Veep's pilgrimage to Nkrumah's burial site

Nkroful (WR), Sept. 20, GNA - Vice President John Mahama on Saturday paid a solemn pilgrimage to the Nkroful burial site of the late Kwame Nkrumah, first President of Ghana. When the late President died in 1972, his remains were temporarily laid to rest at Conakry, Guinea, because of the political situation in Ghana at the time.

The body was later interred in a mausoleum at his hometown in Nkroful before former President Jerry Rawlings decided to create a mausoleum for him in Accra, where his body now lies at a memorial park named after him. Vice President John Mahama toured the now empty gravesite, the house where he was born and raised by Madam Nyaniba, the late President's mother.

Addressing the media after the tour, Vice President John Mahama expressed shock about the decision of the government that overthrew the late President to destroy his family house at Nkroful, as the current structures including Nyaniba's kitchen had to be rebuilt later. Vice President Mahama asked Ghanaians, especially the current crop of leaders, to embrace the vision and ideals of Nkrumah so as to rapidly grow Ghana's economy. He said he was particularly touched by the selflessness and the energy Nkrumah had for developing underserved communities in the country, a feat which must serve as a model for succeeding generations, as Nkrumah was somebody to whom material gains and the perks of office did not mean much.