Kufuor: I Named Tetteh-Quarshie/Mallam Highway After George Bush

Former President John Agyekum Kufuor says he ordered for the Tetteh-Quarshie � Mallam highway to be named after former American president, George Walker Bush. He said the naming of the N1 highway after George Bush was entirely his decision and was pleased President Mills agreed to that even after he had left office. Prior to the commissioning of the Tetteh-Quarshie � Mallam highway on Wednesday, pro-Nduom groups called for the newly-constructed highway to be named after Dr Nduom instead of its official name of the George Walker Bush Motorway. Some also raised concerns over the decision to name a Ghanaian property after a foreign president. However, speaking in an interview on Okay FM�s Ade Akye Abia Show, the Gentle Giant as he is affectionately called revealed that the decision to name the highway after the former American president was in recognition of his contributions towards the establishment of the Millennium Challenge Corporation which funded the construction of the highway. �The decision to name the N1 highway after the former President George Walker Bush was entirely mine. I assured him when he visited Ghana that I was going to name the road after him for his contribution�I was humbled when President Mills accepted my order and named the road after Bush,� he said. He noted that the main vision for the construction of the N1 highway was to make the transportation of foodstuffs from the various villages to the city centers for marketing easier and also ease the flow of traffic on the road. Mr. Kufuor also dismissed assertions that Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom must be accorded all the credit for securing the $547 million under the Millennium Challenge Account for the NI Highway. According to him, he had a one-on-one interaction with George Bush which resulted in the securing of the funds. He further noted that it was never his wish or desire for the road to be named after him, saying, �it never occurred to me that the road should be named after me. I came to serve and I have finish serving so if after some time Ghanaians deem it necessary to honor me by naming something after me, that is fine but my ultimate aim as a president was to serve and I am sure I�ve done that very well.