Condolences for the late Isa Funtua continued, on Thursday, with former military President, Ibrahim Babangida describing the late Funtua as a bridge-builder, a peacemaker and one who believed so much in the unity of Nigeria.
Babangida said Isa’s pan-Nigerian stance could be seen in the insistence that Nigerians must live to love themselves despite our different “tongues and tribes.”
Consequently, he said Funtua was known for carrying himself with uncommon patriotism and was always ready to reach out to people no matter their backgrounds and tribal inclinations.
He decried that the late Funtua was largely misunderstood but stood on his ground that the nation was better off as a united entity than a fractured nation.
In line with this unyielding stance, Babangida noted that the late Funtua never hesitated in speaking his mind in a brutally frank manner no matter whose ox is gored.
Babangida said: “It has taken me two days of shock to be able to muscle the strength to write this tribute and condolence to the family of my departed brother, friend, associate and confidant, Ismaila Isa Funtua.
“Mallam Isa, as I fondly call him, was one Nigerian who never pretended about issues and situations. You would rightly know where he belongs. He was not given to frivolities and shenanigans. He was pointedly frank when he needed to make his position known on any matter.
“He carried with him an aura that defined his persona. He made friends across the length and breadth of Nigeria, from the North to the South, East to the West.
“He was indeed a bridge builder, a peacemaker and one who believed so much in the unity of Nigeria. He believed so much in constructively engaging issues, apply mediation to resolving issues than seeking alternative methods.
“As friends and brothers that we were, he never hesitated in speaking his mind in a brutally frank manner no matter whose ox is gored. He carried himself with uncommon patriotism and always ready to reach out to people no matter their backgrounds and tribal inclinations.
“He was a pan-Nigeria statesman who largely misunderstood by some and eternally appreciated by many who understood the dynamics of his engagements. Often times, he would insist that Nigerians must live to love themselves despite our different “tongues and tribes” because, in his view, we are better off as a united entity than a fractured nation.
“I have no doubt in my mind that Isa lived a fulfilled life as a devout Muslim and lover of humanity.”