Former President John Dramani Mahama has finally clarified his his dead goat syndrome comment which was used heavily against the 2016 elections by the New Patriotic Party.

He said that he adopted the metaphor because he was frustrated about the continuous strike and the deregulation of oil prices.

The huge labour unrest that was happening at the moment, according to Mr. Mahama, was intolerable.

“I am the only government in the Fourth Republic where all organised labour came together and went on strike and shut down the country.

“I was one of the most harassed Presidents by Organised Labour. That is what led to the dead goat syndrome… because when you kill a goat, you cannot frighten it with the knife again, really!… I don’t know why I said that, but of course our opponents took it out of context. They said I have said that I won’t listen to anybody,” he explained during a lecture at Academic City University College on Friday.

During Mr Mahama's regime, experienced a number of strikes and demonstrations from workers, most of whom protested against poor conditions of service.The Trades Union Congress was one of the many workers’ unions that were on the streets to protest the worsening economic crisis.

The President said such demonstrations are part of strategies by workers’ groups to tie the hands of government, especially in election years.

In 2015, the former president frustrated about the continuous industrial action by public workers stated that he was no longer deterred by Ghanaian strikes and protests.

The President claimed to have a "dead-goat syndrome" and declared he would not be threatened by such tactics employed by some Ghanaians.

“I have seen more demonstrations and strikes in my first two years. I don’t think it can get worse. It is said that when you kill a goat and you frighten it with a knife, it doesn’t fear the knife because it is dead already.

“I have a dead goat syndrome,” he told a Ghanaian population in Botswana where he was on a three-day official state visit.