Lord Boat’s Files: State of Mills Tomb Sums Up State of the Nation

Every political venture came to a halt and in one accord Ghanaians ensured that our President was properly handed a befitting burial.

The people of Ghana woke up Tuesday to be told through news reports that the tomb of the Late President Mills is in a deplorable state. According to the reports, portions of the tomb were falling apart, forcing managers of the park to support them with blocks.  It is also reported that the well-crafted metallic cover of the tomb, has developed grim cracks detaching itself from the rest of the artifact.

The condition of the tomb is such that it is an affront to the sanctity of the memory of the dead. This only reminds me of a video which was circulated forth night ago in respect of the dead body that was removed from the casket which was about to be lowered into the grave by some mortuary attendants because of unpaid debt.

The incident was a heart wrenching one yet very funny. It sent tongues wagging, with many dumbfounded. The mortuary men threw caution to the wind because of just Forty Ghana Cedis (40GHS), and subjected the dead body to public shame and opprobrium. What makes the situation much uncultured was the fact that just when the casket was about to be lowered into the grave this men surfaced from nowhere, opened the coffin, carried the dead body on their shoulders and headed back to the morgue until a miraculous intervention.

On 24th of July 2012 when the Asantes were retiring to do justice to their Fufu and Abekwan and the Gas were ready to munch Dokono ke Shito, whiles Tuo Zafi was shedding tears in the Norhtern part of the country, news broke that the most important person of our country had entered the city of the ghost.

Every political venture came to a halt and in one accord Ghanaians ensured that our President was properly handed a befitting burial.

The observation of the state of the tomb of Late President of our Republic only reflects the state of the nation as presented by the President last week. A condition the National Democratic Congress (NDC) vehemently refuted

Addressing Parliament on the state of the nation, President Akufo Addo told the house of Parliament that “I say nothing new or dramatic, when I tell this Honourable House that the economy of our country is in a bad way. After all, in the run-up to the recent elections, I said so, often and loudly. Some six weeks after taking over the reins of government, it gives me no pleasure to have to say that our worst fears have been confirmed, plus a few additional, unpleasant surprises as well”.

One of those surprises the President was referring to in my estimation is the state of the final resting place of the man many describe as an embodiment of peace. The economy was not the only sector the former government could not only manage properly but the tomb of Prof. Mills. It must be noted that the Asomdwe Park was virtually an annex of the seat of government.

 Today most of the social intervention programmes including the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is in the state of comatose. It is a fact that there is a decline in the growth of agriculture, our roads are not properly done and the citizens are still grappling with how to cope with the almighty dumsor which has become an international byword now. 

The down pour over the weekend once again exposed the architectural deficiency of those who assisted in building what has now become Circle Dubai. There has not been any significant measure to curtail the perennial floods that inundate areas like Circle and its surroundings. 

If there is one thing the African and for that matter Ghanaians are good at, it is the respect we give to the dead. The efforts families put in to source for funding to take care of the sick is disproportionate to the relentless efforts they mount to organize a befitting burial for the departed.

It is surprising that as a country we could not maintain the sanctity of the tomb of the late president? More so when the party that supervised this national disgrace is the very one the late President labored to bring it back to power.

It is heartening to hear that the government has with immediate effect, begun the rehabilitation work on the tomb and the Asomdwe Park in its entirety.  Let’s all ensure that we respect and keep the memory of the Late President aloft.