The Adamawa State Tiv community has expressed deep condolences to Governor Ahmadu Fintiri and the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Awwal Tukur, over the death of elder statesman, businessman and former Gongola State Governor, Alhaji Dr. Bamanga Muhammad Tukur.
Awwal Tukur is the first son of the late Bamanga Tukur and currently serving as the Secretary to the Adamawa State Government.
In separate condolence messages signed by the President of the Adamawa State Tiv community, Prof. Iyorwuese Anum, the community described the death of Bamanga Tukur as a profound loss to Adamawa State, Nigeria and the many communities whose lives he touched.
Prof. Anum expressed shock over what he described as the untimely departure of a distinguished business icon, statesman and democrat.
“On behalf of the Mdzough u Tiv, Adamawa State, we extend our deepest condolences to Your Excellency, the Government and good people of Adamawa State, and the family of our departed elder, statesman and distinguished son of Adamawa, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, Tafidan Adamawa.
“The news of the passing of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur has come to us with profound sadness,” he said.
The Tiv leader said Bamanga Tukur’s death was not only a great loss to his immediate family and Adamawa State, but also to the numerous communities and individuals who benefited from his wisdom, warmth, generosity and remarkable disposition.
According to him, the relationship between Bamanga Tukur and the Tiv people went beyond his traditional title as Tafidan Adamawa, describing him as a genuine friend of the Tiv community who demonstrated deep affection for its people.
“To the Tiv people, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur was much more than the revered Tafidan Adamawa. He was a genuine friend of the Tiv people, a man who held them with great affection and always demonstrated a special fondness for them,” Prof. Anum said.
He recalled that Bamanga Tukur became such a familiar and beloved figure among the Tiv that his name eventually became a household name in Tiv communities.
Prof. Anum explained that because some local Tiv people found Bamanga Tukur’s name difficult to pronounce, they affectionately gave him the nickname “Mama Mbaduku,” after Mbaduku community in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State.
He said the nickname became a symbol of the special bond and affection between the late statesman and the Tiv people.
“The Tiv nation has indeed lost a friend,” he said.
Prof. Anum, who is the Head of the Department of Building Technology at Modibbo Adama University, Yola, further described Bamanga Tukur as a visionary who had what he called a “third eye” for the industrialisation of Nigeria and Africa.
He said the late statesman was not merely a democrat but also “the compass of democracy in Nigeria and beyond,” stressing the significance of his contributions to business, politics and national development.
The Tiv community also recalled Bamanga Tukur’s connection with Benue State University, Makurdi, where he served as chairman of the institution’s first convocation in 1996.
The community prayed that Almighty God would forgive the shortcomings of the deceased, grant him eternal rest and give his family, Governor Fintiri and the people of Adamawa State the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.
COURTESY: tgnews.com.ng
