Ghanaians and friends of Ghana finally found reason to thank God for averting what would have been an unmitigated disaster as the new President, John Evans Atta-Mills, and Vice President, John Mahama, finally took their oath of office, before an unprecedented crowd of joyous Ghanaians, on January 7, 2009. They had every cause to be so elated. Only days before the general tranquility of Ghana had been seriously threatened by an inconclusive run-off to the presidential election of December 7, 2008. Politicians were busy alleging all manner of electoral malpractices, just as they each promised fire and brimstone if they failed to carry the day. Suddenly, it seemed Ghana was going to fail in its march towards democratic stability, like so many other African nations. The disgrace, and the disappointment, would have been too grave for a much underdeveloped continent, where bad governance has become a curse on all of us. But one man saved the looming calamity. The out-going President John Agyekum Kufuor made Africa proud when he came out clearly to say he was ready to hand over on January 7, as recommended by the Constitution of the Republic of Ghana. His was a breath of fresh air as against the shamelessness of sit-tight rulers who would have found a perfect alibi in the imbroglio. It was against this background that I traveled to Accra on January 6 in preparation for the ground celebration the next day. Many Nigerian personalities flew in to Accra to rejoice with Africa's beacon of hope. The mood on ground in Accra was that of a popular mandate. The ordinary Ghanaians believed that power had returned to the National Democratic Congress, a party that was strenuously put together by some revolutionaries led by Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings. And the President-elect was seen as a worthy scion of that formidable political empire. This was his third shot at capturing the presidency, and like his immediate predecessor, he was third-time lucky. On the eve of the much-awaited presidential inauguration, I saw a great example of how a leader can be a servant of his people. I had gone to the Kotoka International Airport to receive a most daring Nigerian entrepreneur, Jimoh Ibrahim, a Barrister-at-Law, who had obviously gone all out in his support for John Atta-Mills. No one was left in doubt about Mills' gratitude to this young Nigerian as the President-elect sent his personal aide to Lagos to accompany Jimoh Ibrahim to Accra. He also sent his personal car, the only one he was using during the election, and his personal outrider, to wait on the tarmac for Jimoh. It was a radical departure from those leaders who would conveniently forget their benefactors as soon as they acquired power. I became finally confounded when we arrived Professor Mills' campaign office in Osu and found him working quietly with his personal secretary. There were no garrison commanders around to flex muscles about their new status. There were no lobbyists in toe seeking juicy appointments. The security was even too understated for a man who would become one of the most important figures in Africa in less than 24 hours. Even as I write this piece, I marvel at the remarkable simplicity of Ghanaians and their leaders. I had expected to find all kinds of women groups and associations sharing their aso ebi and gele to match for the ceremonies. I had imagined members of the privilegentsia hanging around to drop cartons upon cartons of champagne and cognacs in preparation for a drinking spree. Believe me, I had hoped to see so many panic-stricken cows littering the whole neighborhood as donations and sacrifice to the new idol of politics. But I was sorely disappointed. You must give it to my people back home in Nigeria; we are the happiest people on earth. We are simply irrepressible. We know how to celebrate in grand style. I would have lost my job as publisher of Ovation without those creative party planners. Nigerians know how to cheer our leaders to high heavens and turn them into giddy demigods. As we left Professor Mills' office, I was shocked to see him climb into the car he had earlier sent to Jimoh at the airport, and realized that was all he had to take him home. Holy Moses, I had goose pimples all over me, as we drove behind him and snaked incognito through the sleepy Accra roads. No one would have believed the President-elect was the one going home like a commoner. His office had been littered with those I can describe as peasants, the ordinary working class. This revelation prepared me for the spectacle we all witnessed on our way to the Independence Square the following day for the inauguration. I had gone to the airport to join Nigeria's High Commissioner to Ghana, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, to welcome the President of Nigeria, Alhaji Umaru Musa Yar' Adua, and his entourage, to the beautiful city of Accra. I ran into the Governors of Rivers State, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi , and Lagos State, Barrister Babatunde Raji Fashola, in the presidential lounge, and Amaechi offered to ride in his car with me and Tonye Dele-Cole of Sahara Energy. We drove behind the presidential convoy but later ran into a terrible traffic near the International Conference Centre. Another lesson I learnt was that in Ghana, the ordinary people mattered. They spilled into the streets like locusts and our president had no choice than to endure the pain of an irritating traffic jam. I wished our leaders could experience this in Lagos in particular. May be they would be forced to do something drastic about our mass transport system. We saw even the great Kofi Annan in the bad traffic as his outriders tried all the tricks of cycling to meander their way to the important occasion. It was quite a sight as celebrities freely mingled with the crowd to find any available seats. The Group Managing Director of United Bank for Africa, Tony Elumelu, who had accompanied our President, could not hide his impression of Ghana. This is people's power in the true sense, he said. There was no discrimination of any sorts. It was one big festival for one large family. Nigerians poured in from all walks of life. I saw Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Aremo Olusegun Osoba; the former Chairman of UBA, Hakeem Belo-Osagie; Tunji Bello; Dr. and Mrs. Kayode Fayemi; Chief Olabode George; Chief Tom Ikimi; Senator Ben Obi; our National Security Adviser; our own Segun Adeniyi; the Chairman of the ruling party PDP; the Managing Director of UBA Ghana Nnamdi Okonkwo; Ambassador John Fashanu, and many others. They all came to salute the success of democracy in Ghana. Members of the Ghanaian opposition were highly commendable in their decision to withdraw all cases in the law courts, and for attending the events. The maturity of Ghanaian politics was palpable. The new President paid special tribute to his opponent who he claimed gave him a good fight. This attitude was the exact opposite of what we saw in Nigeria where the maximum sacrifice paid by Bashorun Moshood Abiola and others went unacknowledged by those who benefitted most from their misfortune. Also there are still many electoral cases pending nearly two years into the life of our own administration. Ghana has shown clearly that politics is not a matter of life and death. And the leaders of the ousted ruling party, especially President Kufuor and Nana Akufo-Addo, should be commended for their rare display of patriotism. Earlier in the day, we also learnt another major lesson. Ghana chose her first female Speaker of Parliament, Justice Adelaine Bamford-Addo, former Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. The first Deputy Speaker, Mr Doe Adjaho, is from the ruling party while the second Deputy Speaker, Professor Mike Ocquaye is a distinguished scholar and was picked from opposition. In other places, it would have been a game of winner takes all. I was amazed by the quality of the members of parliament as they reeled out their accomplishments on television. I tried to compare them to the money-miss-road that we encounter in other climes. These were mostly men and women of impeccable character. The elections of the principal officers of parliament ran smoothly across party line, and they have since settled down to serious business. There is so much to learn and cheer from the comportment of Ghanaian politicians. I only hope that Nigeria would not be forced to learn painful lessons through the hardest way one day. We behave as if there is no tomorrow. And care less about the excruciating misery of our people. Something has to give because history has taught that no nation can remain in perpetual darkness. It is up to us to flash the light of hope, or get sucked into the ravening clouds. As for Ghana, we borrow the Shakespearian words that all is well that ends well. Credit: Dele Momodu,Email:delemomodu@thisdayonline.com