Paul Victor Obeng

Paul Victor Obeng KSG also known as P. V. Obeng (19 August 1947[1] – 17 May 2014) was a Ghanaian mechanical engineer and politician. He was the chairman of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology council.[2] In 2010, he was appointed by the President John Atta Mills administration as Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC). Until his death, he was the Senior Presidential Adviser at Presidency to President John Dramani Mahama.[3][4] He served under President's Jerry John Rawlings, John Evans Atta Mills and John Dramani Mahama in different capacities. He was a member and coordinating secretary and chairman of the Committee of Secretaries of the Provisional National Defence Council.[5][6] He died on 17 May 2014.[7]

Paul Victor Obeng
KSG
Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC)
In office
2010–2014
PresidentJohn Evans Atta Mills
John Dramani Mahama
Succeeded byKwesi Botchwey
Chairman of the Committee of Secretaries
Provisional National Defence Council
In office
1982–1992
PresidentJerry John Rawlings
Chairman of the Provisional National Defence Council
Preceded bynew role
Succeeded bydissolved
Personal details
Born(1947-08-19)19 August 1947
Died17 May 2014(2014-05-17) (aged 66)
Accra, Ghana
Nationality Ghanaian
Political partyNational Democratic Congress
Children4
Alma materOpoku Ware School
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
ProfessionEngineer

Early life and education

Paul Victor Obeng was born on 19 August 1949 to James Obeng and Mary Obeng.[8] A member of the Akan ethnic group he hailed from the town of Akrokerri in the Adansi North district of the Ashanti Region of Ghana.[9] He started his basic school in his hometown, Akrokerri and later proceeded to Opoku Ware School for his secondary school education.[10] He attended Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering, first-class Honours. Whilst a student, he was a member of the Katanga Hall, serving as the Hall President at one point in time and subsequently the Students Representative Council President of KNUST in 1972.[11][12]

Career

Obeng was the chief consultant and Chairman of OB Associates, a public and private sector consulting firm and chairman of Ghana Agro and Food company (GAFCO).[13] In addition, he served as the board director on the Board of Guinness Ghana Limited. He was also the board chairman of the Board of Mining and Building Contractors.[14][15]

Politics

Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC)

Obeng got into politics after Jerry John Rawling overthrew the Hilla Limann government in a coup on 31 December 1981. He was member of the 8 core member council of the Provisional National Defence Council.[16][6] He served as the chairman of the Committee of Secretaries under the Provisional National Defence Council regime (PNDC) from 1982 to 1992.[17] Within this period the public saw him as the de facto Prime Minister and Second-in-Command to Jerry Rawlings.[18]

National Democratic Congress (NDC)

He was a founding member of the National Democratic Congress in 1992. He served as Presidential Adviser to Jerry John Rawlings on Governmental Affairs under the National Democratic Congress (NDC) from 1992 to 1997. He also served as Chairman of the Ghana Investment Promotion Council (GIPC) from 1992 to 1997. In January 2009, he was appointed by President-elect of John Evans Atta Mills as the Chairman of the 12-member Transitional Team to assist in the transition from the Kufuor Administration to his Government, with Alex Segbefia as Secretary and Hanna Tetteh as Spokesperson.[19][20]

In January 2010, he was appointed by the President John Atta Mills administration as Chairman of the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC).[21][22] He served in that capacity until he died and was replaced by former finance Minister Dr Kwesi Botchwey.[23][24] On 21 January 2013, he was appointed by President Mahama as his Senior Presidential Adviser at the Presidency,[25][26] a position he held until he died in May 2014.[27]

Football administration

In 2002, Obeng was appointed as the board chairman of the Board of Directors of Kumasi Asante Kotoko S.C.[28] He served in that role from 2002 to 2005.[29][30] His time as chairman at the club was marked with illustrious silverware for the club as the club won the Ghana Premier League and SWAG Cup twice in 2003 and 2005.[30] Upon him dying, Asante Kotoko rivals Hearts of Oak issued a statement signed by their Board Chairman Togbe Afede XIV conveying their condolences in solidarity that;

