The 2020 Vice Presidential Candidate of the National Democratic Congress, Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang says former President John Evans Atta-Mill left the country an inheritance that will be appreciated forever.
Speaking at the maiden edition of the Atta-Mill Memorial Heritage lecture in Tamale, Prof Opoku-Agyemang said Ghanaians have deep respect for the late statesman who was not only devoted to his people but selfless in character.
Professor Opoku-Agyemang urged the citizens to reflect and emulate the personality of the former President; adding that it is an inheritance given to not only the NDC, but all and sundry.
According to her, the late President Evans Atta-Mills came to the Presidency with a determination to serve, an agile mind and a strategy that would uplift the nation.
“He had a style of a servant and was committed to advancing the welfare of every one”, she added.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang noted that the late President was mindful of what he had inherited and the legacy he intended to leave behind.
She said President Evans Atta-Mills believed in the youth and therefore invested heavily in initiatives and policies that will open them up to numerous opportunities.
“You did this to the admiration of those who now display a lack of foresight. To those who talk plenty and do nothing. To those who are reaping where they did not sow,” Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang stated.
The former Minister for Education stressed that based on the opportunities given by the former President, some individuals have grown and matured to hold positions that he will be proud of.
“Professor Mills, you so respected the youth and trusted in their abilities to dream and to innovate. Those youthful persons to whom you gave space for self actualization are now making you proud. You should see them now,” she said.
Prof Naana Opoku-Agyemang said offering the youth a place in his government was a legacy the late President Mills left behind.
Again, this legacy had no place for unproductive competition, abuse of power, arrogance, greed and dictatorship.
She used the platform to outline some leadership skills she said the late Mills possessed as part of the legacy he has willed for Ghana.
“Your life held many things that can be explored endlessly. From leadership, to fashioning long-term vision and plan for the country, to democracy as in respecting the rule of law and freedom of speech, mentorship, law, human development, women in leadership, the role of the state institutions in nation building, education, health, sports, the list is endless. That is the kind of person you have been, that is the kind of legacy you have left in your will for us,” she added.
Prof Opoku-Agyemang thanked the late President Mills for including every Ghanaian in his will and not just his family and friends.
“You have given us the heritage of unity, one purpose, of confidence, of humility, of wisdom, of caring, of honesty and accountability and for this, we will always remember you,” she added.
The event coincided with the commemoration of the 10-year anniversary of the demise of the late President John Evans Atta-Mils which falls on July 24.
Posted by: Emmanuel Romeo Tetteh
