Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari and Kano Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje have mourned the demise of Alhaji Bashir Tofa.
Tofa was the presidential candidate of the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the annulled June 12, 1993 general elections.
The deceased, a promoter of Islamic culture and civilization was noted for his untiring commitment to public enlightenment and was unafraid to speak the truth all the time that he lived.
He set up the Bureau for Islamic Propagation, BIP, in the mid-80s that helped to unite Muslim Scholars in the Northern States, narrowing the differences that characterized their relationships. The BIP also published books and newspapers.
“He was, till the end, a patriot to the core. He envisaged a better Nigeria for all. We pray that this dream and collective aspiration and necessary commitment will not go with him. We owe it to his memory and to the nation,” said the President.
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President Buhari prayed to Allah to repose his soul and grant fortitude to the bereaved family and friends, the Kano Emirate Council as well as the government and people of Kano State to bear the loss.
Meanwhile, Ganduje in a statement signed Monday by the state’s Commissioner for Information, Mallam Muhammad Garba, said Tofa’s contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, remained indelible.
The governor said “the sacrifices of Tofa, started with leadership responsibilities at an early age, when he was elected councillor in Tofa Local Government Area in his late 20s, and remained vibrant and dynamic up till the time of his death.’’
He said further that as a businessman, trader and philanthropist, Tofa touched the lives of many people, especially the downtrodden and his legacies would be approximated for posterity.
“The legacy of his political beliefs and triumphs will be important footnotes in the literature of Nigeria’s government and politics for generations yet to come.
“He was a great man, a quintessential democrat and outstanding statesman who left very bold prints on the politics and political history of Nigeria, “ Ganduje said.
The Governor prayed Almighty Allah to grant his soul Paradise, and give the family, friends and associates, the fortitude to bear the loss.
Bashir Tofa died at the age of 75 after an illness and had been buried in accordance with Islamic injunctions.
