President John Dramani Mahama on Tuesday said the government would provide every necessary support to accord the late Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris a befitting funeral.

He said he had directed the Chief of Staff to work closely with the family of the late Minister of State to provide all the necessary support.

President Mahama gave the assurance when Mr Bede Ziedeng, Northern Regional Minister, led the family of the late minister to officially announce his funeral at the Flagstaff House, Kanda, Accra.

The delegation included some members of parliament from the Northern Region and friends and sympathizers.

The late Idris was a deputy minister and later made the substantive minister in different capacities during the New Patriotic Party administration.

President Mahama said although he and the late minister belonged to different political parties, they virtually did everything together from their childhood.

He said:”We grew up together, schooled together, taught in the same school together, and we worked together even in politics, and I can say he was a brother and not a friend.”

The president said death is a necessary end that all human beings must face, though very painfully, and appealed to the family of the late Idris to take heart and pray for him even in death".

Real Admiral M.M. Tahiru, a family member, said the family had already performed the three-day funeral rites while the seven-day rites would be performed on Sunday.