Police in Nigeria’s Abia State have arrested a pastor to assist in investigating the death of a female evangelist whose naked lifeless body was found in the hotel room they both had checked in. Reports say 43-year-old Happiness Echieze and Pastor Timothy Otu of the Agape Evangelical Ministry located at the Obikabia Junction, lodged in a hotel in Ovom village on August 12, 2023, around 9:23 pm. However, around midnight, the lady's lifeless, naked body was found in the room, and the pastor was nowhere to be seen. Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Maureen Chioma Chinaka of the Abia Police Command said in a statement that one Godwin Akpan who lives at Jubilee Guest House in Ovom village, Obingwa LGA, reported an incident to the Isialangwa Police Division. “A clergyman named Timothy Otu associated with Agape Evangelical Ministry at Obikabia Junction in Obingwa LGA, checked into the guest house along with a woman named Happiness Echieze from Isialangwa LGA, Abia State. Happiness Echieze was 43 years of age." “Further details provided by Mr Akpan indicated that on the same date, around midnight, he entered the hotel room of the aforementioned clergyman and discovered the lifeless body of Happiness Echieze. She was found unclothed, and a white substance was emanating from her mouth and nose. Regrettably, the clergyman was absent from the scene,” the statement reads. The deceased's body has been moved from the scene and is now at the SDA Mortuary in Aba where an autopsy will be performed. Additionally, the case has been referred to the State CID for investigations and the suspect in this instance was captured. Credit: Pulse GH

A flagbearer aspirant of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia has implored delegates to vote for him to lead the party and subsequently win the presidential elections in 2024. He said he has contributed so much to the development of Ghana and needs to be voted for to lead NPP adding that he has offered himself for the transformation of the country. Addressing delegates and party faithful in Donkorkrom, Afram Plains North constituency over the weekend, Dr. Bawumia said: "I am always driven by public service, not the desire for personal gains. "It is the reason I am offering myself, first to be elected flagbearer of our party, and then I can offer myself to the people of Ghana so that I can continue to contribute towards the transformation of our country." As Vice President, Dr. Bawumia said he has done so much for Ghana. "I have not been president, but as Vice President, I have worked so hard and contributed significantly to the development of our country through landmark policies I have initiated and spearheaded," he added. Some of those policies include One Constituency-One Ambulance, Agenda 111, Digital Addressing System, digitisation of the ports, Passport offices, DVLA, as well as setting up of the ghana.gov payment platform, implementation of the money interoperability system and the e-Pharmacy platform. In the competition to lead the NPP into the 2024 elections, Dr. Bawumia will face contenders including Alan Kyerematen, Kennedy Agyapong, Francis Addai-Nimoh, Kofi Konadu Apraku, and others. Credit: Pulse GH

The dream of motor riders, or okada riders as they are most popularly known who thought of having a sigh of relief with the introduction of a new initiative to replace their bikes with small and efficient cars may not come true. The cars procured by the NPP government to support the youth in the country remain parked and are currently in a devastating state due to rusting. The launch of the CODA Drive, an initiative by the Coastal Development Authority to replace motorbikes with cost-effective cars while keeping the riders safe on the roads currently has 200 cars available to be distributed. The first batch of beneficiaries will pay GH¢25,000 for the cars and expected to pay up to GH¢41 only each day to offset the cost. CODA cars A member of the communication team of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Prince Henry, has said the government rushed and spent GH¢85 million on the mini-cars but left them to rot away. He said the cars are rusting. Prior to the 2020 general elections, Vice President, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia disclosed that the NPP government will never legalize Okada in the country. He said the decision is a very difficult one to take but it is in the best interest of Ghana. Dr. Bawumia said the okada business is too risky and the government is looking to create a credit society that can help the owners purchase cars. Speaking at the joint launch of a strategic collaboration of Volkswagon & Blackivy to launch Volkswagon's newly assembled cars in Ghana, Dr. Bawumia stated that the NPP government will stick to its decision to provide a better alternative for the Okada riders. Credit: Pulse GH

Famous Ghanaian highlife musician and producer, Rex Omar, has shared that he had difficulties with his church community because they didn't support his music dreams. He revealed that he even stopped attending church when they didn't help him financially to record a song that later became a hit. Speaking on the Asaase Breakfast Show on August 16, 2023, Rex Omar mentioned that he faced challenges when he wanted to pursue music. His dad was skeptical about it as he thought musicians were poor back then. Rex Omar recalled, "I used to be involved with the church a lot. We would go for prayers at Atwea Mountain and all that. So, one day I asked my pastor if the church could help fund my recording because I wanted to go to the studio. But the pastor told me that the church board couldn't provide the funds. That was the moment I decided to stop going to church." He continued, "I found someone outside the church who was willing to support my recording. Surprisingly, that recording, which was a gospel song, became a big hit." Rex Omar emphasized that even though he doesn't attend church, he still maintains a strong connection with his spirituality. Credit: Pulse GH

