Remembering a Hero from Africa

Tribute to His Excellency Professor John Evans Atta Mills, former President of the Republic of Ghana in West Africa, a defender of what is true and right, a great Christian who fought the good fight of faith. A man of unquestionable humility and respect. A man of peace (Asomdwe hene) and a defender of morality and conscience.

President Atta Mills and President Obama
President Atta Mills and President Obama

President Atta Mills and President Obama

He was the third President of the Fourth Republic of Ghana. He was the Head of State, Head of Government and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of  the Republic of Ghana. In case you are wondering what is the significant of Ghana, well, don’t worry. Ghana is the gateway to Africa. It has been historically the champion of everything African (almost). Most of the slaves taken from Africa came from or passed through Ghana (formerly called Gold Coast and also know as the Slave Coast).  Ghana was the first country in Africa South of the Sahara to gain independence from British rule and people like Kofi Annan, former Gen. Secretary of the U.N. and the legendary Dr. Kwame Nkrumah all come from this great land.

President John F. Kennedy and President Kwame Nkrumah
1st President of the Republic of Ghana, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah with the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy in The Pentagon on 8 March 1961

Let President Mills  introduce himself to you:
“When, on October 1, 1971, and at the age of 27, with a Ph.D in law from the University of London, I started teaching at the Faculty of Law, University of Ghana, Legon, no soothsayer, prophet, fortune-teller or necromancer could have convinced me that one day I would abandon the serene and sheltered confines of academia and wander first into Ghana’s Public Service and then later wade through the shark-infested, hostile and tempestuous waters of politics, which term somebody has, rightly in my view, explained at the Ghana website as follows: “Poli” in Latin means “many” and “tics” means “bloodsucking creatures”.” President J.E.A. Mills (in a special 2002 lecture at UBC, Vancouver)

“My unshakeable resolve as a young, idealistic lecturer then was to teach until my compulsory retirement. But even though my lofty dreams did not materialize, and I sometimes ask myself whether this excursion outside the Ivory Tower was worth the effort, I am nevertheless always grateful to God and also the good people of Ghana for the rare opportunity they offered me to serve my dear nation. As to whether I made the best possible use of this opportunity, I shall not attempt an answer; I shall leave the judgment to the historians and posterity.”

The Gay Community would forever remember his response to UK Prime Minister David Cameron’s Gay aid threat:

“No one can deny Prime Minister Cameron his right to make policies, take initiatives or make statements that reflect his societal norms and ideals but he does not have the right to direct other sovereign nations as to what they should do especially where their societal norms and ideals are different from those which exist in Prime Minister’s society.

I as president of this nation will never initiate or support any attempt to legalise homosexuality in Ghana.”

RIP President Atta Mills


Godwin Delali Adadzie

Godwin Delali Adadzie

You can call me GADEL. Apologetics and theology are two of my favorite subjects, and you can read some of my work in these areas at Catholic Answers 101. I also care a lot about gun safety. Remember to pray always. Thank you.

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4 thoughts on “Remembering a Hero from Africa”

  1. Godwin, thank you for this reflection on your late President, John Mills. I had heard of his passing via the news services in the US but you have added such a personal touch to his life. ‘Many are called but few answer’ are words we can find in Scripture (not a exact quote) and President Mills is one who listened and followed where he was being called. He was not given more than he could handle, but probably more than he thought he could handle at first. There are many more great men and women out there we have not heard of, and probably won’t until they are called home, that it falls to others to tell us their stories.
    I need to check out your blogs as it seems you are doing what both Venerable Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI have called for, to evangelize to others.

  2. Pingback: Natural Family Planning Michael Sean Winters LifeSiteNews | Big ☧ulpit

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