Who is Dr Onsy Nathan Kwame Nkrumah? by Prof. Agyeman Badu Akosa
The name Nkrumah exudes so much awe that a middle-aged man will begin the process of changing his identity completely and lure everybody else, including Osagyefo's family members, to accept him and drag them along in the process.
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Nobody can question Prof. Francis Nkrumah's parentage, very much the father's son, and no one either can query the lineage of Gamel, Samia and Sekou, but from whence cometh the man Onsy.
I first met him in 2009 during the centenary celebration of Osagyefo's birth. He had come to the secretariat to desperately see the Chairman, Prof. Akilakpa Sawyer, on what he could do to help.
He introduced himself then as Onsy Anwar Nathan, an Egyptian, Pan-Africanist who wanted to be part of the anniversary celebrations. He was unsuccessful but he invited me to support him in a programme organised by him at the Osu Children's home. Even though he had organised a party for the children, I realised that he was more interested in the publicity, the video that was being shot, than the party for the children.
Months later, I started hearing the story that the said Onsy was claiming to be Osagyefo's son. When I next saw him, he had created a receding frontal hairline which gave him a broader forehead.
Many people have come to accept the receding forehead as the likeness of Osagyefo. I know many potential flag bearers of the Convention People's Party who had to create a receding frontal hairline to create some semblance to Osagyefo. I confronted him and asked for proof that he was Nkrumah's son. His answer shocked me. He told me that his mother was Egyptian, almost as if Osagyefo went after any Egyptian woman. We all know the story with his wife, Fathia, they had not met before the marriage. I then asked him why it had taken him 37 years after the death of Osagyefo to come claiming he is the man's son.
Change of name
Then I heard that this man Onsy is a photographer in Tottenham, North London, but he now appears as Dr Onsy Nkrumah, with a PhD in what? Photography, Philosophy or Economics; and now he has completely abandoned the name Anwar and has made the Nathan his middle name and now calls himself Dr Onsy Nathan Kwame Nkrumah.
There are many questions for this man to answer. What is his birth date and was he born on a Saturday? That can easily be computed.
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He has gone to Nkroful to plaster and paint a few areas of the family house, given little money to family members, and now with no proof other than Onsy's words, the family has come in support of him as a son of Osagyefo. Nana Bulumiatwum speaks and acts almost as if Osagyefo told him about this man. How a man who has worked in the African Studies Department for so many years can behave as if Onsy is godsend to the family I do not know, but suffice it to think of what will happen if all this was false. I realise that times are hard and harsh in Ghana and many families could do with a little help or support but certainly not enough to grant this man any status, especially as a citizen of Ghana through false declaration.
Questions
Nkrumah was overthrown in 1966 and died in 1972. Onsy who must be in his mid to late fifties must have been at least a teenager when Osagyefo died. Did he know then? If persons such as Alhaji Sinare claim they knew, when was Onsy told and why did he not go to the Ghana Embassy to reveal his identity all these years.
Who is Souad Mohammed El Rouby Sinate and why should anybody take him seriously? How close is he really to the Nkrumah family that he could not have brought all the children together to break the news to them if it was true. Did Madam Fathia know that Nkrumah had had a child with another Egyptian? She would have told her children. For all the years that the children stayed in Egypt, how come they never had any snippet of this information?
DNA intervention
I heard Sekou state clearly that if Onsy does a DNA test and it shows that there is a greater than 95 per cent certainty of the claim to be Osagyefo's son, he will not hesitate to accept him as his brother. I have not heard Prof. and Gamel speak on this issue, but I know Samia agrees with Sekou, but most certainly not before.
Why is Onsy not keen to get it over and done with?
DNA Technology has become a major landmark technology that is used to settle parentage issues and also to determine issues of genealogy. Many African Americans have traced their origins using this technology which can state the various ethnic groups that make up an individual's background. I listened to a lecture in Connecticut, USA, in which an African American had traced his family tree to the 16th level where the first was his parents and in his background was Yoruba, Cameroun, Tunisia, Turkey, Iraq and British from the Livingstone family of Eleanor Roosevelt.
On a daily basis parents who want their children to join them in their countries of residence have to subject the family to DNA technology, which incidentally has unearthed many discrepancies. When I first went to UK for my postgraduate training, I was told in the blood group class that in the UK, there was a difference between husband and father. It was a statement that baffled an innocent young man from Ghana for a long while. It never dawned on me that that same statement could be applicable to the Ghanaian society as well.
DNA technology is used every day and it can be the only proof of the issue we face today. Citizenship cannot be granted to anybody on hearsay.
Why in the midst of all the controversy should we be fed with speculations and innuendos, and this person said this and the other person said that and this person is a close family friend when all that is required is a blood sample from Onsy and in this case, because of the level of controversy, blood from Prof. Francis Nkrumah, Gamel, Samia and Sekou to the Police Forensic laboratory headed by the consummate professional DCOP David Appeatu.
In the absence of Osagyefo's DNA (or is the man's DNA profile stored somewhere?), the four children would have all the essential domains that will make the results the genuine article. In no time the results will be out and all on the various sides of the divide will know whether Onsy is genuinely a son of the great Osagyefo.
As far as I am concerned, and as an avowed Nkrumaist, the results either way will not diminish the status and image of Osagyefo. He is larger than anything that can be smeared on him but my belief is that a serious untruth is being perpetuated against all of us as a people.
If he is the North London photographer turned PhD in Economics supposedly advising the many African governments and wants to piggy back on Nkrumah-Nasser, Nkrumah-Fathia and Nkrumah-Egypt relationship to begin to claim Ghanaian citizenship and tomorrow, as I have heard already, attempt to vie for high political office then we the true and bona fide citizens of this country must rise up and demand proper accountability.
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Citizenship
Ghanaian citizenship cannot be obtained on hearsay, even if the Sinare's behave as if they were present during the consummation. It is also said that even when a husband and wife cohabit and have children, we have learnt painfully that all the children somehow do not turn out to be the children of the man in the home.
Does Onsy have Ghanaian citizenship? If yes, what was the basis of it? Is it because the family of Nkrumah said so or because the so called friends of Nkrumah also said so? Who swore the affidavit on his behalf and do we just accept such flimsy reasons to assign citizenship? So, why is everybody quiet? Do all the issues raised not point to a greater conspiracy or malice in our society?
Established countries insist on definitive proof and for now that is DNA. If the DNA is done properly, and I have no reason to doubt it, but in a contentious case such as this, the full battery of domains can be used to prove the results beyond protestation in order to prevent Onsy and his cohorts from attempting to challenge the results.
I do really hope that he has not been offered citizenship and he does not use a Ghanaian passport. If he does, the entire government institutions, the Immigration Service, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Passport Office, will have a case to answer.
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The bottom line is that this matter must be proven beyond any reasonable doubt by DNA technology and all of us Ghanaians must be interested in the outcome. Ghanaians travel and have to go through so many difficulties to get legitimate papers to live and work in many countries and as for citizenship of those countries, the processes beg belief. Why should anybody take our citizenship cheaply? Is it any wonder we hear that many West Africans obtain and use Ghanaian passports? This is a matter for which some of us will be prepared to go to court to save this country from the likes of Onsy Nathan Kwame Nkrumah, or is it Onsy Anwar Nathan?
Prove Akosa wrong and I will eat humble pie. But beware, all those who have started cozying up to their new found salvation in Onsy—and there are many in the CPP and the Council of Elders where Nana Bulumiatwum sits unjustifiably; it might turn into your worst nightmare.
The writer is an ‘avowed’ Nkrumaist