President John Mahama has stated that while his heart is still heavy at the demise of a great man he considered as a father and a mentor, it is a divine decision to shift the mantle of power to a younger generation.

President Mahama was speaking at a special programme to commemorate one week of the demise of his predecessor at the Efua Sutherland Park after a minute silence was observed by Ghanaians at 2:15 pm - the time the President was pronounced dead.

Prof. JEA Mills died on Tuesday, July 24, 2012 (exactly a week ago) at the 37 Military Hospital after a short illness and was succeeded by President John Mahama as per the constitutional requirements.

President Mahama told the sobbing crowd that: “God in his wisdom shifted the mantle of power to a new generation and I call on the generation of young people in this country to stand by me and let us show our fathers that we are ready to take over this responsibility and make a good job out of it.”

He said “my late President’s death has passed on a very heavy responsibility to me. I’m relatively young and it’s not an easy responsibility to carry. I can only carry this responsibility if I have the support of the majority of people of Ghana.”

President Mahama called on Ghanaians to rally together as he gears up to continue with the legacy of Prof. Mills. “I cannot do it alone. I was born in 1958. I am the first President of this country to be have been born in the nation Ghana after we attained independence.”

President Mahama further urged Ghanaians to forgive each other and unite to move the nation forward. He also appealed to members of President Mills’ family to forgive those who may have vilified him and join in organizing a befitting burial for the late president.

“While President Mills was alive, he was vilified and insulted. Today in death we realize the compassion and vision that this man had for Ghana. And so all we can do is to mourn with him together and I beg of you , let’s not exclude anybody from this funeral,” he pleaded, adding “I’m sure he is looking down at us from heaven and he is smiling. You never know the value of an asset you have until you lose it.”

He said Ghanaians must have the heart to forgive one another as the Bible stipulates and that “President Mills has paid the ultimate prize for this country and I urge all of us in our country, in our party and in the family to find the heart to forgive.”

“We have had our differences in this country, we have had our differences in government and in our party. Those differences have resulted in harsh words being used against one another,” he lamented.**