News

Flash Back: How Kwame Nkrumah died in Bucharest in 1972

Published

7 months ago

April 28, 2024

On April 27, 1972, exactly 52 years ago, Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana’s first president, who led the Big Six to gain independence for the nation, died in Bucharest.

He, the pan-Africanist, played a pivotal role in the formation and development of the African Union (A.U.).

Kwame Nkrumah died in Bucharest, Romania, after six years in exile in Guinea, far away from his birthplace of Nkroful, at the age of 62.

Kwame Nkrumah played a pivotal role in the formation of the African Union (A.U.), previously called the Organization of African Unity (O.A.U.), and led his country to independence in 1957.

Kwame Nkrumah was unconstitutionally ousted from office through a military coup. The Coup was launched by the National Liberation Council (NLC) with the code name “Operation Cold Chop” on February 24, 1966, while he was in Peking (today’s Beijing) en route to the Vietnamese capital, Hanoi, with plans to end the American war in Vietnam.

Kwame Nkrumah arrived in Conakry, Guinea, after being invited by Sekou Toure just after the military coup that unconstitutionally ousted his government from power.

He is said to have died of cancer.

His death, of cancer, was announced by President Sekou Toure of Guinea, one of the militant nationalist’s closest friends. Mr. Nkrumah had been living in Guinea since his overthrow in a military coup in 1966.

Several African Heads of State and the representatives of 25 other countries paid their last tributes to Ghana’s former President, Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, on Saturday, May 13, 1972, after a funeral ceremony in Conakry, the Guinean capital.

Also represented at the funeral ceremony was Ghana’s new ruling military body, the National Redemption Council. But in Accra, there was no word of when Dr. Nkrumah’s body would be flown back for burial, and there were some misgivings that it would not be returned by the Guineans.

The return of his body to Ghana followed lengthy negotiations between Ghana’s military rulers and the government of Guinea. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was buried in his hometown of Nkroful, on July 9, 1972. While the tomb still remains in Nkroful, his remains were transferred to a large national memorial tomb and park in Accra, Ghana.

Today, the place is known as Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum and has become a tourist destination for Ghanaians and those in the Diaspora.

The idea of erecting a monument in honour of Nkrumah dates back to 1972 when the African Students Union sent a memorandum asking the Government of Guinea, then under President Sekou Toure, to send the mortal remains of the Ghanaian leader to Ghana only if the military leaders at that time denounced coup d’état and re-erected the statue of Nkrumah, which was destroyed during the 1966 coup.

Although the remains were later returned to Nkroful, his birthplace, it was not until 1992 that the image of Nkrumah was restored on the Old Polo Grounds, during which the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) decided to build the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park and Mausoleum.

News

NECO accredits more foreign schools for SSCE, BECE

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The National Examinations Council (NECO) has given accreditation to more foreign schools to write the Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE) and the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

The Acting Director, Information and Public Relations, Mr. Azeez Sani, disclosed this in a statement.

The newly accredited schools are in Niger Republic and Equatorial Guinea.

“NECO Accreditation Team visited the Schools to assess their readiness to write the SSCE and BECE.

“The Accreditation Team inspected classrooms, laboratories, libraries, computer laboratories, workshops, examination halls and sport facilities to determine their adequacy and suitability for NECO Examinations.

“After a thorough evaluation and comprehensive assessment, the schools were granted full SSCE and full BECE accreditation status,” the statement said.

The statement added that the accreditation of additional foreign schools is a testament to NECO’s commitment to providing quality education and assessment beyond the shores of Nigeria.

“With its expanding global presence, NECO is poised to become a leading examination body in Africa, offering opportunities for students worldwide to benefits from its expertise, thus contributing to the advancement of education in Africa and beyond.”

In another development, the statement disclosed that candidates are participating in the on-going NECO SSCE External in Diffa, Niger Republic.

“The UNHCR School, Diffa, Niger Republic is the first NECO SSCE External Centre outside Nigeria.”

NECO examinations are now written by candidates in Benin Republic, Togo, Cote’ d’Ivoire, Niger Republic, Equatorial Guinea and Saudi Arabia.

News

Guardiola suffers worst defeat of career as Tottenham hammer Man City 4-0

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Manchester City manager, Pep Guardiola, suffered the worst defeat of his managerial career as they lost 4-0 to Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night.

The Premier League champions were already on a run of four consecutive defeats ahead of the visit of the North London side.

James Maddison scored twice in the first half to set Spurs on their way to a sensational win.

Pedro Porro drilled in a third, before Brennan Johnson got on the scoresheet late in the game.

The result leaves City in second place with 23 points. They could go eight points behind Liverpool by the end of this Game Week.

Guardiola takes his men to Anfield next weekend.

News

FUOYE Re-Marks Exam Papers of Student Failed By Lecturer Over Sex-for-Grade Scandal, Secures Justice

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Federal University, Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State, has cleared a female student, Ramota Olahanloye, to graduate following the re-marking of her final-year examination scripts.

Olahanloye had alleged that a lecturer, Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia, demanded sexual favours from her, and when she declined, he deliberately failed her in two final-year courses.

In a statement issued on Friday by the Special Adviser on Media to the Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Wole Balogun, the university confirmed that Olahanloye’s allegations were investigated, and her scripts were re-marked.

“The young lady’s scripts were re-marked, and she performed fairly better than the scores initially awarded by Dr. Anthony Agbegbedia,” the statement read.

According to Balogun, the university management approved Olahanloye’s revised results, which qualified her for graduation.

“The university management has given executive approval for her results to be processed. She has since commenced her final clearance from relevant units of the university,” the statement added.

Balogun also disclosed that Agbegbedia had been sanctioned by the institution for his misconduct.

Olahanloye expressed her joy over the resolution of the case, saying, “I am happy that I have gotten justice, and I really appreciate the university Vice-Chancellor for setting up the committee that investigated the matter.

“I was shown my entire results, including the graduation list with my name on it. I have started my clearance as a graduating student of the university, and I am truly happy.”

Her father, Rasaki Olahanloye, also lauded the university for its commitment to justice.

“I can confirm to the world that FUOYE has served justice to my daughter. I was shown her upgraded results after her scripts were re-marked, and it is clear that she passed.

“The university fulfilled its promise to ensure fairness, and I appreciate the VC, Prof. Sunday Fasina, and the committee members for ensuring my daughter gets justice,” he said.