Top New Patriotic Party (NPP) personalities converged on the forecourt of the State House yesterday to honour the name of the late Alhaji Fuseini Maiga.
The function was the Islamic funeral for the late founder of the Nasara Wing of the NPP who passed on recently in an accident.
Leading the party top brass to honour the deceased was Vice-President Mahamudu Bawumia; his eulogy for the man whose name has been etched in the annals of the NPP, touching the hearts of the hundreds of persons who thronged the forecourt of the State House.
Recalling the death of the deceased which sad incident occurred during an accident on September 27, 2020, he said his demise has left a void in the NPP, which would be difficult to fill.
“Indeed, the void left by Alhaji will be difficult to fill, especially by the New Patriotic Party and the many party faithful who took Alhaji as a figure of inspiration and guidance,” the Vice-President stated.
As a committed patriot who exemplified the values of a true Dankwa-Busia-Dombo apostle, Dr. Bawumia said the late Alhaji Maiga “was a democrat, a freedom fighter, selfless and dedicated to the cause he believed in.”
During his lifetime, the Vice-President said the deceased became synonymous with Nasara Club which metamorphosed to a wing of the NPP. This fact highlights the indelible contribution of the deceased to the fortunes of the NPP.
At a time when adversaries of the NPP mounted a sustained campaign of tagging the party tribalistic in the 90s, it was the late Alhaji Maiga and others who fought back, Dr. Bawumia recalled.
This led to the formation of the Nasara Club, the word in Hausa being victory.
He became the founding father of the club and as committed as he was, the Vice-President continued, Alhaji Maiga used his personal resources as many patriots did and continue to do, to advance the cause of the Nasara Wing.
“His New Fadama house became the bureau of Nasara activities and the headquarters of Nasara Club,” he said.
As a visionary leader and a team player, Alhaji Maiga assembled a group of vibrant Zongo youth to articulate the views of Nasara and the party, Dr. Bawumia remembered.
As a democrat who believed in the freedom of the press he was, a friend of the press and together with his comrades, they constantly used the likes of the Free Press, Dispatch, The Guide, Crusading Guide, Chronicle and other newspapers as platforms for Nasara activities in the late 90s and 2000s.
As a transformational leader, he convinced the national executive arm of the NPP to rope in Nasara into the main national executive arm of the party with full voting powers at Congress —the first political party to do that for its Zongo wing Dr. Bawumia said with relish.
The formation of Nasara brought Nasara or victory in 2000 with the election of President John Agyekum Kufuor, the Vice-President recalled.
Present at the function were the Chief of Staff Frema Opare Osei, Rita Asobayire, Hackman Owusu Agyeman, Peter Mac Manu, Kwabena Abankwa, Hajia Halima Mahama. Others were Alhaji Yerima, Alhaji Aminu Amadu, Member of the Council of State, John Boadu, General Secretary of the NPP, KK Sarpong and members of the Zabrama community.
Presiding over the spiritual aspect of the programme was the National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu.
By A.R. Gomda