J.B. Danquah-Adu laid to rest
The remains of Joseph Boakye Danquah-Adu, the late Member of Parliament (MP) for the Abuakwa North Constituency, were laid to rest at Akyem Old Tafo in the East Akyem Municipality in the Eastern Region last Saturday.
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The whole town of Akyem Old Tafo and its adjoining communities were besieged by mourners who had travelled from far and near to pay their last respects.
The mourners were mostly New Patriotic Party (NPP) sympathisers, but other people touched by the humility and generosity of the late MP were in attendance.
Every open space in the town was filled with vehicles and traders selling NPP paraphernalia, clothing, medicines and foodstuffs, while the drinking spots made good sales.
The main Tafo-Bunso road leading to Akyem Old Tafo was jammed as some mourners had to park their vehicles and make the journey on foot to the park where the funeral was held.
The chiefs were not left out of the long list of mourners as the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, graced the occasion with a number of his sub-chiefs, while the retinue fired muskets.
The two major political parties did not lose the opportunity to make impressions as the parties in contention for Election 2016.
When Nana Akufo-Addo entered the arena for the funeral rites, the atmosphere was electrifying.
Mr Johnson Asiedu Nketia led the mourners from the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to the funeral grounds and they were accorded a tumultuous welcome by the mourners, including NDC sympathisers.
Many residents of Akyem Old Tafo, wearing black and red clothes, could not hold back their tears as the hearse carrying the casket of the MP drove at a snail’s pace from the open space where a burial service was held for him to a family cemetery for a private burial.
Some of the mourners, especially the women, broke down, while others bade him safe journey to his ancestral home.
Even as the pall bearers carried the casket from the hearse and lowered it into the grave, some of the residents continued to give testimonies of the good works and generosity of the late MP.
Burial
The interment was preceded by a burial service that was attended by dignitaries.
Nana Akufo-Addo, in his tribute, expressed gratitude to President Mahama for honouring the late J.B. Danquah with a state burial.
“We thank Mahama for giving J.B. Danquah-Adu a fitting burial. We thank him very much for honouring our brother this way because JB, as he was affectionately called, deserved it,” Nana Akufo-Addo said.
The NPP flag bearer said the industrious Boakye Danquah-Adu would have been a key member in his administration.
“He was a hard working individual, and we all saw it for ourselves; very industrious and engaging. He loved his people, his party and the family.
“I would want to disclose to the people of Abuakwa North that he was one of the key people I had intended to work with if God allows me to win the presidency,” he stated.
Humanitarian gestures
For his part, the New Tafo Circuit Methodist Minister, Very Rev Isaac Kwadwo Yeboah, who delivered the exhortation, recounted some of the numerous humanitarian gestures of the late MP, among which was his request to him to find about a hundred needy children for a special intervention programme, a project which was still ongoing.
He asked for forgiveness for the murderer of the late MP, urging the bereaved family to leave all the grief to God, saying, “Remember that vengeance is the Lord’s as recorded in the scriptures.”
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Very Rev Yeboah challenged the teeming crowd of mourners and sympathisers to have careful introspection to determine their stance with the Lord.
The former legislator
The former legislator was tragically murdered at his residence at Shiashie on February 9, 2016.
The death of the MP caused fear and panic in political circles, especially among parliamentarians, who had to put their sitting and other activities in Parliament that day on hold.
The murder of the MP, described by many as a decent, easy-going and philanthropic entrepreneur and politician, was not only a big blow to the NPP but also to his family, beneficiaries and the state as a whole.
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Prime suspect
The police arrested a prime suspect, Daniel Asiedu, who is currently standing trial.
Preliminary investigations suggested that the assailants might have used a ladder to enter the MP’s room via his window to execute their plan.