The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Sule

  • Kano still as elder statesman Sule is buried

    Kano still as elder statesman Sule is buried

    Thousands of sympathisers, including Chief of Staff to the President, Malam Abba Kyari, who represented President Muhamadu Buhari, yesterday attended the funeral prayer for the late elder statesman Dr Maitama Sule, the Dan Masanin Kano.

    Sule, 87, died in the early hours of Monday in Cairo, the Egyptian capital, 24 hours after he arrived there for treatment.

    The Chief Imam of Kano, Prof. Sani Zaharaddeen, conducted the prayer at  6:08pm. Governor  Abdullahi Ganduje, Deputy Governor Hafiz Abubakar and the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammadu Sanusi II attended.

    Also there were Senate President Bukola Sarki, Minister of Interior. Abdurrahman Danbazau, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Water Resources, Sulaiman Adamu, Minister of Defence Mansur Dan’ali and Accountant-General of the Federation Alhaji Ahmed Idris, Governors Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Mohammed Abubajar (Bauchi) Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Kashim Shettima (Borno) also attended.

    Members of the Northern Elders Forum, such as  Prof. Ango Abdullahi and Justice Mamman Nasir were there.

    The business community was lead by Alhaji Aliko Dangote, Alhaji Dahiru Mangal and Alhaji Samaila Funtua. Many politicians, prominent Islamic scholars and  mong others were not left out.

    Although the burial was slated for 4pm, the remains of the late diplomat flown in from Egypt,did not arrive in Kano until 4.08 pm.

    The body was brought in through the Nigerian Air force Base, Kano in an Air force plane with registration number NAF 913.

    The body was interred at Kara Cemetery at Kofar Mazugal in Kano metropolis, at exactly7:22pm after the Maghgrid prayer.

    Governors Ganduje, Shettima and Abubakar, received the body which was driven straight to his private residence at Dawaki road in an ambulance, to the awaiting arms of his family and well-wishers for their last respects.

    Thousands of mourners and dignitaries from all walks of life converged on the Emir’s palace anxiously waiting to pay their last respect to the elder statesman and to attend the special prayer which was conducted by the Chief Imam of Kano, Prof. Sani Zahradeen in company with the Emir of Kano, members of the emirate council and the dignitaries.

    Alhaji Sule was buried at the same cemetery where his late brothers, Madakin Shehu, Madakin Mahmoud and Madakin Sarkin Shano were interred.

     

  • DSS arrest kidnappers, vandals in Sokoto

    The Department for State Service (DSS) in Sokoto has arrested seven suspected kidnappers terrorising residents of Goronyo- Isah in Sabon Birni local government area of the state.

    The DSS also appealed to criminals to key into the state government’s amnesty programme by surrendering their arms ‎to the authorities.

    “There are incentives and other necessary support for them to be readmitted into the society,” the agency said.

    According to the DSS, the suspects ‎ specialised in kidnapping, armed robbery and cattle rustling, using Dane guns and other dangerous weapons.

    “The syndicate is led by one Abdullahi Mohammed a.k.a Hanaswa of Zangon Arab in Sabon Birni local government,” it added.

    Other suspects arrested by the DSS are – Shabi Dan-Musa, Abdullahi Boka, Isah Aliyu, Sule, Tukur and Ibrahim Maye.

    The agency  also arrested  three suspected cable, solar panel‎ and water equipment vandals.

    They were caught with cables and copper wires worth N8 million.

    ‎Parading the suspects separately on Friday at the state command of the service, the state Director of DSS, Alhaji Tijjani Kafa,‎ said the arrests were made in joint operations with the military between April 15 and April 19 following the abduction of  one Nasiru Aliyu Maigoro.

    “The suspects with the support of Maigoro’s relation kidnapped the victim and demanded‎ for N10 million but finally arrived at an agreed sum of N1 million ransom which was paid to the kidnappers to share among themselves,” the DSS director said.

     

  • Okorocha is Zik’s successor, says Sule

    Okorocha is Zik’s successor, says Sule

    •‘My mission is to build bridges’

    Frontline northern leader Alhaji Maitama Sule has said Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha, was the only Igbo leader who truly represents the unity of the country, through his contributions to national development.

