Mills' son didn't read tribute because "people were hungry and tired"

The ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) has finally responded to accusations that government deliberately sidelined Samuel Kofi Atta Mills, the only son of the late President John Evans Atta Mills during the state funeral held last Friday.

Initial arrangements for the service had Samuel Kofi Mills incorporated in the scheme of things, but his name was somehow crossed out from the programme unceremoniously.

Peacefmonline.com is reliably informed that Samuel Mills was invited by the National Security apparatus a few days before the service from where he was moved to the State Protocol Department for a rehearsal about his roles during the elaborately laid-out funeral programme.

However, on the day of the burial service, Mills’ son stood there watching the various items being played out before him as he was not allowed to lay a wreath on his father’s grave or even read a tribute.

Sources claimed that the young Mills was stopped from reading his tribute at the last minute despite assurances, because of certain concerns raised by Mrs Naadu Mills.

But on Saturday, August 11, Samuel Kofi Mills replicated some of the funeral procedures by organizing a ‘befitting’ funeral and laid a wreath for his late father.

According to reports, the only known offspring of the late president hosted many invitees, including, friends, family and love ones at his Roman Ridge government bungalow; interestingly, there was no government or NDC official at the event.

Prominent among the list were the Chairman of the People’s National Convention (PNC) Alhaji Ahmed Ramadan and the Adenta chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Obiri Yeboah, who is an uncle to Samuel Atta Mills.

The tribute to his father, which he could not read at the final funeral rites on Friday, even after rehearsing it with State Protocol officials for days, was read at the Saturday funeral service by his friend.

Speaking to the issue in an interview on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia Morning Show, the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, Ade Coker dismissed reports that Mills’ son was sidelined saying Samuel Mills was not allowed to read his tribute at the state funeral because they were far behind time.

Mr Ade Coker who is also a member of the Funeral Planning Committee explained that the start of the program delayed for hours and most of the dignitaries were visibly tired and hungry; including himself, since they had been there (at the funeral grounds) very early in the morning.

“Before the program began, the MC said they were behind schedule so they were going to do things very hurriedly, thus skipping a lot of items on the itinerary…After Naadu Mills and Dr. Cadman Mills read their tribute, we prayed and left….Some of the people were there as early as 6am, and the program started around 10:30am, so most of us were tired and hungry and everything had to be done in a rush,” he explained.

To him, people were simply trying to exaggerate the importance of something trivial since he believed it was “nothing” if Samuel Atta Mills did not get the opportunity to read his tribute to the late father. He urged Ghanaians to let sleeping dogs lie and allow the president to also rest peacefully and rather concentrate on how to move the nation forward.

“This is nothing; it is not something that needs to generate into a controversy…As far as I’m concerned, we are done with the funeral; let’s move forward and stop seeking to blow things out of proportion...,” he added.