Dr Sekou Nkrumah applauds Mahama’s promise to reinstate July 1 holiday
Dr Sekou Nkrumah, son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, is excited over NDC flagbearer John Mahama’s pledge to reinstate July 1 as Republic Day if he wins the upcoming elections.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Dr Sekou Nkrumah emphasized the significance of July 1 in Ghana’s history, stating, “I am glad that John Mahama says when he comes back to power, he is going to change that.”
Ghana became a Republic on July 1, 1960, a day that was celebrated annually until the Akufo-Addo administration reclassified it as a commemorative day.
The current government replaced it with August 4, a statutory holiday known as Founders’ Day, to honour the founders of Ghana.
On his tour in the Upper East Region, former President Mahama criticized President Akufo-Addo’s decision to shift the holiday, accusing the administration of attempting to “rewrite history.”
Mr Mahama stated, “Apart from destroying the economy, one of the things this government wants to do is to rewrite our history, and we shall not allow them to rewrite our history because the president said he does not accept that one person can be the founder of our nation.”
“Nobody can come and rewrite our history. Indeed, for those of you who don’t know, when the Queen finally agreed to give Ghana independence, the UGCC Nana Akufo-Addo is fighting to be recognised as the founders of Ghana wrote a petition. They sent people to England to tell the queen not to grant independence because we are not ready yet.”
This comment comes after President Akufo-Addo on August 3, reignited a debate by stating in a national broadcast that he rejects the notion that Ghana was founded by a single individual.
Dr Sekou Nkrumah expressed his concern over the political disputes surrounding significant dates in Ghana’s history, urging for a resolution based on an accurate understanding of history.
“We should rise above that,” he said.
He added, “We can resolve this by going back and understanding our history well without trying to manipulate it. If Kwame Nkrumah led us to independence and became our first head of state and president, let’s give him the symbol of being the founder. It is not for Nkrumah as a person; he died long ago, but it is a question of him representing us as Ghanaians.”
He also noted that recognising Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday, September 21, as Founder’s Day, as instituted by the late President J.E.A. Mills, is a meaningful symbol of Ghana’s independence and self-determination.
Myjoyonline.com
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