By Nana Anfreh Damanata, GNA
Wenchi, (Bono), July 13, GNA – Former Vice President Dr Mahamamudu Bawumia at the weekend eulogized the late Dr Kofi Abrefia Busia and praised the chiefs and people of the Wenchi Traditional Area for the birthing the late Ghana’s first Prime Minister.
“Wenchi must be proud because the traditional area did not only produce a Prime Minister, but a thinker whose life history still invites us to think seriously about what leadership must mean”, he stated.
Dr Bawumia, also the Election 2028 Fleagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) described the late Dr Busia, a native of Wenchi in the Bono Region as embodiment of great ideas, and a scholar who understood the struggles of ordinary citizenry.
“He was a national leader but remains dedicated to the values of Wenchi, the place his life journey began”, the former Vice President stated when he addressed a colourful ceremony to mark the 113th anniversary of the birth of the late prime minister.
The ceremony was characterized with overflowing joy as the immediate family, relations and friends dedicated a worship center to the Wenchi Jesus Saviour of the World Church in honor of the late Dr Busia.
On the theme: “Wenchi cathedral dedication, the Prof: A heart of faith” the event was also attended by politicians, traditional authorities, Members of Parliament, (MP), the clergy and former Ministers of State.
Among them were the former Majority Leader Mr Kyei Mensah Bonsu, former Attorney General, Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, former Minister of Employment, Mr Ignatius Baffour Awuah, and Professor George Gyan-Baffour, a former Minister of Finance.
Dr Bawumia noted that: “Busia’s life history isn’t behind but still before us and challenges our generation to question the kind of Ghana we build where traits still matter and leadership guided by politics”.
He said copying and picking lessons from the traits, character and leadership of the late Dr Busia then “we must build a Ghana where the poor are not forgotten”, and leaders to listen and tackle the emerging development needs of youth people.
The former vice president said that: “When we listen to the youth we strengthen our communities, their creativity, resilience, and vision which are essential to building a future that reflects their needs, dreams and aspirations”.
Touching on the theme for the anniversary, Dr Bawumia emphasised that the present generation of youth embodied innovative technology and proffer new solutions to the old challenges, saying that faith ought to always go beyond worship, saying that: “true belief system requires active obedience, practical service and everyday application”.
“While worship centers and focuses on the heart, faith translates that reverence into tangible actions, like helping the needy in society, practicing justice, and demonstrating true love”, he stated.
Archbishop Eddie Fabian, who spoke on behalf of Bishop Dag Heward-Mills, the founder of the Lighthouse Chapel International, praised the Busia Family for highlighting and sustaining the legacies of the late prime Minister.
The late Dr Busia was a prominent Ghanaian sociologist, and politician who served as prime minister of Ghana’s second republic from 1969 to 1972.
He was born on July 11, 1913, at Wenchi, his hometown, and is mostly remembered as a fierce defender of democratic tradition, opposing the late Dr Kwame Nkrumah’s one-party state and eventually died in exile following a military coup in 1978.
GNA
Edited by Dennis Peprah
Reporter: Nana Anfreh Damanata