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Ex-President
Kufuor pays tribute to Salia
Accra, March 10, Ghanadot/GNA – Ex-President John Agyekum
Kufuor on Tuesday said the late Edward Salia, NDC MP for
Jirapa, distinguished himself as a statesman and deserved
the honour of a state burial.
He said: “When I heard that President Mills has decided to
honour him with a state burial I thought it was in the right
direction because it is a mark of great distinction for a
man to have served his country in the capacity of Member of
Parliament and two-time cabinet Minister.”
President Kufuor made the remark when the family of the Mr
Salia called on him to formally inform him about his demise.
Mr Salia passed away on February 16 at the age of 57.
President John Evan Atta Mills recently announced that the
remains of Mr Salia would be laid in state at the forecourt
of Parliament House on March 19 before his final funeral
rites in his home town, Jirapa, on March 20-21.
Ex-President Kufuor consoled the widow and children of the
deceased and urged them to take solace in the fact that even
though their father died at a relatively young age, he
served his country and community with distinction.
“The whole nation is with you in mourning your father and
that should signal to you that when you serve your country
with dedication you will be noticed by all,” he said.
The former President said Mr Salia’s death should draw
Ghanaians closer to their God, saying that keeping in mind
that death comes to both the old and the young.
He assured the family that if duty did not take him out of
the country on the day of the funeral he would personally be
there to mourn with them.
“But if for some reason I have to be outside of the country
I’ll make sure I am adequately represented,” he said
Mr Bede Ziedeng, spokesperson for the family, told the
former President that the deceased was instrumental in the
establishment of the Sunzele Rural Bank in the Jirapa
District of the Upper West Region and chaired the board of
the bank for a while.
“He was also instrumental in establishing the Jirapa Youth
and Development Association and was also an Assemblyman at
Jirapa during the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC)
era,” he said.
He presented two bottles of schnapps to the former President
to formally invite him to the funeral.
GNA
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