Founders Day Message To All Ghanaians

In Ghana, founder‟s day is to observe the gallantry and assiduous effort of Ghanaian leaders who took firm stand in engineering the country towards independence. It is obvious that, crops of Ghanaian leaders made significant contributions to the liberation of our country from colonialism to emancipation. “The tree of change was watered by blood and sweat of men and women whose relentless crusade for constitutional change brought about modern Ghana. They needed emancipation for the country so that they could determine their own destiny. Let us therefore make them relish their efforts that have brought us this far in our development. My aim is not to side-line, discriminate or supports any political party; however after reading this piece, you will be the jugde.

Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah, a great leader of our country was the forerunner for the struggle for the independence of Ghana and the liberation of the African continent. He was born on Sept 21, 1909, and it was not until 2010 when the Late Prof. Atta Mills set aside this date to commemorate Dr. Nkrumah, for that matter every 21 of Sept is declared a national holiday.

However, there are a lot controversies engulfed the founding of our dear country. Most scholars and historians argued that the foundation of Ghana was not a singlehandedly attainment but rather a collaborative leadership achievement. For instance, as espoused by the current speaker of Ghana‟s Parliament- Prof. Mike Oquaye in his founders Day celebration speech addressed to the nation.

Men and women inspired by love for country met in Saltpond to work for self-governance and freedom from globalisation. I have great regard for Dr. Kwame Nkrumah as a great

Ghanaian but the truth must be told. A recap of the chronology of events shows that before the arrival of Nkrumah, some gallant Ghanaians were taking steps to lead Ghana to independence. That is truism. People have regrettably asked how can we have more than one founder to such compatriots. I humbly lend them this advice. Foundership cannot be pursued in monopoly terms.

Historically, the period between 1947 and 1954 saw the formation of political activists and nationalists movements in the country. This period was also dotted and punctuated with the formation of political parties although there were earlier nationalists groups such as Aborigine Rights Protection Society, Fante Confederation however, political activism within these period as quoted above was very radical and legalistic in nature. In depth perusal of this period under review was the formation or birth of two political traditions in the country. The United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) happens to be the first standard political party to have formed in the country; August 1947 at Saltpond in Southern Gold coast. Its leadership constituted the elites, wealthy businessmen, lawyers, cabinet makers, chiefs, intelligentsia and those above the caste of the society. It was mainly spearheaded by George Alfred Grant (popularly known as Paa Grant), who was a business magnate, called the conference for the formation of this political party (UGCC). Its membership included J.B Danquah as the elected vice Chairperson, R.S Blay who was a lawyer at Sekondi, R.A Awoonor Williams also a lawyer. Other forefront members were E.A Akufo Addo, Kobina Kessie, Obetsebi Lamptey and de Graft Johnson. This party went on by adopting the principle of elitism and majority of its members were highly elites, bourgeoisies, and they remained conservatives, got full support from the traditional rulers. They preached for self- governance within the shortest possible time. The party at the time of its formation lacked a General Secretary and this post was vacant on the grounds that they needed a full time Secretary and since they were law practitioners they would have little or no time for such position at the expense of the their professions. Due to that, all eyes was on the right man for job, it is even narrated that they earlier chose Ako Adjei but he hesitated and recommended Dr. Osagefo Kwame Nkrumah to be the full time General Secretary for the party. Nkrumah who was out of the country in furtherance of his educational career accepted the offer in good fate without hesitation.

