Today’s in History On August 31,1973,Kojo Botsio and other CPP members arrested for attempting to overthrow NRC

After resignation of Nkrumah as the General Secretary of the United Gold Coast Convention due to differences in ideologies to attain independence, Dr.Kwame Nkrumah founded the Convention People’s Party (CPP)  on June 12,1949 at Saltpond. Kojo Botsio rouse to spotlight as a co-founder and leader within the party.

Dr. Botsio was arrested with other prominent  and vital leaders on January 17, 1950 after calling for “Positive Action” and immediate self-government. While imprisoned, Botsio was still very politically involved, even serving as a sub-committee chairman.

After his release, he won a seat as the representative for the Gomoa Constituency and became the Gold Coast’s first Minister of Education and Social Welfare in 1951 under Nkrumah’s administration. Kojo Botsio later became Ghana’s Foreign Minister in 1963 during the Nkrumah regime as the president of the first Republic.

Botsio lost his position in the government following Nkrumah’s overthrown by the National Liberation Council (NLC) in 1966 when Kwame Nkrumah was on peace mission to Hanoi, Vietnam.

Botsio went into exile for six years.

In 1972, after three years in power, Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia and his Progress Party (PP) government was overthrown by a military  coup while he was receiving treatment for an illness in the United Kingdom. There was great unrest in the country following an unpopular decision by Busia to devalue the cedi by 44% in 1971. This was done in an effort to keep imports within the country’s without spending  capacity. Colonel I. K. Acheampong formed the National Redemption Council (NRC)  took control of the country, forcing Busia into exile. The National Redemption Council rejected the Supreme Court in 1972. The following year, on August 31, 1973, Dr. Botsio was charged with plotting to overthrow the government and sentenced to death. This sentence was commuted to life and he was later released in 1977. After his release, Dr. Botsio remained active in Ghanaian politics as a leading member of the People’s National Party (PNP), which won the 1979 election.

6th February, 2001- Kojo Botsio died at 84 years in Accra.