Buhari, IBB Mourn Former Presidential Spokesman, Onabule

President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the family of veteran journalist and former chief press secretary to military president, Gen. Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida, Chief Duro Onabule, who passed on Tuesday at 83.

Buhari in a statement signed by his media aide, Femi Adesina, condoled with Babangida, the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE) over the sad loss.

The president noted the commendable contributions of the respected journalist to the development of Nigeria, especially his role in stimulating robust debates with insightful articles while working variously as the editor of National Concord and chairman, Board of Directors of Nigerian Television Authority (NTA).

In his reaction, Babangida IBB said the death of Onabule had cast a long shadow on his birthday.

Babangida, who celebrated his birthday yesterday, said for losing his friend and older brother a day before his birthday was sad.

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He said, “I received with profound sorrow the news of the death of my dear friend, adviser and elder brother, Chief Duro Onabule, who passed away yesterday at the age of 83.

“It is a sad irony that Chief Onabule, who was usually amongst the first to celebrate my birthday, died on the eve of my anniversary, and his passing will no doubt cast a long shadow over the festivities,” he added.

Babangida said f or eight years, the “highly accomplished journalist and man of letters, stood by me as we tried to reengineer this country, and his intelligence, patriotism and absolute fidelity to the unity of this nation shone through, becoming a big part of the successes we managed to achieve at the time.”

He recalled that he was a man with a great sense of history and understood what needed to be done to properly situate his administration efforts, especially in the light of the peculiar circumstances ” we found ourselves, employing his formidable journalistic skills to get the buy-in of fellow Nigerians.”