Rawlings's home 'deserted'

The family home of the late Jerry John Rawlings, the Agbotui, Nyaho and allied Family Home is dead of human presence and funeral activities.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) to the family home and its stool house at Dzelukope Sunday afternoon showed an almost empty home, no presence of relatives from far and near as would have been the case in the event of the passing away of a kinsman and importantly someone of Mr Rawlings’ stature.

Strange as it might be, GNA surveyed around the house and its environs did not find a single poster let alone a banner announcing the departure or the funeral arrangements of the former President though that of his mother, Madam Victoria Agbotui buried months ago, was still posted on the walls of the house.

Madam Dzigbordi Agbeke, a niece of Mr Rawlings who lives in the house, explained that there was a banner of Rawlings announcing his death fixed on the wall but some kinsmen of theirs in neighbouring Togo visited home earlier and took it away with them.

Madam Vicentia Nutsugah, an 85-year old aunt of the late Jerry John Rawlings, who lives at the stool house said the family back home was waiting for a signal from the Anlo State on the return of his mortal remains.

“We’re ready and just waiting for words from the Awadada and the Anlo State that the body is coming home to set into motion activities to give a befitting burial to our son and chief according to Anlo traditional and customary practices.”

Madam Nutsugah disclosed that young men had been mobilised and waiting to carry out instructions regarding the preparations while an all-women military group in town was ready to perform the rites as deemed fit for the observance of burial rites for chiefs.

“The family, Anlo citizens and the entire Volta Ewe social group are expecting our celebrated son back home. The atmosphere is like this because we’re yet to get words on his conveyance home. That’s all we ask for. It’s enough pain we lost him but we cannot lose his body also. A chief must be sent to the village in his ancestral home not in a strange land.”

Mr Joseph Agbodzakey, a nephew of Mr Rawlings who had come from his base in Ho said he was still baffled with everything that was going on with the uncle’s death and arrangements for his burial rites.

He said just as Madam Nutsugah noted that they were waiting on Torgbui Agbesi Awusu II, the Awadada of Anlo to trigger the processes, “we’re ready, the home is set and looking good from the paintings and renovations it got during the performance of Mama Victoria’s funeral and so, it will require just a little brush off.”