President Nana Akufo Addo’s speech during his inaugural ceremony has been described as one in a million by graduate student at the University of Texas at El Paso.
Stephen Jantuah in an interview on Anopa Bosuo on which airs on ATV stated that it is unfortunate that the issue of plagiarism is now overshadowing the brilliant speech delivered by Ghana’s current president during his swearing in.
President Nana Akufo Addo has been accused of lifting passages from speeches by Bill Clinton and George W Bush during his inaugural address to the nation.
Though his office has apologized for the blunder, social media users have ceased not to point out similarities between Akufo-Addo's speech and those delivered by the two ex-US presidents.
It is on this note that Stephen Jantuah pleaded with the media not to allow people to set an agenda which would get the issue of plagiarizing overshadowing the excellent speech delivered by President Nana Addo.
“He (Nana Addo) quoted from different sources during his speech and gave credit where it is due. Since the fourth republic, Nana Addo is the only president to have given more quotes in his speech”, he said.
“When you take a look at all the speeches our ex-presidents have given, Nana Addo’s speech stands out. It is true he plagiarized at the later part of his speech, but it is the only part you can fault him and you can pardon him for the oversight”, he added.
Not long after his swearing-in ceremony on Saturday in the capital Accra, social media users started pointing out similarities between Akufo-Addo's speech and those delivered by the two ex-US presidents.
During Clinton's inauguration in 1993, he stated in his speech that "Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. And Americans have ever been a restless, questing, hopeful people. We must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who come before us.”
During Nana Addo’s speech he also stated that "Though our challenges are fearsome, so are our strengths. Ghanaians have been a restless, questing, hopeful people. And we must bring to our task today the vision and will of those who came before us".
In 2001, former US president George Bush stated in his inaugural address that: "I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building communities of service and a nation of character."
A similar thing was said by Akufo-Addo as he stated that "I ask you to be citizens: citizens, not spectators; citizens, not subjects; responsible citizens building your communities and our nation."
Source: ATV
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Just like in the Melania Trump case, aides and speech writers borrow extensively when putting together momentous speeches. You can't always reinvent the wheel. The speech readers themselves often are unaware of the source of some of the contents. But if it suits the moment, why not? This not an academic writing for plagiarism to be called in! Although the acknowledgement would have been dignified. Let Nana be.
A PhD English student refer to not citing an appropriate reference as an oversight? I am sure he really does not understand the gravity of plagiarism in USA and for that matter their education system. Please tell him not to commit the oversight offense in his dissertation otherwise all his four or five years of graduate studies will amount to no certificate since plagiarism in USA is unpardonable.
frank,Steve is doing his doctorate in English in the USA..just for your info..he knows what he is talking about
Why will the speech not stand tall...when you go for the punch lines in other peoples speeches. Young man keep quiet okay?
copy cat
Ghanaians be too known too much. Make we think forward.
Jantuah I don't know whether you are a graduate student or undergraduate, try to copy someone's idea word for word without citing the appropriate reference at the later part of your beautiful thesis and see whether you will be able to graduate or not. Just try it and come back again here to tell us outcome. There is nothing wrong with lifting a sentence from a different source and use it in your writeup but when you fail to cite or acknowledge the source it constitute a serious act of plagiarism which you can even go to jail as a result.
HE DID NOT PLAGIARISE.