A wreath laying ceremony has been held at the Asomdwee Park in honour of Ghana’s third President of the Fourth Republic, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, on the eight anniversary of his passing.
At the solemn ceremony, wreaths were laid on behalf of the President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo- Addo, and Ghanaians; the National Democratic Congress (NDC); and the Parliamentary Caucus of the NDC.
There were also wreaths from Former Presidents Jerry John Rawlings and John Dramani Mahama; the family of the Prof. Mills, his son, kinsmen, and the Atta Mills Institute.
The ceremony was also marked by prayers, eulogies, musical repertoire, and placards calling for peace and unity in honour of the man, who became synonymous with peace to Ghanaians.
Professor Mills, who assumed office on January 7, 2009, died on July 24, 2012 at the 37 Military Hospital.
He was then given a state burial and laid to rest at the Asomdwee Park near, the Osu Castle in Accra, on August 10, 2012.
Mr Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC, who was the Vice President, eulogised his former boss, saying, “I stand today before the tomb that holds the mortal remains of the Asomdwee Hene, the King of Peace and I pledge that I will continue his fight for the peace and unity of this country.
“You can be the richest person, or you can live in the richest nation, you can be the most powerful person on earth, or you can live in the most powerful nation on earth, however, if you don’t have peace, you have nothing,” he said.
He remembered the ‘hot and slathering’ August afternoon on which the Professor was buried and said the day was remarkable as Maulvi Dr Abdul Wahab Adam, the former Ameer and Missionary in-charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission in Ghana, collapsed at the burial grounds and was rushed to the hospital.
“It is remarkable that this happened when we were laying to rest a man of peace, a man who saw everybody as one. Throughout his life, he did not see people as different.
“He saw all Ghanaians as one people. In opposition, he fought for peace, in power, he governed with peace. We called him Asomdwee Hene, which means the King of Peace. He left us a nation at peace with itself and united”.
Mr Jerry Ahmed Shaib, Chief Executive of the Coastal Development Authority, who graced the celebration as a member of the delegation assigned by President Akufo-Addo, said the Asomdwee Park would not just serve as a monument but also as a tourism site.
“People walk to the Kwame Nkrumah Mausoleum and pay to pay their tributes, so why can’t we do something like that for Professor Mills, who was a peace loving President?”
Mr Koku Anyidoho, who was the Spokesperson of Prof. Mills, and is the current Chief Executive Officer of the Atta Mills Institute, said Prof. Mills had a vision, direction and dreams for Ghana, but he unfortunately had to succumb to the call of his maker.
He explained that the Atta Mills Institute was established to be used for civic education and public policy advocacy.
Mr Anyidoho said elections had become a ‘monster’ that was eating up the nation, and thereby making her people neglect the civic education aspect of national development, which was vital for advancement.
He said the National Commission for Civic Education had been hidden in terms of their structural and functional grounding, even when it performed a critical role in promoting civic education.
The ceremony was also graced by the former Speaker of Parliament Mr Edward Doe Adjaho, Mr Samuel Ofosu Ampofo, National Chairman of the NDC, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minority Leader in Parliament, representatives of other political parties and that of faith-based organisations.
<<Print>>