KANO State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, and Governor Badaru Abubakar of Jigawa State have described the former presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the June 12, 1993 election, Alhaji Bashir Othman Tofa, as an outstanding statesman.
Ganduje said that late Tofa’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy remained indelible.
According to a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, the governor noted the sacrifices of Tofa, who started taking up leadership responsibilities at an early age when he was elected councilor in Tofa in his late 20s and remained vibrant and dynamic up till the time of his death.
He said as a businessman, trader, and philanthropist, Tofa touched the lives of many people, especially the down-trodden, and expressed the belief that the legacies of the deceased will be approximated for posterity.
“The legacy of his political beliefs and triumphs will be important footnotes in the literature of Nigeria’s government and politics for generations yet to come.
“He was a great man, a quintessential democrat and outstanding statesman who has left very hold prints both on the politics and political history of Nigeria,” the statement added.
The governor prayed Almighty Allah to grant his soul Aljannah Firdausi and the fortitude for his family, friends, and associates to bear the irreparable loss.
Meanwhile, Governor Badaru said he was saddened with the news of the death of Alhaji Tofa who he described as a statesman, an industrialist, politician as well as a community leader who as a member of the Constituent Assembly contributed a lot in drafting the 1979 constitution lived and died in the service of humanity.
This was contained in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media and Public Relations, Comrade Habibu Nuhu Kila, which quoted the governor saying Tofa’s death is a great loss not only to his family but the nation in general.
He prayed to Almighty Allah to forgive his shortcomings and grant him eternal rest and the family the fortitude to bear the loss.
In a related development, the Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) said it is deeply saddened over the death of Kano elder, describing him as a great statesman and mentor.
In a condolence message issued by its spokesperson Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, CNG said it owes immeasurable gratitude to the late Tofa whose leadership, sacrifice, statesmanship, patriotism, and unwavering commitment to the interests of the people of Northern Nigerian, and citizens of Nigeria as a whole has few parallels.
“We mourn the passing of this great man from whose life and works we have drawn inspiration and we must strive, in all we do, to live by the personal and social values and standards he lived and set for himself,” he said.
Suleiman said the late Tofa was a passionate believer of the organic links between generations who was always available for young people.
“The North certainly lost a great statesman, but the youth lost a mentor, a guardian, a living history and an embodiment of all the exemplary qualities young Northerners should strive to achieve.
“We pray the Almighty Allah to overlook his shortcomings, forgive his gentle soul, admit him to Jannah and grant his family the fortitude to bear the loss,” Suleiman said.
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