me a chance that I tried to take with all my heart, always honouring the history you represent, fighting for your colours, sweating for the jersey every time I wore it.
“Now that we’ve said goodbye, I want to tell you one thing… It was an honour.”
Zaniolo joined Roma from Serie A rivals Inter in 2018 and went on to score 24 goals in 128 appearances for the club.
He missed the second half of the 2019-20 season and whole of the 2020-21 campaign due to knee injuries.
Final preparations are being made by CAF, the Egyptian Football Association (EFA), and the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the TotalEnergies U20 Africa Cup of Nations, one of CAF’s premier youth competitions.
The competition will kick off on 19 February 2023 with the opening match between hosts Egypt and Southern African side, Mozambique at Cairo International Stadium at 16h00 local time (14h00 GMT).
Three stadiums will host the competition that will run until 11 March 2023. The venues are Cairo International Stadium, Suez Canal Stadium and Alexandria Stadium.
About the Venues:
Cairo International Stadium – Cairo (75,000 capacity). Built in 1960, the Cairo International Stadium is the home of the Egyptian national team. The venue is used by the two Egyptian giants, Al Ahly and Zamalek.
Suez Canal Authority Stadium – Ismailia. (21,000 capacity). The newly-built stadium was inaugurated in September 2022.
Alexandria Stadium – Alexandria (20,000 capacity). This is one of the venues that hosted the 2019 TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Egypt.
The full groups:
Group A: Egypt, Mozambique, Senegal, Nigeria
Group B: Uganda, Central Africa Republic, South Sudan, Congo
World Cup winner Emiliano Martinez, Yassine Bounou of Morocco and Belgium’s Thibaut Courtois were nominated on Wednesday for the top goalkeeping prize at the Fifa Best awards.
Martinez shone at the World Cup, playing a starring role in the penalty shootout as his country defeated France.
He also, however, courted controversy by making an obscene gesture during the trophy ceremony when he received his prize for the best goalkeeper at the tournament.
Bounou featured for a defensively mean Morocco as they became the first African country to reach the semifinals of a World Cup.
Belgium may had endured a poor World Cup where they were eliminated in the group stage but Courtois had already been one of the architects of Real Madrid’s 14th Champions League triumph.
In the women’s category, the three goalkeepers nominated were Germany’s Ann-Katrin Berger, Mary Earps of England and Chile’s Christiane Endler.
The finalists for the best male and female player awards, as well as the Puskas award for the best goal, will be announced on Friday.
Nominees for best coach will be revealed on Thursday.
The Fifa awards ceremony will take place in Paris on 27 February.
The CEO of Angel Group of Companies Dr Kwaku Oteng is known to have many wives who are Maame Yaa, his first wife, Akua GMB whom he has divorced and Nana Akosua Achiaa Linda who is a former banker and a beautiful woman.
He has said several times that he always wants to have a large and beautiful family hence the reason he has over 23 children.
According to the him, most of the rumours about his life and relationships are untrue, for example; The reports that he fathers over 50 children and has more than 12 wives.
Speaking in an interview with Kwame Adinkra during the 4th-anniversary celebration of Pure FM, Dr Kwaku Oteng disclosed that he has over 23 kids.
According to the Ghanaian millionaire, despite having this large number of children with different women, he makes sure that there’s no preferential treatment.
He stated that he makes sure all his kids get everything they request because God has blessed him enough to finance all their needs.
Dr Kwaku Oteng refused to talk about the number of women who bore him the over 23 kids and insisted their identities remain private.
Family Lawyer for the 32-year-old man who was allegedly killed by police officers at the West Hills Mall has commented on the conduct of the Ghana Police Service regarding the matter.
He says the police is trying to cover up on the case.
According to Francis Xavier-Sosu, who is the Member of Parliament for Madina Constituency, there is clear evidence to show that the police is covering up for the actions of its officers which led to the death of the deceased.
“The incident report and the facts before the coroner’s court clearly shows that the Ghana Police service is cleverly covering up for the unlawful and unprofessional conduct of its officers that has led to the death of the deceased,” his law firm, FX & Associates stated in a statement.
The statement by the lawyers of the deceased family is on the back of a police report which said that Shadrach Arloo died from asphyxiation and obstruction of the airway by a foreign body as established through a post-mortem is inconclusive.
According to a police statement issued on Tuesday, February 7, 2023, to update the public on investigations into the death, doctors who conducted forensic examination of his body retrieved 8 bags of narcotics from the throat of the deceased.
