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04.10.2008 Politics

Sekou Toure’s wife lauds Nkrumah as great Pan Africanist

04.10.2008 LISTEN
By GNA

Hajia Andre Toure, widow of the first President of Guinea, the late Ahmed Sekou Toure at the weekend, described Ghana's pioneer President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a great African leader with impeccable show of patriotism for Ghana.

Hajia Toure made the remarks when she welcomed Vice President Alhaji Aliu Mahama, at the house in Conakry, where her late husband offered Dr. Nkrumah to stay with his relatives and sympathisers, after his overthrow in a military coup in February 1966.
Alhaji Mahama on Wednesday, October 1, led a government delegation, to Guinea to grace the country's 50th independence anniversary, which was on the theme: “Together We Build.”
It was in response to a special delegation sent by President Lansana Conte to formerly invite Ghana, to attend the anniversary celebration, which attracted a number of Heads of State from Africa.

Hajia Toure said: “Kwame Nkrumah was very patriotic and liked the people of Ghana with great affection. She was always upset because of news that Ghanaians were suffering and could not even buy bread to eat.”

The former First Lady, said the late Nkrumah was also very interested to know the fate of her mother, Madam Nyaniba, explaining that; “it was after the death of Dr Nkrumah that words went round that Madam Nyaniba was still alive. It was just a matter of destiny,” she said.

Hajia Toure said her husband, as well as Guineans were grateful for the economic support Ghana gave to newly independent Guinea when the former colonialists, the French emptied the coffers of the country as a punitive measure to scare other French-speaking African countries from seeking independence.

Alhaji Mahama praised Dr. Nkrumah and Sekou Toure for facilitating the anti-colonial struggle and leading the way for the African Union under the defunct Ghana-Guinea-Mali Union.

“The two leaders would be remembered across Africa for a long time to come.”

Ex- Sergeant Sekou Toure, who was Dr Nkumah's body guard in Guinea, lauded the first president as a man of fortitude.
Dr Nkrumah spent six years in exile in Guinea, where his mortal remains were buried until Ghana requested for re-interment at Nkroful in the Western Region and later at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum.

From Nana Kodjo Jehu-Appiah, GNA Special Correspondent, Conakry, Guinea

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