How a nation turned its back on its golden athlete, Martha!
When she was thrown into the fierce, highly combative 800m race of the 2014 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing-Jiangsu, China, only a handful may have given her any chance of upsetting the apple-cart.
At best, the barely 17-year-old girl – Martha Bissah, was expected to garner some experience – good enough to gird her loins stronger for the challenges ahead.
Wrong! We got it all wrong! Perhaps, it was Martha alone who believed in herself – and knew what she could offer the world.
As fate may have it, the young dazzling athlete, who had earlier won a bronze medal at the 2014 African Youth Games, blew the world apart in the 800m event by swatting aside formidable competition from Ethiopia and Germany.
It was a golden Himalayan moment as the Ghanaian was celebrated worldwide with her performance attracting rave reviews in the world’s media. Indeed, she was touching the sky, unpredictably, after recording a personal best, a new national record of 2:04.90 – and most importantly the nation’s first Olympic gold medallist at any international event.
In appreciation of Martha’s sterling effort, President of the day John Mahama invited the golden girl to the Jubilee House (seat of government) and presented her a cash award of GH¢10,000, received by the Ghana Athletics Association (GAA) boss – Professor Francis Dodoo.
It was a huge joy to the athlete, mum, family and her coach Sergeant Isaac Lamptey.
But, desolately, that joy was later to evaporate into a thin air of pain, agony, frustration and betrayal as Martha was later astonishingly splashed with an indefinite suspensionfor allegedly impugning some members of the Association’s executives with bribery.
It was alleged that the Professor Dodoo-led athletic body had demanded to have a portion of Martha’s cash.
Though she initially vehemently rejected making any claim for fear of victimization, the now 23-year-old swashbuckling athlete now says she stands by her earlier story. Martha may have had enough of the GAA bluff.
“I want to be remembered as the young girl who spoke the truth – not lies,” she remarked in a recent interview.
Truth is that we have not been fair to the athlete who has brought the country honour and fame. The poor girl has remained ‘on ice’ for six years – six years of heart-rending torture – and nobody cares? Nobody ready to mediate and find a lasting panacea to this imbroglio!
Passionate appeals to the former Minister for Youth and Sports, Mr Isaac Kwame Asiamah – and other big shots to intervene in the matter, and have her suspension reversed, have all fallen on stony ground.
Ideally, the Dodoo administration should have put together an independent committee to investigate the alleged claim by Martha Bissah, instead of unprofessionally acting as judge, jury and ‘slayer.’
What kind of crime has she committed that should attract this ruthless penalty? Is her offence drug-related? If we are serious as a country ready to develop sports, this matter should have been resolved long ago and put to rest.
It is refreshing to hear that an individual has now taken the matter to World Athletics (international governing body for the sport of athletics) and the Court for Arbitration in Sports, to conduct a snake-pit inquisition into it and come out with a verdict.
This step should have been taken long ago to salvage the girl’s future.
On this note, huge credit must be given to the former chairman of the GAA, George Haldane Lutterodt, and ex-national athlete Kwaku Nimako, Martha Bissah who assisted Martha to gain full scholarship worth $32,000 to study at the Norfolk State University (NSU) in Virginia USA, in August 2016.
The divine intervention came at a time the athlete was contemplating taking an early shower from the sport. As we speak today, Martha last December successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the NSU.
In the course of her academic pursuits, too, the 800m and middle distance star established herself as an outstanding athlete for the Spartans (NSU athletics team).
Matter-of-fact, Martha became the first known Spartan to win three straight NSU Female Athlete of the Year awards in 2019; clinched a three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference cross country champion, as well as setting indoor and outdoor records over 800 metres, 1,500m, 3,000m and 5,000m.
Martha has made another fervid appeal to the Ghana Olympic Committee (GOC), led by Ben Nunoo Mensah and the current Youth and Sports Minister, Mustapha Ussif, to intervene in her case.
Let us see what becomes of it, too. The torture must end – for the golden girl cannot wait to compete for Ghana again.
CAPTION:
Martha Bissah – Can’t wait to compete for Ghana
The Volta North Regional Police Command has secured a conviction of a 27 year old man Mohammed Rafiu for making unlawful entry and stealing church musical instruments at Hohoe in the Volta Region.
