Former President Jerry John Rawlings has described himself as “an eternal servant of the people of Ghana”.

He made this description on Saturday, October 12, 2013 while delivering an acceptance speech following conferral of an honorary degree on him at the University of Development Studies (UDS).

The honorary doctorate degree was originally scheduled to be awarded on the former president in 2000 but was called off.

Rawlings asserted he was not perturbed by the “delay”.

“My purpose for starting with this reference is that, seeking justice and speaking for it, is a long drawn-out struggle; for others, they get it on a silver platter,” he said.

“As an eternal servant of the people of Ghana, I’d like to offer a few reflections on the subject of ‘Leadership for Sustainable Development under Ghana's Transition to Democracy’ from the point of view of a practitioner who lives and swears by the people whose interests are paramount and whose leadership is relevant,” he noted.

Former President Rawlings recounted days of the revolution saying “we did all these in a record time of 3 months”.

President John Dramani Mahama, who was present at the ceremony, was unhappy with the undue delay in the award of the degree on Ex-President Rawlings saying it was “eight years too late”.

He expressed government’s commitment to bridging the gap between the north and the south by expanding facilities at UDS.