Jon Benjamin never called Akufo-Addo arrogant, I lied – Blakk Rasta admits

Abubakar Ahmed, alias Blakk Rasta has backtracked on an allegation he made on TV recently that a former British High Commissioner to Ghana, Jon Benjamin, had cause to once describe President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo as “arrogant.”

The outspoken radio presenter and musician explained in the TV XYZ interview that he had performed at a party for the then departing High Commissioner when an incident happened leading to the purported statement from Jon Benjamin.

But in a Twitter post referencing the GhanaWeb story on his allegation, he said he had put his words and sentiments into the mouth of the the UK envoy, “Jon did not say that. I apologize…” he added.

“I unreservedly apologise to my very good friend @JonBenjamin19 for putting my words and sentiments in his mouth. I am the one of the opinion, alongside millions of Ghanaians, that @NAkufoAddo is arrogant . Jon did not say that. I apologise…” his tweet read.

Jon Benjamin left Ghana in 2017, months after President Akufo-Addo came into office. According to Blakk Rasta, it was at the final party where he was invited to perform along with Wiyaala that he had a bad encounter with an aide of the President.

He explained that after shaking the hands of the former president, John Agyekum Kufuor, he attempted to do same with President Akufo-Addo, but what happened next shocked him.

“When the former British High Commissioner, Jon Benjamin, was leaving Ghana, he invited me and Wiyaala to come and perform, we performed our best and as I was performing, that was when the President Akufo-Addo walked in, and I was happy that this was my president and that he was the one pushing the agenda for a Ghana Beyond Aid and so since I like him, I would shake his hands and thank him from saving us from the claws of Mahama.

He told the interviewer that when he attempted to greet Akufo-Addo an aide prevented him by giving him a hefty slap on the hand, which action gave him blisters.

Blakk Rasta said that this action was so unexpected, he was further amazed that the president did nothing about this. He said the diplomat witnessed the incident and excused the president citing his arrogance.

“My own president; I am not a riffraff; you know who I am. The president had folded his arms and was just looking on and I said to myself if you can slap my hand like this in public, what then will you do to the Nima boy or the Ashaiman boy you don’t know? And so it was after this that the High Commissioner told me, ‘Excuse this arrogant president,’ and maybe I shouldn’t have said that but that is what he said.”

“You see, Nana Addo is one man that you don’t need glasses to see that he is arrogant. In fact, before he came into the presidency, WikiLeaks reported that this was a man Ghanaians saw as arrogant,” he said.