By:Kenneth Appiah Bani
Samuel Koku Anyidoho, Founder and CEO of the MILLS Institute (Mindset, Integrity, Loyalty, Leadership, Service), has thanked former President John Dramani Mahama for naming the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) after the late President John Evans Atta-Mills.
UHAS was started in December 2011 through a law passed by Parliament. It was the idea of President Mills, who wanted to create a top university focused on health and community service. In 2012, he personally cut the sod at the university’s main campus in Sokode Lokoe, keeping his promise to open more public universities across Ghana. “Volta Region also deserves a public university of repute, and I am glad that today, that mission is being carried out with great joy,” he said.
Mr. Anyidoho, who was a close aide and loyal supporter of President Mills, praised President Mahama for the decision to honour Mills in this way. He said the move means a lot to him and to everyone who still values the legacy of President Mills.
“It has been a struggle to keep President Atta Mills’s legacy alive, and this decision by President Mahama brings great joy to my heart,” Koku said. “I am truly grateful. If I get the chance, I will thank him in person. All my hard work and prayers have paid off, and I am very happy.”
He also said this decision could help bring unity within the National Democratic Congress (NDC), the political party under which both Mills and Mahama served as Presidents.
“This wise decision by President Mahama opens a new door for peace and unity in the NDC,” he said. “Honouring our heroes is one of the best ways to keep the party’s values alive.”
Koku quoted one of President Mills’s famous sayings: “A nation that does not honour its heroes is a nation that is not worth dying for.” He believes that naming the university after Mills will touch the hearts of many Ghanaians who respected him.
He also pointed out that the law that created UHAS says the university must remain focused on health and related studies unless Parliament changes it. This matches President Mills’s original plan for the school.
“President Atta-Mills wanted UHAS to stay focused on Health and Allied Sciences, and now his soul can rest in peace because President Mahama has honoured his dream,” Koku said.
The renaming of UHAS is a powerful way to remember the values of service, humility, and leadership that President Mills stood for a legacy that still matters to Ghana today.