“The pathologist gave the verbal cause of death as Asphyxiation and Obstruction of the airway by a foreign body. He also retrieved from the throat of the deceased, eight (8) zipped bags containing dry leaves suspected to be narcotic drugs tied in a piece of black polythene. The retrieved suspected narcotic substances tested positive for cannabis when submitted for forensic examination, in the presence of all the interested parties,” the police statement added.
Reacting to the police report, lawyer Sosu said the verbal cause of death alone is not sufficient and has thus demanded an expansive investigation into the matter.
He noted that the deceased according to evidence was tortured and manhandled by the arresting officers which contribute to or caused his death.
He cautioned that a failure by the police to expand its investigation will see cause certain actions to be taken including a demand for the resignation or dismissal of the Inspector-General of Police.
Fans of Ghanaian gospel musicians Joe Mettle and Diana Hamilton may need to gear up for something massive from these two powerhouses as they hint at a future collaboration.
Award winners and great talents in their own space, Joe and Diana disclosed on the 3FM Drive on Monday that a joint album is something they are looking forward to.
When asked when to expect the project, Joe Mettle said, “ I’m sure one of these days we will do something. Once we are ready, it will happen. It’s not about how busy (we are).”
It will not be the first time Joe Mettle and Diana Hamilton have joined their voices in unison. Both gospel musicians performed a mashup of their hit songs in 2021 on the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards stage.
They have a cordial relationship and never hesitate to support each other during their headline shows across the country.
On February 19 2023, Diana Hamilton will be hosting the 9th edition of her annual gospel show, Awake Experience, in Accra.
Joe Mettle has a concert to host in Togo this February.
The CEO of Adonko Group Of Companies, Dr Kwaku Oteng has opened up about his wealth for the very first time during the 4th anniversary celebration of his Pure radio station.
Despite his enormous wealth, Dr Kwaku Oteng is very humble and always tries his possible best to hide his fortune from the cameras.
Unlike his colleague millionaires who are known for their flashy lifestyles, Dr Kwaku Oteng lives a very frugal and minimalistic lifestyle and he always cites this to his humble beginnings.
As revealed by the astute businessman and philanthropist during an interview with Kwame Adinkra, he has lost count of the number of cars he owns.
According to Dr Kwaku Oteng, he doesn’t even recognize some of his own cars when he sees them in town because they are so many – Making it very difficult to identify each and every one of them.
He explained that his many cars aren’t only for his personal use only because a huge majority of them are for his businesses (Media, Farm, Real Estate, Food And Beverages, HealthCare etc).
Pressing on with his huge garage of cars, he confessed that the Rolls Royce is his favourite amongst them followed by the Lincoln Navigator.
In the latter part of the interview, the Adonko Company Limited’s owner stressed that he’s not rich as many Ghanaians suspect and it is just by grace that many people see him to be a very wealthy man.
Great Olympics midfielder Frimpong Boateng has rejoined King Faisal on loan.
The midfielder has made a return to his former club after an unimpressive spell with the two-time Ghana Premier League winners.
Boateng joined the Dade boys in August 2021 following an outstanding performance with King Faisal.
Having failed to thrive with Olympics, he has rejoined King Faisal until the end of the season and is expected to play a huge role for Jimmy Cobblah’s side, who keen to survive relegation.
Boateng made only one appearance for Great Olympics, coming off the bench in the 2-2 draw against Bibiani Gold Stars.
He will join the team in training this week ahead of their game against Real Tamale United.
Member of Parliament for Asante Akim North, Andy Appiah-Kubi, wants President Akufo-Addo to heed to their request for the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, to be dismissed from office.
He says it is time for the President to fulfill his promise.
Appiah-Kubi who was the leader of a group of ruling party MPs under the infamous “Ken Must Go” banner, that threatened to withdraw support for government business in parliament if Ofori-Atta remained at post.
A meeting brokered by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) between the MPs and the presidency laid out three conditions after which the sacking of Ofori-Atta will be considered.
Appiah-Kubi told Accra-based TV3 on February 8 that all three conditions have been fulfilled and that the ball was now in the court of the president to stick to his side of the bargain.
“The indications were not exactly the total conclusion of the IMF (programme). The road maps were the passing of the budget, the approval of the appropriation and the conclusion of the first phase of the IMF negotiations which we have reached already because we have reached conclusion at Staff-Level …
“So, for all that happened at negotiations, we have delivered as one party as Members of Parliament and it is up to the president to also deliver as a contracting party.
