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TRIBUTE TO BAFFOUR OSEI AKOTO
A DEAR FATHER

by Serwah Akoto Coker

Paapa, Paapa, we will miss you.!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The above statement, to us your children is the greatest understatement of the century.

What shall we do without your advice, without your wisdom, without your compassion?

A man who loved his children like a woman, so much so that your daughters especially, hesitated in informing you of their marital problems and their pregnancies, because you would want to be there at the birthing?

What would we do without your humour? Our friends doubted the fact that you ever laughed with us but your humour never ceased to send us to peals of laughter.

What would we do without your chastisements? Yes, yet you held your correcting stick with tender gloves.

What would we do without our disciplinarian? Yes, your discipline was enough to make sober, a drunken wayward child.

Paapa, Paapa, what would we do without your sense of justice? Yes, this sterling quality you had led you finally to detention without trial because you couldn’t bear to see anyone cheated.

What would we do without your intellect, which drew gasps from both strangers and relations alike and elicited their awe of you.

What would we do without your forgiving spirit? A quality, which depicted your good heart and made your enemies to dare to depend on your benevolence. A quality, which endeared you to many people especially your children.

You taught us not only to forget wrongs done to us but also not to forget the lessons learnt by them.

You taught us not only to love but to love and forgive those who commit serious crimes against us.

You were often misunderstood because you wouldn’t compromise with the truth.

You were the proverbial man, who never received the rewards due him in his lifetime but NONE can dispute the fact that you were an INSTITUTION.

LET OTHERS FORGET that it was mainly due to your Herculean efforts, mentally and financially that UNITED POLITICAL PARTY (UP) became what it was and forever shall be, WE SHALL NEVER FORGET!

LET OTHERS FORGET your contribution towards the UP tradition, BUT WE SHALL NEVER FORGET!

LET OTHERS FORGET your courage, dedication and commitment against all odds, to the Asante Kingdom, if not to Ghana as a nation but Paapa,

WE YOUR CHILDREN 31 OF US, YOUR GRANDCHILDREN 180 OF THEM, YOUR GREAT GRANDCHILDREN 111 OF THEM, YOUR GREAT GREAT GRANDCHILDREN, 13 OF THEM PROMISE YOU THAT WE SHALL NEVER FORGET.

Your death has indeed robbed generations, which will spring from the loins of your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and great great grandchildren, your love, wisdom and humour but Paapa,

WE PROMISE YOU THAT THE TORCH OF YOUR LOVE AND THE LEGACY YOU HAVE LEFT BEHIND WILL BE PASSED ON FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION.

We your children today take comfort for having known you and your love. Today we celebrate your life not your death.

We take consolation in the fact that you gave us and others who were not even your own, so much of yourself and love.

We take comfort from the lovely memories we have of you, which is woven as an intricate tapestry into the very fiber of our beings. Yes, you were woven into the very first memory of our lives and WE SHALL NEVER FORGET YOU!

We who knew you and your love, PROMISE TO MAKE OUR LIVES A MEMORIAL OF YOU.

We your children are richer today; yes better people, for having known you, for having had the privilege of sitting at your feet and drink in your wisdom.

If you ever return to this earth, make us your children again.

Paapa, this is only farewell not goodbye.

You lived well and died well and we give all the glory to God for having created a person like you and for having given you to us.

PAAPA DA YIE, ONYAME NFA WO NSIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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