Tuesday, 24th February, 2026
Hon Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah
Ellembele
Mr Speaker, I rise with a heavy heart, yet with a spirit fortified with historical truths and that is how fired up I am today to make this Statement.
Today, the 24th of February, 2026, marks 60 years since the most regrettable and darkest moment in our nation’s history, the overthrow of the founder of modern Ghana, the man whose very blood mingles with the soil of my beloved constituency, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Sixty years ago on February 24, 1966, a dark cloud descended upon our young republic. What was termed at the time as “Operation Cold Chop” was in reality, the assassination of the African dream, the verdict of history. For decades, the events of 24th February were all shrouded in the convenient narratives of the victors. But today, 60 years removed from that fateful day, the fog of propaganda has been lifted by the cold hard light of the classified truth.
Mr Speaker, we must place on the permanent record of this House that what happened on that day was not merely a coup. It was an assassination of a dream, orchestrated by individuals who could not bear to see an independent, selfreliant, and powerful black star shining so brightly. Today we know from declassified records across the globe that what really happened was a well-coordinated plot, timed to occur while our President was on a peace mission to Hanoi, seeking an end to the Vietnam War. It was a stab in the back, delivered by those who saw Nkrumah's Ghana as a threat to their neocolonial interests.
As confirmed by His Excellency the President John Dramani Mahama during our 68th Independence Day celebrations and now supported by overwhelming documentary evidence from the United States Archives, the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah was a coup inspired, engineered and executed with the active complicity of external forces. The “crime” of Nkrumah was not mismanagement; it was his audacity to dream of a United States of Africa that would control its own resources, threatening the grip of neo-colonialism.
Mr Speaker, let us call it what it was: an act of international aggression against a sovereign African state. The coup did not just remove a man, it shattered the vision of an industrialised, self-reliant Ghana. It halted the construction of a nation that would process its own cocoa, refine its own oil and manufacture its own goods. It plunged us into decades of political instability, backtracking on the progress we had made and setting back our attainment of nationhood by a generation.
The Indisputable Architect of Our Freedom
As we acknowledge the tragedy of his overthrow, we must, with equal vigour, reaffirm the unparalleled and singular role Kwame Nkrumah played in birthing of this nation. There are those who, driven by political expediency or historical revisionism, seek to diminish this legacy. They speak of a “collective effort” as if to place Nkrumah as merely one of many contributors.
Mr Speaker, let no one be deceived. Kwame Nkrumah was not just a participant in Ghana's independent struggle; he was the architect, the driving force, and the strategic genius behind that movement. While we honour the contributions of all our forebears, the historical facts are unequivocal.
It was Nkrumah who, upon his return from the United States and Britain in 1947, brought a radical energy to the politics of the Gold Coast. It was Nkrumah who founded the Convention People’s Party (CPP) — a mass political party that mobilised not just the elite, but the ordinary people, the market women, the workers, and the youth. It was Nkrumah who coined the battle cry — “Self-Government Now!” — and organised the Positive Action campaigns of strikes and boycotts that made the colony ungovernable for the British.
When he was imprisoned by the colonial authorities for his activism, it was Nkrumah's party that won the 1951 election, forcing the British to release him and invite him to lead government business. And it was Kwame Nkrumah who, on the night of 6th March, 1957, stood before the world and declared that the Ghanaian people were free forever.
His vision did not stop at our borders; he understood that our freedom was “meaningless unless it is linked up with the total liberation of the African continent.” His legacy is etched into the very fabric of our nation and we can think about it and reflect on it today. The Akosombo Dam that lights our homes, the Tema Harbour that anchors our trade, the Ghana Airways that connected us to the world, the sprawling secondary schools, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), which remains a citadel of learning. Can we imagine modern Ghana without these foundational pillars?
Conclusion: The Legacy Lives On
As I conclude, I am reminded of the words of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. “I am in the knowledge that death can never extinguish the torch which I have lit in Ghana and Africa. Long after I am dead and gone, the light will continue to burn and be borne aloft, giving light and guidance to all people.” He lives on in the Akosombo Dam's turbines. He lives on in the minds of students of KNUST.
He lives on in every Pan-African ideal we dare to speak. And he lives on in the determination of we, his countrymen, to finish the work he started. Let this 60th anniversary mark a turning point. Let us, as a people, recommit to the ideals of self-reliance, Pan-African unity and industrial transformation that Kwame Nkrumah so tirelessly championed. May his soul continue to rest in perfect peace, and may the example of his life forever guide our path. God bless our homeland, Ghana.
Thank you.
Hon Samuel Abdulai Jinapor
Damongo
Mr Speaker, thank you for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement made by the MP for Ellembelle and the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources.
Mr Speaker, some weeks ago, when a similar Statement was made in honour of Dr J. B. Danquah, I made a point, and I want to repeat it here, which is that in celebrating the historic leaders of our country does not automatically translate into the condemnation of others. It is in that spirit that I want to commend and salute the Minister for making this Statement, while I do not agree with the entirety of the content of the Statement.
