President John Dramani Mahama has
declared five days of national mourning following the death of former
vice president Alhaji Aliu Mahama at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on
Friday.
He has also directed that all flags should fly at half-mast during the period.
An official statement released by Mr James Agyemim-Boateng, Deputy Minister of Information, has said.
“President Mahama had a personal relationship with the deceased
vice president which transcended political lines. He was a personal
friend of the President and the two had mutual respect for one another,”
the statement said.
“Alhaji Aliu Mahama served his country
well. In recognition of his services to Ghana, he will be accorded a
deserving State burial in consultation with his family and in accordance
with his Islamic faith.”
The statement said President
Mahama’s thoughts and prayers were with the wife, children and family of
our late vice president.
It said the President had also extended his condolence on behalf of the Government and people of Ghana.
Alhaji Mahama passed on at 0945 hours at the age of 66.
The former vice president will be buried on Saturday afternoon at
the Military Cemetery, Osu, after Muslim prayers at the State House.
According to the programme for the burial, the body would be
brought to the State House at 1200 noon and the Chief Imam would lead
the Muslim prayers at 1330 hours.
There will be no wake and no file past.
Vice President Mahama was born on March 3, 1946 at Yendi and
schooled at the Tamale Secondary School from where he proceeded to the
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he
graduated as a Building Technology Engineer.
He partnered
former President John Agyekum Kufuor to win elections on the ticket of
the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 2000 and 2004.
Former
President Kufuor has also expressed deep shock and sorrow over the
passing of his friend and former Vice-President Alhaji Mahama.
This was contained in a statement on Friday signed by Mr Frank
Agyekum, Spokesman and Special Aide to the former President and copied
to the Ghana News Agency.
The statement said former President
Kufuor had visited Alhaji Aliu Mahama while on admission at the
hospital and was hopeful of his early recovery.
It stated
that the former President described his former second-in-command as “a
diligent worker, a gentleman and a friend whom I will miss dearly”.
“Aliu contributed significantly to the success of my government and
was a pillar of strength in the New Patriotic Party. The void he has
left will be too hard to fill. The NPP and the nation have lost a true
patriot and unifier,” the statement said.
“I join the
entire NPP family to mourn this great stalwart of our tradition and
hope that his demise will serve as a rallying call for all members to
work hard for victory 2012,” he said.
“To the rest of the
nation, I say let's close ranks and be guided always by our love of our
common humanity,” the statement added.
Information reaching
peacefmonline.com indicates that former Vice President, Alhaji Aliu
Mahama will be buried at the Asomdwe Memorial Park on Sunday.
This decision follows a meeting which was held between the family and the government on Friday.
This
decision conflicts with calls by the main family in the Northern
Regional town of Yendi that the body be brought there for burial.
The
former Vice President passed away at 9:45am on Friday, November 16,
2012 after days of illness at the Cardiothoracic Unit, Korle-bu Teaching
Hospital.
The Chief of Staff, Henry Martey-Newman had earlier
on Friday, announced that the former veep will be buried on Saturday,
November 17 at the Military Cemetery in Osu, Accra.
However after
series of meetings with family members and state officials it has been
decided that the burial will take place on Sunday, November 18.
A
Spokesperson of the Aliu Mahama family, Mr. Rahman Gomda, who confirmed
the decision, also outlined the funeral arrangements for the former
leader, saying the burial “will be preceded by the Janaza prayer, that
is the prayer for the dead, at the forecourt of the State House at about
1:30pm that is after the midday Zuhr prayer.”
A section of the family of former Vice-President
Alhaji Aliu Mahama, in consultation with the New Patriotic Party and the
government has agreed to bury the late former Vice-President at the
Asomdwee Park in Accra.
Nasiru Mahama, a family member, told the media in Accra after the meeting that the burial will take place on Sunday.
The
body would be laid in state at the State House for filing past by only
selected dignitaries, Joy News' Benjamin Tetteh reported.
Government
had announced that the late Aliu would be buried at the Military
Cemetery at Osu on Saturday, but the decision was reviewed after the
consultative meeting.
This decision conflicts with calls by the
main family in the Northern Regional town of Yendi that the body be
brought there for burial.
They said once the late former
Vice-President's mother, 92-year-old Mariama Mahama, was still alive and
in Yendi, it was only proper and fitting that his body is brought to
Yendi for the necessary religious rituals and burial.
The New Patriotic Party has received the sad
news of the death of the former Vice President of the Republic and a
stalwart of the NPP, Alhaji Aliu Mahama.
The party leadership
therefore, wishes to announce that all campaign activities, from the
National to the constituency level have been suspended with immediate
effect and will resume after the burial of the late Alhaji Aliu Mahama.
