As the calendar draws closer to July 1st, statesman and founding member of the New Patriotic Party, Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has issued a fervent call for the reinstatement of Republic Day as a national holiday, decrying what he describes as a dangerous distortion of Ghana’s history and constitutional identity.
In a statement, Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe reminded the nation that while March 6, 1957, marked the attainment of political independence, it was not until July 1, 1960, that Ghana truly became a sovereign republic.
That pivotal day, he noted, saw the replacement of Queen Elizabeth II as head of state with an elected President, following a national referendum. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah’s swearing-in as the first President of the Republic signified Ghana’s full control over its internal and external affairs — a historic leap from dominion to complete nationhood.
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe lamented the 2019 passage of the Public Holidays (Amendment) Act under President Nana Akufo-Addo’s administration, which expunged Republic Day as a public holiday and elevated 4th August as Founders’ Day, in recognition of the United Gold Coast Convention and other figures in Ghana’s independence struggle.
While acknowledging the merits of such recognition, he warned that this reconfiguration dangerously sidelines the singular constitutional transformation that occurred on July 1st — a day he argues is even more transformational than Independence Day.
“The 1st of July is not a religious day. It is not a partisan day. It is the day our republic was born,” Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe stated. “To ignore it, or repackage it as a mere day of prayer, is to erase the essence of Ghana’s full independence.”
He further credited the Republic era with the establishment and strengthening of national institutions, including the Ghana Armed Forces, major universities, and professional schools, all of which flourished under a sovereign constitutional framework.
Calling for a collective defence of Ghana’s true history, Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe appealed to Parliament to reinstate July 1st as a national holiday, encouraged educators to amplify the nation’s republican journey, and urged the media and youth to uphold the sanctity of Ghana’s constitutional memory.
“Republic Day gave us the power to govern ourselves fully,” he concluded. “If we fail to defend it, we fail the very ideals upon which this nation stands.”
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