PERSONALITY PROFILE OF DR. HILLA LIMANM

Dr. Hilla Limann was born on the 12th of December 1934 in Gwolu, Sisaala West District, Upper West Region. 

He married Mrs. Fulera Limann and had seven fruits of the womb with her,  Lariba Montia (née Limann), Baba Limann, Sibi Andan (née Limann), Lida Limann, Daani Limann, Zilla Limann and Salma Limann.

From the rural area, Dr. Hilla Limann faced most challenges but later accomplished his aim of educating himself. He will be honoured with a the renaming of the Wa Polytechnic, Hilla Limann Polytechnic, by the New Patriotic Party's (NPP) government this year, 2018.

EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND

* He had his elementary education at Lawra Confederacy Native Authority Primary Boarding School from 1941 to 1945 and Tamale Middle Boarding school from 1946 to 1949.

* He attended the goverment teacher training college after serving as a pupil teacher in Tumu.

* Dr. Limann furthered his education in political science at the London School of Economics between 1957 and 1960. 

* He continued to the Sorbonne University, France. 

*From 1962 to 1965, he studied with the University of Paris.

EDUCATIONAL HONOURS

* Ph. D in Political Science and Constitutional Law at the University of Paris.

*Diploma in French, Sorbonne University.

* BA in History, University of London.

* Doctorate degree in political science and constitutional rulerule.

*Teacher Certificate Grade B

SERVICE TO THE WORLD

Dr. Limann worked as the Head, Europe Desk, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ghana between 1965 and 1968. During 1967, he was a member of the Constitution Commission which drafted the 1969 Constitution of Ghana.

In 1968, he became the Head of Chancery/Official Secretary at the Ghana embassy in Lomé, Togo. He was appointed Counsellor at Ghana’s Permanent Mission in Geneva, Switzerland in 1971. He assumed the position of Head, Europe, the Americans Southeast Asia Desk back in Ghana at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in June 1975.

POLITICAL ACHIEVEMENTS

Following the 1979 coup led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, Dr. Limann, was elected President on the People’s National Party ticket.

He polled 631,559 votes (35.32 percent) in the June 18 elections to beat nine other candidates. He went into a run-off with Mr.. Victor Owusu, the Popular Front Party (PFP) candidate who had 533,928 (29.86 percent) of the votes.

During the second round in July 1979, Dr. Limann convincingly beat Mr.. Owusu to be elected president of the third republic. He was sworn into office on September 24, 1979, and took over from Flight Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings and the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council.

He was an economic moderate, and supported democratic values and Pan-Africanism. He was deposed in a coup by Rawlings on 31 December 1981. He thus was the only president of the third republic of Ghana.

In 1992, at the end of the PNDC military rule that overthrew him, Dr. Limann once again found himself involved in politics and stood as the candidate of the People’s National Convention in the presidential election that year. He received 6.7% of the popular vote in the elections, coming third. He remained active among the Nkrumahist political movement in Ghana.

He began his presidency promising to fight corruption but was mired in internal political divisions and rumors of coup attempts. He was overthrown on New Year’s Eve 1981.

After a ban on political parties was lifted in 1992, Mr. Limann formed the People’s National Convention Party. He ran for President that year, finishing a distant third in elections won by Lieutenant Rawlings. Mr. Limann stepped down as head of the party four years later.

Dr. Limann surprised many people when he stepped down for Dr. Edward Mahama as the presidential candidate of the party during the 1996 polls. He was in and out of hospital for heart ailment of over the past couple of years.

DR. LIMANNS DEATH

He later died in Accra on 23rd of January 1998.
By: Turkson-Ampah Emmanuel Jnr/eknajNetworks.blogspot.com & eknajnetworks. wordpress.com