So what stories made the list? – But before then, Ghanathings.com would want to extend its sympathy to all those affected by Circle twin disaster which claimed over 150 lives – May their souls Rest In Perfect Peace – AMEN!
Well, let’s start with the sad story that gain international recognition – the story which will forever remain in the minds of Ghanaians.
June 3 Circle Twin Disaster
On that fateful day, the rains wasn’t heavy to scare travellers – but caused floods in the city which have become a regular occurrence.
But little did Ghanaians know there was a tragedy pending – the city was hit with a disaster which has been described as the worst ever.
Dubbed the ‘Circle Twin Disaster’ - a blend of life-threatening floods and an explosion of the Ghana Oil Company (Goil) at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle claimed over 150 lives and left dozens injured and homeless.
The Acid Bath Of Adams Mahama
For the opposition New Patriotic Party [NPP], they wish 2015 goes faster to usher in the New Year – Why? – Even the security personnel at the party’s head office will tell how striving the year has been to the ‘Elephant’.
The troubles within the NPP allegedly led to an unfortunate death of the party’s Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama.
The former chairman was attacked by two assailants – one is believed to be a younger brother of NPP’s embattled chairman, Paul Afoko.
Adams Mahama who was attacked with acid on 20th May passed away on the 21st of May. His death became a major topic for discussion within the political circles – the police are still investigating his death after the arrest Gregory Afoko who is the main suspect.
YFM’s Miss Ada Gang Rape Saga
On Monday, April 13, 2015 obscene pictures went viral of an unknown lady but was later confirmed as a worker of Takoradi based YFM. The news was all over – the newspapers, various news sites, radio and television stations all reported the alleged abduction and gang rape of Miss Adaeze Onyinyechie Ayoka.
Popularly known as Princess Ada in the showbiz industry, she was allegedly kidnapped and raped by five strong guys after which they posted her naked pictures on social media - that led to police investigation.
Later, the police report indicated that the brouhaha about Ada’s kidnap and gang rape was staged in Accra – but the victim denied strongly.
She has since been working at the station after the unfortunate incident.
Yvonne Nelson’s Dumsor Vigil
Oh yes! Even the international media interviewed the award winning actress on her ‘Dumor’ project which her co-organizer Sarkodie was missing on that day.
Ghana’s frustrating power crisis forced Yvonne Nelson and some know celebrities to campaign against the delinquent.
Dubbed hashtag “#dumsormuststop – Yvonne managed to amass over 1,000 people on May 16, 2015 to tramp against the power crisis.
Even though other celebrities were against the campaign – Yvonne Nelson stood on her feet to stage the event which earned her “The Yaa Asantewaa” of our time.
KKD Rape Saga
Well, while other celebrities were fighting for Dumsor to end – others were finding ways to satisfy their libido – but if that was done with the right age mate, then it wouldn’t have been a headline news.
Ace broadcaster, stylish cum businessman, Kwesi Kyei Darkwa known by many as “KKD” spent some time in cells for allegedly raping a minor – he admitted the act but insisted it was “consensual sex”.
Having admitted that what could have been a taboo in the olden days, KKD was arrested on Saturday, December 27, 2014 and spent the Christmas behind bars.
The dishonorable outspoken broadcaster on 13th of January 2015 issued a statement where he asked the public to forgive him for the ridicule and disgrace he had caused to the victim and her family and also to his family.
His apology somehow won him a bail by the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court on humanitarian grounds on January 15, 2015.
However, the victim subsequently communicated her decision to the police and also informed the Attorney General, the Registrar of the High Court and the Chief Justice that she is no more interested in the case.
Thankfully, on Wednesday, April 22, 2015, KKD was discharged by an Accra high court after rape charges against him were dropped - He is now a free man BUT the young ladies are still frightened by his alleged act.
Baby Jets’ Alleged Rape Case
The local cliché says “Men comes from hole and would always want to enter holes” - but some holes can lead to an epoch difficulties, hope you agree?
KKD has learnt his lesson but Ghana’s Black Star’s skipper, Asamoah Gyan did not learn any lesson from KKD’s dilemma.
The most paid Africa footballer also known as Baby Jet - made the headlines with issues not relating to football but rather sodomy case.
