UWRCC officially informs House of Chief about death of President Mills

Wa, July 30, GNA – Members of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs have been officially informed about the sudden death of former President John Evans Atta Mills at the 37th Military Hospital, in Accra, last Tuesday.

Alhaji Amidu Sulemana, Upper West Regional Minister, said at Wa, on Monday that though the news about the death of the President was already all over the place, he still deemed it highly necessary to officially inform the house as a mark of respect and also to solicit the House's support as they prepared to give the late President a befitting burial.

He told the House that the funeral arrangements and burial had been scheduled for August 8 to 10 with the venue of the burial to be announced by the planning committee at a later date.

Alhaji Sulemana, who was accompanied by his Deputy, Mr Cezar Kale, stated that the Government was doing everything possible to ensure that the late President was laid to rest in a highly befitting manner.

Naa Sohimwininye Danaah Gore II, President of the Upper West Regional House of Chiefs, thanked the Minister for the customary announcement to the House and said the news about the President's death came to them as a great shock, from which they were still trying to recover.

He said the death of President Mills was a great loss not only to the nation, but to Africa and the entire world and pledged their support in whichever way necessary, in order for the late President to have a befitting burial.

Earlier, members of the Judicial Service in the Region also paid a courtesy call on the Minister and expressed their heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family of the late President.

The team of legal professionals, led by His Lordship, Mr Justice Edward K. B. Apenkwah, supervising High Court Judge in the region, described the late President as a gentleman who had respect for the law even in difficult times.

The lawyers, most of whom passed through the hands of late President Mills when he was a Law Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, pledged their support for the Government as it prepared towards giving the late President a befitting burial.

Alhaji Sulemana thanked the team for consoling with them, saying, he got to know the late President Mills some16 years ago and stated that he was a simple, humble and a down to earth man.

“President Mills did not see people working under him as subordinates but his colleagues,” the Regional Minister emphasised.

Alhaji Sulemana said the late president, as a Lawyer himself, respected the rule of law even when Government lost series of cases in court, adding that the legacies he left behind in terms of development coupled with his mark of humility and tolerance would forever be remembered by all.

The team of Lawyers later took turns to sign the book of condolence opened by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC).

GNA