Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana, is thrilled that NDC candidate John Mahama has promised to restore July 1 as Republic Day in the event that he wins the next elections. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was his brother.
Dr. Sekou Nkrumah highlighted the historical significance of July 1 in Ghana during his Tuesday encounter on Joy News’ PM Express, saying, “I am glad that John Mahama says when he comes back to power, he is going to change that.”
On July 1, 1960, Ghana became a republic. Up until the Akufo-Addo administration categorized it as a commemorative day, the day was celebrated annually.
In honor of Ghana’s founders, August 4 is now a statutory holiday called Founders’ Day, instituted by the present government.
Former President Mahama slammed President Akufo-Addo for changing the holiday, saying the administration was trying to “rewrite history,” during his tour of the Upper East Region.
He 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 statement follows President Akufo-Addo’s August 3 declaration in a national broadcast that he disapproves of the idea that Ghana was founded by a single person, which sparked new discussions.
Dr. Sekou Nkrumah asked for a resolution based on a true knowledge of history and voiced his concern over the political controversies surrounding important dates in Ghana’s history.
He added that the late President J.E.A. Mills had established Founder’s Day on September 21, which honors Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s birthday and serves as a significant emblem of Ghana’s independence and self-determination.
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