Footprints with former President of Ghana John Agyekum Kufuor [Part 1]

[Music] it's good to be with you again my name is Samuel item Anza and this is how I welcome you to footprint we'll take a short break and when we come back we'll be speaking with the man we have referred to in the past as the gentle giant the former president of the Republic of Ghana president day before we'll be right back welcome back from the break like we said we have the man we used to refer to as a gentle giant the ex-president Presidente before the man who has written his name in the annals of our history as a republic he has walked the walk he spoke and he walked and he lived it and now he's classy on retirement but he's at a place where he can reflect and see the Ghana that he helped built so welcome with me as we have a conversation with president before president I salute you I salute you too it's good to see you at the scene and is very quiet here and I'm sure that that was fair as well conducive for reflection I would say so but what do you expect of the abode of an old man so on a daily basis how'd when you wake up what was your day like oh darling I can't sleep before midnight okay and why because I keep on listening to news and what following all spoilers whatever's going on around the world that's correct and then somehow 2x6 I'm up Wow but again again this habit that's what I was going to say there's nothing that no that's pretty new habits because it's I've done it over the decades subscribe and so to listen to new that talk shows and sometimes music wow just to keep her mm-hmm myself what kind of music do you listen to all types like our types favorites our types look how independent local and international okay I know Callias me some of your you know regular well I don't know if you didn't notice that we've known each other for a long time in fact I could clip that time I was there when we had the launch of an ETF and asked the school as very that time you didn't have television no no no no no I'll tell you honestly we've been interacting Ben doesn't answer I'm patron of the winner by youth choir you know that these differences the names yes yes was the and also imagine the differences and the life high life generally oh yeah I love high life be a lot of the traditional music of course you are you're a traditionalist and so bill when you cast your mind back you know and and I mean packed so when you enter college did you have any promptings about leadership your future leadership role that was colonial times yes well I prepared I love travel 58 by colonial times yes because we started Organa Gold Coast's was launched into active politics from the boycott types for aids and then into the founding of CPP I wasn't ever see people were like the alphas yes but are they CPP really generalized partisan politics before CPP W GCC but that was like the elite or elitist fatty the professionals and some chieftains mostly lawyers lawyers and all that but they brought in chroma in to be general circuitry to hook the a party to the Lara okay and chrome a stood with them within a year too he outsmarted them and he to the grassroots I took the wind out of their sails and then when the formation of the CIO of the youth organization bringing in people like a blade Kofi bacówka Kubik was very smart man comedy safe from commercial world back and people like them what was gone right well but I think fantasy okay but fun together they were sort of collection from around the country and with kid the Demma a very charismatic person polyglot spoke all the language very handsome so even one in Kumar got landed in prison 4950 they had formed a party fortunately they they might recover and combust for Kamata win hmm Hotlanta Wow bucum area yeah that's what caused the British to free Nkrumah to become the leader of government business I was then around 48 was when I go to ten but we're little airplanes go to Sir Henry school yes so you were born in Kumasi come as a massive Ian true yes true and true and we went to prefer college nothing that's written all over yes what were your experiences and prompt when you went to form one or were you thinking we were taught in leadership I was wanting to leadership because no you like let me use that some English with the confluence my father was the origin of commercial the the head of the Royal I promise in Kumasi my mother was a Pima of kumbhaka masa Padilla him I said princely innocents have a butt that like my mother was the queen mother or at our balcony of opinion I was born the brother-in-law of a son to him my sister my first dose of what were no primer the second Oh Oh Papa the quarantine in 1970 but prepare the second Santini from 31 my mother's first one who is still alive not about 97 or so Napa's grandmother oh well that's my first sister what multi-prime pay I think about I think I was born fatigued kill you don't have to kill my way they do what and the way I grew up in when she a palace yeah when in those days there were were the traditional Authority courts my father had some police person and God officially native Authority police my in my mother's house a cobia court again police with the Registrar of the court my father had this registra has been then my brother-in-law was the overlord of all and every Monday Thursday you saw all of what used to be assented and and then in those days Assad included what is society to them Bravo so all these before kill him - in and out time I was crawling going see every day will be see you for some abundance strength and power and confluence of you have proof behind of yes that one I have to say it so on hindsight I would say I saw leadership at work from Bank grew in twigs and twelve