WE celebrated Founders’ Day on Tuesday, September 21, 2021. It is a day on which the nation pauses to celebrate the birth of its first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, its rich past and its promising future.
THE day came into being when in 2010, the late President Prof, John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills instituted the Founders’ Day to celebrate the birthday of Dr Nkrumah. Last Tuesday marked Nkrumah’s 112th birthday.
EVER since the day was declared a public holiday, the country has been caught in a political debate as to who really was the founder of Ghana.
WHILE a school of thought insists that Nkrumah was the sole founder of modern Ghana, another has argued that instead of a Founders’ Day celebrated in honour of one person, the nation must celebrate Founders’ Day so that all members of the ‘Big Six’ will be acknowledged.
THE argument is reinforced by the fact that the nation’s history cannot be written without acknowledging the significant roles played by the “Big Six.” They are: Dr Ako Adjei, Obetsebi-Lamptey, EdwardAkufo-Addo, J.B. Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah and William Ofori Atta.
THOUGH there may be strong arguments in support of the two schools of thought, it is our view that in future, the day should be used to remind us of the vision of our first President.
WE urge Ghanaians to recognise the relevance of the Founders’ Day celebration and impress on our leaders to use the occasion to talk about the achievements of Nkrumah and others across the country.
WE will not shy away from stressing the compelling need to translate Nkrumah’s vision and what he stood for into practical actions.
THE challenge for the country is to restore the vision of economic independence so that we can create wealth for the people, eliminate poverty, disease and hunger, and live in dignity and prosperity.
IMMEDIATELY after independence, Dr Nkrumah hit the ground running, after realising that Ghana could not survive against the powerful colonial super powers and, therefore, declared that the independence of Ghana was meaningless unless it was linked with the total liberation of Africa. It was his belief that the African is capable of managing his or her own affairs.
By so doing, Dr Nkrumah lived by setting practical examples.
WHILE we would not recommend that the celebration be scrapped, it is our contention that it must be made more practical and geared towards development.
WE recall the euphoria and great expectation of economic opportunities that heralded the attainment of Ghana’s independence on March 6, 1957.
THE whole nation was prepared to make sacrifices for the sake of nation building, and acts of patriotism were the order of the day.
IT is with much regret that after marking the 112 birthday of Nkrumah last Tuesday , the nation seems to be losing its grip on these great values.
WE are still struggling to stem corruption, indiscipline and poor sanitation, among other problems, that have slowed down our development process.
IN spite of the fact that the nation is also blessed with quality human and material resources, we do not manufacture most of the items we need, making Ghana a consumptive economy with endemic trade deficits.
WE simply cannot be proud of our present achievements and this call for all hands on deck to enable the country to achieve its dreams beyond the rhetoric
