@Manuel yes,Rawlings is corrupt! they are all corrupt! but there is so much money to steal in Nigeria compare to Ghana that's why when you hear the money our politicians are stealing you will go like wahoo. Look at the Ghana @ 50 that they are probing now,and also the issue of Tshasi Tshikata of the NDC,it's always there, if govt did nt change hands then you probably might not hear of this probing and sentencing.

Not too many people are rich in Ghana and even their level of illiteracy I bet you it is scary! if you really know Ghana. I am not talking of their universities or maybe some student who could not get into university in Nigeria run to Ghana to school oo.I am talking of how many teenage in the public can converse in English, even in the capital?

Maybe they are getting better but I think I know Ghana too well to believe what people say!

I am not surprised, even Abacha was restoring democracy to other countries.

@Londoner-

You are comparing yourself to Nigeria while Nigeria is at its weakest and you at your strongest. When both counties are on the same footing, then judge. You cant be standing up while a man is lying down and claim you are taller, lol

seriously Who has time to wait for a stunted giant,  Ghana should walk tall IF they can back it up!!!

@Gbawe
Let's assume Ghana isn't the so called "Giant of Africa" (rightfully or wrongfully), do you beleive that Nigeria as of it's present embarassing state merit that tittle? For me, it is laughable to think we (Nigeria) can claim such greatness.

sherry lo:

@Manuel yes,Rawlings is corrupt! they are all corrupt! but there is so much money to steal in Nigeria compare to Ghana that's why when you hear the money our politicians are stealing you will go like wahoo. Look at the Ghana @ 50 that they are probing now,and also the issue of Tshasi Tshikata of the NDC,it's always there, if govt did nt change hands then you probably might not hear of this probing and sentencing.

Not too many people are rich in Ghana and even their level of illiteracy I bet you it is scary! if you really know Ghana. I am not talking of their universities or maybe some student who could not get into university in Nigeria run to Ghana to school oo.I am talking of how many teenage in the public can converse in English, even in the capital?


Maybe they are getting better but I think I know Ghana too well to believe what people say!

Yes most of them like speakin twi, but the fact remains that the society is better orgnized and the leaders are less corrupt and more responsible. lets forget about the fact that there is no much money there but the little available is used quite well (relatively). i bet if the corruption level in naija was like that of ghana, u know the Niger-Delta wud look something close to newyork

Ok dem dey probe Ghana @ 50 fine! but 9ja no go probe. if 9ja probe sef na for show. I bet u know dat correct results go come out from dat probe abi?

President Yaraweak is at it again.

manuel:

Lemme tell u one thing, u want to continue livin in a fools paradise (not an insult, literary meanin) then go on,  becos, u and me know dat ghana is being run far better than naija is!,  please just face facts and think of how naija can be fixed and stop worryin urself over ghana which is obviosly doing better,  _{words of wisdom}

No one is disputing that !!!! Most people simply do not understand that I am argueing against this blatant and factually incorrect boast :

"Ghana has achieved political maturity and are the true Giants of Africa"

It is lack of modesty and a distinct delusions of Grandeur that would make any Ghanaian to proclaim Ghana as the "true Giant of Africa" !!! Haba . We are all happy to praise Ghana all day while we put down our own nation (check my previous posts) but let us not not start endorsing outright lies that renders discussions innacurate . Most Nigerian graciously  concede that South Africa is the actual Giant of Africa so it would seem a wild leap of the Imagination for Ghanaians (even if they will disrrespect Nigeria ) to now crown themselves "the true Giant of Africa"  ahead of other nations that has what Ghana has and more like SA, Egypt , Tunisia, etc  

South Africa :

GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
-   Total $492.684 billion[4]
-   Per capita $10,119[4]
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
-   Total $300.4 billion[4]
-   Per capita $5,693[4]

Egypt:

GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
-   Total $442.640 billion[2]
-   Per capita $5,898[2]
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
-   Total $162.164 billion[2]
-   Per capita $2,161[2]

