To commemorate the late icon, the NPP will hold a ceremony in his honor. The party has organized a church service scheduled to take place at the Ridge Church. A get-together is also expected to follow the church service. This will hold at the party’s National Headquarters. The Acting General Secretary of the NPP, John Boadu has called on NPP loyalists to partake in the event as a sign of respect to the late chairman who has been described as one of the greatest sons of the country.
Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey
Indeed, a huge vacuum was created in the NPP when the party lost the iconic frontman. Born in Accra, Ghana as the second son of Emmanuel Obetsebi-Lamptey (a prominent lawyer and politician) and his Dutch wife Margaretha, Jacob Obetsebi-Lamptey had his primary education in Accra, before traveling to England to further his studies. Before his death, Jake served in different designations under the NPP, now the leading party. Also, he held several ministerial posts during the Kufuor administration. Some of these posts included; Minister of Information, Minister of Tourism and Modernization of the capital, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diasporan Relations, as well as Chief of Staff. He was the National Campaign Manager of the NPP during the 2000 Presidential elections which saw the party triumph at national polls and subsequently, the first constitutional (civilian-to-civilian) transition of power. It is a common knowledge that Jake campaigned for the NPP nomination for the 2008 presidential elections. But fate had an alternative plan for him; this manifested in February 2010 when he became the National Chairman of the New Patriotic Party.
Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey as a Media Practitioner
Late Jake was a professional communicator. In 1966, he began work as a radio and TV scriptwriter, commentator, and presenter at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC). In 1969, he joined Lintas West Africa – an advertising firm- as an account executive and radio/television producer. While at Lintas West Africa, he wrote, coordinated, and executed Family Planning and Motivation Campaign for the Ghana National Family Planning Programme. He also worked with the World Health Organization (WHO) from 1984 to 1999. Late Jake was a plenary speaker at the World Summit on AIDS London, and Second International Symposium on the disease in Yaounde Cameroun. More to that, he was once the president of the Advertising Association of Ghana. Jake had several publications to his credit covering topics like family planning and AIDS prevention in Africa.
Jake’s Contribution to NPP Identity
As a professional communicator, Jake was tasked with the responsibility of handling the artistic identity of the NPP. He worked with Dan Quaye, an artist to design the NPP flag, colors and other symbols. Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey passed away on Sunday, March 20, 2016, in London after an undisclosed brief illness. He was buried on April 22 at the forecourt of the state house. Numerous distinguished politicians, friends, and family attended his funeral.