We mourn deeply with the widow, Hajia Ramatu Aliu Mahama, the children and the entire family.
The
late former Vice president of the Republic of Ghana, Alhaji Alui Ahama,
distinguished himself as a two-term Vice President of the Republic of
Ghana, from 2001 to 2008. He singularly held up the party’s fortunes,
throughout the country and was well loved by the NPP faithful and his
nation.
All NPP offices have been asked to fly their flags at half mast in honour of him, until further notice
May Allah guide us through this grave moment of sadness.
……………signed……..
Kwadwo Owusu Afriyie
NPP General Secretary
Newly sworn-in president John Mahama has paid glowing tribute to the late President John Mills.
In
a short speech after he was sworn-in by the Chief Justice President
John Mahama said “I lost a father, a friend and a senior colleague.”
According to him, the president died at 2:15 pm after a short illness.
In
a sombre mood and a heavy heart, President Mahama on behalf of the
government and the people of Ghana extended his condolences to the
family of the late president.
He said Prof John Mills was a
humble and modest person throughout his years public life and the finest
tribute to give the late president is to maintain unity and stability
in the party and country as a whole.
President John Evans Fifii Atta
Mills, born 21 July 1944, was the third President of the Fourth Republic
of Ghana. He was inaugurated on 7 January 2009, after winning the 2008
election. He was Vice-President from 1997 to 2001 under President Jerry
John Rawlings, and stood unsuccessfully in the 2000 and 2004
presidential elections as the candidate of the National Democratic
Congress (NDC).
The 68-year-old died a few hours after being taken ill at the 37 Military Hospital in Accra.
Early life, education and academic career
Mills
was a Fanti from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region of Ghana. He was
born in Tarkwa on 21 July 1944, located in the Western Region of Ghana.
He was educated at Achimota School, where he completed the
Advanced-Level Certificate in 1963, and the University of Ghana, Legon,
where he received "Black man of the month" several times.
In
1968, Mills studied at the London School of Economics and Political
Science, and received a PhD at the School of Oriental and African
Studies at the University of London. Thus began the journey of the next
twenty years of Mills' life, which was largely spent with spells both in
Ghana and internationally as an academic. Mills earned a Ph.D in Law
from London University's School of Oriental and African Studies(SOAS)
after completing his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and
economic development.
Personal life
He was married to Ernestina Naadu Mills, an educator and had a son, Sam Kofi Atta Mills, with Ruby Addo.
He
was a good friend to Prophet T.B. Joshua of The Synagogue, Church Of
All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria and regularly visited his church. He said
following his inauguration that T.B. Joshua had prophesied to him there
would be three elections, the results would be released in January, and
he would emerge victorious.
Career as a lecturer
Mills'
first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law
at the University of Ghana Legon. He spent close to twenty five years
teaching at Legon and other institutions of higher learning, and rose in
position from lecturer to senior lecturer to associate professor, and
served on numerous boards and committees.
Additionally, he
traveled worldwide as a visiting lecturer and professor at educational
institutions such as the LSE, and presented research papers at
symposiums and conferences. In 1971, he was selected for the Fulbright
Scholar program at Stanford Law School in the United States Of America.
At
the age of 27, he was awarded his PhD after successfully defending his
doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development. He
returned to Ghana that year, becoming a Lecturer in the Faculty of Law
at the University of Ghana. He became a visiting professor of Temple Law
School (Philadelphia, USA), with two stints from 1978 to 1979, and 1986
to 1987, and was a visiting professor at Leiden University (Holland)
from 1985 to 1986. During this period, he authored several publications
relating to taxation during the 1970s & 1980s.
Outside of his
academic pursuits, Professor Mills was the Acting Commissioner of
Ghana's Internal Revenue Service from 1986 to 1993, and the substantive
Commissioner from 1993 to 1996.By 1992, he had become an Associate
Professor of Law at the University of Ghana. Mills was also a Fulbright
scholar at Stanford Law School.
Vice-President of Ghana
For
the inaugural Presidential Elections in 1992, the National Convention
Party (NCP) had formed an alliance with the National Democratic Congress
(NDC). Former Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) Chairman, and
leader of Ghana, Flight-Lieutenant Jerry John Rawlings chose the NCP
leader, Kow Nkensen Arkaah, as his running-mate for Vice-President.
Having been elected in the 1992 elections, Arkaah served between
1992–1996.
