Prime Minister Dr. K.A. Busia Name Nii Ollennu Preceded by A.A. Afrifa Died December 22, 1986, Ghana | Succeeded by Edward Akufo-Addo Spouse Nana Afua Frema Nationality Ghanaian | |
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Preceded by Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta
(First Republic) Succeeded by Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph
(Third Republic) Born 21 May 1906
Accra, Gold Coast ( 1906-05-21 ) | ||
Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (21 May 1906 – 22 December 1986) was a jurist and judge who became 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.
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Early life and family
Ollennu was born in Labadi, Accra in 1906 and belonged to the Ga people. He attended The Salem School at Osu and Accra Academy. Part of his earlier education was at the Presbyterian Training College at Akropong in the Eastern Region of Ghana. He went to England to study jurisprudence at the Middle Temple, and was called to the Bar in a record 18 months, earning recognition from the Queen's Council. 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) in 1940. He later became a judge and and a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana. He also published books on various legal topics and was an authority on traditional African land-tenure system. He was also actively involved with the General Council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches. Nii Amaa Ollennu was the cousin of Gottlieb Ababio Adom (1904 - 1979), a Ghanaian educator, editor, journalist and Presbyterian minister who served as the Editor of the Christian Messenger, the official newspaper of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana from 1966 to 1970. One of Ollennu's cousins, Nathan Quao (1915 - 2005) was a diplomat, educationist, public servant and a presidential advisor to many Heads of State of Ghana. Ollennu was also the uncle of the Ghanaian economist and diplomat, Amon Nikoi, the Governor of the Bank of Ghana from 1973 to 1977 and Finance minister from 1979 to 1981. Additionally, his nephews were the brothers, Nicholas T. Clerk (1930 - 2012), a former Rector of the GIMPA and George C. Clerk (born 1931), the Ghanaian botanist.
Politics
Nii Amaa Ollennu was one of the Accra representatives in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly during the early 1950s. He once led the Ghana Congress Party, which along with the United Gold Coast Convention and the National Democratic Party, was a party of the Danquah-Busia tradition. Ollennu was thus in opposition alongside Busia and Danquah to Nkrumah's Convention People's Party.
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. 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. Nii Amaa Ollennu was married to a sister of Prime Minister Busia, Nana Afua Frema, the Queenmother of Wenchi.
Later life and death
During the second republic of Ghana, Ollennu served as Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana. He died in December 1986.