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

The late Akologo, died on Sunday, March 24, 2024, at the Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga after a short illness at age 69.

He left behind four children and a wife.

Hundreds of mourners from all walks of life including traditional authorities, political party executives, members and former members of parliament, members of the United Cadres Front, and Cuban Doctors, among others were at Duusi to pay their last respects to the former Member of Parliament (MPs) for the Talensi constituency.

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

In a tribute, the former President eulogised the late Akologo for his immense contribution to the growth of the party and Ghana as a whole through his service in various fields and institutions.

He said the former Minister was a true cadre and party man who was committed to the 31st December Revolution and 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 hold our hands and teach us the tenets of being a good parliamentarian,” he stated.

The former President added that there was time for everything, “so we pray God will accept our supplications and grant our comrade entry into paradise”.

Mr Tia was born on September 23, 1954, at Gambaga in the North East Region.

He attended the Zobzia Primary School and then the Local Authority Middle School both at Gambaga before gaining admission into Tamale Secondary School to pursue his secondary school education from 1969 to 1974 where he obtained the GCE Ordinary Level.

He later obtained a Diploma in Journalism at the Ghana Institute of Journalism in 1980 and later obtained 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.

Mr Akologo had been involved in grassroots politics since the 1980s when he was active in the activities of the Trade Unions between 1985 and 1992, becoming a branch secretary and National Executive Council Member of the Public Services Workers’ Union.

In 1982, he became the Press Secretary of the Upper East Regional Secretariat of the Peoples Defence Committees and Workers Defence Committees set up by the Provisional National Defence Council.

Mr Akologo was elected MP for the Talensi constituency in the 1992 general election on the ticket of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) and retained the seat in subsequent elections until 2012 when he lost to Mr 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 when he was later appointed Ghana’s Ambassador to Cuba by former President John Mahama where he served until 2016 when NDC lost power.

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

He had worked in various fields and until his demise, was a member of the National Council of Elders, representing the Upper East Region.