Tears flowed unrestrained from the faces of many mourners who had converged on the forecourt of the State House on Thursday for the funeral of Samuel Nuamah – the Ghanaian Times Presidential Correspondent, whose death in an accident last month stunned the nation.
Crestfallen and forlorn, the mourners, draped in black and red attires, let out cries of “ooh” and “aww” as the widow of the deceased, Lillian Nuamah, supported by close relatives, read a heart-wrenching tribute to her husband.
“Sam, where do I go from here? What do I do with all the nice plans and dreams that we had? What do I tell, Josiah, our son. Sammy my mentor, my brother, my friend, my heart is bleeding. You should have at least said goodbye,” Mrs Numah lamented amid tears that caused portions of her speech to drift inaudibily.
Her heartbreaking account of how news of her husband’s death got to her, elicited tears from some seated in the audience.
She said having failed to receive the usual Whatsapp message from her husband on that fateful day, she became worried that something bad might have happened.
Her worries, she said, were confirmed when she received news at about 2pm that a bus carrying members of the Presidential Press Corps had been involved in an accident and that some of them were injured.
Mrs Nuamah said she immediately delved into intercessory prayers for her husband, hoping that nothing bad would happen.
She said at 4pm, however, she got a call confirming that her husband had passed on, adding that she had been “inconsolable” since.
“We had a nice family time on phone the previous day but I had not the faintest idea it was the last family time we were having.”
“Why so long?”
The feeling of pain and sorrow that characterised the entire proceeding peaked when a tribute was read on behalf of Samuel Nuamah’s two-year-old son, Josiah.
“When I ask for daddy, the answer I get is ‘he has travelled’. Why so long this time….Wherever you are, remember that you left me behind,” portions of the tribute read, provoking consternation and numbness among many present.
Nuamah’s sister, who delivered a tribute on behalf of the family, said his death was “sudden, untimely and so shocking”.
Her tribute gave an insight into the kind of man Nuamah was – a man who loved his family dearly and cared for them, and whose organisation skills was tapped into by the family for weddings, parties and naming ceremonies.
“Sammy displayed his brotherly qualities by constantly calling to enquire about our families’ health and happiness… His financial support, organisational skills, and passion for detail and excellence will always be remembered,” she said.
“So gutted”
President John Dramani Mahama, who attended the ceremony in the company of some of his top aides, reiterated the point he made during the one-week marking of Samuel Numah’s death: “I’m so gutted by your death.”
In his tribute, which was read on his behalf by Communications Minister, Dr Omane Boamah, with support from Presidential Staffer, Stan Dogbe, the President said Nuamah was “a very quiet man on the outside” but his name and personality were easily recognisable.
“Six years of dedicated service to my office and it all ends in a waste of your life,” he said, adding: “Fare thee well. Rest in Peace.”
In his tribute, which was read on his behalf by Communications Minister, Dr Omane Boamah, with support from Presidential Staffer, Stan Dogbe, the President said Nuamah was “a very quiet man on the outside” but his name and personality were easily recognisable.
“Six years of dedicated service to my office and it all ends in a waste of your life,” he said, adding: “Fare thee well. Rest in Peace.”
The Management and Staff of the New Times Corporation, where Nuamah used to work, described him as “jovial and open-minded”, adding that his “unanticipated death” had “shattered” and “devastated” the entire staff of the corporation.
Reading a tribute on behalf of the corporation, Managing Director Carol Annan said: “We know you are no more. We are going to miss you. The pain is enormous, but we take consolation in the fact that on the resurrection day, we would meet again.”
“Rise again”
In an impassioned sermon, which sought to, on the one hand, lift the spirits of the mourners, and on the other hand, remind them of the inevitability of death, Reverend Thomas Asiedu of the Teshie Baptist Church, said Nuamah’s death was only temporary.
Stressing that Jesus has the power of resurrection – to bring the dead back to life, Rev. Asiedu said: “Our brother will come back to life again.”
He bemoaned what he said was people’s lust for material things, which was fuelled by a tendency to forget that death exists.
“At times we become materialistic in life, grabbing things left and right… and forget that there is death.“
Rev. Asiedu called on the mourners to rid themselves of their ‘materialistic’ tendencies and make their ways right with God before it was too late.
“Our eternal home is not here. Our eternal home is heaven,” he added.
Background
Samuel Kwame Nuamah died on August 20, 2015 in an accident involving the Presidential Press Corps.
According to reports, a hired commercial bus carrying the media men and women skidded off the road and ran into the bush at Doryumu Junction near Shai Hills in the Greater Accra region, leading to Nuamah’s death. Several others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
Biography
He was born on Saturday, 29ty July,1978 to Mrs Georgina Opoku and Mr John Maxwell Opoku in Accra. His father is a native of Sokoban in the Ashanti Region.
He had his basic education at the Ghana Armed Forces Schools, 48 Engineers Regiment, Teshie. He completed in 1994 and proceeded to the St. Thomas Aquinas Senior High School, to pursue a General Arts course which he completed in 1997.
He had dreams to join the Ghana Military Academy and so enlisted into the school cadet corps while in senior high school.
Even though his dream of becoming a military officer did not materialise, he got admission to the Ghana Institute of Journalism between 2000 and 2002 and obtained the Diploma in Journalism. He devoted much of his time to his area of study and was considered a gem, due to his excellent writing skills.
After school, he had a job with the New Times Corporation as a reporter. He worked as a temporary staff until his appointment was confirmed on 6th May 2008.
In 2012, he married his wife, Lillian Lankai Lamptey, with he had a son, Josiah Nhyirah Nuamah.
Until his death, Nuamah worked at the Presidency as the Presidential Correspondent for the Ghanian Times. He was also a member of the Teshie Baptist Church.
Photos by Emmanuel Asamoah-Addai
