Mahama 2.0: A bear hug for Nigerian-Ghanaian bromance

“The two countries do not share borders, but it has always felt like we did. That we are separated by Togo and Benin has never really mattered—we feel like we are neighbours.” – Elizabeth Ohene

The relationship between Nigeria and Ghana, which by most accounts is a special one, is a puzzle of sorts. It does not make for an easy explanation, as the ingredients that should ordinarily make it what it is are not quite there on the face of it. The two countries are not direct neighbours; there are two other countries between them. While there might have been interactions between some of the people and traditional institutions in the pre-colonial days, there is no suggestion that bonds possibly forged then could have served as propellers for the post-colonial relationship between the two countries.

Colonialism had, however, brought the two countries together under the British imperial umbrella, with the two countries sharing institutional and cooperative relations and inheriting the same colonial heritage. They were both members of the West African Currency Board, West African Airways, and West African Line, among other things, which helped to establish a relationship between the two nations post-independence.

Indeed, it is the relationship formed by the first-generation political leaders in both countries in their quest for independence from the grip of British colonialists that might, in a way, explain what has, over the years, evolved to the point where Nigerians and Ghanaians began to fondly see themselves as Cousins, or Brothers, in the African sense of it. That relationship started with Nigeria’s first president, Nnamdi Azikiwe, who, upon completion of his degrees in the United States of America, elected to first settle in Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1934, where he founded a nationalist newspaper and also mentored nationalists like Kwame Nkrumah, who soon followed Zik’s path by also going to the US, returning to the country in 1947, to lead the nationalist movement, later becoming the first president of Ghana on attainment of independence in 1957.

In the years following independence, the relationship between the countries strengthened, even if in the immediate years, cracks had begun to appear over the internal power struggle in Nigeria, but among the people, there was a noticeable increase in informal interactions, which saw more Nigerians travelling to Ghana than was the reverse. The number of Ghanaians in Nigeria as of 1963 was estimated at 7,561, while the Nigerian population in Ghana was estimated at 209,120. Within a few years, the relationship suffered its first rupture, with Nigerians forced to leave Ghana on the back of the “Aliens Compliance Order of November 1969,” which ordered all undocumented aliens to leave the country. Nigeria paid back in kind in 1983 when the government announced the expulsion of all undocumented aliens, which led to the infamous ‘Ghana must go.’ While there have been other incidents of frayed nerves in the relationship between Nigerians and Ghanaians over the years, it is safe to say that both governments and people of both countries have found a way to strengthen the relationship to a place of accommodation and cooperation across different areas.

What stands out is the similarity in taste and interests between Nigerians and Ghanaians across different spheres, from education to sports, music, fashion, and cuisine, which sometimes gets misrepresented as unhealthy and unproductive rivalry between some of the citizens of the two countries. Rather than it being a cause for such, there is another way to see it as more of an interwoven history and brotherly bond that has seen to a fusion in Afrobeats and highlife, birthing collaboration between Nigerian and Ghanaian musicians, with artists from one country attaining fame and enjoying a sizeable following in the other country. Even the Jollof rivalry that never seems to go away speaks more to a shared love for similar kinds of dishes than anything else, which, according to Isaac Asabor, illustrates “a shared culinary history that goes back generations, symbolising the fusion of tastes across West African communities.”

The relationship between the two countries stands out in different ways that make it a model for others across the African continent. They have stood together on different platforms, including that of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), the African Union, etc. It is good to see that quite a number of Nigerian companies, especially banks, have made a strong impression on the business landscape in Ghana, while many Nigerians continue to explore educational and investment opportunities in Ghana.

Beyond the strong intergovernmental relations and formal business interaction across borders, interpersonal relations between citizens of both countries have tremendously helped in strengthening the relationship. There are cases of intermarriage among prominent Nigerians and Ghanaians. There are also people like the Nigerian journalist and politician, Dele Momodu, who for almost 30 years has lived across both countries, serving more as an honorary ambassador for Nigeria in Ghana and that of Ghana in Nigeria, just as one of the authors of this piece does for Botswana in Lagos.

Whichever way we tweak it, diplomacy is chiefly about the people. Where relationships can develop or evolve organically, as is the case with Nigeria and Ghana, the opportunities are indeed immense. That the newly elected President of Ghana, John Mahama, has a long-standing relationship with Nigeria, having lived in the country in his younger days, speaks to a renewed opportunity to deepen the relationship between the two countries. The indication that he sees it that way is there to be seen in the honour accorded to the Nigerian President, Bola Tinubu, in having him as the Special Guest of Honour at his inauguration ceremony. At the event, President Tinubu said that President John Mahama’s election (for a second time) should “mark a new and invigorated momentum in pursuing sub-regional integration and progress.” There is much work to be done by Nigeria and Ghana in the pursuit of integration at the sub-region as a pedestal for the economic integration of the African continent. The first step starts with a strengthening of the bromance between Nigeria and Ghana.

Olorunfemi is a communications consultant and managing editor of Africa Enterprise. Adefeko is director of corporate and regulatory affairs at Olam Agri, chairman of the Industrial Group at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and honorary consul of Botswana in Lagos.

Ade Adefeko is director of corporate and regulatory affairs at Olam Agri, Chairman of the Industrial Group, Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), and honorary consul of Botswana in Lagos ([email protected])