17th edition of the “Re-Akoto Memorial Lectures held at KNUST
Dr. Ernest Owusu Dapaa, Dean of Faculty of Law at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST
The 17th edition of the “Re-Akoto Memorial Lectures” came off on Thursday September 1, 2022 with a call on the public to espy the benefaction of the late Okyeame Baffour Osei Akoto in his fight for freedom of speech in Ghana.
“Talking about freedom of speech in Ghana now without acknowledging the late Baffour Osei Akoto is a travesty of justice”
“I strongly believe it was deserving of the late statesman to be recognized as one of the main champions of Human rights Activism in Ghana”
The Dean of Faculty of Law at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology KNUST, Dr Ernest Owusu Dapaa said this when delivering his message as the main speaker of the event held at KNUST.
“Given his selfless role in challenging The Prevention Detective Act which was enacted by Parliament in 1958 to empower the then executive to arrest and detain without trial, people whose acts were known to be prejudicial to the state, it is perturbing that Baffour Akoto does not get the needed attention when discussing human rights activism in Ghana “.
Speaking on the topic ” Human Rights Activism And Freedom in Modern Ghana- The Role of Baffour Osei Akoto” Dr Ernest Owusu Dapaa who has been recently nominated to serve as an Appeals Court Judge by President Akuffo Addo noted that Baffour Akoto may be gone, he still deserves to have his name written in gold among other recognized national leaders who have been immortalized by the state.
Baffour Osei Akoto, a senior linguist of the Asantehene, was the founder of the National Liberation Movement(NLM) which later merged with the Northern People Party (NPP) to form the United Party (UP), the founder party of the ruling New Patriotic Party.
The Memorial Lecture instituted by the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II as life patron of the Student Representative Council (SRC) of the Ghana School of Law, is designed to promote research, study and educate the citizenry on the development of Ghana’s constitutional democracy and human and people’s rights.
Source: Ghana/otecfmghana.com/Jacob Agyenim Boateng
