<<Print>>

Director of Academic Affairs at the Ghana Armed Forces and Staff College, Dr Vladimir Antwi Danso has urged government to simply select just ‘one date’ to celebrate founders day.

According to him, a consensus needs to be reached as far as the debate is concerned, since the change in date can result in conflicts in the future ‘if care is not taken’.

The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, has proposed the designation of August 4 as Founders Day and September 21 as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day.

In line with that, he is expected to push for legislation of the two dates as public holidays.

A statement signed by the Director of Communications at the Flagstaff House, Mr Eugene Arhin, and issued in Accra said the President had issued an Executive Instrument (EI) to commemorate this year’s celebration of the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day on September 21 as a public holiday.

Speaking to the issue during an interview on Peace FM's morning show ‘Kokrokoo’, Dr Antwi Danso, who is also an International Relations Analyst and a member of the Convention People's Party (CPP), held the view that Kwame Nkrumah cannot be credited to be the sole founding father of Ghana, since the struggles for independence were started by other prominent Ghanaians.

“I don’t agree with the two days…I believe there should an authentic day to celebrate Ghana, the founding fathers of Ghana; two days is just too much. Nkrumah is the arrow head no two ways about it but to celebrate Nkrumah separately and celebrate the founders separately…if the 21st is not good, we should all debate and get an authentic date to celebrate as a united Ghana…we need a historical date that unites us as a people,” he stressed. 

Meanwhile, he has urged Members of Parliament to discuss the issue void of their political affiliation because when “it becomes law, it can be repealed at any time”.