Tunisia:

GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
-   Total $82.226 billion[4]
-   Per capita $7,962[4]
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
-   Total $40.348 billion[4]
-   Per capita $3,907[4]

Ghana:

GDP (PPP) 2009 estimate
-   Total $36.135 billion[3]
-   Per capita $1,563.74[3]
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
-   Total $16.124 billion[3]
-   Per capita $715[3]

@Manuel,and if their leaders were responsible what do you think Akwatia {their diamond land} and Obuasi [their gold land}should look like? The Govt extract this things without even if people live there or not.Ask about Consolidated diamonds, its a govt company like the Cocoa board but It has packed up why?corruption!eaten to the bone.They only tell you what they want to be told.

Anyway it's Africa and we are doing our thing.

Gbawe:

No one is disputing that !!!! Most people simply do not understand that I am argueing against this blatant and factually incorrect boast

It is lack of modesty and a distinct delusions of Grandeur that would make any Ghanaian to proclaim Ghana as the "true Giant of Africa" !!! Haba . We are all happy to praise Ghana all day while we put down our own nation (check my previous posts) but let us not not start endorsing outright lies that renders discussions innacurate . Most Nigerian graciously  concede that South Africa is the actual Giant of Africa so it would seem a wild leap of the Imagination for Ghanaians (even if they will disrrespect Nigeria ) to now crown themselves "the true Giant of Africa"  ahead of other nations that has what Ghana has and more like SA, Egypt , Tunisia, etc

Ok na true u talk Gbawe. but seriously i have been in ghana long and i dont think i have ever heard anyone proclaim hey are giants of africa. i bet most ghanaians havent even heard that statement before

But one thing I can put ma b*lls on is dat elections can't be rigged in ghana & rawlings is disillussioned.

, why do we always descend into this?

naija's case is akin to the armed-robber who when he was about to be executed via firing squad & asked to say his last words, he replied 'let my enemies live long & see what i'd be in future!'.  .   .   .this'd be our case if we don't start getting it right.

sherry lo:

@Manuel,and if their leaders were responsible what do you think Akwatia {their diamond land} and Obuasi [their gold land}should look like? The Govt extract this things without even if people live there or not.Ask about Consolidated diamonds, its a govt company like the Cocoa board but It has packed up why?corruption!eaten to the bone.They only tell you what they want to be told.

Anyway it's Africa and we are doing our thing.

Ok all the mining and all in Akwatia and parts of western region. look the thing is mining started in those parts even in the pre-independence era but the ppl there have never carried guns like wat goes on in Niger-Delta. u know why?

1. the society is quite civilized

2. They enjoy some benfits from the mining that goes on there. tho they are not given all that is due them.

3. there is corruption but not to an extent that the politicians are excessively wealthy whiles the rest reel in abject poverty.

4. apart from the president , vice and a few other government officials nobody uses siren. Even ministers don't. I remember somewhere september 2008, the then Minister of local government Asamoah Boateng was in trafic like an ordinary ghanaian. i was in a taxi just by his car. The taxi i was in and his car all waited for the trafic light to go green b4 we moved.

rookie:


@Gbawe
Let's assume Ghana isn't the so called "Giant of Africa" (rightfully or wrongfully), do you beleive that Nigeria as of [b]it's present embarassing state merit that tittle?[/b] For me, it is laughable to think we (Nigeria) can claim such greatness.

Not at all - and I have not argued to that effect even once on this thread !!! I have stated repeatedly that South Africa is the factual Giant of Africa . I also consider many nations outside West Africa to merit the tag of "Giant" more than Nigeria does. That said it is still a stretch of the imagination for anyone , even considering we have become the joke of the World , to declare that Ghana is "the true giant of Africa" when Proffessionals who analyse nations for a living will concede that , according to indices that matter , Ghana is not even ahead of a troubled Nigeria as the Giant of West Africa let alone for it to be seen as the Giant of Africa . Ghanaians should humble themselves and carry on their good work to make their nations even better instead of getting big-headed enough to begin arrogating upon themselves a status they cannot possibly justify .

