Reader, if anybody tells you that there is NOTHING in a name, tell the person he is a joker. NAME is everything in life. Have you ever heard of anybody calling his child Absalom ? or Lucifer? Reader, there is something in a NAME.
No wonder Almighty God has laid down the third Commandment: THOU SHALL NOT TAKE THE NAME OF THE LORD THY GOD IN VAIN………..
I was shocked when I opened the daily newspapers and saw a full page funeral announcement of ASAFOATSE ODJADAM IV. Asafoatse Odjadam? Who is Asafoatse Odjadam?
I did not have to look too far. Next to the advert was the man size picture of the famous legal luminary, Hortensius of Ghana, WAN Adumua Bossman.
So the man was a chief? All this while? Then why did he hide this beautiful name under wraps? Asafoatse Odjadam IV of Prampram!!!
His state funeral took place at the forecourt of the State House, on Friday 19th January 2018 and raised a thousand issues.
To be honest, reader, I thought the funeral fell short of expectation in attendance with several empty charis; but, maybe it was because of the nature of the man in his lifetime: I noticed only four groups of people at the funeral.
The first group, in their teeming numbers was members of the legal profession. Every court going lawyer worth his name in Accra was there: Lawyer Akoto AMpaw, Lawyer Major Amartefio, Lawyer Ahenkora, Former Presidents of Ghana Bar Association – Nutifafa Kueryehia, Nene Amegatse, current President Benson Nutsikpui, regional executives, Bright Akwetey, Peter Zwennes……….too many, the lawyers canopies were full, no space.
Then the second group was the traditional chiefs – the chiefs from Prampram – they were there in their teeming numbers – and I saw the founder and President of Mountcrest University, my classmate K Ansa Asare who told me he is from Prampram!!! The chiefs were there in full
The third group was the family- wife, children and close relatives – the extended family.
Finally the church – he was not in the traditional churches – Orthodox, METHODIST, Presby, Anglican, and Catholic – but rather the Charismatic – he was with Victory Bible Church, Rhema Church Owusu Bempah’s church…..they were there.
I don’t know whether His Excellency the President came because it was a “State Funeral”, or because he was a great personal friend for which he wrote a beautiful; tribute, but he was there, and after the tribute had to leave to other issues.
Former President JJ Rawlings was there to tell us in a tribute that he was one of the lawyers who defended him when he was arrested after the 15th May uprising, but JJ was silent on the fact that the PNDC arrested him – an event which spiritually changed the character of the man.
Was it a State funeral? I did not see Ghana flag on the casket, the symbols of the State – IGP – CDS, Speaker of Parliament, even the Chief Justice – they were all conspicuously absent. No wreaths were laid on behalf of the Government and people of Ghana ….and so on.
But it was an interesting funeral.
I learnt something from J A Kufour during the funeral of the Awoamefia of Anlo in 2000 which I commend to readers. The funeral took place in Anloga in 2000 and I arrived there at 7:30am to see that NPP Presidential Candidate J A Kufour was seated, flanked by his advisors, as early as 7:30am!!!
The point is that if you want to attend a Programe, then go early enough to get a strategic seat, instead of waiting, to arrive late, to worry protocol – who should get up for you to sit down?
The very first interesting development was us seeing distribution of “Daily Graphic” free, to everybody at the funeral. What was the point? A senior lawyer seated next to me asked: Who sponsored this? Or was it because the speaker wrote a tribute which was published in that issue?
Again, NPP top organizer, Lord Commey an institution at all NPP programs was the MC for the occasion – is he a member of the family? Or because it was a State Funeral?
Bishop Tackie Yarboi gave a short beautiful; sermon on the beauty of heaven, and the lawyers performed their ritual of a Moot Court, with former President Nene Amegatcher acting as the Judge.
There was no church choir in robes around, but The Tema Youth Choir came to give us praises.
For the first time I heard Dead March in Saul sang by somebody – I am only used to the instrumentals.
One thing baffled me. The man’s wife, the widow, is a lawyer, one of his children is a lawyer. He himself is a great lawyer. So, why did they dress him only in black suit? Why not in bibs and wigs colors? With his wig and gown on the coffin? I don’t understand.
Call it a simple solemn – executive lawyers’ funeral, and you will be right. It was a state funeral, with two Presidential personalities and, but save only that, it was not a State Funeral. At best, it was the final roll call of the Prampram Asafoatse, Odjadan IV – the famous lawyer for 57 years on the trot, WAN Aduman Bossman – farewell, Senior.
Written by
Nkrabeah Effah Dartey