By Olusegun Adeniyi
No fewer than 21 Heads of State, including Presidents Bola Tinubu and Paul Kagame, as well as former African leaders like Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Jacob Zuma, among others, were at the Independent Square in Accra on Tuesday for the swearing-in ceremony of Mr John Dramani Mahama as President of Ghana. And it could not have escaped the attention of these dignitaries (and presidential delegations from Western countries, including the United States) that the loudest ovation from the crowd was reserved for the military ruler of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré. That Traore was invited to the ceremony was in itself a glaring indication of the contradictions within the Economic Community of West Africa (ECOWAS). But the main concern for me is that the crowd of young people so heartily hailed a coup leader on a day that was ordinarily meant to celebrate democracy. Besides, by prancing around with gun-wielding bodyguards, Traore was allowed to put a stain on the ceremony by breaching security/protocol.
Interestingly, former ECOWAS Executive Secretary, Mr Muhamed Ibn Chambas, whom I met by chance at the venue, before he received me at his home later Tuesday evening, was not surprised. “Look at the demographics of those hailing the guy, they are young people,” he said while explaining the results of studies conducted within the subregion on democracy which should task our leaders. Respected academic, diplomat and statesman, Chambas is an authority on political developments within the subregion. ECOWAS president (2006 to 2009), Secretary-General of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (2010-2012), Head of the Joint UN-AU Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (2012-2014) and head of United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS) from April 2014 to April 2021, Chambas provided rare insights into the challenges within ECOWAS and the future of democracy in Africa during our encounter at his Accra home on Tuesday night. But I don’t want to get ahead of myself.
The moment I arrived in Accra last Saturday, I could sense the mood of festivity and the feeling of great expectations for the incoming administration. The verdict of the former Convention People’s Party (CPP) General Secretary, Nana Yaa Jantuah, may have been harsh but it is also reflective of the general perception about the last administration. “When I say that Nana Addo has the tendencies of Nebuchadnezzar, people think I am joking. He awarded himself the title of the best president. What does that mean? He is an error, a mistake…he has brought darkness to this nation,” she said on TV3’s New Day last week. “The state of the nation is reflected in my pocket, your pocket, and everyone’s pocket. This Christmas, we could not even afford to buy chicken.”
But it was at his final State of the Nation address last Friday that (now former) President Akufo-Addo got his report card from the Deputy Minority Leader and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Member of Parliament, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah. Akufo-Addo’s “tenure in office will remain a timely reminder of how not to govern the country” he said before adding, “This abysmal record was confirmed on December 7th when the people of Ghana delivered the most overwhelming and emphatic vote of rejection any government has ever witnessed in the Fourth Republic.” Buah ended his speech by quoting a Biblical passage that drew parallel between the liberation of Israel from Egypt and the situation in Ghana. Facing Akufo-Addo who had wry smile on his face, the opposition lawmaker said: “Fellow Ghanaians, we are comforted and strengthened by the following words of scripture in Exodus 14:13 and I quote: ‘And Moses said unto the people, fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which he will show you today. For the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you shall see them no more’. Bye bye Mr. President, it is finished.”
Despite the poor organisation, Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony was attended by important dignitaries from across the world. In his speech, President Mahama assured Ghanaians that he would “have the humility to take responsibility for any challenges and be willing to ask for help in resolving them,” while outlining four key areas his administration will prioritise: Economic restoration and stabilization, Improvement of the business and investment environment, Governance and constitutional reforms and Accountability and the fight against corruption. “The business community must know that Ghana is back in business,” he declared.
Ghana may be back in business, but Mahama is inheriting a troubled economy. In its report on Tuesday, Reuters quoted Godfred Bokpina, a finance professor at the University of Ghana, saying “The average Ghanaian is growing impatient with our democracy. People have done their part by voting but they’re asking: what have they gotten from this democracy?” That of course is a feeling you get in many countries within the subregion, including Nigeria. But there are no easy solutions to the current challenges in Ghana. “The outgoing government kept the system running by bandaging open sores,” Bright Simons of Accra-based IMANI think tank, also told Reuters. “They left the festering wounds for him.”
When I spoke with Mahama four months ago at his Accra home during my last visit to Ghana, he was optimistic about winning the election. But he also knew the challenges he would face. “The economy is in crisis. Ghana has lost its position as the second largest economy in West Africa to Cote D’Ivoire. Until this (Akufo-Addo’s) administration, Ghana used to be second after Nigeria,” Mahama told me. “We have a debt crisis; investors have lost the confidence in our country with many businesses either leaving Ghana for other countries or shutting down completely.”
Mahama cited the example of the cocoa industry which he said has been grossly mismanaged, leaving many of the farmers frustrated. “With their excessive borrowings, they have destroyed the cocoa industry, just as they have done with the oil and gas sector”, said Mahama. “Rather than new investment what you have now is divestment. In fact, because of the toxic environment they have created, we have the worst FDI in recent history. They keep taxing the people, while borrowing heavily. They cannot even borrow again. Ghana has one of the worst inflations in the world.”
