NCCE Chairman, Larry Bimi
The Chairman of the National Commission of Civic Education (NCCE), Laari Bimi, has passed away.
He was 66.
The man who chaired the NCCE for over a decade died at the Cardio Centre of the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital on Friday of a heart condition.
In line with Islamic convention, he was buried the next day at the Osu Cemetery, Saturday, an interment which attracted people from various walks of life.
He would be remembered by a cross-section of his colleague lawyers and the Association of Magistrates and Judges for joining the fray of attacks on the integrity of the judiciary.
His action at the time made the headlines, attracting mostly negative comments, as did others before him with similar sentiments.
His scathing comments were made during an NCCE activity.
The late Mr Bimi said the judges and magistrates were adopting Machiavellian tactics to gag outspoken lawyers in response to the response by judges, adding that he would rather go into farming than allow himself to be bullied by judges.
“They are trying to cow us and we should not allow that to happen because the moment we cannot criticize our judiciary then our freedom and justice as contained in our preamble [of the 1992 Constitution] will be gone and when these things are gone, our democracy is in danger,” he stated.
Mr Bimi said there was no justification for the Judges and Magistrates Association to refer him and his colleagues to the General Legal Council because “we didn’t mention any particular judge; we didn’t mention any particular official or person.”
He said there were reports about judicial corruption in the country and wondered why the judges and magistrates did not challenge those findings.
The deceased was blacklisted alongside three of his colleagues, Chris Ackummey, Abraham Amaliba and Dr Raymond Atuguba by the Judges and Magistrates Association for their stance on the integrity of the judiciary.
For others outside the learned fraternity, they would remember him for his almost constant efforts at making Ghanaians understand the Constitution. His outfit NCCE is one state agency with limited resources to undertake its mandate of undertaking civic education of the citizenry.
Speaking to Joy News shortly after the news hit town, his younger brother, Dr. Langbong Bimi said the death had devastated the family, adding that a week ago, he had gone to hospital for a regular dialysis.
“It is even more than a shock. It was a short illness; he has been on and off for sometime,” he said.
Continuing, he told the station that “I even spoke to him on [last week] Friday; he told me what to do and what not, and was ready to come back on [last week] Saturday. The doctors had said they will do the last thing and he will come back on Saturday but I went there on Sunday and he couldn’t even talk, then unfortunately yesterday (Friday), the unfortunate thing happened. I don’t know which adjective to use, it’s a big shock; a big tree has fallen.”
Nana Ato Dadzie, one-time Chief of Staff during the Rawlings’ regime and a close pal of the deceased, said he broke down like a baby upon hearing the news.
His subordinates have described him as a wonderful person, strong-willed and steadfast.
Sympathisers trooped to his residence at Cantonments as soon as new about his death broke.
The Muslim community has also expressed shock at the death of the chairman of the NCCE.
Speaking to Radio Ghana, the Deputy Ameer and Missionary in charge of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission, Maulvi Yusuf Yawson, described Mr. Bimi as a gentleman.
His colleague with whom judges and magistrates blacklisted, Chris Akumey, said he regretted Mr. Bimi did not live to see the success of the struggle against oppression and freedom of speech.
By A.R. Gomda