Former Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Kwabena Frimpong-Boateng, has paid tribute to late President John Evans Atta Mills, saying his admiration for the former leader was based on personal experience rather than political affiliation.
Speaking at the 14th Commemorative Lecture in honour of Professor Mills on Wednesday, July 22, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng revealed that he was dismissed twice during the late President’s administration, despite never being a member of the National Democratic Congress (NDC).
He said the first dismissal occurred in January 2009, shortly after President Mills assumed office, when he was removed as Chairman of the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
“I never belonged to Professor Mills’ party, and twice he dismissed me. The first dismissal was in January 2009 on radio, one of the earliest announcements of his presidency,” he said.
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said he learnt of his removal through radio reports, despite claims at the time that he had performed well in the position.
He said the second dismissal came in 2011 when he was removed from his role at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
“The second dismissal was in person. I received a dismissal letter from the late Mr Joseph Yieleh Chireh, the Minister for Health, on August 25th, 2011,” he recounted.
He added that President Mills later visited Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on August 30, 2011, accompanied by the hospital’s board chairman, to confirm that he had left office.
Despite the dismissals, Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said he held no bitterness towards the late President.
Rather, he said the experiences reinforced his belief in Professor Mills’ character and integrity.
“But I stand here anyway, not just by those dismissals, but in a sense because of them. They are my credentials,” he stated.
“A man who was removed twice by President Mills has no motive to flatter his memory. If I speak well of him, it is not because I owe him anything; it is because I knew him.”
Prof. Frimpong-Boateng said his respect for the late President was shaped by personal encounters with him years before he became President.
“I knew Professor Mills from three encounters, 11 years before the presidency touched him. And in those three meetings, I came to know exactly who he was, a very good person, a good man,” he said.
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