It was all smiles when musician Shatta Wale met President Akufo-Addo at the Flagstaff House yesterday.
The artiste, who prides himself as Ghana’s dancehall king, went there on an open invitation extended to him by the head of state on the occasion of his (Shatta’s) birthday.
It all started with a request from the dancehall artiste on Twitter on October 13 to the president. Shatta Wale asked him, “Your Excellency, Tuesday is my birthday..what are you giving me…@NAkufoAddo?”
To his surprise, President Akufo-Addo responded to the tweet, saying“Happy birthday @shattawalegh! You for come visit me for Flagstaff House o!”
The president’s response, which was in pidgin, suddenly became talk of the town, attracting an overwhelming number of views and comments, which some people claimed had never been recorded in the history of the nation.
When the day finally came (yesterday), Shatta went to meet the president in the company of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the EIB Group – Bola Ray – and a few friends.
However, Shatta’s wish to receive a vehicle from the president as a birthday gift did not come true.
Instead, President Akufo-Addo presented him with a memento, designed with the Coat of Arms – the symbol of authority of the nation.
He praised Shatta for his philanthropic work and urged him to continue, after a few jokes and laughter that depicted a high level of cordiality.
Shatta, on his part, thanked the president for the invitation and urged him to support the music industry.
He said musicians like him and Stonebwoy could be music ambassadors for the country and boost the image of Ghana on the international scene.
That, he said, is because music is a business which could be a lifeline to many youth.
Shatta added that his life story is similar to that of Nana Addo.
People did not expect me to make it just like some Ghanaians did not expect Nana to make it to the presidency.
Later in a tweet, President Akufo-Addo said, “The ‘Dancehall King,’ @shattawalegh, was at the Presidency this afternoon to pay me a visit, after my invitation to him, on his birthday.”
Shatta also tweeted, “I finally met my President @NAkufoAddo… Thank you for the gift…I love it, ago put am for my new house …God bless SM, God bless Gh.”
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent