A Founding Member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has disclosed that ethnocentrism played a major role in destabilising Ghana’s Second Republic.

In an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb’s Etsey Atisu, he reflected on the political shifts the country experienced following the overthrow of Dr Kwame Nkrumah.

According to Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe, the overthrow of Nkrumah marked a turning point for Ghana.

The four-year rule of the National Liberation Council (NLC), he explained, brought hardships as citizens felt deprived of commodities and personal freedoms, with detentions without trial becoming widespread.

“After the overthrow, there was a significant shift. I was outside the country as a student during that period, but the four-year rule of the National Liberation Council brought many difficulties. Ghanaians felt denied certain things commodities, personal freedoms and there were detentions without trial. Such detentions happen when leaders feel threatened, and that is done everywhere in the world. But when we entered the Second Republic, dangerous issues began creeping into our political history.

Nkrumah would oppose renaming Kotoka International Airport today - Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe

“And I think one of them was ethnocentrism. And I'll never stop talking about it, because when I was a kid or a young boy, no one knew where the other person came from, let alone identify him or her as somebody from point A or point B. We saw ourselves as Ghanaians, and that was what it was. But now, you can agree with me, that is no more,” he lamented.

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe recalled that when Nkrumah took over, his principal interest was not himself, but the masses. And this he continued in all fields education, health, industry, and other areas until his removal.

He stressed that anyone who comes into political limelight, whether as head of state, minister, or any position, must serve the people, not themselves.

On whether this represents a failure of leadership, Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe did not hesitate to state the obvious.

“Yes, it is a failure of leadership. Once again, I have to refer to Nkrumah. Leadership must prioritise unity and the welfare of the people above all else,” he stressed.

Watch the video below

Dr Nyaho-Tamakloe scores Mahama govt high, only next to Nkrumah’s



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