Rawlings: Ghana Declares 7 Days Of National Mourning

Cat:

Related stories

Wike’s Defection To APC ‘ll Make PDP, Others ‘Writhe In Pain’ — Tinubu

By Kolawole Ojebisi President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday said the...

2025 Rivers N1.48 tn Budget Done In Readiness for Fubara’s Return — Ibas

By Kolawole Ojebisi The Sole Administrator of Rivers State, Vice...

[VIDEO] Drama As Oshiomhole, Air Peace Engage in Dirty Spat at Lagos Airport

By Abiola Olawale Air Peace, one of Nigeria’s leading airlines,...

I’m Ready To Forgive Elon Musk..We’ve to Strengthen the Country, Says Trump

By Kolawole Ojebisi US President, Donald Trump, has stated that...

Dele Momodu Tells Tinubu: You Can’t Say Nigerians are Busybodies, Bystanders to Praise Wike

By Abiola Olawale A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party...

Agency Report–Ghana’s President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has declared seven days of national mourning in honour of former President Jerry John Rawlings, who died on Thursday morning.

In a statement issued by the Presidency in Accra, he said: “I have directed that all national flags should fly at half mast for the next seven days in all parts of the country and I have declared seven days of national mourning from Friday 13 November 2020.”

President Akufo-Addo said it was with great sadness that he was announcing to the nation that the first president of the Fourth Republic, Jerry John Rawlings, has “joined his ancestors”.

He said the tragic event occurred at 10.10 am (GMT) on Thursday at the Korle bu Teaching Hospital in Accra where the former president was receiving treatment after a short illness.

“I convey the deep sympathies of the government and the people of Ghana to his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, the children and the family of the late president in these difficult times.”

He said in honour of the memory of the former president, he and Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia have suspended their political campaign for the same period. Ghana is scheduled to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on 7 December.

The statement said the Government will work closely with the family of the late president on the arrangements for “a fitting funeral” for him.

“A great tree has fallen, Ghana is poorer for this loss,” he said.

Meanwhile, the family of the former president is asking for privacy as it mourns him.

“The family requests privacy at this difficult moment,” his eldest child, Dr. Ezanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, said in a statement in Accra.

Reports from Accra said hundreds of people have been pouring into his house in tears as the shocking news spread.

Rawlings, 73, a former Flight Lieutenant and fighter pilot, was born on 22 June 1947.

He burst onto the Ghanaian political scene when he was arrested and tried for mutiny in May 1979.

At that trial, Rawlings, who was a fighter pilot, defended himself by criticising the military leadership at the time and widespread corruption.

This won him many admirers and he was sprung from jail on 4 June by junior officers and other ranks to lead an uprising that they called “house cleaning exercise”.

Three former military leaders were executed during the period which was regarded as the bloodiest in Ghana’s history.

He handed over to a civilian government in September 1979 but staged another coup on 31 December 1981 and ruled as a military leader until 1993.

Then he was sworn in as a civilian president after winning multi-party election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) which he formed.

He served two terms as the democratically elected President of Ghana from 7 January, 1993 to 7 January, 2001 when he handed over to John Agyekum Kufuor.

Kufour’s New Patriotic Party (NPP), defeated Rawling’s party in the election in December 2000.

'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide
'Dotun Akintomide's journalism works intersect business, environment, politics and developmental issues. Among a number of local and international publications, his work has appeared in the New York Times. He's a winner of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Award. Currently, the Online Editor at The New Diplomat, Akintomide has produced reports that uniquely spoke to Nigeria's experience on Climate Change issues. When Akintomide is not writing, volunteering or working on a media project, you can find him seeing beautiful sites like the sandy beaches that bedecked the Lagos coastline.

Subscribe

- Never miss a story with notifications

- Gain full access to our premium content

- Browse free from up to 5 devices at once

[tds_leads input_placeholder="Your email address" btn_horiz_align="content-horiz-center" pp_msg="SSd2ZSUyMHJlYWQlMjBhbmQlMjBhY2NlcHQlMjB0aGUlMjAlM0NhJTIwaHJlZiUzRCUyMiUyMyUyMiUzRVByaXZhY3klMjBQb2xpY3klM0MlMkZhJTNFLg==" pp_checkbox="yes" tdc_css="eyJhbGwiOnsibWFyZ2luLXRvcCI6IjMwIiwibWFyZ2luLWJvdHRvbSI6IjQwIiwiZGlzcGxheSI6IiJ9LCJwb3J0cmFpdCI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMTUiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMjUiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sInBvcnRyYWl0X21heF93aWR0aCI6MTAxOCwicG9ydHJhaXRfbWluX3dpZHRoIjo3NjgsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6eyJtYXJnaW4tdG9wIjoiMjAiLCJtYXJnaW4tYm90dG9tIjoiMzAiLCJkaXNwbGF5IjoiIn0sImxhbmRzY2FwZV9tYXhfd2lkdGgiOjExNDAsImxhbmRzY2FwZV9taW5fd2lkdGgiOjEwMTksInBob25lIjp7Im1hcmdpbi10b3AiOiIyMCIsImRpc3BsYXkiOiIifSwicGhvbmVfbWF4X3dpZHRoIjo3Njd9" display="column" gap="eyJhbGwiOiIyMCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTAiLCJsYW5kc2NhcGUiOiIxNSJ9" f_msg_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_input_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_btn_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_family="downtown-serif-font_global" f_pp_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_weight="700" f_btn_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTEifQ==" f_btn_font_transform="uppercase" btn_text="Unlock All" btn_bg="#000000" btn_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxOCIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjE0IiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxNCJ9" input_padd="eyJhbGwiOiIxNSIsImxhbmRzY2FwZSI6IjEyIiwicG9ydHJhaXQiOiIxMCJ9" pp_check_color_a="#000000" f_pp_font_weight="600" pp_check_square="#000000" msg_composer="" pp_check_color="rgba(0,0,0,0.56)" msg_succ_radius="0" msg_err_radius="0" input_border="1" f_unsub_font_family="downtown-sans-serif-font_global" f_msg_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxMyIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_size="eyJhbGwiOiIxNCIsInBvcnRyYWl0IjoiMTIifQ==" f_input_font_weight="500" f_msg_font_weight="500" f_unsub_font_weight="500"]

Latest stories

NDN
Latest News
Wike's Defection To APC 'll Make PDP, Others 'Writhe In Pain' -- Tinubu2025 Rivers N1.48 tn Budget Done In Readiness for Fubara's Return -- Ibas[VIDEO] Drama As Oshiomhole, Air Peace Engage in Dirty Spat at Lagos AirportI'm Ready To Forgive Elon Musk..We've to Strengthen the Country, Says TrumpDele Momodu Tells Tinubu: You Can't Say Nigerians are Busybodies, Bystanders to Praise WikeOil Prices Slip Despite U.S.-China TalksDrama As Elon Musk Reverses Self on Trump, Says Criticism Went too farEx-Minister, Essien Blasts Gov Umo Eno For Piling Pressure on Lawmakers to DefectNigeria Not At War Yet Citizens Living Like Refugees In Own Country -- Peter ObiFubara's Sins 'll Be Forgiven Only If... APC2027: I'm Ready To Die For Tinubu's Victory In Abia -- KaluAtiku's Ally, Segun Sowunmi, Hints At Dumping PDP For APC, Says 'I May Likely Leave'Why I Renamed IBB's Govt Built International Conference Centre After Tinubu - WikeMy Soul Has Left PDP, Says MomoduLet’s Go To Party, By Uzor Maxim Uzoatu
X whatsapp