Nkrumah Did Not Invent The "Verandah Boys"!

*Okoampa, Nkrumah Did Not Invent The "Verandah Boys"!*

Feature Article, by Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro.

"Many of his ardent supporters and fanatics detest to hear this but, in

reality, the politics of insults and lies is what differentiated the

Nkrumah-led Convention People’s Party (CPP) from the relatively more urbane

and staid United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and the Busia-led United Party

(UP). Such lies, of course, began with an upstart Kwame Nkrumah claiming to

have been personally called a “Verandah Boy” by Danquah partisans. In

reality, Nkrumah had only been accused of deliberately lining up

professional and intellectual misfits for cardinal administrative positions

in his government."

*- *Okoampa-Ahoofe, Kwame, "President Mills Cannot Deviously Co-opt the

Church!", Feature Article of Saturday, 6 August 2011

Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. is caught red-handed openly claiming that* *the

origin of the "verandah boys" was a lie put up by Kwame Nkrumah as a

personal insult by Danquah partisans, even though, the truth of the matter

is that that* "*Nkrumah had only been accused of deliberately lining up

professional and intellectual misfits for cardinal administrative positions

in his government". In his indefatigable attempts to re-write the history of

this country, this time he has fumbled big time! The "verandah boys" remark

by J.B. Danquah was made long before Kwame Nkrumah even formed his

government. Indeed, Danquah made that remark even before the formation of

the CPP in 1948.

According to an eye-witness who is no other person than the daughter of Paa

Grant, Mrs Sarah Esi Grant-Acquah, in her essay, "In the beginning was…PAA

GRANT" Danquah called the followers of Kwame Nkrumah "verandah boys" long

before Nkrumah formed his government. Indeed, this happened in a meeting at

Paa Grant's residence at Takoradi, namely Beach Crescent House.

Here is how she recounts the story:

"I remember once there was a meeting at Cape Coast Town Hall and the hall

was full with people, including Paa Grant, Kwame, Nkrumah, Blay, de Graft

Johnson, etc. After the prayer to open the meeting Kwame Nkrumah spoke, Paa

Grant spoke. As soon as Danquah got up to speak there was an uproar – some

of the young men disrupted the meeting throwing about chairs and insulting

everybody – Paa Grant and all. This confirmed to them that what they heard

was true. So, they decided to call Kwame to Paa Grant’s house for a meeting

– only Kwame and the Founders. As they were settling down to start the

meeting they heard some commotion downstairs, so Dr. Danquah went to the

window to verify what was going on. I personally witnessed this event. There

were about 50 supporters of Kwame noisily beating drums and singing:

“Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah aye wo den?

Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah aye wo den? Nye?

hon na wo kra no ma ofiri aborokyir bei a ?

“Danquah, Kwame Nkrumah aye wo den?

For each verse they replaced Dr. Danquah’s name with that of the Founders –

Papa’, “Ako Adjei” etc. I recognized some of these supporters as frequent

visitors of Father. One of them was Pobee Biney – TUC Gold Coast Railways.

When they saw Dr. Danquah, they became more agitated. They started insulting

and calling his name. This was the time Dr. Danquah asked, “Who are these

verandah boys” ? Paa Grant was able to calm them down for a while. He came

down once or twice to do so."

The arrogant Danquah who looked down on ordinary people taking part in

politics made those remarks in Paa Grant's house, whilst Dr. Nkrumah was

still a member of the UGCC and clearly not when the CPP was in power!

Therefore, Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, the professor of creative writing is not

writing history but fictitious propaganda when he concludes his obviously

silly feature article with:

"Many of his ardent supporters and fanatics detest to hear this but, in

reality, the politics of insults and lies is what differentiated the

Nkrumah-led Convention People’s Party (CPP) from the relatively more urbane

and staid United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC) and the Busia-led United Party

(UP). Such lies, of course, began with an upstart Kwame Nkrumah claiming to

have been personally called a “Verandah Boy” by Danquah partisans. In

reality, Nkrumah had only been accused of deliberately lining up

professional and intellectual misfits for cardinal administrative positions

in his government."

Shame unto you!

*Forward Ever! Backwards Never!!!*

*Cheers!*

*Nana Akyea Mensah, The Odikro*

*Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheOdikro*

*Feature Articles: http://nanaakyeamensah.blogspot.com/*

*Comments: http://theodikro.blogspot.com/*

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