How does the contemporary Ghanaian Youth view their first President?

About 43 years ago an era  in Ghanaian history came to an abrupt end. The military seized power through the use of force to remove the first post independence president of the nation from office. In commemorating  Dr. Nkrumah's centenarian birthday, the government declared it Founder's Day holiday. This has sparked off huge debate about the appropriateness of calling just an individual out of the many independent leaders as Founder of the Nation. One of such debate took place on Facebook.

Properly put, it was to assess the man Kwame Nkrumah among contemporary Ghanaian youth and how they perceived their first post independence leader. Truly speaking, the current generation of Ghanaian youth never experienced the rule of Dr. Nkrumah hence their views can be described as based on either what they have read or hearsay.

It kicked off with a view on a law his administration enacted and has been blamed for curtailing Ghanaians fundamental human rights. This Act was called the Preventive Detention Act. It sought to say it was protecting individuals who intended to do wrong from committing it as well as protecting them from being penalise by detention. One contributor asked; was the Preventive Detention Act 1958 enacted by Ghana's first President, Osagyeafo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah really a necessary evil to deal with attempts on his life? But the assasination (attempts) on Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, and Ronald Reagan did not push the US Congress to impose a PDA. Rather they enhanced personal security a...rrangements of the presidency. The Patriot Act, like the obnoxious McCarthyism of the early Cold War years, were arguably to protect America but not the leader.

Nkrumah was like a god. Everything was about him and the 1966 coup d'etat had to correct that because sometimes the people don't know better.

 This is the greatest tragedy of our history. The irony of life, Nkrumah and Danquah both spoke against the excesses of the white colonial government. They were arrested but survived and were released but when Danquah as usual spoke against the excesses of the black man, Nkrumah's government, he was arrested again, kept permanently there, he never survived but died in prison.

The PDA was the worse law that any democracy could have. I beleive anyone who beleives in the PDA never beleives in Democracy. The PDA was a law which tried to suppress the opposition and we all know there is no democracy without an opposition. The PDA is a law for TYRANTS and those who beleive in dictatorship.

Nkrumah confused Self-governance and self-determination to mean the self Nkrumah should govern without challenge and that the self Nkrumah should determine for Ghana and Africa the future. It was really silly on the part of the 'Greatest African' of our time trying to suppress opposing views. Let's remember the others too. Like Liberian Edward Wilmot Blyden, often regarded as the ideological uncle, if not the very father, of West African unity. He coined the phrase 'African Personality' which Nkrumah took without acknowledging. Since his death in 1912, the concept of African unity has always being linked to the continent’s nationalist movements. That Act spelt Nkrumah's doom. How could he imprison his political opponents when Ghana was not his personal property? He went ahead to waste our resources on Africa unity when Ghana was under-developed. That was meant to pursue his personal selfish ambition of becoming the president of United Africa.... over ambition.

J.B Danquah and others did worse things than Nkrumah did they banned CPP in way they were also running a one party state and justified the throwing of bombs, going to UK to ask them not to buy Ghana's cocoa and also joining force with the CIA they are traitors. Nkrumah forever no matter how you try to rewrite history.

Kwame Nkrumah created Founder's Day and put on coins 'Conditor Ghanainses civitas" - Founder of the Ghana Nation. J. B. Danquah's response: the priest who baptises the baby can by no chance be said to be the parents of that child, Independence was like a relay race with Nkrumah doing that last 100m.

Joshua led the people of Israel to the promise land, does that negate the work of Moses, who did more of the work Joshua did. one starts n another finish, who then is the founder.

J.B Danquah and others did worse things than Nkrumah. Did they ban CPP in way they were also running a one party state and justified the throwing of bombs, going to UK to ask them not to buy Ghana's cocoa and also joining force with the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agents, they re traitors. Nkrumah forever no matter how you try to rewrite history. This is because he is the Africa man of the millennium, his good sides is far beyond his bad sides. HE IS A G8T ACHIEVER. Talk about his achievements and balance them. He can be compared to none in our political history.

Ghanaians must stop being passionate and learn their history. When did Danquah ban the CPP?

Well, J.B Danquah and others (referring to those who support him). Wasn't CPP banned after the over throw of Nkrumah. Check your history and read well.Stay Blessed.

Just put the PDA together with the Deportation Act (which even attempted to ridiculously deport Ghanaians as in Larden & Annor vrs AG), the Trade Union Act 1958 (arresting and detaining the leadership of striking workers without trial), etc, then you realise that we had a ruthless dictator wielding absolute power who was never going to retire...a self-declared president for life.Ghana in those days was all about a god called Nkrumah. Four decades after his overthrow Ghana is still all about him alone! The man is an achiever. no doubt. but what are the good sides? Infrastructure and Pan-Africanism, right? Okay, what did we sacrifice for the infrastructure? The man inherited a reserve of over 250 million British Pounds Sterling and left a debt of over 600 million GB Pounds. Who wouldn't have put some of that money in infrastructure?...in any case most of the projects (including Akosombo) had a negative NPV. We may look at them and be proud, but some of them were very wrong economic decisions and only left us in debt.
..there issues also with his commitment to 'pan-africanism' which we may discuss on another platform