Mr Speaker, it is trite that Dr Kwame Nkrumah, our first President, was and continues to be a historic leader of our country, and nobody in this country can challenge that. Secondly, I think it is also important that when we are interrogating the legacies and the achievements or the standing of our leaders, we should be dispassionate. We should talk about their good sides, amplify them, and as much as possible, emulate them, and the aspects which are also not particularly desirable, as human as they were, we should acknowledge them.
Mr Speaker, I was particularly pleasantly intrigued when Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher passed and the British people were interrogating her legacy. There were a group of people who celebrated her achievements. There were others who were demonstrated and indicated her flaws. It is common knowledge that Dr Nkrumah fought very much for the independence of our country. Indeed, Dr Nkrumah was the man who led the positive action, who became the Prime Minister, who negotiated all through till Ghana became a Republic.
Mr Speaker, the motion of destiny was moved in the Parliament by Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and when he became Prime Minister and President, like the maker of the Statement rightly pointed out, he led an industrialisation effort in our country. There are landmarks in our country which continue to stand in his name, which continue to benefit our country. The Akosombo Dam, Tema Motorway, and several other monumental installations. I continue to be particularly inspired by Dr Nkrumah's black consciousness and PanAfricanism.
Let us situate his efforts in the proper historical context. At the time Dr Nkrumah led our country to independence and stood up for black consciousness and Pan-Africanism in those times, that kind of standing was not popular, but he stood up. And if we follow his history and works, he indeed did it with extraordinary excellence, and that obviously should be celebrated.
Mr Speaker, the other thing that I believe we should mention about Dr Nkrumah is the unity of our country. And I think the unity of our country today, to a very large extent, can be traced to Dr Nkrumah's policy of the boarding system in our country, where he insisted that Ghanaians of all walks of life from all parts of Ghana should be in school with one another. So, you could find somebody from Greater Accra being posted to school in Northern Ghana and somebody from Northern Ghana being posted to Volta region. And that has stayed, and I think it has contributed immensely to the unity and harmony of our country.
Mr Speaker, there are several examples I can give to attest to the extraordinary leadership of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. In the same token, it is also important for us to recognise that there were certain things that happened under Dr Nkrumah’s reign which should continue to guide us as a country.
Mr Speaker, experts in constitutionalism say that if we study a country’s constitution carefully, it can tell us the country’s history and aspirations. I cite, for example, the oneparty state system which has been expressly proscribed by Article 3 of our Constitution and for the want of time, I will not read it verbatim, but Article 3 of our Constitution expressly prescribes, outlaws, and bans any form of one-party state in Ghana. It is a direct response to the one-party states in the First Republic. We have to recognise that.
Mr Speaker, Article 270 of the 1992 Constitution talks about the independence of the chieftaincy institution. That, again, is a direct response to the chieftaincy system that pertained in the First Republic of our country, where chiefs could be destooled, de-skinned, and transferred across board. The framers of our Constitution deemed it necessary to expressly proscribe and ensure that the chieftaincy institution is independent. If we look, for example, at the whole of Chapter 5 of the 1992 Constitution, specifically Article 14, the right to a fair trial and the need to be tried and convicted before being detained are a direct response to the Preventive Detention Act, 1978 in the First Republic.
Mr Speaker, it is evident that, as great as Dr Nkrumah was, he was not a perfect human being or a perfect leader. And so, in discussing the first President of our country, it is important that we recognise—I want to conclude by indicating, our Friends are always very happy to associate themselves with Dr Nkrumah; however, he was not a member of the National Democratic Congress, by any measure. Indeed, Dr Nkrumah was brought to Ghana by Paa Grant, one of the founding leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the founding political party of the New Patriotic Party, after he was introduced by Ako Adjei and the rest.
Mr Speaker, when we discuss Dr Nkrumah, it should not be looked through the lens of partisanship; never should it be. Indeed, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has recognised Dr Nkrumah as the African of the century. All of us Ghanaians should be proud of that and all of us Ghanaians should continue to celebrate our leaders, Dr Nkrumah included, and learn from their positive sides and the sides we can learn from.
Mr Speaker, I want to commend the Minister for making this Statement and I want to say that the House should today celebrate Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of our country, just as many countries celebrate their first President, such as George Washington of the United States and others. And just as we should celebrate other leaders who also contributed to the establishment and development of our country.
Mr Speaker, with these few words, I thank you very much for the opportunity.
Hon Yusif Sulemana
Bole Bamboi
Mr Speaker, I am very grateful for this opportunity. First of all, let me thank the Hon Minister for Lands and Natural Resources for this very important and historic Statement he has made.
