As we mourn the departed Eng. Yusuf Warsame Saeed we reminisce on his outstanding personal and public life in which he achieved much in his seven decades of life.
By: Yusuf M Hasan
HARGEISA (Somalilandsun) – The late mayor of Hargeisa Eng. Yusuf Warsame Saeed was laid to rest in Hargeisa.
The late Eng. Warsame whose body arrived from UAE during midday prayers was given a state burial at the Heedo cemetery in the capital city with thousands of city residents including politicians, ministers, lawmakers and religious and traditional leaders in attendance.
Before confining the Somaliland flag draped coffin to ground various personalities like Finance minister Samale, Sheikh Aden Siro, Deputy Information minister and Abdilahi Ukuse gave briefings of various segments of the late Eng. Warsame life with NEC Spokesperson Mr Gelle revealing that the SNM logo was designed by the departed soul.
The late Eng. Yusuf Warsame Saeed died in the early hours of Sunday morning at a hospital in the UAE city of Abu Dhabi where he has been receiving medical attention for a couple of months.
In his message of condolences president Silanyo said the deceased shall be remembered as a nationalist who dedicated his life to the promotion of livelihoods and the development of the country.
We at Somalilandsun pay homage to the late Eng. Warsame with this short history of his life
Bio Data
Engineer Yusuf Aw Warsame Saeed was born seven decades ago in Hargeisa where he was schooled from primary to secondary school level.
He received his higher education in Russia, before proceeding England where he studied and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in urban development engineering at a London University.
With a burning quest for contributing to developing his country, the then Republic of Somalia, Eng. Yusuf Warsame returned home and his first project was the famous Guriga Umadda (Peoples House) building in Mogadishu near Sayid Mohamed Abdullah Hassan’s statue followed by Villa Somalia the presidential palace which has been the home of Somalia presidents for long.
The sprawling Villa Somalia which has, though scarred after a barrage of heavy military ordnance for 20 years and devoid of painting , remained stout as original thus a testimony of the engineering prowess of the late Hargeisa mayor.
Following the protracted civil war between the Siad Barre led Somali national army and rebels of the Somaliland National Movement-SNM the 1980’s and early 90’s Eng. Yusuf Warsame made tangible contributions both morally and financially towards the SNM rebellion which he supported against the tyranny of the dictator Barre.
After the successful rout of the Barre regime and subsequent reclamation of self-rule by his motherland of Somaliland a former British protectorate, the incoming Hargeisa mayor moved based to Europe, settling in Oslo the Norwegian where he groomed his city planning and engineering career further through active participation in numerous projects in a span of ten years.
Living with daily Nostalgia for home the now fully fledged city planner decided to return to his native home Somaliland with a detour in Djibouti where he designed and effected the tiny country’s first roundabout for the network of roads that connects the entire city of Djibouti.
On arrival in Hargeisa he established the Warsame Saeed Construction Company that has become reckoned with for erection of various businesses and residential structures and more specifically the new Parliament building in Hargeisa.
Apart from his zero tolerance on graft Eng. Yusuf Warsame hoped to see to it that the city is freed from garbage thus sanitary living conditions for residents develop a proper road network worthy of a capital city and establish a proper town planning and protect the national assets that he has experience in doing.
Eng.: Yusuf had the reputation of being honest, transparent and hard- working and financially sound thus the apt leader of change that the city Hargeisa and entire country is going to miss.
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