My Father Did Take A Lot In – Mills’ Son

Son of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, Samuel Kofi Atta Mills says though he was inspired by his father’s perseverance to contest the 2008 elections after lost to the NPP in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential elections.

According to him, he became a bit concerned when his father made public his interest to contest the Presidential elections.

“(My father) went the extra mile to prove that he had a vision because as the person that he was and as a man of God, he always seeks God’s opinion first. So, if God said to him that go the extra mile and other people were also like myself doubting the possibilities (he would have done that) …” Sam Mills said in an interview with Radio Gold.

Touching on his (late President Mills) leadership role in the nation, Kofi Mills believed his father was very tolerant and took it in his stride the negative media reportage and the political salvos that were hurled against his personality while in government.

To him, he would have acted differently from his father and tried to bring his critics to order if he ever stepped into the shoes of the late President.

“He (President Mills) had experience. He was a very intelligent person. So, he knew the best way in dealing with the people. And also whoever wanted to criticize him whether it was negative or positive, he just knew how to deal with the situation. He had a lot of patience and he was tolerant to a lot of things… he took a lot in. He did take a lot in. A lot of people wouldn’t have had the patience and the kind of character that he had to contain some of the things…And I think he sacrificed a lot for this country,” but if he (Kofi Mills) had gotten the opportunity to be in the stead of his father, he posited that, sometimes, he would have been a bit furious.

He wondered why his father allowed people to vilify him while alive and at the helm of affairs. Sam Mills said he sometimes asked his father; “Why would you allow people to talk to you like that or why would you allow people to insult you? I mean being who you are, I’m sure you have some level of control and you could kind of put some measures in place that people would not tow in a certain manner or not that kind of stuff.”

He however described late President Mills as his “biggest inspiration” who challenged him to aspire to greater heights but was uncertain if he can better the great exploits done by his father.

“People used to always say to me that you need to be greater than your father. I mean every child is supposed to do much more than the parent ever did and I always used to ask him; how can I be bigger than the President?” the late Prof Mills’ son asked.