Ghana: Govt Declares Holiday for Atta Mills Funeral

Government has declared Friday August 10, the day the late President John Evans Atta Mills will be laid to rest a public holiday.

The President John Dramani Mahama made this declaration after signing an Executive Instrument to affirm the decision on Friday.

The late President will be laid to rest at a special place in between Castle Drive and Marine Drive in Accra. This was communicated the Chairman of the Funeral Planning Committee Kofi Totobi Quakyi Thursday after further consultations with the family members of the late president.

This decision however did not come easy as the place to rest the fallen head of state became a subject of controversy between government and the family of the late President.

The Family members had proposed that their son be buried in his home town in Otuam in the Central Region but government prevailed on them to allow the burial to be done in Accra.

Then the specific place in Accra where government intended to bury the late president also became a subject of controversy.

The Jubilee House, the 70 million dollar edifice meant for the seat of government was initially proposed by government as the final place to rest the late president. This choice of place was vehemently opposed by section of the public who argued that the late president's soul will not find rest in the premises of the Jubilee House more especially as he refused to move into the place while he was alive.

At the heels of the raging controversies surrounding this venue, the family of the late President threatened to place an injunction on the funeral if government did not heed to their request to allow the late president to be buried in this home town.

After further consultations however, both government and the family of the late president came to a consensus on the final burial place.

According to government, burial site which is located around the Osu Castle will subsequently be developed into a Presidential Mausoleum.

The Funeral of the late President has been scheduled for 8-10 August by the Funeral planning committee.

He will be laid to rest on Friday, August 10, 2012.