The remains of former Yobe State governor, Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, were laid to rest yesterday in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Bukar died on Sunday in Saudi Arabia at the age of 73 following an illness, and was buried there after his funeral prayer led by the Saudi Arabian imams.
LEADERSHIP gathered that the burial rites were held at the Grand Mosque, Masjid Al Haram, after the dawn prayers.
In a press statement signed and issued by Yusuf Ali, Senior Special Assistant, Communications and Strategy to Governor Hon Mai Mala Buni, the funeral prayers took place twice after the Fajr prayers.
Yusuf called on the people of Yobe State, both Muslims and Christians, to offer prayers for the eternal repose of the late senator’s soul.
He said the late Bukar Abba’s death is not only a loss to Yobe but to Nigeria as a whole, as he was a key figure in the country’s political landscape for many years.
Kwara State governor and chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has commiserated with the government and people of Yobe State on the death of former Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim.
The governor, in a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the death of the elder statesman represents a huge void in the ranks of people with vast and multilayered leadership experiences who truly love the country.
“Senator Buka Abba Ibrahim was not just a political force in the North East but he was also an inspirational and great figure with a large following that is anchored on the goodwill from his service to the people,” NGF chairman AbdulRazaq said.
He asked Allah to grant Senator Buka Abba Ibrahim Al-Jannah Firdaus and give comfort to his family and everyone who mourns him.
Similarly, the chairman of Northern States Governors’ Forum and Gombe State governor Inuwa Yahaya has expressed deep sorrow at the demise of the first civilian governor of Yobe State Bukar Abba Ibrahim.
Inuwa, in a statement issued by his media aide, Isma’ila Uba Misilli yesterday, on behalf of the 19 Northern governors, extended his heartfelt condolences to Governor Mai Mala Buni, government and people of Yobe State, as well as the family and associates of the late politician.
He said the news of the senator’s demise came as a profound shock and a great loss to the entire Northern region and Nigeria as a whole.
“His legacy of service and contributions will endure in the hearts of not only the people of Yobe State, but Nigerians as a whole,” he said.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda of Katsina State also expressed his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Yobe State over the demise of Bukar Abba Ibrahim.
The former two-term governor of the state died at the weekend at a Saudi-German Hospital in Makkah, Saudi Arabia.
The deceased governed Yobe from January 1992 to November 1993 during the Third Republic. He was re-elected and sworn in on 29 May, 1999 and served for two terms under the All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP).
