The Islamic final funeral rites, known as ‘Adua’ of the late Hajia Mariama Bawumia was on Sunday performed at Kperiga, a community in the West Mamprusi Municipality of the North East Region.
The late Hajia Bawumia who was affectionately called Maame, was the mother of Vice President Dr Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia who passed on in the early hours of Monday, September 13, 2021 in Accra, at age 81.
She was a native of Kpasenkpe, a community in the West Mamprusi Municipality, and was one of the first female students from the north to gain admission into the Wesley Girls High School in Cape Coast, in the Central Region.
A tribute read by Mr Yakubu Bawumia, one of her sons, on behalf of the children, noted that even though their father had 19 children, it was difficult for any outsider to differentiate amongst them who her biological children were.
“She treated us all the same. Maame was very kind at heart and had a very good sense of humour. She therefore got on very well with many people.
“She was very tolerant and empathetic, and would give away most of the money we gave her to other people.”
The children in the tribute further recalled that their late mother encouraged them to take their education seriously, “She kept reminding us that was all my father and her could give us in life. We should not expect anything from them beyond that.”
According to the children, Hajia Bawumia lived a fulfilled life, blessed with good health as she hardly fell sick, “The short period of her illness at the end was the only time she had been admitted in hospital.”
They described her as a committed and devoted Muslim who prayed religiously every day until her death, adding that “She was kind, caring and a loving mother. We could not have wished for a better mother.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, in the company of the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, described the late Hajia Bawumia as a woman of “unfailing courtesy” who welcomed friends of her son to her home.
“We thank her for her service to her family, community and nation. May her soul rest in perfect peace in the bosom of the Almighty until the last day of the resurrection when we shall all meet again, amen,” President Akufo-Addo said in a brief address.
The National Chief Imam, Sheikh Osman Nuhu Sharubutu who led Islamic prayers, reminded the gathering that death was no respecter of persons, and called on all to reflect on their lives, and prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of late Hajia Mariama Bawumia.
“Our mother who has departed, needs nothing apart from our prayer,” the Chief Imam said through his spokesperson.
Sheikh Sharubutu expressed gratitude to Almighty Allah for the peaceful co-existence among practitioners of different faiths, saying “If you observe what has brought us together here, and the beauty of this gathering, it tells you that we are truly united.”
Dignitaries who attended the ‘Adua’ included high government officials, the Chief of Staff, Madam Akosua Frama Osei-Opare, Mr Ambrose Dery, the Minister for the Interior, Mr Alan Kyeremanten the Minister for Trade and Industry, Members of Parliament, and religious and traditional leaders.
Source: GNA