President Akufo-Addo in a group photograph with the family members at the Jubilee House in Accra
The maternal family of the late Member of Parliament (MP) for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Emmanuel Kyeramateng Agyarko, officially informed President Akufo-Addo about his death on Monday.
Emmanuel Agyarko, who was the younger brother of former Minister for Energy, Boakye Agyarko, died on Wednesday, November 21, 2018 in the United States.
President Akufo-Addo visited his residence last week to commiserate with the bereaved family.
Nene Sakite, the Konor of Manya Krobo where the late MP’s mother hailed, yesterday sent a high-powered delegation to the Jubilee House to formally inform the president about his untimely death.
The delegation was led by Nene Terkpenor Adipah IV, senior Divisional Chief of Manya Krobo.
They informed the president about arrangements by the family to give him a befitting burial and promised to keep the presidency updated.
President Akufo-Addo said news of Mr. Agyarko’s death came to him as a shock.
He reiterated the commitment of the state to support their efforts to give the late MP a befitting burial.
The late MP was born on December 10, 1957 at Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region.
His father, Kwasi Agyarko, was a merchant and an activist of the United Party, which later became NPP, from Jamasi in the Ashanti Region.
His mother, Jane Ladze Padi, hailed from Odumase Krobo in the Eastern Region.
He obtained a Bachelor of Science Degree in Pharmacy in 1982 from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).
The deceased was a pharmacist and actively defended the NPP government’s policies in the media.
He served as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Food and Drugs Authority during the previous Kufuor administration from 2001 to 2009.
Mr. Agyarko succeeded the current Chief of Staff, Frema Osei-Opare as MP in the Ayawaso West Wuogon Constituency in 2012.
He died last Wednesday at the Yale University Hospital in the United States after been diagnosed with gall bladder infection.
According to his brother, Boakye Agyarko, the deceased had been battling with the disease for the past three months and had to travel to the US due to the deteriorating health conditions.
According to the brother, the family had made an arrangement for him to undergo operation at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital but travelled to the US when his condition worsened.
As soon as he got to the hospital in the US, his condition started deteriorating and had to be put on life support to allow for any medical intervention to be made.
“On Sunday, he boarded a flight to the US. He began processes for admission at the Yale University Hospital, where our older sister works. One thing led to the other and quickly the situation began to unravel. Within a space of three months, a healthy body has been reduced to a cold body.
“The health personnel tried whatever they could. Ghanaian doctors who realized an MP from their country has been admitted owed it a responsibility to salvage the situation. At a point, there was no way his life would be sustained. Knowing how he loved and enjoyed life, we knew very well that it would not have been his wish to be on life support,” the former Minister reportedly told MPs who visited the residence last Thursday.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent