Former President Nana Akufo-Addo has urged Ghanaians to uphold the principles of democracy, using the life and struggles of Dr. J.B. Danquah as a reminder of the sacrifices made for the nation’s freedom.
Akufo-Addo called for an end to the persistent attempts to erase the late statesman’s contributions to Ghana’s political history while speaking at the Ebenezer Presbyterian Church in Kyebi to mark the 60th anniversary of Danquah’s death.
“The memory of Danquah demands that we remain vigilant, ensuring that democracy in Ghana is not just a rhetorical idea but a lived reality,” Akufo-Addo stated, emphasizing the need for active citizenship in preserving democratic values.
He lamented how Danquah’s legacy remains a subject of controversy, even decades after his passing. “Yet Dr. Danquah’s contribution to the development of Ghana, his name continues to elicit needless controversy in death as in life.
“We recall vividly the inhuman conditions of Kwame Nkrumah’s CPP government attached to the conduct of his burial in 1965, after his cruel death in solitary confinement in the dungeons of Nsawam Prison,” he said.
Akufo-Addo expressed disappointment over the way some members of society continue to tarnish Danquah’s name. “We are current witnesses, 60 years after his death, to the vicious name-calling that attends his mention by would-be responsible members of society,” he remarked.
He urged Ghanaians to take inspiration from Danquah’s resilience, recalling how the late scholar and politician maintained his composure even in the face of persecution.
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