When a university professor publicly declares that another Ghanaian, the President of the Republic,John Dramani Mahama, is “inferior” to him because of tribal identity, it is not merely an offensive remark. It is a national disgrace. Dr. Joshua Jebuntie Zaato’s statement, reportedly made on TV3, that Mahama is inferior to him because he is Sissala and Mahama is Gonja, is not just a personal insult, it is a betrayal of Ghana’s constitutional promise of equality, and a dangerous echo of the tribalism that has fractured nations and buried democracies.
Let us be clear: tribal superiority is not tradition. It is a distortion. The Gonja and Sissala peoples, both proud and historically rich ethnic groups in northern Ghana, have contributed immensely to the nation’s cultural and political fabric. The Gonjas, with their centralized chieftaincy system and legacy of leadership, and the Sissalas, known for their communal resilience and warrior ethos, are not rivals in a hierarchy, they are co-authors of Ghana’s northern heritage. To weaponize these identities in a contest of human worth is to desecrate their dignity.
Dr. Zaato’s remarks are not just intellectually bankrupt,they are morally corrosive. They mirror the logic of racism, where one group claims inherent superiority over another based on birth, not merit. For those of us who straddle the worlds of Ghana and the diaspora, this is a chilling reminder that prejudice wears many faces. It is not always white against Black. Sometimes, it is Black against Black,tribe against tribe, professor against president. And when such prejudice is voiced by an academic, it ceases to be ignorance. It becomes ideology.
What is equally disturbing is the silence that followed. The interviewer did not challenge him. The panelists laughed. The moment passed without consequence. At least the clip we saw indicated that. This is not journalism, it is complicity. Ghanaian media must rise above entertainment and embrace its duty to interrogate, to educate, and to protect the public discourse from being hijacked by tribal dogma. When Sophia Akuffo was interviewed about the removal of Justice Torkornoo, no one reminded her that she had used the same constitutional article to remove Charlotte Osei. This selective amnesia is not professionalism, it is malpractice.
Dr. Zaato must apologize. Not just to President Mahama, but to every Ghanaian whose dignity was insulted by his words. And he must be removed from his academic post. A professor who preaches tribal inferiority cannot be trusted to educate a nation. He is not a steward of knowledge, he is a threat to unity.
Ghana must confront this moment with clarity and courage. We cannot build a nation on the faultlines of tribal supremacy. We cannot allow intellectuals to become architects of division. And we cannot let journalism become a stage for unchecked prejudice.
This is not about Gonja or Sissala. It is about Ghana. It is about the soul of a republic standing at a crossroads, between the poison of tribalism and the promise of equality. We must not falter. We must not forget who we are. Let us choose the path that honors every citizen, every tribe, every dream. Let us choose justice, not just for some, but for all. Let us choose unity,not as a slogan, but as a sacred duty. Because the future of Ghana will not be written by those who divide, but by those who dare to unite us all.
By Jeffrey Zanlerigu, New York.
Thank you bro
Dr Zaato or Mr Zaato is stupid, and ignorant. A man who has attain such an academic level saying someone is inferior to him because of his tribe is totally useless and morally bankrupt.
Dr Zaato or Mr Zaato is stupid, and ignorant. A man who has attain such an academic level saying someone is inferior to him because of his tribe is totally useless and morally bankrupt. He does not deserve his academic degree obtained or conferred on him.