Hot!
Suspected gay bedridden a year after mob attack
• Hakiku in POP on admission
A-40-year-old Madina-based trader in Accra, Mohammed Hakibu, has been bedridden for nearly a year following his attack by an angry mob on suspicion of being a gay.
Hakibu, who is currently on admission, said that he had not been able to work after the incident. The case was reported to the police at Madina but no arrest has been made as of now.
Narrating the incident to The Spectator, he said he met some friends (who were later rumoured to be part of the LGBTQ group), at an Islamic wedding in February 2021.
He said that in the course of the event, they hugged and held hands together most of the time, heartily chatting and joining in the merry-making.
According to him, he did not know that his own friends and neighbours at the event had read meanings into their show of affection for themselves and drawn had a conclusion that Hakibu (who even had a serious fiancée) was gay and, they launcheda deadly attack on him at home in order to, as they claim, “punish me for being a bad Muslim.”
He claimed he was attacked by an irate group one day and mercilessly beaten thus rendering him unconscious whilst at home with his fiancée — one Rose Diabo.
“They attacked me in my house together with my fiancee and she also sustained head injuries. It was late at night andwe were even asleep when I heard loud bangs on the door; so I went to open it and about 20 fully-armed men, many of whom were my childhood friends, pounced on me without hesitation,” the victim narrated his ordeal in tears.
Surprised by their unwarranted actions, he demanded an explanation as they kept beating him before he got to know that his attackers were accusing him of being gay and having gay friends who hesometimes harboured in his house, which wasan abomination in their community.
He vehemently denied the false charge, but to no avail.
“They used clubs, sticks and cutlasses to attack me and even broke my leg whiles beating me. It was my fiancée who disregarded her pain and called for a vehicle to convey us to the hospital,” Hakibu said.
Now, a-year-and-half on, the visibly injured Hakibu has remained bedridden yet to get back on his feet, having spent all his earnings on medication without any income since he has not opened his petty trading shop at the Madina market, all this while.
“It’s sad the way we handle people we accuse of any crime even before verifying in this country; we are too quick to judge people. Even if being gay was a crime and I was one, what they did to me should never be done to anyone, it was horrible,” the victim lamented.
By Prince Dornu-Leiku
Hot!
GEXIM deepens relations with US EXIM Bank
A management team of the Ghana Export – Import Bank (GEXIM) led by the Acting Chief Executive, Sylvester Mensah met with the leadership of the Export–Import Bank of the United States (US EXIM) on Wednesday April 23, 2025 in Washington DC, United States of America.
The Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM, Mr. James C. Cruse and Vice President, International Relations, Ms. Isabel Galdiz received the GEXIM delegation, which included Deputy CEO for Banking, Mr. Moses Klu Mensah and Head of International Cooperation, Mr. Jonathan Christopher Koney at the headquarters of US EXIM.
The meeting offered the GEXIM team the opportunity to share the strategic direction of the Bank in line with the resetting agenda of the President of the Republic, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama for the repositioning of the Ghanaian economy into an export-led one by providing the requisite investment to Ghanaian businesses.
Mr. James C. Cruse expressed US EXIM’s eagerness to deepen its existing relations with GEXIM and proposed the signing of a new Cooperative Framework Agreement following the expiration of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2019 to utilize US EXIM’s medium term loan guarantees to procure machinery by GEXIM for qualified Ghanaian Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs).
Mr.Sylvester Mensah thanked the Acting President and Chairman of US EXIM for hosting the GEXIM delegation and reaffirmed the Ghanaian government’s commitment to strengthening trade and investment between Ghana and its global partners for economic transformation of Ghana with GEXIM playing a pivotal role.
The two teams will be meeting on the sidelines of the 2025 US EXIM Annual Conference on 29th and April 30, 2025 to explore possible areas of collaboration and matching Ghanaian businesses to American companies. The meeting ended with an exchange of gifts.
Hot!
Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation –Pres.Mahama
President John Dramani Mahama has expressed concern over the misuse of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) for personal financial gain by individuals in leadership positions.
Speaking during a meeting with Chief Executives of specified entities under the State Interest and Governance Authority (SIGA) on Thursday, March 13, the President directly attributed the dire state of SOEs to their leadership, accusing chief executives, management teams, and governing boards of prioritising personal enrichment over organisational efficiency.
He pointed to bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures as factors draining public funds while SOEs continue to rely on government bailouts.
“Many SOEs have been used as mere instruments for personal wealth accumulation by appointees. The chief executives, management, and boards of these enterprises are responsible for this situation. Some SOEs have become perennial loss-makers, draining public funds with bloated budgets, unjustified allowances, and unnecessary expenditures while relying on government bailouts as if entitled to them. Many of these entities are at their lowest point in the entire history of the Fourth Republic,” he said.
President Mahama further noted that many SOEs have been plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and mismanagement, leading to consistent financial losses. He cited the 2023 State Ownership Report by the State Interests and Governance Authority (SIGA), which highlighted systemic inefficiencies and wasteful expenditures within these entities.
He therefore reaffirmed his commitment to reforming under-performing SOEs and ensuring they serve national interests.
He warned that loss-making SOEs will no longer be tolerated and will either be merged, privatised, or closed.
“I will assess you based on your performance. If you do not align with the pace of the reset agenda, you may be asked to step aside. If that adds to the horror movie, so be it,” he added.
Source: Myjoyonline.com