“Kumasi Asante Kotoko has indeed lost a gem of a football administrator; Ghana football has lost a towering figure, one of its prized senior citizens''[31]

Personal life

Paul Victor Obeng was married to Rose Obeng and they had four children.[32] He was a Christian and worshipped as a Roman Catholic.[33] After his death, his wife Rose eulogized memory of the late husband and described him as

'' a man of many attributes, brilliant, hard-working, selfless, diplomatic, but nevertheless modest ''.[34]

Honours and recognition

On 7 July 2007, Obeng was honoured with the Order of the Volta (Companion Division) for his service to the development of Ghana by President John Agyekum Kufuor. Other 75 people including Akilakpa Sawyerr were also honoured.[35][36]

In 2009, Obeng along with Thomas Kwaku Mensah and 27 other people were bestowed with honorary titles of Monsignor and Knighthood by Pope Benedict XVI. He was honoured with Papal Knighthood of St. Gregory the Great Award, which is the 4th highest of the Papal order and Knight awards given out by Catholic Pope. He was knighted for his exceptional contributions in both cash and kind to the growth of the Obuasi Diocese in Ghana since its creation 14 years ago.[37]

We have lost a tireless public servant, an admirable unifier and giant of our political landscape over the past 30-plus years. PV Obeng has been a passionate nationalist and patriot, full of practical ideas, solutions and optimism, for the good of Ghana and Ghanaians. I have leaned on him many times for advice, guidance and support. He was always there to bring his vast experience, institutional knowledge and great connections across many sections of Ghanaian society, to bear on any challenges we have faced.

—John Dramani Mahama, Tribute to P V Obeng [38][39]

Death and burial

On 17 May 2014, it was reported that Obeng died at the Ledzokuku-Krowor Municipal Assembly (LEKMA) Hospital in Teshie after he collapsed at the Agape Filling Station at Spintex Road in Accra. He was 66.[40][41] With Obeng being a long-time statesman, he was given a state funeral at the forecourt of the State House in Accra on 15 August 2014.[42]

The funeral was officiated by Archbishop Charles G. Palmer-Buckle and attended by high-profile personalities in the political circles of Ghana, including former President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife, Nana Konadu Agyeman-Rawlings, former President John Agyekum Kufuor; President John Dramni Mahama and his wife Lordina Mahama, Vice President Paa Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, Chief Justice Mrs. Georgina Wood and other politicians, statesmen and diplomats.[18][8]

He was later buried in his hometown, Akrokerri in the Ashanti Region after state funeral on 16 August 2014.[33][43]

Legacy and memorial

PV Obeng Avenue and roundabout

In August 2015, also being the birth month of Obeng, the Tema Metropolitan Assembly (TMA) named and unveiled a road and roundabout at Tema within the Tema Community Three area around CMB Quarters zone to P. V. Obeng Avenue and P. V. Obeng Roundabout respectively, after him to eulogise his memories and recognise his contributions to the development of the country and Tema Metropolitan area where he resided.[44] The announcement and unveiling was by Metropolitan Chief Executive of Tema, Isaac Ashai Odamtten at a function organised by the TMA and the Greater Accra coordinating branch.[44][45]

Memorial lectures

In August 2015, the first Paul Victor Obeng Memorial lectures was organized by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Alumni Association, Tema Chapter in memory of him. Kwame Saarah-Mensah former Minister of Youth and Sports in the PNDC era was the Keynote speaker and William Otoo Ellis, then Vice Chancellor of KNUST was the chairman. The theme of the lecture was The Man P. V. Obeng.[46][47] In 2016, the second memorial lecture was organised with Rev. Charles G. Palmer-Buckle being the keynote speaker[48] Since his death in 2014, people in and outside the political scene in Ghana who looked up to him continue to write and show their admiration for his tolerance and leadership skills.[49][50]

