Hundreds of mourners on Friday converged at Kissi, a town in the Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem (KEEA) Municipality of the Central Region to mourn the late President whose body was interred at the Geese Park near the Osu Castle.
The townsfolk were joined by the chiefs and people from all the four traditional areas in the Municipality to pay their last respect to the departed President whom they praised for his good work, peace and respect for all.
Also present were representatives of the various political parties including the Progressive Peoples’ Party (PPP), New Patriotic Party (NPP), National Democratic Congress (NDC) and the Peoples’ National Convention (PNC) who paid glowing tribute to the late President for his legacy of peace and humility.
Kissi was chosen for the solemn ceremony because Prof Atta-Mills’ family had a house there which he recently donated to the Kissi Town to accommodate teachers who would be posted to the area.
The late President also donated Gh¢10,000 as a seed money for the establishment of an educational trust fund to support needy but brilliant children from the town.
Mr. Sampson Kofi Yeboah, a primary classmate of the late president, gave a brief history of the late President’s family saying Prof Atta-Mills’ father was transferred to Komenda Training College in 1949 and he (Prof Atta-Mills) was enrolled at the Komenda Local Primary School that same year.
He said he continued to the Komenda Methodist Middle where he sat the Common Entrance in 1956 and was among the only two students who passed that year from their school and he proceeded to Achimota Secondary School to continue his education.
He told the milling crowd of mourners that Prof Atta-Mills’ father rented a house at Kissi for a short period and later built a house there to accommodate his family and Prof. Atta-Mills always played football with his mates in the town.
Mr. Yeboah said the departed President was never punished in school as he was always punctual and early to school and always carried out his duties with seriousness.
On behalf of the four traditional areas, namely Komenda, Eguafo, Elmina and Abrem, Nana Kwodwo Kru V, said the legacy left by the Prof Atta-Mills was enough to move the country forward and appealed to political parties not to go back to their old ways of doing politics.
He said it was the wish of Prof Atta-Mills to move the nation forward in unity and Ghanaians should exhibit all the good works they have said about him to honour him.**