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They may appear too big in clouts, names and personalities to be overly concerned about such minor things as nicknames but you know what they say about those things; the more you reject a name, the more solidified it becomes.
Admittedly too, there are several nicknames that are self-imposed.
And that is how, even presidents that have served this nation, have also earned for themselves aliases due to a thing or two that they have become known for, or for some other ones they were notorious for.
Good, bad, evil or even negative, these nicknames have become part of the memories that we have of these Heads of State and in this GhanaWeb listicle, we put together some of the most interesting ones for your reading.
By the way, these may not be all that they were nicknamed but at least, out of the lists, these ones are undoubtedly the most popular.
Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings:
Beginning with the late former president of Ghana is quite strategic because he had the most relatable nicknames when he lived, and maybe too it was because of his charismatic personality.
For the man touted as the father of Ghana’s democracy, JJ Rawlings endeared himself with many popular aliases but many relate more with these two: Papa J and Dr. Boom.
At some point too, he was known as Junior Jesus.
And how he came about the name Dr. Boom, well, as you know by now, the former military ruler was known for making very resounding comments on nearly everything and that easily earned him the nickname of someone who loved to ‘boom’, the literal term for a person who was opinionated in a hard-hitting way on nearly all happenings in the country.
John Agyekum Kufuor:
From the Gentle Giant to the man known as the Sexy Eyes, Ghana’s current oldest living former president, John Agyekum Kufuor, was another person known popularly for bearing nicknames.
And while his nicknames did not exactly stem from anything sinister, they just personified the person he was: gentle although much of a giant in looks.
And if this is anything to go by, President Kufuor’s popularity was so great that he had such things as gallons named after him: the yellow Kufuor gallons as they are known.
Once the Vice President of Jerry John Rawlings, the man who is arguably Ghana’s most peaceful president ever, John Evans Atta Mills, earned for himself the natural-derived nickname of the Asomdwehene.
The name explains his peaceful nature and largely too, his religious nature – attributes many identified with and continue to identify him with even in his death.
The burial place for the late former president gives his nickname an even more solidified presence in the minds of Ghanaians: the Asomdwe Park.
Ghana’s first president, Kwame Nkrumah, was known as ‘Osagyefo’ because of the significant place he has in the country’s history: a redeemer.
The name, derived from the Akan language, continues to be a name that Nkrumah is linked to even today.
Kwame Nkrumah was also affectionately called ‘Showboy’ by his peers.
Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo:
Last but not the least, is the sitting President of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, who is commonly known as ‘Addo Showboy.’
While this alias is not as popular as the others of all the other presidents in the above list, Akufo-Addo has regardless earned for himself this one.
It might be in his gait, and it could be about his style choices for fashion, or even his impeccable speaking of the Queen’s language, or even some other motivations, but whatever that is, Ghana’s incumbent Number One man is surely the ‘showboy’ for many.
