Former Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, says the late President John Evans Atta Mills would be heartbroken by the destruction caused by illegal mining, the growing disregard for truth in the media, particularly online and the worsening culture of blind partisanship.
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Atta Mills would be heartbroken by effects of galamsey if he were alive – Charlotte Osei
Atta Mills would be heartbroken by effects of galamsey if he were alive – Charlotte Osei
By Noble Crosby Annan
Published: July 22, 2025
31 min read
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Former Electoral Commission Chairperson, Charlotte Osei, says the late President John Evans Atta Mills would be heartbroken by the destruction caused by illegal mining, the growing disregard for truth in the media, particularly online and the worsening culture of blind partisanship.
Delivering the 13th John Evans Atta Mills Memorial Lecture, she said these troubling developments stand in stark contrast to the values of integrity, humility, and national unity the former president embodied.
Read full speech below:
Your Excellency the President, Her Excellency the Vice President, Rt Hon Speaker of
Parliament, Hon Julius Debrah, Members of the Board of JEA Mills Memorial Heritage,
Members of the Atta Mills and allied families, Hon Ministers of State, Members of Parliament,
Excellencies of the Diplomatic Corps, Revered Chiefs and Queen Mothers, Our Lord and Lady
Justices, Members of the Fourth Estate, My brothers and sisters.
In a world of noise, integrity is a silent superpower
It is an incredible honour to stand before you today to deliver this year’s JEA Mills Memorial
Lecture. I do so with deep emotion and profound humility, paying tribute not only to a
president, but to a teacher, a mentor, and a father figure whose life significantly shaped mine
and the lives of many others.
As I prepare to share my reflections of Uncle Fiifi, I am reminded of former President
Muhammadu Buhari’s words: “President Atta Mills was a good man; a very good man; one of
the very best from our continent.” These words capture the essence of the man we honor
today.
My name is Charlotte Kesson-Smith Osei, and I had the extraordinary privilege of being taught
commercial law by Dr. Mills at the University of Ghana, Legon, and later Company Law at the
Ghana School of Law, where I won the prize for best graduating student in company law in
1994. Most significantly, in 2011, he appointed me as Chairperson of the National Commission
for Civic Education, making me the first woman to hold that position.
Today, I speak as a mentee reflecting on the profound impact of a teacher who saw potential
where others saw youth, who offered opportunity where others saw inexperience, and who
built bridges where others saw divisions.
The theme for this memorial lecture is “Atta Mills, A Case Study for the Fourth Republic.” I
approach this theme through three lenses: “Prof John Evans Atta Mills: The Man; The
Teacher; and The President; The Reflections of A Mentee.”
PART I: THE MAN – CHARACTER FORGED IN HUMILITY AND INTEGRITY (12 MINUTES)
————————————————————————-
The Foundation of Character (2 minutes)
Professor John Evans Fiifi Atta Mills was born on July 21, 1944, in Tarkwa, Western Region,
and tragically passed away on July 24, 2012, just three days after his 68th birthday. In those
68 years, he lived a life that exemplified the highest ideals of scholarship, public service, and
human dignity.
Wealth impresses the crowd. Character builds the republic.
Born to John Atta Mills Sr., an educationist at Komenda Teacher Training College, and Mercy
Dawson Amoah, young Fiifi was the second child and first son among seven siblings. From his
father, he inherited a love of learning and teaching; from his mother, he gained the gentle
strength that would characterize his leadership style.
His educational journey took him from Huni Valley Methodist Primary School to Komenda
Methodist Middle School, then to Achimota School, where he completed his Ordinary and
Advanced Level Certificates in 1961 and 1963. At the University of Ghana, he completed his
bachelor of law degree and professional law certificate in 1967.
Academic Excellence and Global Recognition (2 minutes)
Mills’ pursuit of higher education took him to the London School of Economics for his LLM in
1968, and then to the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London,
where he earned his PhD in Law in 1971 at the remarkably young age of 27.
His selection as a Fulbright Scholar to Stanford Law School in 1971 was not merely an
academic achievement; it was a testament to his character and potential. The Fulbright
Program chose Mills not just for his intellectual capabilities, but for his potential to be a
bridge-builder and a leader. At Stanford, colleagues remember him as someone who listened
more than he spoke, who asked thoughtful questions, and who approached every challenge
with both intellectual rigor and human compassion. He was, in the words of one Stanford
professor, “a scholar-gentleman in the truest sense of the term.”
Humility as a Leadership Virtue (2 minutes)
Perhaps no quality defined Mills the man more than his humility. In a continent where
political leaders are often known for high-handed approaches to power, Mills remained
remarkably grounded throughout his life and presidency. His humility was not weakness; it
was strength under control.
This humility was evident in his famous declaration: “I have always said that I will be President
for all Ghanaians whether they voted for me or not and without consideration for which part
of the country they come from.” These were not mere campaign promises; they were the
words of a man who truly understood that leadership is service, not privilege.
His approach to leadership emboldened me on two occasions to tell him that I thought a
decision he took was wrong, and in another case, unfair. He took the criticism calmly. We
argued as lawyers and eventually, in one matter, months later, I got a message: “You were
right and I was wrong.” That was such an emotional moment for me and a great lesson in
leadership.
