Nii Amaa Ollennu

Nii Amaa Ollennu
Interim President of Ghana (Chairman of Presidential Commission) Second Republic
In office 7 August 1970 – 31 August 1970
Prime Minister	Dr. K.A. Busia
Preceded by	A.A. Afrifa
Succeeded by	Edward Akufo-Addo
Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana (Second Republic)
In office 1 October 1969 – 12 January 1972
Preceded by	Kofi Asante Ofori-Atta (First Republic)
Succeeded by	Jacob Hackenburg Griffiths-Randolph (Third Republic)
Personal details
Born	21 May 1906 Accra, Gold Coast[1]
Died	22 December 1986 (aged 80)[1]
Nationality	Ghanaian
Spouse(s)	Nana Afua Frema (Queen-mother of Wenchi)
Relations	Kofi Abrefa Busia (Brother-in-law)
Profession	Lawyer / Judge
Religion	Presbyterian

Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (21 May 1906 – 22 December 1986)^[2] was the Chairman of the Presidential Commission and acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970.

Early life

He attended Accra Academy.Part of his earllier education was at the Presbyterian Training College at Akropong in the Eastern Region of Ghana.^[3] He qualified as a lawyer and was registered as Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu in the Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1940.^[4] He later became a judge. He has also published books on various legal topics and is an authority on traditional African land-tenure system. He was also actively involved with the general council of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches.^[5]

Politics

Nii Amaa Ollennu was one of the Accra representatives in the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly during the early 1950s.^[3] 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, Dr. Busia. Nii Amaa Ollennu was married to a sister of Dr. Busia the prime minister.^[6]

Later life

During the second republic of Ghana, Ollennu served as Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana. He died in 1986.

Bibliography

• Ollennu, Nii Amaa (1962). Principles of Customary Land Law in Ghana. Law in Africa Volume 2. London: Sweet and Maxwell. OCLC 877770.
• Humphrey, J.; Fiseer, N. A.; Ollennu, Nii Amaa (1966). The Law of Testate and Intestate Succession in Ghana. Law in Africa Volume 16. London: Sweet and Maxwell. B0000CN89R.
• Ollennu, Nii Amaa; Gordon R. Woodman (1985). Ollennu's Principles of Customary Land Law in Ghana (2nd ed.). Birmingham: CAL Press. ISBN 978-0-9510530-0-3.

See also

• List of Ghana Heads of state by age

Notes

1. Review of Ghana Law, Volume 12, General Legal Council, 1980.
2. "Rulers - Ghana". List of heads of state and heads of Government. Rulers.org. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
3. Dr. Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr (31 August 2006). "When Dancers play Historians and Thinkers - Part 10". Feature Article. Modern Ghana Homepage. Retrieved 2007-03-25.
4. "Lawyers Enrolled in the Roll Books (1876 - 1997)". Official Website. Judicial Service of Ghana. Archived from the original on 2007-01-14. Retrieved 2007-03-24.
5. "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. Retrieved 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.
6. "Personality Talk". Official Website. The Hawa Foundation and Organization. Retrieved 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).