Late President Atta Mills cause of 'founders day' confusion – Sekou Nkrumah

Son of Ghana’s first President, Dr Sekou Nkrumah, has blamed the confusion on whether Ghana has a founder or founders based on the decision by late President Atta Mills to set up a committee on the celebration of the centenary of Dr Kwame Nkrumah without representatives from the New Patriotic Party (NPP).

In 2009, then President Jonh Evans Atta-Mills set up a committee on the celebration of the centenary of the birth of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The committee was chaired by Professor Akilakpa Sawyerr.

Subsequently, the birth day of Kwame Nkrumah was set aside as Founder’s Day in his honour. But this has been reversed by the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, and a Founders’ Day, in honour of founding fathers, has been instituted.

This, Dr Sekou Nkrumah, blames on Professor John Evans Atta Mills, citing his noninclusion of representatives from the Danquah/Busia tradition, the tradition of the NPP.

“I blame Professor Mills for creating this raging debate over founders day! When the committee to Nkrumah’s centenary celebration was formed no one from the Danquah/ Busia political tradition was invited to serve on it! Hence this present confusion over 4th August and 21st September,” he posted on Facebook sighted by MyNewsGh.com

4th August has been made a public holiday in honour of Ghana’s founding fathers on the basis that the first political party in the Gold Coast, United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) was formed on 4th August 1947.

But the decision by government has caused much controversy with many Ghanaians insisting on celebrating only Dr Kwame Nkrumah as Ghana’s founder while other celebrate six members of the UGCC who are generally referred to as the Big Six.