Mr Speaker, I just listened to my younger Brother, the Hon Member for Damongo, and I was wondering which Constitution he was making reference to. He was seriously making reference to the 1992 Constitution. Meanwhile, the event we are talking about did not happen under this Constitution. So, I was a bit confused. It is important to situate his references to the Constitution that was in existence at the time of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. I thought that we should make this correction.
Again, a couple of weeks ago, my Brother also read a Statement or contributed to the statement on J. B. Danquah, but he failed to bring up the bad side of J. B. Danquah. But he is very comfortable saying that we need to always look at both Sides. Meanwhile, when he was contributing to the Statement on J. B. Danquah, he never saw anything wrong with J. B. Danquah. I believe that J. B. Danquah was not a saint either, but this is not the day for us to go into the bad aspects of J.B. Danquah. I will not do that. The day will come when we will tell them the wrong and the bad aspects of J. B. Danquah.
I agree with him perfectly when he said that we should eulogise our leaders; let us tell their achievements, look at them, and emulate them. That is exactly what we should be doing. And that is why this Statement is very important. I am just going to touch on only three achievements of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the founder of the nation called Ghana. He is the founder, and it has been established. Even primary school children are aware that the founder of the state called Ghana is Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and that should be the record that nobody should tamper with.
Mr Speaker, on the achievements of Dr Kwame Nkrumah: One, I am going to look at the educational and health achievements of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. For some of us who are here today, our grandparents enjoyed free education. And that was the initiation of the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah, especially those of us from the northern part of this country. Many of our grandfathers would not have been educated but for the fact that he was so generous as to give us the opportunity for free education. We have seen, under some administrations, attempts to even take that away from us.
We thank Dr Kwame Nkrumah for the very important free education that he gave us. As was mentioned, very important educational institutions include the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. These were some of the important landmarks left by Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Mr Speaker, even as we speak, as a nation, we are struggling to maintain them. And there is a need for us to continue to eulogise him. Again, when it comes to infrastructure, Mr Speaker, the Tema Motorway that we are all proud of is associated with Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a project that all of us will agree that it has “no size” in any part of this country.
We need to eulogise him for this. As if that was not enough, he connected the Tema Motorway to the Tema Harbour. The question is: if this harbour were not there, what would have been the fate of this country? If the Tema Harbour were not there, even our revenue generation would have been affected. Mr Speaker, let me talk about the Akosombo Dam.
Mr Speaker, if not for the Akosombo Dam, we would have been in bad business. I cannot end without talking about some industries that he built. We have the likes of the Akosombo Dam, the Ghana Industrial Holding Corporation (GIHOC) and the pharmaceutical companies dotted everywhere. In fact, tomato factories were built in this country by Dr Kwame Nkrumah. Today, our people are travelling to Burkina Faso to import tomatoes. This was a visionary leader who created many tomato farms across the country and, to add value to them, established many factories.
Today, as we speak, Mr Speaker, there is not a single meat factory in this country. It took that visionary leader to establish meat processing factories in this country. So if there is any leader who has achieved in terms of education, politics, health and infrastructure, none can be compared to him. With this, Mr Speaker, I thank you. God bless you.
Hon Alhassan Tampuli Sulemana
Gushegu
Thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to the Statement ably made by the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, the gentleman representing the good people of Ellembelle.
Mr Speaker, I am disappointed that we did not have the benefit of a prior notice of the Statements, so that we could contribute more meaningfully. That said, we still can make some valuable comments as far as the Statement we had is concerned. Mr Speaker, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory— Very well, Mr Speaker. I am not sure I can read it now.
Mr Speaker, we are celebrating an illustrious son of Ghana, not just Ghana, but of Africa. Mr Speaker, sometime in 1999 and 2000, those days, I used to be an ardent listener of the BBC from 1995, thereabouts, all the way, so I used to get this information. I listened carefully when voter after voter called in to vote on who is the African personality of the century. At the end of it all, all of us felt very proud that in the face of the likes of Nelson Mandela and so forth, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah stood tall among his peers and those who were before him.
Mr Speaker, I am a beneficiary of the Northern Scholarship that was instituted by the Nkrumah regime. There were times when I was in school that my colleagues from down south, especially around Kintampo, were asked to leave the school because they had not paid school fees. It did not matter whether parents could even afford it; we were entitled to the free scholarship. All of us have to continue to thank the generosity and the pioneering role that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah played at the time.
Mr Speaker, there is a lot that we can talk about Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, including the iconic Akosombo Dam, which currently continues to generate over 1,000 megawatts of electricity capacity, and at the downstream, we have the Kpone Dam, producing about 60 megawatts and so on and so forth. So, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah stands out. One of the things that my good Brother, Hon Member for Damongo said, was about the unity of this country.
Mr Speaker, in December 1957, a law was passed to proscribe political parties that were based on tribes, ethnicity, religion and sectional basis. This is one of the things that has united this country and brought us together; not based on which ethnic group or religious group one belongs to. So, Mr Speaker, we need to continue to commend ourselves and to commend the pioneers of this country for the role that they played and the foundation that they laid for all of us.