A university student, Sarah Kwabla who was purportedly to have been sodomised by Gyan threatened to make public what she describes as a secretly recorded video of sexual intercourse she had with the 7th highest paid player in the world.
Sarah said she secretly recorded the video when the Black Stars captain had sex with her at her apartment in February this year and that she has decided to make it public because her relationship with the footballer is not going on as she had imagined.
She claimed she got pregnant after the intercourse and wanted to be sorted out by Asamoah Gyan – her demands includes, a furnished apartment, a housemaid and a monthly stipend of $1,000 for postnatal care.
The case was later reported at the Odorkor police station in Accra and officials of the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) after her lawyer Maurice Ampaw had run series of interviews to chastised Gyan.
After a careful look at the case by the Attorney General, Gyan was set free with the state attorney ordering that the docket should be closed.
The Trinity: Afriyie Acquah Amanda & Jordan Ayew’s ‘Monkey Saga’
Google Afriyie Acquah’s Amanda – and stories that will pop out are perhaps all undesirable. She is indeed a controversial lady.
Amanda left a known business mogul for Black Stars midfielder, Afriyie Acquah, but the controversy surrounding their marriage deepens when leaked audio reveals that Afriyie is impotent and looks like a ‘Monkey’
Read portion of the audio which you might have it on your phones – “If Afriyie is fertile, wouldn't he have impregnated me by now? Should I bring you cupful of prescribed medications he is taking for three months?” Amanda was heard saying.
As if that is not enough – the audio revealed Amanda had something to do with Black Stars striker, Jordan Ayew and called her husband a ‘Monkey’
"Jordan and I have been good friends since childhood. We were being mocked from childhood and tagged as ‘husband and wife” she said in the audio.
WAEC Exams Leakage
Annual err – much was be said about it but nothing has be done to solve the problem yet innocent children suffers the most.
In June 2015, the West African Examination Council null and void five papers and postponed the writing of two following a countrywide leakage of exams papers.
Whose fault? Not yet known but a statement signed by its deputy director of public affairs, Agnes Teye Cudjoe said WAEC is disappointed in the leakage of the Mathematics, Integrated science, Social Studies and English papers on social media platforms including Facebook and WhatsApp.
Mrs. Charllote Osei Named Ghana’s First Female Electoral Commissioner
Mrs. Charllote Osei made history when she was appointed by President John Mahama in June 2015 as the new EC boss.
She succeeded Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan who oversaw six successful elections – but Mrs. Osei’s appointment was faced with many demands from the New Patriotic Party that she must change the voters' register.
NPP Suspends 3 National Executives
NPP has had a tough time in 2015 – from their headquarters almost turning into a ‘war zone’ to the suspension of some national executives and some serious internal wrangling.
The party’s National Executive Committee [NEC] suspended three national executives from their respective positions for insubordination.
National Chairman, Mr. Paul Afoko was first to be suspended after NEC upheld an overwhelming decision by the Disciplinary Committee to sideline the beleaguered chairman.
The General Secretary of the party, Kwabena Agyapong and Second National Vice Chairman Sammy Crabbe have also been suspended indefinitely.
Alleged ‘Mad Man’ Emerges To Contest Mahama In NDC Primaries
He was described by NDC’s General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia as a mentally disabled person after he emerged to contest the NDC presidential primaries.
The NDC Oyarifa Branch Youth Organizer, George Boateng made headlines in August after he declared his intention to contest President Mahama in the party’s November 7 primaries.
After been tagged as a mad man - Mr. Boateng, proceeded to the psychiatric hospital in Pantang to get his brain checked in a bid to prove his mental fitness.
But was later disqualified on the basis that he picked up wrong forms in his bid to contest the president.
Ghana Police Service Recruitment Scam
In June 2015, another recruitment scam involving a number of young men and women hit the Ghana Police Service.
The prospective recruits carrying their trunks, mattresses and ‘chop’ boxes and holding their appointment letters converged on a house at Amamoley, near Sowutuom in Accra ready to be conveyed to the various police depots in the country for training.
Earlier reports made indicate that about 500 young men and women were given the recruitment letters and asked to report at the training depots last Friday. According to the report, those who showed up were arrested by the police.
This later led to the house arrest of COP Patrick Timbillah, the Director General in charge of Human Resource which the National Security froze all the bank accounts following his alleged involvement in a police recruitment scam.
