The New Patriotic Party (NPP) has paid tribute to its late Upper West Chairman, Dr. Saanbaye Basilide Kangbere. The party has also ordered flags to be flown at half-mast in his honor.
Dr. Kangbere, fondly known as Chairman Heavy Weight in political circles, passed away at his home in Adjringano, Accra, on Friday, June 7, 2024.
In a statement released on Friday, the NPP reminisced about the late Chairman’s remarkable journey.
Despite his humble beginnings, he successfully passed his Common Entrance Examinations in Owlo, a small town in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa district of the Upper West Region, and went on to study at the prestigious Daffiama Secondary School.
“Mr. Kangbere would again achieve another academic milestone as he passed with distinction, his Sixth Form Examinations before gaining admission to be trained as a teacher in a College of Education and subsequently to the University of Ghana where he majored in English.”
“As fate would have it, Mr. Kangbere would develop a relentless passion for politics and other matters of social concern while studying at the University of Ghana and became part of student activist groups. Upon his election as Secretary of the Students Representatives Council, he would team up with young men like Frederick Worsemao Armah Blay from 1977 to1978, and fearlessly opposed clandestine attempts by the Supreme Military Council of Ignatius Kutu Acheampong to impose the so-called Union Government (UNIGOV) on Ghanaians,” it stated.
The NPP highlighted that Dr. Kangbere’s accomplishments extended beyond politics, as he also pursued careers in teaching and business.
“In the most part of his adult life, he taught for several years in numerous deprived communities in the Upper West Region and Nigeria, and later in the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia. He also set up several English teaching schools in Saudi Arabia, some of which are still operational.”
“Mr. Kangbere was a devoted Catholic, husband, father of five and also a noble family man on whose shoulders several people from across the length and breadth of Ghana and even beyond were nurtured,” it stated.
Despite the loss, the NPP expressed comfort in Dr. Kangbere’s legacy of hard work and dedication to the country. The party also extended its deepest condolences to his bereaved family, especially his wife and children, and to the people of the Upper West Region for the loss of such a distinguished son of the land.
“As a mark of respect in his honour, the Party directs that all Party flags fly at half-mast for the next seven days,” it added.