Veteran statesman and founding member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Dr. Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe, has issued a strong national call for the restoration of July 1st—Republic Day—as a statutory public holiday, describing any attempt to erase or diminish its significance as a “dangerous distortion of Ghana’s national memory.”
In a powerful statement ahead of this year’s Republic Day, Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe decried the current government’s 2019 decision to remove July 1st from the national calendar of holidays. He described the move as a “historical sacrilege” and a “partisan repurposing” of a foundational milestone in Ghana’s sovereign journey.
“Republic Day Must Be Protected”
“Independence gave us the chance to govern ourselves. Republic status gave us the power to do so,” the former ambassador declared. He emphasized that while March 6, 1957 marked the end of colonial rule, it was July 1, 1960, that transformed Ghana into a fully sovereign republic, free from the British monarchy, following a national referendum.
“From that day forward, Ghana gained full control over its domestic and foreign affairs,” he said, adding that July 1st should be remembered not as a footnote, but as a transformative turning point in the country’s political and constitutional history.
Criticism of Holiday Revisions
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe sharply criticized the Public Holidays (Amendment) Act, 2019 (Act 989), which scrapped Republic Day as a public holiday and instead introduced Founders’ Day on August 4th and Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Day on September 21st.
While acknowledging the role of the UGCC and other independence activists, he warned that undermining Republic Day in favor of partisan narratives risks erasing the true birth of Ghana as a republic. He also condemned suggestions to recast July 1st as a “Day of Prayer and Thanksgiving,” insisting that spiritual observances must not overshadow constitutional milestones.
Call to Action
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe called on Parliament to reinstate July 1st as a national holiday, urging educational institutions to teach the true history of Ghana’s republican transition, and challenging the media to annually spotlight this foundational date.
He further appealed to Ghanaian youth to rise to the defence of the nation’s authentic past, warning that “a nation that forgets its foundational moments cannot build a coherent future.”
Political Significance
Coming from a key founding figure of the NPP and former diplomat, the statement is likely to stir political debate, especially as it critiques the legacy of the Akufo-Addo administration’s changes to Ghana’s holiday structure.
Dr. Nyaho-Tamakloe concluded with a pointed reminder:
“To turn July 1st into something else—or ignore it altogether—is to betray the very ideals of independence and self-determination.”
As the debate over Ghana’s national identity and historical memory intensifies, his message is expected to resonate across political and civic circles in the lead-up to the July 1st anniversary.
