Olugbemileke Olushuyi

History reveals that Ghana and Nigeria have always been sisters. Both countries have strong trade relations; Nigerians go to school in Ghana; Ghanaian artists perform on Nigeran stages. “Kiss Your Hand,” unforgettable African song music was a Nigeria and Ghana Collabo.

Of course, like it is with every sibling, there will always be bickering. These two nations have always had minor issues. “Whose music is better?” “Whose food tastes better,” and so on. All in all, these countries have helped each other grow. Shall we examine some of the events in the history of these countries??

During the colonial era, Britain had control of four major countries in West Africa: Ghana, Gambia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone. Ghana was formerly called the “Gold Coast” because of the presence of gold in the Ghanaian lands.

Nigeria was called the “Niger Area” because of the Niger River across her land. The words “Niger” and “Area” later became “Nigeria”.

During the colonial era, the two leading countries among the British colonies were Nigeria and Ghana. In terms of education, exposure, and trade, it was either Nigeria or Ghana. Hence, these countries have always been competitors.

The British government hosted different games for its colonies. The Nigerians and the Ghanaians battled for gold medals in these sports.

It was always Ghana 1st, Nigeria 2nd, or the way around. A fierce rivalry. Of course, the news went around in both countries.

"We didn't win because the Nigerians defeated us."

"We lost because the Ghanaians cheated."

All these statements also contributed to this seeming “dislike.” Of course, some healthy rivalry is needed in sporting activities. It is part of the game. Some people have always taken this rivalry too far.

This sports banter still exists in 2022.

<div class="embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Let them know!!! <a href="https://t.co/H9FyKjAfxd">pic.twitter.com/H9FyKjAfxd</a>&mdash; Farmer John (@johndumelo) <a href="https://twitter.com/johndumelo/status/1507264061339275268?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

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On March 25, 2022, Famous Ghanaian Actor John Dumelo made a “harmless” tweet.

A tweet from John Dumelo reads: “There’s no way Nigeria will win today’s match. If they do, I John Setor Dumelo, will walk barefoot from Accra to Lagos tomorrow morning with ginger on my head! Super eagles my foot!”

This “harmless” tweet had about 50,000 direct and indirect engagements.

The multiverse of African politics

Political matters have always brought these countries together.

Kwame Nkrumah started the struggle for Ghana's independence. Nigeria was also struggling for its independence in this period. Their struggle against the colonial masters united these nations.

The history books are loud about how the Ghanaian Independence in 1957 accelerated Nigeria’s progress in its struggle for independence. Nigeria gained independence just three years after gather did.

As much as some events strengthened the ties between these counties, other political events did the opposite.

On November 18th,&nbsp;1969. Ghana, under the government of Dr Koffi Busia, issued a decree that all non-citizens without a resident permit were to leave Ghana. Nigerians were the largest group of immigrants.

This decree led to about&nbsp;140,000&nbsp;Nigerians leaving Ghana.

A country in need is a country indeed

In the&nbsp;1970s, Ghana experienced economic hardship. As a result, some Ghanaians migrated to Nigeria, Lagos to be precise.

The Ghanaians came with the mindset of work and hustle. They were skilled and business-minded. They had different crafts.

The Ghanaians were majorly settled in the Agege region. They brought the famous "Agege" bread recipe from Ghana to Nigeria. Secondary schools in Lagos and the "Ogun" region employed educated Ghanaians as secondary school teachers.

My Dad, who attended Community Grammar School, Ijebu-Ife in the 1970s was taught by three Ghanaian teachers. The Ghanaians grew in number and were doing well.

In&nbsp;1983, the unexpected happened. The Nigerian Government, under Shehu Shagari, expelled two million illegal immigrants from Nigeria.

This event was popularly termed Ghana-must-go because a lot of Ghanaians had to leave Nigeria that year.

Jollof Supremacy: The Battle of the Five Countries.

Another subject of debate is whose Jollof rice taste’s better. Ghana’s? Nigeria’s?

Where did Jollof rice originate from? Ghana or Nigeria? Try to guess. . . Which country did you pick? Well, you are wrong.&nbsp;Jollof rice doesn’t have a Ghanaian or Nigerian origin!! Many think the Jollof war is a battle of origin. It is NOT. It is a battle of taste.

Jollof rice originated from the Jolof Kingdom. The Jolof kingdom was powerful in the 14th century. The Kingdom spread across modern-day Senegal and a small part of The Gambia.

There you have it. Jollof rice was “invented” in Senegal.

The cultural exchange in West and Central Africa has always been wide. The Jollof rice recipe had travelled far across virtually all West African countries. Each country made their modification to the recipe.

According to BBC Travel in 2021, the five main protagonists of the Jollof Supremacy are Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Cameroun.

The battle for supremacy has always been between Nigeria and Ghana. Most major culinary debates end in either of these two countries supreme.

But, whose Jollof is truly supreme? That is a question that I cannot answer.

West African Entertainment

Ghana and Nigeria have always formed alliances that produced viral entertainment.

In 2006, Tony Tetuila’s hit song “Two women” was created alongside a Ghana music group. In 2016, Wizkid’s “Daddy Yo,” had Efya, a Ghanian, on the backup vocals.

Some notable Ghana/Nigeria music collabos are Anointing - Mr Eazi ft Sarkodie; No Kissing Baby - Patoranking ft Sarkodie.

In the late 1960s, Fela, the Afrobeat King, stayed in Ghana for a while. It was during the period of his stay in Ghana that Fela first referred to his music as afrobeat. Fela is of Nigerian origin, with no arguments, but it African music agrees that the time Fela spent in Ghana impacted his music style

Actors like Van Vicker and Majid Michel who are of Ghanaian Origin have been in countless Nigerian movies/ shows.

These two countries arguably have.

Ghavengers!.…Assemble

One thing is obvious, Ghana and Nigeria are NOT enemies. They have, and will always be sisters. Wizkid, arguable one of the most popular musicians in Nigeria owns a riverside house in Ghana.

Over the past two decades, Nigerians have been major consumers of Gollywood content.

Trading activities between Nigeria and Ghana have always existed, with each country contributing to the wealth of the other.

There is NO real war between these countries. It is important to note that some are taking this Ghana Vs Nigeria too far. To those people: Remember the words of Abraham Lincoln, “Life no too hard”.

There is so much these countries can achieve as they choose to further work with each other.

The history books in Ghana and Nigeria have one thing in common - they speak of the relationship between these two countries.

The Jollof chronicles of Ghana and Nigeria

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Olugbemileke Olushuyi

Articles written by the author

The Jollof chronicles of Ghana and Nigeria