Dr Ebenezer Ako-Adjei, a founding member of the United Gold Coast Convention (UGCC), would be given a state burial and all flags would fly at half-mast on that day in his honour, President John Agyekum Kufuor announced on Thursday when a six-member delegation from the bereaved family informed the government of his death at the Castle, Osu.

He said the nation owed Dr Ako-Adjei gratitude as a hero, who served the country as a young man, for democratic rule in future. President Kufuor said as one of the Big Six in Ghana's political history, the death of Dr Ako-Adjei marked the end of the first cycle of history in terms of ''the harsh political atmosphere in the country at that time. But the memory of that era cannot be erased''.

"They launched a political party system of which the government is a beneficiary. Ghanaians benefiting from this great legacy and achievement owe it a duty to rally behind the bereaved family to offer Dr Ako-Adjei a fitting state burial".

Nana Addo-Dankwa Akuffo-Addo, Attorney General and Minister of Justice, said the death of Dr Ako-Adjei had marked the end of the era of the founding fathers of the nation and Ghanaians were now left on their own to survive.

He said in reality, the vision that energised them to ensure free democratic rule now prevailed in the country, adding "they did a great deal of work for our country and he is one of the heroes of this country".

Mr Jake O. Obetsebi-Lamptey, Minister of Information and Presidential Affairs, said the chapter on the era of the Big Six had not been erased with the death of Dr Ako-Adjei because their experiences were available for future generations.

"There were a lot of other Ghanaians with the Big Six, who championed the cause of democracy. If you do your best for your country, you would be remembered, " he added.

Mrs Julia Sarkodie-Mensah, Honorary Consul of the Republic of Ghana in Botswana and niece to the deceased, who led the delegation, said no date had been fixed for his burial and presented a carton of schnapps as customary drinks to the government.

The late Dr Ako-Adjei, 90, a veteran journalist and a lawyer, died in Accra last Monday, January 14.