The newly sworn-in President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Akufor-Addo has apologized for plagiarizing portions of inauguration speeches of two former American presidents: George Bush and Bill Clinton in his inaugural speech on Saturday.
The Director of communication to President Akufor-Addo, Eugene Arhin said that the speech was not deliberate and was an oversight.
“My attention has been drawn to references being made to a statement in the speech delivered by the President of the Republic. I unreservedly apologize for the non-acknowledgement of this quote to the original author. It was a complete oversight, and never deliberate,” read an apology note.
As Akufor-Addo was sworn as the 54th president of Ghana on Saturday, he described Ghana as a country of “gold standard for democracy in Africa” taking over from John Dramani Mahama.
Critics said the president’s inauguration speech was directly lifted from former US presidents Bill Clinton’s 1993 and George Bush’s 2001 inaugural speeches.
Bush had in his speech said: “I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character.”
The same words Nana used in his inauguration.
Nana further said: “Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us.”
These words were quoted by Bill Clinton in his speech at the 1993 inauguration. [myad]