Power that fears criticism is already bankrupt
Integrity in an Age of Compromise (2 minutes)
In an era when political integrity often seemed like an oxymoron, Mills stood as a beacon of
moral leadership. His integrity was not situational; it was absolute. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, current president of Nigeria, best captured this: “President Atta Mills was a man with
a profound, comprehensive intellect. Unlike many individuals whose public carriage as a
politician diverges negatively from their private persona, the private and public morals and
practices of this man were undifferentiated. There was no seam dividing the public official
from the private man. He was guided by a moral compass that did not waver according to the
circumstance.”
His approach to corruption was uncompromising: “I would not spare any government official
be it past or present, who would be found guilty of embezzling state funds.” This was not
political rhetoric; it was a moral conviction that guided his administration.
Ewurama’s story …. The law is the law
The Peacemaker’s Heart (2 minutes)
Mills was fundamentally a man of peace. This was not passive pacifism, but active
peacemaking. He understood that peace was not merely the absence of conflict, but the
presence of justice, understanding, and mutual respect.
His philosophy of peace was captured in his words: “we are going to ensure that there is peace
before, during and after the election, because when there is no peace, it’s not the elites who
will suffer, it’s the ordinary people who have elected us into office.”
I recall as a student, Prof telling us that “as far as possible, we should make sure we are not
the reason for anyone losing their job.” Many of my classmates remember these words of
caution. Later in my public life, in trying to emulate my mentor, I applied this advice,
sometimes to my own significant harm. But Prof was right – my conscience is clean and I am
at peace. So peaceful Prof Mills still wins the day.
The Complete Man: Sportsman, Family Man, and Believer (2 minutes)
Mills’ character was also shaped by his love of sports, particularly hockey. He played for the
Ghana national hockey team, learning valuable lessons about teamwork, discipline, and fair
play. The values from the hockey field – working together toward common goals, respecting
teammates and opponents, understanding that individual success means nothing without
team success – would later inform his political leadership.
Most of my law school colleagues would recall male students gathered around Prof after
lectures, not discussing commercial law or tax policy, but discussing football. That was the
measure of the man.
Behind the public figure was a devoted family man, married to Ernestina Naadu Mills, with
son Sam Kofi Atta Mills and many siblings and extended family. His approach to family life
reflected the same values that guided his public service: love, respect, commitment, and
sacrifice.
Mills’ character was deeply rooted in his Christian faith as a Methodist. His belief in divine
providence gave him strength to persevere through political defeats and personal challenges.
He genuinely believed that his talents and opportunities were gifts to be used in service of
others, not privileges to be enjoyed for personal benefit.
You can’t fake legacy, time always tells
The character of John Atta Mills the man created the foundation for everything he would
accomplish as a teacher and a president. His humility made him approachable, his integrity
earned him trust across divides, his commitment to peace created stability for progress, and
his love of learning inspired others to pursue excellence.
PART II: THE TEACHER – NURTURING MINDS AND BUILDING FUTURES (10 MINUTES)
————————————————————————
The Call to Academia (1 minute)
When Professor Mills returned to Ghana after Stanford Law School, he faced a choice that
would define not only his own future but the futures of countless young Ghanaians. He could
have pursued lucrative opportunities in private practice or international organizations, but
instead, he chose the path of the teacher.
Mills’ first formal teaching assignment was as a lecturer at the Faculty of Law at the University
of Ghana, Legon. He would spend the next 25 years in this role, rising to Associate Professor
by 1992. But the real measure of Mills the teacher lies not in his academic achievements,
though they were considerable, but in his impact on the minds and hearts of his students.
Reputation built in silence lasts longer than applause
Teaching Philosophy and Classroom Excellence (3 minutes)
For Professor Mills, the classroom was more than a venue for transmitting information; it was
a sacred space where minds were opened, characters were formed, and futures were shaped.
Students who attended his law classes remember a professor who demanded excellence but
provided the support necessary to achieve it. He had high expectations, so marks were usually
low! But he also had high investment in his students’ success.
Mills understood that teaching law was not just about imparting legal knowledge; it was about
developing legal minds. He taught his students not just what to think, but how to think. He
emphasized critical analysis, logical reasoning, and ethical reflection. He wanted his students
to understand not just the letter of the law, but its spirit and purpose.
Mills’ approach to teaching was deeply influenced by his understanding of law as a tool for
social justice and national development. He did not see legal education as merely professional
training, but as preparation for service to society. Hence his earlier admonition about not
being the cause of someone losing their job.
He also emphasized the importance of integrity in legal practice. He understood that lawyers
would often face situations where they could choose between personal gain and professional
ethics. Through his teaching and personal example, he sought to instill in his students the
moral foundation necessary to make the right choices.
Mentorship Beyond the Classroom (3 minutes)
While Mills was an excellent classroom teacher, his greatest impact as an educator came
through his mentorship relationships with individual students. He had an extraordinary ability
to identify potential in young people and to nurture that potential through guidance,
encouragement, and opportunity.
As one of his students in both commercial law and company law, I experienced firsthand the
transformative power of his mentorship. Professor Mills saw something in me that I had not
yet seen in myself. He challenged me to think more deeply, to write more clearly, and to
aspire more boldly. But more than that, he believed in me at a time when I was still learning
to believe in myself.
