BY REBECCA AJANI
GOVERNOR Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has commiserated with the Government and people of Kaduna State over the death of a former Governor of the old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, who passed on, Wednesday.
Fayemi in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Yinka Oyebode, described the former Governor as an icon of democracy in Nigeria and a champion of the downtrodden.
The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) said the late Balarabe Musa was a politician who gave his all for the people he served without expecting anything in return.
He noted that the late Balarabe Musa was a highly principled politician who saw public service as a sacrifice and not an opportunity to acquire wealth, saying he lived a simple life throughout his lifetime.
Fayemi eulogised the late former Kaduna Governor as a father figure of opposition politics who spoke the truth to the governments of the day without fear or favour.
He also described the late Balarabe Musa as a rallying point of progressive politics in the North and a respected voice in the quest for a better Nigeria.
Fayemi said the late Balarabe Musa was a perfect example to prove that Nigeria still had politicians with ideology, contrary to the belief in some quarters that politics of ideology was dead in the country.
According to him, the deceased stood to be counted in the struggle to restore democracy after long years of military rule, which came into fruition in 1999.
The Governor urged contemporary politicians to emulate the late Balarabe Musa’s style of politics without bitterness and putting the people first in their quest for power.
He commiserated with the government and the people of Kaduna State whom the deceased served as Governor in his lifetime, describing his death as a colossal loss.
“A great politician has gone. We shall miss Alhaji Balarabe Musa’s forthrightness. Our condolences to his immediate family, government and good people of Kaduna State. Our prayer is that God will grant him Aljannah firdaus,” the Governor said.