time I went and I was I started school in Kumasi government school which was a game when you see in the structure you know I got this back built it and that's why is that Ashton no no no assassin if you know the freemason temple yeah the Anglican Cathedral that's the landmark okay Tahoe prep assembly oh ah the freemason yeah yeah yeah you see the asan tamasic annual school around in iran the netizen team I sent myself a quarter of a capacity but that place that school was done to attracts sanity and can you believe it just a primary school elementary school attacked three football fields oh yeah I don't think there was any school in the whole of glucose that volley pitch crack it over everything worth it Wow with a duck pond so that is the last one from class one upon to roost and our 301 twister selves at least and I think they moved me 15:1 to say to to boarding school well which used to be part of the what's the college system you see if you know Wesley College here I was founded Wesley College stands on a knoll a small here with more a true girl school one side and safety to boarding school used to be the other side but somehow around 49 50 the Methodist decided to move the boys away from okay but compound to a coupon ten miles out of town and so in my time I was taken to asset 251 okay when I think I turned 11 so three years there and then 54 to Perimeter College good do you recall some of the people that you met when you you entered proper college who you have encountered grow enough yes when I went to from one the printer was found at 49 again it's a very interesting formation because it was live Methodist's Church of Ghana Presbyterian Church of Ghana and then the assigned to him they came together decided to do what are described as the first Secondary School for Santi modulates children the Ashanti youth would migrate to the coasts DISA dolphin swim Mirta Academy for a second education so around 49 and I left out the government the colonial government also was also part of involved I'm certain of our pathology it was the colonel colonial government that decided or convinced the US until then to name the school of times of frente because that area of Kumasi was called its neck from church about the barriers as it traditionally okay so waiting for them when they agree to do the school give them huge tract of land said I know unknown the school various granule the Chief Commissioner of asserted the British this campaign name it after yourself then the Methodists and president turns and we come aboard and the sense for the first headmaster teach a British the shaft in France room called lesson Reverend Pierson was sent to found the school so he took some students who was that wanted too fanciful and some the Methodists Presbyterians also brought some people from Cabo de massive project per second and then the lead deliberately picked some very smart youth from around comas innocently fifty of them and they all turned out to be like stars or in the national service or where the one I became friends with for the first group prefect I met there called asana from K call asani our son I think he became managing director of graphical generally of young Africa newspaper yeah what's ahead school prefect when I went 54 they were already from six aw and then a shampoo who became governor of the Central Bank well I had deputy governor supper man who happens to be alive now is you need about 87 88 now and then professor Kofi agua urologist at Medical School I think he's retired but he still alive I love so many of them medicals in the office are great culture what some one became like the this your chief diet of the tofu research cohort Research Institute and then another was forestry commissioner to for all of them a physicist professor Kofi we have a brilliant man I don't know if it still along mmm so this were like and for amazing how you remember all these names and articles it was quite a small school okay so our population was not bigger than 600 from four one two four six well but it's been it's been decades but it was and press number types for the sky 11 I've got about forty no see yeah so you'll get from 1 upon 2 from 5 from 5 and reduce it from there I passed so well for sixth form at those days you do your speciosus form and then they would interview to be pitiful they were very carefully saline close to suit for me but the whole of Ghana I was at special and that yeah I think I was in the first and throughout the country he was African examination we were told the one subject for instance there were only 5 people who got ace in the whole of West African geography and I grandpa had two of them oh wow I was one and the other one missed with me said a lawyer he was a civil servant working for a ministry not with practicing I think he's still around well as Damon gonna be awesome yeah you need to I believe God today mmm but the twenties in the school I was like the tops for geography thing tops for Latin yeah well I was gonna say that your thoughts were a lot of things and you were very active in sports well my size and height so I was champion for school disc through discus and shot yes yes and of course I enjoyed so can know that I was a star player but future then other things table tennis yeah so after proper college where did you move to while I should have entered any secondary school in Ghana for this fall but family decided I shouldn't waste time I believe with my results even all levels they thought I was ready to enter law for ba barristers training sauce 59 I was sent to London family and truly got enrolled at Lincoln saying you know to become a barrister in Britain or I should say England and Wales but for ins of course you