“As far as I am concerned, all three milestones have been achieved … we have reached our end of the milestone, we expect the president to also do same,” he added.
Ofori-Atta was untouched in a recent ministerial shakeup that saw Akufo-Addo nominate seven persons for ministerial and deputy positions in his government.
President Akufo-Addo, on February 7,2023; nominated Kobina Tahiru Hammond (MP for Adansi Asokwa) as the minister-designate for Trade and Industry and Bryan Acheampong (MP for Abetifi) as the minister-designate for Food and Agriculture.
Other nominations the president made are Stephen Asamoah Boateng, for the Ministry of Chieftaincy; Mohammed Amin Adam as Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Osei Bonsu Amoah as Minister of State for Local Government.
Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, was also appointed a Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry.
Herbert Krapah, previously the deputy trade minister was also moved to the energy ministry with the same rank.
Black Stars goalkeeper, Jojo Wollacott, returned from sustaining an injury on Tuesday, February 7, in Charlton Athletic U21s friendly against Bournemouth.
The shot-stopper started the behind-closed-doors friendly as Charlton claimed a 2-1 victory behind the Cherries.
The 26-year-old has been out of action since November 2022 after suffering a finger injury prior to a league game against Burton Albion.
Wollacott, after being key in Ghana’s qualification to the 2022 FIFA World Cup, missed the showpiece after undergoing surgery.
However, the goalkeeper could soon be in action after returning in goal for Charlton’s U21s in a friendly earlier this week as he continues his recovery.
Speaking after the game, the U21s boss, Danny Senda, said: “Jojo had a really, really calming influence behind the back three. He made really good decisions and that enabled us to take control of the game with his ability to build. He pulled off a really good, point-blank save for us midway through the second half, which was a critical moment in the game.”
It is unknown when Wollacott returns to the first-team squad but following his performance in midweek, he could soon be back for the Addicks.
Member of Parliament (MP) for the Nsawam-Adoagyiri Constituency, Frank Annoh Dompreh, has called out TV3’s Johnnie Hughes over some comments he made concerning President Akufo-Addo and former Senior Minister, Yaw Osafo-Maafo.
In a tweet, posted on February 8, 2023, Johnnie Hughes sought of ridiculed the two aforementioned personalities with an encrypted message. “President Akufo Addo aged 78, with his Senior Advisor aged 82. 78 – 82 sure banker!” he said.
Mr Annor-Dompreh who did not seem content with the message also tweeted; asking Mr Hughes to withdraw his statement.
“My brother Johnnie, you are a good media person; intelligent & critical on issues. You may criticise government policies and decisions but learn to restrain yourself from ‘attacking’ the grey hair of the elderly. It does create a distasteful image about you. Withdraw this!..” Mr Annor-Dompreh said.
My brother Johnnie, you are a good media person; intelligent & critical on issues. You may criticise government policies and decisions but learn to restrain yourself from 'attacking' the grey hair of the elderly. It does create a distasteful image about you. Withdraw this!.. https://t.co/pVFPq5QoyV
The advice has attracted various reactions with a section of the public agreeing with Mr Annor-Dompreh, while others have taken the side of Johnnie Hughes.
Actress cum movie producer, Yvonne Nelson, has shared a cryptic post claiming that some individuals are unhappy with certain details she has revealed.
In a post she shared on Twitter, the actress asked these unidentified individuals to close their eyes and ears to the new revelations she would be making soon if they can’t handle what she had already disclosed.
“I see how my story makes some people uncomfortable…wait. There’s more coming, if you can’t stand it, don’t read it don’t listen to it,” she said on February 7, 2023.
This comes after the actress revealed that Majid Michel was her anchor in 2010 when she was banned by the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG).
She went on to say that when she brought up the idea start producing movies to several of her film industry colleagues but they disregarded her and even tried to talk her out of beginning her own movie company.
“I just wanted to do something on my own, and I remember speaking with a couple of my colleagues (my close friends at the time), and they all said, ‘no it’s a bad idea, Yvonne. Because when you become a producer, no one will call you to be in their movies, so don’t do it.
“And during the ban, they all did not support me oo. It was just Majid. Majid was the one who would follow me, we would go here, go and beg small. So it was just Majid at the time and we were not even that close,” she said.
The late Reggae/Dancehall and Afrobeats star Ebony Reigns‘ father, Nana Opoku-Kwarteng, has eulogised his daughter on her fifth death anniversary saying she will forever be remembered, adored and pampered by family, friends and fans.
