Akufo-Addo is living in the emotions of the past – Sekou Nkrumah on Founders’ Day debate
A son of Ghana’s first president, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah has said that President Akufo-Addo and the entire government are living in the past.
The comment follows a statement made by President Akufo-Addo, as part of his Founder’s Day message on Saturday August 3, 2024.
President Akufo-Addo said that he rejects suggestions that it was only Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who led the country’s independence fight and founded Ghana.
“I speak to you this evening, rejecting completely, the notion that Ghana was founded by one man. While Kwame Nkrumah’s contributions to our independence are undeniable, it is important to acknowledge for ourselves that respect that the struggle for our nation’s freedom was a collective effort spanning several generations,” the President said.
The comment has attracted criticism from many with Nkrumah’s party, the Convention People’s Party (CPP) rejecting that notion from President Akufo-Addo.
Other political historians have also come at the President for his comment.
President Akufo-Addo’s statement follows the establishment of August 4 as Founders’ Day after Ghana’s Parliament passed a law in 2019 to honour the contributions of all who played a role in Ghana’s journey to independence.
In an interview with 3FM’s Beatrice Adu, Sekou Nkrumah said that the NPP government is still suffering from the pains of the past which is influencing it’s actions now.
“The president is still living in the emotions of the past and still unable to let go of what happened in the past. We all agree that Nkrumah led Ghana to independence. People would argue that others struggled with him. But the point is that he captured power. He led us to independence. So, let’s not take that away from him. The ‘Big 6’, their contribution cannot be disputed but it was unfortunate …. three of the ‘ Big 6’, and two actually died under Nkrumah,” he stated.
He added that “…we all accept the contribution that the others made. And actually, they even invited him to become the General Secretary of the UGCC. But at the same time, we don’t need to be petty. I think we should all rise above that and try to understand our history and the history is for all of us as Ghanaians.”
Dr. Sekou Nkrumah also asked the president the NPP government to stop the pettiness of emphasising who did the most for Ghana to attain independence.