See also

References
  1. "Paul Victor Obeng (PV) | Profile | Africa Confidential". www.africa-confidential.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  2. "P. V. Obeng Advocates Strong Public/Private Universities Partnership". www.theheraldghana.com. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  3. Anane, Ernest Best (22 August 2013). "PV Calls For Accountability In Sanitation & Water Delivery". Modern Ghana. Ghanaian Chronicle (Accra). Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  4. "Mahama remembers late Paul Victor Obeng". www.ghanaweb.com. 18 May 2018. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  5. Sub-Saharan Africa Report. Foreign Broadcast Information Service. 1984.
  6. Ghana, Two Years of Transformation, 1982-1983. Information Services Department. 1984.
  7. Osam, Efua Idan (17 May 2014). "Gov't confirms PV Obeng's death". Citi FM. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  8. "PV Obeng Burial Today". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  9. "Akrokerri mourns P.V. Obeng". Graphic Online. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  10. Kitcher, Mavis (21 May 2014). Junior Graphic: Issue 689 May 21-27, 2014. Graphic Communications Group.
  11. "Katanga mourns PV Obeng". Graphic Online. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  12. "Mr. Paul Victor Obeng—My Take And My Salute". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  13. "P.V. Obeng Takes His Place in Govt as Chairman of NDPC". www.allafrica.com/. Retrieved 20 July 2011.
  14. "PV Obeng cautions Anglogold over severing contract with MBC - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  15. "Sir. Paul Victor Obeng | Board of Directors | Mining and Building Contractors Limited". www.mbcgh.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  16. Opoku, Darko K. (2008). "Political Dilemmas of Indigenous Capitalist Development in Africa: Ghana under the Provisional National Defence Council". Africa Today. 55 (2): 25–50. ISSN 0001-9887. JSTOR 27666967.
  17. Ghana, 1981-1991: A Decade of Unity, Stability and Development. Information Services Department. 1992.
  18. "Nation mourns P.V. Obeng". Graphic Online. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
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  20. Tetteh, Hanna (4 January 2009). "Mills names transitional team". www.ghanaweb.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  21. "P.V. Obeng chairs NDPC in new board appointments - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  22. "P.V. Obeng chairs NDPC in new board appointments". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  23. "The informal sector must be empowered - PV Obeng - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  24. "Kwesi Botchwey appointed as NDPC Chairman". Graphic Online. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
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  27. "Flagstaff House mourns P.V. Obeng". Graphic Online. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  28. "P.V. Obeng chairs Kotoko board". www.ghanaweb.com. 31 January 2002. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  29. "Kotoko Board Chairman P. V. Obeng — Stating his case". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  30. "'P.V's death big loss to Ghana football'". Graphic Online. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  31. "Hearts console rivals Kotoko over PV Obeng's death". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  32. "PV Obeng goes home". www.ghanaweb.com. 16 August 2014. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  33. "PV Obeng laid to rest in hometown - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
  34. "News & Event | NDPC". www.ndpc.gov.gh. Archived from the original on 4 March 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  35. "76 nominated for national awards - MyJoyOnline.com". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  36. "76 nominated for national awards". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  37. "Pope Honours 29". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  38. "'PV Obeng, an admirable unifier and tireless public servant - Mahama| Graphic.com.gh". www.graphic.com.gh. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  39. "Ghana has lost a tireless servant – Prez Mahama| Graphic.com.gh". www.myjoyonline.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  40. Frimpong, Enoch Darfah. "Breaking News: P. V. Obeng is dead - Graphic Online". Graphic Online. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  41. "How PV Obeng Died". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  42. "P.V. Obeng's body lies in state at Banquet Hall". Graphic Online. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
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  45. "TMA names roundabout after PV Obeng". News Ghana. 17 August 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  46. "I regret boycotting Senchi economic forum - Osafo Marfo". www.ghanaweb.com. 20 August 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  47. Adjorlolo, Ruth Abla. ""Emulate the man Dr. Sir P V Obeng" - Dr. Kwame Saarah Mensah". www.gbcghana.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  48. offei, dorothy. "Memorial Lecture: Youth challenged to emulate ideals of late P.V Obeng". www.gbcghana.com. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  49. Sackey, M. O. (31 May 2014). "P.V. Obeng: An enduring legacy of leadership and tolerance". Graphic Online. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
  50. Gyimah, Gilbert Adu (20 May 2014). "Mr. Paul Victor Obeng—My Take And My Salute". Modern Ghana. Retrieved 15 February 2021.
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