By 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.
Dr. Kangbere, affectionately known in political circles as “Chairman Heavy Weight,” passed away at his home in Adjringano, Accra, on Friday, June 7, 2024.
In a statement issued on Friday, the NPP recounted that the late Chairman overcame his humble beginnings, successfully passing his Common Entrance Examinations in Owlo, a small town in the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa district of the Upper West Region, 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 life extended beyond politics, as he was also involved in teaching and various business ventures.
“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 his passing, 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 the bereaved family, particularly his wife and children, as well as 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.
