Aide to former President J.E.A Mills, Koku Anyidoho says he will not look unconcerned for the lack of political will to fuel what appears to be a complete erasure of the achievements of his late boss.
He says, he will personally through his established Atta Mills Institute ensure that, the legacies of the former statesman continue to linger on.
Seven years after the demise of the then sitting President, many say much has not been done in his honour.
While his final resting place –the Asomodwe Park is in a deplorable state, a library built in his name is also not in a good shape.
But recounting how he ‘promised’ the lifeless body, Mr. Anyidoho said, the actions or inactions of those responsible to make the former head of state popular for his good works will not in any way, deter him from honouring his vow.
“It has been seven years since Professor Mills passed on, he has nothing in his memory. When he passed on, I recall how I watched his lifeless body and said that, no matter what the state, family or everybody does, I Koku Anyidoho will do something to keep your legacies alive. These things are driven by actions with passion, you don’t put it in the ambits of state institutions when we can drive the mass agenda and keep the legacy”, he told Bernard Avle on The Point of View on Wednesday.
Dilapidated Asomodwe Park
Commenting on the poor state of the Asomodwe park, the former Deputy General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) questioned why the master plan to upgrade the facility has been neglected by both past and present governments.
“Facts are facts and so let us speak to the facts, Asomodwe park was designed with a business model attached to it. We had about two weeks for Mills’ burial so we had to quickly sort out that place for the burial. The master plan was that within one year, the park will become a state monument. Why is that, four and a half years of the NDC, the park was not developed?”
“My institute wrote officially to the Presidency this year that we do not have money so we beg them, if they could do something about the park. The late President didn’t agree to be buried at the park, it was the state that decided and the family agreed. Why then have we left that place in ruins?”, he fumed.
Abandoned Mills library
Whilst lamenting the little attention that has been paid to the Atta Mills Memorial Library, Mr. Anyidoho was optimistic that the Institute he has set up, will raise enough funds to make the library a state of the art one to project the ideals of the late President.
“Is the Attah Mills Library and even the Asomodwe Park worth of honour for the late President? That is why the Atta Mills Institute has come alive. Assuming the Asomodwe park is left like that and the library is closed forever, the institute will by the grace of God perfect that Atta Mills library. These two facilities do not seem to edify and glorify his name. This is why the institute is coming to propagate his ideals because he was a reformist and transformational leader.”
