The death toll of New Nigerian Newspaper Retirees waiting for payment of their benefits from the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) reached 110 on Sunday with the death of Alhaji Aliyu Modibbo Yola, who was the first son of late Alhaji Mai Borno, the former Central Bank Governor of Nigeria.
A statement on NSGF Beneficiaries Whatsapp platform by his friend, Magaji Isa Hunkuyi, said Modibbo died in the early hours of Sunday, 6th April 2025, at Federal Medical Centre Yola, after a brief illness.
“Inna lillahi wainna alaihun rajihun Aliyu Modibbo Yola died in the early hours of today Sunday at Federal Medical Centre Yola. May the Almighty Allah forgive his sins and grant him Jannatul Firdausi Amin,” Hunkuyi prayed.
“He was at the NNN desk and later transferred to Yola, Adamawa state, his hometown, as state Editor of NNN after the death of his Father, Alhaji Aliyu Mai Borno, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), whose photo is on the N1000 note.
“The last time we spoke on the telephone, about four days ago, he prayed that may Allah help us to collect our benefits from Northern Governors with our hands”.
He recounted his relationship with the late Aliyu Modibbo in the early 1980s when he was working at the Newsroom of the NNN in Kaduna, while Magaji Isa Hunkuyi was reporting for National Concord and later transferred to Yola in 1992 as chief correspondent of the National Concord where they met and maintained a more close relationship, which continued even after he was posted to Taraba State as a principal reporter by the New Nigerian.
A few days ago, Ado Umar died at Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital Tudun Wada Kaduna, taking the death toll to 109.
According to reports, 35 NNN retirees are in dire need of medical attention at various hospitals.
Northern States Governors Forum under Governor Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State raked in N7 billion naira after selling New Nigerian Newspaper properties to pay beneficiaries. Still, until now, no penny has been paid out of the 2.5 Billion naira owed the retirees.
Meanwhile, recent interactions of the New Nigerian Newspaper Elders Forum with the Northern States’ Governor’s Secretariat suggest that efforts may have been underway to pay the retirees; however, no specific time frame was stipulated.
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