Mr Speaker, I believe sometime in January 1950, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah reportedly made a Statement that the Chiefs will run away and leave their sandals behind. There was tension between Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and the traditional authorities in this country. So, when my brother Hon Abu Jinapor makes reference to Article 270, he is making reference to a situation that currently pertains in Nigeria, where one can only become a chief or an Oba at the discretion of the state governor. So that the only way one can become a chief is to be recognised and given an appointment letter by a state governor. What my brother was seeking to say is that in this country today, one is a chief based on the definition of a chief under Article 277, which says that a chief is someone who, having hailed from the appropriate royal family, has been, enskinned, installed or enstooled to become a chief, and nothing is mentioned about recognition of government.
Mr Speaker, when we talk about today’s multi-party democracy, we must have regard to 1964 when Ghana was declared a one-party state—Mr Speaker, if Ghana continued to be a one-party state, we would not be in this Chamber representing different parties and celebrating our multiplicity. Mr Speaker, some celebrated in this country in 1966 when the coup occurred, and justifiably so, because they felt the heavy arm of the government of the day upon them. There was no way that democracy could have continued under a multi-party democracy.
Mr Speaker, while we are eulogising Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, we will also recognise that he had his shortcomings just as any other human being, and we must put that on record. Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for the opportunity.
Hon John Abdulai Jinapor
Yapei Kusawgu
Mr Speaker, let me join the Hon Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah to honour the life and enduring legacy of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, a towering figure in Ghana’s history, a giant and a colossus of African liberation.
But Mr Speaker, let me put it on record that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah had a very healthy and cordial relationship with the chiefs. Indeed, they worked hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder and closely. Of course, there were a few chiefs who did not share in the positive aspiration and the positive view of ensuring that we had an accelerated economic development, as far as Ghana was concerned.
Mr Speaker, today is Nkrumah’s Day; we should give it to him. If tomorrow it is Dr Busia’s Day, we will give it to him. If the next day it is H. E. Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings’ Day, a man in whom I am so proud of, we give it to him. But as for today, whether they like it or not, it is Kwame Nkrumah’s Day, and we will give it to him. This is not the day to try to look for faults about somebody whose contribution cannot be erased in the history of Ghana. So, they should not do that.
Mr Speaker, there is a lot that we can learn from Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and his vision as of yesterday is as relevant as it is today, and for me, that is what we should be looking at. Somebody talked about a one-party state. Newton’s Third Law of motion states unequivocally that “action and reaction are opposite and equal, but even as they are equal, one is more equal than the other”. So, when they go planting kulungugu bombs—[Interruption] Let me plead with those physicists who metamorphosed a day into lawyers to allow those of us who are still in the science field to do the science.
Mr Speaker, because you said we should not belabour the point, let me commend the Hon Armah-Kofi Buah for bringing this very important topic to the Floor. We share in his joy as the Member of Parliament for Osagyefo’s constituency. I know he is blazing the trail, and I will not be surprised if we have another Nkrumah from that constituency.
On that note, Mr Speaker, I thank you very much for indulging me. I am grateful
Hon Isaac Boamah-Nyarko
Effia
Thank you very much, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity to contribute to this Statement made by my senior Colleague Mr Emmanuel ArmahKofi Buah.
Mr Speaker, coming from the Western Region as well, I think it is important for us to commemorate this day. But what are we actually commemorating? We are commemorating the unfortunate coup d'etat that led to the end of Dr Nkrumah’s reign as President of the Republic. Unlike what my Brother John Jinapor was trying to portray, as if today was Nkrumah’s birthday for which we are supposed to celebrate, it is important that we put into context the occasion that we are focusing on.
Mr Speaker, in remembering Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, I think we are all ad idem to the fact that he contributed significantly to the development of this country. We have had different schools of thought that believe that if Dr Nkrumah had continued to be in office as President of the Republic, so much could have been achieved, not only in Ghana, but as well in bringing Africa together as one. So that strong advocacy is there. But we cannot also take away the concerns of others who believe that perpetuating Dr Nkrumah’s reign would also have crippled a segment of society who would not have had the opportunity to have the multi-party democracy that we so wish.
These are very fundamental matters that we should be guided. But my biggest question is, 60 years down the line, what has happened to us as a country? We are enjoying the Fourth Republic of this particular country, meaning that we have had governments truncated at the Second Republic, at the Third Republic, and now we are on the Fourth Republic. What lessons have we learned 60 years down the line? All the presidents that have come over the years, what have been their contributions as well to national development? We are singling out Dr Nkrumah for the Tema Motorway, Akosombo Dam, among others.
All the leaders that also came into this country, what have been their contribution? For Acheampong, we remember him for Operation Feed Yourself. We remember Structural Adjustment Programme under President Jerry John Rawlings. We remember President Kufuor for the National Health Insurance Scheme. Yes, the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative and National Health Insurance Scheme. Then we remember President Akufo-Addo for the Free SHS. So leaders come and go.
