The chiefs and people of Nzema, both home and abroad are calling on government to withdraw and destroy a basic school textbook titled The Golden History of Ghana, which contains “obnoxious content”.
They directed their call to the Ministry of Education (MoE), Ghana Education Service (GES), National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NaCCA) and to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.
They also want the author of the book to apologize to them for denigrating their cherished citizen and first president of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah in the said book.
In that basic six textbook, the author Mercy Gyaa-Adiyiah, wrote on page 34, under the sub-topic – LIMITATIONS OF THE CPP, that the CPP, under the leadership of Dr. Nkrumah, wasted Ghana’s resources to support African countries like Guinea.
The author also claimed that Dr. Nkrumah was a “dictator” and had no respect for traditional institutions in Ghana.
The textbook was one of two, which sparked a controversy in the country over attempts by some textbook authors to alter the history of the country and create disaffection of certain ethnic groups and persons in the country.
One of the textbooks also described Ewes as “inward looking” and “juju loving” people, and that sparked a widespread resistance from Ewes in that country, as well as from learned people who know the history of the country.
At a press conference, the chiefs and people of Nzema argued the author of that textbook is on a mission to denigrate Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and bring his life-long unmatched sacrifices and patriotism into disrepute.
Convener of Nzema Maanle Group, who organized the press conference, Nana Mireku Tumi I said they are convinced that the author has no useful knowledge to impact, but on a carefully calculated mission to falsify world history, mislead the future generation and create disunity in Ghana.
He said the sale, distribution, possession and ownership of that textbook should be criminalized and anyone found culpable should be arrested and prosecuted.
The group also charged the author to render an unqualified apology to the family of Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, to all chiefs and people of Nzema (home and abroad), Ghana as a country, and the whole of Africa, for soiling the glorious reputation of Dr. Nkrumah, who was not only the first Prime Minister and first President of Ghana, but also Africa’s Man of the Millennium.
Meanwhile, the National Chairperson for the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Nana Akosua Frimponmaa Sarpong Kumankuma, who was present at the press conference in solidarity with the chiefs and people of Nzema, called on the youth of Ghana to learn from Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and imbibe his values of nationalism else “Ghana is going nowhere.”