On June 5, 2026 the accused was observed near the Faith International Ministry Church carrying a sack containing various items rushing to hail a car.
The witnesses suspected his action and approached to check the content in the sack. The following items were found, One (1) Amplifier, One (1) equalizer, One (1) mixer and
Cross-over Machine all belonging to the church.
The accused was arrested and brought to the Hohoe Police District where he admitted to police to the charges leveled against him.
On Monday June 8, 2026 the accused was put before the Hohoe circuit cout where he pleaded guilty on two counts and was convicted and sentenced to three (3) years for unlawful entry and four (4) years of stealing.
Both sentences are to run concurrently.
The Volta North Regional Police Command has urged the general public to immediately report any suspected criminal activities to the Police for action.
News
Dome-Kwabenya MP, Ga East MCE tour flood-prone areas in the constituency, assure victims of support
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Dome-Kwabenya, Elikplim Akurugu, together with the Municipal Chief Executive for the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Edmund Agboh, and officials of the assembly, have toured several flood-prone communities in the constituency to identify the causes of recent flooding and inspect structures obstructing waterways.
The inspection made on the Monday, 8th June, 2026 formed part of efforts to assess the extent of the flooding, identify structures built on waterways, and develop plans for their demolition to prevent future occurrences.
Some areas visited during the tour included Christian Village, Sesemi, Abokobi Station, Falaku and the Pure Water area, all of which were affected by the recent floods that hit parts of the constituency.
Speaking to the media after the inspection, the MP expressed sadness over the destruction caused by the floods, noting that although no lives were lost, many residents had suffered significant property damage.
She attributed much of the flooding to human activities such as indiscriminate dumping of refuse into drains and the construction of buildings on waterways and drainage channels.
The MP appealed to residents to change their attitudes towards sanitation and environmental management, stressing that the country did not have a deficit of prayers but rather an attitude deficit.
She assured residents that the assembly and its technical team would immediately begin work to address some of the drainage challenges identified during the tour.
Ms. Akurugu sympathised with residents whose homes and businesses were affected by the floods and assured them that efforts were being made to secure relief items to support them.
The Municipal Chief Executive of the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Edmund Agboh, said the inspection was intended to take stock of the causes of the recent flooding, which he described as unprecedented.
According to him, the assembly wants to be proactive by identifying and addressing the factors responsible for the flooding before the next rainy season.
Mr. Agboh blamed part of the problem on the increasing number of structures being erected on waterways and drainage paths, as well as the failure of some residents to comply with building regulations.
He disclosed that many of the structures identified during the inspection would be marked for demolition after the necessary procedures had been completed.
The MCE further announced plans to intensify inspections, particularly on weekends, explaining that some developers often undertake unauthorised construction works on Saturdays and Sundays when assembly officials are not at work.
He said the assembly would collaborate with neighbouring jurisdictions and deploy additional resources to improve drainage systems and reduce flooding in the municipality.
The MCE assured that the assembly will use the findings from the inspection to implement immediate and long-term measures aimed at reducing flooding and protecting lives and property in Dome-Kwabenya.
The Director of Works at the Ga East Municipal Assembly, Engineer Justine Glover, said the team inspected several critical locations along the Dakobi River and other flood-prone areas.
He explained that at Pantang Village, officials directed contractors to excavate and open blocked culvert outlets to allow the free flow of water during rainfall.
At Sesemi, he said the team observed extensive damage caused by upstream developments and the absence of proper drainage infrastructure.
Engineer Glover added that officials recommended dredging drainage channels at Abokobi Station to improve the performance of existing culverts.
He further revealed that some structures identified on waterways at Falaku had been earmarked for demolition as part of efforts to restore the natural flow of water.
In addition to the inspection, the MP and the MCE visited residents affected by the floods in the Pure Water area to offer words of encouragement and assure them of support.
The tour also revealed that many residents had constructed buildings on waterways, while several structures lacked the required building permits, a situation officials said had contributed significantly to the flooding experienced in the constituency.
By: Jacob Aggrey
