Professor Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the Presidential Running Mate of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2020 general election, has tasked the citizenry not to trade off the country’s enviable peace, unity and stability regardless of the petty internal misunderstandings.
“Rather, it should put in place pragmatic measures to maintain the ‘haven of peace’ the late President Professor John Evans Atta Mills touted and had a strong sense of compassion, kindness and humility for that earned him the title ‘Asomdwehen’ ( King of Peace) for his calm nature and quest for conducive atmosphere for all to peacefully co-exist,” she stated.
According to her, Prof. Mills’ unmatched qualities of firmness and assertiveness attracted commendations from the international community culminating in many business partnerships with various organisations and countries.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang was speaking at the Prof. John Evans Atta Mills Memorial Heritage lecture to mark the 10th anniversary of his demise.
The series of lectures sought to celebrate Prof. Mills as an academic, intellectual, immortalise his persona, time on earth, and his legacy as one of Ghana’s most reputable presidents by capitalising on his outstanding ideals and values.
It was arranged by the Governing Board of the Prof. Mills Memorial Heritage on the theme: ‘The Man John Evans Atta Mills – 10 years on’.
Prof. Opoku-Agyemang indicated that“Prof. Mills bequeathed to Ghanaians both tangible and intangible deep-seated sense of tolerance, integrity, and respect for humanity nevertheless, bemoaned deteriorating human values of the Ghanaian such as respect for dignity, integrity, generosity, cultural values, rule of law, respect, tolerance, freedom of speech and rights to information.
“I know if you were the current president of Ghana, students who demonstrated for being denied access to study law would not have been met with spray of hot water, Prof. Mills would have allowed the demonstrators of OccupyGhana to express their views on pertinent issues of the country and I felt disappointed over how a police officer was captured aiming a gun at peaceful demonstrators,” she said.
Dr Alex Segbefia, Board Chairman of the John Evans Atta Mills Memorial Heritage, reminisced the days of Prof. Mills as the President of Ghana and the commemoration had set the pace for moral compass of Prof.Mills to live long in the memories of the Ghanaian populace and effect desired change in generations.
“Prof Mills’ quest for Better Ghana is operationalised in the Agenda for Shared Growth and Accelerated Development for a Better Ghana aimed at improving living standards of citizens, his countenance, achievements are worth emulating by all who hold the country, its noble ideals at heart and service is the basis upon which it was established,” he indicated.