Some months later Nkrumah returned to Ghana to take up the post honoured to him. Being part of the party and serving as the General Secretary for about 2 years, Nkrumah realized that the party‟s ideology though good but could not yield the desired aims as they preached for self- rule within the shortest possible time and hence his break away from the United Gold

Coast Convention (UGCC) to form his own political party thus the Convention Peoples Party

(CPP) in 1749. Its leadership consisted of the commoners, blacksmiths, goldsmiths and Prison Graduates. The CPP members called themselves as the Verandah Boys not because they slept by the Verandah but because they were moderate in their doings. According to G. M Bob Milliar, also quoted from Kofi Baako described the CPP members as;

The CPP’s verandah boys were competing against the UGCC’s reactionary lawyers on different platforms. The CPP’s verandah boys were devoted and inspirational. Above all, they were disciplined and their organizational skills exceptional. The term verandah boys does not mean a person who sleeps on the verandah. All it means is that the leaders and members of the CPP, notwithstanding how wealthy they may be, do and will continue to associate themselves with the man [or woman] on the lowest rank of the social ladder.

The CPP ideology was „self-government now‟ as espoused by its founder. In February 1948, a disturbance broke out of which the conservatives regretted largely for its cause. To the radicals or the CPP, this was an opportunity for them to seize. Nkrumah was ahead of his time, a political prophet, as many of his optimistic cautions about the fate of the African.

The CPP aimed at “fighting relentlessly by all constitutional means for the achievement of full self-government now.” Herein lay the difference between the two parties. While the

UGCC remained basically a party of the urban intelligentsia and the professional class, the CPP was the party of the youth, the commoners, or as they preferred to call themselves, the verandah boys. The birth of the new party was deeply worrisome. Past divisions in the ranks of the leaders of the country had been blamed for the lack of political progress. Piecemeal amends were attempted to bridge the differences between the Danquah and Nkrumah groups, but they proved unsuccessful. The UGCC had its popularity and numerical strength weakened by the split with Nkrumah (G.B. Milliar)

In comparing the two political traditions it is now clear to easily apprise on which tickets of the two political that led Ghana to self- liberation. In 1951 there arose general elections of which the competing parties were to represent the masses. Nkrumah by then was immured; it was his closest friend K.A Gbedemah who organized the CPP for the election. Fortunately on the tickets of the CPP won the election whiles its leader was incarcerated at the James Fort Prison Yard.

The CPP victory shocked the leadership of the UGCC. Indeed, many of the leaders never regained their political momentum. Yet, on close inspection the CPP was no match for the UGCC and the NDP. Signs of the CPP’s pre-eminence were seen in the Town Council elections of 1950. The party won all the elections starting in Accra (April), Cape Coast (June), and Kumasi (November).

The CPP, after winning the election many opposition parties were very much discontent about the election results hence called for another elections in 1954. One of such discontentment came from the National Liberation Movement. In fact this Movement was one the factors that delayed the independence process for Ghana. The NLM was an Asante‟s aristocrat who demanded fresh elections to determine the unitary and federal status of the country. The election was conducted on two days: twelve and seventeenth July, 1956. The

CPP won again with popular following. Another factor that delayed the struggle for independence of Ghana was the Ewe Question. This was the question whether the Ewes in the Trans Volta Togoland should join Ghana or Togo.

One may ask what might have accounted for the success of the CPP in all the three elections. The answer is simple; their success was that they understood politics far better than the opposition such as the UGCC. They also knew the importance of propaganda politics and the use of the media in communicating the party ideas to the masses. They also involved the laity, poor, needy and accepted the interest of the commoners hence the mass following of the party.

On 6^th March, 1957 the stage was prepared for granting Ghanaians their independence from imperial rule. The emancipation of Ghana was actually the doings of Nkrumah; he championed the cause and course of independence for Ghana and for those other countries in the African continent.

In conclusion therefore, the founder‟s day is actually attributed to the CPP and for that matter Nkrumah and this must be given the needed cognizance. Nkrumah‟s legacy is still relevance today and continues to be relevant all the time. For Nkrumah, African unity was the first requisite for defeating imperialism. He considered African unity a precondition for the survival of Africa and Africans. In the present era of neo-liberal globalization and unbridled capitalist expansion, Nkrumah‟s socio-political and economic thought continues to have relevance to a new generation of scholars and African people around the world (Biney 2008).

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