Eddie Mbadiwe
For four days last week, a grateful nation of Ghana closed shop to honour with dignity her favourite son Jerry John Rawlings. He had fallen to Covid -related death two months after burying his mother. This is not a tribute but a recap on a life dedicated to service. JJ or Junior Jesus as some Ghanaians called him was a true servant leader.
His life is high-lighted so that other African leaders can juxtapose their governance style against that of JJ.
Many people forget that JJ Rawlings carried out an abortive coup for which he was arrested, tried and sentenced to death. The important point is that during the trial, he asked the military tribunal to free the other NCOS charged with him since in his own words he was the brain behind the entire exercise. He was condemned to death by firing squad. Before the sentence could be carried out, non-commissioned officers broke the prison gates and catapulted him to Commander in Chief of Ghana Armed Forces. He refused to promote