Former Information Minister laid to rest at his hometown

The late John Tia Akologo, a former Minister of Information, was laid to rest on Saturday at his hometown, Duusi, in the Talensi District of the Upper East Region.

Akologo passed away on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga after a brief illness, at the age of 69. He is survived by his wife and four children.

Hundreds of mourners, including traditional authorities, political party executives, current and former members of parliament, members of the United Cadres Front, Cuban Doctors, and others, gathered in Duusi to pay their final respects to the former Member of Parliament for the Talensi constituency.

A delegation from the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC), led by its flagbearer, former President John Dramani Mahama, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, the Chairman of the Party, and other MPs and party faithful, joined the family for the private burial rites.

In his tribute, the former President praised the late Akologo for his significant contributions to the growth of the party and Ghana as a whole through his service in various capacities and institutions.

He described the former Minister as a true cadre and party stalwart, committed to the 31st December Revolution, who played critical roles under the fourth republic.

"If all of us were able to carve a successful career in parliament, it was because senior brothers like John Tia were there to guide us and teach us the tenets of being a good parliamentarian," he remarked.

The former President added, "There is a time for everything, so we pray God will accept our supplications and grant our comrade entry into paradise."

Tia was born on September 23, 1954, in Gambaga, in the North East Region. He attended Zobzia Primary School and then Local Authority Middle School, both in Gambaga, before gaining admission to Tamale Secondary School.

There, from 1969 to 1974, he pursued his secondary education and obtained the GCE Ordinary Level.

He later earned a Diploma in Journalism from the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 1980 and went on to obtain a Certificate in Management, a Diploma in Public Administration, and a Bachelor of Arts in Public Administration from the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) in 2006, 2007, and 2008, respectively.

Akologo had been involved in grassroots politics since the 1980s, actively participating in the activities of the Trade Unions from 1985 to 1992, becoming a branch secretary and National Executive Council Member of the Public Services Workers’ Union.

In 1982, he was appointed Press Secretary of the Upper East Regional Secretariat of the Peoples Defence Committees and Workers Defence Committees, established by the Provisional National Defence Council.

Akologo was elected MP for the Talensi constituency in the 1992 general election on the ticket of the NDC and retained the seat in subsequent elections until 2012, when he was defeated by Robert N. Doameng Mosore of the New Patriotic Party.

The late Akologo was appointed Minister of Information in 2009 and served in that position until 2014. He was later appointed Ghana’s Ambassador to Cuba by former President John Dramani Mahama, where he served until 2016 when the NDC lost power.

The former Minister, who was also a journalist, worked with the GNA office in Bolgatanga between 1982 and 1990.

Until his passing, he was a member of the National Council of Elders, representing the Upper East Region.