Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah was the First President of the Republic of Ghana and according to reports, his plane was still in the sky over China When he was overthrown in a CIA-backed coup. He, therefore, knew nothing about it. At the Beijing Airport, was the Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, standing in the cold wind, waiting to receive the Ghanaian leader
Enlai had already received the news and was not only worried about how to break it to his guest but also how to receive and handle this diplomatic problem.
When Nkrumah’s plane finally landed in Beijing, he was warmly received by Zhou Enlai who took him to the state Guesthouse. After the guests and the host sat down in the reception room, the Chinese leader whispered to him that a coup had taken place in Ghana and showed him a message from a foreign news agency.
At first, Nkrumah rejected his reality. But when he read the message, the reality slowly dawned on him. He bowed his head in his trembling hands but he was very calm.
As soon as the rumors are confirmed, the huge delegation made up of 90 Ghanaian officials, quickly disintegrated as they no longer wanted to be associated with a leader and a government at had been overthrown.
Even the Ghana embassy in Beijing also shifted its position a announced its allegiance to the new military government.
Also with Nkrumah in Beijing, the Minister for Foreign Affairs was quickly sent t Hana to assess the situation. But too shifted his allegiance and expressed his support for the coup leaders immediately after he arrived in Accra.
Nkrumah left Beijing for Guinea and nev returned to Ghana. In Guinea President Sekou Toure grant him political asylum and made him co-President of the Republic of Guinea
On April 27, 1972, Nkrumah died of an unspecified illness in Bucharest, Romania where he had gone for treatment. It was lonely death, far from his green and lovely native land and his people
Shortly after Nkrumah’s death some, squabbles erupted between President Sekou Toure of Guinea and Colonel Acheampong, the President of Ghana which had come to power through another coup in January 1972.
Touré, who had granted Nkrumah political asylum in his country wanted to bury Nkrumah in Guinea while Colonel Acheampong desired that Nkrumah’s body be returned to Ghana where, he said, the former President would be given a dignified burial.
Nkrumah’s mother, Madam Elizabeth Nyaniba, made an impassioned plea to President Toure to allow the body to be returned to Ghana: “I want to touch the body of my son before he is buried, or I die.”
Sékou Touré refused to release the body until h had extracted from the Ghanaians important concessions. And, since the Romanians had sent the body to Guinea, Toure was in an st ng position to dictate his terms of releasing Nkrumah’s body. Ty was as follows:
1.) NKRUMAH’S COMPLETE REHABILITATION IN THE EYES OF THE GHANAIAN PEOPLE (LIFTING ALL CHARGES THAT HAD BEEN PENDING AGAINST HIM)
2.) THE RELEASE OF ALL OF NKRUMAH’S ALLIES STILL HEL IS IN GHANAIAN JAILS.
3.) REMOVAL OF THE THREAT OF ARREST WHICH HUNG OVER ALL OF NKRUMAH’S FOLLOWERS WHO HAD CHOSEN TO REMAIN WITH HIM IN EXILE
4.) AN OFFICIAL WELCOME BY THE GHANAIAN GOVERNMENT OF NKRUMAH’S REMAINS, WITH ALL THE HONORS DUE A DECEASED TO THE CHIEF OF STATE.
On May 20, 1972, it was revealed that Touré had imposed even further conditions n the Ghanaian government. He now insisted that Nkrumah’s tomb be placed in front of Ghana’s Parliament building, and that all of the men who had occupied Ministerial appointments and high positions in his civil service be restored to their former posts.
Touré’s argument for holding the body was that he had granted Nkrumah asylum and made him co-President of Guinean Repulic when he was betrayed” by his people who overthrew him.
With the quarrel, attracting attention from the non-African press African leaders appro hed Toure to persuade him o release the body. They were Presidents William Tolbert of Liberia, Siaka Stevens of Sierra Leone, and General Yakubu Gowon of Nigeria. They argued that it was in the best interests of African dignity and Africa’s image abroad, that the body be returned to Asana.
Nkrumah’s body was ever released by Toure and buried in Ghana.
In a related development, When Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah was overthrown and there were wild jubilations on the streets of Accra, He asked: “Why are my people jubilating? I expect them to be sad.”
A good friend who was with him on their journey to Hanoi at the invitation of Premier Ho Chi Minh said: “Mr. President, your people were expecting milk and you were building factories. Emmanuel Kotoka will provide them milk.”
Nkrumah asked again, “Is that all they wanted? I thought we had a future together. If I knew I would have planted milk taps in their homes.”
