Tell Us Why. Junior Graphic Educatio Page

Last Tuesday, July 24, 2012 was a day Ghanaians will forever remember as the darkest day in the history of the country.

I am sure you know why it is so. That was the day the President of Ghana, Professor John Atta Mills, died shortly after he was rushed to the 37 Military Hospital.

Born at Tarkwa in the Western Region on July 21, 1944, Prof Mills hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region.
He attended Achimota School, where he successfully obtained his General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Level in 1963 and gained admission to the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate in Law in 1967.

While earning a doctorate degree in Law from the prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies in London, President Mills was selected as a Fulbright scholar at the equally prestigious Stanford Law School in the United States of America.
He was awarded his doctorate degree after successfully defending his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development when he was only 27 years.
He started his working life as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ghana, Legon where he taught for close to 25 years, rising from lecturer to senior lecturer then to an associate professor.

Professor Mills was very respectful, a man of high integrity, humble, very approachable and always ready to listen. His humility and respect for others earned him the title, “Asomdweehene” which literally means the “King of Peace” among Ghanaians.
He was picked by former President Jerry John Rawlings as his running mate and subsequently his Vice President until 2000 when he was nominated to lead the party and he lost to former President Kufuor two times before winning the 2008 elections.
He was married to Ernestina Naadu Mills, an educationist, and had a son, Sam Kofi Atta Mills.

Professor Mills was an academician, sportsman and a politician. He was the only person who had run for President on the ticket of the NDC for three consecutive times in the history of the party, before winning at the third attempt in the 2008 general election.
The late Prof Mills was the acting Commissioner of Ghana’s Internal Revenue Service from 1986 to 1993 under President Rawlings and the substantive Commissioner from 1993 to 1996.
As an advocate for recreation and active sportsman and sports fan, Prof Mills supported the academic community and the nation at large through his contribution to the Ghana Hockey Association, the National Sports Council of Ghana and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club.
The Law professor loved sports and was a keen hockey player. He once played for the national team and was still a member of the Veterans Hockey Team until his death. He equally kept his body in shape by swimming periodically.

Late last year, former President Mills won overwhelmingly at his party’s congress, bagging over 98 per cent of the votes to pick the ticket again to lead the NDC in the 2012 presidential election. So, until his untimely death, Prof Mills was the flag bearer of the NDC,.with Mr Mahama as his running mate.
May his soul rest in perfect peace! …