Renowned Kenyan lawyer and pan-Africanist, Professor Patrick Loch Otieno Lumumba, has listed four Ghanaians who should serve in a unionised African state.
The anti-corruption campaigner believes Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah; Ghana’s current President, Nana Akufo-Addo; former President Jerry John Rawlings, and educationist James Emman Kwegyir Aggrey would be leaders under his government.
Initially, Prof. Lumumba indicated that from the list of current presidents, he would have few people who meet his standards.
Speaking on Sunday Night in an interview on Asaase FM, monitored by theghanareport.com, he told the host Kweku Sakyi Addo that choosing from a pool of current Presidents and Prime Ministers, he would add President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame; Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed; President of Namibia, Hage Geingob; President of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisi; President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa; President of Malawi, Lazarus Chakwera; President of Senegal, Macky Sall and the President of Tanzania, John Magufuli.
He would add his country’s President, Uhuru Kenyatta “reluctantly” for “patriotism sake”.
In extending his list to cover African presidents in history for the last 100 years, Dr Kwame Nkrumah was first on his list, followed by former Tanzanian President Julius Nyerere.
In no particular order, the others were former President of South Africa, Nelson Mandela; former President of Mozambique, Samora Machel; first Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba; former President of Mali, Modibo Keita; former President of Guinea, Sekou Toure; former President of Egypt, Gamel Abdul-Nasser; former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie; former President of Zambia, Kenneth Kaunda; former President of Botswana, Seretse Khama; former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo and former President Jerry John Rawlings.
He noted that despite “the many other things”, Mr Rawlings did some useful things as the leader of Ghana.
From other fields besides politicians, he listed educationist James Kwegyir Aggrey and South African teacher Robert Sobukwe.
For him, these are people who have their worth in the weight of gold.
For other offices, he would consider South African activist Winnie Mandela and former Prime Minister of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta.
Asked about former Zimbabwean President, Robert Mugabe, Prof Lumumba was of the view that the late man who served as president for 37 years was a “good dancer who did not know when to leave the dance floor”.
