By: Rebecca Ekpe
Family of the late Captain Kojo Tsikata (RTD), Former Head of National Security, who was also in charge of Foreign Affairs of the Provisional National Defence Council, PNDC era, said he would be accorded a private family funeral in accordance with his wishes.
A statement from the family, announcing his passing early hours of Saturday, November 20, 2021, said it is ”in accordance with his wishes, the family will be making arrangements for a private family funeral”.
The statement was signed by Col. Joshua Agbotui (RTD), and Fui S. Tsikata.
Meanwhile, confirming the demise of Captain Tsikata to GBC News, a former Secretary of Foreign Affairs in the PNDC era and close friend, Dr. Obed Asamoah, said he is not surprised, because Captain Tsikata had been in the hospital for a while.
He described him as ”intelligent, focused and someone who had the country at heart”.
”It was sad news, I expected it anyway because he has been in the hospital for about two to three weeks now on admission. I was not surprised about the bad news, but naturally I didn’t expect the bad news and I was shocked”.
”He was very intelligent, very purposeful and he was focused with everything he was doing and he had the interest of the country at heart. He was very much involved in the liberation movement. He was a Pan-Africanist and as of course you know the roles he played within the PNDC. So he was a very good person, very kind in spite of the impressions people had of him, he was very personable and easy to approach”, according to Dr. Obed Asamoah.
As a close friend to the Late Kojo Tsikata, Dr. Asamoah said they met very early in their youthful years.
”We first met in 1949 at Ho, where we both went for an interview to be admitted to Achimota Secondary School and we were both admitted in 1950. Our friendship blossomed when I went to Britain in 1956 to do law and he followed soon after to do Ministry Training…….so we continued with our friendship. He came back earlier than I did, and when I got back as well we were involved in a whole number of things and the friendship has continued ever since. Politically, we were active in the PNDC regime”, Dr. Obed Asamoah recountered.
Profile:
Captain (RTD) Kojo Tsikata was appointed in 1982 under the Jerry Rawlings Administration and had been in charge of National Security since 1982. He later joined the Rawlings Administration on January 21, 1995. In 1995, he was asked to join a negotiating team with Dr. Ibn Chambas, the then Deputy Foreign Minister, and Brigadier General Agyemfra.
He rejected a National Award to be conferred on him in the category of the order of Volta companion under former President John Agyekum Kuffour. He was listed as one of the six government officials under the NDC regime to receive the award.
Captain Tsikata received one of Angola’s highest honours, known as Carlos Silva among Angolan fighters, for his role in the struggle for national independence.
He was also a holder of the Solidarity Award and the Order of “Carlos Manuel de Céspedes”, conferred by the Council of State of the Republic of Cuba.
Captain Tsikata was appointed by Former late Libyan President Mouamar Gaddafi to a Senior Advisory position in charge of the Al Mathaba Central Committee, a support centre for the Liberation Movement and Anti-imperialist and Anti-Zionist organizations.