Chairman of the Club Licensing Board, Dr. Kwame Baah-Nuakoh, has said the Ghana Football Association (GFA) is not responsible for the bad state of pitches in the country. According to him, the ultimate responsibility lies with the clubs, who are at liberty to decide which ground hosts their games. Pitches across the country that host matches in the Ghana Premier League and other lower-tier divisions have come under the spotlight in recent years. While a few of them are decent enough, the majority have been left in deplorable states, which makes it difficult for free-flowing football. “When it comes to pitches, it’s all about investment. The GFA is not responsible for the pitches, it’s the clubs,” Baah-Nuakoh said. “The clubs are responsible for deciding which pitch they want to move [to]. Over the years, the Club Licensing Board has been trying to encourage clubs to maintain and improve [pitches]. “You cannot tell me that there is a venue in the Premier League which has not seen any improvement since club licensing [started]. It might not be up to the standard that you see in Morocco. There is not a single venue in Ghana that has not seen any changes.” Meanwhile, the GFA has released the fixture list for the upcoming 2023/24 Ghana Premier League season. Champions Medeama SC will kickstart their title defence with a tricky test at home against Accra Lions, while runners-up Aduana FC will face FC Samartex away. Asante Kotoko will also host newly-promoted side Heart of Lions at the Baba Yara Stadium on the opening day of the season. Their rivals, Hearts of Oak, are also set to travel to Tamale as guests of Real Tamale United (RTU), in what promises to be an exciting season opener. Meanwhile, the biggest fixture on the land – the Super Clash between Hearts and Kotoko – will take place on matchday 14. The Phobians will host the first Super Clash at the Accra Sports Stadium, with the return fixture scheduled for matchday 31 in Kumasi. In all, 306 matches will be played across the various league centres as 17 other teams aim to dethrone champions Medeama. Credit: Pulse GH

Gifted professional master of ceremonies, Jerry Adjorlolo has said that the Director of Communications during the John Mahama presidency, Stan Dogbey has taught him quite a lot he knows in protocol. In an interview with Giovanni Caleb and AJ Sarpong on 3FM, the presidential MC indicated that Stan Dogbey is a teacher to him and played a huge role in all the knowledge he has in the field of event protocol. “Stan Dogbey is my teacher. He is the one that got me interested in these presidential gigs. He gave me my first opportunity. I met him at the Tomato plant at Tema on August 5, 2015, when President Mahama was in power. "After the program, he took my card. A week later, the president was presenting an award to 7 people. He asked me to come do it. Stan taught me a lot of the things I know in protocol. A lot of thanks to all he has done,” he shared. "When asked how he handles comments from people who say he is a particular political party bias, the content creator and moderator stated that all he does is present his client in an appealing way." "For him, this is a job and definitely, someone would have to take it up so he tries to remain neutral." “I did not set out to do this. It’s a job that somebody must do. I understood this quite early. I am just like a lawyer; I am there to present my client, not defend them. I will present my client in the most interesting, beautiful and presentable way. What he or they decide to make of that presentation is their own thing,” he pointed out. He continued, “I served under President Mahama. I gave him my all. When NPP came, I told myself that it’s a job I do and because I didn’t go on any political bandwagon, I just continued my job like that. Yes, I have biases and leanings but it is not reflective… I try my best to ensure that I stay on that straight line.” A gifted professional master of ceremonies and storyteller, Adjorlolo has hosted a wide range of state, diplomatic, corporate, and social events in Ghana since his debut in 2014. He is highly esteemed as a preferred host for high-level social events, including for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, former presidents, and the diplomatic community. Credit: 3news.com

Dutch Coach, Martin Koopman has taken the reins as the head coach for Hearts of Oak in the upcoming season. This decision follows a recommendation from fellow Dutchman Rene Hiddink, who recently assumed the role of technical director in July. He was introduced to the players on Thursday at their pre-season training camp in Pobiman. The players welcomed him warmly, and Koopman expressed his commitment to instilling a new mindset and fostering a positive attitude. His goal is to rekindle the club’s former glory days. Koopman takes over for Serbian coach Slavko Matic, who replaced underperforming Samuel Boadu early last season, but Matic’s tenure was cut short by angry fans, forcing the Phobians to finish the season under the interim leadership of David Ocloo. Armed with extensive experience, the 67-year-old Koopman is poised to rejuvenate the performance of the former Ghanaian champions. As the new season approaches, the team is anticipated to emerge with renewed determination to vie for the title. Koopman boasts an impressive coaching portfolio that includes overseeing teams like RKC Waalwijk and Al-Nassr. The forthcoming 2023/24 Ghana Premier League opener holds immense significance as Koopman leads Hearts of Oak into their first competitive match against Real Tamale United. Credit: 3news.com

