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Photo Courtesy: Abod |
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An Ode to Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a
la Ghana@50
Samuel Dowunoa
Accra, March 18, Ghanadot.com -DURING preparations for
Ghana’s Golden Jubilee celebrations, there was public outcry
against what seemed to be a deliberate selective decision at
ignoring of the image of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, founder
of Ghana’s independence. But government and its agencies
denied any such omissions.
The Kwame Nkrumah Circle for instance did not enjoy any
rehabilitation like the Danquah Circle at Osu, Obetsebi
Lamptey Circle at Kaneshie and recently the Big Six Circle
at the Airport.
Rehabilitation works at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum could
not be completed in time for the golden jubilee celebration.
I do not have anything against the government, but I just
thought that I had to go to town on certain things and let
the world know the true historical facts as against what is
usually traded on political platforms.
The Sankara Circle which was changed to Ako Adjei
Interchange and University of Ghana sources can confirm that
recently there was a failed attempt to name that university
after Dr. J. B. Danquah, the star of the United Party (UP)
tradition, which gave birth to the ruling New Patriotic
Party (NPP).
Virtually anything was done to try to project the image of
United Gold Goast Convention (UGCC) characters over that of
Kwame Nkrumah.
But all that was not as interesting as the attempt by no
mean a person as the President of Ghana, John Agyekum Kufuor,
to try to distort historical facts about how the
independence of this country came about.
He chose no other day than the 50th Independence Day, March
6, 2007, the same day in 1957 when Osagyefo and nobody else
declared “Ghana, your beloved country is free forever” to
say that the independence of this country came through the
joint effort of Osagyefo and his colleagues in the UGCC.
Indeed, the president listed names of the members of the big
six and even added Professor Kofi Abrefa Busia as having
contributed to the attainment of independence. In the
process, Osagyefo, the founding father himself was relegated
to the background.
What else could be expected of the leader of a UP tradition
than such a distortion and intellectual dishonesty of the
first order Anyway?
But I would not go far in looking for facts to debunk what
the president falsely claimed. His senior colleague, Mr.
Peter Ala Adjetey, Former Speaker of Parliament and a
staunch member of the UP tradition, made some truthful
submissions barely a week before March 6, 2007.
Presenting “An Overview of New Political Parties Bill” on
February 26, 2007 at the Institute of Economic Affairs, Mr.
Ala Adjetey stated the obvious that “the UGCC was really a
mass movement, the aim of which was to ensure that the
direction and control of government should in the shortest
possible time pass from the British colonial masters into
the hands of the people of the Gold Coast and their chiefs”.
He admitted without shame that political parties did not
exist in Ghana until the formation of the Convention
People’s Party (CPP) on June 12, 1949, led by Osagyefo Dr.
Kwame Nkrumah, who insisted on “self government now” and got
it eight years after the formation of the CPP!
The challenges Osagyefo faced from his colleagues of the
UGCC after his decision to seek “self government now”, have
been in the history books for all these years. Hence it was
sad for the president to have attempted to distort
historical facts just to suit the UP tradition.
But the President’s woeful attempt did not go unanswered.
Indeed at the recently held Third Annual Conference on Kwame
Nkrumah jointly organized by the West African International
Magazine (WAIM) and the Nkrumah Lives On Foundation, at
least two speakers expressed their disappointment in the
president’s statement and in the relegation of Nkrumah’s
image to the background during the celebration of the 50th
Anniversary celebration of all times.
Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, immediate-past
Director-General of the Ghana Health Service and an
out-spoken Nkrumahist, known for his cutting edge
statements, rebuked members of the Nkrumahist tradition for
sitting by and allowing unbridled vilification of Osagyefo’s
image to go unanswered.
He noted that for the President to suggest that the
independence of Ghana is traceable to UGCC, was the highest
form of intellectual dishonesty, in that it is common
knowledge what J. B. Danquah and his colleagues at the UGCC
did to stifle Osagyefo’s call for “self government now”.
Prof. Akosa was of the view that had Osagyefo settled for
the UGCC stance for “self government in the shortest
possible time” Ghana could have been under colonial rule
till date.
He argued that neither J. B. Danquah, nor Busia nor any
member of the big six declared Ghana’s independence; but
Osagyefo on March 6, 1957 and when he did, it was really so
and has been till date.
Prof. Akosa noted that the vilification started years before
the present government, but noted hat in the midst of it
all, when it became necessary to name the African
Personality of the Millennium, Kwame Nkrumah was the name on
the lips of the entire world.
Dr. Otibu Asare, Chief Executive Officer and Editor in Chief
of WAIM was of the view that Ghana at 50 was indeed about
Nkrumah, in that 50 years on this country is celebrating
nothing else but Nkrumah’s legacy, which subsequent
governments have done nothing much to build on.
He noted that at Nkrumah’s overthrow, he had established at
least 68 thriving industries, which provided jobs for all
and there was even one million vacancies waiting to be
filled.
Today how many thriving industries can we boast of and where
are the jobs? he asked?
Dr. Asare was worried that successive governments had
plundered and mismanaged the legacy of Nkrumah to the extent
that 41 years on Ghanaian leaders keep moving round the
world with cup in hand begging for alms.
The least we can do in Ghana at 50 is to celebrate the
achievements of Nkrumah and accord his memory the prominence
it deserves instead of over shadowing his image with those
of his detractors in the manner we witnessed in the Ghana at
50 celebrations.
Long live Ghana, Long live Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Samuel Dowouna, Accra, March 18, 2007, Ghanadot.com
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