The former minister of state for health under the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan and the immediate past chairman of the apex northern sociocultural group, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Arc. Gabriel Aduku is dead.
He died at the age of 80 years on Sunday in the United States after a brief illness.
According to a source close to the family, the late Chief Aduku left Nigeria before his 80th birthday, which he celebrated on February 3, 2024, with some members of the family in the US.
A traditional title holder of Amana Ogohi Atta Igala, Chief Aduku made indelible marks on the national and international scenes, both professionally and politically.
He was president of the Nigeria Institute of Architect (NIA), Architects Registration Council of Nigeria (ARCON) as well as the chairman of its Board of Trustees.
Aduku, who became chairman of ACF in May 2023, was replaced in December 2023 by Mamman Osman (SAN).
As president of ARCON from 1992 to 1997, he promoted a strong and virile institute that is absolutely on top of the building sector of the Nigerian economy both from the point of knowledge of its members and professional credibility and the respect enjoyed from various governments and the general public.
As one of his landmark achievements as ARCON president, the councils of both ARCON and NIA vigorously commenced the monitoring of the practice of architecture in the country to stamp out possible quackery. This was backed up by individual development programmes for the professionals through seminars and workshops.
