Parts of the inaugural speech delivered by President Nana Akufo-Addo at the Black Star Square in Accra today, January 7, was plagiarised.
StarrFMonline.com research has revealed that a portion of the President’s speech was lifted from the inaugural address delivered by former US President George Bush in January 2001, when he assumed office.
The speech by Mr. Bush read: “I ask you to be citizens: Citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character”.
While the one delivered by Nana Addo to Ghanaians also read : “ I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation”.
The obvious imitation of the speech delivered by the former US republican president has sparked a massive social media storm with many calling on the Nana Addo’s speech writer to resign his post or be fired by the President.
However in response, the Communications director at the Presidency Eugene Arhin attributed the flop to an “oversight”.
He wrote on Facebook : “My attention has been drawn to references being made to a statement in the speech delivered by the President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, at his swearing in on Saturday, January 7, 2017, which was not duly acknowledged.
“I unreservedly apologise for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight, and never deliberate. It is insightful to note that in the same speech were quotes from J.B Danquah, Dr. K.A. Busia, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and the Bible which were all duly attributed and acknowledged”.
