'Nigerians celebrate wealth, Ghanaians hide, destroy it' - Duncan-Williams

Ghanaians, unlike Nigerians, do not celebrate wealth and success but rather hide their wealth and sometimes cause it to be destroyed, founder of Action Chapel International (ACI), Archbishop Nicholas Duncan-Williams has said.

Preaching to his congregation on Sunday, 29 April, Archbishop Duncan-Williams said while Nigerians freely flaunt their wealth, rich Ghanaians would not dare to do same out of fear of victimisation.

“You know I was telling them the other day and because we are Ghana there certain things I don’t want to say because Ghanaians we’re a very different people because even when you are giving testimony, they think you are bluffing, ‘wo kyere wu ho dodo’, ‘who does he think he is?’ Nigerians celebrate good things, Nigerians celebrate success, Ghanaians we don’t, Ghanaians we like good things but we are afraid to celebrate it. I know some Ghanaians outside and if you see where they live you’d be shocked, but over here: ‘Let me mind my own business’; we have to get to a place where everybody who succeeds is not corrupt, we have to be very careful, if everybody that makes it is corrupt, then we’ll have a society of poor people, nobody will be rich in this country because everybody who gets something is corrupt.

“I’m not saying we shouldn’t check corruption, or check how people make it but I think we should focus on how we can encourage people to make it. We have to develop a society where we create an atmosphere for Ghanaians, irrespective of background, political persuasions or culture, whatever our tradition, we must create an atmosphere for Ghanaians to flourish and not just foreigners.

“Every Ghanaian must succeed and when they succeed, they are paying their taxes and doing the right thing, they should be able to enjoy it, and we should create an atmosphere to encourage Ghanaians who make it and work hard and succeed to enjoy.

“I’m not talking about government and I’m not talking about politicians, I’m talking about Ghanaians as a society, let’s begin to have a mentality that creates wealth, and let’s also accept people when they make it the right way to enjoy their wealth, without antagonising people and making people afraid enjoying what they have …

“I watch CNN, do you know how many Nigerians or Nigerian banks advertise on CNN? A lot of them; about six or seven Nigerian banks and all these Nigerians advertising on CNN and nobody goes after them and says: ‘Let’s investigate them’. I’m not saying we shouldn’t investigate people who are wrong, don’t misunderstand me and I’m not saying we shouldn’t deal with corruption, that’s not what I’m saying, so, please get me out of that category, don’t put me in a category where I don’t have the freedom to speak truth to a situation I feel passionately about; the constitution gives me the right to speak.

I am talking about us as citizens; there is not one Ghanaian on CNN, when you see Ghanaians on CNN they are interviewing, I mean they’ve done well and everything but I’m talking about some of these Nigerians, Charley, they are mega, big boys, deep pockets.

Now as for how they made it, I can’t tell and I’m not talking about how they made it, that one is up to them and God and conscience and society whatever, I’m just talking that it’s just nice and good to see some of our own brethren, black like you and [me], achieving something and that it is not only the white man that can do it, that black people can also do it.

So, I’m not talking about we shouldn’t check corruption but I’m saying that check corruption but let’s also create an atmosphere that is conducive for Ghanaians whether they are doctors, they are lawyers, they are engineers, they are computer scientists, they are whatever that they can prosper, flourish, enjoy their money and celebrate it”, he said.