Africa-Press – Ghana. President John Dramani Mahama has called for building a bridge between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the three Alliance of Sahel States (AES) -Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger.
This Alliance was established to strengthen political, economic, and security cooperation between the three nations, with a key goal of achieving greater sovereignty and self-determination after leaving the ECOWAS.
The President made the call during his installation as Aare Atayeto Oodua of the Source by Oba Adeyeye Enitan Babatunde Ogunwusi, Ojaja II, the Ooni of Ife, Nigeria.
The Yoruba title is interpreted as “A President or a Leader who Reorganizes the Global Space for Humanity”.
“Our sub-region is facing challenges. We all know what is happening in the Sahel. Three of our members have decided to break away and form the AES. I believe that it shouldn’t deter us because God put us in this sub-region together for a purpose,” he stated.
“And so I believe that instead of ostracizing them, we must work to continue to build a bridge between ECOWAS and our brothers in the Sahel. Because our destinies are tied together.”
Quoting a Ghanaian adage, President Mahama said “if there’s fire burning in your neighbor’s house, take water and go and help him to quench the fire. Because when it finishes burning his house, it will spread into your house.”
The President said: “And so we must continue to build bridges with our brothers in the AES countries and continue to encourage them to come back into the fold”.
He reiterated that there was a historic bond between the people of Ghana and the people of Nigeria.
“When Nigeria prospers, Ghana prospers. When Ghana prospers, Nigeria prospers. God brought two of us together. We are like twins of the same mother,” he said.
“Except when we are playing football. And then when we are cooking jollof.”
He said, he was receiving the chieftaincy title on behalf of all the people of Ghana; stating that it would further cement the relations between Ghana and Nigeria.
“I do not take this honour lightly, I know that there is a historical bond between the people of Ghana and Nigeria,” President Mahama said.
The Ooni of Ife said President Mahama did magic that had never been done before; saying “immediately you ascended the throne the second time, the entire Ghanaian economy turned around completely”.
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