If you are a Ghanaian, you tend to worry about Nigeria.
Some would say we Ghanaians have enough on our own plates to keep us fully occupied with worry.
The Ghanaian economy is currently facing severe "challenges", to use the preferred terminology of government spokespersons.
We are in the midst of the longest power crisis that our country has ever known and tempers are short all around as we try to cope with the outages that have become part of life now.
'Ugly episodes'
And yet we worry about Nigeria. It has something to do with our histories - the tendency to mimic each other. Even though Nigeria is much bigger in every way, a healthy rivalry has always existed between our countries.

Key facts:

Nigeria's main city, Lagos, is notorious for its traffic jams
Population: Ghana 25.5 million; Nigeria 166.6 million
Area: Ghana 238,533 sq km (92,098 sq miles); Nigeria 923,768 sq km (356,669 miles)

One of my favourite Ghanaian politicians put it like this: "Our two countries, Nigeria and Ghana, are like siblings. We quarrel and disagree occasionally but we love each other. Indeed, it always comes as a surprise to realise that we do not have a common border.
"There have been ugly episodes like when we expel citizens of each other from our countries and there are healthier and happier events when we clash in sports. An encounter on the football field between our two countries remains one of the best in the world."

Those who are superstitious have good cause to hold their breaths when something untoward happens in Nigeria, because that something invariably ends up in Ghana as well.
From coups to traffic jams to power outages; where Nigeria leads, Ghana seems to always follow.
'Stomach infrastructure'
All those years that our search for oil seemed to be fruitless, we were confident we would eventually strike oil - after all, Nigeria had oil, Ghana must have oil.
When we did strike oil in 2007, the most constant refrain on the lips of Ghanaians has been: "Please God, don't let us do with our oil, what Nigeria has been doing with theirs."
Ghanaians half-expect that to be the case because we seem to imitate and adopt all the bad habits of our favourite neighbours.

Ghana's first commercial oil began flowing in December 2010 from a field 60km offshore.
In the period leading to the elections that have now been postponed to 28 March, we have been more anxious than ever about Nigeria.
Our election campaigns can never be as colourful as the Nigerian ones - we simply don't have that type of money, but we try to emulate a pale version of what they do.

I am waiting for a Ghanaian politician to describe the distribution of rice and other such incentives to voters as "building stomach infrastructure", as a Nigerian governor has said in the current campaign.


http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-31494794

Why are they Worried

They better be worried.

If there is serious crises in Nigeria, 100million refugees from Nigeria will sink the entire economy of Africa, Ghana being an English speaking neighbour will be among the 1st to bear the brunt.

Stomach infrastructure will soon hit Ghana in a few years time

The moment dat happens, u guys will realize what oil brings because a few set of politicians will hijacked d oil money and use it to buy d conscience of d electorates just like its happening in Nigeria now

The opposition will not b left out in d sharing of rice and money because they are partners in crime fighting to b in charge and to take d larger share of d oil money

Can't say I blame them. Nigeria has a way of dragging neighbouring countries into their problems. Chad, Niger and Cameroon can attest to that.

steppin:
Can't say I blame them. Nigeria has a way of dragging neighbouring countries into their problems. Chad, Niger and Cameroon can attest to that.

As father of africa Nigeria must drag other neighboring countries in case of crisis. America will drag Europe and japan into their problems in crisis situation