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Opinions of Tuesday, 12 October 2010

Columnist: Sayibu, Akilu

Why Is President Mills And The First Lady Living With Dogs?

Akilu Sayibu: Why Is President Mills And The First Lady Living With Dogs?

In an interview with the BBC in May of this year, relating to life as First Lady of the republic of Ghana, Naadu Mills; the First Lady disclosed that, their greatest companion home included: Tandy, Max, Candy and Sweetie Pie. When I heard those names I asked myself: So the First Family has all these children and we have NEVER heard or seen them?

I was however excessively disappointed when it emerged that, those names were the names of dogs that the president and the First Lady were living with in the presidential “mansion” of Ghana! Naadu Mills went further to tell a very “long” story about those dogs and of where and how they were imported into the country.
Many people it must be explained were also disappointed that, the First Lady of Ghana used the unique opportunity she had on the World’s largest broadcasting network to project dogs rather than human-beings! Then the issue of president Mills and the First Lady having children came up.

I must say that, I was particularly curious about the children of the First family. I wanted to know: how many children they had? How old those children were? What their occupations or professions were? And where they live on this earth? The need for these questions aroused because; in all her interview with the BBC, Naadu Mills did not project her children but instead decided to project dogs.
At least when Jerry Rawlings was president of Ghana, pictures of the Ezanators were all over the place. When John Kufour became president we saw his children as well- both at his inauguration and at other ceremonies.
In the case of president Mills, nobody has ever seen his child even though speculations abound that he has a child. While some claim the child is a “She” others maintain the child we don’t all know is a “He” Sadly in the midst of all these speculations, his numerous Spokespersons and ministers are mute like they are deaf and dumb.
The irony and the most irritating thing however is that, his so call Director of communications had the audacity the other time to “challenge” candidate Nana Akufo-Addo to call his daughter who was alleged to have gotten drunk and got involved in an accident in Accra to order before calling president Mills names.
Even though, the said daughter of Nana Addo is an adult of over 33years of age, Anyidohu strangely still felt that her shortfalls as a very grown adult like she is, should be placed squarely on Nana Addo! I hope Anyidohu was not of talking about parental irresponsibility here?? What ever he was talking about, it is in his supreme interest not to thread that path at all!
What is expected of Anyidohu as the director of communications of president Mills is to answer the questions I raised in the preceding paragraphs. He must however, be mindful of the saying that: “he who lives in a glass house should dare not throw stones” At least we all have ideas how vulnerable glasses are to stones.
While waiting for answers, some things must be put in perspective: There is -everything different between rearing dogs and reading human-beings. At least Naadu Mills has made us to understand that, when dogs are getting out of hand “they lie on their back and I scratch their chest and they‘re happy” That is the words of the First Lady of Ghana during her interview with the BBC in May this year.
The difference is that, when human-beings are ‘wayward’ unlike the dogs they don’t lie down to have their backs and chest scratched to make them happy. I have a simple word for all who have the responsibility of talking for politicians: be civil in your words, choose the right words so that, you will not end up inviting “troubleses” as my Somali friend will say to yourselves.
As a Northerner I always believe in the adage: A word to the wise is in “North” sorry enough.
Akilu Sayibu UK,
Email: Akilu.Sayibu@bbc.co.uk