[ 2012-05-08 ]

Dr. Onsy Nathan Nkrumah

Dr Onsy Nkrumah`s bid for passport in danger as BNI tracks his life history
Dr. Onsy Nathan Nkrumah, the 55 year old man who
claims to be the son of Ghana`s first President,
Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah appears to be in some
sort of trouble as his application for a Ghanaian
passport has attracted the eagle eyes of the
Bureau of National Investigations (BNI) which
apparently wants Onsy`s claim as the son of Dr.
Nkrumah fully verified and authenticated before he
is issued with a Ghanaian passport by the relevant
authorities.

According to a highly-placed source at the
Passport Office who spoke to our roving scouts on
condition of strict confidentiality, the BNI`s
interest in the matter of Onsy`s application for a
Ghanaian passport stems from the fact that the
Government of Ghana (GoG) which is the owner of
Ghanaian passports has no official or unofficial
records biologically or historically linking Onsy
to Ghana`s Founder and First President, Osagyefo
Dr. Kwame Nkrumah of blessed memory and it has
therefore become necessary for Onsy to assist the
relevant Ghanaian authorities including the BNI
and the Passport Office with the relevant and
appropriate information relative to his childhood,
educational background and work experience in
Egypt and elsewhere which could help the relevant
Ghanaian authorities make an informed decision on
his application for a Ghanaian passport.

" For instance, the provision of his birth
certificate indicating the exact date of birth and
the original name(if any) given to him then;
documentation on his early childhood schooling and
subsequent adult educational progression as well
as details of his work experience and various
residential locations both in Egypt and elsewhere
since birth on March 17th, 1957 which is the date
of birth Onsy has publicly disclosed to Ghanaians
as the day on which he was born to Dr. Nkrumah by
his (Onsy`s) Egyptian mother, could all be of
enormous value to the relevant Ghanaian
authorities in evaluating, verifying and
authenticating his claim before the issuance of a
Ghanaian passport to him. This verification and
authentication process is ultimately in the mutual
interest of the country and Onsy as it would help
in undermining some of the doubts surrounding his
claim of being Nkrumah`s son particularly in the
absence of a DNA verification," our source
submitted.

He further clarified that the requirement of the
preceding details and information had become
inevitable in view of Onsy`s purported lack of
enthusiasm to undergo a DNA test as proposed by
Sekou Nkrumah and the BNI.

"It will be highly irresponsible on the part of
State Agencies to proceed to issue important
documents such as passports to persons who claim
to be Ghanaians or even sons and daughters of
prominent Ghanaians including the First President
Of the Rpublic of Ghana without any due diligence
or verifiaction of their claims. That could be a
blueprint for national embarrassment hence the
pro-active stance of the BNI in this particular
case especially considering the controversy and
dispute even among the Nkrumah Siblings and
Family", quipped our source.

However, a retired senior diplomat who had worked
with various Ghanaian governments from the Nkrumah
days, and who spoke to the New Crusading Guide
paper on condition of strict anonymity, vehemently
disagreed with what he perceived as an undesirable
and unnecessary intrusion of the BNI in areas
which have been legitimately left for the
attention of other State bodies such as the
Passport Office or the Ghana Immigration Service
(GIS). He accused the BNI of behaving like an
"unchained octopus running riot and trampling on
people’s fundamental human rights".

"Onsy`s case is a very delicate matter and should
be treated with some compassion and sensitivity.
The integrity of Nkrumah`s own memory and that of
his family is on the line and all concerned should
be mindful of that implication. I think the
President should call the BNI to order and direct
them to cease their unwarranted intrusion into the
work of other State Agencies", he emphasised.

The retired senior diplomat was however not happy
about how Onsy and the Nkrumah family including
Sekou Nkrumah had handled the issue since Onsy
made public his claim to be a son of Dr. Nkrumah.

He argued that all sides should have appreciated
the delicate and sensitive nature of the matter
and should have initially treated it with "utmost
privacy and strict confidentiality subject to
public disclosure only after a family consensus
had been reached as to the authenticity or
veracity of Onsy`s claim. It was unfortunate that
Onsy decided to use the media to project his claim
which then provoked yet another unfortunate
reaction from Sekou. The Nkrumah Family can do
without such negative publicity. The great man`s
memory is too precious to be dragged into the
mud".

Meanwhile, the BNI declined to react to our
enquiries when contacted on the matter. All
efforts to reach Onsy also proved futile.

Source - New Crusading Guide

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