    He described Okorocha as the direct successor of the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, who he said made the greatest contribution in the struggle for Nigeria’s independence.

    Sule, who spoke during the graduation of the Rochas Foundation College in Kano, said the detribalised actions of Okorocha helped in promoting the country’s unity.

    His words: “Our founding fathers like the late Sarduana of Sokoto, Tafawa Balewa, Obafemi Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikiwe, laid the foundation for Nigeria’s unity and today, Okorocha is the symbol of that unity because his actions are uniting Nigeria and he is using one of the most effective tools of uniting a people, which is education.

    “The joy of every father is to see his successors. I have seen a worthy successor in Okorocha. He has taken after the great Nnamdi Azikiwe. He is the direct successor of Azikiwe. His contributions to the development of the educational sector, especially in providing free education for indigent children has proved that he is our Tafawa Balewa, Awolowo, Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello. Okorocha has made me proud because his benevolence does not benefit only his region but the entire nation”.

    The social critic called on wealthy Nigerians, especially politicians, to emulate Okorocha by investing in the educational and the health sectors instead of stashing money in foreign banks.

    “It is my appeal to our politicians to bring back the monies they kept abroad and invest in our education and health sectors so that our country can grow.”

    Governor Rochas Okorocha has reiterated his determination to build bridges of peace to strengthen the relationship between the North and the Southeast.

    Okorocha spoke when he visited his Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, at the Government House in Kano. He urged the House of Assembly to enact a law for the transfer of the Rochas Foundation College as the property of the Kano State government.

    He said his aim, among others, was to unite both Houses of Assembly, noting that both had become one.

    Okorocha said the school had graduated over 2,000 students since its establishment 11 years ago, adding that indigent children should enjoy free education to the university level.

    He promised to extend the school to Sokoto and Adamawa states, as well as to over 100 other countries as sponsors come from Korea and China.

    Ganduje hailed Okorocha for abandoning regional politics for national unity and peaceful coexistence. He noted that the Okorocha played a significant role in the emergence of the new Nigeria.

  • Sule: Failure to uphold Sardauna’s legacy has polarised North

    Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations (UN), Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, has said the neglect of the legacies of the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello (Sardauna of Sokoto) was the major cause of the divisions threatening the unity of the region.

    Sule spoke at a youth parley, under the auspices of Arewa Citizens Action for Change.

    He noted that the unity of the North makes it a formidable force in the country’s political arena.

    Sule said: “I vividly remember that while the Sardauna was championing the activities of the region as the Premier, he was instrumental to the establishment of Northern Association of Christians of Nigeria, before it was generally adopted and transformed into the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). Against this backdrop, it shows that he was a disciple and blood descendant of the late Usman Danfodio and the leader of the Nigerian Congress of Muslims.

    “That was how the North was built, regardless of religious and or ethnic leanings. This ensures that nobody identifies himself or herself with his religion or tribe, instead people were proud to associate themselves with the northern region”

    Also stressed that unless the current crop of leaders in the north are just and fair to all, the disunity in the region will continue to linger.

    He hinted that the dream of leaders, like Sardauna was that Nigeria should be in the rank of developed nations after 20 years, but that dream has since been shattered by the current leaders, whom he described as looters.

    The Danmasinin Kano noted that unless the philosophy of Sardauna is emulated, the country will continue to slide backwards, pointing out that if such anomalies are not urgently addressed, then the nation would be doomed.

    He said Sardauna died as a pauper without an account anywhere or share in any company, but today, the story is different ball game as people are busy treasury looting the treasury by building mansions and palatial palaces abroad, and houses in Dubai without recourse to the poor.

    “We have leaders today as a result of the oil discovery who buy luxury cars for their girlfriends, they imbibe the culture of stealing large amount of monies, who have the habit of building mansions where there is no road network, that is why today Nigeria is still yearning for leaders who are generous, kind and patriotic”.

    The National Secretary of the Citizens Action for Change, Comrade Sani M Daura, assured that his organization is not a political party umbrella, adding that it will resist any attempt by any political gladiator to hijack it.