President Mills attends Founders' Day of Alma Mater

Accra, March 12, GNA - President John Evans Atta Mills, at the 84th Founders' Day celebration of his Alma Mater- Achimota Senior High School, has stressed discipline, hard work and humility among the youth as ingredients for successful leadership.

He said despite the fact that the world was not static, the basics of successful life could never be abandoned and that nothing could change what was right. President Mills, a member of the 1961 Year Group, was the Special Gues= t at the Founders Day.

The celebration was on the theme: 93Empowering the Youth for Quality Statesmanship."

President Mills said it was only through the virtues of the present generation of the youth that could successfully take over from the present leaders.

Going down memory lane, President Mills stunned his audience with the recall of names of his mates and the various houses they were assigned to and the student escapades at the time.

He noted that the school was a leader in secondary education and expressed gratitude to the Founding Fathers and the teachers for imbuing a sense of discipline that propelled him in his academic career and the high office of President.

"I never imagined that the steps would propel me to the high office of President. "Achimota has undergone many changes. Achimota of toady was not that= of 50 years ago. It is up to us the beneficiaries to try and lift Achimota up to its former glory," President Mills said.

President Mills reminded the youth to consider what they could do in order to build on the solid foundation, stressing that discipline, hard wor= k and focus should be their goals.

He recalled that his mates were imbued with a sense of nationalism and participated in the independence march at the time of Ghana's independence. Mr Yaw Osafo- Maafo, a stalwart of the largest Minority party- the New Patriotic Party (NPP), sounded the yell at the celebration, compelling President Mills to say that despite the political difference; members of the National Democratic Congress are not enemies.

"We have gone our ways differently politically, but we are brothers and sisters. Achimota is our Mother, the country Ghana, our Grandmother." President Mill re-emphasised national unity and cohesion.

"We came from various parts of the country; the one thing which united us was the Achimota spirit," adding that qualitative education should give any one a sense of superiority over others.

"The Asafo (war) drums have stopped beating we have all come home. "It'll be your turn to have filled our shoes and keep alive the mo= tto of Achimota School," President Mills said.

He expressed concern over the encroachment on Achimota School lands that had affected the central sewerage system.

President Mills said the request by the School for the restoration of its autonomy to be managed and operated as non-profit institutions structured as Trusts by the Alumni would be considered. President Mills in a thrilled mood and supported by Mrs Betty Mould Iddrisu, Minister of Education, a former student of Achimota, and other Ministers of State and Government officials joined the students in dancing to traditional drumming.

The 1961 Year Group presented a bus to the school. It had earlier inaugurated the renovation of the school's Girls' Gymnasium. 1