Yorubas in Ghana last Saturday celebrated members of their community in the country for their diverse contributions towards the development of the country.
The Tribute Concert and Awards programme saw awards given to mostly Ghanaians of Yoruba descent who have impacted society in areas spanning academia to sports.
The descendants of Yorubas, some of them fourth generation offspring of migrants from Nigeria and products of intermarriages with indigenous ethnic groups, the awardees are popular personalities, their origin sometimes unknown.
In the field of sports personalities like Sulley Shittu, Alhassan Braimah and in medicine the late Dr. Mustapha, Dr. Lawani, formerly of the Tema General Hospital, Dr. Tunde Brimah of the Chemistry Department University of Ghana and in journalism the late Razak El Alawa were honoured at the function.
The late Alhaji Rahimi Gbadamoshi, former Director General of the Ghana Education Service was also posthumously honoured.
Some Ghanaians of Yoruba descent include the late Chief Abdul Aziz Brimah, WWII Veteran, Royal West African Frontier Force RWAFF Gold Coast Regiment, COP/Mr. Yebesi, COP/Mr. Abdulai Ali, the late Alhaji Rahimi Gbadamoshi, Headmaster Government Secondary School, Tamale, Director-General, Ghana Education Service, Dr. Mustapha, renowned neurosurgeon of Guys Hospital, London and later Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Lawani, Tema General Hospital, and Dr. A. Peregrino-Brimah, Opthalmologist, and Dr. Ms. Fatai, a young medical officer who set a record at KNUST Medical School by sweeping fourteen awards.
In law and governance were the late Justice A.M. Akiwumi (Supreme Court Judge of Ghana/Speaker of Parliament after Justice Quist, 1958) and the late B.J. da Rocha, frontline politician.
Others were the late Dr. Sulley Garba, former Ghana High Commissioner to Canada and the late Dr. Farouk Brimah, Former Deputy Minister for Science and Environment, Engineer Omar El Alawa, City Engineer, Director of Roads and Highways whose signatures are etched in many roads in Accra when he headed the City Engineer’s Department.
The late Alhaji Sulley Raji of the Daily Graphic fame and the late Alhaji Razak El Alawa, former Regional Editor, Daily Graphic, Northern Region, were also Ghanaians of Yoruba descent.
The Nigerian High Commissioner to Ghana, Mr. Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, one of the guests at the function, commended the Yoruba community for contributing towards the cordiality existing between Nigeria and Ghana.
The maiden function, organisers said, would be a biennial affair.
By A.R. GomdaA