But today, in this Parliament, the biggest question I want us to think about, what legacy are we also leaving as Ghanaians? If we take inspiration from Dr Nkrumah, what is the Ninth Parliament doing to also support the promotion of this country? We have the mandate to pass Bills. How well are we focusing in making sure that we become more detailed and thorough to pass Bills that will stand the test of time?
In concluding, I believe that Mr Speaker, Nkrumah has paid his dues. Dr Nkrumah has served this country well likewise others in this country. But we owe it a duty as a Ninth Parliament to also contribute our quota; we become more diligent; we pass laws that will stand the test of time, so that future generations will also ask, when Mahama Ayariga was the Leader in the Ninth Parliament, what did he lead us to achieve? When Osahen Alexander Afenyo-Markin was the Minority Leader, what did he lead us to achieve? When all of us collectively served in the Ninth Parliament, what did we contribute to national development?
With those few words, Mr Speaker, I want to thank you for the opportunity.
Hon James Agalga
Builsa North
Thank you, Mr Speaker. Let me thank Hon Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah for the presentation of that eloquent Statement, which is in memory of the overthrow of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah on the same day, 24th February, 1966.
Mr Speaker, Kwame Nkrumah’s contribution to literature as a sitting president is unparalleled. In fact, he chalked a feat that no sitting president has ever done. In fact, as sitting president, Nkrumah had nine scholarly works to his credit. Most of his works came in the form of predictions. Let me start with his work, which is entitled Africa Must Unite. In Africa Must Unite, Nkrumah talks about the balkanisation of the African continent and the dangers associated with such balkanisation.
After the overthrow of Nkrumah today, the balkanisation of the continent is evident for all to see, its harmful effects. Because we are not united, today Ghana can have a trade war with Nigeria. Because here in Ghana, we believe that locals and indigenes are the only ones who must be involved in retail trade. If you go to Nigeria, the story is not any different.
In fact, people who are of the same ethnic origins in most countries across borders are involved in border disputes. A few days ago, I heard that our Attorney-General and Minister for Justice has decided to bring an action against Togo before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) for the proper delimitation of our maritime domain. It is all because of the balkanisation of the African continent and Nkrumah predicted about all those things.
Mr Speaker, in one of his works, Neo-Colonialism, the Last Stage of Imperialism, Kwame Nkrumah again predicted that a time is coming, the colonial powers we had dislodged in our fight against colonialism would take over the continent if care was not taken.
Today, Mr Speaker, the giants of our time are back. In fact, mines are being taken over, railways are being taken over, airports are being seized by those giants and you can name them. Nkrumah predicted all these things. Mr Speaker, let me advert my mind to a point my Colleague Samuel Jinapor made. He said that Nkrumah had his bad sides as well as his good sides, so when we are talking about Nkrumah, we should not only pontificate about the good things he did. He mentioned the declaration of Ghana as a one-party state, which was one of the things Nkrumah did which was bad for our democratic experiment.
But Mr Speaker, what Hon Samuel Jinapor failed to tell us is that the exigencies of the time in the 1960s made it very compelling for Ghana to become a one-party state. Mr Speaker, after Kwame Nkrumah had successfully routed all the political parties in successive elections, the political parties turned themselves into terrorist groups and were actually behind the Kulungugu bombings. In fact, before Sgt Ametepe’s execution, he made startling confessions about the involvement of political bigwigs who pushed them to do what they did. So, if we talk about one-party state, H.E. Nkrumah was not afraid of losing elections to any political party at the time.
In fact, we had the National Liberation Movement (NLM). The NLM preached the formation of a federal state. Their slogan was y’ate yɛn ho, let us break away. In fact, when they realised that they could not defeat Nkrumah in elections, what was Asante at the time was declared a no-go area. Mr Speaker, can we imagine that a sitting president could not even set foot in a part of this country? That is why groups like the NLM had to be disbanded. The exigencies of the time warranted it.
Mr Speaker, can we imagine that after that dastardly act at Kulungugu, the opposition at the time was still not satisfied, so in 1964, they pushed Sgt Ametepe to shoot Nkrumah at close range. If you were Nkrumah, what would you have done? What would have been your response? So the Preventive Detention Act, 1958, was a direct response to the acts of terror which had been committed at the time. A leading political figure in this country, Mr Obetsebi-Lamptey, was convicted in absentia for plotting to kill Kwame Nkrumah. His base was Lomé. So, nothing was left of the opposition because the opposition had even turned themselves into terror organisations. That is why the one-party state was declared and institutionalised in our national constitution.
Now, Mr Speaker, we talk about Chapter 5 of the Constitution, which is a response to the lack of a Bill of Rights in the 1960 Constitution. Yes, there was no Bill of Rights. So, in conclusion, all I am seeking to say is that Dr Kwame Nkrumah was an astute leader. In fact, he was voted as the African of the Millennium in 1999 by a pro-Western media outlet, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). So, when we are talking about Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the least we can do is to say that 24th February, 1966, was an inglorious moment and a tragic moment which should never have happened in the first place.
