The Board, The Broke & The Benched

So, what’s in the bag today?

• National: The National Cathedral board just got benched turns out heaven help those who manage funds, not mismanage them.

• National: Turns out, many education authorities are more interested in building shiny classrooms than ensuring kids can pee in peace.

• Crime: A whole Gyaasehene of Gyadam, Nana Mireku Asare Bediako III, caught in galamsey 4K.

• Crime: Imagine chilling at your regular weed ghetto in Swedru, plotting life and rolling one, when out of nowhere the police pull up like “This your HQ? Say less.” Boom. Fire.

• Crime: Mustapha in the Mud? Lawyer says it’s all smoke, no fire.

• Fact of the Day: Viagra can make flowers stay erect, too.

• National: Accra just got picked to be the first global city to host a Transatlantic Slave Trade memorial. Like, the first.

• Crime: I Want a New Lawyer”: NSB Accused Mildred Donkor Publicly Dumps Atta Akyea.

QUICK BYTE

• You ever start building something because you swore God told you, but halfway through, it’s just you, your contractor, and 97 million dollars missing in action? Well, President Mahama just officially dissolved the Secretariat National Cathedral and is coming for the Board of Trustees too, after Deloitte dropped a bombshell audit exposing vibes and inshallah accounting; unsupported spending, contracts playing hide-and-seek, and $39 million still chilling somewhere while the site looks like a paused game of Minecraft. Read more

• A whole Gyaasehene of Gyadam, Nana Mireku Asare Bediako III, plus two 17-year-olds and seven others, were dragged to the Koforidua High Court for allegedly mining without a licence at Akyem Gyadam, near Oda. Plot twist? The chief isn’t just an innocent bystander, he's being accused of giving the green light for the illegal operation in the first place. Get the full deets in the Deep Dive section.

• Have you ever played musical chairs with charges? That’s what Dr. Mustapha Abdul-Hamid’s legal team says is happening. First, the Special Prosecutor said he embezzled GH¢1.3 billion. Then they switched to procurement wahala. Now? They’re saying he extorted GH¢280 million and personally took GH¢24 million from oil marketing companies and fuel transporters while at the NPA. But his lawyer Joseph Kpemka (yes, former Deputy Attorney General) says this is all vibes and confusion. That the prosecution can't actually back anything with receipts. In fact, they're so confident, they’re walking into court on July 23 like “try us.” Read more

• The 2020 law says there should be one toilet per 50 students. But guess what? 60% of schools aren’t meeting that. WASH targets set for 2020 were missed badly. Yup. According to a new Auditor-General report, only 2 in 5 schools have toilet or urinal facilities with running water. Tamale Islamic Science SHS has over 4,000 students sharing just one KVIP with two holes. And at Kumasi’s State Experimental 1 M/A, 169 kids take turns on a single loo. Read more

• So Swedru Police woke up one day and said, “Today, we’re the fire service.” Ten (yes, TEN) wee ghettos got lit and not in the way you think. It wasn’t your fave dancehall track or an Afrobeats banger; it was straight-up flame-thrower energy as they torched entire weed spots. Apparently, they were on Operation Burn All Ghettos. (No cap, that’s the actual name.) By the end, four suspects three guys and a lady were arrested. And ASP Vida Yenkey, the squad lead, was basically like, “You people should help us o, the fight is long, and some chiefs are doing pass-back.” Read more

• So boom! Accra just got picked to be the first global city to host a Transatlantic Slave Trade memorial. Like, the first. This announcement dropped when Mayor of London, Sir Sadiq Khan, touched down in Accra, rolled up to the triangle outside City Hall (PWD), and basically said, “Let’s turn pain into purpose.” We love a poetic king. Plans are already in the works: electric buses are bussing into Accra from London soon, and there’s talk of turning Accra into a 24-hour economy like London’s. Read more

• Drama in courtroom 5 as Mildred Donkor, one of the accused in the NSB GH¢49 million wahala, basically told NPP’s legal bigwig, Samuel Atta Akyea: “Thanks, but no thanks.” Sis said in open court that she doesn’t want him repping her. At all. Not now, not later. This was in the middle of a case that’s already hotter than kelewele on a Friday night involving her, her husband (ex-NSB boss Kwabena Adu-Boahene), and a stolen GH¢49 million according to the Attorney General. So now, while Mr Atta Akyea is defending the whole squad, Mrs Donkor wants out of the group chat and her own lawyer. Read more

DEEP DIVE

Caught in 4K

The squad, minors included were nabbed by the Akyem Oda Police after a tip-off. Seven water pumps, gallons of diesel, pickaxes and shovels were seized. All ten have been granted bail but will be back in court on July 31. Stay tuned for Part 2.

Meanwhile, two grown men in the Western Central Region decided to cosplay as Gold Board Taskforce agents to scam unsuspecting gold dealers. Their names? Foster Delord (40) and Prince Worvi (38). Their vibe? Fake military uniforms, pepper spray, shock devices, and vibes of extortion.

They managed to collect GH₵500 before the police caught on and arrested them. Both are now cooling off in remand as investigations continue. Read more

CHECK OUT WHAT’S TRENDING

• Asiedu Nketiah calls out Sam George

• National Cathedral audit

NEWS SOURCES

Today’s stories are curated from:

1. www.myjoyonline.com

2. www.ghanaweb.com

3. www.citinewsroom.com

4. www.norvanreports.com

5. Channel1news