Brother-in-law of Daasebre Oti Boateng passes on

Dr. Daasebre Oti Boateng describes his late brother-in-law as a confidante

The death is reported of Master Daniel Yaw Poku in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region.

He was 96.

The late Master Daniel Yaw Poku who was the brother-in-law of Emeritus Daasebre Dr. Oti Boateng, The Omanhene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, was born on 16th September 1915.

He had a distinguished academic career beginning at the high profile Kumasi Boys School at Asem. He followed this with a teacher training certificate from the Kumasi Wesley Teacher Training College. He obtained a diploma in music from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in 1957 and in 1964 he was awarded with the Postgraduate Diploma in African Studies at the University of Ghana on a cultural dissertation of Bragoro.

Master Poku moved in 1961 to teach as music master at the Konongo-Odumasi Secondary School (KOSS). From KOSS he was appointed the music master in 1965 at the Opoku Ware Secondary School (OWASS) in Kumasi. He retired after ten years of dedicated service at OWASS and thereafter lived a very fulfilled life in the garden city of Kumasi.

The body of the late Yaw Poku would be laid in state at the his residence in Kumasi on Saturday the 30th of April 2011 followed by a burial service at the Wesley Cathedral in Kumasi.

The body of the late educationist would later be laid to rest at the Esuowin Cemetery in the Ashanti Region.

Final Funeral rites would be held on the same day at the Ridge Park in Kumasi and on Sunday the 1st of May, the family will gather at the Danyame near the offices of the National Lotteries in Kumasi.

In a tribute Daasebre Oti Boateng described Master Poku as a man of humility, self-discipline and a mentor.

“The greatest attribute of Master Poku lay in his extreme humility. In his life he seemed to agree with the renowned Albert Einstein that “ a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for anyone, best both for the body and the mind”. He scrupulously threaded this path of humility and was regarded by many as “a smooth operator”.

He said Master Poku was a man who prized honour and virtue above the mundane advantages of rank and fortune. He was a man whose sterling qualities earned him the honour and respect not only among his friends but also all those who came in contact with him.

“It is no wonder that Master Poku continued to be my greatest confidant, consultant and advisor till the very end. He meticulously kept all newspaper articles about me and appeared to know more about me than almost everyone else. Naturally he was very proud of me and intimately shared the glory of all my achievements,” he noted.

Story by Nana Sifa Twum