From Gyang Bere, Jos
Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has expressed the sympathy of the people and Government of Plateau State over the passing of the founder of the NASCO Group of Companies, Dr Ahmed Idris Nasreddin.
Nasreddin died at the age of 96.
Governor Lalong in a statement described the passing of the patriarch of the NASCO conglomerate as a great loss, not only to the family, but to people of Plateau State and Nigeria as a whole.
The governor said the late Nasreddin was a visionary leader who established NASCO in Jos in 1963 as the first jute bag factory in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa in response to the desire of the country’s founding fathers to meet the challenges of effective bagging, storage and export of agricultural products from the country.
‘This vision by the late Dr Ahmed Idris Nasreddin saw the company growing from its little beginnings to become a major conglomerate with successful companies in manufacturing, real estate, hospitality and logistics, trading, among others,’ the governor said in the statement.
‘NASCO has over the years remained a major employer of labour in Plateau State and continues to contribute to the economic prosperity of the State and Nigeria at large through tax revenue and corporate social responsibility.
The governor said because of the faith that the late Nasreddin had in Plateau State, NASCO remained rooted in the State throughout the difficult moments when the State witnessed crises that affected its development.
Governor Lalong, while consoling the family, ,anagement and staff of the NASCO conglomerate, said the legacies of the late business mogul will continue to prevail particularly when the company he founded many years ago is waxing stringer and being successfully run by his son, (Dr) Attia Nasreddin and other members of the family.
He assured the NASCO family of the support and collaboration of the Plateau State Government as he prayed that God grant the soul of the deceased eternal rest and comfort the family.