President Muhammadu Buhari said on Monday that the late Bashir Tofa, 1993 presidential election candidate, was noted for his untiring commitment to public enlightenment and was unafraid to speak the truth all the time that he lived.
Tofa, who contested under the defunct National Republican Convention (NRC) in the 1993 aborted Third Republic, died on Monday morning at the age of 93 years.
A source close to the family confirmed that the Elder Statesman died in the early hours of Monday after a protracted illness.
However, President Buhari in a statement issued by Garba Shehu, Seqnior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), described the late Tofa as a true nationalist that would be difficult to replace.
The Presidency said, “The late Tofa 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 characterised 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.”
According to the statement, 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.
Tribune reports that the President has dispatched a delegation to Kano with a condolence letter to the State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
The team was said to be made up of the Ministers of Defence, Major-General Bashir Magashi (Rtd) and Water Resources, Engineer Sulaiman Adamu accompanied by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media and Publicity), Garba Shehu and the Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris.
