Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The immediate past president of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), Chief Peter Ameh, has lamented the death of former Kaduna state governor, Balarabe Musa, describing it as lost of modern-day nationalist.
In a statement he issued in Abuja, Ameh described Balarabe as a man of vigour and humility, who was always transparent and diligent in his dealings.
“Dusk has befallen on our great nation at dawn. Balarabe Musa was an elder statesman and the first civilian governor of Kaduna state. He was a marxists and an activist till his death.
“A man of vigour and humility, always transparent and diligent in his dealings. A man of repute and reputable service to the people. He was at the forefront of the development and democracy of our beloved nation.
“His life is worthy of emulation and he is a symbol of good governance and leadership. A perfect candidate for a posthumous award and recognition by the nation. He death is indeed a great loss for the people of Kaduna state and Nigerians. Farewell Balarabe Musa.
“The death of Abdulkadir Balarabe Musa has come as a very as a rude shock to all Nigerians. We pray that our good Lord will grant him eternal rest.
“Baarabe Musa was a man who was well acknowledged for the developmental strides he made as the governor of old Kaduna State in the second republic especially in the area of human development.
“He was champion for the emancipation of the down trodden. In the present dispensation that started in 1999, Balarabe Musa and another leading light of the opposition movement Chief Gani Fawehinmi were instrumental to the multi-party democracy that we practice presently.
“The fight up to the Supreme Court of Nigeria to ensure that the political space was liberalized and expanded to accommodate all shades of opinion in the Nigerian polity. In fact, Balarabe Musa was the poster boy of democracy from 1999 until his death.
“In an irony of fate, his party PRP was deregistered by Prof Attahiru Jega, the then INEC Chairman, and in his dogged nature, he fought all the way again to restore the party. Prof. Jega is now a staunch member of PRP, and PRP has now become the cornerstone party in the the North as we march towards 2023.
“The life of Musa should be emulated by all politicians and non politicians alike. He lived his life for the masses, and all his struggles in life was for the betterment of the country.
“We pray that the Almighty Allah grant him eternal rest, and the family and the entire opposition movement the fortitude to bear the loss.
“He was a leading light and remains one politician and elder state man that truly deserve to be called an elder statesman. He stood against the mismanagement of public funds, his life was in humility and serve to course of the Nigeria people.
“He serves the people diligently without course for enrichment, and he is the kind of leader Nigeria should have had. If we have the kind of leadership like Balarabe Musa, Nigeria would have been a wonderful place to behold because he had sacrificed everything, stood like an activist in trying to defend the posture and the sense of dignity of the common man.
“So, it is important that he must be honoured by Kaduna State Government, by the federal government so that we see it as a symbol of what Nigerian politicians should be, and as a symbol of what leadership should be,” Ameh noted,