The office of Nana Akufo-Addo issued an apology on Sunday after the new Ghanaian president was accused of lifting passages from speeches by Bill Clinton and George W Bush during his inaugural address to the nation.
Not long after his swearing-in ceremony on Saturday in the capital Accra, social media users started pointing out similarities between Akufo-Addo's speech and those delivered by the two ex-US presidents.
"Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us," Akufo-Addo said.
It echoed Clinton's 1993 inauguration speech: "Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. And Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. We must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who come before us."In another instance, Akufo-Addo said: "I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation."
In his 2001 inaugural speech, Bush said: "I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character."
The presidency's communication director acknowledged the plagiarism and offered an apology.
"I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight, and never deliberate," Eugene Arhin said, according to DPA news agency.
Akufo-Addo, a 72-year-old former human rights lawyer, defeated incumbent John Dramani Mahama in elections last month.
In September, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari also issued an apology for plagiarising quotes from US President Barack Obama in a speech promising change in the West African country.
Buhari's office said at the time a paragraph in the speech urging Nigerians not to fall back "on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned our country so long" was copied from Obama's victory speech after his election in November 2008.
"It was observed that the similarities between a paragraph in President Obama's 2008 victory speech and what President Buhari read in paragraph nine of the 16-paragraph address ... are too close to be passed as coincidence," Buhari's office said in a statement.
Source: www.aljazeera.com/
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there is nothing new under the sun
7th December 2017 will go down in History as one of the most shameful swearing in ceremonies in Ghana; thanks President Nana Competence Addo. So when you kept on disturbing our ears with your 'We have the men' mantra, these were the people you had in mind to work with. Now Ghana is being ridiculed in the international community. If your team cannot write simple inaugural speech, then your guess is as good as mine when you have to address international organizations like AU and UN. Bow down your head in shame. Coming events, they say, cast their own shadows.
That phrase or sentence came from Christian Lindke and even before he published his book "Citizens, Not Spectators, A Democracy in Action Civic Education Curriculum for High School Students" which had that re-phrase sentence "...I ask you to be citizens: Citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character...", it was made known by Wilson Woodrow the 28th President of the US (1913 to 1921), in a book by By John Milton Cooper, Jr Who made it known in Biography of the American President, Published by Knopf Doubleday. With this background details, I think its George ***barred word*** Jnr the 46th President of the US, who needed to be held for plagiarism when that what made. But, in a state of the nation address or speeches, the speech book contains some reference, which will have these names as a background quotes. But, not included in the main speech being delivered for time factor and other reasons. There is absolutely nothing wrong, When Obama uses phrases of Martin Luther King Jnr in state speeches and address. Nana Addo used those phrases and short sentences because, it sends a message out there... that doesn't mean he copied a who speech, if he had, then we could sound the plagiarism alarm, when the reference is not made. And when there are other quotes and phrases from other authors, that is research not plagiarism.
This is a case of incompetence at acknowledging the sources of foreign quotes. He did acknowledge the locals. Mahama's incompetence was at governance and bettering the lot of GHANAIANS. President Nana Akufo-Addo will be judged during his term of office on that and not at the start. In the meantime that as with all his others was a great speech with many lessons for us all. Let's focus on those great rallying points and not the plagiarized two sentences.
But this is just small copycat stuff, after all Buhari did a similar thing. This is the display of "babies with sharp brain" who only had just a month to write a speech. The competent Akuffo Addo proved read it severally, even the competent Bawumia also prove read it. Calls were made for for heads to roll when the was a typo error in the brochure for the 2016 March 6th celebration but this competent error which has caught the attention of the international media is nothing to warrant heads rolling. Who say man no dey, kwaaaa we have the men and women,we know it all. Display of competence at its best. Ghana Brace yourselves for mourning !!!!!
WHY NOT PONDER OVER THE MEANINGS OF WORDS AND PHRASES RATHER THAN CRITIZING, ARE THEY NEEDFUL AT THIS TIME, DO THEY CALVE ANY FUTURE FOR US A NATION AND WHEN ARE WE GOING TO BE PROUD OF OURSELVES AS A BLACKMAN THAN TO SIT ALOOF, INDDED THE WRITERS WERE WRONG AND AN UNRESERVE APOLOGY PERHAPS IS ENOUGH, LET TRY TO CHANGE THE STATUQUO. NPP DID IT TO NDC SO DNC WILL ALSO DO IT TO NPP, WHOSE PROGRESS IS RETARDED, OTHER GHANA
What goes around comes around indeed. A false start.
Yes everything wrong with it, and a disgrace to the highest office of the land. Is this also incompetence? What goes around comes around.
INCOMPETENT NANA ADDO ADMINISTRATION!!!!!
We are a funny Nation, always looking out for loopholes in everything. We are degree holders in discussions and not even primary one chaps in problem solving. Let's come up with solutions in solving light, food and sanitation problems. The way we think and act in this country, it's end result is where we are now.