I'LL BE FATHER TO ALL - Prez-elect pledges

Front Page, lead, (Daily Graphic), January 5/2009

Story: Charles Benoni Okine
THE President-elect, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, has pledged his commitment to lead the country as the third President of the Fourth Republic without discrimination against anyone and urged all to get on board.
“I will be a true father for the entire nation and a President for all,” he told hundreds of enthusiastic NDC supporters who had gathered at his campaign office at Kuku Hill, Osu, a few hours after the Electoral Commission (EC) had officially declared him winner of the most keenly contested presidential election in the country’s history.
Hours earlier, the Chairman of the EC, Dr Kwadwo Afari-Gyan, had declared Professor Mills the President-elect, after he had won 4,521,032 votes, representing 50.23 per cent of the total valid votes cast, to beat his rival, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), who had 4,480,446, representing 49.77 per cent.
Total valid votes cast were 9,001,478, representing 72.91 per cent of the total number of registered voters of 12,472,758.
Spotting a white short-sleeved linen shirt over a black pair of trousers and a black pair of shoes, the former Vice- President entreated those who harboured fears of discrimination under his reign to disabuse their minds and join him to work for a better Ghana.
Before Prof Mills’s maiden pronouncement as the President-elect, NDC stalwarts and supporters had danced to party songs provided by a giant mobile van placed a few metres away from the specially built stage draped in the national colours to signify the suspension of party politics after a crunch election.
Among the NDC stalwarts were Mr E.T. Mensah, the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ningo Prampram; Mr Elvis Afriyie Ankrah; Mr Fiifi Kwetey, the Propaganda Secretary of the party; Mr Totobi Quakyi, a former Head of National Security under the Rawlings administration, among others.
“It has been a long journey towards this day but, thankfully, we have come to the end of the road,” Prof Mills admitted to spontaneous cheers from his supporters who were clad in all manner of party paraphernalia.
He said the elections were over and so there was no more NDC Ghana or NPP Ghana but one Ghana and urged all to join him to develop the country.
“We are all aware that there were many candidates in the December 7 elections but this was narrowed down to two in the run-off and by the grace of God I have emerged the winner to run the affairs of the state,” he said.
Prof Mills congratulated all contestants in the presidential election, particularly Nana Akufo-Addo, “for giving me a good fight” and expressed the hope that they would all work together for a better Ghana.
He thanked the EC and the security services for their professionalism in the discharge of their respective duties during the activities leading to and during the elections and after.
To his supporters, he said, “You have every reason to celebrate,” but urged caution, saying, “Let us do it in such a manner that it will not provoke anybody.”
Prof Mills said the victory was only a step into the future and indicated that although he had gracefully accepted the challenge ahead, he was heavily relying on God for guidance.
“I pray to God for wisdom, humility and guidance to be able to steer the affairs of the nation and I am optimistic that the Good Lord will shower his blessings on me to be able to succeed,” he said.
Born at Tarkwa in the Western Region of Ghana on July 21, 1944, Prof Mills hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region.
He launched a life-long interest in acquiring knowledge at Achimota School, where he obtained his GCE (Advanced Level) in 1963 and attended the University of Ghana, Legon, where he received a bachelor's degree and professional certificate in Law in 1967.
While earning a PhD in Law from the prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) in London, Mills was selected as a Fulbright Scholar at the equally prestigious Stanford Law School in the US.
At 27, he was awarded his PhD, after successfully defending his doctoral thesis in the area of taxation and economic development.
Prof Mills's first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at Legon, where he spent close to 25 years imparting knowledge, rising from a lecturer to senior lecturer and associate professor.
His contribution to the intellectual development of the country is remarkable, having served also on numerous boards and committees.
During the almost 30 years of teaching and researching, Prof Mills travelled as a visiting lecturer and professor at a number of educational institutions world-wide and presented research papers at symposiums and conferences throughout the world.
Prof Mills, who campaigned on ‘Change’, just like the President-elect of the US, Mr Barack Obama, has more than a 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).
His expertise goes well beyond the classroom and is evidenced by the various examiner positions he held with finance-related institutions throughout Ghana (that is, the Institute of Chartered Accountants, the Institute of Bankers, the Ghana Tax Review Commission, etc).
As an advocate for recreation and active sportsman and sports fan, Prof Mills has supported the academic community and the nation at large through his contribution to the Ghana Hockey Association, the National Sports Council of Ghana and the Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club. Indeed, he is a keen hockey player and once played for the national team and is still a member of the Veterans hockey team.
He has also chaired the boards of the National Sports Council and Accra Hearts of Oak Sporting Club. As a lover of the pool, he spends close to two hours, when he has the time, swimming as a way of exercising.