The Member of Parliament for the North Tongu constituency , Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa has described the late Professor Atta Mills as a rare African leader cast in the image of Dr. Osagyefo Kwame Nkrumah.
[contextly_sidebar id=”JSvRlcQ8EQjF79LXyHtIL9rwldKOK1bo”]Speaking at a memorial ceremony to mark the 71st birthday of the late Professor Atta Mills, the MP charged Ghanaians to emulate him until the nation achieve its set targets.
“As we eulogize the good old Professor, may we all take pride in the fact that our democracy produced this noble leader in our time and may we all be inspired to emulate his steps until the day that this nation under God achieves the golden dream,” he said.
He noted that “as many home and abroad continue to testify about Professor Mills’ amazing character and rare leadership qualities, one thing evident to both friends and folks is that the legacy of President Mills remains ever relevant and crucial to our forward march as a country and a continent.”
Anti corruption
Mr. Ablakwa noted that though “few Presidents have been noted to leave office or die in their tenure without regulations of dubious secret bank accounts discovered abroad or properties dotted all over the world, Prof Mills defied the dominant narrative of Africa and proved that public office could be used to improve the lot of the common man and not to amass personal wealth.”
He further recalled that the former President “vehemently disagreed with the notion that the youth ought not to be heard or seen in decision making and policy formulation.”
Legacy
The Minister also highlighted some points to depict the legacy of Prof Mills. These points are as follows:
- President Mills truly earned his accolade
- He wholeheartedly pursued peaceful and non-violent politicking
- He did not relent in his purisut eventhough some sought to ridicule him.
- He proved to be not only a good sports man in the disciplines of hockey and football but also in the political sport.
- As leader of the opposition, he taught his followers to be gracious in defeat and put the nation’s unity and stability ahead of narrow political and personal interests and to live to fight another day.
- On losing the 2000 and 2004 elections, he never held this country to ransom. Always emphasizing that his political amibition was not more important than the peace, unity and stability of the nation
- He taught his followers to abhor vindictiveness
President Atta Mills was President of Ghana from 2009 and 2012 when he died in office.
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By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @EfeAnsah