I thank you, Mr Speaker, for the opportunity.
Hon Abdul Aziz Fatahiya
Savelugu
Mr Speaker, with respect, let me first thank the maker of the Statement for bringing this very important matter to the Floor of the House.
In fact, I had a meeting to attend outside of this Chamber, when I was signaled by my respected Colleague that the Statement on the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah will be read by him, and it is his desire that I stay behind to add a voice to it. Mr Speaker, upon careful look at the document before us, it is titled, “Parliamentary Statement on the 60th Anniversary of the Overthrow of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah.”. So, this Statement in itself is not celebrating the work of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. It is, however, recollecting the overthrow and telling us that it has been 60 years since the man was overthrown.
Mr Speaker, I am very uncomfortable talking about coup d'états because the 1966 coup d'etat is not the only coup d'état this country has witnessed. We have witnessed other coup d'états. We are also aware that through a coup d'état, a government was brought into being. Eventually, that government that came into being is that which birthed this Fourth Republic Constitution, and that has made it possible for us to be in this Chamber today to be involved in a national discourse.
But, Mr Speaker, I was particularly struck and I must say curiously struck by some comments that came to this Floor coming from no less a person than my own very senior at the Bar, Hon Agalga. In his comment, he sought to justify the enactment of the Preventive Detention Act (PDA), and made his own assessment. Some of the Statements he made involve personalities who also have families, have children and grandchildren. What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
I do not want to repeat some of the things he said. But if the children and the grandchildren of these individuals whose names were mentioned a while ago on serious allegations that have not been substantiated in any public records are to take up these issues, then what it mean is that we will be in a vicious cycle of allegations and counterallegations, accusations and counteraccusations. I would want to acknowledge the content of Hon Armah Kofi Buah’s Statement which is to the effect that Dr Nkrumah led a government that took us on a path of industrialisation. That is a fact that no one can deny. To the extent that he outlined certain achievements of the Nkrumah government, this Side of the House, a Minority, can only associate with that.
Because, Mr Speaker, obviously if a government has come into being, has led a path to industrialisation, every right-thinking Ghanaian must acknowledge that achievement whether we disagree with his political philosophy or not. But it is equally important that the Second Republic which ushered in, for the first time, our political tradition undertook a major decentralisation programme which laid the foundation for the current decentralisation that we have enshrined in our Constitution, and the records will bear me out. Again, the private sector initiative where Ghanaian citizens were encouraged to get into private sector, to do business, also began actively in the Second Republic.
No doubt, when General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong took over the reins of governance after his coup d'état, he initiated this operation “Feed yourself, feed your industry”. But all of that took root from the Dr Busia initiative under the Second Republic. Mr Speaker, recently we know what we have achieved under former President John Agyekum Kufuor's Golden Age for Business, the Health Insurance Policy, and without doubt by far, the Free Senior High School (S.H.S.) which we all know has come to help transform our country by way of investing in human capital.
Mr Speaker, in talking about the history of our country, we must present it in a united form. It should not be a kind of history that everybody will have his version and, in the end, that history will divide this House; no. We must be measured and rely on historical facts if we mean to talk about history. And we realise that no matter which path we all take, if we are dealing with a fact, we would all congregate at one point. That, I think we should bear that in mind.
I would want to state that although our leader, the first President, led the independence of this country, that effort was collective from the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) that acknowledged and recognised his work in Manchester as part of his activism in nationalist movement and paid for his ticket to come to Ghana. To the chiefs, to the veterans, to the ordinary citizens of the Gold Coast who took up nationalist activism and eventually Nkrumah using his mass mobilisation and organisation skills to take advantage for the benefit of his party, Mr Speaker, we cannot take these ones away.
The role of the Big Six in the UGCC, of which Nkrumah himself was a member, must not also be discounted. I am saying that we must reflect a history that embraces diversity. Anything that seeks to diminish, bring down or whittle down the diversity of our nation should be something that none of us must celebrate. It is clear from the historical fact that aspects of the Convention People’s Party (CPP) administration did not embrace pluralism and diversity and I can argue this any day. So, the argument from Hon James Agalga that certain political parties could not put themselves together and therefore, His Excellency the President, Kwame Nkrumah, as he then was, had no choice but to enact in the constitution a one-party system.
Mr Speaker, that is a very rich statement coming from a learned Colleague, and I think that it must not be encouraged. Mr Speaker, we must be proud of our respective political traditions. Hon Armah- Kofi Buah made the Statement this afternoon, today, does not belong to CPP. He finds himself with the National Democratic Congress (NDC) that traces its roots to Flt. Lt. Jerry Rawlings, who had his own ideology, which they all embraced. I am saying that much as he is a Nkrumahist, he relates to a tradition that has a blend of Nkrumahism and other ideologies. There is nothing wrong with moving to tell your story, but in telling your story, care must be taken not to condemn others.
