Raphael Grey Armattoe invented the Abochi drug which saved millions of Nigerians from ringworms
Aside from Ghana’s first President, Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah, and other great leaders who helped Ghana gain independence on March 6, 1957, there were many unsung heroes who laid down their lives fighting for the liberation of their people.
One of the heroes was Raphael Grey Armattoe, a brilliant scientist and political activist, who is perhaps not celebrated enough for his great achievements, which put Ghana on the highest pedestal.
He was such a brilliant scientist that he gained a lot of admiration from even the West, with the media describing him as the African version of some great men.
The New York Post, for instance, once described him as “the ‘Irishman’ from West Africa”, while BBC producer Henry Swanzy referred to him as the “African Paracelsus.”
Armattoe, when he was just 35 years old, was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1948, becoming the first African to achieve the feat.
He came second for the Nobel Prize in Science and Physiology.
He invented a medication that saved millions of Nigerians from ringworm and blood diseases.
The medication he invented, the Abochi drug, cured guinea-worms, toothaches, bronchitis, boils, and allied diseases. The patent for the drug was later bought by a prominent Nigerian drug company at the time.
Aside from his exploits in science, Armattoe, as a political activist, fought for the unification of British and French Togoland (modern-day Eweland).
The political activist, an Ewe man himself, born to Glikpo Armattoe, a merchant of Palime, Togo, did not understand when his people were divided into three countries: Ghana, Togo, and Benin.
In 1953, Raphael Grey Armattoe addressed the United Nations regarding Togoland and the ‘Eweland Question’, where he delivered a passionate speech for the unification of his people.
According to historian Yaw Anokye Frimpong, Armattoe was poisoned shortly after delivering a speech at the United Nations on Ewe unification. He was taken to Germany for treatment, but did not survive.
Armattoe’s gravestone in Hamburg, where he was buried, is inscribed with the words “Africa’s Greatest Nationalist.”
He has also been honoured in Ireland, where he also lived and practised. He was honoured with a blue plaque by the Ulster History Circle at 7 Northland Road, Derry.
BAI/MA
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