Samia Nkrumah — To follow dad's path

Frontpage (Mirror), May 28, 2010
By Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah
“IT is painful for me to see that Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s name is being used as a brand all over without his ideals and ideas being translated into action.”
The only daughter of the Ghana’s first President and Member of Parliament (MP) for Jomoro, Ms Samia Yaaba Nkrumah, made this comment when she spoke to the Mirror against the background of the recent centenary celebration of the birth of Dr Nkrumah.
The anniversary was climaxed by a large gathering of people across the African continent and beyond in Accra to celebrate the life of Dr Nkrumah, who has been acclaimed as Africa’s Man of the Millennium.
But while some people see the celebration as a waste of public funds, others are of the opinion that a nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for.
“There is no question about the fact that the life of Nkrumah is worth celebrating, since he gave so much for the people,” Samia said, adding, however, that what was important was for the present generation to know what the man stood for.
“If the celebration served that purpose to teach the youth about his ideals, then it is good,” he said.
But Samia noted that what was missing all these years was the inability of those who had branded his name to implement programmes, projects and ideals that the Africa’s Man of the Millennium stood for.
“Kwame Nkrumah stood for social justice, economic self-reliance through the promotion of local industrialisation and the delivery of the basic and urgent needs of the people,” she noted.
She explained that her father’s African Union project was tied up with economic self-reliance which African countries had not been able to achieve over the years, saying that it was unthinkable that “we are not able to do anything for ourselves”.
Samia wondered why African countries continued to accept the conditionalities of the Breton Wood institutions and called on African leaders to always go into negotiations by presenting alternative programmes for the solution of the problems of their countries.
On her political career, she stated that she had not regretted taking the decision to return to her roots to seek election to represent her people in Parliament.
She said her decision was to revive her father’s dreams and principles, saying that would continue to guide her.
On whether she was achieving her father’s dream, Samia said, “We are at the initial stage,” explaining that “we have to depend on a strong Nkrumahist party that will be able to stand as an alternative to the NPP and the NDC”.
She said there was every indication that Ghana needed a third force party and to do that Nkrumahist parties had to come together to have what she called “an expanded Nkrumahist base”.
She revealed that one of the steps she was taking was to lead the CPP, since she believed that she “could be the rallying point for the Nkrumahist unity”.
She said the Nkrumahist family had the golden opportunity to reclaim its lost glory and called on members to remain united in order to become unstoppable in their quest to stage a comeback.
She said the time had come for the Nkrumahist parties to cease to be bargaining chips and rather position themselves in such a manner that Ghanaians would have the courage to vote for the CPP.
Samia said the objective of the united Nkrumahist front in the 2012 elections should not be to win the presidency but rather increase its representation in Parliament as a launch pad for future elections.
Currently, she is the only CPP representative in Parliament.
Turning to her childhood life, Ms Samia stated that although her father was a busy man, he was also family man who related cordially with his children once he was at home.
She said the 1966 coup that ousted his father’s regime was a blow to the family because “it separated us and changed our lives forever”, explaining that the coup “uprooted” them from their home and background to a new environment.
Samia thanked God that her mother, the late Fathia Nkrumah, agreed to relocate to Ghana in 1975 upon the invitation of the then military Head of State, General Kutu Acheampong, saying that that decision was decisive, since between 1975 and 1983, she had the opportunity to school in Ghana, during which she learnt more about her home country.
Samia, the second child of Fathia and Kwame Nkrumah, relocated to Ghana from her Italy base where she made a living out of lecturing, consultancy and journalism.
Her brothers, Gamel and Sekou, were children residing with their mother, Fathia, at the Flagstaff House in Accra when the military overthrew their father in a coup on February 24, 1966.
With the assistance of the Egyptian Government, Fathia, on the same day, left with her children to resettle in Egypt where she (Fathia) hailed from.
Samia attended Achimota School briefly but also stayed, schooled and worked in various parts of the world.
The first President’s children have visited Ghana on countless occasions and the youngest son, Sekou, who resides in Accra, caused a stir in political circles last year when he announced his decision to join the National Democratic Congress (NDC), while Gamel, a journalist, still resides in Egypt.
But Samia said she respected Sekou’s decision to join the NDC, since Nkrumah’s nuclear family was a democratic one.
She said she would forever be grateful to her elder brother, Gamel, whom she said had helped her immensely in her political career, while staying at the back stage.
On her half-brother, Dr Francis Nkrumah, Samia said he had paid his dues to society and his chosen profession, medicine.