Rawlings did not just issue orders, he joined his men - Former Accra Mayor

A former Mayor of Accra during the Rawlings administration, Mr Nat Nunoo Amarteifio has said the late former president Jerry John Rawlings always joined his men on the field to work in order to achieve results.

According to him, Mr Rawlings was not just interested in sitting in the office and issuing instructions to his appointees, rather, he supported them in person whenever necessary.

Mr Rawlings died at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital on Thursday November 12 after suffering a short illness.

Speaking in an interview with Johnnie Hughes on 3 FM in relation to the death of the Founder of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Mr Nunoo Amarteifio said “His instruction to me was very simple.

“Because he and I were in Achimota together and I was a year ahead of him, he called me prefect. So he said to me, prefect all I ask of you is to go and clean the city. Simple as that.”

He added “Mr Rawlings was very helpful, he interfered very minimally. Whenever he called me, it was to bring my attention to some report that he has heard about some part of the city not being attended to.

“When I could, I either explained myself as to why we had not gotten to that point and promise to expedite the action. He was not somebody who always sat in the office and gave directions, he went out onto the field.”

Current Mayor, Mohammed Adjei Sowah said the Accra Metropolitan Assembly (AMA) has lost their friend.

He also told Johnnie Hughes that Mr Rawlings was a pillar behind the AMA.

“At a point in time he also went to Adabraka Sahara with his daughter and he went round to look at the insanitary conditions and advised on how we should keep the place clean.

“He has been the pillar behind the scenes for us at the AMA in fighting insanitary conditions in Accra. We have lost a mentor, a leader and a very good man who had a good heart . It comes to us as a shock.”