Nsuaem (W/R) - The Agona Royal family of the late President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah has appealed to President John Agyekum Kufuor, political parties, parliamentarians, chiefs and the Wassa West District of the Western Region to ensure that the property of the First President is returned to his family.
The property is made up of a palace and four flats he built for his family and his successors after his installation as a chief of Nsuaem on April 7, 1962.
The family made the appeal at a news conference at Nsuaem on Wednesday.
Throwing more light on Dr Nkrumah's property, a spokesman for the family, Mr J. E. Armah, said Dr Nkrumah's mother, Madam Nyaniba, hailed form the Royal Agona family but went and s! tayed at Nkroful in the Nzema East District where she gave birth to Dr Nkrumah.
He said after the death of his uncle, Nana Aduku Adaa II, Chief of Nsuaem, Dr Nkrumah succeeded him as the chief of Nsuaem under the stool name of Nana Aduku Adaa III and all the necessary customary rites were performed including putting him on the Agona Royal family Black stool at Nsuaem.
Mr Armah supported the family's claim with a copy of a Daily Graphic newspaper that showed Dr Nkrumah's installation in its edition of April 9, 1962, captioned: ''Nkrumah is a chief.''
He claimed that a few years after his enstoolment, Dr Nkrumah built a palace and four estate houses for himself and his successors, adding that the inhabitants of Nsuaem provided communallabour.
Mr Armah said due to his numerous duties he could not visit Nsuaem regularly to perfor! m his traditional role and placed his nephew Adzea Nyame Ayeh t o act as regent on his behalf. Social Confiscation Appeal 2 Accra
Mr Armah said since the overthrow of Dr Nkrumah the palace and the estates were confiscated to the state the family had sent many petitions to successive Heads of State for the release of the property to it but to no avail.
He said it was when the last general elections were approaching that the family received a letter dated October 18, 2000 that the petition was receiving attention.
Mr Armah said some confiscated properties have been released either to them or their families.
He said it was a matter of regret that Dr Nkrumah's assets remained confiscated to the state in spite of all that he did for Ghana, Africa and the World.
'We should be treated well as we treat other Heads of State of the country, he said."
