FLASHBACK: Last of BIG 6 is dead

Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, the last member of the Big Six who were leaders of the United Gold Coast Convention, a leading political party in Gold Coast (Ghana) before independence, was reported dead on January 14, 2002. He was a lawyer and journalist who later served as Ghana’s Foreign Minister.

Ako Adjei first entered politics in 1947, after his return from Britain where he had studied law and economics, as a post-graduate student from the USA.

It was through Ako-Adjei that Kwame Nkrumah was brought back to Ghana to lead the country to Independence.

Read the full story originally published on January 15, 2008, on Ghanaweb

Dr. Ebenezer Ako-Adjei (third from left in pic), the last of the Big 6 is dead. He died at age of 90 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on Monday. Last week, there were reports that Dr Ako Adjei was in critical condition.

He is reputed to have recommended and invited Dr. Kwame Nkrumah from the United States of America to Ghana in the late 1940s to be the Secretary General of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), the premier political party that negotiated for the independence of Gold Coast. Since he was still pursuing Law outside the country he left and later came back and joined the UGCC. Together with the other members of the big six, they struggled to wrestle power from the British colonial government.

Dr. Ako Adjei later joined the Convention People's Party (CPP) formed by Dr. Nkrumah, who broke away from the UGCC, to speed up the fight for independence. He was however arrested by Dr. Kwame Nkrumah's government and charged with treason. He was found guilty and detained in prison but was released after the February 24, 1966 coup d'etat led by "Okatakyie" Afrifa and Major K. A. Kotoka.

The Ghanaian Chronicle reports that the last time Ako Adjei appeared in any high profile gathering was when he attended the senior citizens get together organized during the latter parts of ex-President Rawlings’ reign as President. Reporters had wanted to interview him at the eleventh hour but his relatives refused due to his condition.

On the eve of Dr. Ako Adjei's release in 1966 from the Nsawam Prisons, he had stated after a terse disruption of his ordeal as a political prisoner in Ga that "mini make" (what can I say?). The people of La and well wishers then present replied "Okee noko" (You have nothing to say). Dr. Ako Adjei has lived through the governments of Nkrumah, Generals Ankrah and Afrifa, Busia, Acheampong, Akuffo, Rawlings, Limann, Rawlings and the Kufuor administration, keeping a vow not to say anything about politics.