National Chairman of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, has expressed concern over what he described as deliberate attempts over the years to diminish the legacy and historical contribution of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah.
Speaking at the Nkrumahfest celebration, Mr Asiedu Nketiah said he was particularly pained by efforts to reduce Nkrumah to the same level as other personalities associated with Ghana’s independence struggle, insisting that the former President occupied a unique place in the country’s history.
He argued that Nkrumah’s contribution went beyond the attainment of political independence, pointing to policies introduced under his leadership that, he said, had transformed the lives of ordinary Ghanaians.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah used his own experience as an example, recounting how the introduction of Free Compulsory Universal Basic Education (FCUBE) provided him with the opportunity to receive formal education.
According to him, he was initially kept away from school because his family wanted him to remain in the traditional setting and eventually inherit the family’s responsibilities and cocoa farms.
He said the introduction of compulsory education changed that situation, as his parents were compelled to send him to school rather than face prosecution for failing to comply with the policy.
“I am here today as the national chairman of the National Democratic Congress because of a very important policy that was introduced by Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,” he said.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said his appreciation of the impact of Nkrumah’s policies subsequently motivated him to study the works of the former President and contribute to preserving his legacy.
He said that background informed his opposition to what he described as efforts to diminish Nkrumah’s historical status.
“I was very pained at a time when there was deliberate effort to reduce Nkrumah to the level of other people who founded the nation,” he stated.
He further argued that Nkrumah deserved to be recognised distinctly in Ghana’s history because of the circumstances surrounding the creation of the modern Ghanaian state.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said the political territory that became Ghana was not a single unified entity before the emergence of Nkrumah and the independence movement.
He explained that the Gold Coast Colony covered areas including parts of present-day Western, Central, Eastern and Greater Accra regions, while Ashanti and the Northern Territories constituted separate administrative areas.
He also referred to Trans-Volta Togoland, which, he said, came under British administration after the First World War following the division of German colonial possessions by the victorious Allied powers.
Against that historical background, he maintained that the contribution of Nkrumah to the formation of modern Ghana could not be equated with that of other nationalists.
“No other nationalists can compare themselves to the one and only Osagyefo, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah,” he said.
The NDC chairman subsequently expressed appreciation to the organisers and participants of Nkrumahfest for their efforts to honour the memory and legacy of the former President.
He also handed over the remainder of his speaking time to Professor Patrick Lumumba, who was scheduled to continue the discussion on Nkrumah’s contribution to Ghana and Africa.
Mr Asiedu Nketiah said preserving Nkrumah’s legacy remained important not only for Ghana but also for the wider African continent.
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