“When the time is right, I the Lord will make it happen.”—Isaiah 60:22
And it did happen. It was spectacular–a bespoke ceremony that birthed Ghana’s new head of state on Saturday 7 January 2017 reports Gordon Offin-Amaniampong.
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The first inauguration of Akufo-Addo as 14th President and 5th of the Fourth Republic of Ghana was held at the Independence Square (also known as the Black Star Square) near the former seat of government— the Christianborg Castle, Osu in the heartland of Gold Coast City, Accra.
The investiture marked the beginning of the first four-year-term of Akufo-Addo as President and Mahamudu Bawumia as Vice President. At 72 years of his historic induction Mr. Akufo-Addo was the oldest person to become head of state and the third from the eastern region of Ghana.
His father Edward Akufo Addo was the first from the region in 1969 and the fifth president of Ghana. Second from the region was Lieutenant General Frederick William Kwasi Akuffo who ruled from July 5, 1978 to June 4, 1979. Fed was killed during the 1979 Rawlings revolution.
Was this coincidence?
Three of the former presidents were inaugurated at ages 64. They were: Nii Ollennu (7 August 1970–31 August 1970), Edward Akufo-Addo (31 August 1970–13 January 1972) and John Evans Atta Mills (7January 2009-24 July 2012).
The latter (John Atta Mills) died while serving his first four-year term in office.
Also, the presidential inauguration was preluded by the swearing-in of a new Speaker of the House of Parliament Prof. Mike Ocquaye— a former Ghana Ambassador to the Republic China and the induction of 275 lawmakers for the seventh Parliament of the Fourth Republic.
Akufo-Addo’s New Patriotic Party (NPP) won the majority seats with 169 members while former president Mahama’s party the National Democratic Congress (NDC) became the minority with 106 members. It’s worth noting that none of the more than seven political parties including independent candidates that contested in the December 7 general election (parliamentary) won a single seat.
At the presidential poll, Mr. Akufo-Addo won more than 53% of the votes cast on Wednesday the 7th of December to defeat the incumbent President John Dramani Mahama who became the first one-term president in the Fourth Republic.
Then NPP presidential nominee Akufo-Addo campaigned on the massive corruption and economic mismanagement that had engulfed the country with the promise to reduce the high level of unemployment in Ghana, help defray unprecedented public debts, retrieve an amount of GHc51.2m from NDC bankroller and businessman Alfred Agbesi Woyome, and revive the dying social intervention programmes the Kufuor-administration introduced —National Insurance Health Scheme, School Feeding Programme among others.
During the swearing in, the career politician and human rights lawyer reiterated his promises– assuring the gathering that his government would introduce free high school education and create more jobs for Ghanaians.
But his critics think he’s being over ambitious and might not be able for example, bring to fruition his one factory-one-district project across Ghana.
His immediate predecessor Mr. John Mahama said in the state of the Nation’s Address that he was leaving office with solid infrastructural developments which include roads, health, education, energy. Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on behalf of ECOWAS Heads of State commended Mr. Mahama ‘for his leadership role in organising a free, fair and transparent electoral process.’
President Mahama officially ended the presidency (after passing the baton to President Akufo-Addo) as the second youngest– at age 58. Former president John Rawlings left office as the youngest at 53 and the oldest was John Kufuor at 70 in the republic. Late president John Mills died on the 24th of July2012 at age 68, while in office. Heads of state from across Africa and over 6,000 guests watched Mr. Akufo-Addo take the oath of office at the colourful ceremony.
Plagiarism?
Until what I call the ‘Presidential Speech Gate’ reared its ugly head (that several portions of the president’s speech were lifted from some sources without due credit accorded) everything appeared to have scored all the high marks in presidential inauguration. Indeed, the whole ceremony would have gone down in Ghana’s history as the most colourful, most beautifully -planned, most serene and the most highly-attended. Unfortunately, the new government’s communication team had their forward match jolted by the news that it had plagiarised.
President Akufo-Addo’s speech which was seasoned with persuasive words, metaphors, can-do-spirit phrases had been hailed by many as the best ever. I called it a ‘Great Speech’. But that praise didn’t last long. It was short-lived. News sprouted like mushrooms. The social media was awashed with the news of plagiarism.
Here is a portion of the original speech which President Akufo-Addo read during his inauguration: “I ask you to be citizens. Citizens not spectators, citizens not subjects. Responsible citizens, building communities of service and a nation of character,” this was said by George W. Bush at his inauguration. And Mr. Bush also lifted it from someone.
The original speech according to reports was made by Thomas Woodrow Wilson the 28th president of the United States (1913-1921). And part of it has since been used by presidents Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and John F Kennedy in their respective investiture speeches.
In 2016, Nigeria President Muhammadu Buhari sacked the deputy director of communication who was linked to the plagiarism of Obama’s speech, reported The Vanguard Newspaper.
In the wake of the brouhaha the Director of Communication Eugene Arhin issued a statement saying, ‘I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgment of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight and never deliberates. “
He pointed out: “It is insightful to note that in the same speech were quotes from JB Danquah, Dr. K. A Busia, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the Bible which were all duly attributed and acknowledged.”
Per copy right laws, when a work is over 70 years, one can use it without referencing.
And from my personal view, I don’t think the blip did enough damage to obviate the high points that characterised the historic event. At time of writing this article there was even rumor that the president had fired the communication director. But there’s no confirmation to that report.
Who is Mr. Akufo-Addo?
He was born on the 29th of March 1944, the son of former president Edward Akufo-Addo. The President-elect had his primary education first at the Government Boys School, Adabraka (a suburb of Accra) and later at the Rowe Road School (now Kimbu) also in Accra. He left for England to pursue his O-level and A-Level education at Lancing College, Sussex.
In 1964, upon his return to Ghana, he went to the University of Ghana, Legon to read Economics where he earned a BSc (Econ) degree in 1967. He subsequently studied law in the UK and was called to the English Bar (Middle Temple) in July 1971.
Indeed he has an impeccable resume or curriculum vitae (CV). He’s a lawyer by occupation, a career politician, a legislator, freedom fighter, a father, a husband and proud citizen of Ghana.
Mr. Akufo-Addo was elected three times between 1996 and 2008 as Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abuakwa South Constituency in the Eastern region of Ghana. From 2001 to 2007 as a cabinet minister—first as Attorney-General and Minister of Justice for two years and later as Foreign Minister for five years
In the historic 2016 presidential election, he polled 5,341,143 votes (53.51%) as against Mr. Mahama’s 4,457,672 (44.56%), the Electoral Commission (EC) of Ghana announced.
His election was significant as it culminated the rule of the Johns in the Fourth Republic of Ghana. For nearly four decades (spanning from the 31st December 1981 to the 7th of January 2017 inauguration of the President-elect) the West African nation has been ruled by four Johns. The first was flight Lieutenant John Rawlings, John Kufour (2nd), John Evens Mills (3rd) and John Mahama (4th) the out-going president.
The West-African country has been a multi-party democracy since the end of military rule in 1992. And without a doubt the latest transition had been viewed by many as underpinning Ghana’s reputation for the peaceful transfer of power between governments from different political persuasions.