It is difficult to do so, but for the sake of education and knowledge expansion, I must respond to this piece by a brother who continues to inspire many, including myself. I want to be honest and succinct in this response to many of our readers so that they may clearly and intuitively understand where I am coming from, without any malicious desire to deceive discerning minds. In this life, especially as Africans, our perspectives on life's gains and its difficulties as a Black race must be configured with our beliefs, culture, customs, language, heritage, and ancestors/gods.
By way of compliment to the original author, this is an excellent response to the headline news about the president of the republic's worldwide travels onboard a private jet owned by his blood brother. Ibrahim Mahama, John Dramani Mahama's brother, adores his elder brother more than any Ghanaian, including myself, and will never jeopardise his position as the first gentleman of the land, even if there are bruits of internal dynasty between them in the jealously ambitious Mahama family. No, as far as I know. The writer's reaction, Francis B. Baaladong's, is understandable in light of expectations of Western democratic structures and rule of law, but the grandiose lack of a reflective setting for the story for an African background is perplexing. Nobody can dismiss a narrative's setting because it has a significant impact on the genuine outcome and takeaway for readers.
Enough of that, let us go down memory lane: in August of 2025, we watched a plane crash in Ghana, annihilating the lives of eight full-fledged heroic souls from the face of our nation, Ghana. To make a long story short, the president, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama, was due to onboard the aircraft, but divinity cannot be mythical, and he is still alive. It is common knowledge that gold and spirits are connected; take it or leave it, but the sole purpose undertaken with the aeroplane was to contribute to the fight against galamsey, which had been exacerbated by the previous presidency. It hurts me to reopen healed and smouldering hearts that are struggling to still accept such a tremendously mixed, sad, and faithful loss, and some of us are still grieving.
The truth is that, as blood-born Black and Africans, have we taken any conscious attempt to consult oracles or ancestors concerning the 'divinity that has turned mystical'? Remember that many citizens had to cope with the horrible tragedy, which continues to this day. African, do you believe His Excellency JDM just slept on it? Assuming, without admitting, that he is intuitively informed about the misfortune that befell his government, other than consulting the ancestors or oracles of the land, do you expect him to aboard any flight available to him, including the presidential flight, without regard for his personal inclinations as an African? Let us be honest and appreciate who we are and what we believe in, rather than transforming ourselves like westerners while accepting their rulership style in the guise of democracy. Believe me when I say that African leadership's absolute acceptance of democracy is a fiat and a charade - a debate for another day.
Yes, JDM is the president of the land, but in his ancestral way of life from this area of the world, like any of us, using sibling property to earn a profit in his/her life and the community is not abhorred, and such must easily find a place in our constitution. This is not the same as the foreign private bathing plane rented everyday by 'mampam' at painful taxpayer expense. The NPP's history does not bode well for Ghanaians who seek decent, assured, and expanding security and comfort in all aspects of their lives. Those leaders may appear to have excesses, but it is for the greater interest of all of us. Down memory road, Nkrumah and JDM during their first terms as presidents are widespread examples to refresh and acquit our minds regarding the NPP membership betrayal. Let them shout and snarl, but the bottom line is that citizens refused to be duped this time around. The electorate has woken up, refused to be referred to as Don Quixotes, and understands how the NPP fictitiously ascended to power to milk the state.
The craziness among many NPP supporters and sympathisers, which logical thinking should avoid, stems from a perceived looming potential conflict of interest. I've often wondered if the president's relatives or siblings should be denied equal job or contract possibilities simply because he or she works in the public sector. That is impossible, and its actions go against common sense. Does one cease to be a Ghanaian if a relative is proven to hold a governmental office, and does this preclude him or her from pursuing any employment or contract opportunity based on merit? Let us even assume, without confessing, that Ibrahim Mahama heeds the demand of these phoney citizens of the land and denies his brother JDM, the president, the use of his private jet. Can't he still have the potential to secure a government contract on merit as a business mogul? Come on!
We should be aware that whether or not Ibrahim Mahama gives his private jet to JDM, he will continue to pursue new contracts, and the collective citizenship will be at peril. The thought of being prohibited from job and contract prospects because a relative works in public service is completely immoral, and its practice must be annulled to represent civility among us as a people of vision. More importantly, and depending on who we are as people in this area of the world, we are guided by our good and bad inclinations, which are greatly respected in how we conduct our daily lives.
If he, JDM, prefers not to use the presidential jet due to the murky, pulsing security concerns around its use, leave it be, and it should be respected, with no more grandstanding. It is his life and spirituality, and God, through our forefathers, knows why he is still alive today, despite the fact that we have lost eight heroic government officials, which he could have been part. Government protocols may exist, but they are not a substitute for life, as evidenced by the president's positive inclination. He who sleeps in a dark room at night knows exactly where and how to rest his head. No amount of repulsiveness or pressure can make him kowtow or surrender to the opposing party's greedy and hypocritical wants and caprices as it nears its twilight.
Again, the gods can be consulted through oracles or deities, and what do you know about that? The gods are not to blame, which is why many of us are unable to find answers to his persistent refusal to use the presidential flight. We have decided to practise Western democracy in an African society, but we must remember who we are in life through culture, tradition, beliefs, and natural worship of our gods and ancestors. Perhaps it must find a place in the borrowed constitution of the white man to at least elicit some semblance of our individuality. It is perilous to stay on this path of being always lost and unable to retrace our genuine genesis. Ghana is facing difficult times, indeed.
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