National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah
The National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has revealed the interesting story behind why he changed his first name from John to Johnson in 1970.
Speaking in an interview on UTV’s Adekye Nsroma on July 18, 2025, Asiedu Nketiah recounted that the change was necessitated by the constant ridicule he faced as a young boy in school.
According to him, when he was first admitted to a Presbyterian school, the admissions catechist gave him the name John. At the time, he said, he had no issues with the name until he became the best student in a common entrance exam to enter middle school.
Asiedu Nketiah explained that after completing class six, he sat for a common entrance examination along with pupils from about ten other schools in the area. He topped all the schools, which surprised many of his peers.
However, instead of celebrating his success, some of his classmates used his name to mock him.
“So, during the admission, the catechist gave me John, and that was the name I used in my early age education. So, when I topped the exams, they didn’t understand how someone called ‘John’ could be the best. They started teasing me, calling me ‘John’ to make fun of me, like how people refer to you as John, which means useless kind of,” he narrated.
Asiedu Nketiah said the constant teasing became unbearable, forcing him to modify his name.
“Because of the insults, I decided to change my name from John to Johnson. I felt Johnson sounded more respectable than John,” he added with a smile.
Since then, the NDC chairman has been officially known as Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, a name he has carried throughout his political and public life.
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