Nkrumah’s overthrow, bane of Ghana’s progress— CPP Chairman

The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) on Saturday noted that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s overthrow on February 24, 1966 was the bane of Ghana’s progress and underdevelopment as successive governments failed woefully to economically liberate the country.

Saturday, February 24, 2018, marked the 52nd year since the first coup d'etat that ended the dreams of Dr Nkrumah, towards the achievement of economic independence.

Recounting the deprivation since the overthrow of the first President of Ghana, Professor Edmund Nminyem Delle, the National Chairman and leader of the CPP, observed that the country was not progressing in economic freedom due to the overthrow.

Prof. Delle, who was speaking on the overthrow of the Dr Nkrumah’s government by the National Liberation Council (NLC) said the “dishonourable coup” truncated the ‘Seven-year Development Plan,’ and set Ghana’s economic liberation backward.

Ghana has failed

The CPP Leader said Ghana had failed over the last 61 years to link the nation’s political independence to economic independence, arguing that “Ghana still runs a colonial economy.”

He pointed out that the country still depended too much on the charities of other nations and institutions and cautioned that the dependency syndrome must stop”.

Prof. Delle noted that even though Dr Nkrumah’s economic and social policies were undeniably the best, political opponents made every effort to discredit him.

Background

Dr Nkrumah was ousted from office through a military and police coup d’état on February 24, 1966, led by Col. E. K. Kotoka, Major A. A. Afrifa, and the then Inspector-General of Police, Mr J. W. K. Harley.

President Nkrumah was in Hannoi, the capital of present day Vietnam, when he was told about his overthrow by the NLC.

The architects of the coup cited Nkrumah’s Preventive Detection Act, corruption, dictatorial practices, oppression and the deteriorating economy of Ghana as the principal reasons for his overthrow.

Visionary leader

But Prof. Delle asserted that the legacy of Dr Nkrumah had adjudged him as Africa’s greatest (Man of the Millennium) in 2000 and his social policies and style of leadership were still impeccable.

“Dr Nkrumah exhibited patriotism and eschewed parochialism as a visionary leader. Let us draw inspiration from the achievements, ideology, and vision of the great man who led Ghana to independence from British colonial rule for the purpose of nation building.”

Day of reflection

He described February 24 as a day for reflection, saying “Ghanaians must work together with one destiny, trace our root and team up to chart the way forward. We cannot continue to paint every act with political colours.”

Prof. Delle noted that over 50 years since Dr Nkrumah’s overthrow, his achievements continued to distinguish him from his contemporaries on the continent, the Pan-Africanism ideology, Africa liberation and self-governance earned him an enviable reputation worldwide.

He said the seven year development plan Dr Nkrumah had laid down for the nation had been directed away from the path it was facing.

He said, “The February 24, 1966 coup, described as the dark days of Ghana and Africa’s liberation, continues to haunt the nation, Ghana continues to struggle for economic independence 61 years after attaining political independence.”

He continued, “Unfortunately, under the Fourth Republic, the quest for economic independence has been abandoned by both the alternating governments of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC) who have transformed governance to mere rhetoric of who is more corrupt.”