. Nation bids farewell to first FDRE President
ADDIS ABABA – The first and former President of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia (FDRE) Dr. Negasso Gidada was a man of high moral principles as he had bravely faced up various political and economic challenges in a bid to uphold his guiding principles for life, said some attendees at the state funeral service Sunday.
Before his body laid to rest at St. Peter-Paul Catholic Cemetery in presence of President Sahle-work Zewde, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other senior government officials and thousands of people, President Sahle-Work had said Negasso was honest, human and has contributed a lot for the best of his country at the event organized to celebrate his life at the Addis Ababa Millennium Hall.
Senior Politician and Veteran Combatant of the Oromo Liberation Front (OLF) Lencho Leta for his part said he has known Negasso since childhood. “Dr. Negasso had proven to all of us that no matter what your ideology is, you would win so long as you stayed strong and determined to realize your life values.”
It is to be recalled that the House of People’s Representatives declared yesterday as a national mourning day and had also decided a state funeral for the late Negasso last Friday.
The late Negasso Gidada served as the first FDRE President for six years, from 1995 to 2001. He had also worked as chairman of Oromo People’s Democratic Organization (OPDO), now renamed Oromo Democratic Party, one of four member parties of the ruling coalition, Ethiopian People’s Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF).
The late Dr Negasso was a member of a committee that drafted the constitution and Chairman of the Constitutional Assembly, which adopted the current constitution, and became the first Head of State of Federal Ethiopia following that.
Dr. Negasso Gidada was 76 when he died last week; He is survived by three children.
The Ethiopian Herald May 7/2019
BY STAFF REPORTER
