“I am deeply sad by the death of Christopher Opoku,” Herbert Mensah, President of Ghana Rugby has said with a trembling voice after hearing about the demise of the celebrated sports presenter.
Having worked with Christopher Opoku on different levels, he recalled how the two on several occasions disagreed and agreed on a number of issues.
Mr. Mensah who was once the Chairman of Kumasi Asante Kotoko FC, reckoned that Chris’ death “is something really terrible” for the sporting fraternity.
“Chris and I both share the sense of taking on what is wrong, because what is wrong is wrong and what is right is right…I charged him to come forward and find people like him to help change the face of sports and indeed even politics in the country,” Herbert Mensah stated.
He recalled meeting Chris and the wife about eight months ago where they discussed the future and “inevitability of now and I tried to provide comfort for him because he was a great person.”
Pointing to the “massive respect” that existed between them, Mr. Mensah recounted that “there is so much going wrong that Chris was passionate about…he was one of the unsung heroes for those outside sporting world.”
He called on all to support the ace broadcaster’s family at this difficult moment.
“I know that the good Lord will bless and protect his soul, and we must pray for his family and beautiful daughters so that they can also survive knowing that their father was truly a great man.”
Christopher Opoku died on Wednesday, May 10, at a London Hospital, after a long battle with cancer of the rectum for which he underwent a medical operation on September 24, 2012.
The heart-breaking news was confirmed to Citi News by his father, K. O. Opoku, who revealed that Chris’ health had deteriorated over the past four weeks.
“Christopher has not been well for some time now. He went abroad about 3 months ago and we’ve been communicating with him. But for the past 4 weeks, I’ve not been able to speak to him. So it was just on [Wednesday] evening at about 8:00pm that I was informed by the mother of Christopher’s wife that they had informed her to inform me that Christopher has passed. My mother in-law confirmed that Christopher had passed,” Mr. Opoku said.
Opoku, affectionately known as Columbus, died of cancer on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. Christopher Opoku, who until his trip abroad for treatment, was news editor at Citi FM, has worked in the media for more than fifteen years.
The management and staff of Citi FM are profoundly broken-hearted at Chris’ passing. We will miss his intelligent contributions in the newsroom and his gentle digs at team members.
He started as the host of a gospel show on Luv FM, a station based in Kumasi where he was student at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. Chris then evolved to become one of Ghana’s known sports journalists.
He worked with Asempa FM and Power FM before it was re-branded Starr FM.
On both stations, he hosted their morning sports shows. For several years he worked with Accra-based Metro TV before joining Citi FM for a brief period.
In 2013, he was appointed General Manager of the Ghana League Clubs Association (GHALCA), and he worked with the entity until 2014 when he resigned. He was named Best Football Commentator and Best Football Journalist (PLB) in 2008 and 2009.
Aside his work as a sports broadcaster, he had a strong passion for music, and he was heavily involved in running the music department of his church.
He will be remembered as a dedicated, passionate and very lively person and he will be missed by all who knew him. Christopher Opoku is survived by a wife and three children.
By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)