@manuel, you are being very unfair to the people in the Niger Delta, they bhave always tried to be peaceful and civilised, look what happened?

The peaceful way did not work, so they took up arms. I'm not excusing it, but dont now paint them black just because they were pushed to the wall.

As far as the use of sirens, I'm sure even Obama uses them, i dont see the big deal.

As far as the mining comminities in Ghana, some are also going though a bad time , its just not widely publicised.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Mz4hsCEpk

londoner:

@manuel, you are being very unfair to the people in the Niger Delta, they bhave always tried to be peaceful and civilised, look what happened?

The peaceful way did not work, so they took up arms. I'm not excusing it, but dont now paint them black just because they were pushed to the wall.

As far as the mining comminities in Ghana, some are also going though a bad time , its just not widely publicised.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P7Mz4hsCEpk

Ok Londoner I am very sorry if i sounded insultin. Ok i retract any form of unintended abuse at the ppl of Niger-Delta. Infact I render an unqualified apology

But londoner, i can assure u that mining communities in ghana are going thru bad times, but the corruption is atleast controlled and minimized. their communities are not gettin the needed development, but they are not up in arms because they don't see their politicians livin in oppulence and excessive wealth. _{dat one no mean say corruption no dey, but sha it is not blatant corruption that insults the ordinary citizen. there is room for improvement in that regard tho. but still ghana dey try}

@Manuel, I agree that they may not be taking up arms, but compare the day to day living with polluted water/farms/fumes etc, the level of environmental intrusion is on a totally different scale, in the Niger Delta.  We are also talking about a whole region in the Niger Delta. I understand they do not see their government in opulence, but maybe simply because they dont live nearby, and not  necessarity because high ranking Ghanaian politicians live a very meagre and modest life. They are also the same when it comes to allowing foreign firms to basically do what they like in the country.

If the communities are not getting the money for development, SOMEONE ELSE CERTAINLY IS, (I'm quite sure its not the local motherless baby shelter).

londoner:

@Manuel, I agree that they may not be taking up arms, but compare the day to day living with polluted water/farms/fumes etc, the level of environmental intrusion is on a totally different scale, in the Niger Delta.  We are also talking about a whole region in the Niger Delta. I understand they do not see their government in opulence, but maybe simply because they dont live nearby, and not  necessarity because high ranking Ghanaian politicians live a very meagre and modest life. They are also the same when it comes to allowing foreign firms to basically do what they like in the country.

If the communities are not getting the money for development, SOMEONE ELSE CERTAINLY IS, (I'm quite sure its not the local motherless baby shelter).

Now dat is correct. It is a pathetic case of Africa that we allow all these whites into the continent to exploit us. but point is if government no corrupt too much, dat one na good startin point. it makes the agenda of tacklin the gold diggin whites a step closer. but when gov't is corrupt and whitee to dey wreck havoc, it becomes one Herculian task.

and the communities get wat they desrve in accordance to the ignorant contracts signed by the community leaders and the whites in the pre-indepence days.

if u have heard, the new government has started steps in reviewing those contracts. most of the money for the mining communities is not chopped by gov't officials, it is chopped by the fireign firms dat do the mining.

_{e just dey pain me say i go soon leave the net, I am actually on my way to kumasi now to have some fun. i guess when i get there i will check out this thread again. peace y'all, Oseikrom i dey come ooo}

manuel:

Ok na true u talk Gbawe. but seriously i have been in ghana long and i dont think i have ever heard anyone proclaim hey are giants of africa. i bet most ghanaians havent even heard that statement before

But one thing I can put ma b*lls on is dat elections can't be rigged in ghana & rawlings is disillussioned.

You are probably correct . Many Ghanaians I know are actually modest people. As you know Ghana well you will concede that there exist Ghanaians who consider everything to do with Nigeria a competition (and vice versa) to the extent that lies are quickly bandied about on both sides.

