Prez leads delegation for Asantehemaa’s burial
The President, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, yesterday led a high-powered government delegation to the Manhyia Palace to pay homage to the Asantehene, Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, as part of the burial rites (Doteyie) for the late Asantehemaa, Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II.
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The President’s presence at the funeral grounds at 3:26 p.m. sent the place into a frenzy, as mourners surged forward to catch a glimpse of him and his entourage.
Nana Akufo-Addo first filed past the remains of the Asantehemaa which were lying in state at the Asantehemaa’s Palace at Manhyia before hitting Dwabirem where he exchanged pleasantries with the chiefs gathered, as custom demanded.
As the President greeted the chiefs, other mourners attempted to get closer, but security personnel who were alert prevented them from doing so.
He wore the traditional black cloth (kuntunkuni) and native sandals to match, and after greeting the Otumfuo, he sat next to former President John Agyekum Kufuor and a former United Nations Secretary General, Mr Kofi Annan.
Delegation
Accompanying the President were Mrs Frema Opare-Osei, the Chief of Staff; Mr Yaw Osafo-Maafo, the Senior Minister- designate; Mr Alan Kyerematen, Trade and Industry Minister-designate; Mr Stephen Asamoah-Boateng, a former MP for Mfantseman West, and Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, the minister-designate for Agriculture.
Others were Ms Elizabeth Agyemang, a former MP for Oforikrom; Mr Bernard Antwi-Boasiako, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the New Patriotic Party (NPP); Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, a former MP for Bosomtwe; Mr Robert Yaw Amankwah, a former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the NPP; Mr Samuel Pyne, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of the NPP, and a host of former MPs.
Gifts
After the Asantehene had sent a delegation to welcome the President and the government delegation to the grounds, as custom demanded, the President presented a number of burial gifts (adesiedee), including gold dust, boxes of drinks, an undisclosed amount of money, Kente, handkerchiefs and flowers.
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The President spent about an hour and a half at the grounds.
Tributes
Meanwhile, a number of world leaders have paid tribute to the late Asantehemaa, a statement signed by the Chief of Staff at Manhyia, Mr Kofi Badu, and issued in Kumasi has said.
Among those who have sent their tributes are the King of Morocco, His Majesty King Mohammed IV; the Kabaka of Buganda, Roland Muwenda Mutebi II; a former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby.
In a message delivered by a special emissary to Otumfuo Osei Tutu, King Mohammed praised the Asantehemaa as a wise leader who made a great impact on the lives of her people.
The Kabaka of Buganda, in his message, recalled that he and his delegation had the privilege to meet and chat with the Asantehemaa when they attended the ninth anniversary of the coronation of Otumfuo Osei Tutu.
“At a very ripe age of 111 years, Nana was, indeed, a great lady who nurtured an amiable King,” the Kabaka said, adding: “We thank the Lord who gave her the strength and courage to raise you as the future leader of Ashanti, a job you’ve done with tremendous zeal.”
The Archbishop of Canterbury said it was with great sadness that he received news of the death of the Asantehemaa and sent his prayers and deepest sympathy to His Majesty.
“We give thanks that the Asantehemaa was able to reign as queenmother of the Asante Kingdom for 39 years and was a wise and strong figure, reaching the ripe old age of 111 years,” he said.
He said Lambeth Palace would remember His Majesty and the Royal Family in their prayers and especially hold a special mass for them during the period of her lying in state.
Obasanjo
Former President Obasanjo, in his message, described the death of the Asantehemaa as a loss not only to the Asante Royal Family but also the entire people of the Asante Kingdom and Ghana in general.
He used the opportunity to pay tribute to “our parents and thank them for their steadfast love for us, for their generosity and self-sacrifice”.
“I pray that our Eternal Father who alone can control the days that are gone and the deeds that are done may remove from your late mother’s memory the weight of past years, so that she may reach forth and attain, without hindrance, the eternal glories of Heaven,” former President Obasanjo said.
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