By Thelma Takyiwaa Ankomah
There is something sickeningly cruel about a society that encourages a girl to dream, sends her to school to build that dream, and then leaves her vulnerable to the very people entrusted with protecting her.
The allegations emerging from Obuasi Senior High Technical School against its headmaster, Zakaria Abdulai, involving sexual abuse, including rape, are deeply disturbing. If established, these allegations would represent not merely a crime, but a monstrous betrayal of trust, authority and the sacred responsibility of educating children.
I am angry. Deeply angry. And every Ghanaian who cares about the safety of our children should be furious.
What makes this matter particularly horrifying is the power imbalance between a school authority and the students placed under his care. A school should be a sanctuary of learning, not a place where a girl must fear the person who ought to protect her.
I strongly encourage everyone to watch “Inside the dreaded headmaster’s bungalow” By Manasseh Azure Awuni – JoyNews on this scandal. Watch it with an open mind, but prepare yourself emotionally. The revelations are deeply disturbing, and you may find yourself asking how such allegations could emerge from an institution entrusted with the future of young people. You will be angry. You will be troubled. And you will understand why silence, indifference and institutional complacency are unacceptable.
When the protector becomes the subject of allegations
A headmaster is entrusted with authority, not given a licence to intimidate, exploit or abuse. That position exists to protect students, not expose them to danger.
We must ask the hard questions. Were complaints previously made? Who received them? Who acted, and who looked away? Were warning signs ignored? Did anyone use influence, position or political connections to suppress concerns?
If institutional failures occurred, those responsible must be identified and held accountable. Ghana cannot afford another theatrical investigation in which committees are established, press statements are issued, and eventually everybody returns to business as usual.
Enough of the hypocrisy. Enough of the institutional cowardice. Enough of treating the suffering of vulnerable children as a public-relations inconvenience.
Where is the ministry responsible for protecting our girls?
The Ghana Education Service, the Ghana Police Service, the Attorney-General’s Department and the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection must demonstrate urgency, competence and moral courage.
Madam Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, protecting children cannot be a ministerial title displayed on an official website. It must be demonstrated when girls are allegedly violated and the nation demands answers.
Where is the visible, forceful advocacy for these girls? Where is the unmistakable demand for their protection, counselling, dignity and justice?
This is not the time for timid statements or bureaucratic excuses. It is time to stand firmly with vulnerable children and insist that every relevant institution does its job.
No political shields. No selective justice.
The NDC’s statement of 20th October 2026 calling for Mr Abdulai to step aside to facilitate an unhindered investigation was welcome. But the circumstances surrounding the matter also demand scrutiny of how concerns were handled.
Political affiliation must never become a protective shield. Neither should public outrage become a substitute for evidence. The presumption of innocence must be respected, but due process must not be weaponised to justify inaction.
Who protects the dreamer?
Red Wednesday must become more than wearing red for photographs and social media attention. It must become a national revolt against the normalisation of abuse, the protection of powerful individuals and the abandonment of vulnerable girls.
If the allegations are proven, justice must be uncompromising. If officials failed in their duties, they must answer. If institutional weaknesses enabled abuse, they must be exposed and corrected.
Our girls are not bargaining chips. Their dignity is not negotiable. Their futures must never be sacrificed to protect powerful people, political parties or institutional reputations.
No cover-ups. No excuses. No selective accountability. No investigation as usual.
Justice for our girls. Protect the dreamer.
No cover-ups. No selective accountability. No investigation as usual. Justice for our girls, without fear or favour.
#RedWednesday #ProtectTheGirlChild #JusticeForOurGirls #InstitutionalAccountability #NoOneIsAbovmeTheLaw