That President Mills was a public-spirited soul is evidenced by his over 25 years as a university teacher, 10 years as a technocrat and 13 years as a politician. He served on the boards of several public entities such as the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE). His lifelong dedication to serving his country men and women was his credential as a patriot, not he self-professing his nationalism. For, none is a patriot but the person who lays his life for his country, as President Mills did by falling ill on duty, and dying on that fateful day after he had long rejected his advisers' counsel that he should cool off at the high-altitude presidential Peduase Lodge, near Aburi, Eastern Region. His patriotism was exemplary.

This shows that ours was a selfless President. This enviable legacy of Mills is worth emulating by the present crop of politicians and public servants. But the irony is that many observers say Mills was not cut out to be a politician since he was such a fine gentleman who could hardly hurt a fly. But he has proved the notion that one can be soft and still be a good public office holder.

Vicissitudes of Politics

After he was sworn into office as president on January 9, 2009, Professor Mills wasted no time to assure Ghanaians that he was the best person who could continue, improve and sustain the development projects and national peace efforts started by President John Kufuor. Prof. Mills declared himself a "Father for all" Ghanaians in his inaugural speech. He embarked on implementing his government's development blue-print, "Better Ghana Agenda," with relish, chalking some success in macro-economic stability, the provision of infrastructure and crop production, storage and marketing.

Mills understood, and withstood, the vicissitudes of politics very well. Mills was a resilient personality who remained focused in the face of serious adversity from the opposition and acrid intra-party criticisms and attacks. As a patient and peaceable person, despite the anti-Mills rumblings from within powerful high places in the National Democratic Congress (NDC), he declined to personally counter them. Even when he was deliberately provoked to retaliate, he resisted that temptation. He remained calm, cool, collected and composed, comporting himself very much as a true mature father, leader and statesman.

The peace-loving President Mills was unofficially christened 'Asomdwehene' ('King of peace') but the Brong Ahafo Regional House of Chiefs customarily conferred that title on him in 2011. He invited former President Kufuor to the seat of government and conferred with him, to the chagrin of many NDC members. Seeing him with Kufuor in a tete-a-tete on TV was reassuring to many of their compatriots, and this eased political tension.

He was also a unifier. His was an all-inclusive government made up of some members of the Convention People's Party and People's National Convention. He even appointed qualified independent-minded persons, and open-minded NPP members and supporters such as Lawyer Aboagye (GSE), Mr Kwame Pianim (Petroleum Commission) and Abdul-Rahman Haruna Attah (Ghana News Agency) to boards of state-owned organisations. The Essamuah twin brother (Kakra and Panyin) left the NPP and went along with Mills, pointing his quality as a peace-maker and unifier as the allure. Due to this singular trait of Mills, even Augustine 'Goosie' Tanoh and others, who broke away from the NDC because Rawlings declared Mills the flag-bearer without an election, returned to the party to support him. With Mills as party leader, Dr Obed Asamoah and his allies who decamped from NDC to form the Democratic Freedom Party recently re-united with the NDC.

A die-hard Nkrumaist, President Mills declared first President Kwame Nkrumah's birthday, September 21, as Founder's Day - a public holiday. Mills honed his political thinking and skills at the then Winneba-based Kwame Nkrumah Ideological Institute.

Mills had his faults as every mortal has; but his deep religious attachment was unquestionable. He was always prayerful. No wonder last year he invited Christian and Muslim leaders to the Peduase Lodge and dialogued with them on peace, unity and national development. Based on his unshakable Christian faith, he left no doubt that he was an impeccable man of rare integrity whose incorruptibility has been attested to by friends and foes. For instance, Mr Pianim, an NPP big gun, stated unequivocally that he could vouch for Mills' integrity as he personally witnessed Mills resolutely refusing to succumb to bribery.

Mills was born on July 21, 1944 at Tarkwa in the Gold Coast but he hailed from Ekumfi Otuam, a small town in the Mfantsiman East Constituency in the Central Region. Mills' father was a teacher and the usual transfers associated with the profession made young John to attend several basic schools in various parts of the British colony.

Mills' Education

He later attended the prestigious Achimota School where he passed his General Certificate of Education Advanced Level examinations with flying colours in 1963. He matriculated into University of Ghana (UG) where he obtained a Bachelor of Law degree and received a Barrister of Law Certificate from Ghana School of Law (GSL) in 1967.

