A Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Koku Anyidoho has criticized President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for proposing legislation to Parliament to designate 4th August as Founders Day, and 21st September as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.
According to him, the President’s move is only a means of making his uncle, J.B. Danquah who is part of the founding fathers of Ghana useful in the history of the country.
“Akufo-Addo’s proposal is a waste of time and useless. I think he only wants to clean the mess of his uncle and make him useful in the history of the country because JB Danquah has no clean record. They are refusing to accept the fact that Kwame Nkraumah is the founder of Ghana” he said on Accra based Neat FM.
If passed by Parliament, 4th August and 21st September will be observed as public holidays, a statement signed by the Director of Communications at the presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said.
The statement said in the meantime, the President has issued an Executive Instrument to commemorate this year’s celebration of Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day as a public holiday.
However, this has not gone down well with a section of the Minority, as well as Nkrumahists across the country.
According to Koku Anyidoho, Ghana has a founder (Kwame Nkrumah) and not founders as President Akufo-Addo is proposing.
Mr Anyidoho believes it can only be an element of propaganda for the President to elevate other founding members including JB Danquah to a Founder position when they only assisted in the independent struggle.
The first President, Dr Nkrumah, Mr Anyidoho contended played a significant role in the struggle for independence from colonial rule, and therefore his contributions must not be overlooked.
He therefore accused Akufo-Addo of attempting to change Ghana’s history in favour of his father Edward Akufo-Addo and uncle, J.B. Danquah.
He maintain the move by Akufo-Addo to make his uncle, JB Danquah look more important than Kwame Nkrumah will be an exercise in futility.
“What Akufo seeks to do now is an exercise in futility. With what the President has started, then we would have to go and look for all those who fought for Ghana like Odartey Lamptey and even our great grandfathers and add them to the founders. There must be cut off point” he stressed.
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