Mr Opoku-Kwarteng spoke these words at the ceremony to mark five years since the passing of his daughter born Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng.
At the Osu Cemetary on Wednesday, February 8, 2023, Nana Opoku-Kwarteng addressed a gathering of family and friends including an elderly man who appeared to be of European descent.
He detailed the achievements of his daughter in pride and grief.
“She was a songstress, a very good one at that. She’s made a mark in Ghana,” he began.
“I should say she is the first ever female artiste to have won the most prestigious award on this land of ours, here in Ghana,” he knocked the ground with his fashionable walking stick and with it, pointed to the tombstone of the former Rufftown Records star.
“She was called Priscilla Opoku-Kwarteng. She was once again called Ebony Reigns. She left us five years back today,” he went on and narrated how Ebony lost her life by a road accident on Thursday, February 8, 2018.
“Suddenly, when she was going to see her mom, when mom returned from the United Kingdom, she Ebony was about to travel to Europe to tour musically.
“Unfortunately, indeed she did meet mom, but on her way to Accra,” he stopped, overcome with emotion, and put his cane under his left armpit. “She never survived. She had an accident.” Mr Opoku-Kwarteng’s narration of the his daughter’s passing was truncated by tears.
“Nana Hermaa Ebony. She died gruesomely,” he seemed to regain his composure and knocked the ground repeatedly with his stick to punctuate his words. “I’ve always said that.”
He revealed the purpose for the gathering which included Ebony’s mother and elder sister.
“So we’re here today, five years since she left us to lay wreath and also to have acquaintance, so to speak, with her and say to her that we still love, we still appreciate, we still cherish, we still adore her, and we shall always do because she deserves that,” the grayed man in black’s lips trembled in speech.
“She did well, she made her mark. She put us in the limelight, myself and the family,” he said crying. “Who does that?”
“People might not understand why we celebrate this pretty person, but I have my reasons. If you were to be in my shoes, you’d very much understand who Opoku-Kwarteng is and what he stands for. She’s given me the mark that I so much deserve, and my family. We’re so proud we had her in our family, but suddenly, we lost her,” crying, he pointed to Ebony’s sculpture on the grave. “We miss her, and we shall always miss her.”
“We thank you,” he bowed before the grave. “We thank you, Queen. We appreciate you. We’re here today, your royal majesty, to have acquaintance with you, to have a word with you, to say we appreciate you, and to say we miss you so much,” he hugged himself solemnly.
His family could not hold back their tears behind their sunglasses.
Raising his voice, he barked: “Ohemaa (Queen), rest well. Rest in peace. You made your mark, as young as you [were]. You made a mark. You turned things around. Ghana shall forever and ever celebrate and adore you because you deserve it.
“21 years [only, but] you had gone all over the world. Everybody loved you. Why, because you made your mark.”
He stressed that the deceased music star’s family, friends and fans, “shall forever and ever, adore, cherish and pamper you because you did so well.”
Having said this, Mr Opoku-Kwarteng instructed that someone pray with the congregation at the Osu Cemetary so the commemoration would officially begin.
Nicknamed the 90s Bad Girl, Ebony shot to fame with hits like ‘Poison’ and ‘Kupe’ in 2017.
Two months after she died, she made history at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs). She was crowned the first female artiste to win the ultimate trophy; the Artiste of the Year.
The Ministry of Food and Agriculture (MoFA) has refuted reports that it had a deal with a third party to import a lot of pork from the United States.
The Ministry in a statement explained that, the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) of the ministry rather requested from veterinary medical officers in the USA for certification for meat and poultry healthiness intended to be exported to Ghana.
“MoFA categorically denies the validity of the allegation as it has not signed any such agreement with any party. For clarity, the Veterinary Services Directorate (VSD) of MoFA has on record, a request from Dr. Charmaine McJee, Veterinary Medical Officer, Export Development of FSISUSDA, Washington for Certification for Meat and Poultry Wholesomeness intended to be exported to Ghana which was granted following laboratory analysis of samples”, the statement said.
The statement added that it is an obligation of VSD to render the requested services professionally in accordance with ethics of the Organization of World Animal Health for which Ghana is a Member.
“Rather unfortunately, the VSD legal mandate has been misconstrued. We therefore take this opportunity to assure the general public that, no agreement has been signed between the Ministry and any party for the unbridled importation of pork to flood the Ghanaian market”.
MoFA assured that it will never undermine the efforts and narrow market opportunities of the Ghanaian pig farmer.
