By Benjamin Makafui Attipoe, Sogakope
Hundreds of mourners from far and near on Saturday, February 14, 2026, besieged the funeral rites and service events of the late South Tongu NDC Communications Officer, Comrade Nicholas Yao Aklorbortu at Sogakope in the South Tongu District of the Volta Region.
The funeral event which was under the auspices of the Assemblies of God Church under its Volta South Regional Superintendent, Rev. Stephen Sakyi, was attended by a high-powered party delegation led by the General Secretary of the NDC, Hon. Fiavi Fiifi Kwetey. The government delegation was also led by the Regional Minister, Hon. James Gunu.
The MP for Ho West and Chairman of the Volta Region MPs’ caucus in Parliament, Hon. Emmanuel Kwesi Bedzra, led a delegation of MPs from the region and beyond to the funeral service whiles the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Adaklu, Hon. Jerry Ameko led his colleague MDCEs from the region to the heavily attended event.
The Deputy Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), Dr. Senanu Kwesi Dzokoto also led a delegation of staff of the NHIA and NHIS both from Accra, the Volta Region and other parts of the country to the funeral. Constituency Communication Officers of the NDC from the eighteen (18) constituencies of the region were also in attendance.
A tribute by the wife, Ms. Gladys Agbi described the late husband as someone who never shirked his responsibilities as a father of the home, ensuring that the family never went hungry. ‘I always cherish how you often sang: ‘I wish to put a roof over our heads so that even if our children become beggars, at least, they will have a place to lay their heads. Accommodation should not add to their problems’, Ms. Agbi intimated.
She described the Friday, 5th December, 2025 day of the accident that claimed the husband’s life, as a dreadful Friday. ‘I was waiting and preparing to welcome you home. I called your number to check if you were in town so you could buy medication for our youngest child. Instead, someone else answered and told me of the incident’, the heartbroken wife lamented.
The tributes for the children described their father as a hardworking man who believed that true dignity comes from honest labour. ‘You taught us that nothing worthwhile comes easy and that perseverance, humility and kindness are treasures no one can ever take from us’, the children stated.
For the Comboni Technical Institute (COMBOTEC) at Sogakope where the late Nicholas Yao Aklorbortu was Head of the Social Studies Department until his demise, his kindness, humour and ability to listen would be missed everyday and that Nicholas was not just a teammate but also someone the Institute trusted, depended on and someone who made work feel more human.
The NDC tributes from the South Tongu Constituency and the Regional Secretariat of the party described the late Constituency Communication Officer as a patriotic fallen hero, a faithful servant, a loyal comrade, a noble son of the party as well as a committed and hardworking party official who brought clarity in messaging and innovation to the political communication space of the South Tongu constituency. ‘His passing has sent shockwaves through the Communication Team, South Tongu and across the region. It is a loss that words struggle to contain. The pain is deep because the service was sincere, the commitment genuine and the legacy undeniable’, the tributes noted.
Tributes also came from the NHIA, the Redemption Valley Congregation of the Assemblies of God Church, Sogakope, the mother, Madam Stella Soetor, the siblings, his Deputy Communication Officer, Hon. Francis Quarshie Agbedeke, the DCE for South Tongu, Hon. Victoria Dzeklo as well as the Management and Staff of Sela Radio at Dabala.
In a sermon, the clergy stressed the need for the people to let Christ define their lives as was the case with the late Comrade Nicholas Yao Aklorbortu.
The late Nicholas Yao Aklorbortu was born on Thursday, 18th September, 1980. He completed the Dekpor M.A. Basic School in 1994 with aggregate ten (10), St. Prosper’s College (PROSCO) at Ho later, first degree in Education in addition to securing a second degree (Masters) which he acquired in 2011.
Until his untimely and unfortunate death on Friday, 5th December, 2025 in a gory motorbike accident on the Adaklu stretch of the Ho-Sogakope highway, he was the South Tongu Communication Officer of the NDC, Head of Social Studies Department of COMBOTEC and the Volta Regional Monitoring Co-ordinator of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) at Ho.
