There is a figure head in every struggle for independence, and Dr Kwame Nkrumah is the leader who guided Ghana to independence hence must be celebrated as such, Dr Edward Brenya, a political science lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, has said.

“…the truth remains that there was only one President that took Ghana to independence and that President, like all other nations, is the one whose birthday we celebrate as Founder’s Day and that must be what Ghana should do at this moment,” he told Valentina Ofori Afriyie on Class FM’s 505 news programme on Monday, September 18.

President Nana Akufo-Addo has proposed legislation to Parliament to designate August 4 as Founders Day, and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.

If passed by Parliament, both days will be observed as public holidays, a statement signed by the Director of Communications at the presidency, Mr Eugene Arhin said.

However, Dr Brenya is of the view that: “What the President is trying to tell us is that; let’s celebrate the day that a political party was established. Yes! Kwame Nkrumah at a time was part and became General Secretary of the UGCC (United Gold Coast Convention ) and eventually left to form the CPP (Convention People’s Party), but the big question is that, ‘Is the UGCC the only political tradition that has existed in Ghana that we need to celebrate the day it was formed?” he questioned.

Citing examples from other nations, he urged Ghana to consider what is done in other civilised democratic jurisdictions such as South Africa, where Nelson Mandela is celebrated however he “was not the only one who suffered atrocities during apartheid but he is celebrated because he was the President that took the country to independence”.

He also cited the example of the United States where he indicated that George Washington and others played various roles “but they are not all celebrated together as the Founders”.

“So the big question for us is that on what basis are we changing the birthday of the first President who took Ghana to independence to a group of people that we are not even talking about their birthday because it cannot be possible, but to the birth of a political tradition?”