Ghanaians should always endeavour to offer
prayers for the first and second families of the country to help execute the
task of managing the affairs of the country efficiently, President Akufo-Addo
has said.Mr Akufo-Addo, who made this call during in a speech on Sunday,
January 8 at Kyebi in the Eastern Region, when he was hosted by the Okyenhene,
Osagyefuo Amoatia Ofori Panin II, humorously asked Ghanaians to pray for his
wife so that she takes it easy on him.
The president, in an elated mood,
admitted that his wife wanted the best for him but requested prayers for the
First Lady so she would not scold him as she used to.
“Some of the
prayers should also go to my beautiful lady, Rebecca, whom the people of Osu
have given to me as a wife. She scolds me too much. I know she wants the best
for me but pray to God to make her relax a bit,” Mr Akufo-Addo
indicated.
“We have come for blessings and also ask all of you to pray
for me for wisdom, confidence, and a good heart to be a great president for
Ghana. Don’t forget Mahamudu Bawumia, too, in your prayers. There is a huge task
ahead, so Ghanaians should pray for us.” Calling for prayers for Samira Bawumia,
wife of the vice-president, Mr Akufo-Addo said: “We saw Samira during the
campaign, she was very vocal. I think she was the one whose speech worried John
Mahama the most. God should protect and guide her so that she can help
Bawumia.
Mr Akufo-Addo also promised Ghanaians that his government and
appointees would work for the wellbeing of Ghanaians and be servants to the
nation.
Mr Akufo Addo was emphatic that his government would not be
domineering, saying: “We (the New Patriotic Party government) have come to serve
and depict humility in our speech and deeds for Ghanaians to know that we have
something good in us for which purpose we persisted until Ghanaians gave us the
mandate to govern.”
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was on Saturday January 7
sworn in as the fifth president of Ghana under the Fourth
Republic.
Several dignitaries and foreign diplomats graced the occasion,
which saw the president of Ivory Coast, Alassane Ouattara, as the special guest
of honour.
The presidents of Zambia, Equatorial Guinea, and Kenya, Egdar
Lungu, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo and Uhuru Kenyatta, respectively, were
present.
Other prominent persons who graced the occasion were Ali Bongo
Ondimba of Gabon, Ethiopian Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, Iranian
president Hassan Rouhani, Indonesia’s Joko Widodo, Ernest Bai Koroma of Sierra
Leone and former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Egypt’s Abdel Fattah
el-Sisi, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita of Mali and a representative each from Mauritius
and the USA. Africa’s richest man Aliko Dangote was also present.
Members
of parliament, opposition political party leaders, the clergy, traditional
rulers and a section of Ghanaians clad in white and NPP apparel witnessed the
ceremony.
Mr Akufo-Addo beat ex-president John Mahama and five other
candidates in the December 7 election by securing 53.85 per cent of valid votes
cast to win the contest for the presidency.
He is expected to implement
policies to improve the economy, create jobs, and place the country on a
developmental pedestal among others.
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