Ghana’s world diplomat, His Excellency Mohamed Ibn Chambas has said that in Ghana’s history, only two leaders cannot be accused of being corrupt.
The two, all of blessed memory, are Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and Prof. John Evans Atta Mills.
Delivering the second Annual John Evans Atta Mills Memorial Lecture in Accra, Dr. Chambas made it known that, “it is significant to note that, in the period of increased public scrutiny of their leaders and the obsession with corruption, no one in Ghana or abroad has been able to point accusing fingers at two Leaders- Kwame Nkrumah and John Evans Atta Mills- for corruption or accumulating wealth at the expense of the country or the taxpayer."
He stated that, “even though short, Atta Mills’ presidency provided the world with a unique insight into the sterling qualities of a modest and exemplary leader and statesman. At home, President Atta Mills preached and acted peace, laid a clear vision for Ghana’s political and economic trajectory, and galvanized the population to scale the commanding heights of prosperity and dignity.”
Of why he (Mills) is the Leader that ranks par to that of Dr. Nkrumah and so cannot be accused of corruption, Dr. Chambas revealed that “in Africa, he advocated for Nkrumah’s vision of a united, competitive, people-oriented and self-confident continent; capable of holding its own in the modern setting of a global market characterized by trading blocs and regional security frameworks. Internationally, he attracted deserved admiration from nations great and small, and made the world take a different view of a resurgent and renascent Africa."
As part of President Mills’ sterling qualities of modesty and exemplary leadership and statesmanship, Dr. Ibn Chambas said “President Atta Mills was a refreshing sight at ECOWAS and AU Summits, and his peers listened to his simple but incisive interventions with attention. He spared no time selling the Ghana governance model as a viable path to democracy, development and regional integration. Behind the scenes, he brokered peace in conflict zones and maintained Ghana’s proud record of peacekeeping abroad. With rumors of Ivorian claims to part of Ghana’s oil-rich maritime zone, Atta Mills, true to his predisposition to peace and good neighborliness, was instrumental in setting up a committee of both nations to seek a peaceful solution to any maritime border dispute.”
Without mincing words, Dr. Chambas in his concluding statement pointed out that “John Atta Mills lived a life of righteousness and service. He has left a permanent legacy that all of us Ghanaians can truly be proud of. He may not be with us in the physical, right now, but he is with us in spirit as we struggle to build a prosperous and happy Ghana for our children and our children’s children."
From the above, it therefore stands to reason that successive presidents should walk the path of the two Leaders (Dr. Kwame Nkrumah and President John Evans Atta Mills); of how they both hate corruption, if only they wants to be remembered in like-manner.
