Thousands throng Independence Square

People from all walks of life, mainly supporters and sympathizers of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), thronged the Independence Square at Osu in Accra to witness the historic inauguration of Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, President of Ghana.

All roads, from all bearings, leading to the Square were whitewashed with the red, black, white and green colours of the new administration with some dotted national colours.

President Atta Mills, the third president under the Fourth Republic, took over from former President John Aggykum Kufuor.

The roads were chocked by the movement of curious and enthusiastic people who made roads near the Square quite unmotorable. In fact, vehicles moved at a snail pace and one would be more comfortable and faster to walk on foot to cover about half a kilometer to the event ground.

While others took advantage to do brisk business – selling party paraphernalia and food items – to earn a little income; others unfortunately decided to amass wealth by taking advantage of the crowd's innocence to pilfer money or mobile phones.

The thousands of ecstatic crowd resorted to ad-hoc means of entertaining themselves whilst they await the arrival of dignitaries. People danced feverishly to either stationed brassband music or songs blaring from loud sound system, others chanted local “jama” songs and moved heartily up and down.

The memorable occasion was not graced only by high profile personalities from Ghana but other international dignitaries were also there in their numbers.

Some of the Heads of States and representatives were: Umaru Musa Yar'Adua, President of Nigeria, Faure Gnassigbe, Togo President, Junichiro Koizum, former Prime Minister of Japan, Jian Ping, Chairman of Africa Union Commission, Laurent Gbabo, President of Cote d'Ivoire, Pamela Bridge Water, former US Ambassador to Ghana.

Story by Isaac Essel