Last year around this time, Ghanaians were rocked with the news of the death of a seating President. The death of President Mills came after several discussions in the media about his true state of health. It was rumoured he was seriously sick but his handlers including the NDC were quick to dismiss discussions about the severity of his ailment.
The late President in the midst of wild talks about his health had to for the first time announce to Ghanaians that he was travelling to the United States of American for a routine medical check up. He “overstayed” his medical check up and it was speculated in sections of the Ghanaian media that his situation had gotten worse.
It was to prove sceptics wrong that he was made to jog and jump by his handlers when he finally returned home after his “routine” medical check up in the US.
Even though Ghanaians are celebrating the 1st anniversary of his death, Ghanaians are yet to know what actually killed the President. The circumstances under which he was carried to the 37 Military Hospital where he died are yet to be known. There are lots of unanswered questions about how a man who went to his office, took breakfast and died later in the day.
I have watched and listened to lots of tributes to the late President. Most of the things being said about him are centred on his humility, God-fearing nature, his willingness to forgive and his disinterest in hurting the feeling of others.
To me it was all these attributes that made late President Mills a not very successful President. He sure would have made a good Pastor with the potential of becoming a Pope than a good President of Ghana.
He didn’t want to hurt his appointees some of whom were clearly engaged in acts that weren’t good. The current evidence of corruption in Ghana under the party on whose ticket he was President were visible in his time but he reluctantly did nothing about it.
It is even reported in sections of the media that, it was because of his ill-health that made some of his appointees to misrule and loot the country to the extent that John Dramani Mahama whose validity as President of Ghana is yet to be determined next month admitted openly that “The meat was now down to the bone” in reference to the economy of Ghana. It must be explained that, the economy that was described to be down to the bone was a case of one administration handing over to its self.
No wonder the economy is officially broke and virtually everything has grinded to a halt. Massive corruption with the latest coming from GYEEDA, escalating unemployment, excruciating prices of fuel, unprecedented incidence of markets burning in circumstances yet to be known among other grievous occurrences.
The government of John Dramani Mahama is now taxing condoms, cutlasses and slippers (charley watee). He is even taxing receiving certain categories of phone calls and is currently proposing taxing private universities in Ghana!
These are definitely not good times in Ghana and no wonder the 1st anniversary celebration of the late President became a massive failure! The external debts of Ghana is said to be unprecedented since the NDC came to power. They are borrowing massively yet nobody knows where the money is or what it is being used for.
As Ghanaians unenthusiastically celebrate the death of late President Mills, it is necessary and crucial for us to know what killed him. For instance if he was killed by cancer, a cancer research institute could be set up in his name in Ghana.
No doubt President Mills loved peace and spoke passionately about the need for peace in Ghana even in the last days of his demise. The irony however is that, members of his party are now afraid of talks of peace. They insult everyone who talks about the need for intensive prayers for peace in Ghana after the Supreme Court verdict in the wake of the Presidential election petition.
Touch their hearts Prof, and Rest in Peace.
Akilu Sayibu
Email: Akilu.sayibu@live.uwe.ac.uk
