Dr Cadman Mills
Dr Cadman Mills, brother of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, has described as ‘legend’ claims that their family hails from Ekumfi Otuam in the Central Region.
He said the Atta Mills family has always been in Cape Coast, adding that during the funeral of the late president, a ‘borrowed’ family was created for them in Otuam but could not mention who had created it.
“There is this legend that former President Mills comes from Otuam, it’s probably true, I don’t know, but the first time I heard of this legend was when I was about 60 years old,” he told Starr FM in Accra on Thursday.
The circumstances under which former President Mills died on July 24, 2012 became a taboo subject when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) was in power, but the mystery seems to be unraveling itself since the New Patriotic Party (NPP) took over power on January 7 after resoundingly defeating the NDC in the 2016 general election.
Borrowed Family
Dr. Cadman Mills, an economist, said the NDC government rather dealt with the ‘borrowed’ family in Otuam during the funeral instead of the real family in Cape Coast, and did not understand why the supposed family in Otuam took the decision of exhuming his brother’s body from the ‘Asomdwoe’ Park near the Osu Castle, where the late Prof. Mills had been buried, to Otuam.
“I have lived that long without knowing that I had any links in Otuam; I am telling you this. I did some research on it, and I was told that somewhere when he (Prof. Mills) was filing his nomination papers, he put there that he hails from Otuam or something like that.”
He said, “What is most scandalous is that perhaps Bola Ray (interviewer) believes former President Mills comes from Otuam. When he died, you knew that he had siblings, so they also must come from Otuam, at least ask us to lead you to the family in Otuam.”
Twin Brothers
Dr. Cadman Mills continued that “out of nowhere, I mean we Ghanaians can be very bold, people I don’t know from Adam, I never heard of become my family heads and my family,” adding “They even published pictures of the twins, President Mills and I.
“They invented a family for me. Ever since I was born, I was told that we come from Cape Coast. I thought maybe it was political because nobody comes from Cape Coast. So that is why it was necessary for Prof Mills to do that, if he indeed did that, to put another town Otuam, as his home town or where he hails from. The real family is in Cape Coast,’ he disclosed.
Curiously, Dr. Cadman Mills’ latest declarations run contrary to the NDC’s campaign that the late president hailed from Otuam and even prepared documentaries to that effect.
Cadman said that his father’s brother married a woman at Otuam and said that there are Atta Millses there, insisting, “My mother doesn’t come anywhere from Otuam.”
Total Neglect
He also claimed that the NDC government treated the family of the late president shabbily and said the family was yet to know the entitlements of Prof. Mills under Article 71.
“As far as the government is concerned, and I make no difference from the NDC or NPP, they have treated President Mills shabbily,” Dr. Cadman Mills said, adding, “Up till this day nobody has called me to say your brother died in office and according to this report your brother is entitled to this or that.”
DAILY GUIDE sources say the late Prof Mills’ wife, Ernestina Naadu Mills, has reportedly been given a house in a plush area of Accra as part of the late president’s entitlements as public office holder.
He admitted that he was aware government was taking care of Mrs. Naadu Mills as a former first lady and that she was getting something – she has security in her house and other things but the family was not formally aware of anything of that sort.
Besides, he said even though the family has not formally been informed, he also heard the government rented an apartment for Samuel Atta Mills [Kofi Sam], the late president’s only son, but as of now, the family has not been informed whether or not Professor Mills was entitled to something.
By William Yaw Owusu