must be enrolled in one of them they look at your qualifications in those days things like Latin and history mattered and English of course so Lincoln scene admitted me I arrived in London I think 30th April by June Lincoln see not accepted me and so I I was worked like a mural worked that night by 61 Iowa was called I was not qualified as a barista one year it once I was a barista before I went to Oxford University for the normal degree course Wow sweet Wow so you went through I lose myself on period to do the professional or Wow before you went to do ads out what accepted me for no I did my first year passed the low moderations as they call it because without that they make send you out to do but after that and to this to show that all along I somehow I was thinking politics under this graphic I said told my director of the college that I wanted to shift from law to do philosophy politics and economics I wind up doing well knock atomically Oxford yes but that was dollars a combination for as other least that's what a lot of days specially fashioned this thing for most of the early days the Prime Minister's did that study even turn now this man was Johnson did it Cameron did it twenty blended it all the whole not yet larger PP is that the so I said I wanted to do we wanted to do PP well in area going I perhaps instinctively I thought I might it might come in handy my college rector run a nice old prophesy he became vice chancellor for University Lynn called Casey well when I said I wanted to see her I was wondering what would fall I couldn't tell him everything but I said that's my decision so I said alright tried two years they wouldn't let me use the three years that yeah because I didn't have any knowledge of economics philosophy but I felt I needed to stretch my mind so they relented he and the law Chilton said okay but to witness and thankfully I managed to sail through - yes so this is before I got my degree good after with time you had your and the AUSA barrister one fat I had come back to Ghana 62 to get my seniority alibi that is important so i registered yeah was caught by a 62 like call we're buying between 61 came to Ghana when there was a vacation and that was at the High Court here or in Accra I was called register through one you are talking seniority in Ghana now by 2/3 amount be like sixty years and in salsa in Britain and next year or 2001 s I'll be sixty years standing by Sir hmm so you were a lawyer before you want to do PPE and then graduated in 64 you're physically yeah okay so we are talking to Presidente before and we've gone through quickly as education for there's a lot to talk about being in you know as time unfolds we'll take a short break and then when we come back we'll go into how he got himself back into Ghana and I got into politics we'll be back welcome back to the program does footprints on CCTV and I'm here with X president did it before amazing I mean he remembers everything I'm sure he remembers his school on tape with the proper college I wasn't that was wrong you think it's right but I enjoy music always yes so so after school in the UK most people at that time would want to stay and and find some what to do what happened to you where I got employed in the City of London City the financial capital perhaps of the world city city city in fact it was commercial bank or office there oh the gonna go they employed me as a manager and legal officer so I was getting more pay before then the regular managers given my age and everything it was a bit like yeah of course I had I should tell you I've got married quite young Oh 62 I think I must have been 23 bit straight from the bar I met this young lady who had also done mid with ass lesson in Scotland and just share incident she was moving to Oxford to do the midwifery at the University Hospital just as I was also going to Oxford for my degree course we hope very much in London I met we met in London and then after yes Cottingley decided to marry we married 63 60 to 61 we met City - I was already a barrister I thought proud a bit big a bastard a 23 4 is a big deal NT - in before 20 and we married Wow and time I bled Oxford we had two children already well first one I hope we had one in Oxford she free is now an old man and then when we got to London we brought our own house in much gold is green nice old house so we had the second child a llama but just then with all the benefits and privileges message came from Ghana my mother we were nine children but all scattered around the world the first my sister I told you about something his wife had moved to London to children were school in there and the following professor folate professor for chemistry to us Nia I was somehow found himself in exile London is a chemist so I was working the third one is his daughter whose husband became the registrar of the gun but also yeah will down the line there wasn't anyone on her family left so my mother very strong-willed sense family friend who was coming to London to tell me if I called myself a lawyer and I finished my university I should come back and wait just to avoid any debates she sent through this family friend tickets by ship MV Oreo for me my wife and two kids first-class know this fast so I'm not asking you to buy your tickets this is a camera crew and way a wife agreed it's a good wife so she applied followed then we went to Liverpool came by boats we got here January 65 a commercial bank had expected I'll go to work with them my time with the ship Ngati Tama family was ready to rightfully fallen but to Cromartie Thomas we got to Kumasi and after all the yeah the reception I was told look I understand to yourself then please wait as well and then we find you which