I try and remain as unbiased and as factual as possible . I give Ghana props for how it is going about its business lately but I cannot condone the assertion that  Ghana is "the true Giant of Africa" . That is similar to a Ghanaian recently telling me that Ghana's oil reserve is greater than that of Nigeria . I calmly told him that , even as I am happy for Ghana's oil find and fervently hope they avoid our mistakes , it is factually incorrect to state that Ghana's oil reserve is greater than that of Nigeria.

Wishing something to be a certain way does not make it so. Our oil does Nigeria no good but that does not mean I ignore an outright lie. Similarly Nigeria is a troubled nation , and worsening , but that does not mean Ghana is now ahead of Nigeria as the "true Giant of Africa" . We are not the Giant of Africa but neither is Ghana. In West Africa we are certainly the regional Giant as long as folks understand that 24/7 electricity and successful elections are not the qualifiers that determines a nations Giant status in a region.

Manuel, I would have to agree with your points the level of corruptions seems less crippling in Ghana, and  with less corruption the desired destination of any country is closer.

Nigerians just need to be inward looking, there is no point looking at or enjoying the fruit of another mans labour, while neglecting your own back yard.

Hi guys, i reckon both bennyboy and gbawe have made valid points. My own personal view is that Nigeria can be so infuriating coz on the 1 hand we play & will continue to play a significant positive role in Africa and yet we cant get our act together. If Nigeria can get her act together there will be a major jump in the dev of sub sahara Africa both economically and politically. Coming back to Rawlings I have a lot of time 4 him coz he came in at the right time and pulled that country out of the deep valley they were in and at this moment in time we need someone with Ballz to Nigeria by the scruff of the neck and shake her into shape or else we will become a laughing stock.

@gwawe,i trowe salute! i wanted to make a very valuable contribution to this thread,bt when i saw the post of @martass,i withdrew. cos after him will come shesi and his ilks.no need to waste ur knowledge and know-how on nonentities.bennyboy or bennygirl can claim the gaint of africa or the elephant of africa,how does that afeect us as nigerians. na because fowl no come market,thats why vulture become meat.if nigeria have taken her rightful place among nations and has kept her acts together,i see no reason why shoe and plastic repairers shoul suddendly become giants of africa only on the basis of one election. bt since their only wish is to see JJ Rawlings dead,now u can see the mentality of the people that we are dealing with.Rawlings will die one day,just like me and all of us,bt benny kid will live for eternity.

sherry lo:

@Manuel,and if their leaders were responsible what do you think Akwatia {their diamond land} and Obuasi [their gold land}should look like? The Govt extract this things without even if people live there or not.Ask about Consolidated diamonds, its a govt company like the Cocoa board but It has packed up why?corruption!eaten to the bone.They only tell you what they want to be told.

Anyway it's Africa and we are doing our thing.

You have an incredible fight ahead of you if you are trying to portray Ghana as being more corrupt or as corrupt as Nigeria and if you succeed I will get you to sell a ford fiesta as an x5 because your powers of persuation would be second to non. After more than $300bn of oil revenue you have nothing to show for it. You were talking about Accra being the only place with 24hr lights in ghana which is a lie by the way but anyway how many hrs of light do you get in Lagos? Not a single airport better than Ghana's in the whole of Nigeria, roads not better, education system not better after $300bn in oil revenue. Common sense would tell you that the fact that Ghana has earned way less but achieved these things in itself means it is less corrupt.

Have you read the systems that have been put in place to deal with Ghana's oil revenue going forward? corruption exists everywhere parliamentarians in the uk and iraq contracts given to US companies proves it but there are levels of corruption. whether you like it or not there is more fraud, armed robbery and government corruption in Nigeria than Ghana.

You seem very worrried about Ghana's problems again I would worry about Taliban style attacks in the north nigeria, kidnapping and distruptions in oil producing regions  to name a few of your problems, non of which touch wood we will ever have to deal with in Ghana.

