Bimi Was Selfless And Devoted - Prez Mills

The late Larry Bimi

President John Evans Atta Mills has paid tribute to the late Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), Mr Laary Bimi, describing him as a selfless person who devoted most of his life to national development.

“The nation has, indeed, lost a man who exemplified himself dearly for public service and the total development of mankind,” he said.

Paying the tribute when a delegation of the family of the late Mr Bimi called on him to brief him on final funeral arrangements for the deceased, President Mills said he had a strong bond of friendship and working relationship with Mr Bimi spanning over two decades.

The funeral was held Saturday.
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“I am proud that the Lord gave us this man as a brother, father, husband and friend,” the President said.

Mr Bimi, who died on Friday, July 22, 2011, was buried on the following day, in accordance with Islamic tradition.

President Mills eulogised the late Bimi for fearlessly speaking his mind freely and said that endeared him to many people.

He said the nation owed it a duty to honour Mr Bimi, stressing, however, that it was a pity that he was being honoured posthumously.

The President used the occasion to appeal to Mr Bimi's family to ensure that the final funeral rites were conducted in peace and tranquillity.

He said the government would be strongly represented at the final funeral rites at the forecourt of the State House today.

A Chief of Staff under the Rawlings regime, Nana Ato Dadzie, who led the delegation to the Castle, said the late Mr Bimi was a family friend for more than 40 years.

He said Mr Bimi's demise had left a gap in the NCCE, his family and among his friends.

Mr Bimi was recently in the spotlight after the Association of Magistrates and Judges filed a complaint against him and three other lawyers for making comments about judicial corruption.

Throughout his career at the NCCE, he campaigned tirelessly for increased knowledge of the 1992 Constitution and was an advocate of civic education for Ghanaians.