THE first phase of work on the Osagyefo Barge, an electricity-producing facility at Effaso-Manyea in the Jomoro District of the Western Region, being

April 2
Story: Vincent Adedze, Tamale
THE Catholic Archbishop Emeritus of Tamale, His Eminence Peter Cardinal Porekuu Dery, was given a State burial in Tamale yesterday.
Among those who witnessed the ceremony were President J.A. Kufuor, Vice-President Aliu Mahama, Ministers of State, members of the Diplomatic Corps, members of the Council of State, parliamentarians and district chief executives.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, and the Minister of Women and Children’s Affairs, Hajia Alima Mahama, were among the dignitaries.
A delegation from the Vatican in Rome, priests and reverend sisters, as well as chiefs, also attended the burial.
The Catholic Bishop of Cape Coast, His Eminence Peter Cardinal Appiah Turkson, represented the Pope at the ceremony.
A tribute read on behalf of the President by the Minister of Energy-designate, Mr Felix Owusu-Adjapong, noted that the late Cardinal was an “outstanding shepherd of the Catholic flock”.
According to President Kufuor, the Cardinal understood the linkages between education and community development.
“He equally fostered human resource development and supported the credit unions and farmers’ co-operative societies in Ghana,” President Kufuor further observed.
In a sermon, the Catholic Archbishop of Kumasi, the Most Reverend Peter Akwasi Sarpong, hoped that this “public recognition being given to this illustrious son of Ghana will ultimately help unite the people of the three northern regions and the entire country, particularly in this election year”.
The Most Reverend Sarpong described the late Cardinal as “an effective pacesetter in numerous respects” and noted that his initiative in building schools and health facilities and providing potable water was there for everybody to see.
“His loyalty and devotion to duty cannot be overemphasised. He was also vocal when it came to promoting peace issues in the north, particularly in the Dagbon and Bawku conflicts,” the Archbishop pointed out.
The Most Reverend Sarpong noted that the late Cardinal Dery had the rare quality of bearing pain to the extent that even when he was bedridden, he still performed his divine duties, including ordaining pastors.
The Catholic Archbishop of Tamale, the Most Reverend Gregory Ebo Kpiebaya, commended the government for paying its last respects to the Cardinal by declaring a State burial for him.
His Eminence Peter Cardinal Dery died on March 6, 2008, two months to his 90th birthday. He was born in Zemuopare, a village eight kilometres from Nandom in the Upper West Region, on May 10, 1918.
He was the fourth of 10 boys born to Theodore Porekuu and Agnes Zoore.
The late Cardinal had the chance to work with the missionaries in Jirapa. While there, he was enlisted into the Catechists’ school in 1932. He was determined to learn the English language and the missionaries observed that he had the interest and ability to read and write.
In 1934, he was enrolled at the Junior High School in Navrongo. He completed his studies in 1939 and successfully completed his seminary formation in 1950.
He was a member of the Council of State in 1972 and member of the Ghana Education Service Council for seven years.