At long last, the birth day of Kwame Nkrumah, the African man of the Millennium has become a statutory holiday. We have, therefore, added another day of rest of our already tall list of holidays (14 at the last count).

The never-dying Nkrumah needed to the celebrated and immortalized for his deeds for Ghana and the Black Race.No wonder the African Union has accepted the day for what it is.

Nkrumah, human as he was, was fallible. He, therefore, stepped on some toes.

As the elders say;… “it is for the extolling of virtues of the dead, that makes the corpse to lie face up…” Yes Nkrumah’s virtues must be extolled because he lay face up. But as we trumpet the virtues of Kwame Nkrumah, one question is what has been done to protect the legacy of Kwame in order to carry on his vision?

Ghana can boast of the Akosombo Dam, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission, Tema Town, and Tema Motorway because of Nkrumah. Many of the industries he set up – the Asutuare and Komenda sugar factories, Abosso Glass Factory, Kade Match Factory and others were either sold or they collapsed because of mismanagement.

Thank God, one of his adored projects, which made him look extremely ambitious to the West during the cold war era, the Kwame Nkrumah Nuclear Research Institute (KNNRI) of the Atomic Energy Commission, it still in existence.

And both old and young scientists are doing their best out of limited resources. Many of their research findings and activities are for the peaceful use of mankind. It is for the peaceful use of the KNRRI that I call on the Government and the nation not to only declare Kwame’s birthday as a holiday, but also utilize the KNNRI to the benefit of the nation.

The food situation in the country can greatly improve if we put to use the food preservation technology at GEC. It is for this reason that I cannot agree more with the Deputy Minister of Environment when he referred to what GEC could do in the area of post-harvest losses while he was on the Good-morning Ghana Show on Metro TV.

The Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) Unit can also be of use as far as our bridges are concerned, as they have the expertise to detect non-visible cracks in the beams and other metals. A service NDT is already rendering to some companies.

In an earlier letter, I humbly asked the Highways Authority to contact the NDT when the Adomi Bridge was in the news. The Tsetsefly eradication project which was aimed at making our cattle growing areas free encouraged to boost cattle production.

I am aware of the tissue culture project which sues scientific methods in seed and plantlet multiplication. This method if patronized, would go a long way to help our farmers in this agricultural revolution which aims at attaining food sufficiency for home consumption and export.

The Radiation Protection Institute of GAEC has the expertise to determine the acceptable levels of rays from masts etc. so that the unhealthy levels could swiftly be acted on by the Government to protect its citizens.

With the springing up of communication masts all over the country, there is no better time than now to put this all important institution into use, though it is already rendering other services to the nation. Only a visit to the GAEC can make one see and realize what a monumental legacy Osagyefo has left for the people of Ghana.

Volta Region.