Mahama warns of regional fallout if Nigeria fails to stabilise

Ghanaian President John Dramani Mahama has revealed that he prays daily for Nigeria to overcome its challenges, warning that instability in Africa’s most populous nation poses a direct security risk to the wider West African subregion.

Mahama spoke in Accra at the 4th edition of the African Heritage Awards, where he served as Special Guest of Honour, drawing on the deep historical and cultural ties between Ghana and Nigeria to underscore his concern.

“Ghana and Nigeria are twins of the same mother, except when we fight over Jollof and football,” he said, to laughter from the audience.

The Ghanaian leader noted that significant migration patterns and shared Yoruba ancestry have made Nigeria’s stability a matter of direct interest to Ghana. “A lot of the people in Ghana migrated from Nigeria. They find their roots in the Yoruba kingdoms, and so Nigeria is of keen security interest to us,” he said.

He was candid about the stakes, warning that a struggling Nigeria could trigger a population spillover into smaller neighbouring countries. “If Nigeria does well, Ghana does well. When you have cousins — 250 million of them — you want them to do well so that one million of them don’t come drifting towards a small country like Ghana.”

“So every day I wake up, I pray for Nigeria. I say, God, let Nigeria get its act together,” he added.

Mahama also used the platform to challenge Africa’s economic model, criticising the long-standing practice of granting sweeping concessions to foreign firms at the expense of local communities.

“Africa cannot sit with a cup in hand and go begging. We didn’t put the gold, lithium, oil, and gas in the ground. God gave it to us,” he said, decrying a system that creates “rich enclaves next to African poverty” where resource wealth coexists with a lack of basic amenities.

He warned that declining humanitarian assistance and shifting global priorities made it imperative for African nations to assert greater control over their resources and reduce dependence on foreign aid.

Pointing to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a step in the right direction despite its teething problems, Mahama expressed confidence in the continent’s capacity to chart a new course.

“We have some of the best brains and wonderful people. If we get proper leadership and work together, we will be able to make a change in the lives of our people,” he said.