Judicial Scandal By Anas
For over two months – Anas Aremeyaw Anas and his Tiger Eye Team took over the media with the outstanding investigation.
The award winning investigator exposed a massive bribery scandal in the judicial in September when he teamed up with the Tiger eye to uncover some alleged corrupt judges.
Dubbed – “Ghana In the Eyes of God: Epic of Injustice” - the evidence of his exposé was shown at the Accra International Conference Centre despite an application of interlocutory injunction served the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' property.
Meanwhile, twenty three magistrates shown in the Anas expose' on bribery in the judiciary have been removed from office - Some of them were removed with benefits while others were let go without any benefits.
I Have A Dead Goat Syndrome - Mahama Tells Ghanaians
President John Mahama told Ghanaians he has become impervious to threats of strikes and demonstrations in Ghana and will not yield to any of such threats in the upcoming election year.
Adopting what he calls a "dead-goat syndrome", the President said he would not be hoodwinked by such strategies by workers.
"I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don't think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn't fear the knife because it is dead already.
"I have a dead goat syndrome," he told a Ghanaian population in Botswana.
AMERI Power Deal
It became a song “We wish you AMERI Christmas” – that sound funny but the AMERI deal became a big issue in Ghana.
A Norwegian news website, VG, on December 13, 2015, revealed that Ghana's Power Minister Dr. Kwabena Donkor has signed a deal with a Pakistani Norwegian for the acquisition of ten gas turbines for more than twice the actual cost of the turbines.
The story claims the cost of the gas turbines is around 220 million dollars and not the 510 million dollars Ghana paid.
It also revealed that Umar Farooq Zahoor, the man who posed as the CEO of AMERI is a notorious fraudster wanted by Norwegian and Swiss police for spectacular acts of fraud committed in the last ten years.
However, the Minister of Power, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, in a statement described the report as untruthful.
BRT Bus Branding Saga
The Ministry of Transport in December became the centre of controversy – after the minority leader drew the speaker's attention to an item in the accounts of expenditures made from the petroleum revenues fund by the Ministry of Transport in 2015 which had to do with the amounts spent on branding 116 Metro Mass Transit buses.
Referring to the 2015 Annual Report on the Petroleum Revenues Fund, the Ministry spent GHC31,000 on branding the images of eight former presidents on each Metro Mass Transit bus.
The revelation of the cost of branding the buses led to public outcry with Parliament also asking for further answers on what led to the high cost.
Smartyys Productions and Management a company owned by popular actress Selassie Ibrahim executed the branding of 116 Bus Rapid Transit Buses(BRT) to the tune of GHS 3,649,044.
Selassie who is also the wife of Ibrahim Adam, a former minister of Agriculture under the Rawlings administration has been lambasted for charging such amount.
It later emerged that a pro-forma invoice dated 17th July 2015, and signed by the Accounts Officer of Smarttys Management and Productions and copied to the Ministry of Transport, put the total cost of branding for each bus at Ghc30, 420.00.
The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, has however directed the Attorney General's department ''to review the contract and associated payments''.
This and other matter forced the transport minister, Dzifa Attivo to resign from her post for further investigation.
To end the list of some popular headline stories of 2015 – one hip life artiste name will forever remain on the lips of Ghanaians from 2015 to 2016.
Wisa Shows His Penis On Stage
Indeed it will be a December to remember – after a rising Ghanaian artiste, Wisa Greid, name will surely live on the lips of entertainment critics for years to come.
The budding artiste did the unthinkable when he shocked patrons at the 2015 Decemba2Rememba edition of the concert by removing his manhood during his performance.
His abysmal performance nonetheless, patrons will definitely remember the "Ekiki Mi" singer for stripping and showing what clearly was his p***s live on stage!
In the course of his performance, Wisa who was humping away like there was no tomorrow behind a well-proportioned lady, pulled down his white boxers under his saggy jeans; revealing his manhood and continued with his waist-win.
He is now facing the law for his abnormal behaviour – but thankfully he looks remorseful after the unfortunate incident.
These are some stories that made headlines in 2015 – 2016 which is an election year will probably be flooded with mind-blowing controversial headlines.
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The entire Peacefmonline team wishes you our cherish reader a Flourishing New Year.
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