Nii Amaa Ollennu Explained

Nii Amaa Ollennu
Honorific-Prefix:The Right Honourable
Honorific-Suffix:
Order:President of Ghana
Termlabel:Acting
Term Start:7 August 1970
Term End:31 August 1970
Primeminister:Dr. K.A. Busia
Predecessor:A.A. Afrifa
Successor:Edward Akufo-Addo
Order2:Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana
Second Republic
Term Start2:1 October 1969
Term End2:12 January 1972
Predecessor2:Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta
(First Republic)
Successor2:Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph
Third Republic
Order3:Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana
Term Start3:1 September 1962
Term End3:1966
Birth Date:21 May 1906
Birth Place:Accra, Gold Coast[1]
Nationality: Ghanaian
Spouse:Emily Jiagge
Charlotte Amy Sawyerr
Nana Afua Frema
(Queen-mother of Wenchi)
Children:Amerley Ollennu (daughter)
Appointer3:Kwame Nkrumah
President3:Kwame Nkrumah

Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (21 May 1906 – 22 December 1986)[2] was a jurist and judge who became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1962 to 1966, the acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970 and the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from 1969 to 1972.

Early life and education

Ollennu was born in Labadi, Accra in 1906 and belonged to the Ga people.[3] His parents were Wilfred Kuma Ollennu and Salomey Anerkai Mandin Abbey.[4] Ollennu attended the middle boarding school, the Salem School at Osu .[5] He had his secondary education at Accra High School.[6] Part of his earlier education was at the Presbyterian Training College at Akropong in the Eastern Region of Ghana, where he studied pedagogy and theology.[7] He went to England to study jurisprudence at the Middle Temple, London and was called to the Bar in 1940 after having taken 18 months to complete a three-year course passing with distinction - earning recognition from the Queen's Council.[8]

Legal career

The first person in his family to qualify as a lawyer, he was registered as Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) register in 1940.[9] He later became a puisne judge in 1955, rising through the ranks of the Ghanaian judiciary to become a High Court judge and on 1 September 1962, elevated to a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana.[10] He also published books on various legal topics and was an authority on traditional African land-tenure system. He was also an Honorary Professor of Law at the University of Ghana.[11] He was also actively involved with the General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.[12] He served as the President of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences from 1969 to 1972.[13]

Politics

Nii Amaa Ollennu was one of the Accra representatives in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly during the early 1950s.[7] In 1950, he founded the National Democratic Party, becoming its leader. At the 1951 Gold Coast legislative election, the party failed to win any seats, and the following year, he led it into the Ghana Congress Party.[14] [15] [16] Ollennu was thus in opposition alongside Busia and Danquah to Nkrumah's Convention People's Party.

Interim President of Ghana

During the second republic, Ollennu was the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana from October 1969 to January 1972. He also became the acting president of Ghana on 7 August 1970. He was officially the chairman of the Presidential Commission. He took over from the previous military leader, Lt. Gen. Afrifa and handed over on 31 August 1970 to Edward Akufo-Addo who was elected on 31 August 1970 by an electoral college.[17] He polled 123 votes to 35 by Edward Asafu Adjaye. This was a ceremonial presidency as executive power was held by the prime minister, Kofi Abrefa Busia. During the Second Republic of Ghana, Ollennu served as Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana.

Personal life

Nii Amaa Ollennu married four times.[18] His first wife was Emily Jiagge of Keta in the Volta Region whose grandfather was Togbui Tamakloe, Chief of Uti. He had two children with her: Amerley Ollennu and Boni-Ashitey Ollennu, a barrister in London. He then married Charlotte Amy Sawyerr (née Mettle), the daughter of the Rev. John Josiah Mettle and Mrs. Marian Anohuma Mettle (née Harvey). They had two children together: Noni-Ashitey (Fio) and Ashitei. Mettle had five other children from another marriage. She died in 2016, aged 103 years. One of his wives was Nana Afua Frema Busia, the Queenmother of Wenchi and a sister to Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia, Prime Minister of Ghana. A daughter of Justice Nii Amaa Ollennu and Nana Afua Frema Busia, Amerley Ollennu Awua-Asamoa, served as Ghana's Ambassador to Denmark from 2017 to 2021.[19] Ollennu was a member of the District Grand Lodge of Ghana and a founding member of the Legon Lodge.[20]

Family

Nii Amaa Ollennu was the cousin of the Quao siblings, including Nathan Quao (1915 – 2005), a diplomat, educationist and public servant who became a presidential advisor to many Heads of State of Ghana.[21] [22] The progeny of the Quaos included Amon Nikoi (1930 – 2002), an economist and diplomat, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 1973 to 1977 and Finance minister from 1979 to 1981 in addition to the brothers, Nicholas T. Clerk (1930 – 2012), a former Rector of the GIMPA and George C. Clerk (1931–2019), the botanist.[23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] Ashitey Trebi-Ollennu, a NASA robotics engineer, is Ollennu's nephew.[29]

Death

Nii Amaa Ollennu died in December 1986.

