By Stephen Asante
Accra, March 8, GNA – President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has eulogised to the late John Ampontua Kumah, a Deputy Finance Minister whose death on Thursday, March 7, stunned the entire country.
“He was a Ghanaian patriot par excellence,” the President said of him in a tribute, extending his condolences to the bereaved family.
“His unwavering dedication to service, his tireless commitment to the betterment of our nation, and his profound passion for uplifting the lives of the people of Ejisu and Ghana were evident to all who had the privilege of knowing him,” he said.
Until his death, Kumah was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ejisu.
He was also the first Chief Executive Officer of the National Entrepreneurship and Innovation Programma (NEIP), an initiative of the Nana Akufo-Addo-led Administration.
The President expressed his sadness over the sudden demise of the Deputy Finance Minister, “whose untimely passing has left us all bereft of a bright, energetic light in our midst”.
He said the deceased would be remembered for his humility and genuine concern for others, which endeared him to everyone he encountered.
The President said the death of the Deputy Minister had been felt deeply by the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP), of which he was a key member, as well as all segments of society.
“May God bless him and allow his soul to rest in perfect peace in His Bosom until the Last Day of the Resurrection when we shall all meet again.
Ghana’s Parliament was forced to adjourn suddenly on Thursday after being told of the sad loss.
“Honourable Members, for good reasons, the House will have to adjourn, so I put the statement straight away. The House is adjourned until tomorrow 10 o’clock in the forenoon,” the Speaker, Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin, said.
Meanwhile, Ghanaians on the different social media platforms monitored by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) expressed sorrow and anguish over the MP’s death.
The situation at Ejisu, the late MP’s home, was no different, with some of the constituents wailing uncontrollably at the lawmaker’s abrupt death.
GNA