On what he would do differently in office, Mahama said his victory would create a new beginning. “Our policies will encourage new businesses, restore investors’ confidence, reduce recurrent expenditure and stablise economy.” He specifically stated that he will grant incentives to revive the cocoa industry. “How can we assist farmers? Water is important so for small scale farmers, we will help with boreholes and other inputs like fertilizer.”
Now that he has assumed office, Mahama must deliver on his promise. Meanwhile, Traore’s attendance of the swearing in ceremony continues to generate considerable interest. In his X post on Tuesday, Ali Nana, a Zimbabwean public affairs analyst, said the loud ovation received by Traore calls for introspection on the part of African leaders about service delivery to their people. I took up same issue with Chambas when I visited his home along with my friend, Mustapha Sanah (HRH Dalun-Lana Tapha Mahamadu II), Princess Hatiyyah Ibrahim Mahama, Alhaji Kamil and my son, Korede who joined me on the trip to Ghana.
Explaining why the crowd of young people hailed the Burkina Faso coup leader, Chambas said it is a combination of several factors, including the influence of social media and the demographics of the people at the venue. But there are also substantive issues that should not be ignored. “Polls after polls are saying that most people on the continent, about 80 percent, prefer to choose their leaders through democratic means so one can argue that our people are still for democracy. But when questions are posed about whether they are satisfied with what democracy offers them, the response is quite different. Less than 50 percent express satisfaction. That is the challenge our leaders must deal with.”
As a former ECOWAS president, Chambas also offers insights into what is going on within the sub-region, especially regarding recent coups in a number of Francophone countries. He located the problem in the overbearing disposition of France, and the disrespectful attitude of certain French leaders who treat these countries like French vassals, citing several instances he personally witnessed. He recalled a summit of African Heads of States of the Group of Five without prior consultation with or even notification to the leaders who took exception to the way the meeting was convened. He also highlighted ways in which France has mismanaged its relationship with countries it had colonised on the continent. “You can see what is happening now in Chad that has asked France to leave. For the first time you have the Foreign Minister of Chad responding to President Emmanuel Macron’s provocation.”
Chambas believes that the ECOWAS decision regarding Niger, which eventually culminated in three countries (including Mali and Burkina Faso), leaving the regional body was precipitate and counterproductive. “I didn’t understand the haste and the threat of military action against Niger. With what troops? And under which funding arrangement?” Chambas asked before disclosing that ECOWAS was goaded into the action by foreign actors, but the plot unravelled quickly because the Nigerien military rallied behind the coup. “By not distancing itself from foreign powers at a period we are witnessing a resurgence of Pan-Africanism”, according to Chambas, “ECOWAS made itself look as if it was serving the interest of others.” Chambas reeled out a catalogue of destabilising roles some foreign powers had played in the subregion, including the toppling of Muammar Ghadaffi in Libya despite warnings about the consequences for security in countries that are now under military rule.
Being with Chambas, who clocked 74 last December, was like being in school on the politics of West Africa. But he insists that military coups offer no solution to any country, especially within the sub-region. And for his country, Ghana, where he was a Minister in the eighties and early nineties, Chambas has a word: “I urge Ghanaians to temper their expectations with a dose of reality. They must be patient, considering the challenges at hand. But I also encourage President Mahama to be accountable while his government must deliver on the public good.”
On the Ogbomoso Crisis
In my column last week, I used a Tik-Tok video of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) General Overseer, Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye to make my point about leadership. In the clip, Pastor Adeboye delivered what could be termed a ‘palace sermon’ to the Soun of Ogbomosoland, Ọba Ghandi Afọlábí Ọláoyè, Orumógege III. I have learnt that the video is not new, that it was delivered at the coronation of the Soun in December 2023. I have also learnt that the contention over who becomes the Grand Chief Imam of Ogbomosoland was not instigated by the monarch and is between Dr Teliat Yunus and the Ayilara family whose candidate should fill the office.
I received a deluge of responses to my column, most of them arguing that I got the facts wrong. Let me take excerpts from the one by a respected Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN): “I have followed this controversy very well. The problem is majorly by the ‘Imam’, who by some strange order of things is a ‘chief’ of the palace going by the fact that he occupies his ‘Imamship’ by appointment of the King. But he doesn’t think he is accountable or should show any regard to the current Oba for whatever reason, even though he is a very young man. Meanwhile, there’s indeed a palace mosque (Moshalasi Oba, just like Oja Oba) in the town, and it’s the King that appoints the Imam for that mosque. The Imamship is also a family heritage or title, and the status of the current occupier as a member of that family has been in controversy even before the ascension to the throne by the current Soun. I will forward to you the videos of some ‘sermons’ of this Imam that I have come across. You’ll see for yourself how uncouth, rude and insolent he has been carrying on via-a-vis the Soun. That he has not succeeded in causing a religious crisis is because of the general attitude of our (Yoruba) people to matters of differences in individual religious orientation.”
As I have explained to some of the Ogbomoso chiefs who called or sent messages, I have tremendous respect for the Soun whom I have known since the nineties at the ‘Apapa Family’ of the RCCG. My interest in the matter is that peace reign in his domain.
• You can follow me on my X (formerly Twitter) handle, @Olusegunverdict and on www.olusegunadeniyi.com
