Nkrumah’s Parade In Disarray

THE “ONE Ghana Unity Flag Parade” being organized in all the regional capitals in the country, as part of activities marking the centenary celebration of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, first President of the republic of Ghana, was in total disarray in Takoradi yesterday.

When DAILY GUIDE got to the Takoradi Jubilee Park, the venue for the event, at about 10:00 am yesterday, none of the organizers, both at the national and regional levels were present, even though the programme was to commence at 9:00 am.

The few chiefs from the Western Region, including Awulae Annor Adjei, Paramount Chief of Western Nzema Traditional Area, who were invited by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to witness the programme and append their signatures on the flag, got to the Jubilee Park as early as 8:30 am.

The chiefs and elderly Nkrumaists who thronged the park in their numbers, had no option but to leave the venue at about 10:15 am since there were no indications that the programme would take place at the venue.

The Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly (STMA), Kobina Pra Annan, stunned the sparse crowd at the park when he arrived there at about 10:20 am and revealed that he knew nothing about the programme.

The MCE said he only got to know about the programme when the Regional Minister, Paul Evans Aidoo, called him on Wednesday evening at about 10:00 pm to inform him about it.

He stressed that he was not part of the organizers and that he was at the venue to prepare the place for a public forum on the oil and gas industry, which would take place today (Friday).

The statement from the MCE did not go down well with some senior citizens who had gathered at the park to sign on the flag, as they wondered how the MCE was not aware of the event despite the various radio and television announcements.

When the regional minister and his entourage finally arrived with the unity flag at about 11:45 am, majority of the people who came there to witness the event had left.

He explained that the late arrival of the flag to the Sekondi-Takoradi metropolis was due to the fact that the national organizers of the event delayed in bringing the flag from Kumasi to Takoradi.

According to him, the One Unity Flag Parade signified the unity that exists among Ghanaians irrespective of their tribes hence, the people’s signatures on one flag.

On whether he was impressed at the few people who were at the park to witness the event he remarked, “Ah there are people here but we are not forcing anyone to come and sign”.

The regional minister pointed out that he was not perturbed by the few people who were present, and that the real celebration of the centenary anniversary would take place at Nkroful, Nkrumah’s birth place, on Saturday.

In an interview with DAILY GUIDE, Anastas Anderson, Director of Infiniti Communications Limited, organizers of the event noted that it was the responsibility of the RCC to see to the proper organization of the event by preparing the venue before the arrival of the flag.

Among those who appended their signature on the unity flag were the Regional Minister, his deputy, Betty Bosumtwi-Sam, the Regional Police Commander, Hamidu Mahama, Col. Kaku Korsah, a former STMA boss and Awulae Angamatu Agyan, Omanhene of Gwira Traditional Area.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi