Speechwriters of Nana Addo must be sacked for plagiarism gaffe – Group

Pressure group, the Alliance for Responsible Citizenry (AFRC) has called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to sack those who wrote his

AFRC in a statement said, "This act if not checked has the potential of causing a more irreparable damage to the Presidency and ultimately bringing the name of the Republic of Ghana into disrepute."

The group however, condemned the act of plagiarism which has been perpetuated by the presidency.

Portions of Nana Akufo-Addo’s speech were the exact words of ex-Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton when he was sworn-in as President on January 7, 2017.

But the group said, the errors may have been caused by negligence on the part of the speech writers, hence some action must be taken immediately to avert a future occurrence.

The AFRC said, "We are by this release calling on the President to sack with immediate effect, the authors of his inaugural speech to deter others from repeating such a gross mistake in the future."

Read below the full statement by AFRC:

PRESIDENT NANA ADDO MUST TAKE ACTION

The leadership of the ALLIANCE FOR RESPONSIBLE CITIZENRY, AFRC have noted with concerns the gross act of negligence on the part of the handlers of the President of the Republic of Ghana, H.E. Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo's inaugural speech.

The AFRC condemns in no uncertain terms the act of plagiarism which has been perpetuated by the presidency. We have equally noted with shame the broadcast of the said act of plagiarism by major news channels such as CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera and our traditional and social media outlets. This act if not checked has the potential of causing a more irreparable damage to the presidency and ultimately bringing the name of the republic of Ghana into disrepute.

Ghana as the citadel of democracy in Africa has come a long way in etching its name among the influential countries in the comity of nations. We cannot, therefore, allow such a gross act of incompetence or negligence erode the gains we have made.

We are by this release calling on the President to sack with immediate effect, the authors of his inaugural speech to deter others from repeating such a gross mistake in the future. We must hasten to say that the President must act swiftly to restore sanity to the highest office of the land.

Long live Ghana,

Long live Africa.

Signed,

Oteng Amponsah Enock

President