Upper Manya Krobo assembly's works engineer collapses and dies at work

Correspondence from Eastern Region:

The entire Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly has been thrown into a state of mourning following the sudden death of its Works Engineer.

Mr. Samuel Okantey who reported for work hale and hearty on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, went about his normal duties but suddenly collapsed whilst at work.

He "collapsed" while working with some auditors at the Assembly, a staff told GhanaWeb's Eastern Regional Correspondent on anonymity.

Personnel of the National Ambulance Service stationed at the Assembly rushed him to the Asesewa Government Hospital whilst attempting to revive him, unfortunately, he was pronounced dead minutes upon arrival at the facility as efforts by doctors to resuscitate him failed.

District Chief Executive (DCE) for Upper Manya Krobo, Honourable shocked by the incident said, “it’s true, it’s a sad development,” when reached to verify the authenticity of the report.

The mood at the Assembly Wednesday, according to him was sombre following the sad development.

Detailing the circumstances that led to the death of the Assembly employee, the Assembly chief said he engaged the engineer assumed to be in his mid-fifties in his (DCE’s) office only a few hours before his sudden demise.

“I was in a meeting yesterday when I called the engineer for a discussion…he came to me and I told him I was in a meeting and would meet with him later…I was in the meeting when I was informed that the engineer had collapsed and been rushed to the hospital…later I was called that he had passed on,” detailed the DCE in an interview.

Honourable Joe Sam together with the Presiding Member for the Upper Manya Krobo District Assembly subsequently followed up at the hospital before informing the family of the deceased who is in Accra, of the incident.

Eulogizing the late Mr. Okantey who has worked with the Assembly over the last four years Mr. Joe Sam who rated him as number one in terms of hard work and dedication to work recounted, “he never joked with his work, he comes to work on time and leaves late, he’s almost always the last to leave the office. He’s very respectful and ready to respond immediately when you call.”

According to him, the late engineer was an astute engineer, adding that the Assembly had lost a gem. He was however hopeful that the deputies of the department would effectively run the office in the absence of their late boss.

The DCE denied knowledge of any serious medical condition which might have been triggered and hence leading to the untimely death of the engineer.

He called for calm among the staff of the Assembly as they mourn their departed colleague over the next one week.

A colleague of the late engineer who preferred to remain anonymous described him as “a very good friend and down to earth. Issues that some of us would be annoyed at, this man would take it normal. I’ve never seen him go angry.”

The body of the deceased has been deposited at the mortuary of the Asesewa Government Hospital mortuary for preservation.

The deceased left behind a wife and an unspecified number of children.