…says Nigeria lost a rare gem
Segun Babatunde, Bauchi
A former Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives,Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara has paid a tribute to late Rt. Hon Ghali Umar Na’abba, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who died in the early hours of Wednesday, December 27,at an Abuja hospital after a brief illness.
In a condolence message he personally signed and made available to journalists Wednesday in Bauchi,Dogara said that, “Nigeria has lost a rare gem,a leader like no other”.
According to him, “With a heavy heart but total submission to the will of God, I pay this tribute to an icon, an advocate of transparency, champion of social justice and rule of law who laid a solid foundation for the independence of the legislature in the Fourth Republic, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’abba, CFR”.
He described late Na’abba as “a principled man, a patriot and leader par excellence. The 4th Assembly, under his able leadership, served as a bulwark for the advancement and defence of freedom, liberty, and strict adherence to democratic tenets”.
“He was a repository of knowledge who was always willing to share from his fountain of wisdom whenever the legislature ran into murky waters and needed clarity to proceed”.
He said “his death is a personal loss to me as he was a big brother and mentor who was always there to offer his wise counsel to me whenever the need arose”.
Dogara then concluded that “I commiserate with his immediate family, the government/people of Kano State, and Nigerians. May his gentle soul rest in perfect peace”.