By: Daniel Nonor
Barring any last minute changes to the latest decision by the government, the late President John Evans Atta Mills will be buried at a special place between Castle Drive and the Marine Drive.

A statement issued by the Chairman of the Funeral Planning Committee, Kofi Totobi Quakyi, said the late President would be buried at a 'specially designated place in between Castle Drive and Marine Drive Accra.'

This decision was reached yesterday after further consultations between members of the funeral committee and the family of the late President.

After over a week of a hard search for a burial place for the fallen President, various suggestions had come up, but the choice to bury the President at the Jubilee House seemed to have gained prominence against popular suggestions that the idea was not the best after all.

The idea to settle for the $70 million edifice meant to house the seat of government was first made public by the Minister of Communications, Haruna Iddrisu, and found reason with his boss, President John Dramani Mahama.

This decision, however, received stiff opposition from the family of the late President, which demanded that the President be buried in his native town, Otuam, in the Central Region.

The family members had threatened to place an injunction on the burial of the President when it was becoming obvious that their demand would be overlooked. They insisted that custom demanded that they be allowed to take the decision on where and when to bury their departed relative.

In the heat of the brouhaha surrounding the initial choice of Jubilee House, the government decided to further its consultations with the family of the late president over his final burial place.

A statement issued to this effect on Wednesday by Deputy Minister of Information James Agyenim Boateng stated:

'As part of the on-going consultations to build a national consensus on the funeral and burial arrangements for our late President, His Excellency Prof John Evans Atta Mills, the Funeral Planning Committee (FPC) on Wednesday, visited and held discussions with the leadership of Parliament, the National Chief Imam, the Chief Justice, and the Council of State.'

The FPC briefed them on the proposed funeral arrangements, and used the discussions to seek their opinions on an appropriate resting place for President Atta Mills.

'After a series of consultations, the proposed burial sites have been narrowed down to the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park, and a location within the old Flagstaff House.

'A formal announcement of the entire programme is expected to be issued later,' the statement noted.

While the consultations and debates about where the President should be finally rested went on, construction work was busily going on at Jubilee House, in apparent preparation to house the body of the late President.

As at yesterday, excavators were busily digging in the yard of Jubilee House in readiness for the dates set for the burial ceremony of the late President giving some credence to earlier speculations that the President could be buried at the Jubilee House.

It is still unclear if this discussion will be the final one as rumours making the rounds indicate that the late president could be later relocated to his home town.