Sultan Abubakar III, Saraki, Ganduje, Aliko Dangote, Ango Abdullahi, other prominent citizens bid Danmasani Maitama Sule bye as first Republic minister lays to rest in Kano

Emotions as burial of Nigeria’s diplomatic giant last

*Danmasani’s memory will last longer with Nigeria – Gen. Olanrewaju

*My dream for Nigeria, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule March 2014

Chairman of the Northern Elders Forum and Nigeria’s First Republic minister, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule, has been buried in accordance with Islamic rites in Kano, Kano State.

The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje and representatives of the Northern Elders Forum were among those at the prayers and burial.

Governor Muhammad Abubakar of Bauchi State, Professor Ango Abdullahi and many other associates of late Dan Masani were also among those gathered to mourn the man they all described as “second to none”.

Sule, the Dan Masani Kano, died in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Monday at the age of 87.

Thousands of Kano residents, political leaders and top government functionaries attended the janazah (funeral prayers) held at the Kano Emirate.

Governor Ganduje described the late elder statesman as an irreplaceable intellectual who devoted his entire time to serving Nigeria and Africa in general.

Although he said a replacement would be hard to find for Sule, the governor explained that time is the healer of all wounds.

Professor Ango Abdullahi, Dr Junaid Muhammad said few words cannot describe the man Nigeria has lost.

After Maitama Sule was laid to rest, many mourners were seen trooping to his Kano residence to express their condolences to his family.

Burial of a diplomatic giant

Thousands of sympathizers, friends and well-wishers of elder statesman, Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule gathered at Wali Mai Geza cemetery at Kofar Mazugal, Tuesday where his remains was laid to rest at exactly 7:22 P.M immediately after the Maghgrid prayer.

His remains arrived the ancient city of Kano onboard an air force plane with registration number NAF 913 at about 3:30 PM.

The plane landed at the Kano air force base where the host governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his counterpart s from Bauchi and Jigawa states received the body.

Immediately, the body was driven straight to his private residence at Dawaki road in an ambulance, to the awaiting hands of his family and well-wishers for their last respect to their beloved father.

However, thousands of mourners and dignitaries from all walks of life have converged at the Emir’s palace anxiously waiting to pay their last respect to the elder statesman for special prayers.

The special prayer was conducted by the Chief Imam of Kano, Prof. Sani Zahradeen in company of the Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi 11, members of the emirate council, Governor Umar Abdullahi Ganduje, his Deputy, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, Jigawa state governor, Mohammed Abubakar Badaru, Bauchi state governor, Mohammed Abubakar, Senate President,Bukola Saraki, members of National Assemblyand Federal Government delegation led by Chief of Staff to president Muhammadu Buhari,Alhaji Abba Kyari, among other dignitaries.

Alhaji Maitama  Sule was buried at the same cemetery where his late brothers, Madakin Shehu, Madakin Mahmoud and Madakin Sarkin Shano were interred.

Speaking about the late  Maitama Sule, his childhood friend and class mate, Justice Mamman Nasiru (rtd) said, “We went to the same secondary school in Kaduna in 1943. It was then called Kaduna College, now called Barewa College. It was the only college in the North then. Whatever your religion, whatever your tribe, we all attended the same college then.”

According to the former President of Court of Appeal, “we have been together since 1943.He played the game of politics well. You know, people like Nelson Mandela were always calling on him. When he was Nigeria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, he was one of those that stood firmly against apartheid.”

Justice Nasiru who is the Galadiman Katsina and also the District Head of Malumfashi, “Maitama Sule was not materialistic and that was why he succeeded in life; and this is one of the standing qualities he maintained till he died. He was an honest man who always spoke the truth. Even this period we arranging to come together and produce a book to celebrate Dan Massani.”

Also the former Kano state governor, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, has described the death of the Dan-masanin Kano, Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, as a great loss to the nation.

The Sardaunan Kano also described him as an Icon who contributed immensely to the socio -economic and political development of the country.

This was contained in a statement signed by Alhaji Sule Ya’u Sule, the Senior Special Assistant media and Public Relation to Sardaunan Kano, Malam Shekarau, a copy made available to press men on Monday in Kano.

He said “the death of Dan-masanin Kano was a great loss to the nation and people at the positions of authority, especially in Kano do enjoy the wisdom and guidance of late Dr.Maitama Sule,”

According to him, “while in service of Kano as Governor, I truly tapped from Danmassanin’s experience, his guidance had greatly assisted me to pilot the affairs of the state “.

