Trouble in Nkrumah's Land

Disturbing signals are pouring in from Nkroful, the birthplace of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, the man who championed the "independence now" agenda against the "Independence in the shortest possible time" schema and really landed Ghana in the land of political freedom on March 6, 1957, which further complicates the multiple hiccups of the Ghana @50 Secretariat.

Already, citizens of the town have given clear indications that barring any reconsideration of their current position, which was adopted after a meeting last Monday, they would not be part of the Independence anniversary.

The decision, according to prominent citizens of the town, is in protest against what they perceive as "the neglect of the hometown of the nation's founder, at this memorable period of the country's political history".

John Nkum Asmah, Assembly member of the Ebanso electoral area in Nkroful insisted in an interview with The Chronicle yesterday that citizens of the town held a meeting on Monday and resolved to boycott the anniversary.

The paper's interview with the assemblyman was just after he had had verbal exchanges with the District Chief Executive (DCE) of the area, Mr. Joshua Kwajah-Ellimah, on Peace FM, over the authenticity of the decision said to be taken by the townfolks to boycott the anniversary celebration.

An amount of ¢4.6million had earlier been taken by the assemblyman from the District assembly for the organization of a proposed Durbar of Chiefs at Nkroful, which was to form part of the activities marking the anniversary celebrations in the district.

The question of why the money had not been returned by the assemblyman after the town decided to boycott the event, brought out a significant revelation that went undisputed by the DCE- the money was given without a receipt covering it- drawing into sharp attention, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom's quest for accountability and the Chief of Staff's assurance that there was going to be accountability.

The assemblyman insisted that the boycott decision was a collective one but the DCE said it was a section of people in the town who had taken the decision and promised to visit the town this morning; the DCE's word against that of the assemblyman.

Nana Addo Nredoh V is the Chairman of the @50 planning committee of the Nzema East District Assembly and the chief of Azulenloanu, a community about 7 kilometers from Nkroful.

Nana Nredoh confirmed to the paper in a subsequent interview yesterday that people in the town had indeed resolved not to take part in any activity connected to the 50th independence anniversary due to what they perceived as the neglect of the town despite its historical relevance in the whole celebrations.

The Chairman further revealed that indeed, nothing had been done in the town as part of the celebrations. "There is still no toilet in Nkroful.

We proposed that by January ending we should have put up two toilet facilities in the town. But as I speak now, I don't know what is happening.

The usual excuse has been that there is no money and this is where the question of the $20million comes to mind," he said.

Earlier in the week, the second Assemblyman in the town, Nana Bulumia-Twum Kwesi, had confirmed that there were plans by the chief and people of the area to boycott the anniversary celebration.

The awful NDC, NPP legacies at Nkroful Since the exclusive expose of the devastating state of the birthplace of Nkrumah, by the Chronicle weeks ago which publication attracted mass public attention and prompted a BBC dawn broadcast live from the town, political commentators and spokespersons of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress have been accusing each other of not doing much in the town.

The NDC say the Kufuor administration should have uplifted the town especially in the face of the anniversary celebrations but NPP supporters have always been quick to do a mathematical calculation to arrive at a 6:19 ratio. The formula is explained to mean that if members of the main opposition party expected the NPP administration to improve upon the state of the town within the six years of its administration, then the PNDC/NDC governments should have done better in its 19-year rule.

During a recent trip to the town, the question did not escape The Chronicle's team.

The prominent persons in the town who spoke to the paper did not commend the two regimes for anything.

To a question of what had been the legacy or major contribution of the NDC to Nkroful, the quick answer from Nana Bulumia-Twum was, "the taking away of the body of Nkrumah." He insisted during rounds with the team through the town that, that was the only legacy of the NDC in the town but later admitted that some roads in the town were rehabilitated by the NDC government. That was what the NDC did for the town as far as the Assemblyman was concerned.

For the NPP, mention was made of the construction of a Health Centre for the town and the rehabilitation of the 3-kilometer road from Esiama to Nkroful. And that was it for the NPP too.

The abandoned Mills project Just beside the family house of the late Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, is a housing project that was said to have been started by Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, former Vice President and flagbearer of the NDC. According to family members of the late leader, Mills wanted to put up the house to serve as a new place of abode for them since the one they were currently occupying, had been in ruins for years.

The project was abandoned just after the foundation was laid and continues to be at that level. Family members of Dr. Nkrumah who spoke to the paper said they were told the reason for abandoning the project was mainly lack of funds.

Yesterday, when Professor Mills was contacted on phone, he said he could not readily recall embarking upon such a project. He said he would have to crosscheck to find out if he ever had such a project started. The NDC flagbearer said he would call the paper after doing the checks on the matter but as at the time of going to press, the paper could not establish contact with him.

All hail Kutu Acheampong General Ignatius Kutu Acheapong, Ghana's Military leader from 1972-78 is the hero of the citizens of Nkroful as virtually all the social facilities in the town were said to have been executed during his regime.

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Most basic schools, provision of beds at the state motel in the town and renovation of other several facilities, according to the people in the town were witnessed during the regime of Acheampong.

In fact, little was said about the contributions of the government of Dr. Nkrumah himself but the people would quickly add that, that was the case because, "the man had a commitment to develop the whole of Ghana and not just his home town."

The praise for General Acheampong was in fact, crowned by a comment by Mr. Eduku Arizi, the almost hundred-year-old cousin of Dr. Nkrumah. "If the people of Nkroful have any thanks to offer any Ghanaian leader, then that should be to Acheampong. He was the one who even bought the coffin for the burial of Nyaneba, Nkrumah's mother who passed away in 1977."