President, Veep, Kufuor, Mahama Pay Rawlings Last Respect

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President Akufo-Addo consoling Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings

President Akufo-Addo and Vice-President, Mahamudu Mahamudu Bawumia yesterday joined the list of high-profile personalities to pay their last respects to the late former President Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings.

Together with their respective spouses, the two leaders went to the Accra International Conference Centre (AICC) venue where the mortal remains of Mr. Rawlings, who ruled the country for almost 20 years has been laid in state for public viewing.

First to appear at the scene was President Akufo-Addo with his, wife Rebecca.

After filing past the remains of the late former President, which has been kept in a glass cage and manned by officers of the Ghana Armed Forces, they went to greet and console the bereaved family including the widow, former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings, and her four children.

Moments later, Dr. Bawumia also arrived at the Conference Centre in the company of his wife, Samira, and after filing past the remains also went to greet and console the bereaved family.

Also present at the location was the Chief of Staff, Frema Osei-Opare, and other key and influential members of government to pay their respects and commiserate with the bereaved family.

Former Presidents Kufuor and Mahama were also there to console the bereaved family.

Speaker of Parliament, Alban Kingsford Sumana Bagbin, also stormed the place together with Members of Parliament (MPs).

Dressed in red and black, the Speaker and the MPs filed past the remains of late J.J. Rawlings and sympathized with the bereaved family.

The MPs who were present to file past the body included Majority Leader in Parliament, Osei Kyei-Mensah-Bonsu; Minority Leader in Parliament, Haruna Iddrisu; the MP for Madina, Francis-Xavier Sosu; the MP for Awutu Senya West, Gizella Tetteh-Agbotui, and a host of others.

This formed part of the final funeral rites to bid farewell to the national hero.

A state funeral is scheduled to take place at the famous Black Star Square (Independence Square) this morning, to be climaxed by a burial service.

The mortal remains of Rawlings will finally be interred at the military cemetary behind the Burma Camp, Accra, as a former Head of State and Commander in Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces.

Mr. Rawlings passed away on Thursday, November 12 at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital at the age of 73 after a short illness.

He seized power twice in military coups but he is credited for Ghana’s emergence as a stable democracy.

Rawlings’ takeovers in 1979 and 1981 were marked by authoritative rule and the execution of senior military officers, including Gen Frederick Akuffo, whom he overthrew in the first coup.

But Rawlings went on to oversee Ghana’s transition to multiparty democracy before stepping down in 2001.

Today, Ghana is considered one of West Africa’s most mature democracies and regularly sees power change hands between its two main parties, the governing New Patriotic Party (NPP) and opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), which Rawlings founded.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu

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