However, on 29 January 1996, the NCP broke with the
NDC, merging with the People's Convention Party (PCP) to form a rebirth
of the Convention People's Party (the formerly outlawed political party
of Ghana's first President, Kwame Nkrumah). Thus, in a bitter split,
Arkaah would stand as candidate for the reborn CPP in the 1996
Presidential Elections against Rawlings. Rawlings selected Mills for the
vacated Vice-Presidency in his bid for re-election to a second term in
Ghana's 1996 Presidential Election. Rawlings was re-elected to his
second term in office, and Mills became Vice-President of Ghana between
1996 to 2000.
Seeking the highest office in Ghana
In 2000,
Mills became the NDC's candidate for the 2000 Presidential elections
after Rawlings had served his constitutionally mandated terms as
president. At the time, and after essentially two decades of PNDC/NDC
rule, the NDC's war chest for the upcoming elections was certainly much
stronger than that of the NPP. The result would clearly between the
NDC's popularity with the people, and Vice-President Mills' track-record
alongside President Rawlings, and the veteran political experience that
the NPP candidate would bring to the campaign. The main rival for
Vice-President Mills' own bid for the Presidency was a veteran
politician, John Agyekum Kufuor, who was running as the candidate for
the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP).
Ghana's presidential
elections in the year 2000 went into two rounds: In the first round,
held on 7 December 2000, Mills gained 44.8% of the vote, Kufuor won the
first round with 48.4%. This result forced the elections into a
two-party run-off vote on 28 December 2000, where Kufuor defeated
Vice-President Mills with a result of 56.9% of the vote. The NPP won the
election, and Kufuor was sworn in as President of Ghana on 7 January
2001.
In December 2002, John Atta Mills was elected by his party to be its flag bearer and lead them into the 2004 elections.
In
2002, former Vice-President Mills was again selected as the candidate
of the National Democratic Congress for the upcoming presidential
elections in 2004. He was however defeated again by President Kufuor,
who won by a margin of 52.45%.
On 21 December 2006, former
Vice-President Mills became the NDC's candidate for the 2008
presidential elections, winning his party's ticket by an 81.4% result.
Early polls showed that Mills was the favourite, but in another poll
taken just months before the first-round voting, Nana Akufo-Addo emerged
as the favourite. Election campaigning was strong, particularly with
advertising, which was clearly much heavier with the NPP candidate.
The
first round of voting occurred on 7 December 2008. In a very close
result amongst all parties, Nana Akufo-Addo's NPP finished with 49.13%
of the vote, close to the outright margin required to win in the first
round, while Mills' NDC finished with 47.92%. The other parties garnered
2.37% of the votes.
The result forced a second-round of voting
between NPP and NDC on 28 December 2008. The result was a slim margin
held by Mills, but due to problems with the distribution of ballots, the
Tain constituency, located in the Brong-Ahafo Region, was forced to
re-run its voting on 2 January 2009. The voting in the Tain constituency
led to a landslide victory to the NDC.
For several days, the
Electoral Commission of Ghana did not call the result to the NDC, and
the NPP filed a lawsuit, claiming that "the atmosphere in the rural
district was not conducive to a free and fair election". Eventually, the
NPP bowed to the inevitable, and on the morning of 3 January 2009, the
election result was finally announced. Former Vice-President John
Atta-Mills, who had failed to win in two previous campaigns, made
history by winning the 2008 presidential election, becoming the third
President of the 4th Republic Of Ghana.
Publications
Mills produced several publications during his life, including:
Taxation of Periodical or Deferred Payments arising from the Sale of Fixed Capital (1974).
Exemption of Dividends from Income taxation: A critical Appraisal (1977) In: Review of Ghana Law, 1997, 9: 1, p. 38–47
Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana, parts 1–3 (1977).
Ghana's Income Tax laws and the Investor. (An inter-faculty lecture published by the University of Ghana)
Ghana's new investment code : an appraisal (1993) In: University of Ghana Law Journal, 1993, vol. 18, p. 1–29
He
also held examiner positions with finance-related institutions in
Ghana, including the Institute of Chartered Accountants, Institute of
Bankers, and Ghana Tax Review Commission.
Contribution to sports
He
contributed to the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of
Ghana, and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club. He enjoyed hockey and
swimming, and once played for the national hockey team (he remained a
member of the Veterans Hockey Team until his death).
Presidency
On
21 December 2006, Mills was overwhelmingly elected by the NDC as its
candidate for the 2008 presidential election with a majority of 81.4%
(1,362 votes), far ahead of his opponents, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, Alhaji
Mahama Iddrisu, and Eddie Annan. In 2008, he was elected president of
Ghana, after a keenly contested three round election. He died on 24 July
2012 while still in office.
President John Evans Atta Mills, was born on July 21, 1944 and hails from Cape Coast in the Central Region.