So, Mr Speaker, I support him if he wants to tell his story, but the story must not be told at the expense of the tradition that I belong, the centre-right ideology that believes in free enterprise, free speech, constitutionalism, the rule of law, and that opportunity must be given to all Ghanaians. There must be pluralism in society. That is a tradition I belong to, which I am proud of; tell your story, and let me tell my story.
Mr Speaker, there must be some lessons to be learned. I have already said, and at the risk of being repetitive, I want to say that Nkrumah’s industrialisation effort must be commended and acknowledged; the Akosombo Dam, and the continental leadership he provided. Mr Speaker, in history, no leader has provided such continental leadership as that which we witnessed under Nkrumah, and I will not whittle this down. In fact, it is that continental leadership role Nkrumah provided that saw Ghana being propelled in the international space by other leaders that followed. We saw what President Rawlings did, we saw what J. A. Kufuor did, and we saw what Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo did, to the extent that Ghana is well-placed for its citizens to play important roles when it comes to international diplomacy.
Mr Speaker, that I give it to President Nkrumah, and that record must reflect. Mr Speaker, excesses must be discussed. For instance, in today’s history, it is a fact that it was during the NDC’s time that the Chief Justice was removed. Nobody can take it away. No matter how we colour it, it has become part of the records of the Government, and any objective student of history will see that as part of the excesses of the Government.
Mr Speaker, that we must acknowledge. That is the reason I am saying that the PDA must not be justified by anybody in this Chamber. The PDA must be acknowledged as one of the excesses of the Nkrumah administration. The Nkrumah administration also labelled its policies in a manner that overconcentrated power. Mr Speaker, concentration of power as the maxim goes, “power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
Mr Speaker, the Nkrumah CPP Government created a centralised system that in itself disallowed pluralism, disallowed diversity, and disallowed different shades of opinion. This is part of the records. It is not wrong to point this out, and I hereby reaffirm that. However, we must ensure that the democracy we have today in Ghana must endure. We have to ensure that with all the lessons learned from the Nkrumah era and some of the excesses, we who have the opportunity of history, will do the right thing and ensure that we can accommodate one another. Fortunately for us, under this Fourth Republican dispensation, the two main political parties that have been running government have had the opportunity to also be in opposition.
So, it is a lesson to those in Government today. If outside we made some mistakes yesterday, find a place in your heart to overcome whatever excesses that you think came from us over the last eight years. However, to end that vicious cycle, there is a need to lay a new foundation upon which the future will remember for tolerance; the you-dome-I-do-you must end. A situation where, when a new government is coming into office, businessmen are afraid. A situation where Ghanaian businesses suffer when there is a change in government, while foreign businesses expand, grow, and get new opportunities. We need to look at all of that.
Mr Speaker, the youth unemployment situation is something that calls for action, and I will not belabour. Because, whilst we are talking about governance and talking about perhaps some of the concerns that lead to an overthrow of a government, unemployment is key. So, whilst we talk about Nkrumah’s overthrow, it is important that we, as a House, particularly those of us on this side of the House, ensure that we engage in proper scrutiny that would make those of you in Government sit up. Sit up in ensuring that promises you made are fulfilled, policies are enacted in a manner that will create jobs, like the 24-Hour Economy, they said, one job; three shifts—
Mr Speaker, I am on my last note. Give me a minute, and I will land for you. Mr Speaker, like the issue of the cocoa producer price, we have a duty, and it is a duty sine qua non. Mr Speaker, we have a duty as a Minority to point out to them how wrong such a decision is, that they promised the cocoa farmer that when they come into office, they will increase the producer price to GH₵6,000. But when they came, they reduced it.
Mr Speaker, this is something that it can only take democracy for the Minority to air its views. If it is a oneparty state, the Minority cannot speak, and there will be no Minority, and they may not even know that they are doing something wrong. They will take the people for granted. At least when we took them on, they started paying the cocoa farmers, but it is not enough. For instance, during the Message on the State of the Nation, we expect that Mr President will announce a reversal of that decision. Mr Speaker, it is not enough to pay the cocoa farmers. What we want is for them to restore the cocoa farmer to his original state.
Mr Speaker, I shall conclude by submitting that, one, our country’s history is bigger than one individual. Talking about who is a founder and who are the founders is, to me, very immaterial and inconsequential. What matters is to acknowledge the fact that a collective effort was made, but there was a leader.
Mr Speaker, we, on this Side of this House, will always welcome issues that would come up, especially when such issues deal with the history of our country. Because we are committed to defending a constitutional order that guarantees freedom, multi-party democracy, and accountability. 5:18 p.m. We do not want Statements that will seek to justify a one-party state, no. We would be bringing back unhealthy memories.
