Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia sandwiched between his wife on his right and the National Chief Imam to his left and other dignitaries at the function.
Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia had the rare opportunity of paying tribute to his headmaster and mentor – Alhaji Rahim Gbadamosi – who lived to see him become the Second Gentleman of the country prior to his recent demise in Accra.
He had the last word during the Islamic funeral – adua – of the educationist and former headmaster of the Tamale Secondary School (TAMASCO) on Saturday at the forecourt of the State House.
By virtue of the fact that the late Alhaji Rahim Gbadamosi watched him grow and counselled him even when he became a vice president, Dr Bawumia had a special affection for him.
He recalled his school days with the late Alhaji Rahim Gbadamosi as headmaster of Tamasco with fondness, saying: “My late headmaster and mentor treated all of us equally. He was a unifying force. He was quintessentially good; a role model. When by the grace of God I was appointed the Vice-President, he came to me and said ‘you are in this position not because of yourself but because of those who were not as fortunate as you and so use your position to uplift others’”.
He continued: “Alhaji Gbadamosi was honest to the bone; he was not materialistic and what mattered to him was his relationship with God and humankind”, adding “he was spiritually rich and rich in humility. His goodness was evidenced by the diverse personalities who turned up at the Islamic funeral. He was a testimony of the adage, ‘a good name is better than riches’”.
In his sermon, the spokesperson for the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Armeyaw Shuaib, sermonized on how God created man for a purpose and that one day, in another form, all shall be judged.
“There is a purpose for which God created man and there will be a post-mortem existence during which man would be made to account for how he undertook the mission for which he was created. There is positive eternity and perfidious eternity,” he said and explained that the former is characterized by finding favour with God because a person has discharged his mission successfully bereft of iniquities whereas the latter features guilt for which there are consequences.
It was an Islamic funeral with a difference considering the diverse faiths represented at the function.
Tributes were paid by representatives of the Old Tamascan Association, the Islamic University College, Ghana, where the deceased served as registrar and Lawra Secondary School which he established. He was at one time in charge of Manpower of the Ghana Education Service; Director-General, Ghana Education Service; among other high-notch assignments.
The late Alhaji Rahim Gbadamosi who passed away on 17th November, 2018, touched many hearts during his 85 years on earth and received fantastic eulogies during the spiritual procedure.
Present were a representative of former President John Mahama whose elder brothers passed through the deceased at Tamasco; Lt. Gen Joshua Hamidu rtd; Alhaji Aminu Amadu, a member of the Council of State; Alhaji Iddrisu Mahama; Mrs. Betty Mould-Iddrisu; Lepowura Alhaji Nurudeen Jawula and the Special Prosecutor, Mr. Martin Amidu.
Others were Dr. Wayo Seini; Mr. Alhassan Tampuli, CEO NPA; Maulvi Bin Saleh, the Missionary in Charge of Ahmadiyya Muslim Mission and many others.
The deceased was the first School Prefect of Tamale Secondary School in 1955 and at Mfantsipim where he did his sixth form; he was a dining prefect.
Another programme of remembrance has been planned for him at Tamale High School in December.
By A.R. Gomda