The attention of the Ghana High Commission in Nigeria, and, indeed, of the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has been drawn to comments made by the former President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Goodluck Jonathan, to the effect that President Akufo-Addo has made disparaging remarks about Nigeria.
It is important to stress that the comments made by the former Nigerian President, at the inauguration of the first bridge built by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State in Ado Ekiti, took the words of President Akufo-Addo completely out of context.
Indeed, in the speech delivered by President Akufo-Addo at the Oxford African Conference, one of the instances used by former President Goodluck Jonathan, these are the exact words of President Akufo-Addo:
“For most of you in the audience today, it is probably before your time, but in the late 1970s up to the mid-1980s, as a result of the discovery of considerable petroleum deposits, Nigeria was booming. It was the place to be. We Ghanaians, who were going through very difficult times then, would arrive at Heathrow airport, and be herded into a cage to be subjected to the full third degree by Immigration, and we would look on as our Nigerian cousins would be waved through, with a ‘welcome sir’ and a ‘welcome madam’.
The newspaper headlines in this country were full of Nigerians leaving or forgetting bundles of money in taxis and telephone booths. Nigerians were the preferred tenants for those who had apartments to let. You could stop by any Thomas Cook shop on any High Street in this country and buy or sell Naira, the Nigerian currency, and you could do the same in New York, and I suspect in many other Western country cities.
I do not need to spell out today’s reality to anyone in this audience. I cite this just to make the point that the “the outside world” is well able to tell that there are separate sovereign nations on the African continent. But, when the news is not good, then Africa is treated as one entity.”
How, then, can anyone describe these words by President Akufo-Addo as intending to mock Nigeria?
Again, the other alleged remark that “Ghana is not Nigeria where cattle can roam about anyhow” has never been made by President Akufo-Addo. That is not his way of speaking.
President Akufo-Addo, in many of the speeches he has made in Nigeria and elsewhere, since becoming President of Ghana, has described Nigeria as “a country I describe as my second home in the world”, and will never use Nigeria to make negative examples, as the former President Goodluck Jonathan sought to portray.
President Akufo-Addo enjoys a very good relationship with President Muhammadu Buhari, as he has with many other Nigerian leaders. Ghana and Nigeria are like siblings, and it would be most inappropriate, because of politics, for anyone, regardless of his or her status in society, to try to sow seeds of discord amongst the leadership and peoples of our two countries.
……signed……
Amb. Rashid Bawa
Ghana’s High Commissioner to Nigeria
Source: ghananewsreporters.com
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I AM SORRY BUT AKUFFO ADDO IS THE MOST CORRUPT PERSON I'VE SEEN IN MA LIFE... HE'S REALLY EVIL AND DECEIVING AND SOON HE WILL BE EXPOSED... GHANA CAN'T BE TAKEN FOR GRANTED.... GOD IS GOOD.
Yaw, this your ndc mentality of hate, jealousy, anti-Ghana and unpatriotic makes ndc boring and ***barred word***. Look, the 54% who voted for Akufo Addo believed in the man, they loved him as much as ndc tried to destroy his reputation, Ghanaians are discerning than you bunch of idi**ots in the ndc, who even the founder and creator of that party call your past leader a rogue. Do you understand rogue? Good for nothing being, us*lesss, hop*less which some ndc elders advised him to retract because it was too harsh which he did but they couldn't take away the perception about your idol mahama. Mahama is damn desperate like our constitution states it's a force to get 8 years, I wonder what kind of education he got that can't reason. When the constitution states it clearly you can be retained based on your performance, so, if you've been booted out after 4 years for poor performance what shows that poor performance would turn into good for the people to vote for john mahama and his ndc? What is bad is bad and can never be turned into good ndc must know ! And wait a minute! Ndc trying to tag the president and his government as corrupt won't wash, trying to hire some people like the IMANI and others to shoot down every contract sum as inflated won't also wash Ghanaians are bigger than this soviet inferior tactics, you can build high rise apartment for A-Plus and such people like him and it won't even take a root to germinate. Ghanaians are bigger than you, Ghanaians are smarter than you, Ghanaians are sensible than you, those consultants who are planning that scheme for you have lost it and they are toast. Ndc is a thing of the past and are no option to the NPP to reign in Ghana again, never ever. Whatever evil machinations ndc plan, God will expose them. Akufo Addo is not corrupt and will never be corrupt, John mahama is corrupt and will ever be corrupt, ndc are thi*ves and that is in their gene and no scientist can take that out and no deliverance can solve that problem, even God who everything is possible won't waste his time on them because they are unrepentant souls, who preach virtue and practice vice. Onetime premium turned into collapse of the NHIS and introduction of cash and carry new ndc turned into super kriminals ndc and they think Ghanaians have short memory to bring them back to ste*l and destroy all the good policies to help the poor and the needy. Somebody tell ndc, we remember what they did to Ghana and will remind them at the appropriate time. Ghana will never move backwards, forward ever. NO TO NDC FOREVER AND EVER ! THANK YOU COUNTRY MEN !
all the nigerians I know are theeeeeeeeeves!!!
Nigerians are KRIMINALS. Many of those in Ghana do KRIMINAL things and a lot fill our jails. THe ***barred word*** SHLD BE sent back to Abeokuta or Badagry or even Maiduguri & CHibok & banned from entering Ghana forever
There are a lot of Africans who speak English but the sad truth is that only a few really understand English. President Akufo Addo's speech was nothing more than a statement of facts yet due to lack of understanding of the English language some have perceived it as "Mockery". He never even mentioned the number of Nigerian students who were thrown out of universities here in UK for non payment of fees whilst their politicians were buying mansions in UK.
Ah, Mr. High Commissioner!!! Are the words in PRAISE of Nigeria???!! Of course it MOCKS Nigeria!! TIWUIIII!!!