National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has criticised past attempts to denigrate the name and legacy of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said it was unfortunate that efforts had been made to diminish Dr Nkrumah’s significance, particularly when his contribution to Ghana and Africa had been recognised internationally.
He made the remarks at the launch of the Nkrumah Fest, an initiative by the Member of Parliament for Ellembelle, Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, to honour Dr Nkrumah’s legacy.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah commended Mr Armah-Kofi Buah for instituting the festival, describing it as an opportunity to address what he considers attempts to undermine Dr Nkrumah’s contribution to Ghana and the continent.
“First of all, I want to thank Honourable Armah Kofi Buah for instituting this Nkrumah Fest because I see it as an attempt to purge our dear country of the shame we have brought onto ourselves by denigrating the image, name and legacy of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah,” he said.
According to him, the issue was particularly troubling because Dr Nkrumah had been widely recognised beyond Ghana, including being described as the African of the Century.
He said the Nkrumah Fest could help reinforce public appreciation of the former President’s contribution to Ghana and Africa and ensure that his legacy was properly preserved.
Personal experience
Mr Asiedu Nketiah also recounted a personal experience which, he said, contributed to making him an “unrepentant Nkrumahist.”
He said he was picked up from the streets of Seikwa in the Tain District of the Bono Region by the Young Pioneers while other children were attending school.
He was subsequently taken to his relatives, who were reportedly warned that his parents would have to send him to school or face prosecution.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah attributed his eventual access to formal education to the introduction of free compulsory universal basic education under Dr Nkrumah.
He said the experience encouraged him to study Dr Nkrumah’s works and contribute to preserving his legacy.
The NDC Chairman said he was therefore particularly concerned by attempts to place Dr Nkrumah on the same level as other personalities who contributed to Ghana’s independence.
He argued that Dr Nkrumah deserved distinct recognition for his role in bringing together the territories that eventually formed modern Ghana.
According to him, before Dr Nkrumah emerged on the political scene, the territories comprising the Gold Coast, the Ashanti Kingdom, the Northern Territories and Trans-Volta Togoland existed as separate entities.
He maintained that Dr Nkrumah played a central role in bringing the various territories together to form the Ghana that exists today.
“No other politician and no other nationalist can compare themselves to the one and only Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah,” he said.
