It has often been the culture of Ghanaians not to pass any bad comment about the dead. A person might have little respect while alive, but becomes the most respected when he suddenly stops breathing. This has been our practice.
Before the 2008 elections, Dr. Sekou Nkrumah, reveals he got to know about the “serious” health challenges of the late former President Atta Mills. “People within the NDC were coming to tell me that when they went campaigning with Prof, there were serious health issues…it was clear he was ill and could not continue; yet he said he had good health and could continue”.
The late former president, we are told, died out of massive stroke by his brother, Dr. Cadman Mills. Ghanaians are yet to get official details about his death from government and this makes Dr. Sekou Nkrumah feel the current administration has poorly handled the whole matter.
He says that although it is no shame to die or fall ill, government had made the late president’s death look like one. “It is shrouded and unclear” as to why government would still hide details of his death, he stated on OKAY FM.
“Any of us can fall ill and get health complications and so on. It isn’t something that anybody can fault you or blame you for. It is no shame to fall sick and to die.
Part of the blame should fall on the late former president because he had been economical with the truth. Dr. Sekou Nkrumah revealed that unlike President Mills, when his father, who was Ghana’s first president passed on, details surrounding his death was made known.
“I recently gave an example of my old man; he died of prostate cancer. He developed the cancer in 1970 or so and by 1972, it had become so wide spread and he died of complications related to that”, he said.
Source: Peacefmonline
