Herbert,
How dare you leave planet earth at a time when our country needs special talents and unique competencies to transform the social and economic landscapes?
I first met you in the 1970s . As the National Programme officer in the UNDP, you were all over the place , having meetings and consultations with the Ministry of Developnent and Economic Planning, the Ministry of Finance , the Ministry of Agriculture and other line ministries to identify the areas of concentration for the Country Programme and to see how best we could utilise the Indicative Planning Figure. I knew then that you were smart , dedicated and passionate about development. Your supervisors, Mr Metcalf and Mr Sallah recognised that too and made sure you were whisked off to the UNDP office in Addis Ababa as the Assistant Resident Representative. That was a tall order really as you were so young. Addis Ababa was an extremely difficult duty station in the 1970s and 1980s. I got to know you more and appreciated your passion for Africa ‘s development and your strength and dedication to get real outputs . You traveled throughout Ethiopia at a time when the Military Regime had all sorts of laws and restrictions to make our lives miserable.
Quite apart from the official responsibilities bestowed on us we had fun in Addis, constantly having parties late into the night, meandering our way home to avoid being stopped by the Military Police. You also gave me a tip to appease the military police if they dared to stop me when driving home during the curfew hours of 9pm till dawn. “Have a few boxes of cigarettes in the car to dish out.”
I recall you and Selina ‘s visit to my house in Addis in 1981 and my Mother greeting you as Prince. I then asked her “who is Prince ?” Her response was simply ” Prince is the son of my cousin and you are cousins. ” That was an added bonus to our friendship.
You made life easy for the Resident Representative Ken King as all the hard tasks were handed over to you and, in appreciation of your excellent performance he endorsed your transfer as Deputy Resident Representative to Botswana. Thereafter your rise to the highest professional level in the UN system was smooth – from Botswana to Cameroon and to the Democratic Republic of Congo, with postings in between at the Regional Bureau for Africa , UNDP, New York. Your promotions were well deserved. I must say that your achievements and success indicators were easily recognised . You helped so many to secure jobs within the UN system and others to rise within the system. I did thrust one such potential candidate on you in the year 2000 and in three months she had secured a post and is now at a higher professional level in New York. Thank you for being there when others needed help. Thank you for contributing so substantially to the development efforts of many countries in Africa. Thank you for your support when I was sick in Addis Ababa and thought I was dying. You
were a jewel but as I once told you, your rise to the highest professional and nonpolitical post in the UN was also made possible by my dearest friend Selina who gave up all income-generating activities and her career to support you unconditionally through the decades . After all the sacrifices she is here today without you. I can imagine the pain she is going through. However, I do believe that you will continue to watch over her and the children . Your race is over. We are proud of your achievements and as we mourn, we also celebrate your wonderful life. We will miss you my dear cousin. May the angels give you a safe passage to the heavens and may your beautiful soul rest in perfect peace.
Remie Toure
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