Ghanaian Rapper M.anifest is of the view that Hiplife is no longer relevant.
According to the Ghanaian rapper, Hiplife is dead because the young are no more interested in it.
Also, he holds that the gatekeepers failed to evolve with the sound and the times.
Born Kwame Ametepee Tsikata, the rapper said this in a new documentary by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) titled ‘Hiplife Rewind’, posted to their YouTube channel, Monday, February 6, 2023.
“Hiplife is dead because the driving force of the music is the younger people and the younger people do not identify with Hiplife,” he asserted, shifting in his seat and sitting up.
According to the enterpreneur and musician, Hiplife tastemakers contributed to the death of Hiplife also because they were at a point too conversative to recognise and participate in the evolution of music in West Africa.
“The originators of Hiplife were a bit too precious about what it should be so as new versions sonically were happening, you could hear people saying, ‘Oh, this Jama, this Azonto, is watered down, it’s not real’,” he noted, adding that insisting on the “idea of real,” these industry powers failed to identify that: “You have to evolve or perish [and that] is what any music form has to understand.”
“Those who were gatekeeping Hiplife were refusing to acknowledge the evolution and the thing must evolve. The thing must evolve,” he stressed. “For it to survive, the thing must evolve.”
When in the early 90s, rap legend Reggie Rockstone amalgamated American Hiphop with Ghanaian Highlife, together with his friend and business partner the late DJ Rab, he named it Hiplife, the precursor to the current Afrobeats wave sweeping across the world.
The genre birthed Ghanaian megastars like VVIP (formerly VIP), Tic (formerly Tic Tac), Lord Kenya, Kontihene, Obrafour, Okyeame Kwame, M.anifest, M3nsa, Sarkodie, etc.
About GHS 50 million worth of cannabis have been destroyed by the Narcotics Control Commission.
The 50,000 kilos of cannabis were intercepted between the years 2021 and 2023 in the Volta and Eastern Regions.
According to the Commission, an Accra High Court issued a destruction certificate to destroy the cannabis.
Five suspects caught transporting the substances are currently standing trial and a few others are at large as the Police increases effort to locate and arrest them.
The vehicles used to transport the substances have been impounded at the Commission’s headquarters in Accra.
The Commission under normal circumstances would have used an incinerator to destroy the cannabis, but due to the large amount of the drugs, the Commission decided to resort to open air destruction.
According to the Acting Director of Public Affairs and International Relations of NACOC, Francis Opoku Amoah, recreational cannabis continues to be illegal and vowed to go hard on persons cultivating cannabis.
“As you know per our law, when you look at Act 1019 of the Narcotic Control Commission, section 39 down to 42, it talks about the fact that cannabis is illegal and therefore people who engage in it whether they are cultivating it or using it is illegal. And therefore it remains illegal”, he added.
Meanwhile, the Commission has cautioned those smuggling cannabis to desist from such activities since they will be prosecuted if found culpable.
February 8, 2023, is exactly 5 years sinceEbony Reigns, a promising Afro-dancehall artist, died unexpectedly and left music lovers both in Ghana and abroad teary.
Ebony Reigns died in an accident while returning from the Bono Region after visiting some members of her family.
She died alongside her best friend and a military officer named Vondee.
Many Ghanaians are still reeling from the untimely death of the budding musician, who was on the verge of becoming the face of Ghanaian music at the time.
In remembrance of the late diva, the deceased family has held a 5-year anniversary by visiting her tomb at the Osu cemetery.
In a viral video, Ebony’s father Starboy Kwarteng is seen weeping at her grave.
The family man couldn’t make his speech without breaking down in tears.
Kwaw Kese has taken a swipe at Ghanaian rapper, Yaa Pono, following their recent beef.
According to the Agona Swedru-born rapper, his single hit song known as ‘Popping’ which he featured Opanka is bigger than the entire music career of Yaa Pono.
He said “Yaa Pono is circulating my name everywhere that I have not done anything in the music industry but for the popping alone is bigger than Yaa Pono’s entire music career.
He added “Recently I dropped Dondo and that’s one of the biggest songs to come ever out of Ghana yet still they say I have not done anything.
“I’m even shocked and surprised but it’s funny though and I won two awards for releasing the song for the popping,” Kwaw Kese said in a Facebook video seen by MyNewsGh.com’s Amansan Krakye.
He remarked “Yet still he says I have not done anything listen to my Swedru Agona song, Oye Nonsense, Monkey dey work, and other countless hit songs”.