FIFA President, Gianni Infantino says women who “pick the right fights” can “convince us men what we have to do” to bring progress in women’s football. The month-long Women’s World Cup concludes on Sunday when England face Spain in the final at Stadium Australia in Sydney. Speaking in Sydney, Infantino said women must “push the door” to equality. “With men, with Fifa, you will find open doors. Just push the doors,” he added. Despite record crowds in Australia and New Zealand, there remains a huge discrepancy in prize money between the men’s and women’s World Cups. The record prize money of $110m (£86.1m) for this tournament announced by Fifa before the tournament remains some way short of the $440m (£346m) prize money on offer to teams at last year’s men’s finals in Qatar. “Equal pay in the World Cup? We are going in that direction already,” said Infantino. “But that would not solve anything. It might be a symbol but it would not solve anything, because it’s one month every four years and it’s a few players out of the thousands and thousands of players. “We need to keep the momentum.” He added: “And I say to all the women – and you know I have four daughters, so I have a few at home – that you have the power to change. Pick the right battles. Pick the right fights. “You have the power to convince us men what we have to do and what we don’t have to do. You do it. Just do it.” ‘Fifa was right’ Infantino said the success of the Women’s World Cup had silenced critics who questioned expanding the tournament to 32 nations. Concerns were raised that increasing the number of teams from 24 would lead to more one-sided games in Australia and New Zealand. However, Nigeria, South Africa, Jamaica and Morocco – nations ranked no higher than 40th in the world – advanced past the group stage. “Fifa was right,” added Infantino. “We invested one billion US dollars in developing the game all over the world and the women’s game was specifically targeted,” he added. “We did that in spite of Covid, which impacted us all. Women’s football remained alive even in the most difficult of times. We decided to increase the number of teams at the World Cup to 32" “I remember when we decided to do [it] that the usual critics, which are less and less, were saying it’s not going to work and the level is too different." “[They said] there would be 15-0 scores, and it will be bad for women’s football" “As it happens quite often in the last years, Fifa was right once more. We had eight debutants. We had many countries around the world who thought suddenly they had a chance to participate.” With two matches still to play, including Saturday’s third-place play-off between Sweden and Australia the World Cup has been watched by a tournament record 1.85m fans inside stadiums. “This World Cup generated over $570m (£447m) in revenues, and so we broke even,” said Infantino. “We didn’t lose any money and we generated the second highest income of any sport, besides of course the men’s World Cup, at a global stage.” Source: BBC

Former Arsenal, Everton, and Southampton winger Theo Walcott, 34, has announced his retirement from professional football after a 23-year career, during which he made 397 Premier League appearances. Speaking on The Overlap podcast with Gary Neville, Walcott revealed that the decision is “scary,” but he’s eager to explore new opportunities: “I want to try new things I never experienced as a kid – I missed out on a lot.” Walcott, who shot to fame as a 17-year-old in England’s 2006 World Cup squad, expressed his desire to step away from football-centric life: “I just feel like I want to experience life – things [usually] revolve around football for me.” During his time at Arsenal, Walcott secured three FA Cups and two Community Shields. He made 47 appearances for England, scoring eight goals across a decade-long international career. Despite receiving offers from different clubs, including abroad and some from the Championship, Walcott explained his decision to retire: “Nothing against the money or the league but if my heart isn’t into playing football it’s not fair on the clubs, not fair on me.” Walcott began his journey with Southampton in 2000, moving on to Arsenal in 2006 after a brief stint at Swindon Town. His career also included a £20 million deal to Everton in 2019, followed by a return to Southampton two years later. Credit: 3news.com

