Mills final journey home starts today

The final journey of the late President John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills begins today, Wednesday, August 8, 2012 to Friday, August 10, 2012, when the final burial service takes place at the Independence Square.

 
President Mills passed away at the 37 Military Hospital on Tuesday, July 24, 2012, at exactly 14:15 GMT after complaining of neck pains, according to one of his aides.

 
The late president, a former law lecturer at the University of Ghana, was expected to lead the NDC party in the upcoming general elections after winning overwhelmingly against Nana Konadu-Agyemang Rawlings at the party's congress at Sunyani last year.

 
There were speculations about the late President's health from well-meaning Ghanaians and the opposition New Patriotic Party but this was vehemently denied by those around him.

 
One would have expected the death of the late President to serve as a uniting factor for the whole country but the NDC, as usual, started playing propaganda with his death, even when the presidential candidate of the NPP, Nana Addo Dankwa Akuof-Addo had immediately suspended his campaign upon hearing the president's demise.

 
The National Security Coordinator, Gbevlo Lartey, rather preferred to hop from one media house to the other accusing the NPP of causing President Mills death with “their excessive criticisms.”

 
The “Asomdwoehene” is not having the peace that should be accorded the dead even as his final resting place generated lots of controversies.

 
The brouhaha over the burial place was triggered off by Haruna Iddrissu, the Minister of Communications, who came out publicly with the news that President John Mahama had directed the late president should be buried at the Flagstaff House.

 
President Mahama waded into brouhaha over the final resting place for his successor and described as “petty” and “useless” the ensuing debate, making nonsense of the contributions made by renowned Ghanaians such as the Metropolitan Archbishop of Accra, Most Rev. Charles Palmer-Buckle, Papa Kwesi Nduom, presidential candidate of the Progressive People's Party, former Chief of Staff, KwadwoMpiani and others.

 
The chairman of the committee responsible for the late president's funeral, Kofi Totobi-Quakyi, outlined the programme line-up that is expected to take place from today, Wednesday,August   8, to Friday 10, August, 2012. He, however, failed to give the public any hint of how much was expected to be spent on the funeral.

 
But, according to credible sources, a whooping GHC30million has been budgeted for the funeral of the president, a claim that has been denied by the Mills Funeral Committee.  

 
Meanwhile, Friday, August 10, has been declared a public holiday by the President John Dramani Mahama in honour of the memory of the late president.