6. William Ofori Atta
Intriguing Facts:
- Paa Willie, as he was affectionately known, once taught Civics, Economics, History and Twi at the Achimota College.
- He was the nephew of fellow Big Six member, ‘the doyen of Gold Coast politics’, J.B Danquah.
- Ofori Atta had royal blood, being the son of Nana Sir Ofori Atta I, Omanhene of Akyem Abuakwa between 1912 and 1943
All the members of the big six are feted tremendously posthumously, yet despite the accolades constantly showered on these icons of Independence, Ofori Atta in a way manages to stand out. He’s a man many, even his staunchest opponents, struggle to find a bad word to speak about.
William Ofori Atta studied in the United Kingdom after his secondary education, and was prominent in setting up the UGCC as the independence struggle heated up. He served on the Coussey Commission alongside the other members of the Big Six bar Nkrumah, and continued his role in the party after Nkrumah left as they contended their former member in elections.
Paa Willie survived second longest among the group, and built a distinguished political career post Independence. He served as Minister of Education and Foreign Affairs during the Second Republic, and contested the 1979 elections on the ticket of the United National Convention, finishing third.
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