Shock all over

September 26, 2008 (Second Lead Story)

CLOSE associates, family members, journalists and the general public thronged the residence of the Minister of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, to verify the authenticity or otherwise of his death.
Some broke down in tears while others simply gaped with shock when it was confirmed that one of the affable politicians in Ghana was dead.
Most of the people who thronged his residence said they heard of the Finance Minister’s death on air but did not believe it until they entered his residence.
It was a sorrowful scene as Mr Baah-Wiredu’s family members including some of his children, his friends and sympathisers openly wept and wondered why death should lay its icy hands on such a hardworking, dedicated, selfless, down to earth, respectful and humble person.
His family members said despite his tight working schedule, he always ensured he had time for them.
Journalists from both the government and private-owned media said they had lost a source who operated an open-door policy and was always willing to explain issues no matter how busy he was.
They described him as a down-to-earth politician who welcomed, accommodated and patiently and respectfully answered all sorts of questions no matter how sensitive those questions were.
On the premises of the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, work grounded to a halt when news of his death broke.
Some workers could not suppress their tears when they openly wept and described the Minister as one of the best they had ever had.
Most of the workers the Daily Graphic spoke to said they were shocked and dismayed at the death of the Minister.
They said he would be sorely missed and prayed he would rest peacefully in the bosom of the Lord.
Mr Baah-Wiredu died in South Africa yesterday (Wednesday) at the Little Company of Mary Hospital in Pretoria.
The announcement of the death of Mr Kwadwo Baah-Wiredu, threw the whole of the Ashanti Region into a state of mourning report Kwame Asare Boadu & Nana Yaw Barimah from Kumasi.
At his home town Agogo, the entire town has been in melancholy mood when they received the shocking message. Many also expressed shock at his death as they did not even hear that he was sick.
Some called for explicit explanation to clear doubts about the death of their beloved patriot. Mr Baah-Wiredu at the recent New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries won over Mr Andy Appiah Kubi, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Free Zone Board, with a little over 30 votes to consolidate his position to stand for the party in the December polls.
Many party members the Daily Graphic spoke to were dump-founded and could hardly come to terms with what led to his death.
When the news gained currency around 2.30p.m. in Kumasi it became the topic of the town and people started touting his good works.
Madam Akosua Frimpong of the Central Market said he saw the Hon. Baah-Wiredu as a respectable gentleman and wondered how he died at that early age.
Another market woman, Mary Afrifa, also of the Central Market, said he was jovial and humorous, which made her have confidence in him. She stressed that the legacy he left for the country was a strong economy.
Mrs Sophia Adjei, also of Asafo Market, noted that when she first heard the news on radio, she thought it was not true.
She remarked that the good works exhibited by Baah-Wiredu in all the three ministries he worked were very remarkable and therefore urged the government to ensure that "we give him a befitting burial".
Mr Kwame Asante Barnie, a Kumasi-based business executive, described Hon Baah-Wiredu as a genius because according to him he excelled in all the ministries he worked.
He said he was one minister who did not show off and also welcomed everybody.
Mr Kusi Appiah, the District Co-ordinating Director for Kwabere, who could not hide his sentiments on hearing the death, said the country had lost a hardworking and industrious minister.
Mr Charles Bruce Appiah, the Managing Director of Trade Link Agency in Kumasi, who said the late Baah-Wiredu was his friend, said he did not believe the story and expressed his profound shock.

A chartered accountant who got elected into Parliament on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in 1996, Mr Baah-Wiredu had been a minister in President Kufuor’s government since 2001.
Born on June 3, 1952 in Agogo, he started his secondary education at the Kumasi High School, Kumasi in 1967 and obtained the GCE Ordinary Level Certificate in 1972. He had his sixth form education at Prempeh College, also in Kumasi, and proceeded to the University of Ghana in 1974, obtaining a BSc in Administration (Accounting option). He then did a four-year course with the Institute of Chartered Accountants qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1985.
He has worked at various positions with the now defunct Ghana Airways and the Volta River Authority and as a senior consultant on computer systems and as finance manager of Ananse Systems. In addition, he was a partner in Asante Wiredu and Associates, an accounting firm, prior to being an MP.
He would be remembered, among others, as the Sports Minister during whose tenure the Ghana Black Stars qualified for their maiden World Cup finals in Germany in 2006.
He left behind a wife and six children.