The relationship between a Ghanaian President and a Nigerian President has always been a GREAT RELATIONSHIP irrespective of the men (no woman has occupy respective offices as yet) who occupies the Flagstaff House or the Aso Rock respectively. It is never a personal relationship as some analysts will want us believe.
Ghana and Nigeria will always have that special relationship because of, among other factors, the fact that Ghana or Nigeria are the two nearest Anglophone countries in West Africa with historical relationship. In other words, in the West Africa Sub-Region, Ghana and Nigeria are considered as 'neighbours' although we don't share borders directly. We are neighbours because we are the two 'powerful' Anglophone countries very close to each other. Nigeria is the biggest economy in West Africa (and Africa), and Ghana is the second biggest in West Africa. Naturally, we need each other, at least for economic reasons.
Again, our past leaders have gel together over the years. President Kuffuor and President Obasanjo were classical example. And notice that the PDP which has an umbrella as its symbol (the same symbol used by the NDC in Ghana) was the party of President Obasanjo when he was in power, and was very close to President Kuffuor whose party as an elephant as their party symbol. In Ghana, the Umbrella and the Elephant are not the best of friends.
The relationship is not about personalities or party symbols or even about political ideology.
We can argue that the relationship between the President of Ghana and his Nigerian counterpart is the same as the relationship between the US President and the British Prime Minister. President Clinton was very close to Premier Blair. A Democrat and a Labour Premier respectively. Again, President Bush, a Conservative, became a very close friend of Premier Blair when they were in office. Those relationship were not about the personalities or the political parties or ideologies they represent. It was about the offices they occupied and the GREAT RELATIONSHIP that exist, historically, between the two nations.
So, for any serious analyst or expert to even suggest that because President John Dramani Mahama? is a very close friend of President Goodluck Jonathan?, President Mahama now "has work to do to gain the trust of Buhari" is just an intellectual laziness.
A Ghanaian President and a Nigerian President will always need each other to build a very strong sub-region. It is simply not an issue of the individuals occupying those offices. It is about the offices they occupy!
Mahmoud Jajah
mails@mahmoudjajah.com
