According to a report by YEN on Friday, November 28, 2025, the maiden edition of Miss University of Ghana 2025 promised glamour, ambition, and generous rewards. The winner, Mariam Jasmine Saaka — a student journalist at Radio Univers — walked away with what was advertised as a “brand‑new car” and a fully paid trip to Dubai.
But just months later, Saaka is raising serious alarm bells. In a video shared publicly, she showed a black hatchback alleged to be the car prize — describing it as immobile, with broken interior parts, defective electronics, and security faults. According to her, she had no choice but to abandon the vehicle at the campus car park. She also claimed the supposed trip to Dubai never happened and said the promised cash prize was never received.
Saaka accused members of the outgoing Students’ Representative Council (SRC) administration of intimidation and coercion when she tried to raise complaints. She described how, after notifying the SRC leadership about the car’s defects, she was allegedly forced into a meeting where she was denied access to her phone — and told the faulty car was a “gift,” so she couldn’t return it. According to her, the SRC also barred her from hiring legal counsel and directed other pageant winners not to communicate with her.
In response, SRC representative Nii Adjetey claimed Saaka had willingly given up the cash prize in exchange for the car. They say the defects were addressed after she reported them, and that the car was driven on campus the next day — arguing this contradicts her claim the vehicle was unusable. The SRC further stated that the cash prize was redistributed to the runners‑up on the night of the pageant.
But for many students and members of the public, the conflicting narratives have raised more questions than answers. Some are asking why a supposedly “brand‑new” car was handed out in a faulty condition in the first place — and whether the SRC’s handling of the cash prize and Dubai trip signals mismanagement or worse. Calls for transparency, accountability, and a full investigation into the Miss UG 2025 prize package are growing louder.