Restitution

There are suggestions for restoring “Accra International Airport” (AIA). This means “SANKOFA” (retrieval). Simul­taneously and wound forward, another opinion thinks it be named after Pa Grant. A third cautions a potential conflict-mix bag of political versus ethnical sensitivities, either way –Ewe, Fantse/Nzema (maybe or not Accra-Ga) on one hand; and on another—Right and Left politick­ing. Finally, the contest, (for want of a better word, an old story arrives to complicate arguments for a choice. It is that Nkrumah had the intention to re-name AIA after Nana Yaa Asantewa. [Like it or not, I am a ‘Grant’ and I dare say that ‘’BIAS’’ is inappropriate; because I have accused Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah down to date, all the Leaders of regimes (military and civilian) for ingrati­tude to Pa Grant, naming names and fixing statues-even selves in this column, as and when from the past]. Naturally, who was Pa Grant?.

He was the person who, from his own resources, undertook to launch the third phase of the Gold Coast’s strivings for self-determination. He demanded independence in his inaugural speech on August 4, 1947 at Saltpond. That effort chequered by internal and external forces won independence, 1957 finally. After nine years, the same group ousted the government the Gov­ernment. But a key leader of the military the then Col E.K.Kotoka was found dead at AIA. And for memory, the ruling Junta renamed the AIA as “Kotoka International Airport [KIA].

Paa Grant [George, Alfred b.1876] did not belong to any political party, though there were several of them, reportedly between 1844 and 1947 when he financed- founded the UGCC, a Nationalist Movement to replace the Aborigines Right Protection Society (ARPS, 1897). Paa was an honest merchant who owned two steam ships from early-1920s. he Gold Coast between 1844 and 1947. He was falsely presumed Paa opposed to the CPP and Nkrumah when Nkrumah broke away 1949. The UP subsumed him as their member. That error continues. But there is another event which have alienated some Grants –the Railway strike and detentions. I would hold off any more details neither to dig up grievous pain; nor re-bruise a residual hurt because Paa was not a vindictive person; nor would Nkrumah bear a grudges to man who had been so good to him. Nkrumah and Paa met for a chart shortly before Paa died, 30 Oct 1956. He (Paa Grant) “occupied a unique position in the history of the National Independence Movement, not only in Ghana in particular, but in Africa as a whole”. (Dr Ako Adjei— wrote “The Life and Work of George Alfred Grant (Paa Grant)”– pub. Waterville, Accra, 1992). Dr Ako Adjei was once Nkrumah’s Foreign Minister,

Every coup d’etat everywhere is usually condemned at home and internationally. It takes some time for the powers that be to ac­cept the fait accompli. Innocently and relative before he was felled, President Osagefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah summoned an emer­gency Parliament in Accra, to react to the Nigerian 15 Jan 1966 overthrow of Sir Alhaji Abubakar Tafewa Balewa [dubbed by the West as “the golden voice of Af­rica’’, Ironically, it was a Western press swipe against Nkrumah’s global popularity. Despite the bad Ghana-Nigeria-relations In part of his speech, Dr Nkrumah said “soldiers do not have a role in politics.”

That declaration would have cemented only a theory that a coup is illegal; but unfortunately the practical not to recognise it is difficult to handle because it is world-wide creed that every overthrow in particularly Africa is sponsored from outside. The sponsor works in tandem with domestic “against” group(s)— political opponents which are installed in the shadows of post-putsch. They receive their ideological labelling, Left or Right later. The overtaken party is disdained and an irreconcilable “enemy”, up to no good suspect. Here, the translation is the CPP was banned. The reverse parallel happened when Acheampong took out PP DOMO which suc­ceeded the NLC (Kotoka’s]. The two-time Rawlings was described as ultra-left rolling into NDC but morphed to Social Democrats

Kotoka was Ewe. The historical truth was that Ewe land was the CPP’s “World Bank” electorally before 1966; now its NDC’s. Ko­toka’s profile is commonly known. The controversy surrounds how he was recruited by the US CIA directly or through the British Intelligence. He was got with the assistance of the Opposition and he staged a spectacular overthrow of Nkrumah in absentia. Com­patriot John Harlley described the feat as “glorious coup’’. Harlley who was IGP before the ouster became the number “2” in the en­suing Military Junta NLC. Kotoka met his death in a counter coup – “Guitar Boy’’04-7-1967. Harlley’s role together with compatriot Security Chief A.K.Deku’s have not yet been thoroughly investi­gated. Deku was also a member of the Junta, Ghana’s first. Stark contradictions exist relative to interrogate the the political paral­lelogram theory—the automatic interchanges of sides between political Opposition and the suc­cessful coup-pack as regards ben­efitting. For instance, the NLC hoarded the Executive back-up Council with known Opposition leaders including Busia, Victor Owusu, Modjaben Dowuona and Richard Quarshie.

Once Nana Yaa Asantewa would have whittled the race at that time to Paa and the great wom­an, politics of the day challenge any decision. You see the close relations, despite fiery Ashanti secession, Nkrumah-and Nana Sir Osei Agyemang Prempeh II’s relations plus their own hefts and influences at home and abroad, would have made a choice unani­mous for Nana Asantewa and Paa would not have demurred—more so because Paa was never tribal. He was “mix-mix” after all. But juxtapose the current electoral ad­vantage and long term’s reactions, leaves a daunting difficulty. It is possible to placate the confusion by renaming the Kumasi port as Nana Yaa Asantewa Airport, dis­counting halfedly operating port at Takoradi and in-offing Cape Coast airport since 1966.

Alas! it would be justified to sus­pect the cantankerous deep-seat­ed “four legs good and two legs bad” plus false ethnic pride, even bereft of direct but indeed pur­suant to instantly forged fronting Movements, will be conjured to raise protest, read at News con­ferences. Nana Yaa Asantewa was a Warrior who led the Ashanti in defence and bellicose wars of conquest and annexations like mid-18th century Prussia. I may transit it liken it to modern Russia acting the loitering ghost (Saman­tan) of the Soviet Union in the Crimea and Ukraine, irrespec­tive of disparaging Trump. Paa Grant lit the final push for our country’s independence. This is unintentional pointer; but it is an historical truth, arguing for both “GREATS”.

I shall reluctantly round out go­ing for William Shakespeare’s as which propels the new momen­tum in the country: “There is a tide in the affairs of men, which taken …leads on to fortune; but omitted all the voyage of their lives is bound in shallows and in misery; …on such a full sea are we now afloat, take it or lose our ventures.”

Paa Grant and Nana Yaa As­antewa deserve belated hon­ours–indelible. It would take some bravado, given the prevalent political air. Neither of them was a politician and belonged to none to even approximate an obsolete claim. We would have purged an outrageous national INGRAT­ITUDE. And posterity will clap forgiveness—our Nananom [ancestors] appeased—an incom­parable restitution in ours and African histories.

By Prof Nana Essilfie-Conduah.