Former National Democratic Congress (NDC) National Organiser, Wofa Yaw Boateng Gyan, has shared a touching account of the humility and compassion of the late President John Evans Atta Mills, recalling how he once rejected a lavish mansion offered to him during his tenure as president.

According to Boateng Gyan, the late President was deeply uncomfortable with gifts that appeared excessive, often questioning the motives behind such gestures.

Speaking in an interview with Accra-based Neat FM and sighted by GhanaWeb on X on August 13, 2026, he recounted an incident where Atta Mills was shown a magnificent house that had been arranged for him to occupy either after retirement or even during his tenure in office.

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He said despite the grandeur of the building, the late president declined the offer, insisting that such a gift was inappropriate and should instead benefit the less privileged.

“Anytime you give him something, he begins to question why that particular thing is being offered to him. One Sunday, he called me and asked that we go somewhere. It was just a few of us: myself, him, his driver, and his bodyguard, with another car. When we arrived at the place, which I will not disclose, the person we went to see said it was great that I was part of the group," he recounted.

"He then told me he had arranged a place for the President, where he could live after retirement or even stay while in office whenever he felt overwhelmed. In fact, the building was indeed very beautiful, but immediately he saw it, he asked me if he should take it. I was even expecting him to tell me to accept the house since I was renting at the time, but instead he questioned why the person was giving it to him," Boateng Gyan added.

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The former National Organiser also recounted that what struck him most was when the late President asked that the mansion be given to homeless people instead, questioning whether such a gesture would have been extended to him if he were not president but merely a lecturer at the time.

"He even remarked that if he were not president but rather a lecturer at the time, would such a magnificent house have been handed to him? He concluded that he would not take it and suggested it should rather be given to children and others struggling on the streets,” he said.

Watch the video below.

“The late President Atta Mills once rejected a huge mansion offered to him as a gift during his presidency and asked that it be sold, with the proceeds used to build homes for the homeless.”

— Wofa Yaw Boateng Gyan, former NDC National Organiser, shares a touching story about… pic.twitter.com/emXieZqiAd

— 𝐀𝐒𝐊 (@askghmedia) August 12, 2026