Ghana’s coronavirus case count continues to accelerate; so are the calls on Ghanaians to unite and fight the common enemy. With the number of infections leaping to 4,700, death toll rising to 22, there are fears many will contract the disease and the repercussion will be profound although some take solace from the fact that 494 persons have recovered.
On his 9th televised address to the nation as regards the progress of the fight against the deadly virus, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, known for donning locally-made fabrics encouraged the general public to adhere to the preventive protocols, stressing that there is hope if the populace observe the measures while government does its part.
As usual, he first made the communication through the fabric he wore.
“The President Nana Addo wore nkyenfre fabric [The residue or remnant of broken pot] Prez. Akuffo Addo is telling us it’s broken but we can still make it better with what we have as a nation,” a tweep known for having a background in artistry tweeted, Sunday.
Having done this consistently, many started tweeting at him immediately the president appeared on the screens. They were itching to know the name of the fabric and what it signifies.
But the tweep who tweets with the handle @ChristDeKing kept them in suspense as he waited for the president to end his address before the education.
The president has admonished Ghanaians to indulge in activities that will improve personal hygiene and fitness as a way of boosting their immunity against COVID-19.
According to him, a change in the attitude of the lifestyles of Ghanaians is a significant side of the fight against the Coronavirus,
Addressing the nation on Sunday, May 10, Akufo-Addo stated that, the key vitamins that fortify the immune system are vitamins A, B6, C, and E. He recommended that Ghanaians eat foods such as oranges, kontomire, millet, cashew nuts, crabs, plantain, okro, dawadawa, brown rice and mushrooms adding that they fortify one’s immune system.
The president further threw a subtle jabbed at former President John Dramani Mahama and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) over their criticisms of government’s management of Coronavirus in the country.
According to him, politicizing the fight is misplaced.
He said: “I know some political actors will want you to believe that our current numbers represent a failure on the part of Government. Do not begrudge them. They need to make such comments for their political survival. On the contrary, we must be emboldened in the knowledge that the 4,700 persons infected, so far, with the virus, have been identified, taken out of the population, isolated and are being treated."
"This virus, as we have seen the world over, is no respecter of persons, and has wreaked its havoc on every country on the planet. We can defeat it if we continue to look out for one another, and remain each other’s keeper. We are fighting a common enemy, and it is imperative that we do not allow religious, ethnic or political differences to get in the way of certain victory."
He continued: "So, we cannot allow a few persons, who wish to use these differences to scuttle our collective fight, to succeed. Over the course of our history as a people, we have had to overcome several trials and tribulations: slavery, imperialism, colonialism, tyranny and dictatorship, and we have overcome them all so that, with the help of the Almighty, we are, today, building a free, independent State, a State that, despite the urgency of the crisis, is governed by democratic institutions, and respect for fundamental human rights, especially freedom of speech."
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo during his 9th address on coronavirus