Institutions of higher learning must consider leadership lectures in memory of Rawlings – Dr Agumenu

Dr Donald Agumenu, a leadership and governance expert and former Special Assistant to late President Jerry John Rawlings, has urged institutions of higher learning to consider leadership lectures in memory of former President Rawlings.

This is because, "‘Rawlingsm’ is an evolving theory – a concept of good leadership, anti-corruption, inclusion, and justice".

Dr Agumenu said this in a news brief in commemoration of the third anniversary of the passing of Rawlings.

He said Rawlings’ leadership style revolved around inclusion and diversity management, which culminated in fostering inter-religious cohesion for national development and must be taught to the younger generation.

“The creation of the Office of the National Chief Imam and Muslim Holidays are part of statecrafts he used to create a stable political and security architecture we enjoy today.”

Dr Agumenu said that act remained a citadel of peace, national cohesion, wisdom, and spirituality in the country and beyond.

He said through his leadership, Ghana experienced and had a taste of diverse religious and ethnic representation and described him as a true advocate for the underdogs.

The Special Assistant said the late President fostered ideas that spoke to Ghana’s struggles and the urgent need to emancipate the Ghanaians from the shackles of poverty and ignorance.

He said Rawlings’ humility and congeniality were some of the effusive qualities that endeared him to the populace.

“JJ Rawlings was indeed the man of the people; a pure-bread leader who was ahead of his time; a bitter reality his detractors only admit behind closed doors,” Dr Agumenu said.

He urged the leadership of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the political party Rawlings founded, to take deliberate steps to champion the ideals and values he stood for through leadership lectures and conferences.

Former President Rawlings died on November 12, 2020, at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital after a short illness.

He came to power as a flight lieutenant of the Ghana Air Force after a coup d’état in 1979.

Earlier, he led an unsuccessful coup attempt against the ruling military government on 15 May 1979.

After handing power over to a civilian government, he came back on 31 December 1981 as the Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC).

In 1992, Rawlings resigned from the military, founded the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and became the first president of the Fourth Republic.

He was re-elected in 1996 for four more years.

After two terms in office, he handed over power to former President John Agyekum Kufuor.