President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that sometime after becoming President, he became aware of the sad state of Asomdwee Park, the burial place of the late Professor John Evans Atta Mills who died on the seat 10 years ago.
In 2020, he said he received a request from the “late President’s energetic Communications Director, Koku Anyidoho,” who runs the Institute named after the President, for the assistance of Government to rehabilitate the facility.
“I agreed, and, subsequently, I instructed the Coastal Development Authority to undertake a thorough rehabilitation of the Park, with the close co-operation of the Institute,” Mr Akufo-Addo said during the commissioning of the refurbished facility in Accra on Sunday July 24.
He added “It was not right that the Park had been allowed to deteriorate considerably over the years since his burial in 2012, and I am happy that it was under the Presidency of Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, allegedly his ‘fiercest critic’ that Asomdwee Park has been elevated to a status befitting the final rest.
“I did so with that objective solely in mind, and not to exploit or take advantage of any so-called divisions in the political party to which he belonged. Those alleged divisions are not of my making, and do not, in any way, inure to my benefit.
“There have also been unfortunate accusations levelled by some against Government about the supposed desecration of the tomb of the late President in the process of rehabilitating the Park. Nothing could be farther from the truth, and it is good to note that these false, malicious statements have been firmly dispelled and debunked by the Coastal Development Authority, through the agency of its CEO, Jerry Ahmed Shaib, in a public statement under his hand,” Mr Akufo-Addo added.
He further indicated that “My wife Rebecca and our children join me and the Government in reiterating our sincere condolences to his wife, Naadu, his son, his entire family, to the National Democratic Congress, and, indeed, to the people of Ghana for their great loss. The man from Ekumfi Otuam will not be forgotten.