Let’s avoid Nkrumah, Mandela debate — Nuhu Dicko
The Atwima Nwabiagya South 2012 Parliamentary Candidate on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and expert in International Relations and Global Governance, Alhaji Nuhu Alhassan Dicko, has called on Ghanaians to fight for economic emancipation rather than resorting to debates as to whether Dr Kwame Nkrumah or Nelson Mandela is Africa’s iconic leader.
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To him, both African leaders have fought for political emancipation on the African sub-region and that it is left to the present generation to build on their legacies and translate them into economic freedom.
“There is no time for debate as to whether Dr Nkrumah or Mandela is the greatest father of Africa in terms of emancipation but the most important thing is that we build on their legacies to fight for the current economic dependence of the continent,” he stated.
Alhaji Dicko’s call comes in the wake of recent debates in media circles by some politicians and academicians describing Ghana’s first president, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, as the best leader Africa has had while others have also given the thumbs-up to South Africa’s Nelson Mandela as the father of Africa’s independence.
Making the call in an interview with the Daily Graphic at Abuakwa in the Atwima Nwabiagya District, Alhaji Dicko observed that a lot had been achieved on political independence but African countries remained economically dependent on their colonial masters.
He said most natural resources like gold, bauxite and petroleum have not been well-managed by the “Black man” in African land; “rather, colonial masters are still managing our natural resources for us and there is the need for us to fight for that economic freedom”.
He said both Dr Nkrumah and Mandela were all African liberators and that it was necessary to know what Nkrumah did for Ghana and Africa and what Mandela did for South Africa and Africa.
He said the geopolitics of Ghana was different from that of South Africa, saying that concerning independence, Dr Nkrumah started it when he gained independence for Ghana in 1957 and helped other countries to achieve theirs with Mandela ending it when he became the first South African President in 1994.
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He said though during different periods, both worked with a common goal to showcase Africa in terms of liberalisation and used a 4x400 baton race to buttress his point, saying that in a baton race, a medal award did not go for only the finisher or the starter of the race but to all.
Alhaji Dicko recalled that Dr Nkrumah began his liberation movement in Ghana in 1958 with other great African leaders and that in 1968 almost 18 countries had gained independence on the continent of Africa, a legacy left for all Africans, including South Africans.
He again recalled that in the First, Second and Third Republics, Dr Nkrumah, Dr Akwasi Abrefa Busia and Dr Hilla Limann as heads of state suffered series of coups d’etat. If Dr Nkrumah had been given enough time, he could have performed exceedingly great even after gaining independence for the country.
This, to him, was because Dr Nkrumah lost the trust and loyalty of his people (Ghanaians) but comparatively, he said Mandela had had enough time working on emancipation of his people (South Africans) because they (the South Africans) had accorded him the necessary support in terms of conduct in trust and loyalty even when he was imprisoned by the then ruling White Minority till his release.
“Ghanaian leaders before constitutional regime, starting from Dr Nkrumah, had not succeeded much on liberalisation of all because of mistrust and disloyalty. But now that we are democratically settled, we have to learn from these setbacks in political emancipation to afford our leaders the pride of place in fighting for economic emancipation as well. We need to appreciate them,” he stated.
He, however, said that as Ghanaians and Africans, there was no need to only mourn Dr Nkrumah and Mandela for their fight for political emancipation; learning to build up to their fight in the current economic dependence on the African continent was also important.
Alhaji Dicko used the opportunity to express gratitude to those in the constituency who voted for him during the 2012 parliamentary elections and advised the people, particularly commercial drivers in the area to shun any negative activities that would mar the peaceful celebration of Christmas.