Secretary to the Board of the National Cathedral, Rev. Kusi Boateng, has been called out by North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa for attempting to have him imprisoned.
Mr Ablakwa said he is not a coward and thus cannot be intimidated by “forces of tyranny” from exercising his parliamentary oversight duties.
According to him, if these persons are so mindful of finding victims for their intimidation ploys, then they should look elsewhere and not his backyard.
In a Facebook post on Thursday, February 9, the former deputy Education Minister and Ranking Member of Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee said he is prepared to be a “political prisoner of conscience.”
“A country where parliamentarians carrying out their constitutional oversight mandate become victims of state-sponsored harassment, strange court injunctions and judicial threats of imprisonment even as double identity charlatans are protected and pampered is definitely a nation in the dark abyss.
“Let the cowardly forces of tyranny be told that I am not one to be frightened with imprisonment.
“I am ever ready to be a political prisoner of conscience than to be coerced and compromised into a behind-the-scenes deal with the corrosive enemies of the Republic,” he posted.
Mr Ablakwa thus thanked the ranking and file of the National Democratic Congress for the enormous support given to him to do his parliamentary work.
“I wish to express heartfelt appreciation and profound gratitude for the overwhelming solidarity and words of encouragement I have received since the series of cathedral exposés in the pursuit of my constitutional mandate of oversight, and in the face of the current fascist machinations to use the judiciary and other state institutions to silence and intimidate me.
“I am eternally indebted to the good people of Ghana, my dearest family, former President H.E. John Mahama, the NDC executive led by Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, the NDC Council of Elders chaired by Alhaji Mahama Iddrisu, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, my beloved North Tongu constituents, the rank and file of NDC comrades across the country, Civil Society Organisations, activists, genuine pastors, the media, my dedicated staff, gallant and dependable colleagues of the NDC Caucus in Parliament led by Dr Cassiel Ato Baah Forson.”
Already, the Minority in Parliament has warned that they will strongly oppose any attempts by “undemocratic elements” to use the Judiciary to prevent them from carrying out their mandate.
Any such attempt will be opposed fiercely, they said, insisting their duties enshrined in the Constitution will be performed to the letter.
In a press release issued by the Minority Leader, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson on Wednesday, February 8, the NDC MPs said this will be non-negotiable.
Background
Rev Kusi Boateng, also known as Kwabena Adu Gyamfi, in a contempt summons on Tuesday, February 7, said: “I am informed by my Counsel and verily believe same to be true that this Honourable Court has the power to commit the Respondent to prison for his conduct to protect the whole administration of justice and serve as a deterrent to other persons.”
The process follows claims that the MP kicked a writ being served on him by a court bailiff on Friday, February 3.
The recently nominated KT Hammond, Minister of Trade and Industry, has been characterized as a very complex person by Tamale Central Member of Parliament, Ibrahim Murtala Mohammed. Although Stephen Amoah (Nhyiaeso MP), who has also been chosen as deputy for the same ministry, is a complex individual, Murtala is worried that the Adansi Asokwa MP would have to work with him.
“We should pray they don’t exchange blows, these are two very complex individuals. Very very complex…who are going to work at the same Ministry,” he said on a February 8, 2023 radio programme.
“I know Hon KT Hammond, he is a no-nonsense man, there are certain things he won’t tolerate under any circumstance and I know my good friend, Dr. Sticka, when his name was mentioned, we all rose, we were happy for him,” he added.
His further underlined the importance of the ministry which until last month was headed by Alan Kyerematen.
“That ministry, one of the most important ministry, forget the ministry of finance… everything the government is looking at, expanding the economy, creating jobs, improving the living conditions can all be achieved through that ministry,” he added.
The ministerial shakeup
President Akufo-Addo, on February 7,2023; nominated Kobina Tahiru Hammond (MP for Adansi Asokwa) as the minister-designate for Trade and Industry and Bryan Acheampong (MP for Abetifi) as the minister-designate for Food and Agriculture.
Other nominations the president made are Stephen Asamoah Boateng, for the Ministry of Chieftaincy; Mohammed Amin Adam as Minister of State at the Ministry of Finance and Osei Bonsu Amoah as Minister of State for Local Government.
Stephen Amoah, the Member of Parliament for Nhyiaeso, was also appointed a Deputy Minister-designate for Trade and Industry.
Herbert Krapah, previously the deputy trade minister was also moved to the energy ministry with the same rank.
