The Speaker of Parliament, Professor Mike Aaron Ocquaye has insisted Ghana’s first President Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah cannot be given credit as founder of the country because he was only invited to join the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) to wrestle power from the British.
Speaking at a Founder’s Day Celebrations on August 4, Prof Mike Ocquaye said, “if any one tells you they [UGCC] did not win independence, and that it was after a certain arrival [Dr Nkrumah] that independence fell on the agenda, it was a palpable false.”
He added, “Because from the constitution and from the day on 4th August 1947, it shows clearly that there were men of God who were poised to lead this country and for that matter ready to govern we Africans without Nkrumah and later with Nkrumah as a leading player of the UGCC, collectively worked for the good of this country.”
According to him, “that day the UGCC was inaugurated, incidentally Nkrumah was not in Ghana. When he came, he became a prominent part of it.”
“With all due respect the invitee cannot become the founder”, he stressed.
Prof Ocquaye further noted, “they invited him to come and participate because of his skill in organization…he played a key role. He cannot exclude them [members of UGCC] and say he came and founded it”.”
The debate regarding who founded the country keeps dragging each year with many Ghanaians believing Dr Kwame Nkrumah played a key role.
Source: GhanaFeed.com