also led Victorian chamber circle furniture and returns family and my family related from ancient times sobic transgenders come from the chambers when I had to oblige thousand commercial commercial I went there to practice will be told sue another sinaloa called osya and so that was it and it was a good experience because even though I had been called to the bar 61 I hadn't England's no I hardly knew any court I'd never used to go to God so I was virtually fought in to privileged to work with victor and of course the because of the closeness family relations he exposed me to practice in this course because was a big naming at that time his chambers arguably one sided the best in the whole of the country or one of the very best so he had big cases and I saw how the methodical and very serious man for work and he didn't spare anything to prepare the cases if it meant seeking an opinion from some of the retired old lawyers in Britain you go at a fee and get the opinion so he was a very solid practitioner and I got exposed to that we worked for exactly a year then the statistics cook happened and then the owners invited him to become the Attorney General if you'd remember I don't know how old were you then 66 Wow I was a born husband when you talk about the NLC and that's it that's not abrasive but that also has something to do with your family I've actually do my family was scattered so that opportunity give people to come back home mm-hm and but I was there I was in Kumasi then as a young lawyer in the closest chambers and Victor once I became Attorney General of Ghana loved the chambers to Austria was Bosnia and then so when the students erupted they rebelled against for instance Tech later people force vice-chancellor but then there was a commission of inquiry and all that the students came to our chambers for us to appear for them before the menu clients come in Commission which was probing the tech our people my senior lawyer partner luciao naturally was the lead counsel but osya was a bit temperamental and somehow he argued with justice manual plunge the Commissioner to such a point that OCR then refused to even lead left the Commission recused himself and I was left to handle the case the cancer for the students I was doing it but by then the whole country was so suffused with politics and I was burning in me but I would also find my way interactive politics along the way the then town clerk of commercial vessel is attacked or lamentable who had been trained know purposefully to be the like 10 o'clock when time clock in British balances like city manager these days everybody calls himself me I mean man suppose who had succeeded and then very quite a happy coincidence late doctor then he wasn't lee dr. shamon Alex damaging a lot of merchants father was the first I believe ganyan town clerk of commercial after the British and after him the Mensa bones became succeeded him and Men suppose solicitor trained and was the I think either tank luck of Kensington in London deputies on to him so himself and from that became the tank lock but see gets on well with the CBP in Kensington Kensington High Street Kensington area but I think the colonial times I'm talking about me and make brilliant solicitor Danny so he became the town clerk of Kumasi but around 66 67 I he had I had so much trouble with the outgoing CPP massive city council authorities and up along the way there was a British solicitous famously JP that represented the corporate entities like Barclays was a gold until all season they were moving out and quietly mine suppose but the our chambers from them and so I saw the vacancy coming there I talked with him said I was interested I said okay it was a public office that had to be advertised and applied for so about four or five lawyers applied to stick i of course my math application also went and then somehow I was given the position time I became dumb cluck of muscles about 27 20 but it gave me the platform to show what you can do this who are the Tamils KCC right Kumasi City Council and he became the town clerk yes so all 67 68 69 I was managing Kumasi at that young age and it impressed people on the interminable committee where people like lucu were who became a santino certainty yes I was on it last dr. Shelby Johnny Johnny Sibley was on it mister yes way and always register of technical or heavy weights the world a and I was like the chief CEO of the place working with all these big people so at this time okay what cases you are still other current please I'll do this mm-hmm and I found myself that dot to expose me to administration because I had something like 4,000 workers under me with top personnel like medical officer for the city city engineer city treasurer city planner all of them they came under the term flagship the helped you really important construct of our yes city administration and also into government last true just working with bylaws making laws for the abuse so three years and thankfully three years there wasn't any trouble at all managing the managers would years again 67 shades night of because nine was when I got elected into Parliament yes I left it and because of how things went worked under me people didn't have any qualms at all seeing this guy can do it let him do it so you you right bottle exit of constable one city election I got elected into Parliament 69 which constituency hmm Oba Diah I should have done it in Kumasi but 68 the Constituent Assembly I wanted to be a member of dr. Alex Hamilton who had been appointed by an LC as the local government commissioner local government commissioner and you also held from chemistry who had been town clerk of commerce earlier and who was like an uncle to me