CPP remembers Kwame Nkrumah

A requiem at the Holy Spirit Cathedral and a wreath laying ceremony at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum were organised by the Convention People’s Party (CPP) on Saturday to mark the 30th anniversary of the death of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the first President of Ghana.

Preaching the Sermon, Arch-Bishop Dominic Andoh of the Accra Diocese of the Catholic Church described the late President as a great and illustrious son of Ghana and Africa, who, like the waves of the sea, rose with great force and suddenly rolled back to the grave. He said his great sense of commitment to duty and patriotism as a Ghanaian and an African was demonstrated through his service for mankind saying: “Dr Kwame Nkrumah was certainly a great gift to Africa and we must all take inspiration from him."

Archbishop Andoh said as a Catholic, the late President nearly became a catechist, but at a point in time, his passion for mankind and the need for Ghana's independence led him into politics.

He said over the years, Nkrumah's image was still glowing, adding, "there is no reason for us to mourn his death but we should pray that like him we also will use all that God has given us to serve mankind."

Presenting a tribute on behalf of the CPP, Professor Akilakpa Sawyerr, a member of the party, said to build a formidable and unified party, it was expedient for the CPP to understand and adopt the visions and dreams of the late President in order to construct programmes and policies that would be consistent with Nkrumah's ideas.

He said the occasion was not the time to be singing party slogans but to mobilise people who would carry on Nkrumah's mantle.

Prof. Sawyerr said one remarkable feature of the late President was that in spite of his great vision and task, he was still focused as a leader even on the micro-level of development needs, where he always remembered to show concern and respect for the grassroots.

He noted that Nkrumah's position of having an economy free of foreign domination had still not been achieved because our economy today was still saddled with foreign interferences.

Prayers were said by party members, calling for all Nkrumaists to come together and unite to make the vision of their founding father, Dr Nkrumah, a reality. The wreath laying ceremony followed immediately at the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum.