Former NCCE chairman final funeral rites fixed for Saturday

Accra, July 28, GNA - The National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE) and the Bimi family in collaboration of the National Organising Committee of the National Constitution Week celebration on Wednesday fixed Saturday, July 30th for the final funeral rites of the late Farhan Laari BImi, NCCE Chairman at the Forecourt of the State House, Accra. According to a document containing the funeral details, made available to the Ghana News Agency, dignitaries, ministers of state, politicians, and the diplomatic community as well as the general public are supposed to be seated by 0900 hours, to be followed by religious leaders, traditional authorities and other high profile national leaders. The details revealed that the funeral rites will be observed in accordance with Islamic rites.

Mr Bimi died on Friday, July 22, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital after a short illness and was buried in accordance with Islamic rites on Saturday, July 23rd.

Described by friends, staff and a cross-section of the public as well as politicians as incorruptible, strong, firm, affable, a gentleman, father and husband, Mr Bimi, a lawyer by profession, had 33 years of experience in the promotion of human rights, integrated development and political socialization.

Chairman, as he was affectionately called, graduated from the University of Ghana in 1973, and proceeded to the Ghana School of Law, wher= e he studied for the professional Barrister's certificate and he was called= to the Ghana Bar in October 1975.

His leadership qualities and stand for humanity was recognized very early, and to the surprise of school mates, who had been posted to undertak= e their National Service duties in the then Upper Region, they turned up at the regional secretariat of the National Service Scheme to meet their mate as their boss.

Young Bimi had been appointed as the National Service Co-ordinator and was responsible for his colleague graduates posted to the Region. After a distinguished service as the National Service Co-ordinator, Mr Bimi was appointed as the Research Officer at the Upper Region House of Chiefs, a position which afforded him the opportunity to get a deeper insight into the challenges of the Ghanaian traditional governance system. Chairman Bimi's quest to help humanity pushed him to join the Upper Regional Development Corporation as a Secretary to the Board of Directors and by dint of hard work, rose to become the Acting Managing Director (MD). Moving rapidly from National Service Co-ordinator to the MD of the Regional Development Corporation, Bimi came face to face with people who lived in stark poverty, a situation which challenged him to design practica= l programmes towards poverty alleviation long before poverty reduction became an attractive focus for the donor community. Mr Bimi, after careful consideration, decided to go into private legal practice in 1979 so as to take up the concerns of the poor and disadvantage= d in an era when there was very limited legal aid, or none at all, serving as a trail blazer.

The PNDC Government under the leadership of Chairman Jerry John Rawlings acknowledged the contribution of Mr Bimi in championing the cause of the underprivileged and appointed him Ghana's Ambassador to the Republ= ic of Guinea in 1985 with concurrent accreditation to the Gambia, Senegal, Guinea-Bissau and Cape Verde.

As the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Mr Bimi used his mediation skills in 1993 to settle the political impasse between the Government of Guinea an= d opposition parties, a move which averted a potentially explosive electoral conflict. After serving in the diplomatic mission for close to 10 years, Mr Bimi was posted to head Ghana's Mission in Libya in 1994 with concurrent accreditation to the Republic of Malta. In 1998, the then President Rawlings decided to bring the astute diplomat back home to Chair the NCCE, for Ghanaians to benefit from his diplomatic experience and leadership skills. Over the past 11 years, Mr Bimi has transformed the Commission and is duly considered as the architect of the unprecedented transparency and consultation with civil society organisations, which presently characterise= s the work of the NCCE.

In 2001, Mr Bimi institutionalized the tradition of celebrating the 199= 2 Constitution, a period which emphasises citizens' responsibilities for protecting and defending the Constitution, preserving it for posterity; informing the people that the Constitution is the basis for Ghana's great heritage and the foundation for the way of life; and to encourage the study of the Constitution.