Leaders across the country have joined the government and people of Kaduna State in mourning a former civilian Governor of the state, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who passed-on on Wednesday.
Alhaji Balarabe Musa, the first Executive Governor of Kaduna State was said to have died of heart attack in the early hours of Wednesday at age 84 in Kaduna.
He was buried according to Islamic rites yesterday at the Ungwan Sarki Cemetery, shortly after a funeral prayer at the Sultan Bello Mosque in Ungwan Sarki, in the Kaduna North Local Government Area of the state.
Musa born on August 21, 1936 in Kaya, Kaduna State was elected governor of the old Kaduna State in 1979 on the platform of the PRP, a party founded by late Mallam Aminu Kano.
Reacting to his death, President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu expressed sadness, describing the late Musa as “a voice of the voiceless.”
He said late Musa reflected the passion and vigour that heralded Nigeria’s independence, and had remained steadfast in the call for good and inclusive governance.
“As the former governor goes home, the President affirms that he left a bold footprint on Nigeria’s democracy, and his role in promoting good governance and development will always be remembered and appreciated by posterity,” the statement added.
Former Presidents, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan had also expressed sadness at the death of Musa.
Jonathan described Musa as a sincere politician who protected the interest of the people throughout his political life.
He said “As a democrat, Musa avoided convenient politics and was passionate and courageous about his views. He was a highly principled man who relentlessly pursued his beliefs, even at the risk of suffering personal and career setbacks.”
In a statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said Musa had an unwavering belief in a greater Nigeria.
“And, he accordingly gave the best of his remarkable talent and ability in pursuit of this goal.
“He brought renewed activism, verve and resourcefulness to bear on the nation’s polity,” Obasanjo disclosed.
Similarly, the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said his administration was proud of the public service that the late Musa rendered to the state and its people.
El-Rufai in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Communication, Mr Muyiwa Adekeye added, “Alhaji Balarabe Musa will be remembered as a progressive politician who tried in his time as governor to expand the horizons of opportunity for ordinary people.”
According to the governor, the deceased “made notable contributions to industrializing the state. As a leader, he demonstrated at the ballot box, the capacity of a political party devoted to the protection of the interest of ordinary people to acquire power democratically.
“As private citizen, he projected the qualities of principled politics, decency, integrity, consistency and commitment to improving the lives of our ‘talakawa’ in Kaduna State and Nigeria.”
Additionally, the All Progressives Congress National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, described late Musa as a principled and committed progressive politician.
In a condolence message on Wednesday by Mr Tunde Rahman, Tinubu said, “He provided leadership for the political class. As the chairman, Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP), Alhaji Musa led the parties to demand positive change in the political space.”
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and one of his predecessors, David Mark also condoled with the late Musa family.
The Senate President said the former governor shunned material benefits and remained constant on the path of his convictions all through his long and illustrious political career.
David Mark said, “Balarabe Musa was a great patriot. He was an advocate for peace and justice. He was a voice for the voiceless.”
In the same vein, Governors across the country, party leaders, organization bodies have all mourned the forthright leader who, according to all, consistently stood by the ordinary citizen of Nigeria.
