It was an interesting scene to behold when all three living former presidents – Jerry John Rawlings, John Agyekum Kufuor and John Dramani Mahama – joined incumbent President Akufo-Addo to celebrate 25th Anniversary of the 4th Republic.

The three living Johns joined the man who broke the chain of the Johns at the well-attended religious event in Accra yesterday.

The event, dubbed the national thanksgiving service: ‘Celebrating the goodness of the Lord,’ which took place at the Independence Square, saw many people, including former and current government officials, as well as representatives of the various political parties and the clergy in attendance.

The beauty of it was the reading of scriptures by all the three former presidents to the admiration of all who had gathered.

Achievements

The event was crowned with an inspiring speech by President Akufo-Addo, in which he touted the achievements of Ghana under the 4th Republic, describing the period as having witnessed the “longest, uninterrupted period of stable, constitutional governance in our history, banishing the spectre of instability that disfigured the early years of our nation’s existence, and the benefits are showing.”

Aside that, he said, “We have witnessed sustained growths in the size of the economy; rising levels of per capita real incomes; systematic expansion of the private sector; taken strong measures to try to protect our lands, water bodies and environment from the menace of environmental degradation; ensured that efforts to meet the most basic elements of social justice, i.e. education from kindergarten through to secondary school, and accessible healthcare to all our citizens, are ongoing; recorded significant reductions in maternal mortality rates; entrenched media freedom; deepened attachment to the rule of law, probity and accountability; respect for individual liberties, human rights; the principles of democratic accountability and social justice and created an environment in which government and regulatory policies attempt to enhance, rather than inhibit or frustrate, trade, commerce and investments.”



He credited the Ghanaian people, the ordinary men and women, who make up the fabric of the Ghanaian nation for this achievement, saying, “Twenty-five years ago, the Ghanaian people resolved to build, under God, a united nation, grounded in democratic values and the rule of law.”

President Akufo-Addo claimed, “We have gone a long way towards realising it, and I am confident that with a spirit of reconciliation, fairness, integrity and hard work, the best days of Mother Ghana lie ahead of us.”



Challenges

That notwithstanding, the president noted, “The fundamental commitment to resolving these challenges, within a framework of due process, must be unshaken.”

He underscored, “We have begun to take a deep look at the structure of our economy, and transform it, from a raw material producing and exporting one to a value-added, industrialised economy, with a modernised agriculture, to serve better our needs.

“The era of Ghana’s industrialisation has dawned, so that we can trade in the global marketplace, not on the basis of raw materials, but on the basis of things we make, inspired by our sense of enterprise, creativity and innovation.”

For him, “It is the most effective way we can generate jobs and wealth for the masses of our people, and join the ranks of the developed, prosperous nations of the world.”

He pointed out, however, “Despite all these gains, we must acknowledge that we have not reached the potential we should have.”



That, he said, was because “The biggest challenge we face continues to be eradicating widespread poverty,” indicating, “We still have challenges in the performance of our public services; we face threats, traditional and contemporary, to our nation’s security and social stability, in the form of chieftaincy conflicts, land disputes, ethnic conflicts, vigilantism, cyber security issues, youth unemployment, economic hardships and corruption in our public life.”

President Akufo-Addo said, “We are laying the platform for the evolution of a new Ghanaian civilisation, which will give true meaning to the foundational values of freedom and justice on which our nation was conceived.”

Tribute

The 4th Republic was promulgated with immense, popular backing, and on 7th January, 1993, Jerry John Rawlings was sworn into office as the 1st President of the 4th Republic.

It is for this reason that President Akufo-Addo commended the erstwhile Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) – a military junta headed by then Flt Lt Jerry John Rawlings – the 1991 Consultative Assembly, the Movement for Freedom and Justice (MFJ), the pro-democracy organisations, civil society and religious bodies, whose collective efforts and agitations led to the birth of the 4th Republic.

He also paid tribute to parliament, under the leadership of successive speakers – Justice D.F. Annan, Peter Ala Adjetey, Ebenezer Sekyi-Hughes, Justice Joyce Bamford-Addo, Edward Doe Adjaho, and currently, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye – for growing stronger in stature, and in its contribution to good governance.



“In ensuring that the commitment made twenty-five years ago to embark on the journey of multiparty democracy resounds strongly, one of the most important actors in the preservation of this has been the Judiciary,” he said.

The president continued, “Today, I pay tribute to their Lordships Philip Archer, I.K. Abban, E.K. Wiredu, George Acquah, Georgina Wood and the incumbent, Sophia Akuffo – the Chief Justices of the 4th Republic – who have ensured, and are still ensuring that the Judiciary plays its role as the defender of the rights and liberties of the people, and as an independent arbiter which aims to inspire confidence in the citizenry.”

President Akufo-Addo also remembered with gratitude the contribution of the Council of State, under its various leaders, in helping to steer the ship of state “to this happy day,” and also to past and current officials in the public service, and to the active and retired members of the security services – the Armed Forces, the Police Service, the Fire Service, the Immigration Service, the Prisons Service – who have played their part in helping to preserve the security and the stability of Ghana.

“This survey cannot be complete without mention of the Electoral Commission (EC), National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ), political parties, trades unions, civil society organisations, traditional authorities and religious bodies in the success of the 4th Republic,” he added.