expressed interest to represent Kumasi the Constituent Assembly oh okay and even though I was thank like I couldn't really think of myself as taking the position again see so I decided to move to a chunk of a job which incidentally they said the district work with our home villages yeah I mean now is is almost part of Thomasina latest message when the president talks of beta comma attack message another and Indonesia now as German lobelia has been divided into about three constituent constituencies districts not just once meant distance each one will be done north-south and I think as centralized but in my time it was the hopeless the population has increased as well or might be over 200,000 and how was it like so which party / naturally a business party business party I should tell you another part things that come together so on hindsight you think is destiny because as 1960 when I was preparing for the finals of the bar by examination in the UK in the UK that time professor musiah was in exile in Holland professor at Leiden University in Holland and one evening got mission really had a home run I've probably had a house in London North London must run here and will yeah again my family had related from way back so we got information that was coming to London and who callin us come and visit me and I lived with my sisters to assisted Mary and mrs. Campbell's is another one I come after immediately and there was also cousin Eduardo my garage man incidentally I think is she still alive the end of mrs. Rawlings lived with us so close very close and so without visitors sorry we came of course in a CT room asked my the girls were attending to him and he looked at me you what are you doing so I'm preparing for my finals at the bar looked at you sure I think I might do it okay so after what do you do then just of the cough I said oh I want to continue at Oxford University and of course booyah it was Oxford through and through from 40s 42 he was the student got his PhD from that Sarah Oxford which College I said Oxford is Oxford any of the colleges that rammus for that 35 male colleges and five for ladies there is one did for the co-educational and that's so I said in other colleges than good Lea said well I want to quickly I invested college that I studied at the University College Oxford but my rector Gomorrah without sword or every student in those days I don't know of now but in those days every student of Oxford are the more a filter to sort of guide the student advising my morale tutor the at University College is now the rector not the head of College of Exeter College Oxford so immediately I shot back aside so that man is still alive I saw a sister there professor Casey way so I said if he's around and I want to study under that much that was 1960 yeah you're just like yeah from Richard so he giggled abysus all right and then have you put in your application as album and doing the final so said do it and I'll be a referee for you and tried it and truly before long I got a letter from Exeter College from that same professor Casey where Buddhists tutor to visit to go to Oxford and I went a single 860 the old man took bit the rectus Lord opened it and trans himself looked at me so you are coffee buzias boy and then his remark off you used to write beautiful English that's what he said openly so he invited me and called the law tutor because then the kiss was for me to continue with the law the law to talk Amy they interviewed me and then loaded our usual going to pass the finals the results of finest I think came out right round may also six lips each one and I sort of I feel shocked because water the workout when I felt I should be able to mass then the Lord she transferred back look if you pass you have a place at if you do not then I'm afraid so it was a challenge the throttle assess what they gave me tea and then they saw me off back to station the train station to Louisville to London as things turned out thank God when the results came back past and even before there is no scheme I got a letter of an offer acceptance conditional but Busia and I fought to divert to tell you this was how boozy also came into my life he was in exile from politics and when I got back sixty five general things where when you looked at gonna society the economy everything was not good you went to say Kingsway shopped place was dusty serfs were empty people they called mostly bad and Ghana had become one-party state president for life death the pioneering president I become president for like a whole lot of things so many people in detention and so one sister 6k so this is unfortunately him and so okay so you again that puts the pieces together 69 you found yourself going to Parliament assesses and at the statue and we had come back okay and of course after the mass yeah and you're doing the civic education possible education and then so 68 when I got elected for among immediately represents watch my district agency to represent it at the Constituent Assembly after deliberations of the Parliament House would return with this house and article that's why we formed the PP progress party I was a founding member even if I got to the age thirty okay that was December so we'll be taking a short break when we come back I would like to know from President Gore for his own experiences in that Parliament of 69 that kind of people he met the policy of conversations and debates because he later on superintendent over the nation itself or how he he made a comparison between everything that happened thereafter so this is so footprint will be right back welcome back this is footprint with pressed idea before the accident ah this is beautiful yeah yeah the story say we're not 