Mr Speaker, I hold a view, finally, that honouring Dr Kwame Nkrumah as an individual means strengthening institutions, expanding opportunities and safeguarding liberty for future generations. Because Mr Speaker, you would be talking about the good and the bad; you would be talking about a man who laid down his life alongside others for our country. Our youth need somebody to inspire them. So, it is not about seeing everything wrong with the CPP and Dr Kwame Nkrumah.
Mr Speaker, in this country, we do not celebrate patriotism. We have overpolarised everything— Mr Speaker, that is so. But I am having my last word. It is therefore important that we take every step in giving historical account to ensure that we live as a united country rather than a polarised society.
Mr Speaker, that said, I will resume my seat without more, and thank you for the treasured speech.
Hon Suhuyini Sayibu Alhassan
Tamale North
Mr Speaker, from all indications, it looks like I was right when earlier Hon Annoh-Dompreh needlessly interjected (to be expunged on the order of Mr Speaker) in the attempt by the Hon Emmanuel ArmahKofi Buah to present the Statement.
My indication was that it was my hope that his interjections were not based on the fact that the Statement was to celebrate Ghana’s favourite, Ghana’s founder, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the one and only. Mr Speaker, clearly the contributions from their Side seem to indicate clearly that they are apprehensive and uncomfortable every time the name Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah is mentioned. It is therefore not surprising that today, if you google “Ghana’s day of shame”, that phrase is synonymous with the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah. It has come to be accepted worldwide that indeed, 24th February, 1966 was and still remains Ghana’s day of shame.
Mr Speaker, on a day like this, I miss my dear brother Hon Ibrahim Murtala, the former Member of Parliament for Tamale Central, because I believe, that on a day like this, when the Big Six was mentioned, he would have reminded them that during the 1948 riots, five of the Big Six who were arrested denied Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah and denied their involvement in the riot. I am sure that he would have reminded them of the bomb-throwing history that they so much hate to hear. But may his soul rest in perfect peace.
Mr Speaker, you heard our Colleagues on the other Side talk about the need for us to celebrate our leaders but recognise their human failings. You do not hear that when they make Statements on Dr Busia or when they make Statements on J.B. Danquah. They do not take their own advice that we must recognise human failings when they make statements to celebrate them. We must be very consistent in our arguments and we must show equity. When we demand equity, we must come with clean hands. For example, you would hear our Colleagues say Oh, when you talk about former President Rawlings, it is structural adjustment. But when you talk about former President Kufuor, it is not HIPC but National Health Insurance. Please, compare National Health Insurance to rural electrification and compare structural adjustment to HIPC then you would be considered objective and fair.
Mr Speaker, when you talk about the removal of a Chief Justice, do not forget about the removal of a Chairperson of the Electoral Commission. That is how you are consistent and you are respected. But when you pick and choose, you are selective, and yet you pontificate how your Side is rather the best, you become a laughing stock of those who know the history and know the facts and know these issues. Mr Speaker, for me, even what Dr Kwame Nkrumah did in the area of infrastructure is not as important and significant as the awareness that his leadership created; the consciousness that his leadership created in not just the Ghanaian but the African.
When we talk of the Ghana Airways, it was not just about an airport, an airline and pilots. It was about the dignity of the African and how even black people all over the world associated with that success and celebrated it. When we talk of the Black Star Line, it was not just a ship sailing on high seas. It was what it represented, the dignity, the self-awareness, the consciousness that the African can indeed manage his own affairs. When we talk of the motorway, which was one of the first to be constructed in the world, even before Britain constructed their motorway, Mr Speaker, it tells you that it was not just brick and mortar, it was about the consciousness.
Mr Speaker, I am therefore, happy today that as we mark Ghana’s day of shame, our international airport that receives visitors no longer carries the name of the person who overthrew this greatest son of Africa. I am happy that today our international airport is known as the Accra International Airport and no longer that name. I am happy that today we are not celebrating the one who created that dark day.
Mr Speaker, let us however not ignore the contributions that other leaders have made since that overthrow, indeed, especially as we started the Fourth Republican Constitution. It is not safe for us, in highlighting our failings, to forget to acknowledge the successes and the advancements that we are making in various fields. When we do not acknowledge these achievements and little successes that we are chalking under the Fourth Republic, we put that fourth republican democracy at risk.
Today, I listened to a number of radio stations and in celebrating Dr Kwame Nkrumah, it was almost as if after Nkrumah, nothing good has happened to this country. Indeed, it is true that, that day remains the darkest day in our history. It is true that if Dr Kwame Nkrumah was not overthrown in the manner and time that he was overthrown, we would have been better off. But, Mr Speaker, it is not the case that we cannot pick the pieces and do better from now onwards.
But let us remember, let us remember that indeed fighting against the celebration of Dr Kwame Nkrumah is like kicking against a stone. It is only your feet that will get injured. I thank you very much, Mr Speaker.
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