Opinions of Sunday, 21 February 2021

Columnist: Joel Savage

Why Akufo Addo pretends he has no knowledge about LGBT office in Ghana

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo

There is much political unrest unfolding in Ghana and one of them is the alleged commission of LGBT, which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, office in Accra. It is very shocking that even though the late Ghanaian leader, John Eavns Atta Mills rejected this proposal, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has secretly approved it.

Whereby in the first four years of Akufo-Addo government, demonstrated to be a very tough president, harsh on the media and did many undesirable things against democracy in Ghana, the man still has his own fears embedded in him when it comes to foreign issues. The LGBT issue is one of them.

This article will reveal why the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, office was established in Accra, without the knowledge of many Ghanaians.

Experience is the best teacher, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo knows that, yet, he has done something which our culture, constitution, custom, and heritage are unfamiliar with.

Many African leaders think they have had enough from colonial masters and the United States of America, therefore, wouldn't like to do anything with them. Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe and former Gambian leader, Yahya Jammeh were two of them.

Both African leaders were more than dictators but their views on homosexuality were the catalyst to undermine their governments to destruction by Europe and the United States of America.

Years after independence swept through Africa, European and American leaders still dictate to African leaders, telling them what to do, yet nobody listens to the voice of an African leader. This is enough for African leaders to know that foreign countries’ leaders don’t respect them.

Mugabe and Jammeh suddenly became enemies because of their views on homosexuality and the fact that Europe and America find it hard to deal with them, they pray to see an immediate end to the governments of Mugabe and Jammeh. This is what Nana Akufo-Addo wants to avoid.

The Western and American media quickly find faults against the two African leaders for human rights violations and muzzling of the press, but gross human rights violations are daily witnessed in Advanced Countries than Africa.

Due to poverty, Advanced Countries use aid as a weapon against Africa, as they threaten leaders to accept homosexuality and all their immoralities which have destroyed their community.

Any strong African leader is seen as a threat and the only way they think could subdue them, is to dominate the leaders with unfriendly political issues.

Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe rejected calls from the United Nations to implement gay rights in his country. He described homosexuals as worse than pigs and dogs.

In 2008, Jammeh gave an ultimatum to gays and lesbians to leave his country, saying he would "cut off the head" of any homosexual found in the nation.

Two years later the European Union cancelled €22 million of aid because of concerns over human rights and governance issues. Financial aid to Africa is a granted loan to pay back, so why this bluff?

The big question, whenever any epidemic breaks, how many people go to Africa to deal with the situation? (Thanks to those who have sacrificed their lives to help Ebola victims in Africa), yet Africa remains the only continent in the world that has suffered a great deal.

World leaders should understand the reason Africa leaders don’t trust them any longer. No one listens to the voice of an African leader; the West, therefore, shouldn’t expect every African leader to listen to whatever they say.

“What brought Britain in the first place to the Gambia? The trade-in ivory because the Gambia had a lot of elephants, they ended up wiping out the elephants and turned around and started selling Africans. The British instituted slavery."

"The only thing they left us, unfortunately, is the English language,” said Jammeh. The reason he wants to drop English as an official language in his country," said, Yahyah Jammeh

The Gambia as a member of former British colonies shocked the Commonwealth by withdrawing from the 54-nation bloc, calling it ‘An extension of colonialism.’ People aren't sincere and far from the truth.

African leaders have seen the betrayal and underestimation by foreign governments but since they can't resist the temptation of money from foreign governments, Africa will always face challenges after slavery, colonial brutality, apartheid, and the deliberate spread of diseases on the continent.