By, Nsor Paul Mensah
The Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper and the Guest Speaker of the 12th Anniversary Lecture of Prof. J E. A Mills, Mr. Kwasi Pratt Junior, has advised the incoming President John Dramani Mahama that he will not find it easy in prosecuting corrupt officials of the current ruling New patrotic Party (NPP).
According to him, the next government will find it difficult in serving justice to those corrupt officials because the judiciary will serve as huge hindrance
Mr. Pratt again said Ghanaians are not even so much interested in who goes to jail but their interest is for the government to work hard and overturn their fortunes.
“Now lot of Ghanaians are suffering because of the doubling and tripling prices of good and services so what they except is a
government who will work hard and turn their fortunes,” he stated
Like the late J EA Mills, he was the father for all, a man who loves his country and has different principles that even angered his own political party.
Speaking at the 12th Anniversary at the demise of the former President on Friday July 19, 2024 called on all Ghananians to follow the life of the late President John Evans Atta Mills who never allowed his decisions to be influenced by gossip or rumour.
He said Prof. was a man of principle who believed in fairness and recalled an incident between himself and a Minister concerning his behavior which he revealed on a programme he hosted at a radio station.
The late President Mills called him after the programme to actually find out the offence of the Minister and later invited him to his office which he obliged but to his surprise, Professor John Evans Atta Mills has equally called the Minister also and was asked to say the exact thing he said on air against the Minister which he did.
According to him, Prof. Mills after listening to matter, then advice the Minister not to do that again otherwise he would be fired.
12th Anniversary Commemorative lecture in honour of the late President John Evans Atta Mills held in Accra on the theme, “Remembering Atta Mills: 12 years on”.
According to him, President Mills was a unifier, a father for all irrespective of one’s religion or political affiliation.
He emphasized that Professor John Atta Mills’ personal intellect, honesty, decency, humility, work ethic, and determination to serve his country, made it possible, even pleasant, to work with him and even to help him in pushing the Ghana Agenda forward in spite of the limitations of social democracy
On his part, the Board Chairman of J. E. A Mills Memorial Heritage, Mr. Alex Segbefia, disclosed that the NDC Party in collaboration with the JEAMMH would commemorate the exact date on which President John Evans Atta Mills died, the 24th of July 2024, next Wednesday, with a wreath laying ceremony at Asomdwee Park where his remains are interred,
Hockey Tournament in memory of the President John Evans Atta Mills is scheduled for Saturday the 27th of July 2024 at 8.30 am, at the Theodosia Okoh Hockey Stadium in Accra to climax the 12th Anniversary Celebrations.
“As part of the 10th Anniversary Celebrations, lectures were held in all the 16 regions of Ghana in 5 clusters
All the lectures have now been compiled in a book titled, “ATTA MILLS AROUND THE REGIONS.” The book will be reviewed and launched today by Prof. Ransford Gyampo of the Political Science Department of University of Ghana, who is also the President of the University of Ghana branch of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG)”.
Members of the Advisory Council are as follows:
1. Dr. Cadman Atta Mills- Brother of President John Evans Atta Mills and former World Bank Official
2. Mr. Kwame Pianim- Development Economist and Elder Statesman
3. Honourable Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni- Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
4. Mr. John Henry Martey Newman- Chief of Staff to President John Evans Atta Mills
5. Naa Alhassan Andani- Former Chief Executive of Stanbic Bank
6. E.M Commodore-Mensah- Businessman and former CEO of Accra Hearts of Oak
7. H.E James Bebaako-Mensah- Secretary to President John Evans Atta Mills and former Ambassador to The Vatican
8. Mr. Kwaku Bram-Larbi- Private Legal Practitioner and Personal Lawyer of President John Evans Atta Mills
9. Prof. Agnes Attia Apusigah- Associate Professor/Dean, Faculty of Education, UDS
10. Alhaji Ahmed Vanderpuie- Businessman
11. Dr. Abena Oye Gyampo- Managing Partner, Talentia Africa Ltd
12. Mrs. Kate Quartey-Papafio- Entrepreneur and Co-Founder/Managing Director of Reroy Cables Company Limited
13 Mrs. Marufatu Abiola Bawuah- Director of the Regional Cluster of 19 Countries of United Bank for Africa (UBA)
The John Evans Atta Mills (J.E.A) Memorial Heritage was instituted towards preserving the legacies of the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills in the areas of education, law, and governance.
Established by a group of academics, professional colleagues, students, family and appointees of President Mills, the Memorial Heritage had its first Annual Commemorative Lecture in Accra and other regions.
The J.E.A. Memorial Heritage is a non-profit, non- partisan organisation, which seeks to preserve and build on the legacies of the late President John Evans Atta Mills.
His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills, President of the Republic of Ghana from January 07, 2008 to July 24, 2012, was born in Tarkwa on July 21, 1944. He attended Achimota School and the University of Ghana, Legon where he studied Law.
Professor J.E.A. Mills graduated from the Faculty of Law with a Bachelor of Laws in 1967 and proceeded to the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) where he was awarded a master’s degree, an LLM, in 1968.
He earned his PhD from the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London. While pursuing the PhD programme which he completed at age 27, he was selected a Fulbright Scholar at the Stanford Law School in the USA.
He returned to Ghana after earning his PhD in 1971 to lecture at the Faculty of Law of the University of Ghana, Legon for the next 25 years. He was appointed first as Acting Commissioner for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in 1988 and confirmed as the Commissioner in 1989.
Professor Atta Mills was the Vice President of Ghana from 1997 to 2001 and became the President of Ghana in 2009 after the historic 2008 elections. President Atta Mills died on 24th July 2012, whilst in Office.
At the time of his death in 2012, he was the world’s only Fulbright Scholar to have been elected Head of State. President Atta Mills was a servant-leader, and an ardent lover of sports – his known specialities were sports, taxation and law.