See also

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. https://books.google.com/books?id=cgkzAQAAIAAJ&q=Nii+Amaa+Ollennu+1906 Review of Ghana Law, Volume 12
  2. Web site: Rulers - Ghana . 2007-03-24 . List of heads of state and heads of Government . Rulers.org . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20070403074857/http://www.rulers.org/rulg1.html . 2007-04-03 .
  3. Book: Lentz . Harris M. . 4 February 2014 . Heads of States and Governments Since 1945 . Routledge . 317 . 978-1-134-26490-2 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170914134351/https://books.google.com/books?id=D6HKAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA317&dq=Edward+Akufo-Addo+born&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y . 14 September 2017 .
  4. Web site: Nii Ollennu - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180205001046/https://www.myheritage.com/names/nii_ollennu . 2018-02-05 . 2018-02-04 . MyHeritage..
  5. Web site: Osu Salem . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329141604/http://osusalem.org/pages/aboutus.php?parentpage=aboutus&page=history . 2017-03-29 . 2017-06-24 . osusalem..
  6. Book: The International Who's Who 1983-84 . Europa publications . 1026 . 1983. 9780905118864.
  7. Web site: When Dancers play Historians and Thinkers - Part 10. Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr. 31 August 2006. Feature Article. Modern Ghana Homepage. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190846/http://www.warc.ch/where/ugc/02.html. 27 September 2007. live. 2007-03-25.
  8. Web site: Destined to be a Lawyer - College of Law - University of Idaho . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170629073009/http://www.uidaho.edu/law/news/features/2015/nii-amaa-ollennu . 2017-06-29 . 2017-09-14 . uidaho education . en.
  9. Web site: Lawyers Enrolled in the Roll Books (1876 - 1997) . https://web.archive.org/web/20050414064831/http://www.judicial.gov.gh/history/list_lawyers/home.htm . 2005-04-14 . 2007-03-24 . Judicial Service of Ghana.
  10. Web site: Archives . The National . The Discovery Service . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20180909175622/http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C10136878 . 2018-09-09 . 2018-09-09 . Discovery Nationalarchives United Kingdom . en-GB.
  11. Turpin . C. C. . November 1963 . Principles of Customary Land Law in Ghana. By the Hon. Mr. Justice N. A. Ollennu, Judge of the High Court of Ghana, Honorary Professor of Law in the University of Ghana. Number 2 in the Law in Africa Series. [London: Sweet & Maxwell, Ltd.1962. xxvi, 164 and (appendix and index) 108 pp. £ 10s. net.] ]. The Cambridge Law Journal . en . 21 . 2 . 321–323 . 10.1017/S0008197300087493 . 1469-2139.
  12. Web site: Proceedings. The official record of the 20th general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches and the 11th assembly of the International Congregational Council held in Nairobi, Kenya, during the period 20–30 August 1970. The World Alliance of Reformed Churches. https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190846/http://www.warc.ch/where/ugc/02.html. 2007-09-27. dead. 2007-03-25. Dr Pradervand announced that greetings had been received, through the high commissioner of Ghana, from the Hon Justice Nii Amaa Ollennu, who was unable to attend the council because of his responsibilities in the Ghanaian government..
  13. Web site: Past Presidents. en-US. 2019-01-26. https://web.archive.org/web/20180903150744/http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/past-presidents/. 2018-09-03. live.
  14. News: Elections in the Gold Coast . Manchester Guardian . 30 January 1951.
  15. News: The Gold Coast on trial: parties and personalities of the new order . The Times . 4 June 1951.
  16. News: Policy of new Gold Coast party . The Times . 6 May 1952.
  17. Web site: Meet The Only Ghanaian President Who Was in Power for 24 Days . GhanaWeb . 17 April 2022 . en . 1 January 1970.
  18. Web site: Nii Amaa Ollennu, Biography . 2022-08-04 . GhanaWeb..
  19. Web site: Personality Talk. Official Website. The Hawa Foundation and Organization. https://web.archive.org/web/20070502190250/http://www.hawafoundation.org/personality%20talk.htm. 2007-05-02. dead. 2007-03-25. Mrs. Amerley Awua Asamoa"...."My father was the late Justice Nii Amaa Ollennu (a renowned Jurist and Speaker of Parliament, 2nd Republic of Ghana). My mother is Nana Afua Frema, former Queen-mother of Wenchi and direct sister of the late Dr. Kofi Abrefa Busia (Prime Minister of the 2nd Republic)..
  20. Web site: Legon Lodge marks 50th anniversary with walk & health screening - MyJoyOnline.com . 2021-10-24 . Myjoyonline. . 18 September 2019 . en-US.
  21. News: Nathan Quao to be given state burial on April 8 . en-GB . ModernGhana. . live . 2017-06-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170611201449/https://www.modernghana.com/news/74014/nathan-quao-to-be-given-state-burial-on-april-8.html . 2017-06-11.
  22. Web site: Carl Clerk - Historical records and family trees - MyHeritage . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170406111341/https://www.myheritage.com/names/carl_clerk . 2017-04-06 . 2018-11-15 . MyHeritage..
  23. Web site: 30 November 2001 . Former Bank of Ghana Governor buried at La . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170421092109/http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/Former-Bank-of-Ghana-Governor-buried-at-La-28089 . 21 April 2017 . 2017-04-22 . GhanaWeb. . en.
  24. Web site: Dr Amon Nikoi, Former Governor of the Bank of Ghana . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20161027192942/http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/people/person.php?ID=171 . 27 October 2016 . 2017-04-22 . GhanaWeb. . en.
  25. Web site: Contact Us Department of Botany . bot: unknown . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329232450/http://www.ug.edu.gh/botany/visitors/contact_us . 29 March 2017 . 2017-04-05 . ug.edu.gh.
  26. Web site: Membership . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170329143021/http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/membership/ . 29 March 2017 . 2017-04-05 . gaas-gh. . en-US.
  27. Web site: Fellowship . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170330011437/http://gaas-gh.org/fellowship/ . 30 March 2017 . 2017-04-05 . gaas-gh. . en-US.
  28. Book: Obituary: The Rev. Dr. Nicholas Timothy Clerk. 27 October 2012. Christian Messenger - Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Funeral Bulletin. Accra.
  29. News: Five robots that are changing everything - BBC News. BBC News. 2018-08-08. 2018-11-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20180808121953/https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/technology-40306617/five-robots-that-are-changing-everything. 2018-08-08.