We Nigerians have a short memory, the same story was told in 2000, that obasanjo stepped in to stop Rawlings from Rigging the election that  Kuffour and his NPP have won. I am not sure if such stories are told to make us feel good about the sorry state of our country today. Folks if you strip away the bla bla bla, what you clearly have is two countries Nigeria  and Ghana that is join at the hip. their relationship is a symbiotic one, they need each other to survive.

May i dare to ask my fellow Nigerians, who is Nigeria's biggest trading partner in Africa.

In which country has more Nigerians and Ghanaians earned a bachelor's degree from.

In what country can one find more Nigerian investment in Africa

This Ghana, Nigeria bashing business i presume is perhaps cooked up by politicians to throw dust in our eyes. Are we going back to the deceptive years when Ghanaians first expelled Nigerians in the 1970's and Nigeria followed in the 1980's by expelling Ghanaians.  If Yar' ardua has helped to avert a catastrophe in Ghana, we should be proud , but also seriously ask, why save Democracy in Ghana and not Nigeria.

This thread has to be a joke. I notice Nigerians seem to respect Rawlings so much. I'm not too suprised. You can never tell what's going on in someone's house when you're looking in from outside. Like Most ghanaians think of Obasanjo as the best nigerian leader ever.

What you have to understand before you try to interpret any Rawlings comment on Kufuor is the intense hate Rawlings has for Kufuor. He blames Kufuor for his irrelevance on the world stage. After Kufuor's government initiated corruption charges against his wife and other members of his family, he has considered Kufuor his personal antichrist.


First of all, Rawlings is a deluded man. Constantly trying so hard to remain relevant in ghanaian politics. His own party in power now, have pressed the iggy button on him.

WHo is YarAdua to tell Kufuor anything. that's ridiculous. What would yarAdua have done otherwise?

Don't read too much into anything Rawlings says. The man smokes weed among other things. You can never really tell whether he's high or not.

He said in the past Tony Blair and George Bush were trying to assasinate him.  

On Kufuor's recent appointement into many world positions, he said the reason Kufuor was being called and not him was because Kufuor was carrying coccaine.

Kufuor's good work on the ghanaian economy and the foreign plaudits ghana has been receiving in the last 8 or so years makes Rawlings' ineffeciencies even more glaring. His main goal now is to dampen Kufuor's achievements any chance he gets. So his own 20 years doens't seem like such a waste.

Here's is where most of you are wrong.

ELECTIONS CANNOT BE RIGGED IN GHANA. The people have simply woken up too much.

If Kufuor wanted to rig elections wouldn't the first thing to do be to change the Electoral commisioner that Rawlings Appointed? who btw is the same Commisioner who called the elections rightly for Kufuor's NPP in 2000.

The only elections that have been rigged in Ghana was the 1992 election that transtioned Rawlings PNDC military Junta into a so-called democratically elected NDC government. That election even Rawlings himself would admit was rigged. Nobody complained because once the west pressured rawlings to return ghana to democratic rule, it was only a matter of time before he has to leave. they figured four years at most.

Rawlings did however win the 1996 elections fairly though. He did beat Kufuor fairly  in the election.

The man Rawlings, like the State of Nigeria, is a big enigma. he was the chairman of the military regime that conducted the cleanest polls in Ghana's history, the 1979 elections, only to turn around and in less than a year overthrow the elected leader.

At last, the thread is becoming "Intelligent, civil" and devoid of foul language!

With this kind of topic,i dont even bother reading long texts.

Ya'ardua prevented what?
(abi encouraged?  make una carry una propaganda go siddon)

@londoner, manuel, and co.

on what are you basing that statement that "ghanaians allow foreigners to do what they want on our soil"?? pls educate me.

some nigerians seem to have a false sense of bravado and delusions of grandeur. do we ghanaians allow westerners to do whatever they like on our soil any more than nigerians? let's talk figures.

