President John Mahama has disclosed that former President Jerry John Rawlings repeatedly rejected attempts to have major national institutions and monuments named after him, including the University for Development Studies (UDS) and an offshore oil production vessel.

Speaking at a ceremony to rename the National Democratic Congress (NDC) headquarters as the JJ Rawlings House and unveil a bust of the late leader, Mahama said Rawlings was uncomfortable with efforts to immortalise his name.

"Rawlings himself, if he were alive, would have been very uncomfortable with this ceremony we are holding," he said.

According to Mahama, Rawlings declined a proposal to name UDS after him despite donating his World Food Prize Award as seed funding for the university.

The president also revealed that during his previous administration, Rawlings rejected a request to name the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel for the ENI Sankofa oil field after him.

Recalling Rawlings' response, Mahama said: "He said, 'Pass it on to President Kufuor. I prefer to have my name inscribed in the minds and hearts of men than on statues and monuments.'"

Mahama described Rawlings as a leader who was not interested in personal glorification and said the decision to rename the party headquarters was aimed at preserving the history and values of the NDC.

NDC National Chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketia confirmed that Rawlings had resisted efforts to name monuments after him during his lifetime.

"He always said that he wanted his legacy to remain in the minds and hearts of Ghanaians," Asiedu Nketia said.

However, he said the party decided to create a lasting symbol of Rawlings' legacy as generations change and fewer people have a direct connection to the late former president.

Kimathi Rawlings, son of the late president, described the renaming of the headquarters as a reaffirmation of the values of service, accountability and national progress that his father championed.