His words” the state and the Nation will dearly missed his oratory, diction and humour speech, Danmasanin’s versatile and eloquent presentation of addresses at any fora, always made teeming masses to always listening to him. We pray Almighty Allah to forgive all his shortcomings.”

According to elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, “the death of Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule, Danmasanin Kano is a colossal loss not only to his family, his friends and political associates, but to the entire Nigerian nation. A highly remarkable character, Danmasani was a friend to all and enemy to none. We have been together since our younger age and our friendship has transcended to our children.

“Even though we parted ways politically at a certain stage of our political life, fate brought us together when Kano State was created where we both served as pioneer members of the state executive council to the end of the lifetime of our administration.

“During the Second Republic we were again brought together by Almighty God under the banner of the defunct National Party of Nigeria, NPN, under whose government we both served; he served as Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations and I served as Presidential Liaison Officer in the National Assembly. We remained as best of friend’s right from our childhood, never had any personal quarrel. Extremely jovial person, there was never a dull moment with Maitama.

“I wish to extend my heartfelt condolence to his beloved wife, Hajiya Nusa, his children and extended family. May God repose his gentle soul in eternal peace. May Almighty grant his family, all of us his friends and associates courage and fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.”

Other dignitaries that graced the burial include business mogul, Aliko Dangote, former Secretary to the Federal Government, Alhaji Yayale Ahmed, former chairmanof INEC, Prof. Attahiru Jega, Ambassador Datti Abdulkadir, former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Maina Waziri, among others.

…Danmasani’s memory will last longer with Nigeria – Gen. Olanrewaju

On Lagos end, the death in Cairo, Egyptian capital, on Monday, of the Nigeria’s first Republic minister, Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule, again brought alive the good memories of a diplomatic assignment he did together with former Minister of Communications, Major General Tajudeen Olanrewaju (Rtd) and former National Security Adviser (NSA), Alhaji Gwarzo, following which led to the Abacha government commuting death sentence of then former Head of State, General Olusegun Obasanjo (Rtd), to 25 years imprisonment.

Reminiscence of the event leading to that, in a statement personally signed by him in Lagos on Tuesday, General Tajudeen Olanrewaju said the memory of late Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule would remain with Nigeria and the global community due to his tremendous contributions to national and global peace and security.

General Olanrewaju told the story of how a Nigerian delegation led by the late Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule comprising him and former NSA Gwarzo had gone on a diplomatic mission in Switzerland to meet with American delegation comprising Ambassador McHenry, then Assistant Secretary of State on Security Susan Rice and Assistant Secretary of State on Africa George Moose sent by then United States’ President Bill Clinton to meet with the Maitama Sule-led Nigerian team, demanding the release of the trio of General Olusegun Obasanjo, General Shehu Yar’Adua and Alhaji MKO Abiola.

He said, “At the end of our meeting with the American team, Nigeria never lost but gained.  Based on our discussion with them at that meeting, the Federal Government at that time swung into action by commuting the death sentence particularly on General Obasanjo to 25 years imprisonment and were considering that of Yar’Adua and Abiola but I cannot tell all the stories here.  What is important is, we commuted Obasanjo’s death sentence to 25 years imprisonment and he was on that when I had crisis and didn’t know what happened thereafter.”

Paying glowing tribute to the late Maitama Sule, Olanrewaju said, “And being a seasoned diplomat, Ambassador Maitama Sule used his maturity, age, experience and leadership in getting the America to listen and was therefore able to present Nigerian position clearly, unambiguously on our national interest and the rest of that.  He also used same qualities inherent in him to steer the direction of our discussion with them and he steered the meeting because of the demand of America at that time giving us the ultimatum saying all of the three of them, Obasanjo, Yar’Adua and MKO Abiola, must be released,” he said.

“In all, I would say that the death of Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule is a rude shock to me because he was active till the point he died. He will be missed by Nigeria as a whole,” he said.

Ambassador Yusuf Maitama Sule’s words in March 2014:

“All these crises that are happening today will come to an end.  Only God has no beginning, no end.  Everything that you see; good or bad has a beginning, it will have an end.  By the grace of God we would see the end of all the crises in Nigeria.  By the grace of God we will come to know peace and stability in Nigeria.  By the grace of God we would be our brothers’ keepers.  Unfortunately today it is not so and that is why I’m worried and that is why we are working for it. 

“Nigeria is not what it was.  Nigeria was a peaceful country, morally sound.  Even the institution of public is breaking down today; the respect for elders, like me, and constituted authorities which used to be the cardinal principle in our society is now at his lowest.  Honesty  has become meaningless.  In short there is meaninglessness in philosophy, insecurity in polity, chaos in politics, immorality in society, corruption in the economy, frustration in hearts.”