166 no yukue massive age look first born last person pork would give impression right [Laughter] cause chief Mossad yeah it was my image in Ebonics at least I had a bad day oh yeah building the house so so he entered into Parliament yeah 69 Parliament you know of course you it was a great Parliament except that I ask you a question to fighter making me good you know I imagine that some people be intimidated by your presence because you are the like the boss of Commerce is also he is like or there were a bigger process than me oh really with the I himself or was there probably one of the big six was that missile empty they were any other politician was there so many even a dust on the government side and chiefdom border all day but then across the aisle we had some set of very smart before late a gamma dr. leekie a gamma over the somewhere somehow could get to shop but it was only was with you cause I was with her with now or walk in now yeah and then mr. majesty the policeman yeah was it the first or commission of lisaura not the educated Hollywood the first I deeply mm-hmm Marie de Medici was head of police but it was after him that the title I did before Jennifer Donatella's Commission awfully back head of the policing and Hank Omaha detainee but when we came out rejoined but now and well Betty McCabe oedema who incidentally also nearly married my sister that who I come after Wow and so my stuff was a barrister lawyer was one big mouse in exile he was with my system was with but they grabbed virtually you like partners or whatever so bitter much we had come to know very well in you my home in Kumasi an order and in Constituent Assembly when I was my mother and he was Foreman is now party he invited me he wrote a short note for me I went to see the result dreaming ourselves around Rangoon Havana was a lesson he wanted me to be in his party I respected him so much liked him so much but I had gathered courage look to me as a please find before you we miss the sauna but I don't think you would way especially around must you wouldn't get it looked at me thank you thank you for telling me what you feel and you allowed me to do but the relationship remains so who was the speaker Parliament the first Parliament green older I think Elena just easily another good person hard-working clear-headed person was the speaker but on the other side from the people government we were the big majority but the debate was to perform the they researched and the two years we went Parliament the directive government interests a gamma K beta mass should have been and but we got disqualified through Commission's of inquiry and so I think we - it fell on I think dr. Gama who was must have been in this thirties not I don't think oh so that is the same person that became cognitive man agamous brilliant man very eloquent very powerful let me divert a bit you I'm sure you've heard of the trolls who've been accused of student of ascribing the water isn't a sin worth looking vs roof and you know it was a gamma who caused the whole trouble but really shaped Victor Victor had very powerful friends across table demo was like a brother and brother Victor's decade the coup all of them were close with Victor did who was also policed right just Commission of police to enforce Eid in increments time but as I said the demo had been disqualified so now God formed and unfortunately it seemed like the membership was concentrated from war tourism which caused divided because the IPP had won most of the country and with now finding itself like limited and Hampton inverter rhythm I think must have been a very beautifully among them and so the leadership was now in Parliament was very harsh and so there was an occasion I think it must have been to do with the Salah case or something and a gamma who could have been perhaps the son of Bosnia lab stood up and with the Prime Minister that time government was in presidential order the second president was parliamentary system agama pseudopodia virtually shouting down at desire you try our prime minister of tribal government trusts terrible new bougie aqueous at quiet so when gamma finished and we close to being the next senior after Prime Minister Netanyahu Minister after the Prime Minister himself and Victor the shop also I said practicing my adversary ax practitioner just also showed up and was recognized by the speaker and he power into a gamma how dare you call the Prime Minister tribal tribal Trevor who is worried what looking the new people and then that's how degenerated into convict all recited that he our friends Oliver and that he helps forgotten the person's name this friend from water into some corporate and within one year of the at matok in the put everybody there had become like somebody from his village or from somewhere water and you come here to describe this Prime Minister governmentís tribe are so hopeless just went quiet yes then soon after had the newspaper speak the whole thing they wouldn't tell how Victor got into his mood to react that it was a gamma what virtually shorted the Prime Minister of Ghana I tribal also this was it but it showed the sort of power and women's the opposition will that and as I said they did the homework mr. president we would like to thank you for this account will come again and so this is where we find ourselves and you've been following a present for living on account of his own life in Parliament since 69 so this is where we part company for this episode my name is Sam Thomas I'd be watching the footprints see the next time [Music]

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Id: hRDHEb3JXGM

Length: 51min 26sec (3086 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 28 2020