While studying for a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Law at the world-renowned School of Oriental and African Studies at University of London in the United Kingdom (UK), Mills' stellar academic performance informed his selection as a Fulbright Scholar at the Ivy League-styled Stanford Law School in the United States (US). After impressively defending his doctoral thesis, Mills was awarded a PhD in Taxation and Economic Development at the age of 27.

His Professional Life

Mills was engaged as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at UG. He taught and undertook research, producing most of the creme de la creme of lawyers in Ghana. Many of his students still remember him as a generous fatherly figure who used to help some needy students academically and financially. At the Faculty, where he was once the Dean, many colleagues, subordinate workers and students cannot forget him as a loving, kind-hearted and soft-spoken peace-maker who was principled, fair and firm. For his enormous contributions to the Faculty, Professor Mills was given a special meritorious award during the 50th anniversary of the Faculty.

While at UG, Mills lectured at other tertiary institutions such as GSL. He was promoted from senior lecturer to Associate Professor in 1992. He travelled globally as a visiting lecturer and Professor to several high-profile institutions like London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK, Temple Law School in Philadelphia (US) and Leiden University (The Netherlands). He also presented research papers at international symposia and conferences. He wrote over 30 books and refereed publications on taxation and related subjects.

Taking cognisance of Prof. Mills' technocratic know-how, President Jerry John Rawlings plucked him from the Ivory Tower and appointed him Commissioner of the then Internal Revenue Service (IRS). A workaholic whose fruitful diligence cannot be faulted, Prof. Mills continued to lecture Law of Taxation at GSL.

His Political Career

After performing excellently as the IRS Commissioner, President Rawlings, who has a keen eye for men of hard work, honesty and integrity, chose Prof. Mills as his running mate for the 1996 presidential election. He vigourously campaigned with Rawlings and their NDC won the election. Thus, he became President Rawlings' Vice President from 1997 to 2000. During that period, he was the chairperson of the government's Economic Management Committee.

Rawlings handpicked Mills as his successor for the 2000 presidential election but he lost to the NPP's Mr Kufuor due mainly to majority of Ghanaians' desire for change after 11 years rule of the Provisional National Defence Council military regime and eight years of the NDC administration. In 2002, Prof. Mills was a visiting scholar at the Liu Centre for the Study of Global Affairs, University of British Columbia, Canada.

Elected the NDC's standard-bearer, he contested the 2004 presidential election and again lost to President Kufuor. A go-getter and retired sportsman who never gives up, Prof. Mills won the NDC primary by a landslide against four other contestants. An astute politician, Mills and his campaign team crafted the I-Care-for-You electioneering strategy which saw him traverse the nooks and crannies of Ghana, interacting with farmers, fisherfolk, marketwomen, housewives, the sick and the aged to solicit their support for his 2008 presidential bid. Today, his door-to-door campaign stratagem is being copied by other politicians.

When some prominent NDC members lost hope in him, he proved them wrong by triumphing in a presidential run-off against NPP's Nana Akufo Addo in December 2008. Mills' victory indicated that he was unbeatable in terms of his across-the-board appeal to the electorate, especially the so-called "floating voters" who were really the king-makers in the 2000 and 2008 run-offs. Some people considered Mills as a God-ordained leader of the country because they never expected him to sail through the elections successfully after he suffered three defeats.

President Mills was a gentle but strong personality. When Rawlings anointed him as his successor without an election, out of his inherent humility, equanimity and gratitude, he said he would continuously consult Rawlings for advice. His detractors took this statement as a weakness that would turn him into Rawlings' puppet. But true to his principles, Mills declined to select the choice of Rawlings and his wife, Mrs Betty Mould-Iddrisu, as his running mate, and rather went in for current President John Mahama. Mills' problem with the Rawlingses started at this juncture. As president, he also proved that he was his own man, further courting the ire of his benefactors - the Rawlingses. We are eternally grateful to ex-President Rawlings for giving us Mills - an altruistic leader. He was re-elected on the NDC ticket to contest the December presidential elections.

Mills was born a God-loving and God-fearing leader. He was a veritable embodiment of honesty, humility, integrity, sagacity and unity. His innate patience was unparalleled. He left behind his wife, Ernestina Naadu, a son, Samuel Kofi, and brothers and sisters. Our condolences go to his family. Rest in perfect peace, Prof! Damirifa due, Prof. Damirifa due!! Damirifa due!!!