As a regular reader of your paper, I would like to comment on some points you raised in your issue of October 29th, 1984. In the article on Ghana’s Universities, the writer said among other things, that “about forty per cent of the current PNDC appointees and many Secretaries of state were at one time or another officials of the National Union of Ghana Students or SRCS of the three universities. What is painful is that these groups of people are now presiding over the possible decimation of free higher education.” As someone who was interested in student politics during the 1977-1980 period, I would like to clarify a few issues.

I am no socialist and I was opposed to the domination of the NUGS by the socialist students. But I would like to say that within the NUGS we had two groups, the socialists and those of us who called ourselves capitalists. But within the socialists camp, we had the purists (the scientific socialists) and those who had opportunistic tendencies or were simply calling themselves socialists because it was fashionable to do so. Some of this group vacillated between socialism and the good things of life. It is important to note that the socialist opportunist always had problems with the purists, if I may call them so.

NUGS leaders like H. P. Akrofi, Annor Kumi, (whom I hear are now working under Kojo Tsikata’s security network, the bureau of national investigations): Kofi Totobi Quakyi (Under-Secretary for the Ministry of Surrey Information); Steve Akuffo, Ato Dadzie and others like that belong to the ‘socialist opportunist’ group. They preached both socialism and capitalism, so it is difficult to know what they really are. I am tempted to suggest that they are capitalist-minded. So your correspondent should not be surprised that they are helping to groom our newly converted revolutionary-capitalists.

But what surprises me is the role of people like Ndebugre and Gertude Zakariah. They enjoyed more than free higher education as northerners. And they were known to be strong socialists. So one expected that they would join their colleagues like Chris Atim, Zaya Yeebo, Kwesi Adu and Nicholas Atampugre who we hear are now in exile in capitalist countries. As for Legon-based socialists like the two Tsikatas, the Ahwois and others like Kwame Mfodwo, Akoto Ampaw, Ato Austin, Adu Amankwaa and other ‘comfortable socialists’, no one should be surprised. Rawlings has given them the opportunity to prove how they can conduct themselves as socialists. I hear they are all over the world preaching world revolution after their own revolution has failed to impress the people. But I must say that even though I do not agree with the scientific socialists now based in Britain, I admire them for having the courage to say ‘no’ to something they think is against their idealist dreams.

Also allow me to call on all opposition leaders to come together and fight for the restoration of democracy in Ghana. Too many splinter groups will not help us to oust those who relish in bloodshed and tribal politics.

Kwabena Yeboa Sokoto, Nigeria