By any standard, the March 6 glamorous parade at the Independence Square to mark Ghana’s Golden Jubilee can be described as one of the best in living memory.
The Parade was watched by thousands of Ghanaians, including foreign dignitaries.
In attendance were the Duke of Kent, Prince Edward George Patrick, who represented Queen Elizabeth II, South African President, Thabo Mbeki; the President of Mali, Mr. Amadou Toumani Toure; Dr. Ali Mohammed Shein, the Vice President of Tanzania; Mr. Benard Mukaza, the Prime Minister of Rwanda; President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe; President Hifikepunye Pohamba of Namibia; President Joseph Kabila of the Democratic Republic of Congo and President Joao Bernardo Vieiri of Guinea Bissau.
Others were Mr. Pedro Pires of Cape Verde; Mr. Amando Emilo Guebuza of Mozambique; Mr. Festus Mogae of Botswana; Dr. Bingu Wa Mutharika of Malawi and President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf of Liberia.
Among Ghana’s Political Leaders were Prof. John Atta Mills, Flagbearer of the National Democratic Congress and Dr. Edmund Delle, Leader of the Convention People’s Party.
Their presence at the Independence Square portrayed the oneness of the nation.
The colourful parade was enriched with a gymnastic performance by 1,750 school children drawn from several schools in the capital.
They thrilled thousands of Ghanaians who trooped to the Independence Square with various formations, depicting the national flag and the Ghana @ 50 logo.
The smart turn-out of the Security Forces and school children at the Parade would linger in people’s minds for many years.
The Standard congratulates the Ghana @ 50 Secretariat, especially the organisers of the Parade for a job well done.
Even though, some journalists who covered the historic event standing in the scourging sun for hours could not be seated, they are likely to get the inward satisfaction that they did a special service to the nation.
We also congratulate the Television stations for bringing the memorable event live into the homes of many Ghanaians, who for one reason or the other, could not be at the Independence Square.
In our view, the Special Guest of Honour, President Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, definitely went home very much satisfied with what he saw.
That is why he mimicked the late Ugandan President Iddi Amin Dada, when he said: “when President John Agyekum Kufuor comes to Nigeria, I will retaliate [reciprocate].”
Those who did not know the difference between the words reciprocate and retaliate did not immediately get the joke.
President Obasanjo commended Ghana “for holding itself as a democratic and united country,” and cautioned Ghanaians against pessimism.
The message by President Kufuor, who now doubles as the AU Chairman, that the youth in the country and the rest of Africa should remain at home [and not seek greener pastures elsewhere], should jolt their minds.
“Your continent and its nations need your energy, your dynamism, your creativity and, above all, your dreams for the development of its component states,” he said.
The Standard appeals to the youth to take the President’s advice seriously and remember that the task of nation-building would eventually fall on them.
They should be guided by the remarkable work done by the Founding Fathers of the nation to bring Independence to the country.
Last but not the least, they should emulate people like former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan who brought a great honour to Ghana.
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