AMBASSADOR BIMI's Legacy lives on a year after demise

Accra, July 20, GNA – How time flies! So soon, a year has passed since the Almighty in His own wisdom took you away from us. Though not physically present, you have not been forgotten. It is only fitting

that on the first anniversary of your passing, we who were very close to you should honour your memory

An epitome of simplicity, down to earth, diligent, magnanimous, caring, open-hearted, and a man of Integrity. A rare gem, a real public servant in the true sense of the word. Yes, that was the Man the nation, Africa and the world lost on Friday, 22nd July, 2011.

Until his demise, he had been the Chairman of the National Commission for Civic Education (1998-2011).

How can we ever forget you? How can I in particular forget the faith you reposed in me because of your deep faith, strong will and belief in God? How can I forget all that I learnt from you?

How can I forget the impact you made in my life? How can I forget the many stories you told me (too many to be told here); stories which I used to tease you with sometimes.

How can I forget all that I learnt from you at home! You were more than a husband.

You were a father and lawyer not only to me, but to the myriads of people who were always around and became part of us. It was indeed a very big family but which has now been thrown into trying times.

Your doors were always opened to everybody irrespective of religion, ethnicity and political affiliation. We all miss the healthy debates that often went with the Sunday “Tubani” and “Tuo Zaafi”.

Ambassador Bimi in the face of challenges, trials and tribulations held on to that mantle of leadership as a man with a deep sense of commitment to serving his country and citizenry.

This was shown by his conviction towards deepening democracy and civic responsibility. Though indisposed, he plodded on. His conviction and commitment took him to the nook and cranny of Ghana. What comes to mind immediately were the journeys to Tamale to meet political party executives before the 2008 elections.

Realizing that there was an urgent demand for knowledge and information for Ghanaians to accelerate the growth and sustenance of democracy and constitutionalism, Ambassador Bimi instituted the National Constitution Week with the immediate goal of exciting all key stakeholders in the democratic dispensation to discuss and evaluate how the 1992 Constitution relates to them, how they can sustain and protect the constitutional order and how they can observe the principles of the Constitution.

The Week was also to develop in Ghanaians the spirit of constitutionalism and eventually make the Constitution not only a living document, but also part and parcel of the daily life-class of all citizens of Ghana.

We are however comforted by the belief that we shall indeed meet again. We take consolation that you are in a better place. We find solace in the knowledge that you have crossed the threshold of pain, suffering and you are resting peacefully in the hands of our maker.

I am proud to have been part of your life and for playing that role as a wife, a daughter, a mother and a nurse, she added.

God has his own ways of doing things. When He says 'Be', it always is. If this is what He deemed best for us, then that is part of His divine plan.

He had already written that it shall come to pass. I thank God for making me strong to face the world, to go through this stage in life, this test of time.

I must admit though, that I could not have come this far if I had not understood deeply God's constant reminders that we and the world He created for us to live in shall be no more someday, sometime, no matter what.

You stepped off the train of life not because you were in a hurry, no, but because it was time for you leave us – and how peaceful a departure it was. As long as I live, I will continue to remember and give you the ultimate prayer, until my last breadth.

I pray that God Almighty admits you into the Gardens of Eternity, a place we all hope to be, where you will abide forever therein, until we meet again.

Long live the legacy of Laari Bimi
(A GNA Feature By Hajia Hanatu Abubakar-BIMI and Francis Ameyibor)

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