Abeiku Santana Breaks Silence on IShowSpeed’s Ghana Jollof Incident: “Chef Abbys Was Sabotaged”
- GTA CEO Abeiku Santana has broken his silence on the viral moment IShowSpeed rated Nigeria’s jollof above Ghana’s during a livestream
- The US streamer tasted Ghanaian jollof prepared by Pizzaman Chickenman and publicly said he preferred the Naija version, sparking outrage online
- Speaking with Nana Romeo, Abeiku Santana alleged that plans to have Chef Abbys cook for IShowSpeed were hijacked by Pizzaman Chickenman
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Ghana Tourism Authority (GTA), Gilbert Aggrey, popularly known as Abeiku Santana, has opened up on the jollof debacle during IShowSpeed’s local stream.
Source: Facebook
American streamer Darren Watkins Jnr, popularly known as IShowSpeed or simply Speed, visited Ghana on January 26, 2026, as part of his ‘Speed Does Africa’ tour.
The tour, which started on December 29, 2025, has seen him visit multiple African countries, including Morocco, Egypt, Kenya, South Africa, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Benin, Angola, Zambia, Eswatini, and Senegal.
IShowSpeed snubs Ghana jollof
During his time in Ghana, IShowSpeed waded into the heated Ghana vs Nigeria jollof wars.
He was served jollof rice, reportedly prepared by the fast food chain Pizzaman Chickenman.
After tasting the meal, he declared that he enjoyed Nigeria’s jollof better than the Ghanaian one.
The incident sparked controversy on social media, with many Ghanaians incensed that he was fed a fast-food meal instead of home-cooked jollof.
Content creator Chef Abbys was present at the event, with many Ghanaians wondering why she was not allowed to cook for the American streamer.
Below is the TikTok video of IShowSpeed trying Ghanaian jollof.
Abeiku Santana addresses IShowSpeed jollof debacle
In an interview with Nana Romeo on Okay FM on January 27, Abeiku Santana addressed the controversy over the moment.
He denied reports that the GTA conspired with Pizzaman Chickenman, owned by billionaire businessman Richard Nii Armah Quaye (RNAQ), to ensure their brand received prominence during the global livestream.
Abeiku Santana said they were not aware of how Pizzaman’s jollof got there because it had been planned in advance for Chef Abbys to cook for the streamer.
The TikTok video of Abeiku Santana speaking is below.
Reactions to Abeiku Santana’s IShowSpeed’s jollof explanation
YEN.com.gh compiled some comments reacting to Abeiku Santana’s explanation of how the IShowSpeed jollof debacle in Ghana came about.
Shuga said:
"But why jollof 😂😂😂? Enti fufu ne waakye asa wo nkran anaa?"
100 wrote:
"We needed the taste of a real Ghanaian Jollof like with some salmon, tollo beef, some small small amani, Kako, dawadawa, corn beef bi inside the jollof. Paired with fried eggs, kosua ne meko and plantains, Ghanaian salad with more onions and shito."
Enyonam Badu 💜💖 commented:
"Chef Abbys nu, who told you guys she’s got the best jollof 😂😂😂😂? Ahhh boi."
Source: Instagram
Abeiku Santana discloses scrapped IShowSpeed plans
Previously, YEN.com.gh also reported that more stops on IShowSpeed’s Ghana tour had been planned but were scrapped due to time constraints.
According to Abeiku Santana, the American could not visit the Despite Automobile museum and musician Reggie Rockstone’s office, among others.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
