Kutu Acheampong deserves a place in Ghana’s history even if he is the devil – Professor Agyeman-Duah

General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong deserves a place in Ghana’s history even if he is the devil, A Former United Nation Senior Advisor and the Chief Executive Officer of the John A. Kufuor Foundation, Professor Baffour Agyeman-Duah has said.

 That he said was because the former military  head of state, although, seem not to have a good name in the country, govern it for seven years and made decisions on behalf it and the the people as such his name could not be written off in the country’s history.

 “Supposedly, he doesn’t have a good name, no body write about him, officially speaking, nobody even mentions him, so for this generation, the younger generation the man simply did not exist”.

“But if you consider the fact that he was head of state for almost 7years, 72 to 78 and he determined the destiny of Ghana not just my village or his village but the destiny of the whole of country then even if he is the devil, he deserves a place in our history.

General Acheampong, The Life and Times of Ghana’s Head of State

Prof Agyeman –Duah made the remarks on TV3 NewDay on Thursday, September 16, monitored by GhanaPlus.com.

He made the comment while throwing light about a yet-to-be launched book he has authored about the former military head of state who ruled Ghana from 1972 through to 1978.

The book is titled “General Acheampong, The Life and Times of Ghana’s Head of State.”

Speaking about the book he said his intention for visiting the life of the former leader, was to fill a historical vacuum in Ghana history.

“I do not endorse coups, I don’t support it, and neither do I admire those who undermine our democracy. My simple interest has been how can we short chain our history by omitting someone in our contemporary history who for seven years dominated us,” he said.

He said recent leaders have not had the courage to mention his name despite making references to some of his policies they admire and was of the view that his story must be told for generations to know him.

Kutu Acheampong in Ghana’s history

General Ignatius Kutu Acheampong, ascended Ghana’s high office of head of state when he overthrow the Dr Kofi Busia led Progress Party, a democratically elected government on January 13 1972.

He became the Head of State and Chairman of the National Redemption Council which later became the Supreme Military Council in 1975.

Policies and programmes under his administration

He is remembered for policies such as operation Keep Right, a change from driving on the left to right, Operation Feed Yourself, a farming programme which aim at developing self reliance in agriculture, National Reconstruction, a programme to promote employment and skill workers and the change from the imperial to the metric system of measures, also known as the British imperial, an official English standard for weight and measurement created by Queen Elizabeth I.

 Kutu Acheampong is also known for the face-lift projects in cities, reconstruction and upgrading of stadia to meet international standard among many others.

It was under his administration that the mortal remains of Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah was returned home and buried at Nkroful, his hometown.

Corruption and his execution

Report said the former military head was widely accused of endorsing and encouraging corruption under his administration.

General Kutu Acheampong was on 16 June 1979 executed by firing squad together with others following the 4 June military uprising that brought Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) to power.

Source: GhanaPlus.com