He launched a lifelong of learning at Achimota Secondary School, where he completed the Advanced Level Certificate in 1963.
To further his education, Prof Mills attended the University of Ghana,
Legon where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate
in Law in 1967.
While earning the Ph.D. in Oriental and African
Studies from the University of London, Dr. Mills was selected as a
Fulbright scholar at Stanford Law School, USA.
Prof. Mills' first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the faculty of law at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He spent more than twenty years imparting his acquired knowledge to
students, and rose from the position lecturer to a senior lecturer to
associate professor.
Prof Mills’ contribution to the University was remarkable, having served on numerous boards, committees, and schemes.
Also during those twenty years, Prof. Mills travelled as a visiting
lecturer and professor to the Temple University USA, and Leiden
University, Holland, and presented research papers at symposiums and
conferences throughout the world.
He has more than one dozen publications to his credit, including:
Taxation of Periodical or Deferred Payments arising from the Sale of Fixed Capital (1974)
Exemption of Dividends from Income taxation: A critical Appraisal (1977)
Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana, parts 1, 2 & 3, (1977) and
Ghana's Income Tax laws and the Investor. An inter-faculty lecture published by the University of Ghana.
Prof Mills’ expertise goes well beyond the classroom, and is evidenced
by the various examiner positions he held with finance related
institutions throughout Ghana such as the Institute of Chartered
Accountants, Institute of Bankers and Ghana Tax Review Commission.
As an advocate for recreation, he has supported the community through
groups such as the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of
Ghana, Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club.
. The following are a few of his activities and projects:
Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange Council
Board of Trustees, Mines Trust
Management Committee of Commonwealth Administration of Tax Experts
United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts in International Cooperation in Tax Matters
United Nations Law and Population Project
Study on Equipment Leasing in Ghana
Casebook preparation on Ghana's Income Tax
Review of Ghana's Double Tax Agreement with the U.K
Prof Mills had a track record of financial knowledge and strong
professional credentials that led to his several important appointments.
In 1988, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills became the Acting Commissioner of
the Internal Revenue Service of 
President John Evans Atta Mills, was born on July 21, 1944 and hails from Cape Coast in the Central Region.
He launched a lifelong of learning at Achimota Secondary School, where he completed the Advanced Level Certificate in 1963.
To further his education, Prof Mills attended the University of Ghana,
Legon where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate
in Law in 1967.
While earning the Ph.D. in Oriental and African
Studies from the University of London, Dr. Mills was selected as a
Fulbright scholar at Stanford Law School, USA.
Prof. Mills' first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the faculty of law at the University of Ghana, Legon.
He spent more than twenty years imparting his acquired knowledge to
students, and rose from the position lecturer to a senior lecturer to
associate professor.
Prof Mills’ contribution to the University was remarkable, having served on numerous boards, committees, and schemes.
Also during those twenty years, Prof. Mills travelled as a visiting
lecturer and professor to the Temple University USA, and Leiden
University, Holland, and presented research papers at symposiums and
conferences throughout the world.
He has more than one dozen publications to his credit, including:
Taxation of Periodical or Deferred Payments arising from the Sale of Fixed Capital (1974)
Exemption of Dividends from Income taxation: A critical Appraisal (1977)
Report of the Tax Review Commission, Ghana, parts 1, 2 & 3, (1977) and
Ghana's Income Tax laws and the Investor. An inter-faculty lecture published by the University of Ghana.
Prof Mills’ expertise goes well beyond the classroom, and is evidenced
by the various examiner positions he held with finance related
institutions throughout Ghana such as the Institute of Chartered
Accountants, Institute of Bankers and Ghana Tax Review Commission.
As an advocate for recreation, he has supported the community through
groups such as the Ghana Hockey Association, National Sports Council of
Ghana, Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club.
. The following are a few of his activities and projects:
Member of the Ghana Stock Exchange Council
Board of Trustees, Mines Trust
Management Committee of Commonwealth Administration of Tax Experts
United Nations Ad Hoc Group of Experts in International Cooperation in Tax Matters
United Nations Law and Population Project
Study on Equipment Leasing in Ghana
Casebook preparation on Ghana's Income Tax
Review of Ghana's Double Tax Agreement with the U.K
Prof Mills had a track record of financial knowledge and strong
professional credentials that led to his several important appointments.
In 1988, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills became the Acting Commissioner of
the Internal Revenue Service of Ghana and named Commissioner in
September 1996 and in 1997, Prof. Mills received another important
appointment.
On January 7, 1997, he was named the Vice President of the Republic of Ghana.
He is married to Ernestina Naadu, an educationist.
