A statue of Mahatma Gandhi at the University of Ghana made international headlines when staff and students called for its removal - meanwhile, President Mahama has stated that he admires the leader.

He made this known in an interview with Ovation Magazine. The interviewer asked him who he saw as his heroes.

“First I must mention Dr. Kwame Nkrumah, then I admire Mahatma Ghandi for his calm disposition and his non-violence struggle. Mandela naturally is one of my heroes. And then Prof Atta Mills. He is not only my hero but was my mentor.”

The statue of Gandhi was erected on June 14 this year at the recreational quadrangle of the University of Ghana; it was donated by India's president Pranab Mukherjee when he visited the campus.

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Since then there has been agitation from some lecturers, students, alumni and Ghanaians over the statue being on campus.

They say Gandhi was racist towards Africans, and in a petition listed the examples of his racism through his writing. The online petition called for  removal of the statue from the campus.

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Even though the University had promised to consider the demand of the petitioners, some unknown individuals suspected to be behind the ‘Gandhi must fall’ campaign defaced the statue by removing the signature glasses of the statue.

The Government has since resolved to relocate the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the University of Ghana campus to ensure its safety.