President Akufo-Addo has stated that the late former President of the Republic, whom he describes as his contemporary, friend and as “the man from Ekumfi Otuom”, will not be forgotten by the government and people of Ghana, having died while serving in office as President of the country in 2012.
Addressing attendees of the 10th-anniversary memorial thanksgiving service of the late former President John Evans Atta-Mills, as well as the unveiling of the tombstone and commissioning of Asomdwee Park where his mortal remains are buried, President Akufo-Addo, said the late President deserves every necessary honour that the nation can bestow on him.
“We were contemporaries in the University of Ghana, members of the same hall, the premiere hall of the University, the hall of a gentleman, Legon hall. We played in the same University football team and as fate will have it, we ended up belonging to and leading different political organizations” President Akufo-Addo said.
We contested the Presidency in 2008 and even though some will say it does not count, I won the first round and he won the second round, the round that mattered. I was looking forward to the third round in 2012, when the Almighty called him home on 24 July 2012” Akufo-Addo added.
*Deterioration/Rehabilitation*
Concerning the Asomdwee park, President Akufo-Addo noted that “sometime after becoming, President, he “became aware of the sad state of the Asomdwee park and in 2020”, he “received a request from the late President’s energetic communications director, Koku Anyidoho, who runs the institute named after the President for the assistance of government for the rehabilitation of the facility”.
“I agreed and subsequently, I instructed the Coastal Development Authority to undertake a thorough rehabilitation of the park with the close collaboration of the institute. It was not right that the park had been allowed to deteriorate considerably over the years since his burial in 2012” the President said.
“I am happy that it was under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, allegedly, his fiercest critic, that the Asomdwee park has been elevated to a status befitting the final resting place of a President of the Republic of Ghana” he added.
*NDC divisions*
On divisions in the National Democratic Congress (NDC) concerning the construction of a befitting resting place for former President Atta-Mills, President Akufo-Addo says he “did so (the rehabilitation of the Asomdwee park) with the sole objective of honouring the memory of Atta-Mills and nothing else.
“I did so with that objective solely in mind and not to exploit or take advantage of any so-called division in the political party to which he belonged. Those alleged divisions are not of my making and do not in any way inure to my benefit” President Akufo-Addo said.
*Desecration allegation*
There have according to President Akufo-Addo, “been unfortunate allegations levelled against the government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the park”.
“Nothing could be further from the truth and it is good to note that these false, malicious statements have been firmly dispelled and debunked by the Coastal Development Authority through the agency of its Chief Executive Officer, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, in a public statement under his hand” Akufo-Addo pointed out.
*The homily*
In his homily (sermon), on the scriptural foundation of Revelation 7:9-17 KJV, the Presiding Bishop of the Methodist Church Ghana, The Most Rev Dr Paul Kwabena Boafo, charged Ghanaians to emulate the life, virtues and example of the late former President such as his incorruptibility, love of God and his pursuit of peace.
He poised that every Ghanaian, no matter where they find themselves in the social stratification, must endeavour to live a life keeping in mind, what will be said about them after their death.
*Gratitude*
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Atta-Mills Institute (AMI), Samuel Koku Anyidoho, in his solemn speech, recalled his relationship with the late former President, indicating that he made a personal pledge to him never to forget about the late former President in life and death and it is that pledge he made that motivates him, in his quest to establish a lasting legacy for the memory of John Evans Atta-Mills.
“The God I serve hates ingratitude, so God forbid that I show ingratitude. Your excellence Mr President of the Republic, I Samuel Koku Anyidoho, say thank you for making Ghana proud via the construction of Asomdwee park. The credit goes to you and nobody shall share nor take that glory from you” the CEO of Atta-Mills Institute, Koku Anyidoho said.
*CODA mission completed*
Chief Executive Officer of the Coastal Development Authority (CODA), Jerry Ahmed Shaib, noted that two years ago, President Akufo-Addo, tasked the CODA to execute on the people of Ghana, a befitting renovation of the Asomdwee, where the mortal remains of the late former President John Evans Atta-Mills, is laid.
He noted that work following the charge of the President started in July 2020. “I am pleased to report that work has been completed as we hand over the project today”.
“The completion of the project (Asomdwee park), 446, representing approximately 60% of the 741 projects being executed by the Coastal Development Authority since 2020, with the remaining 40% at various stages of completion,” Jerry Ahmed Shaib said.
*The man Atta-Mills*
John Evans Fif Atta Mills was born on Friday. July 21, 1944, at Tarkwa, Ghana. After his basic education in Prestea Huni Valley and Komenda, he entered Achimota Secondary School where he had all his secondary education from form one to upper six, John Evans Atta-Mills studied law at the University of Ghana (LL.B. 1967), the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) (LL.M., 1968), and the University of London s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) Completing his PhD. dissertation (1971) on taxation and economic development.
While studying for his PhD at SOAS, he was also a Fulbright Scholar at the prestigious Stanford University in the United States of America. On his return to Ghana, he taught law at the Law Faculty, University of Ghana, where he remained for some 25 years.
The records have it that, he was the one who introduced the study of the Law of Taxation at the Law Faculty and also taught Commercial Law at the School of Administration, University of Ghana.
He was also a lecturer at the Ghana School of Law Makola, and the Ghana Institute of Taxation as well as other institutions of higher learning. Professor Atta-Mills also served on several boards and committees, occasionally acted as a visiting professor in the United States, Netherlands, Canada, and other countries, and published extensively on law and taxation.
He eventually left full-time (which means he still had several teaching engagements) academia to establish a distinguished career in public service when he Was appointed in 1988 as Acting Commissioner of Ghana’s s Internal Revenue Service (IRS) before eventually becoming substantive Commissioner in 1993.
Still in the arena of public service, Professor Atta-Mills, the consummate sportsman and sports administrator that he was, at various times held positions such as: Acting Director of the National Sports Council, Vice Chairman of the Ghana Olympic Committee, Acting Chairman of the Board of Directors of Accra Hearts of Oak, Vice Chairman of the Ghana Hockey Association, and Chairman of Black Stars Management Committee.
In 1996, John Evans Atta-Mills was chosen by President Jerry John Rawlings, as a running mate on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), and the resultant victory allowed Professor Atta-Mills to take office on Tuesday, January 07, 1997, as the second Vice President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana.
In the build-up to the 2000 general elections, Vice President Atta-Mills emerged the Flagbearer for NDC but the scale flipped in favour of the New Patriotic Party’s John Agyekum Kufuor who became the second President of the Fourth Republic on, Sunday, January 07, 2001.
After another try in 2004, he contested again in 2008 and when victory smiled at him, on Wednesday, January 07, 2009, John Evans Atta-Mills was officially sworn in as the third President of the fourth Republic of Ghana. He was also the first ever former Vice President, to have transited to the highest office, President of the Republic of Ghana.
On, Saturday, July 07 2011 the NDC re-elected President Atta-Mils to be the party’s candidate for the 2012 presidential elections: however, as had been programmed into his destiny, he passed on to glory on, Tuesday, July 24, 2012, a little less than five months before the elections were to be held.
Professor John Evans Atta-Mills loved God and manifested it in several ways most evidently, as President of the Republic of Ghana, he instituted a National Day for Prayer and Thanksgiving – which took place at Independence Square in, 2009, 2010, and 2011, and 2012.
For the records, at the time he was President, he was the only Fulbright Scholar worldwide to have been elected President of any Country, and the Fulbright Association duly decorated him at a ceremony in New York. President John Evans Atta-Mills was married to Mrs Ernestina Naadu Mills and left behind a son, Kofi Atta-Mills.
Wilberforce Asare