"Naadu Mills never gave 48,000 dollar gold watch to Michele Obama 20 Jan 2011 21:11 GMT... First Lady Ernestina Naadu Mills gave a gold watch worth 48,000 dollars to Michele Obama ... the First Lady a ruby and diamond jewelry set worth 132,000 dollars as well as a pearl necklace with a value of 14,200 dollars, according" ..(Credit: http://gold.einnews.com/news/gold-jewelry/ghana)
***Yep we’ve all heard about it -and we all have our own opinions, personally I don’t know all the facts -nor do I believe its out-of-order for our first lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills to use her own hard earned cash to purchase a watch and give it to US first lady, Michele Obama...but what are they saying in Ghana?
The Following is written by Atiku Iddrisu (Dated: 21st- 1- 2011) A US$48,000 Backes and Strauss watch reportedly presented to Michelle Obama by wife of Ghana’s President John Evans Attah Mills -during the American first couple’s visit to Ghana in July 2009- has sparked a nationwide public outrage.
Reports in both international and local media, citing a White House Federal Register publication on Tuesday said Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills’ present to the American first lady, ranked the second most expensive to that of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz who gave Mrs Obama presents worth some US$146,200.
Ghanaians did not only receive the news with shock but also are fuming with rage over their first lady’s “gesture” especially when her husband assumed office with the promise of cutting down on profligate spending.
“The President depicts himself and his wife as humble, sensitive to the plight of the ordinary person. Our president condemned the putting up of such structures as the Jubilee House among others on the grounds that people did not have clean drinking water, children are going to school under trees and the general lack of employment …We are disappointed that our first lady finds it prudent to spend a whopping amount of $48, 000.00 as a gift which will not be used by Michelle Obama but will be on display at the national archives of the United States of America” said pressure group the Progressive Nationalists Forum in a statement.
The group said it was shocked Mrs Naadu Mills could shower a gift worth US$48,000 to Mrs Obama when Ghana is still bedevilled with mass unemployment, schools under trees, poor health facilities, as well as sanitation and water problems among others.
Meanwhile, government sources have admitted that Mrs. Obama did receive the wristwatch but denied reports that it was handed over to her by Mrs. Naadu Mills. The Head of Communications at the Presidency Mr. Koku Anyidoho, in a statement released late Thursady, said “the gift was handed over, neither on the orders, nor, with the knowledge of Mrs. Naadu Mills”.
Contrary to government’s denial, however, the watch manufacturer, Backes and Strauss of UK, has on its website a statement naming Ghana’s first lady as the one who presented the US$48,000 watch to Michelle Obama., Dated 16 September 2009 and titled ‘Michelle Obama is presented with The Star of Ghana,’ the statement said “On Saturday 11th July Mrs Ernestina Mills The First Lady of Ghana presented The First Lady of The United States Michelle Obama with The Star of Ghana to commemorate and celebrate the first visit to The Republic of Ghana by The President of The United States of America, President Barack Obama and The First Lady”.
With these sharp contradictions, the controversy surrounding the US$48,000 Michelle Obama watch rages on perhaps until the “ghost” that handed over the present is uncovered. (Credit: http://inwent-iij-lab.org)
***Yep we’ve all heard about it -and we all have our own opinions, personally I don’t know all the facts -nor do I believe its out-of-order for our first lady, Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills to use her own hard earned cash to purchase a watch and give it to US first lady, Michele Obama...but what are they saying in Ghana?
The Following is written by Atiku Iddrisu (Dated: 21st- 1- 2011) A US$48,000 Backes and Strauss watch reportedly presented to Michelle Obama by wife of Ghana’s President John Evans Attah Mills -during the American first couple’s visit to Ghana in July 2009- has sparked a nationwide public outrage.
Reports in both international and local media, citing a White House Federal Register publication on Tuesday said Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills’ present to the American first lady, ranked the second most expensive to that of Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz who gave Mrs Obama presents worth some US$146,200.
Ghanaians did not only receive the news with shock but also are fuming with rage over their first lady’s “gesture” especially when her husband assumed office with the promise of cutting down on profligate spending.
“The President depicts himself and his wife as humble, sensitive to the plight of the ordinary person. Our president condemned the putting up of such structures as the Jubilee House among others on the grounds that people did not have clean drinking water, children are going to school under trees and the general lack of employment …We are disappointed that our first lady finds it prudent to spend a whopping amount of $48, 000.00 as a gift which will not be used by Michelle Obama but will be on display at the national archives of the United States of America” said pressure group the Progressive Nationalists Forum in a statement.
The group said it was shocked Mrs Naadu Mills could shower a gift worth US$48,000 to Mrs Obama when Ghana is still bedevilled with mass unemployment, schools under trees, poor health facilities, as well as sanitation and water problems among others.
Meanwhile, government sources have admitted that Mrs. Obama did receive the wristwatch but denied reports that it was handed over to her by Mrs. Naadu Mills. The Head of Communications at the Presidency Mr. Koku Anyidoho, in a statement released late Thursady, said “the gift was handed over, neither on the orders, nor, with the knowledge of Mrs. Naadu Mills”.
Contrary to government’s denial, however, the watch manufacturer, Backes and Strauss of UK, has on its website a statement naming Ghana’s first lady as the one who presented the US$48,000 watch to Michelle Obama., Dated 16 September 2009 and titled ‘Michelle Obama is presented with The Star of Ghana,’ the statement said “On Saturday 11th July Mrs Ernestina Mills The First Lady of Ghana presented The First Lady of The United States Michelle Obama with The Star of Ghana to commemorate and celebrate the first visit to The Republic of Ghana by The President of The United States of America, President Barack Obama and The First Lady”.
With these sharp contradictions, the controversy surrounding the US$48,000 Michelle Obama watch rages on perhaps until the “ghost” that handed over the present is uncovered. (Credit: http://inwent-iij-lab.org)
MRS. Michele Obama ,should wear and Keep the Watch .The King is short one Less ruby .
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