How JJ Rawlings got his infamous ‘Junior Jesus’ nickname

Jerry John Rawlings is dead and long buried but his significance and the stories about the man continue to excite and interest many people.

One of such stories is how he came to be known, famously, as ‘Junior Jesus.’

For those who are unaware, many Ghanaians started calling the man by this name after he successfully completed his first coup d’état in the year 1979.

For quite a number of people at the time, Jerry John Rawlings had saved the country from a time of many wrongs, including corruption.

As has been explained by one of the mentees of the man touted as the father of the fourth republic of Ghana, the name was to signify two major aspects of the life of Rawlings.

According to Dela Coffie, the ‘Junior Jesus’ tag was principally a reflection of the JJ acronym of Rawlings’ name.

In effect, ‘Junior Jesus’ only stood for the same name as JJ, although that acronym actually stands for Jerry John.

But more significantly, the alias ‘Junior Jesus’ was to mirror the life of what many thought were attributes of Jesus Christ, the son of God.

Dela Coffie explained in a 2021 interview that Rawlings’ coming in at the time was to help get the people of Ghana out of what was an unjustifiable economic crisis in the country.

He added that this was because incidents like "tax evasion, bribery and corruption, nepotism, social injustice and the entrenchment of the few in government, had been the order of the day, thereby crippling the economy and creating hardships and sufferings for the ordinary man.

"At the time, Ghana was in the throes of food shortages and a dire economic situation that had led to rampant inflation. People had to walk hundreds of miles away to seek medical care, and essentials like key soap, sugar and whatnot which was not available.”

According to a report by online news ports, Opera News, Dela Coffie was of the view that Jerry John Rawlings’ 1979 coup redeemed Ghanaians from such hardships, bringing them relief.

He also explained that because of this, the people put their trust in his leadership and forthrightness, adding that it was for such a milestone in the country's restoration that he was nicknamed the 'Junior Jesus,' while others simply called him the 'savior.'

"Chairman Rawlings was touched by the cries, hunger and the suffering of the people, especially the ordinary people who could not afford a ball of kenkey. His emergence after the 1979 coup sent a spontaneous jubilation to the people throughout the country. He was hailed and received by Ghanaians for his boldness and forthrightness. Some even called him Junior Jesus and the Saviour," he is reported to have said.

Jerry John Rawlings went on to become Ghana’s first elected democratic leader in the fourth republic, before he handed over power to John Agyekum Kufuor in 2001.

On November 12, 2020, JJ Rawlings died after a short illness.

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