@Sherry Lo, you assertion that ghanaians are not literate because they don't speak english on the streets is just plain stupid. Do nigerians speak english on the streets of lagos? mind you, pedgin is not english. that's even beside the point. do a simple google search of the literacy rate in both countries and see what you come up with.


Why did this thread make it to the frontpage anyway. It seems any thread that mentions Ghana in it makes it to the frontage. Seun or whatever you have failed.

Money no dey inside all this yarn,

All I know be say, Nigeria na my country oh, Lagos na my state oh, Fashola na my governor oh, and my life don better oh,

Rawlings it appears is looking for relevance if actually he said those words.

Make yaradua get out jooo, ASUU never resume e dey go interfere in Ghana's politics

Why are you guys arguing who is giant of africa, the way we think in africa is what affects the way we act when we are abroad, this is why alot of foreigners dont want to have anything to do with most of us. this topic is not about who is giant, it is about who got their stuff worked out. And from what Ghana has done its shows they got their acts together,so why are you guys arguing who is giant,a giant is only known by size period. but when it comes to achievement its not the size. President Obama was in Ghana to confirm that, and guess who are the next group of people to visit Ghana, did i hear you say investors from all over the world, you damn skippy!. for some of us  Nigerians in United States and other parts of the world who want to do legitimate business in Africa, where there is stability and infrastructure where do you guess they will go to?, you know by now, its not about patriotism but its doing real business with a Global focus. so until Nigerians will develop the culture of honestly and match up that status of being a  giant in size with  greatness in conduct, way of life and thought pattern that can attract such endorsement like Ghana got from America, we will continue to argue with Ghanaians "who is Giant".

Nigeria is a Great country but we the people need to get our acts together.

shesi:

This thread has to be a joke. I notice Nigerians seem to respect Rawlings so much. I'm not too suprised. You can never tell what's going on in someone's house when you're looking in from outside. Like Most ghanaians think of Obasanjo as the best nigerian leader ever.

What you have to understand before you try to interpret any Rawlings comment on Kufuor is the intense hate Rawlings has for Kufuor. He blames Kufuor for his irrelevance on the world stage. After Kufuor's government initiated corruption charges against his wife and other members of his family, he has considered Kufuor his personal antichrist.


First of all, Rawlings is a deluded man. Constantly trying so hard to remain relevant in ghanaian politics. His own party in power now, have pressed the iggy button on him.

WHo is YarAdua to tell Kufuor anything. that's ridiculous. What would yarAdua have done otherwise?

Don't read too much into anything Rawlings says. The man smokes weed among other things. You can never really tell whether he's high or not.

He said in the past Tony Blair and George Bush were trying to assasinate him.  

On Kufuor's recent appointement into many world positions, he said the reason Kufuor was being called and not him was because Kufuor was carrying coccaine.

Kufuor's good work on the ghanaian economy and the foreign plaudits ghana has been receiving in the last 8 or so years makes Rawlings' ineffeciencies even more glaring. His main goal now is to dampen Kufuor's achievements any chance he gets. So his own 20 years doens't seem like such a waste.

Forget abt how Nigerians see Rawlings, We are not ignorant of Ghanaian History from Independence, Any man who see the 8years of kuffours better than 20 years of Rawlings must be deluded in mind, There is no how you can compare some one who moved a country from 0 - 10 with the person who jst continue from 10- 20, Rawlling spent all those year rebuilding Ghana from nothing, You need to understand the situation of Ghana before he took over power and wht it was when he handed over to Kuffour, probably you will also understand why Ghana should not underestimate someone who achieved that much for them, Infact Ghana still enjoy most of the infrastructures he Fixed, The presence of these good Infrastructures gave kuffour the opportunity to focused on stabilizing the country's economy, Which we might see as his only achievement for 8years in power.
Mind you the Hatred between the both is not of any present achievement but something that goes back to the history of the both tribe, which formed the two major political parties,
The same thing goes to the MDC in power, there is no achievement they will attain that would please NPP for the next 4 or 8years,