The Aspiring Parliamentary Candidate Abuakwa North, Palgrave Boakye Danquah has stated that his aim to represent the good people of Abuakwa North is to serve and develop the area. According to him, the people of Abuakwa North want a new person to lead them in the 2024 election who will bring them development. “Old Tafo, New Tafo, Osiem, Kukretumi, Etukrom, Nogbe, Eti, Nwiniteen, and the real goal is to look at young people and how we can be able to help young people. I’ve lived in the constituency, engaging with the young people, and there’s huge unemployment even on the National scale. But if we’re able to centralize some economic activities in the constituency, I think that it’ll spare the lives of the young people who are involved in high levels of addiction" “So my goal is to represent my people, my goal is to serve my people, my goal is to develop the people, human capital both physically and spiritually as well. My goal is to ensure that a lot more infrastructural work and revenue is raised within the constituency. Since I’ve been there I’ve been doing some boreholes for the constituents,” Mr. Boakye Danquah said on Morning Starr with Francis Abban. He continued: “My goal is to build a clinic, to build a school to do a lot more activities within the constituency and some of the things I’m doing is not even coming from resource that I have personally because you know when you serve as a missionary you have served a lot of people, my friends in U.S my friends in UK, people in the Middle East, all around the World.” The government spokesperson on security said just last week a mission team came from the U.S and are stationed in the constituency to bring human transformation into the life of the people. “Nine is a very good number because Starr is celebrating 9-years and so 2025 is going to be the 9th Parliament. I’m in no doubt in my mind that the 524 delegates will make a constructive decision that would impact their whole future.” According to him, it is important that the people of the area pick someone who is with them and understands the contemporary young people and “can be able to last longer in governance to bring the necessary change and the impact they deserve.” “That’s my home, principally and the people know me and some have been impacted by my grandparents, impacted by my uncles, impacted by my own family" "Some even recount stories of how I resemble even my immediate uncle J.B Danquah Adu, how I speak like him, how I’m humorous, how I laugh and then it brings very sad memories into their mind" "And I’ve promised them I’m going to continue the good work of J.B Danquah Adu" “I’ve promised them as well that I’m a servant leader and people who know me will give credit to that. I’m not a selfish person. I’ve never sought to be materialistic at all" "Whatever, I have a very eternal perspective in my mind. I believe very certainly that you cannot need a lot of things. I think that your greatest legacy is a good name. I mean a good name, the Bible tells us that a good name is better than riches,” the Parliamentary candidate hopeful stated. Mr. Boakye Danquah stated that one can amass all of the world but people will forget about you, “but I do not want to amass all the world for people to forget about me.” Credit: Starrfm

After several years of service to one's nation , one would expect to retire to a safe, comfortable and secured rest with less stress. Unfortunately, this is not the situation of a 91 year old retired former senior bank employee. A private developer, Koala Shopping Center which has chosen to locate in a Zone'A' residential enclave of East Cantonments in Accra is impeding the privacy and safety of a celebrated nonagenarian banking retiree with impunity from city authorities and without remorse or recourse to remedy. Mr. Dougan, the 91 year old retired banker who is the brain behind introducing Rural Banking into Ghana, has been enjoying a peaceful rest in East Cantoments since 1967 until the developer moved next door 2 years ago. According to Ms Dougan, the daughter of the retired banker, constant flooding and damage to the wall, caused by land filling by the developer and rendered the wall weak that collapsed twice, and after a heavy rainfall which trapped the elderly man indoors for days. The existing customer parking also posing a high risk and making unsafe to the family should a car crash through the wall. The daughter also spoke about the loss of privacy for her aged father due to the wall. Under the Ministry of Environment Science and Technology, Town and Country Planning Department Zoning Guidelines and Planning Standards of November, 2011, areas of residence zoned as Residential Zone 'A' (ReA), 'B' (ReB) and 'C' (ReC), are forbidden to have industrial or commercial structures such as large supermarket or shopping malls as being developed by Koala Shopping Center in East Cantonments presently. In addition to the supermarket and retail shops, it appears permission has also been given for construction of restaurant on the same site. Ms Dougan also laments the various letters and visits to the Ladadekotopon Municipal Assembly (LadMA) to draw attention and seek redress for the situation that has yielded no resolution. Efforts by news reporters to reach the MP for La Dadekotopon, Honourable Rita Naa Adoley Sowah who initially visited the house and pledged to help resolve the issue also awaits reply or action. Agents and management of the developer are also tight lipped on the issue even though very little attempt has been made to improve the privacy of Mr Dougan after the press was brought into the matter. More to follow soon..... Story by: John Awuni

The Electoral Commission (EC) intends to embark on a limited registration exercise starting from the 12th of September 2023 to the 2nd of October 2023, ahead of the District Assembly Elections. For whatever reason, the EC has decided not to do it at the Electoral Areas, but at the District Offices. This implies that to have your name in the voters register, you must not just have your passport or Ghana card, you must bus yourself to the district capital where the district offices of the EC are located. In case you don't have any of the two documents, you must be sound financially to bus two other family members to the district capital to vouch for you. For the past 2 years, no registration exercise has taken place - as such we are talking about our children and siblings who have attained the ages of 18, 19, and 20 years. Only God can tell why this EC wants to engage in voter suppression by frustrating as many people as possible. It looks like all Nana Addo's appointees don't want peace. He appoints people who enjoy problems. People who can not think for themselves or have questionable intentions. This decision is bad, and we must protest against it. Before that, let us put in place all efforts and preparation, however difficult they will be. I have started imagining the long queues and the problems that come with it. It is a hurdle we must cross, and we will cross it successfully, Insha Allah !!! Very soon, this cup will be lifted off our heads. Better days ahead. KUN FA YAKUN Credit: Godwin Ako Gunn, Deputy National Communications Officer, National Democratic Congress NOTE: Views expressed are solely that of the writer. Thinknewsonline.com cannot be held liable or sued for defamation.