Monrovia – Authorities at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) have announced the sudden death of the Assistant Minister for Budget, Augustine Kaifa Blama.
According to an MFDP release, Assistant Minister Blama died yesterday at the JFK Memorial Hospital following anabrupt illness.
In a condolence statement at the residence of the deceased last evening, Finance and Development Planning Minister, Boima Kamara, who lead a senior management team from the MFDP, described the sudden death of Assistant Minister Blama as a void left within the MFDP workforce, especially the Department of Budget and Development Planning, which Minister Blama served with diligence and absolute loyalty.
While consoling Mrs. Blama and members of the bereaved family, Minister Kamara called on them to keep faith in the Lord, as he assured the Ministry’s full participation in all of the events before, during and after the burial of Assistant Minister Blama.
Also sympathizing with the bereaved family, MFDP’s Deputy Minister for Budget and Development Planning, Tanneh Brunson, who served as immediate supervisor to the late Assistant Minister, indicated that he was one of her technicians who always executed any task and was in readiness to perform additional duties.
“He was very much knowledgeable of budget processes,” Deputy Minister Brunson lamentingly eulogized one of the pillars of her department.
Meanwhile, MFDP staffs are describing Assistant Minister Blama’s sudden death as a shock, with many employees calling on the bereaved family to accept the death of one of their most dedicated technicians as a will of God.
The release further stated that some of the MFDP employees, who were either supervised or directly interacted with the late Assistant Minister, indicated that he did not only serve as the nucleus of the budget section, but was always receptive and provided the needed guidance and courage in ensuring that they acquire the requisite knowledge.
Prior to his appointment as Assistant Minister of Budget in 2014, the late Assistant Minister, who started working in Government since 2000, served in various positions within the Security Services Sector, Security and Economic Sector, Economic Services Sector, as well as the Research and Budgetary Policy sector.
Some of the posts he held included; Research Analyst, Budget Staff Analyst, Chief Senior Analyst, Controlling Principal Analyst and Assistant Director General, Research Department at the erstwhile Bureau of the Budget, Ministry of Finance.
The MFDP release concluded by disclosing that the Assistant Minister, who was an ardent Muslim,will be buried in Nyandiayama, Lofa County, on tomorrow, September 30, 2016, following Islamic prayers.