I Never Saw Atta Mills In That Brown Attire - Haruna Iddrisu Reacts To New State Bust

The Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu, has wondered why the choice of colour for the new state bust unveiled in honour of the late former President of Ghana, Prof. John Evans Atta Mills, is in brown.

According to the Leader, it is already enough offense for the bust that was unveiled in the honour of the late president to have been done without any indications of his name.

The Minority Leader was addressing a press conference on Monday, July 25, 2022, at parliament, when he explained that the colour is not something he ever saw the former statesman wear.

“Persons who visit the Asomdwee Park must know that it’s the final resting place of the late John Evans Atta Mills, president of the country, who passed on in office and to his eternal memory, this bust is put in place.

“How then can any of you explain that just beneath the bust, you’ll see who unveiled it and who sponsored or who supported it: that is not his name and for the unsuspecting people, somebody may come and the picture may be referred to as ‘unveiled by.’ In any case, I never even saw Prof. Mills in that kind of brown attire,” he said.

The Minority Leader has also asked the government to correct the error and ensure that the right thing is done.

“You know, everywhere in the world - those of you who have visited the Lincoln Memorial in the United States, it’s for his eternal memory that you put his name there so that visitors will know that this is John Evans Atta Mills, the third president of the fourth republic who passed on in public service, serving Ghana as its president, not who has altered where his final sleeping place is or who sponsored it. The president and his associates must take immediate steps to go and correct that wrong and that anomaly. We find it incredibly unacceptable and incredibly offensive,” he added.

John Atta Mills died on July 24, 2012, becoming the first president in the country to have died in office.

He was buried in Accra at the Asomdwee Park, which has since seen a major upgrade amidst several controversies.

Upon his death, John Dramani Mahama took over as president.