Bakewell owner Naeem Nasir, 52, passed away yesterday at the Balwant Singh Hospital at around 11.15 pm after a period of illness.
Nasir inaugurated the popular bakery and later expanded the business to include the Roti Hut, a delicatessen and the Rituals coffee shop at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.
He was also well known for his philanthropy.
His close friend and former manager of his business, Wazir Baksh, told Stabroek News today that he was admitted to the hospital last Wednesday after he took in around 5 am with a “sharp pain” in his head. He had just completed his Fajr [morning] prayer.
The businessman was rushed to the hospital and later in the evening he fell into a coma. He suffered from bleeding in the head.
Relatives were making arrangements for him to travel to Orlando, Florida to seek further treatment. But doctors here advised them against it due to his deteriorating condition.
His Jannazah (funeral service) will be at 2 pm today on the Merriman Mall opposite the Queenstown mosque. This site is also close to his North Road business.
He was born in January 1960 and was married to Annette Nasir and was the father of Aneesa, 15 and Ahmad, 8.
Baksh recognized Nasir for being a “remarkable human being who touched many lives.” He said many persons were present at the hospital on a daily basis to cheer up and offer support to the family.
Nasir was also the owner, together with his wife, of Roti Hut, Rituals Coffee, Pizza Boy and franchise holder of Edy’s Ice Cream. He was described as a humble but principled person and was known for his “outstanding contribution to humanitarian efforts. He supported a lot of people in and out of Guyana.”
He was part of the board of the renal clinic and of President’s College and also supported the Kashif and Shanghai football game.
Baksh said “Naeem would never let anyone go hungry… He distributed bread daily to various depressed communities in and around Georgetown and also gave support to Buxton.”
Baksh recalled fondly that Nasir “treated everyone, especially his workers equally… They [workers] felt as though they were part of his family. He would sit in front of his business in the afternoons and anyone would go and sit with him.”
In March last year, the government announced that Nasir was partnering with it to construct and establish a soup kitchen on Brickdam, next door to the Palms Geriatric Home.
The kitchen is expected to cater meals for over 2,500 persons per day, including but not limited to persons who find themselves displaced and on the streets.
The facility was to have been finished by last August but there have been delays.
The Bakewell website had this to say about the founding of the bakery.
“The rise and success of the Nasir Food Group is a story of Vision, Entrepreneurship, Commitment, Cooperation and Hard Work. It all begin in 1988 when Naeem Nasir left his secure job at the National Bank of Industry and Commerce Limited and Annette Nasir gave up her hair dressing salon business and plunged into the bakery business to exploit the huge opportunities available following the reintroduction of wheat flour, the liberalisation of the foreign exchange market, and an economy averaging 7% growth. The combined turnover has moved within the space of twenty two years from zero to over US$6 million. Yet, as this profile demonstrates, the Nasirs have kept their focus firmly on food and beverages produced and offered under strict hygienic conditions, meeting the needs of a more demanding and competitive marketplace, even as they move from strength to strength.”
